mesbooks Chapter 279 The Importance of Vigilance
Chapter 279 The Importance of Vigilance
When Jia Hu stepped onto the wooden bridge made of chains, the slight swaying made him feel uneasy, so he gripped the railings on both sides tightly.
After walking a few steps and getting used to it, Jia Hu found it quite fun and became bolder, letting go of the railing.
Jia Zhen, fearless, ran back and forth on the bridge, while Jia Hu looked around and saw that the boats formed a circle. Many of their friends were also on the bridge, walking curiously and greeting each other from a distance.
After being cooped up on the ship for over half a month, everyone was getting restless, and even the ministers started to get out and about. The Emperor was hosting a banquet the next day, so today the ministers and their friends began to gather.
The Jia family also received many invitations, and Jia Hu and Jia Zhen also received many invitations, some of which were written by the adults of their friends' families, such as the young master of Minister Yin's family.
After Yin Wenhao, the son of the Minister of Personnel, was able to walk again today, he kept asking his father to invite Jia Hu and the others to come over as guests. Yin Tianshuo was so pestered that he had no choice but to send out invitations.
Yin Wenhao was the first chubby boy to respond to Jia Hu that day and greet him. From then on, he became good friends with Jia Hu and Jia Zhen. He had missed his good friends for so long.
Jia Zhen was the first to receive the invitations and naturally responded enthusiastically that she would go. Yin Wenhao not only invited them, but also sent invitations to several of his close friends.
But then a eunuch came to deliver a message, saying that the Emperor had invited the two dukes to come, and had specifically instructed them to bring Jia Hu and Jia Zhen along.
There was no other way but to prepare gifts and have them delivered to Yin Wenhao and his friends. They would have to see each other at the banquet the following evening.
Upon arriving at the imperial ship, after bowing to the Emperor, the Emperor patted Situ Minghe, who was standing to the side, and said with a smile:
"Go ahead, you've been talking about it all along, and I've already invited people over. Go and have some fun."
Situ Minghe immediately stood up, smiled, and pulled Jia Hu and Jia Zhen out happily.
Leading Jia Hu and Jia Zhen to his room, Situ Minghe said happily:
"I heard that my grandfather invited the two dukes over, so I kept begging him to bring you two along as well. I miss you both so much; I was so bored on the ship."
The three met and chatted about what they had been doing these past few days. The young prince, upon learning that they had been lounging in deck chairs and sunbathing, wanted to join them too.
"Here you can only look at the deck and the stern, and there are many people following you, so it's not comfortable at all."
Going out means running into lots of people who keep talking to me. I don't want to go out anymore.
After Situ Minghe finished speaking, his eyes darted around, and he smiled:
"Otherwise, I'll go and talk to my grandfather, and when we start traveling again, I'll come and stay with you."
"Ouch!" Situ Minghe suddenly covered his head and stood up.
Jia Hu and the others were also startled, and when they saw that it was the twelfth prince, Situ Yi.
Situ Yi laughed from outside the window:
"Following the crowd is for your safety; things are different on the river than on land."
After saying that, Situ Yi walked forward; he had come to find them as well.
The young prince puffed out his cheeks. Of course he knew that having a large group of people was for his own safety, and he hadn't gone without them. He was just complaining a little.
Situ Yi walked in, and Jia Hu and Jia Zhen bowed. Situ Yi smiled and asked someone to prepare snacks, fruits, and tea.
"You have to be extra careful on the river. You should know that those who drown are often the ones who can swim. Hu'er and Zhen'er, remember to take more people with you wherever you go on the boat."
Jia Hu and Jia Zhen nodded obediently; these were all kind words, and they showed concern for them.
Jia Hu felt as if the twelfth prince was reminding him of something.
Situ Yi never thought he was overthinking things. If he wanted to kill someone, especially a toddler, the ship would be the perfect opportunity to strike. Nothing is easier to cover up than an accident.
If they were on land, he could send people to protect Yi'er, but the space on this ship is small, and if the secret guards are discovered by the dukes, it will cause misunderstandings, and that would be bad.
There's no way to arrange for secret protection by bodyguards; at this point, all we can do is offer some advice.
While the others were talking and eating, Jia Hu wondered if he was overthinking things. The twelfth prince kept telling the same story about how the accident happened on the ship. It was hard not to be concerned. Did the twelfth prince know something?
Regardless, although Jia Hu was relaxed, he remained vigilant. He knew that if anyone wanted to harm him, the ship would be the best opportunity to do so.
They stayed with the young prince until very late, until Jia Daishan and Jia Daihua finished talking to the emperor and came over, then took them back together.
The next day was a fine day. Only a limited number of ministers attended the banquet, and those who could not attend gathered in their own groups, making the entire river lively with people constantly moving between the boats.
The Emperor hosted a banquet on the ship for no other reason than that he was bored and invited his ministers to chat with him.
After the meal, the ministers began to drink, while the young prince had a separate table set up for them, where the children played together.
The boat was bustling with noise and excitement. Children were playing games, and the young prince wanted to go to the toilet. Jia Zhen also wanted to go, so he went with him.
Jia Hu saw that the two were together and had so many guards with them. After looking around, he ordered a few more guards to follow them and instructed them not to leave their side at all times. Only then did he not go with them.
While they were playing, a eunuch serving wine accidentally spilled some on Jia Hu. The eunuch was so frightened that he knelt down and immediately kowtowed to apologize.
He had been holding the wine bottle steadily, but somehow he tripped and fell! Before he could even hold it properly, he got up and saw that the wine had spilled all over the young master of the Duke's mansion. He wished he had just fallen to his death.
Jia Hu looked at his trembling face and laughed:
"It's nothing, it's just a piece of clothing, I can just change into another one."
Jia Hu sent someone to fetch his clothes. He originally intended to go back first, but Jia Zhen had not yet returned. If he left early, he was afraid that his grandfather and the others would worry. So, he decided to send someone to fetch his clothes to change into.
When they went out to a banquet, their attendants would bring two sets of clothes, just in case of any unexpected situation.
A palace maid led Jia Hu to change his clothes. Jia Hu glanced at the maid and suddenly became wary.
Jia Hu summoned several of his guards to accompany him, and even when he was taking off and changing clothes, he had his guards stand around him.
The eunuch who had turned his back couldn't help but grit his teeth. How could Jia Hu be so vigilant? He even had people surrounding him while he was changing clothes.
Jia Hu changed his clothes, observing his surroundings through the gaps. After changing, he returned to his quarters with guards surrounding him.
When Jia Hu returned to the banquet hall and saw that Jia Zhen and the young prince had already returned, he finally felt a little relieved. Regardless of whether it was just his imagination, he trusted his intuition; these things were never wrong.