At that moment, the sound of drumbeats suddenly erupted from outside, slow and steady as if gathering momentum.
Ren Yaoqi instinctively looked out the window and saw over a dozen long, narrow dragon boats spread across the river. Each boat seated two rows of about twenty people, dressed in various attire. Behind each boat stood a person with a drum mounted before them, from which the drumbeats emanated.
Xiao Jinglin also glanced over and remarked, "It's about to begin."
Just then, Xiao Jingxi happened to sit down beside them. With a slight smile, he said, "Wenting disembarked precisely for the start of the race."
Ren Yaoqi and Xiao Jinglin turned to look. Though they were inside the cabin, their view was excellent. Not only could they see the scene on the river, but they also had a clear view of the high platform on the shore.
Sure enough, Yun Wenting had just ascended the high platform and was standing behind Old Master Yun. The heads of the Su, Ren, and Han families were also there, all gazing respectfully in one direction as if awaiting someone.
Ren Yaoqi’s heart stirred slightly, and then she saw a tall, upright middle-aged man ascend the high platform, surrounded by several attendants. His face was stern and composed, with refined features that carried the authority of someone long accustomed to power. He wore a dark black robe embroidered with four-clawed chilong patterns. Seeing this attire, Ren Yaoqi could already guess his identity: Xiao Yan, the Prince of Yanbei.
This was Ren Yaoqi’s first time seeing the legendary Prince of Yanbei, so she took a few extra glances. Xiao Jingxi and Xiao Jinglin did not resemble him much, likely taking more after their mother.
"Aren’t you going down, Brother?" Xiao Jinglin asked, glancing at Xiao Jingxi.
"I didn’t board the boat here, so they don’t know I’ve come," Xiao Jingxi replied with a faint smile.
The high platform was filled with men, but Ren Yaoqi’s gaze paused slightly when she looked behind the Prince of Yanbei. Among those accompanying him was the Second Young Master, Xiao Jingyue, whom they had encountered earlier on the bridge. Standing beside Xiao Jingyue was a handsome, slightly shorter youth, though Ren Yaoqi recognized that the youth was actually a young woman disguised as a man—none other than Miss Wu Yiyu of the Wu family, whom she had met once before.
Wu Yiyu had ascended the high platform alongside the members of the Yanbei Prince’s Mansion. Her gaze swept over the river with a hint of pride, and the smile on her lips was restrained.
Xiao Jingxi and Xiao Jinglin must have noticed Wu Yiyu as well, but they showed no reaction, treating her no differently than they would Ren Yaoqi or anyone else on the boat—merely observing the spectacle.
Old Master Su Chengyuan of the Su family respectfully presented a red silk-wrapped rod with both hands. The Prince of Yanbei took it with his right hand, casually weighing it.
Xiao Jingxi and Xiao Jinglin stood up. Though Ren Yaoqi had never participated in a dragon boat race, she followed suit without hesitation. Outside, everyone watched the Prince of Yanbei with reverence. No matter how boisterous the scene had been earlier, it was now completely silent.
The Prince of Yanbei walked to a copper gong hanging at the front of the high platform, raised his hand, and struck it forcefully. The resounding clang of the gong echoed, rippling outward as if tangible, clearly audible across the entire river.Almost simultaneously, the dozen or so dragon boats on the river began to move. The drumbeats on the boats shifted from slow to urgent, and in rhythm with the drums, the dragon boats shot forward like arrows, racing upstream. Deafening cheers erupted at that moment.
On the high platform, the crowd gathered around the Prince of Yanbei as he took his seat in the main position.
Xiao Jingxi and Xiao Jinglin sat down again, and Ren Yaoqi also took her seat. Just then, she saw on the high platform that Eldest Master Yun, who had been about to come down, was stopped by Wu Yiyu, who was disguised as a man. Ren Yaoqi didn’t want to meddle in such trivial matters, so she pretended not to see anything and shifted her gaze, turning her head to look at the river.
The large ship also began to move, though its speed was much slower than that of the dragon boats ahead, trailing far behind. As the ship moved, the slightly warm, moist breeze from the river became more noticeable, bringing a sense of comfort.
Seeing Ren Yaoqi watching intently, Xiao Jingxi couldn’t help but ask with a smile, “Who’s winning?”
The distance between the dragon boats and the large ship had already widened. Even straining her eyes, Ren Yaoqi couldn’t see clearly. Just as she was about to shake her head and say she didn’t know, Xiao Jinglin spoke up, “At the moment, the Lei Family and the Su Family are tied for second, and the Yun Family is in third.”
“The Lei Family also has a boat?” Ren Yaoqi couldn’t help but feel surprised.
Her question wasn’t meant to look down on the Lei Family. Although the Ren Family, because their main branch wasn’t in Yunyang City, only symbolically shared a dragon boat with another family each time. Even the Han Family, though invited by the Su Family to help organize this dragon boat race, had only been in Yan Prefecture for less than a year and hadn’t had time to prepare their own dragon boat, so they shared one with a family named Li.
Although she had never watched a dragon boat race before, she knew that the people of Yanbei took these boats very seriously. Before officially launching, the boats required many steps, and it would take a year or two for them to truly be ready for the water. That’s why she was so surprised.
Xiao Jingxi glanced at Ren Yaoqi and smiled, “The complexity of making dragon boats in Yanbei actually lies in the intricate craftsmanship of the dragon heads. Although the boat bodies of each family’s dragon boats are stored in the City God Temple outside the city, the dragon heads are kept by the families themselves. When the Lei Family moved south, they took their dragon head with them. Over the decades, they’ve maintained it well, which is why it could be used this year.”
Hearing this, Ren Yaoqi was taken aback and glanced at Xiao Jingxi, only to meet his dark, smiling eyes. The shimmering reflections on the river seemed to be mirrored in his eyes, and staring too long could dazzle one’s vision.
Ren Yaoqi instinctively shifted her gaze to the window but immediately felt something was off. She tilted her head slightly, her eyes seemingly fixed on the river. Outside, the drumbeats grew louder again as the dozen or so dragon boats returned.
Suddenly, Ren Yaoqi realized what was strange. When the Lei Family fled south all those years ago, it made sense for them to take their ancestral tablets and family treasures, but why would they also bring the dragon head for the dragon boat race? After all, the thing was quite large and cumbersome, likely requiring an entire carriage just to transport it.
It felt as though the Lei Family was trying to prove something by bringing out the dragon head now. Prove what? That their branch was the legitimate, rightful lineage?
To Ren Yaoqi, it seemed more like a show of empty bravado."The Lei Family... seems to be gaining quite some momentum." Xiao Jinglin's voice drew Ren Yaoqi's attention back.
Hearing this, Ren Yaoqi instinctively glanced at Xiao Jingxi, who was smiling faintly as he looked out the window. At that moment, the dozen or so dragon boats had just entered their line of sight. Apart from the dragon boat bearing the Yanbei Prince's Mansion's banner leading the way, three other boats were hot on its heels, locked in a tight race.
For some reason, Ren Yaoqi felt a sudden intuition and blurted out without thinking, "Do you intend to use the Lei Family?"
(To be continued. If you enjoy this work, please come to Qidian to vote for recommendations and monthly tickets. Your support is my greatest motivation.)
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