Your Highness, Please Love Me Tender

111. Leaving Together

Translator: Flying Lines

Inside the carriage, Zhou Zaiyue couldn’t help but ask, “Your Highness, why are we letting him do as he like? We will reach City Yang’s Ze river soon, and then we will have to travel by boat.”

“Elder Zhou, please call me young master. As for Yue Wanzhi, I will deal with him later.” Su Jie smiled and lifted the curtain of the carriage to take a glance outside.

Zhou Zaiyue made a sound as a response and the two of them sank into silence.

When they got off the carriage, the Ze river came into view. A few boatmen were waiting to carry customers across the river. Su Jie and Zhou Zaiyue stood at the river’s banks. Yue Wanzhi also got off his carriage, but he didn’t go near them, standing five meters away instead.

“Come here.” Su Jie made a gesture towards Yue Wanzhi.

Su Jie’s smile was bright, but Yue Wanzhi was scared of Su Jie smiling. Even though Su Jie had saved him not long ago, he always felt that Su Jie hid blades within his smiles.’

“If you don’t come over, I’ll have to go over to you.” Su Jie said with a smile as he put his hand down.

Yue Wanzhi thought a little about the possibility of Su Jie breaking his legs. In the end, he walked to in front of Su Jie with an expression like he was walking to his death.

“If you decide to break my legs, I will follow you by crawling.” Yue Wanzhi said solemnly.

Tickled by his words, Su Jie asked, “You will follow me no matter where I go?”

“Yes. I want to have you as my teacher and learn martial arts from you.”

“Don’t regret this in the future.” Su Jie shrugged and said airily.

Seeing Su Jie accept his proposal, Yue Wanzhi grinned. He climbed up the pole and asked, “Master, where are we going?”

Su Jie didn’t answer, and Yue Wanzhi didn’t ask again. However, it was Zhou Zaiyue who felt the urge to speak. Did His Highness really want to bring along this young man in their journey back to State Yanling?

Zhou Zaiyue didn’t know Yue Wanzhi’s identity, but he could decipher that Yue Wanzhi was a young man with a prestigious identity from his speech and actions. But even children from ordinary families wouldn’t be as arrogant as Yue Wanzhi, or… as thick-skinned.

Probably because he was scared that Su Jie would go back on his words, Yue Wanzhi took the initiative to find a boat. Unexpectedly, Zhou Zaiyue took a few steps towards the river and said to a boatman who was napping, “Wake up, Mr. Boatman. I want to cross the river.”

“I’m not taking customers today.” The boatman didn’t even raise an eyelid and continued to nap.

“Mr. Boatman, my journey has been long. In order to travel by boat, we have travelled for a long time. Please just take us on your boat.” Zhou Zaiyue continued to talk with this boatman.

“How long have you travelled?” The boatman’s tone seemed to perk up a little.

“Sixteen days.” Zhou Zaiyue had sent out a message by his flute long ago. This boatman was the one responsible for accepting his message. However, just in case, they would talk for a bit after meeting. Also, this ‘sixteen days’ referred to the years since State Yanling’s court had changed.

Hearing Zhou Zaiyue’s words, the boatman finally opened his eyes. He chuckled, “Get on the boat, everyone. Sixteen days isn’t easy. You can finally go back…”

“Yes, finally, we can go back now.” Zhou Zaiyue answered. He smiled as he let Su Jie get onto the boat first.

The river’s waters glistened under the sun’s light. The boat travelled steadily on the water’s surface. Su Jie didn’t get into the cabin for rest, but stood at the tail of the boat, watching the City Yang he was familiar with slowly fade away.

He put down the bag he carried and passed it to Yue Wanzhi.

Yue Wanzhi was frozen at first. After all, he was also a young master who others served. However, he responded quickly and accepted the bag with a smile and said in passing, “Master, when are you going to teach me martial arts?”

“When we get home.” Su Jie answered simply.

“Oh, Master shifu’s home isn’t here?” Yue Wanzhi was a little curious.

However, Su Jie was in a good mood at this moment and chatted a bit with Yue Wanzhi.

“I have been to very few places. Other than the capital city, I have only stayed in City Yang.” It was probably because Su Jie responded that Yue Wanzhi became excited. He told Su Jie some stories of when he was younger. Actually, they were stories of how Yue Wanzhi got into trouble and then how the Prime Minister was angry to the point his face was red and his neck swelled.

“But in the end, I am still ignorant and incompetent.” Yue Wanzhi smiled and ended on that sentence.