Chapter 11
Chapter 11 Preparation to Retreat and Father’s Guard
There were many gaily-painted pleasure boats by the lake. In the early spring, flowers were not in bloom yet, but it was enjoyable to see the sights in the boats.
After getting off the carriage, Qu Moying boarded a boat.
It was just an ordinary gaily-painted pleasure boat. One person was rowing it at the stern, and the other was about to pull the rope.
“Boatman, let’s go!” Yu Chun said loudly.
“I’m so sorry. Please take another boat. This one is out of business today!” A middle-aged man came out from the stern. Looking at Qu Moying and Yu Chun, he said politely but looked gloomy.
“Hey, what do you mean? Passengers have boarded but you refuse to earn the money?” Yu Chun said.
“I want to earn the money, but I can’t!” The middle-aged man forced a smile. They observed him and found him sallow and limp.
“Boatman, what’s wrong?” Qu Moying asked softly.
“Nothing. I’m just not well.” The middle-aged man answered.
“Now that you are not well, please go to see a doctor. I know a doctor with the family name of Ji.” Qu Moying continued.
The man lifted his head suddenly and looked at Qu Moying in terror. His lips trembled. After quite a while, he said, “How old is the doctor with the family name of Ji? I know one with the same family name. I don’t know whether they two are the same one!”
“Probably. The doctor comes from the region south of the Yangtze River and has just arrived in the capital.” Qu Moying said with a smile.
The man began to tremble and looked excitedly at Qu Moying. Suddenly, he came to his senses, walked to the prow, untied the rope, and rowed the boat away from the lakeshore.
When the boat came to the center of the lake, the man returned to the cabin.
“Yu Chun, go to steer.” Qu Moying said. Yu Chun was born into a fishing family, so she knew how to row a boat.
Though Yu Chun thought her lady’s order was strange, she went to steer at the prow as told.
“Who…who are you?” The sallow-faced middle-aged man asked excitedly.
“How is the Ji Family?” Qu Moying came straight to the point.
The middle-aged man was a guard of her father Earl Ling’an when he was alive in her previous life. He went to battlefields with her father and then retired to be a boatman, rowing a boat and carrying passengers. But, in fact, he was an informer arranged secretly by her father.
When she married the Crown Prince, her father may had noticed something wrong and told her about this arrangement. He also told her how to get in touch with the guard. If something unpleasant happened to her father, she could come to see the man.
At that time, she thought about nothing but entering the sedan chair, so she didn’t pay attention to the facial expression of her father. She didn’t take what her father said seriously. After all, she was getting married, not going to war. Nothing could happen.
However, now at the thought of this scene, her heart couldn’t help bleeding. If… if she had taken his words more seriously, would the result have been different?
It was easy to find this boat, which was different from others. Two green ribbons were tied to it in the pattern of a green flower.
“The earl died!” The middle-aged guard kneeled tearily.
Though Qu Moying was prepared psychologically, her legs went limp and almost fell. She grabbed the corner of the nearby table and bit her mouth corner hard. The sharp pain made her mind clearer. She stabilized herself and asked with difficulty, “How…how do you know that?”
“After the Ji Family got into trouble, I went there with some guys, only to see the Earl…the Earl…” The middle-aged guard sobbed too bitterly to describe the scene, “We wanted to rescue the Earl, but…but everyone else was killed except me. The Earl also…also…”
So her father was killed in the Earl Ling’an’s Mansion instead of the Crown Prince’s Mansion? Ji Youran told a lie?
“How many guys are left?” Qu Moying asked with tears.
“Not many. Just over ten!” The middle-aged guard answered.
Qu Moying gulped hard and stated her identity calmly, “I’m the cousin of the Crown Princess and the Fourth Lady of the Mansion of Vice Minister Qu. Before the Crown Princess died…she had someone tell me your information. You held military posts before. Can you return to the armies? I’m afraid that you raised doubts when you showed up that day!”
“Yes, we can. The earl prepared military posts for us early.” The middle-aged guard said, “Was the Crown Princess… murdered, too?”
They were still waiting for news about the Crown Prince’s Mansion, but they couldn’t get in touch with the Crown Princess.
“Yes, she died. Please hide first and I’ll…I’ll get in touch with you later!” Qu Moying stated decisively. It was the best arrangement she could make now. They were useless for her for the moment. Her father just died, and they were in a muddle. It was very dangerous. If they were unattended, perhaps none of them could survive.
Blood for blood. She would seek revenge at all costs, but now she needed to maintain the strength.
“Miss Qu, my name is Zhou An. I’m an official in the Ministry of Justice. If you need my help in the future, I will try my best to serve you, even at the expense of my life!”
Zhou An was grateful. He hadn’t expected that the Crown Princess would be concerned about them before she died. Now they were in a muddle, and what Miss Qu said showed them a direction.
After the discussion, Qu Moying didn’t stay longer. Zhou An returned to the stern and continued to steer, while Qu Moying and Yu Chun enjoyed the sights in the boat as ordinary tourists.
The boat went toward the lakeshore.
Suddenly, with a bang, the boat seemed to collide with something. Qu Moying lost her footing and almost fell.
When she was about to speak something, several more bangs followed. The boat nearly turned over…
