Regarding the question of whether the crown prince would ascend, Qin Zheng couldn’t find any evidence.

After all, she couldn’t directly ask the crown prince.

The other passengers in the cabin quickly turned to other topics.

Qin Zheng closed her eyes, leaning against the cabin wall, feeling sleep gradually overcoming her.

Before drifting off, she vaguely thought, regardless of whether the crown prince ascended or not, it was definitely false that Emperor Chu Yang was refining elixirs to help him seek medicine.

After all, Emperor Chu Yang had more than one son, and no matter how deep the father-son relationship was, he wouldn’t tarnish the crown prince’s reputation like that.

In the original book, the crown prince’s consort was depicted as a calamitous, nation-ruining consort.

Most likely, some other prince concocted this scheme to bring down the crown prince.

…

As night fell deeper, the conversations of the other passengers gradually quieted down.

Some who slept deeply even started snoring.

Qin Zheng didn’t sleep soundly.

The space was cramped, maintaining one position for too long became uncomfortable, and the occasional swaying of the boat on the water caused her to bump her head against the cabin wall several times.

But she was too tired to keep her eyes open, only half-consciously rubbing the spots where she hit her head.

Her face wore an expression of confusion and grievance, as if she couldn’t understand why this pillar kept hitting her head.

The crown prince slept lightly, the loud snores in the cabin preventing him from truly sleeping.

Even though she had her hair twisted into a messy bun at the back of her head and was wearing a clearly ill-fitting, drab gray male robe, it was still obvious she was a woman.

The crown prince’s eyes narrowed slightly.

He probably knew why the man who had confronted her earlier kept looking at her after entering the cabin.

When they boarded the ship, it was dark, and others might not have noticed Qin Zheng’s appearance.

But the man had spoken to Qin Zheng at close range, so he had clearly seen her face.

It would take at least three days to travel to Wu County by water.

Was she going to be squeezed into this cramped place where she couldn’t even stretch her legs for the next two days?

Thinking about these things, the crown prince slowly closed his eyes in the cabin filled with snores and odors.

---

Qin Zheng woke up the next morning.

After a good night’s sleep, she felt refreshed, but her body was numb from maintaining the same position for too long.

Every time she moved, the crown prince would look over.

Seeing her grimacing, he reached over and pressed on several acupoints, instantly relieving some of the numbness.

“Thank you…”

The words “Your Highness” almost came out of her mouth, but she swallowed them back, remembering they were on the run.

“Between us, there’s no need for thanks anymore,” the crown prince said, then handed her a bowl steaming with heat. “Have some food first.”

Qin Zheng was indeed hungry, but when she saw the food in the bowl, she was surprised.

Fish soup?

It seemed a bit too luxurious for them right now.

The bowl had been sitting for a while, so Qin Zheng held it and didn’t feel it was too hot.

She didn’t hurry to eat, lifting her head to ask, “Where did this fish soup come from?”

The crown prince calmly said, “This morning, I went to the deck and caught some fish from the river. I gave a few to the boat owner and had his men help cook the fish soup.”

Qin Zheng had witnessed the crown prince’s martial arts skills, so catching a few fish was certainly within his capabilities.

What she was more concerned about was the crown prince’s injury, so she immediately asked, “Did the wound get wet again?”

“No, I didn’t get into the water. I tied the fish to the sword handle with a rope.”

His sword had a round ring on the handle, which made it convenient to tie a rope. With his exceptional eyesight, he could throw the sword and hit a fish eight or nine times out of ten.

However, the sword was too sharp, and several large fish fell off when they were pulled up. It was the servants on the boat who used a net to catch them.

Knowing that his wound hadn’t gotten wet, Qin Zheng felt relieved.

She glanced at the bowl of fish soup, sprinkled with a few chopped green onions, and asked the crown prince, “Have you eaten?”

“I have.”

With this reply, Qin Zheng could finally eat without any psychological burden.

The freshly killed fish was tender and juicy, and the fish bones had been removed before cooking.

Every mouthful was filled with smooth and tender fish meat.

Although only salt and chopped green onions were added, for Qin Zheng, who had been hungry for a long time, it was already delicious.

As she was halfway through the bowl of fish soup, a servant from the boat approached.

“Master Cheng, my master is requesting your presence.”

The crown prince said to Qin Zheng, “I’ll be out for a moment.”

Qin Zheng obediently nodded while holding the bowl.

She assumed “Cheng” was the crown prince’s current alias.

She didn’t know what had happened this morning while she was asleep, but it was obvious that this servant was very respectful towards the crown prince.

After the crown prince left the cabin, the man who had been yelling at Qin Zheng last night approached her with a sarcastic tone, “Little lady, your husband has climbed up the social ladder. It seems he’ll soon become Master Chen’s son-in-law!”

Qin Zheng was utterly confused. Did she wake up in a parallel universe?

An elderly woman next to her, holding a child, thought she was frightened and scolded the man, “The young couple is getting along well. Who are you to meddle? You’re just jealous that the Chen family favors him. Have you seen how skilled he is? You, a tall man, don’t even have half of his skills, yet you’re good at gossiping behind others’ backs!”

The man snorted, “If I looked like that pretty boy, I could also win the favor of the Chen family’s daughter.”

The elderly woman didn’t hold back and retorted, “The appearance of someone’s wife is indicative. There’s no need to marry the old daughter of the Chen family. Only lazy people like you think of such things all day!”

The man was hit where it hurt.

Unable to maintain his composure, he was about to come over and confront the elderly woman when she said, “What nonsense are you spouting?”

People nearby quickly intervened and pushed the man back.

Qin Zheng understood the situation.

She glanced lightly at the man and said, “If you have something to say, you can say it in front of my husband next time.”

The man, used to bullying the weak, dared to act tough in front of the elderly woman but didn’t dare to do anything to Qin Zheng because of the crown prince.

He threatened, “You’ll regret this! The Chen family has only two daughters. The younger daughter died in Bianjing, so the older daughter will definitely need to marry to inherit the family business.

You probably don’t know how wealthy the Chen family is. They dominate the silk trade in the entire Jianghuai region. Do you think your husband would give up the Chen family’s wealth for you?”

Qin Zheng replied without even lifting an eyelid, “I’ll relay your words to my husband.”

The man was completely defeated this time.

After the crown prince left and didn’t return for a while, Qin Zheng sat bored and asked the elderly woman who had spoken up for her about what had happened this morning.

The woman’s praises for the crown prince were endless. “You’re lucky, my dear. A husband as handsome and talented as yours is hard to find! This morning, he used his sword to catch fish on the deck, and his swordsmanship was so amazing that even the guards on the ship were amazed!”

“Don’t listen to those gossipy mouths,” the woman said, glancing at the man.

It was clear who she was referring to.

The man turned red with anger.

The woman continued, satisfied with herself. “Master Chen also noticed how handsome and skilled your husband is. He asked if he was married, and your husband said he caught the fish to nourish his wife. I could tell your husband is actually very caring, despite his fierce appearance!”

Facing the woman’s praise, Qin Zheng smiled awkwardly yet politely.

Qin Zheng wasn’t sure if the crown prince had any feelings for her, but if she had to describe her feelings for him, it would probably be that of comrades-in-arms in adversity.

When she first arrived, she had a terrible impression of the crown prince because she knew that in the original story, all the misfortunes of the crown prince’s concubines were caused by his forceful marriages.

However, after escaping with him, her opinion of him had improved somewhat, but it was definitely not love.

Therefore, hearing others suddenly praise her and the crown prince for their loving and deep relationship felt a bit strange to her.

Around noon, the crown prince finally returned.

Accompanying him was a servant from Master Chen, who respectfully invited the two of them to stay in a separate guest room upstairs.

Others couldn’t help but envy them.

The man who had repeatedly caused trouble for Qin Zheng tried to appear indifferent, but he couldn’t hide his jealousy.

Before leaving, the crown prince asked the servant to continue serving fish soup to the woman who had helped Qin Zheng.

Qin Zheng realized that the crown prince had probably given the woman fish soup in the morning, and she had helped her when the man was causing trouble.

The room the servant led them to was not large, with only a small bed and a table, but Qin Zheng was content.

She had slept in the bottom cabin last night, and now she was grateful for a proper bed.

After the servant left, Qin Zheng couldn’t help but ask, “Why did the gentleman suddenly arrange a guest room for us on the ship?”

The crown prince glanced at her and said, “The ship will enter the Yuanjiang Basin tomorrow, where water bandits are rampant. He wants to invite me to be his escort, to ensure his safe arrival in Wujun.”

At last, he added, “I now claim to be surnamed Cheng, with the single name Ji, the Ji in ‘social stability and prosperity.'”

Ji Cheng?

Qin Zheng felt that the name sounded familiar, but she couldn’t recall where she had heard it before.

She decided not to dwell on it and asked about the payment for his temporary protection: “Is this room the payment?”

The crown prince looked into her clear black and white eyes and added, “Upon arriving in Wujun, I will pay you another ten taels of silver.”

With that, he took out a handful of copper coins and placed them on the table. “Most of the fish caught this morning were sold to Master Chen. You can take this money.”

Qin Zheng looked at the pile of copper coins on the table, and the words the woman had said earlier suddenly came to mind.

Her mood became even more complicated.

Was he entrusting her with the money?

Feeling somewhat awkward, Qin Zheng said, “It’s the same if you keep it.”

The crown prince replied, “Not convenient.”

Sensing his displeasure in his tone, Qin Zheng didn’t insist further.

She found a thin string and counted out ten copper coins, stringing them together.

After counting for a while, she realized there were actually one hundred and twenty copper coins.

She wasn’t sure about the prices here or whether the crown prince sold the fish by weight or by quantity.

Although one hundred and twenty copper coins weren’t much, Qin Zheng was still quite happy to finally have some income.

She was about to say something to the crown prince when she noticed his cold expression as he sat across from her reading a book.

Qin Zheng blinked her eyes.

Was he angry?

Unaware of the situation, Qin Zheng didn’t know that the crown prince was actually lost in thought.

In his past life and this life combined, he had never been so embarrassed.

He must have been possessed at that moment, otherwise how could he have the nerve to give her a few copper coins as if they were gold and silver?

Even when he was at his lowest, he promised his generals gold and silver, not just a few copper coins.

What was he thinking, giving her a handful of copper coins like they were rare treasures?

No wonder she would refuse!

Embarrassing! Truly embarrassing!

The crown prince pinched his brow, unable to understand how he could have done such a foolish thing.

Qin Zheng felt that the crown prince had been cold all day.

She thought he might be displeased because she had refused to accept the money, but was it necessary to be upset for so long?

After nightfall, Qin Zheng reluctantly sat with him at the table for a while.

Later, she couldn’t hold out any longer and yawned, saying, “Your… Highness, it’s late.”

She was so tired, but she didn’t want to go to bed directly.

The crown prince, who had been holding a book all day without turning a page, finally turned one.

If Qin Zheng hadn’t secretly glanced over several times, she might have thought he was actually reading it seriously.

Without lifting his eyelids, he said, “You rest first. I still need to go to the deck later.”

Since he said so, Qin Zheng didn’t bother to speculate about his complicated thoughts and went to bed by herself.

Due to the limitations of the cabin, the bed was somewhat small.

After both of them lay down, it was probably difficult to even turn over.

Qin Zheng tried to sleep close to the edge, leaving him enough space.

In the latter half of the night, the entire ship suddenly shook violently, and Qin Zheng fell directly under the bed.

There was a commotion outside, and it seemed that there was also the sound of weapons clashing.

Attacked by water bandits?

Qin Zheng instantly became alert.

She climbed up and felt the bed, which was cold. It didn’t seem like someone had slept in it.

Where was the crown prince?