Chapter 51 (Revised) Little Mute Was Actually on Her Waist…

By the time she felt her center of gravity shift, she had already landed on the deck.

Little Mute chose to land in the lee of the stern cabin. Not far from them, at a windy spot, a man wearing a windproof boat hat was pacing with his hands clasped behind his back, head lowered as if deep in thought. He was one of the men they had seen talking on the small boat earlier.

Seeing Little Mute hesitate to take the next step, Zhao Rongzhang urged, “Find an empty compartment and put me in.”

With so many people on the large ship, how could there be an empty compartment? Guan Xuan had already quickly scanned every corner around them and only found a small gap in the cargo pile behind the scholar, just enough for one person to hide. There was no time to explain to the Princess, so Guan Xuan simply wrapped an arm around her waist and spun them both into hiding.

The space was extremely cramped; the two had to press closely together to fit. Guan Xuan carefully exerted force, shifting the bulging cargo bags slightly to create a bit more breathing room.

The bags were filled with rice, releasing a fresh, moist grain fragrance.

As they caught their breath, footsteps approached from the deck. Guan Xuan focused on the sliver of light seeping through the gap and saw someone walking toward the hatted scholar.

The scholar bowed deeply and addressed, “Lord Ren.”

“Did Captain Wu speak to you just now? Tomorrow at Chen hour, the ship will dock, and someone will escort you back to your hometown. The turmoil in the capital has also subsided these past two days, so there will be no further trouble.”

“This humble one thanks Lord Ren for saving my life!”

Their words were mostly scattered by the wind, but they were still clear to the ear. Zhao Rongzhang frowned as she looked at Lord Ren, her gaze as heavy as Little Mute’s.

This Lord Ren was none other than their long-unseen acquaintance, the Left Commander-in-Chief of the Imperial Guards, Ren Ping.

Ren Ping was actually here.

For what purpose?

To track them down?

It was possible, but somewhat far-fetched. If the Imperial Guards wanted to capture someone, they wouldn’t need to travel on an Imperial Ship. Moreover, judging from his conversation with the scholar, this Left Commander-in-Chief, known for his ruthlessness and feared by court officials, had actually done a righteous deed—

The scholar had come to the capital to report that someone had taken his place in the imperial examinations, but lodging a complaint in the capital never ended well. He hadn’t even met the Capital Prefect before nearly being beaten to death. After surviving once, he tried again, repeatedly facing death until, by chance, he encountered Ren Ping. Ren Ping saved him and, taking advantage of his official trip south, brought him aboard this ship to have him escorted back to his hometown.

Finally, Ren Ping said he was busy with official duties and that this was their farewell. He advised the scholar to rest and recuperate in his hometown, and when the political situation improved in a few years, he could take the imperial examinations again and have the opportunity to showcase his talents.

Zhao Rongzhang didn’t believe that someone like Ren Ping would do good deeds without reason. Having failed in his duties multiple times, Zhao Jue was already very dissatisfied with him, and he had long lost his usefulness in the capital. By aiding a talented scholar, he likely harbored hopes of making a comeback in the future, aiming to casually support someone who would rise to prominence.

Ren Ping’s footsteps faded into the distance, and Little Mute wanted to go out. Zhao Rongzhang pressed firmly on his lower back and glared at him fiercely.

Little Mute actually wrote on her waist: “Princess, cowardly.”

Zhao Rongzhang’s eyes widened even more. How was she cowardly? She wasn’t letting him go out because she was afraid he’d get himself killed!

A smile touched Guan Xuan’s lips as he gently nuzzled the top of the princess’s head. “I’m going to find food for the princess. I won’t die. Don’t be afraid.”

Unable to stop him, Little Mute left. Zhao Rongzhang smoothed her skirt and sat down, feeling both aggrieved and deflated. She simply propped her chin on her hand and began to think about the next steps of her plan.

Who could have imagined that boarding a random ship would lead to such an unfortunate encounter with Ren Ping? They absolutely could not act rashly. Once the ship docked, they would leave immediately. After that, they would inquire about Su Tan’s whereabouts to see if she could be of use. If she could…

She had only just begun to think when Little Mute unexpectedly returned, bringing plenty of food—chicken, duck, fish, and meat, all in ample supply. Zhao Rongzhang frowned, criticizing him for not being afraid of being discovered, yet her hands and mouth never stopped moving. The speed at which she ate betrayed her hunger—a kind of desperation that should only belong to the poor.

Guan Xuan lovingly smoothed the stray hairs by her lips.

Once she was full, her tense nerves relaxed somewhat. Zhao Rongzhang wrapped her arms around his waist, rested her head on his shoulder, and managed to sleep for a while.

They endured this hardship until the afternoon, when a series of deep, urgent horn blasts suddenly sounded from several places on the bow and hull of the ship.

Zhao Rongzhang pried open a small crack to look outside and saw several crew members rushing around to announce, “It’s a mengchong! Heading straight for us!”

A mengchong—a main warship used only in battle—why would there be a mengchong? Could it be river pirates?

Pirates daring to target an imperial ship? Had their Great Zhou truly fallen to such a state that even the lowest of scoundrels would dare to covet it?

Before the crowd could react with shock and anger, another piece of news quickly spread across the ship: “It’s an official mengchong! From Hongfu Prefecture!”

The crowd sighed in relief, but in her corner, Zhao Rongzhang lifted her face from Little Mute’s shoulder in surprise. An official ship? From Hongfu Prefecture?

Could it be the Ming County Official?

Who else could it be but the Ming County Official? They had been caught up with after all.

Zhao Rongzhang found it strange. Why hadn’t the Grand Empress Dowager ordered the local garrison forces along the route to capture her? Wouldn’t that have been easier? Sending only Hongfu Prefecture to pursue her over such a distance seemed like an underestimation of her.

The situation was odd, but now was not the time to dwell on it.

They had to find a way to leave immediately.

The large ship slowed down, and the spray from the approaching mengchong grew larger and larger until it finally stopped alongside the ship. A man stood on the mengchong, speaking with a southwestern accent: “I heard the Commander is also here? Please invite him out. I have an oral decree from the Grand Empress Dowager.”

Upon hearing that there was a decree from the Grand Empress Dowager, everyone knelt in unison. Ren Ping, carrying his sword, walked forward from the back and knelt at the front of the crowd.

“The Grand Empress Dowager says, ‘Commander Ren, I want Princess Yingrong alive.'” After delivering the decree, the man continued, “Commander Ren, Princess Yingrong has likely fled to Jiangnan. That mysterious cat by her side is exceptionally skilled in martial arts. We have been tracking them for days and have only managed to find some traces today. From now on, it’s up to you.

“Oh, and these are my master’s death warriors. You may command them as you wish. Unlike ordinary death warriors, they live only to kill the mysterious cat.”

Ren Ping glanced indifferently at the death warriors standing on the ship, his tone ambiguous. “Raised specifically to kill him? When, where, and how were they raised?”

The man smiled but did not answer, simply bowed and rowed away.

The death warriors swiftly and efficiently boarded the ship. The ship’s owner grew extremely nervous, looking anxiously at Ren Ping.

At this moment, the “Mysterious Cat” they spoke of was hanging at the very bottom of the ship’s stern. The river water continuously surged up, and Guan Xuan kept lifting the Princess higher and higher.

The water was cold, the wind fierce, and Zhao Rongzhang trembled uncontrollably, clinging tightly to him. Now, all the weight of both of them rested solely on Little Mute’s single arm—too difficult, too dangerous.

She had to make a decision.

In recent days, she had made too many similar decisions. Precisely because every decision was made by her, the Death Warriors who knew Little Mute too well could not accurately predict their route or destination. Her mind held the most detailed Map, and the escape route she devised would naturally differ greatly from theirs.

“Jump.”

The trembling voice of the Princess came from below, uttering the same two words she had spoken to him that day while standing in the attic of Louyue Tower. Guan Xuan lowered his gaze. The Princess looked as disheveled as a flower battered by rain, yet her gaze grew increasingly resolute.

The Princess spoke again: “Three zhang behind you, there’s a floating log. Jump toward it, let go without worry—I can hold on.”

She refused to be passive; she demanded change, demanded a way out, even if it meant enduring immense suffering.

In the same situation, whether experienced once, twice, or countless times, the moment Guan Xuan heard the Princess say “jump,” he would not hesitate. He only feared her suffering.

He let go and leaped, plunging into the water with a “thud.”

A fish nearby flipped its belly and leaped out of the water, the movement catching the attention of those on the ship. They looked toward the fish but failed to notice that beneath the splashes, two figures were diving deeper into the water.

Only when the large ship had sailed out of sight did Zhao Rongzhang immediately cling to the floating log, lifting her mouth and nose above the surface, gasping for breath.

Little Mute protected her as they swam toward the unseen shore.

Zhao Rongzhang was cold, disheveled, dazed, and filled with sorrow and indignation. Why could things never go as she planned or envisioned? Did Heaven truly have so little faith in her?!

It didn’t matter. Not dying was a victory. Not dying was a victory. Zhao Rongzhang clung tightly to her Little Mute, not daring to cry, for tears would only fill her nostrils with river water.

It didn’t matter, none of it mattered. As long as Little Mute didn’t die, she wouldn’t die either.