Chu Yao chuckled and patted her little bottom, which was sticking up high. Wu Shuang shyly twisted her body a couple of times and wrapped her little arms around his neck.
Now even if Chu Yao suddenly lets go, she won't be afraid of falling!
The point is to stick with him and not let her get out of bed.
Chu Yao's lips twitched slightly, and he helplessly continued walking forward.
Unfortunately, Wushuang's smugness didn't last long. Suddenly, she saw him bend down and put her down.
As soon as Wushuang landed, she noticed that the ground beneath her feet was trembling and that a cold wind was blowing in from under her skirt, a feeling quite different from when she was standing on the deck.
She looked down and saw that the wooden plank beneath her feet was suspended in mid-air, and the river was surging, creating rolling white waves dozens of meters away from the bottom of the boat, making people dizzy and weak-kneed.
"Chu Yao!" Wu Shuang cried out in a shrill voice, "You're so mean! Let me go up!"
"You think I'm bad? If I were bad, I definitely wouldn't let you come up here." Chu Yao raised his eyebrows and smiled.
As he spoke, he pretended to spread his arms wide, as if he was really going to abandon her.
He was only pretending; his arms were still protecting Wushuang on both sides. But Wushuang was anxious and scared, and couldn't see any of that. She only knew that those strong arms separated from her body, and she screamed and cried out instantly.
"Zixiu, let's stop joking around. Don't frighten the child."
"Your Highness, please don't frighten the Third Miss."
Two voices, one male and one female, spoke up almost simultaneously to dissuade them.
Chu Yao was just teasing her, so he didn't say much and picked Wushuang up from the deck connecting the two boats.
But Wushuang was truly enraged. She pushed his shoulder hard with her little hands and kicked back and forth with her little feet. Regardless of whether it was impolite or not, she just wanted to get away from this annoying guy's embrace as soon as possible.
However, Chu Yao was strong, and her fussing had no effect whatsoever, so she had no choice but to call out for help: "Uncle He, please save me."
It turned out that the person who had spoken up to dissuade Chu Yao was He Wenyan, the elder brother of Wushuang's second aunt, the second son of the Earl of Zhongyong, and the consort of the current princess.
The Jun and He families were once related by marriage. Jun Heng is He Wenyan's nephew by blood, so it is only natural for Wushuang to address him as "uncle" like her cousin.
Even the most heartless person couldn't bear to ignore a young woman's plea for help, especially since He Wenyan was naturally refined and kind. He immediately stepped forward and said, "Zixiu, why don't I escort Shuangshuang back? Anyway, I haven't paid my respects to the Marquis of Runan in a long time, so it's perfect..."
His words were gentle, but he was interrupted by Chu Yao in a deep voice halfway through: "No need! I will personally return my little friend."
Wushuang looked up and saw Chu Yao with cold brows and eyes, wondering what he was angry about.
But she's the one who should be angry!
Seeing that Chu Yao was absolutely unwilling to hand her over to He Wenyan, she turned to others for help.
The woman who spoke earlier was on the other side of the boat, the one that Wushuang's family was on. She was none other than Lu Zhenniang, who was traveling with the Marquis of Runan's family.
Wushuang stretched out her arms and called out to her in a pitiful voice, "Mr. Lu, I want to go home. Please take me home."
Lu Zhenniang did not answer, but stood there staring blankly at He Wenyan. Her face was covered by a white veil, so her expression could not be seen, only her slightly furrowed eyebrows.
He Wenyan was famous in the capital for his good looks when he was young. Now, nearing thirty, he has matured and, while not as refined and handsome as before, has gained a certain charm. Moreover, since all his brothers practiced martial arts, he alone loved reading poetry and books from a young age, earning him the reputation of a talented scholar.
Men love beautiful women, and beautiful women love handsome men. Therefore, among the noble ladies of the capital, He Wenyan was always full of praise. Unfortunately, he became the prince consort, and the girls could only keep their admiration to themselves, as they could not and dared not express it because of his status as a princess.
Therefore, Wushuang didn't think much of Lu Zhenniang's absent-minded gaze at He Wenyan. She recalled that when she was young in her previous life, she always thought that her in-laws were exceptionally handsome and unconsciously wanted to get closer to him. She even offended the eldest princess and He Wenyan's daughter, Princess Yunjing He Yao, because of this.
It was really strange to leave the atmosphere so tense, so Wushuang could only twitch her little nose and choke back tears as she introduced to He Wenyan, "Uncle He, this is Mr. Lu, who taught us sisters how to cook."
He Wenyan nodded slightly in greeting.
He wore a jade crown on his head and a white silk robe, the hem of which fluttered in the wind, adding to his otherworldly and elegant demeanor, making him even more handsome and captivating.
It took Lu Zhenniang a long time to come to her senses. She curtsied slightly in a flustered manner and hurriedly turned to leave.
But then a sharp rebuke came from behind: "Who do you think you are? How dare you stare at my father like that!"
As soon as she finished speaking, a little girl of about six or seven years old ran over. She was dressed in red, wearing leather boots, and holding a long whip. She looked very spirited and was more like a daughter of a military family than a proper county princess.
"This is truly a case of 'don't think about someone in broad daylight,'" Wu Shuang sighed inwardly. She had only murmured He Yao's name in her mind, and he had immediately appeared before her eyes.
He Yao resembled her father, with exquisite and beautiful features. Unfortunately, her arrogant and willful demeanor diminished her beauty, and she also looked very fierce and unapproachable.
He Yao's actions also fully utilized this characteristic.
She rushed to the side of the boat, wielding her long whip, which struck the plank connecting the two boats, lifting it into the air. Then, with a flick of the whip, the plank was released, flipping and falling into the river. Because the boat was so high, everyone only saw the splashing water and didn't even hear the sound of it hitting the water.
"Now you know how powerful I am! Now it's your turn!" she said arrogantly. Her voice was soft and childlike, yet she spoke harshly, which was somewhat incongruous and comical. "Guards! Put the boat planks back up. I'm going to go over there and teach this slut a lesson! I'll make sure she never dares to harbor any ill intentions again, openly coveting a married man in broad daylight!"
Chapter 35, 34, 33.1 (Table of Contents)
Chapter Thirty-Six:
As soon as He Yao finished speaking, guards dressed in black immediately carried forward and erected a wooden plank. [www.qiushu.cc Lots of great novels]
Seeing this, He Wenyan shouted, "He Yao, stop fooling around!"
To everyone's surprise, He Yao completely ignored his father and stepped onto the boat without looking back.
He Wenyan hurried over to try and stop him, but was blocked by the guards beside him. He was just a scholar and had no chance against the strong guards. He could only watch helplessly as He Yao strode to another ship.
Wushuang had heard that when the eldest princess got married, Emperor Deqing sent her a team of guards. Those men were loyal only to the eldest princess, and even the prince consort couldn't command them.
In retrospect, the rumors were half true and half false. It was true that they genuinely didn't take He Wenyan, the imperial son-in-law, seriously; it was false that, apart from the eldest princess, they also obeyed the orders of Princess Yunjing.
Lu Zhenniang wasn't stupid. Since she heard He Yao say he was going to teach her a lesson, she certainly wouldn't stay and wait there. But the guards were much faster than her, and they caught up in no time and dragged her back to He Yao's side.