The prince is more stable

Chapter 91: Abandoning the Road and Taking the Water
Most of the people who fled were in a mess, and it was difficult for them to walk leisurely and calmly.

The same was true for Zhao Xiaoqian and his group.

Starting from Yaohua Palace, we headed straight to Xuanhua Gate, still stopping and walking along the way.

The city of Bianjing was in even greater chaos at this time. All the people in the city, whether they were powerful or common people, rushed towards the city gates like crazy.

The streets and alleys in the city were extremely congested, and Chen Shou whipped the crowd hard but it was of no use. When he gritted his teeth and was about to dismount and draw his sword to scare the fleeing crowd, he was stopped by Zhao Xiaoqian.

When people are trying to survive, they don't have the concept of hierarchy. If you force others into a corner, they might be attacked by a group and killed, which would be unfair.

Zhao Xiaoqian sat in the carriage, feeling very anxious.

The imagined flood was sudden and devastating, pouring in with a bang, and instantly submerging the entire city, leaving only the roofs.

Now Zhao Xiaoqian knows that it is not called a flood, it is called a tsunami, and the bastards say they have a say in this.

The actual flood was much milder. The water level rose slowly as it poured into the city.

When we entered Yaohua Palace just now, the water level was up to our ankles. When we brought our mother and Di Ying's aunt out, the water level was already up to our knees.

Many people in the city who were still fleeing for their lives were actually swimming across the river, walking through the water step by step with difficulty.

The carriage that Zhao Xiaoqian and his group were carrying was almost unrideable. In half an hour at most, the flood would reach people's chests. At that time, they could only find a higher place and passively wait for rescue.

"Chen Shou, how far are we from Xuanhua Gate?" Zhao Xiaoqian asked.

Chen Shou thought for a moment and said solemnly, "The whole city is congested. According to the current situation, it will take at least half an hour to get to Xuanhua Gate."

The veins on Zhao Xiaoqian's forehead were bulging. He was thinking and making a choice.

Do you want to bet this half hour?
If we can get out of the city within half an hour, the flood will only reach the chest area and no one will drown. Once out of the city, the chance of escape will be much greater.

But if we couldn't reach Xuanhua Gate in half an hour, everyone would be trapped in the city and would have to find a higher roof to stay on, waiting for the slim chance of being rescued.

From a probability perspective, everyone is only concerned about themselves at this time, and it is basically impossible for anyone to spare the time and energy to save them.

Zhao Xiaoqian didn't like to let others decide his fate. What's more, he was not alone at this time. His mother, Di Ying's aunt, and Chen Shou and other imperial guards brothers all had their fates closely tied together.

Zhao Xiaoqian's choice concerns the life and death of those around him, including his mother.

Chen Shou and other imperial guards all looked at him silently, waiting for Zhao Xiaoqian to make a decision.

Among this group of people, Zhao Xiaoqian is the undisputed leader. After many days of getting along with each other, Chen Shou and others also believe in Zhao Xiaoqian's ability and believe that he can lead everyone out of the desperate situation.

The curtain of the carriage was lifted, revealing Feng's gentle and peaceful face.

"Qian'er, everyone is waiting for you to make a decision. You have to take on this responsibility. Whether the outcome is good or bad, I believe no one will blame you."

My aunt smiled gently and said, "Yes, the worst that can happen is death. People like us who practice Taoism no longer care about life and death."

Chen Shouqi clasped his fists solemnly on his horse and said, "My brothers and I are willing to follow the prince, regardless of life or death!"

The rest of the imperial guards also clasped their fists in agreement.

Zhao Xiaoqian smiled bitterly, the pressure was so fucking great!

The more people said this, the heavier the responsibility on his shoulders he felt. If he really led everyone to a dead end, he would not even have the face to be reborn as a human in his next life, for fear of running into someone he knew...

Xuanhua Gate, half an hour's journey, seemed out of reach, and Zhao Xiaoqian could not afford to take the risk.

"Chen Shou, were there ships in Bianjing City before?" Zhao Xiaoqian suddenly asked.

Chen Shou thought for a moment and said, "Bianjing is traversed by four rivers, and all the rivers in the city are accessible by boat."

Zhao Xiaoqian gritted his teeth and said, "Let's not go to Xuanhua Gate. Our only task now is... to find a boat!"

There are four famous rivers in the city of Bianjing, namely the Bian River, Cai River, Jinshui River and Wuzhang River. These four rivers run through the city of Bianjing, which is the so-called "Four Rivers Running Through the Capital".

Since there is a river, there must be fish in the river. Since there are fish, there must be fishing boats on the river. This is simple logical reasoning.

A few days ago, when Di Ying dragged him around the city, Zhao Xiaoqian had noticed that there were indeed quite a few boats on the river in Bianjing.

In the current critical situation, the chance of escaping by finding a boat is higher than going to Xuanhua Gate. As long as people get on the boat, at least they will not drown, and then they can find a way to escape.

"This place is closest to the Bian River. Turn around and go to the Bian River!" Zhao Xiaoqian ordered the driver. Looking at the flood that had already reached half the wheels, Zhao Xiaoqian became more and more anxious.

The water level continued to rise. Soon, the carriage would be unusable and people would have to get off and walk. However, there was no guarantee that a boat would be found. That would be a truly desperate situation.

The group soon arrived at the Bian River.

At this time, the Bian River was actually no longer called a river. The water level of the river had risen above the shore, flooding the roads and buildings on the shore.

Zhao Xiaoqian looked around and his expression suddenly became complicated.

The good news is that there are indeed a few small fishing boats floating on the river.

The bad news is, there were people on board.

The worse news was that even if Zhao Xiaoqian had lost his moral composure and ordered the seizure of the boats, those boats were floating on the river and Chen Shou and others had no way to stop them and couldn't even get close.

Everyone looked disappointed, and Zhao Xiaoqian was almost in despair.

Gritting his teeth, Zhao Xiaoqian said, "There's one last solution... We can find a bamboo forest inside the courtyard walls of a wealthy family in the city, cut some bamboo, and make a raft. We'll make sure it floats and doesn't sink!"

This is the worst option because the process takes too much time, and time is the most important thing at this moment.

Just as everyone was about to take action, Zhao Xiaoqian cast an unwilling look at several fishing boats in the middle of the Bian River.

Then Zhao Xiaoqian exclaimed, squinted his eyes, pointed at a fishing boat on the river and said, "That person looks familiar..."

Chen Shou followed his finger, looked at him for a moment, and said, "He's an acquaintance. Does the prince still remember Zhang Xiaoyi from outside Zuihuayin?"

The curtain of the carriage was suddenly lifted, and Feng's face was revealed again, with a somewhat stern expression.

"Qian'er, why are you going to Zuihuayin?"

Zhao Xiaoqian's forehead suddenly broke out in sweat: "Mom, it's not appropriate to discuss this issue at this time!"

The curtain was lowered again in anger, and Feng's voice rang out from inside the carriage: "I'll settle the score with you next time. You're so naughty at such a young age!"

Zhao Xiaoqian looked at Chen Shou dimly.

Wouldn't it be better to just go jungle and play the game honestly? Why do you have to betray your teammates at this critical moment?

Chen Shou knew he had spoken out of turn and turned his head away with an embarrassed look.

Zhao Xiaoqian looked at the person standing on a fishing boat on the river. After identifying him for a while, he confirmed that it was indeed Zhang Xiaoyi.

What's strange is that how could a lazy guy who runs errands and works as an agent be on a ship?
No matter what the reason, at least Zhao Xiaoqian and his group found a way to survive.

In such a critical moment, how to make a ship come over willingly and take everyone on board.

Solving this problem requires extraordinary wisdom.

Without being modest, Zhao Xiaoqian just happened to possess such wisdom.

"Come on, everyone, try your best to shout a few times towards the fishing boat," Zhao Xiaoqian ordered.

On a fishing boat in the middle of the Bian River, Zhang Xiaoyi was holding a bamboo pole and steering the boat with clumsy movements.

There was also an old woman in the cabin of the fishing boat, who was his blind mother.

Zhang Xiaoyi's purpose was very clear. He wanted to steer the fishing boat eastward along the Bian River and leave the city through the Tongjin Gate in Dongcheng.

The road ahead was uncertain, but fortunately, their relatives were still alive. The mother and son gritted their teeth and finally managed to escape this disaster.

Just as he was wondering how long the dry food he brought would last the mother and son, a faint and strange shout came from the north bank of the river.

"Zhang Xiaoyi, Zhang Xiaoyi... Are you short of money? Are you short of money? Are you short of money?"

Zhang Xiaoyi felt a chill on his back, as if he had encountered a water ghost in the river collecting a debt. He looked around in fear.

Immediately afterwards, new content came from the North Shore.

"Do you want a thousand taels of silver? Do you want a thousand taels of silver—"

(End of this chapter)