Chapter 216: Family Reunion

Translator: Henyee Translations  Editor: Henyee Translations

Yu Wan felt relieved when she saw him.

She looked at him from afar, and he also looked at Yu Wan from afar. It was as if they were worlds apart, but it was also as if they were only inches apart. Yu Wan could hear her heart beating.

“Your Highness… Could it be… the Yan City Navy behind Yan Jiuchao?” Jun Chang’an muttered with a trace of disbelief in his eyes.

Yan Huaijing’s eyes darkened. He was from the Great Zhou Royal Family and knew the Great Zhou’s army better than Jun Chang’an, a pugilist.That was indeed the Yan City Navy.

Everyone only knew that Yan City was rich and had the wealth of a country. However, they ignored the powerful navy under this wealth. This was the largest and most invincible navy of the Great Zhou Dynasty. It was rumored that all the bandits within three thousand miles of the sea had been cleaned up by this navy.

Of course, such a navy could not be trained just by working hard. Just a good warship required tens of millions of taels of silver. There were also navy armies in the Prefectures Quan and Ding. Unfortunately, their equipment could not compare to the Yan City Navy.

Yan Jiuchao’s trip to the Capital was naturally escorted by the navy. What Yan Huaijing did not expect was that an army used to protect the sea was actually sent by Yan Jiuchao, this prodigal son, to chase after a small pleasure boat.

It was already an exaggeration to say that Yan Jiuchao used a butcher’s knife to kill a chicken. This was simply to crush a cockroach, but he had to call a group of ferocious elephants over! Was there a need for this?! Didn’t he need to give money to mobilize so many sailors?! Was he burning away his excessive money?!

Yan Huaijing was riding the largest official ship in the Capital. It was huge and well-equipped. It could already be considered an eagle on the water. However, when Yan Jiuchao’s warship approaches, it instantly looked like a chick in the garden.

Jun Chang’an covered his eyes. I can’t look anymore, I can’t look anymore…

The warships sailed over arrogantly and unceremoniously wrapped Yan Ruyu’s pleasure boat and Yan Huaijing’s official ship in a dumpling.

Yan Jiuchao’s ship was not a warship, but a pleasure boat that was more exquisite than a pleasure boat. It was very in line with a certain young master’s noble and luxurious taste. It was unimaginable that such a young silk pants had moved the navy of Yan City here.

Yan Huaijing’s expression turned ugly.

Yan Ruyu, who was at the side, was already completely dumbfounded the moment the densely packed warships appeared.

She had thought of the possibility of being chased by Yan Jiuchao countless times, but it was definitely not like this… She had even thought that if she was forced into a corner, she could use the children in her hands as chips. But now, she realized that she was too naive.

Would a person who easily mobilized his navy allow anyone to threaten him?

Yan Jiuchao’s ship approached. It was unknown if it was intentional or not, but it bumped into Yan Huaijing’s official ship. It seemed like it was unintentional, but it knocked Yan Huaijing’s ship away. Yan Jiuchao’s cruise ship squeezed over domineeringly.

The cruise ship had deep water and a high hull. He stood at the bow of the ship and looked down at the group of people on the pleasure boat. Everyone could only look up at him. To the Second Prince, who was used to being looked up to, this feeling was really not good.

“The two of you are quite bold,” Yan Jiuchao said arrogantly.

Yu Wan’s acupoint had been tapped and she could not move. Naturally, she could not look up at Yan Jiuchao, but when she heard his voice, she heaved a sigh of relief.

Yan Huaijing felt the change in Yu Wan’s aura and subconsciously frowned. “Yan Jiuchao, do you know what crime it is to mobilize a navy without permission?”

This was just like the army in the Capital. It was not something that could be casually pulled out to show off. The army had its rules. Even the Emperor himself had to have a reason when using the imperial guards.

Yan Jiuchao snorted. “I’m happy to do so. What does it have to do with you?”

Yan Huaijing : “…”

It was indeed none of his business.

“But the Yan City Navy…” Yan Huaijing spoke again, but he was interrupted by Yan Jiuchao.

Yan Jiuchao said, “You also know that it’s the navy of Yan City. I’m the young master of Yan City. I can use them however I want. If you’re not convinced, you can also raise a navy to play with.

Raise… raise a navy… to play with? Yan Huaijing almost choked to death because of him, but he could not say anything to refute. Although Yan Jiuchao’s words were a little boastful, he was right. The Yan City Navy was indeed “raised” by him. The money allocated by the Imperial Court was not even enough to maintain the navy’s warships. It was all because of the real gold and silver from the Yan Manor that the navy grew day by day.

They had the strongest warships, the best equipment, and the bravest sailors of the Great Zhou Dynasty. All of this could not be separated from the money that the Yan Manor had taken out. As for how the Yan Manor had so much money, it was naturally thanks to the richest fief in the Great Zhou—Yan City.

Otherwise, why would so many people want Yan Jiuchao to die? Everything he had was too enviable.

Yan Huaijing gradually clenched his fists under his wide sleeves. He was someone who wanted to inherit the throne. He did not covet a piece of land, but Yan Jiuchao’s actions reminded him every time that everything he had was nothing in front of Yan Jiuchao. The person his father cared about the most was Yan Jiuchao, not him. Then could he really inherit his father’s throne in the future?

Yan Ruyu’s thoughts were completely different from Yan Huaijing’s. She had fallen in love with Yan Jiuchao. The stronger Yan Jiuchao was, the happier she was. However, when she thought about how Yan Jiuchao did not have her in his heart, she could not be happy.

Yan Jiuchao couldn’t be bothered to talk nonsense with the two of them. He gestured to Shadow Thirteen and Shadow Six. “Do it.”

“Yes!”

The two of them agreed and used their qinggong to jump up and land on Yan Ruyu’s pleasure boat.

Shadow Thirteen went straight to Yu Wan, while Shadow Six went around to the room to look for the three little masters that Aunt Lin had hidden.

Yan Huaijing did not care about the whereabouts of the three children. He only cared about Yu Wan. He only had one thought in his mind. He could not give Yu Wan to Yan Jiuchao!

“Chang’an!”

With his order, Jun Chang’an drew his saber and faced Shadow Thirteen.

Shadow Thirteen said coldly, “Alright, we didn’t have an outcome last time. This time, I’ll show you how powerful I am!”

When they were at Tianxiang Restaurant, Jun Chang’an and Shadow Thirteen had fought to a draw. In terms of martial arts, Jun Chang’an was confident that he was not inferior to Shadow Thirteen. However, what shocked Jun Chang’an was that after not seeing him for a month, this fellow’s martial arts had suddenly improved so much.

Shadow Thirteen slashed at Jun Chang’an’s blade, crippling the long saber.

Jun Chang’an looked at the saber in his hand in disbelief. “…How can this be?”

Shadow Thirteen attacked with another killing move.

Amidst the flashes of swords and blades, Yan Jiuchao fearlessly jumped on the pleasure boat. He pinched Yu Wan’s face and picked her up horizontally. He stepped on the wooden board and boarded his boat.

Yan Huaijing’s eyes turned cold. He raised his palm and was about to snatch Yu Wan back when suddenly, a few spears shot towards his feet. He was forced back two steps and looked at the warships on both sides in disbelief. He said coldly, “How dare you! Do you know the crime of assassinating a prince?!”

The leader of the navy said fearlessly, “Whoever hurts our Young Master will die!”

Everyone raised their spears and aimed them at Yan Huaijing.

Yan Huaijing had no doubt that as long as he dared to act rashly, this group of people would shoot him into a sieve. He was a prince, and he did not dare to treat Yan Jiuchao like this. How could Yan Jiuchao dare to treat him like this? Damn it!

Yan Jiuchao carried Yu Wan back to the cruise ship.

On the other side, Shadow Six also found Aunt Lin and the little masters and snatched them from Aunt Lin. The little masters were frightened at night and only fell asleep at dawn. At this moment, they were sleeping soundly in the basket.

Since the woman and children had been found, there was no need to be polite to this group of people.

Yan Jiuchao said, “Shadow Thirteen.”

Shadow Thirteen understood and attacked with an even more ferocious killing move. Jun Chang’an was thrown to the ground by a huge force. Half of his arm was numb, and he felt a pain in his chest. A bloody sweetness surged in his throat. He tried to suppress it, but it backfired and he spat out a mouthful of blood.

“Jun Chang’an!” Yan Huaijing’s expression changed.

“Hmph.” Yan Jiuchao rolled his eyes in disdain and said arrogantly, ” sink it. Not a single wooden board will be left.”

Before Yan Huaijing could react to the meaning behind Yan Jiuchao’s words, a huge stone flew over from above and smashed into Yan Ruyu’s pleasure boat. A hole the size of a head appeared on the deck and the lake water surged up.

Then, a second, a third… Countless stones flew from the warship. Screams sounded from the pleasure boat.

In just a few breaths, the pleasure boat was smashed into pieces.

Yan Huaijing grabbed the injured Jun Chang’an and used his qinggong to return to his official ship. However, before he could stabilize himself, Yan Jiuchao’s stone chased after him.

If Yan Huaijing hadn’t dodged quickly, he would have been smashed into a pile of meat paste. He looked at the hole created by the stone on the deck and said angrily, “Yan Jiuchao! This is an official ship!”

Yan Jiuchao: “Oh.”

Just as Yan Huaijing thought that the other party was finally afraid, Yan Jiuchao placed Yu Wan on a chair at the side and waved at Shadow Thirteen. Shadow Thirteen pushed a catapult over.

Yan Jiuchao personally packed the largest stone and aimed it at Yan Huaijing’s… head. He suddenly pressed the mechanism.

“Yan Jiuchao!!!” Yan Huaijing fled in a sorry state. The deck behind him was smashed into two. The well-equipped official ship could not withstand a single blow from the Yan City Navy. In just a short while, the official ship and the pleasure boat were shattered by the navy.

Under everyone’s gazes, Yan Huaijing was drenched.

“Young Master, Yan Ruyu has escaped,” Shadow Thirteen said as he looked at the water. “Should I go down and capture her?”

Yan Jiuchao snorted in disdain. “Why should you capture her? Let her escape.” If she didn’t escape, she wouldn’t know what despair was.

Shadow Thirteen looked at Yan Ruyu sympathetically and thought to himself that this woman was really in trouble this time. She was just a chess piece, but she had to jump out and court death. See now? She took the little masters, captured Miss Yu, and even fled under the Young Master’s nose. In the end, she didn’t even know how she died.

Yu Wan was on tenterhooks for the entire night. After Yan Jiuchao appeared, she finally felt relieved. The moment she relaxed, she felt sleepy. After lying on the chair for a while, she fell asleep in peace. At some point, she began to trust this man.

Yan Jiuchao carried her back to the room and placed her on the soft bed with the three little fellows. The three of them seemed to have sensed something and rolled into her arms. The four of them slept soundly.

Yan Jiuchao poked his son’s stomach with his fingertip. The three little fellows were woken up by their father’s poke. They opened their eyes and looked at their father in confusion.

Yan Jiuchao said, “I want to sleep too.”

The three little fellows hugged Yu Wan and turned around to glare at their father.

Yan Jiuchao said, “I was the one who saved her. Otherwise, you wouldn’t have been able to see her. You can’t be so ungrateful to me.”

The three little fellows thought for a while and finally moved their butts, generously giving half of the bed to Yan Jiuchao.

Of course, Yan Jiuchao didn’t really want to sleep. He just lay on the side of the bed and quietly looked at the four of them. The little fellows were snoring with their four legs facing the sky. Yu Wan was lying on her side, facing the little fellows. She was sleeping quietly and breathing evenly.

Even if they didn’t know that they were related, they still relied on each other like this. Was this what it meant by blood being thicker than water?

Yan Jiuchao propped himself up with his elbow and whispered into Yu Wan’s ear, “Your sons are still alive. They’re in your arms.”

In her sleep, Yu Wan’s eyebrows moved.

… .

On the other hand, after the pleasure boat was sunk, Yan Ruyu fell into the water. Fortunately, she knew how to swim. She took advantage of the chaos and dived into the water. She tried to save Aunt Lin, who had also fallen into the water. However, just as her hand was about to touch Aunt Lin, Aunt Lin was hit by a stone that hit the boat. Her brain exploded on the spot and she was so frightened that she almost fainted. She swam with all her might and finally reached the shore after an unknown period of time.

She fled all the way back to the Capital, intending to look for Xu Shao, but she realized that the Xu Manor had been surrounded by soldiers. She could only secretly return to the Yan Manor.

“Master, Master, there’s trouble!” The butler of the Yan Manor stumbled into Yan Congming’s room.

Yan Congming was taking a nap when he was woken up by the butler. He frowned unhappily. “What’s wrong? Why are you so flustered?”

The butler’s face turned pale. “Young… Young Master Yan has returned to the Capital!”

The news that Yan Jiuchao had returned to Yan City to visit Prince Yan’s grave a few days ago had spread throughout the Capital. What was so strange about him coming back?

Yan Congming blamed the butler for making a fuss, but the butler said, “No, Master, something big has happened! Young Master Yan said to the public… said…”

“What are you talking about?!” Yan Congming was impatient.

The butler made up his mind and said fearfully, “Young Master Yan said that our Miss is not his son’s biological mother!”

Yan Congming fell off the bed in fright!

The butler hurriedly helped him up. “Master, what should we do now?”

Yan Congming wiped his cold sweat and said angrily, “The wicked daughter has harmed me… The wicked daughter has harmed me!”

“I will handle it well and definitely not let the Yan Family fall into danger. Daddy, you can continue to be your marquis and rise up the ranks!” Was this what she meant by not letting the Yan Family fall into danger? Was this the meteoric rise she had promised him? In just a few days, Young Master Yan had announced it to the world!

“I knew I shouldn’t have believed this girl! I should have taken her to the Young Master Manor long ago!” Yan Congming was furious. “Where’s Yan Ruyu!”

The butler said, “Miss left the manor yesterday.”

Yan Congming’s face darkened. “Did she abandon the Yan family and escape? Like four years ago?!”

The butler did not dare to reply.

Yan Congming said angrily, “Pass down my orders. As long as she comes back, take her down!”

Mrs. Yan, who was walking to the door with a pot of ginseng chicken soup, was instantly stunned when she heard this.

Mrs. Yan returned to the room with a pale face. No matter what Yan Ruyu had done, she was the daughter she had given birth to after ten months of pregnancy. The Yan family could abandon her, but she could not.

“Cui’er!” She pushed open the door and called out to her trusted maidservant. Suddenly, a figure flashed over and covered her mouth. She screamed!

Yan Ruyu said, “Mother, it’s me!”

Mrs. Yan widened her eyes. “Um, um?” Yu’er?

Yan Ruyu saw the worry in her mother’s eyes and let go of her in relief. She walked over, closed the door, and inserted the latch.

Mrs. Yan looked at Cui’er, who had fallen to the ground. “How… how is she?”

Yan Ruyu said indifferently, “I knocked her out. She’ll be fine when she wakes up. Mother, don’t worry.”

Her daughter couldn’t even bear to step on an ant. But now she’s indifferent after talking about a maidservant she had knocked out. Mrs. Yan felt a sense of unfamiliarity. However, she was still her biological daughter. Mrs. Yan still held Yan Ruyu’s hand. “Yu’er, what’s going on between you and Young Master Yan? Why did Young Master Yan say that you’re not the little masters’ biological mother? Did he make a mistake?”

Yan Ruyu shook her head and said, “Mother, I’ll explain these things to you later…”

“Could it be true?” Mrs. Yan gasped!

Yan Ruyu said aggrievedly, “I’m doing this for the Yan family!”

“…” Mrs. Yan couldn’t say anything to refute. After all, without this lie, the Yan family wouldn’t have their current status no matter what. However, this was a crime of deceiving the Emperor. Now that the matter has been exposed, what should they do?

“You shouldn’t have come back. Hurry up and leave. Your father wants to catch you!” Mrs. Yan cried.

Of course, Yan Ruyu understood that the Yan family was now a tiger’s den. She shouldn’t have come back, but there was something here that she couldn’t part with. She had to take it away. “Mother, I can’t go back to my own courtyard. Can you help me get something?”

… .

The night was long.

Mrs. Yan sent Yan Ruyu, who was dressed as a peasant woman, to the back door of the Yan Manor. Her heart felt like it was being cut by a knife as she said, “Alright, this is what you wanted. I’ve got it for you. This is the money I’ve prepared for you. It’s enough for you to spend the rest of your life… Hurry up and leave the Capital. The further you go, the better. Don’t ever come back!”

Not to mention whether Yan Jiuchao would do anything to his daughter, just Yan Congming would never let Yan Ruyu off.

“Mother—” Yan Ruyu’s eyes turned red.

Mrs. Yan burst into tears. “Hurry up and leave! It’ll be too late if you don’t leave now!”