CH 135

Chapter 135: A Fight on the River

Xiao Jinglin glanced at the maid who was kneeling on the side to boil water and make tea. Hongying immediately stood up and walked out of the pavilion.

Xiao Jinglin sat and didn’t move, Ren Yaoqi also followed suit.

Not long after, Hongying came back and was about to report, but then a woman’s voice was heard from outside, “Xiao Jinglin, don’t you know that you aren’t allowed to sail a boat in the city river? Or are you relying on your status to knowingly violate the law?”

That voice sounded young and should be about the same age as Xiao Jinglin. But her tone carried undisguised mockery and displeasure.

It was obvious that the girl outside knew Xiao Jinglin, but Ren Yaoqi was wondering who in Yanbei dared to speak to the County Princess of the Yanbei Royal Family like this.

(please read on sleepyautumn.link, thank you >.< )

Xiao Jinglin’s expression didn’t change. She didn’t seem to have any plans to step forward, only ordered Hongying in a low voice, “Instruct the boatwoman to leave the city through the north gate.”

Hongying turned around and went out again without any hesitation. Ren Yaoqi could hear her talking to the boatwoman at the stern from inside the pleasure boat.

Another maid made the tea and poured it for each of Xiao Jinglin and Ren Yaoqi. The neglected woman standing on the bridge was furious, and her voice became louder, “Xiao Jinglin, you heard me! Come out quickly! Are the two waterway gates in the city merely for you to mess around with? You have completely lost the face of the Yanbei Palace! Xiao Jingyue, stop her boat quickly!”

Xiao Jingyue? The Third Young Master Xiao?

“Cousin, there is something you have to know. That pleasure boat was specifically ordered by the Second Brother through the Eldest Brother in the capital. Don’t look down at it by its size, the price of that pleasure boat is enough to buy a large mansion. It’s not that this Third Brother didn’t want to stop it, but this Third Brother has no guts to stop it and can’t afford to pay for it if it breaks,” a slow relaxed voice of a man was heard, but it was only adding fuel to the fire.

“What are you good for, then?  Go and stop the boat for me. If the boat breaks down, put it on me!” that woman arrogantly ordered.

Then a few obedient voices sounded, it should be her maid who in turn ordered her subordinates.

(please read on sleepyautumn.link, thank you >.< )

Ren Yaoqi now could already guess who this girl was. The previous Princess Consort Yanbei, who was born as a Royal Princess, had only given birth to one daughter, Xiao Wei. Xiao Wei then was married to Wu Xiaohe, the General Military Officer of Ningxia, but also only gave birth to one daughter. The person outside who dared to challenge Xiao Jinglin should be Xiao Wei’s daughter, cousin to Yanbei Royal Family.

This Miss Wu didn’t sound like an easy person to handle.

Ren Yaoqi was pondering the complicated relationship of this family, but suddenly she felt something knock the wall of the boat and caused the whole boat to shake.

Unexpectedly the people outside really dare to take action. She was unprepared for a moment, and bumped into the short table.

The tea bowl on the low table was shaken by the impact, and the hot tea that had just been brewed was about to spill onto Ren Yaoqi. Xiao Jinglin, who was sitting next to him, quickly pulled Ren Yaoqi over. That tea flowed down the edge of the table to the carpet in the boat, soaking a piece of it. It was still steaming.

“Miss, did you get burned?” Pingguo asked, worriedly. She was standing on the opposite side of the room before and had just nearly fallen to the ground, then immediately rushed over.

Xiao Jinglin also looked at her with concern.

Ren Yaoqi shook her head, “County Princess pulled me away in time, so I wasn’t scalded.”

Outside, a sound of something falling into the water was heard, followed by a cry of surprise.

“County Princess, they are using a bamboo pole to knock our boatwoman overboard.” Hongying peeked outside and reported.

(please read on sleepyautumn.link, thank you >.< )

The people on the bridge had found bamboo poles from somewhere. After knocking the boatwoman into the water and preventing her from getting on the boat, they also used the bamboo poles to push the outer wall of the boat in one direction.

The pleasure boat which was about to move through the bridge hole, suddenly turned sideways. The situation on the bridge now could be seen clearly after the boat changed direction.

A tall and slender woman in a purple dress stood on the edge of the bridge railing with the corners of her mouth slightly raised. She looked at this side, as if she was very satisfied with the embarrassment of the people on board. Standing beside her was a handsome young man. Rubbing his chin and watching lazily, he looked like he was watching a good show and didn’t interfere.

There were also three or four servants behind them, each clutching a ten-foot bamboo pole and straining their effort to steer the pleasure boat in a different way. Common people stood a bit further away, unintentionally witnessing the fun. However, no one dared to make a sound after seeing what happened.

The boat spinning on the river made Ren Yaoqi’s head shake and she felt dizzy.

Xiao Jinglin finally stood up, “You guys watch Miss Ren here.” With that, she walked out of the room.

“County Princess, be careful not to fall into the river,” Ren Yaoqi went to pull Xiao Jinglin but failed to do so.

Xiao Jinglin nodded and in turn, comforted Ren Yaoqi, “Don’t worry. I can swim.”

Ren Yaoqi felt exasperated. What does this have to do with the ability to swim? She was a County Princess, how could she fall into the water? Would she have to swim to the shore in front of everyone?

Xiao Jinglin had already left the cabin. Ren Yaoqi realized that even when the boat was unstable, Xiao Jinglin’s steps were still steady and not affected. Ren Yaoqi then remembered that Xiao Jinglin was different from ordinary women like them, Xiao Jinglin knew martial arts. She immediately felt relieved.

(please read on sleepyautumn.link, thank you >.< )

Ren Yaoqi didn’t care whether the people outside could see her or not, she hurriedly sat by the window and looked at Xiao Jinglin who got out of the cabin.

Xiao Jinglin grabbed a bamboo pole in front of her and fiercely pulled it to her chest. It wasn’t clear how hard she exerted herself, but the big-waisted servant at the end of the bamboo pole was flying away from the bridge, and with a plop sound, fell into the water.

A few other servants were a bit scared and wanted to retreat. That girl in purple had a cold expression, took the bamboo pole in the hand of a woman who was close to her, and then waved it towards this side. She didn’t attack the boat like those servants, instead came straight to Xiao Jinglin.

Xiao Jinglin raised her hand and swung her pole back. The girl in purple turned her wrist to avoid it, and then attacked it immediately. Both of them, one stood on the bridge and one stood on the boat, started fighting.

Ren Yaoqi watched them for a long time. Unexpectedly, the girl in the purple dress also had some martial arts skills, and because she stood on a high place and took advantage of the geographical advantage, for the time being, it didn’t seem that she would be lost.

Ren Yaoqi had a headache. What is happening?

“Why are you doing this, Cousin?” Xiao Jinglin finally spoke, but she still sounded indifferent. This was the first sentence she said to the people on the bridge.

The woman on the bridge snorted coldly, “Since you call me cousin, I’ll teach you so you don’t keep acting unbridled and abusing the authority of the Yanbei Royal Family, disgracing yourself everywhere!”

Ren Yaoqi thought that according to Xiao Jinglin’s temperament, she would keep silent again, but unexpectedly Xiao Jinglin replied albeit indifferently, “What does it have to do with you if I am disgracing the Yanbei Royal Family? Do you want to change your surname to Xiao?”

Ren Yaoqi couldn’t help but laugh. She felt that she still didn’t know Xiao Jinglin well enough…

“You!” The girl in the purple dress was so angry at Xiao Jinglin that her face became distorted.

Next to her was someone who let out a “Pfft…” and laughed out loud.

(please read on sleepyautumn.link, thank you >.< )

The purple-clothed girl’s face turned cold and she immediately turned her head, but she was struck on the arm by Xiao Jinglin.

With that sound, Ren Yaoqi instinctively flinched.

The purple-clothed girl’s face turned pale from the pain but didn’t turn to glower at Xiao Jinglin.

Ren Yaoqi looked towards the bridge and was also stunned.

At some point, there were three more people standing on the bridge. Among them, the slender young man with sword eyebrows and starry eyes leaning on the bridge railing with his mouth slanted was Yun Wenfang.

Yun Wenfang stayed for a while in Ren Family Mansion, but he never showed up again, probably busy with something. Since Qiu Yun returned to the academy, it was not appropriate for him to keep hanging out in the rear courtyard of the Ren Family Mansion, so it was even harder to catch his shadow. She didn’t realize that he had already gone back to Yunyang City.

Yun Wenfang also saw Ren Yaoqi by the window at that time. His eyes started to lit up, he stood up straight, and blinked in her direction.

“County Princess, Miss Wu.” A young man dressed as a scholar who came with Yun Wenfang made a bow, his voice was as clear and sweet as spring water.

(please read on sleepyautumn.link, thank you >.< )

When he lifted himself up, Ren Yaoqi couldn’t help but secretly praise his face.

This young man’s appearance was outstanding, among the men Ren Yaoqi has met, except for Xiao Jingxi who was basically demi-immortal and not considered human, this man’s appearance was undoubtedly the best. He carried a strong scholarly aura. Unlike Yun Wenfang’s aggressive and domineering temperament, he made people feel a cleansing spring breeze.

Every common woman will blush to face such a man.

So the girl in purple quietly put down the bamboo pole in her hand, lowered her head and covered her arm that was hit by Xiao Jinglin just now, and called out, “Young Master Yun.” Her face looked reddened.

The aggressive girl who was waving the bamboo pole just now immediately changed into a virtuous young lady from a prestigious family who had just been bullied. Her face-changing skills were amazing.

Yun Wenfang observed the young man dressed as a scholar, his signature smile still hanging on the corner of his mouth, wearing a teasing look.

(please read on sleepyautumn.link, thank you >.< )

Ren Yaoqi realized that the ‘Young Master Yun’ was not referred to Yun Wenfang, but this young man who looked like a scholar. Yun Wenfang’s older brother, Yun Wenting.

In her last life, Ren Yaoqi had seen Yun Wenting. But it was a long time ago and she couldn’t remember his appearance. She only vaguely remembered that he was very good-looking.

Her fourth sister Ren Yaoyin was given to Yun Wenting as a concubine at that time. As for who Yun Wenting’s wife was, Ren Yaoyi didn’t remember.