The prince is more stable

Chapter 863 Reunion with My Beloved

Fishing is a skill that requires a lot of patience.

Zhao Xiaoqian believed he had enough patience, and of course, more tools.

Fishing is simple: bait the hook, throw it into the water—all you need is your hands, right?

However, after sitting quietly by the Bian River for half an hour, Zhao Xiaoqian's expression turned somewhat unpleasant.

The fish in the river... seem a bit disrespectful.

No rush, my patience is absolutely terrifying. Let's give the fish in the river another chance.

Zhao Xiaoqian decided to wait another half an hour. If the fish still didn't bite after half an hour, he would fire the cannons and blast them to smithereens.

Zhao Xiaoqian's patience hadn't run out, but his expression had already turned ugly. Chen Shou and Zheng Chun behind him didn't dare to breathe too loudly. The flattering words they had prepared had no chance to be displayed, and their expressions were also unpleasant.

The fish in the river were really uncooperative, making the situation very awkward.

"It's alright, just wait a little longer, and a big fish will surely bite the hook. I have a strong premonition that I will return with a full catch today. We can put up banners and parade through the streets openly..." Zhao Xiaoqian tried his best to maintain a calm demeanor and save face.

Zheng Chunhe and Chen Shou hurriedly smiled and echoed his sentiments.

Zhao Xiaoqian's feigned composure couldn't last long; though he appeared calm on the surface, his heart was already burning with rage.

Another half hour passed, and Zhao Xiaoqian's composure and patience were finally completely exhausted, and his anger could no longer be contained.

"Men, bring me two cannons, aim them at the river, and blast them to smithereens!" Zhao Xiaoqian roared furiously.

Chen Shou and Zheng Chunhe were startled. Chen Shou asked, forcing a smile, "Your Majesty, ...are you serious?"

Zhao Xiaoqian snorted angrily, looked at the empty fish basket beside him, and felt his anger rise to the top of his head. So he grabbed the South China Sea Purple Bamboo fishing rod in his hand and poked it into the river.

Using cannons to bombard fish is somewhat shocking, and even the emperor cannot do as he pleases.

"Old Zheng, send someone to tell the Imperial Kitchen that I want to eat fish today! All kinds of fish, braised, stewed, whatever!"

Zheng Chunhe hurriedly accepted the imperial decree.

Zhao Xiaoqian threw the precious South China Sea purple bamboo fishing rod to the ground, exasperated, "What's the point of fishing? It's too much trouble! Next time, I'll get some explosives and just blow it up!"

A sudden chuckle came from behind him, and Zhao Xiaoqian flew into a rage: "Who dares to mock me? Come out here and face your death!"

Turning around, Zhao Xiaoqian's furious expression froze for a moment.

Li Qingzhao, dressed in a lake-green, narrow-sleeved, belted dress, was looking at him with a bright smile, her eyes filled with a smile as deep as her longing.

Zhao Xiaoqian took a deep breath.

Li Qingzhao, it's been so long since I've seen her.

The last time they met was before he seized the throne. Later, Li Qingzhao came to the Prince of Chu's residence to see him several times, but Zhao Xiaoqian refused to see her.

At that time, he was busy scheming and plotting for the throne. He had sent his mother, wife and children to Japan. Naturally, he did not want to burden his family. If he had close ties with Li Qingzhao, he would inevitably attract the attention of those with ulterior motives, who would threaten him with Li Qingzhao's life.

So Zhao Xiaoqian hardened his heart and refused to see her, not wanting her to become cannon fodder in the struggle for the throne.

Now that Zhao Xiaoqian has successfully seized the throne and has been on the throne for many days, upon seeing Li Qingzhao again, Zhao Xiaoqian felt a moment of disorientation, as if he had been in another world.

Zheng Chunhe, Chen Shou, and the Imperial Guards behind them made way for them. The two men looked at each other, both deeply moved.

Seeing Li Qingzhao's bright and cheerful smile, Zhao Xiaoqian also smiled.

"Miss Li, how have you been?"

Upon hearing the familiar voice, Li Qingzhao's eyes reddened, her smile vanished, and a hint of grievance appeared on her face.

"It's rare that you still recognize me. I thought that after you became emperor, you no longer recognized your poor friends from the past."

Zhao Xiaoqian said earnestly, "I really don't want to associate with poor friends anymore, but you are an exception. After all, you are not too poor. If I maintain a friendship with you, I can benefit from it if you become rich in the future."

Li Qingzhao chuckled, tears and smiles appearing simultaneously on her pretty face, making her incredibly adorable.

The two were about ten feet apart. Li Qingzhao took a step to approach, but seeing the imperial guards protecting Zhao Xiaoqian, she became somewhat timid. She glanced at the guards carefully and ultimately dared not take the step.

Chen Shou had followed Zhao Xiaoqian the longest and knew Zhao Xiaoqian's female confidantes very well.

Chen Shou then waved his hand, and the imperial guards surrounding Zhao Xiaoqian stepped back a few paces, making way for a wider path.

Chen Shou smiled and gestured for Li Qingzhao to approach the Emperor.

Li Qingzhao smiled politely at Chen Shou, then walked up to Zhao Xiaoqian without hesitation, her clear, beautiful eyes fixed on his face.

“Now that you are the Emperor of the Song Dynasty, can I… still call you ‘Brother Zian’?” Li Qingzhao asked timidly.

“…It’ll cost more.” Zhao Xiaoqian blurted out.

Li Qingzhao was stunned. Zhao Xiaoqian smiled awkwardly: "Outside of formal occasions, it doesn't matter what you're called. You should learn that from Mr. Zizhan."

"Given Mr. Zizhan's temperament, even if I became the Jade Emperor, he would still call me 'boy' without giving me any face."

Li Qingzhao chuckled: "Then I'll call you 'boy' from now on?"

Zhao Xiaoqian's face immediately darkened: "Who gave you the courage to defy the Heavenly Gang?" Li Qingzhao laughed loudly, completely disregarding her ladylike demeanor: "Alright, alright, from now on, in private, I'll still call you 'Brother Zian,' how about that?"

After a pause, Li Qingzhao suddenly said softly, "These days, I have been staying in Bianjing. I... heard about what happened to you, and I have been worried about you the whole time."

"The Yan Yun border army suddenly besieged Bianjing City. Zeng Bu seized the military power of the Palace Guard and searched the whole city for you and His Highness the Prince of Chu. Those soldiers even broke into my house to search. That night, I was full of worries and planned to sneak out to find you, but my father stopped me."

“My father said that the city is in chaos and that if I sneak out, I will definitely meet with misfortune. He also said that since you have mobilized the Yanyun border troops, it means that the situation is still under your control. He told me to be calm and that the situation will soon be reversed.”

"Sure enough, the next day, after only one morning, the Yan-Yun border troops entered the city, the Palace Guard soldiers surrendered, the palace was recaptured by you, and the Kaifeng Prefecture issued a proclamation to reassure the people..."

Li Qingzhao looked up at Zhao Xiaoqian and smiled, "You are truly amazing. In this perilous situation, you not only managed to escape but also launched a counterattack and ultimately succeeded. You truly deserve to be called my brother Zian."

Zhao Xiaoqian smiled and sighed.

Li Qingzhao spoke in seemingly trivial details, yet what he heard in every word and phrase was a deep and abiding affection.

On that chaotic night in Bianjing, no one knew how heavy a burden she carried on her heart.

Having transmigrated to the Song Dynasty in this life, the throne and wealth are all fleeting clouds. Zhao Xiaoqian's greatest gain is probably his family and women who are devoted to him.

"You're not angry that I ignored you during that time?" Zhao Xiaoqian asked with a smile.

Li Qingzhao snorted and said, "Of course it's your fault. I'm still angry."

“I was furious at first, but then I slowly realized that you were in a very dangerous situation at the time. You refused to see me because you were afraid of getting me involved in the mess. You were protecting me.”

"I'm not an ungrateful person, but even though I know it, I'm still very angry, extremely angry!"

"Let me tell you, I have already written a letter to Mr. Suzhan, who is going to take up his post in Jiangnan. It contains a lot of insults directed at you, and they are very harsh."

Zhao Xiaoqian laughed heartily and was about to say something when Li Qingzhao suddenly exclaimed "Eh!" and stepped closer to the fish basket next to Zhao Xiaoqian.

As everyone knows, Zhao Xiaoqian's fish basket was cleaner than his face...

Li Qingzhao glanced inside and frowned, saying, "Not a single one? How long have you been fishing here? Why haven't you caught a single one?"

Zhao Xiaoqian's smile froze, and he said softly, "Li Qingzhao."

Li Qingzhao felt a chill run down her spine. Having been mischievous and unruly since childhood, she knew that when someone called her by her full name, it meant she had gotten into trouble.

"What...what happened?"

Zhao Xiaoqian glanced at her coldly and said, "We were having a very pleasant conversation, but you had to bring up such an unpleasant topic. Are you out of your mind?"

Li Qingzhao chuckled dryly: "I thought fishing was easy, but I didn't expect you to be so... Okay, I was wrong, I won't mention fishing again."

Zhao Xiaoqian picked up the South China Sea purple bamboo fishing rod from the ground and handed it to her: "Easy for you to say, if you can do it, then you do it!"

Li Qingzhao was only fifteen or sixteen years old. She had been very close to Zhao Xiaoqian before, and now she was not afraid of his status as emperor at all. She took the fishing rod without hesitation.

"If I catch one, you mustn't be angry," Li Qingzhao said earnestly.

Zhao Xiaoqian said with a forced smile, "Of course I'm not angry. With the same fishing rod and the same bait, if I can't catch any fish, how could you?"

Li Qingzhao rolled her eyes at him, then baited the hook and cast the line without any hesitation.

Zhao Xiaoqian stood beside her, sneering incessantly.

In less than the time it takes for an incense stick to burn, the cold smile on Zhao Xiaoqian's face froze.

Suddenly, the buoy on the river sank, and Li Qingzhao quickly reeled in her rod. A two-pound crucian carp was pulled out of the water and thrown onto the bank, where it struggled incessantly.

Li Qingzhao chuckled and proudly raised her eyebrows at Zhao Xiaoqian.

Zhao Xiaoqian: “…………”

Chen Shou and Zheng Chunhe, who were standing next to him, turned green with rage.

This girl really doesn't understand any social etiquette.

Even the emperor can't catch a fish, what are you trying to prove? What if the emperor gets angry and throws your father in a sack into the river...?

"Brother Zian, how was it? Wasn't I amazing?" Li Qingzhao was completely oblivious to Zhao Xiaoqian's unpleasant expression, and proudly held the lively fish, showing off.

This scene is glaringly offensive no matter how you look at it.

"I'm done playing! Goodbye!" Zhao Xiaoqian turned and left, as if he had made up his mind.

Li Qingzhao caught up with him and grabbed his sleeve: "Hey! You promised you wouldn't be angry."

Zhao Xiaoqian laughed heartily, looking up at the sky: "Why would I be angry? I'm not angry, it's just... well, I'm busy with state affairs, and the people of the Song Dynasty need me!"

"You lied to me again. You were clearly angry and embarrassed." Li Qingzhao bluntly exposed his true colors.

"I'll fucking..." Zhao Xiaoqian gritted his teeth, snatched the fishing rod from her hand, and roared, "I'll show you what a seasoned expert is, what it means to never go home empty-handed!"

He turned his head and shouted, "Men, prepare the bait for me! Prepare it heavily! Pour two thousand catties of bait into the river, start with two thousand catties!"

(End of this chapter)