Li Yuangui arrived at the private ferry crossing on the southern bank of the Wei River with his young servant as the sun passed its zenith, hanging high in the sky, its reflection on the water dazzling to the eyes.
The crossing was hidden beneath a low earthen bluff along the shore, where two wooden boats were moored in the water. On the bank stood a thatched shed open to the wind on all sides, now devoid of any human presence. A-Chen pointed at the short earthen bed inside the shed and said, "Early this morning, when Yang Ku-zhen and I came here, there was an old boatman sleeping on it. As soon as he saw we were strangers, he started grunting and pretending to be deaf and mute. Yang Ku-zhen asked if he had ferried any Hu people with a young lady across the river, but he refused to answer truthfully. It wasn’t until he’d taken several slaps to the face that he finally confessed. Now who knows where everyone’s run off to!"
With you lot acting so fierce, it’s no wonder the people here fled… Li Yuangui sighed. Now they’d have to find a way to cross the river themselves.
He found a punt pole inside the shed, and the two of them cut the mooring rope before boarding one of the small boats. Then they stared at each other in dismay—
Neither of them knew how to steer or row a boat.
“Heh heh, Fourteenth Young Master,” A-Chen laughed awkwardly, “The river’s so wide and the water so deep—if the boat capsizes, it’s no joke. Maybe… Your Highness should go back ashore and take the horses to the pontoon bridge instead?”
Li Yuangui glanced at the two mounts they’d left on the bank, calculating the time it would take to ride to the bridge, then shook his head.
There was no direct path along the shore—they’d have to ride more than ten li downstream in a detour to reach the bridge. Moreover, crossing by boat from the same starting point would make it easier to find where Yang Xinzhi’s group had landed and pick up their trail, allowing them to reunite quickly and continue tracking Seventeenth Sister’s whereabouts. If they crossed via the pontoon bridge, they’d be too far apart—how would he ever find Yang Xinzhi then?
It was just rowing a boat, after all. Back in the palace, he had often gone boating on the imperial ponds with his father and brothers, even racing against his equally curious and restless siblings. Though the Wei River was broad, it was still early spring—the dry season—and the current appeared gentle, the water not too deep… He decided to attempt the crossing here.
Roughly the time it took to finish a meal later, he regretted his decision with every fiber of his being.
At first, when the boat had just pushed off from the shore, things were manageable—one poled while the other rowed, barely keeping the small wooden vessel under control. But soon, strong currents surged in, waves battering the boat until it rocked wildly. Forget steering—the two of them could barely stay on their feet. Panicked shouts rose and fell across the river:
“Steady! Hold it steady! We’re going to capsize!”
“Left! Left! LEFT!”
“Ahhh! Your Highness! Don’t go that way! We’re going to crash!”
“Idiot! Get down! DOWN! Move to the right!”
“That’s a rock! Don’t—Young Master, don’t—”
Turns out, beneath its calm surface, the Wei River was riddled with treacherous undercurrents and whirlpools. The small boat careened wildly, spinning in circles as it drifted downstream, completely out of control. Li Yuangui gripped the long punt pole, struggling to stay upright and not tumble into the river. Spotting a clump of reeds dead ahead, he hastily thrust the pole to push the boat away. Unbeknownst to him, hidden among the reeds was a rock—his force misapplied, and with a loud crack , the lower half of the pole snapped off. The remaining length could no longer reach the riverbed, rendering it useless.
Both youths cried out in alarm. Li Yuangui was filled with frustration, while A-Chen outright wailed:
“HELP—!”"Shut—" This was too humiliating. Li Yuangui wanted to scold him, but as soon as the first word left his mouth, the boat lurched violently, sending the young prince tumbling onto his backside in the cabin. The servant boy had already abandoned the oars, clinging desperately to the gunwales with both hands, wailing for help without pause.
This stretch of the Wei River's middle reaches was broad, its bed riddled with reefs, shoals, and sandbars, its currents unpredictable. Fortunately, though small and crude, the skiff was sturdily constructed and didn't leak or break apart despite repeated collisions. Li Yuangui tried several times to steer the rudder, to no avail. The rapids of great rivers were worlds apart from the still waters of palace lakes—utterly different beasts.
They drifted downstream for who knew how long until A-Chen's voice grew hoarse from shouting and Li Yuangui was utterly exhausted. Then the boat jolted heavily, running aground on a sandbar in mid-river.
Survival took precedence now. A-Chen scrambled overboard, pushing through reeds and water plants to flounder onto the sandbar's center. Without much thought, Li Yuangui followed suit, abandoning the boat in equal disarray. A-Chen collapsed onto the stony shoal, vomiting uncontrollably.
Both of them were soaked through inside and out. Li Yuangui felt dizzy and nauseous too, but having eaten nothing since the previous night, his empty stomach had nothing to expel.
Another strong wave surged in. Hearing something amiss, Li Yuangui turned to see their small boat swept away from the sandbar by the current, carried off amidst the waves. He shouted and chased after it, trying to grab the stern, but it was hopeless. He could only watch helplessly as their sole means of transport vanished into the churning waters.
Perfect. He turned to look north across the Wei River—still nothing but hazy silhouettes of cold mist and green trees. This reed-choked sandbar must be near the river's center, though whether closer to the southern or northern bank was unclear. Having nearly lost their lives, they'd only made it halfway across before losing their boat, now stranded on this shoal with no way forward.
"Y-Your Highness, don't worry," A-Chen clumsily attempted to reassure him. "Someone will surely come looking for the Fourteenth Young Master. Maybe tomorrow or the next day they'll find us here... This servant could try catching fish to eat..."
This brat thinks far ahead... Li Yuangui shot him a glare. "Stop dreaming. Do you think this sandbar will last the night?"
"Huh?" The servant boy gaped foolishly.
"Mid-February is the Wei River's flood season! Snowmelt from upstream mountains swells the waters higher and swifter by the day, by the night!" Li Yuangui surveyed the barely exposed shoal with irritation. "Before tomorrow's sunrise, you'll be calling the fish and turtles at the riverbed your brothers, you fool!"
His military tutors had taught him hydrology and geography as essential knowledge, particularly regarding the Guanzhong region. But never in his wildest classroom recitations had he imagined using this knowledge to predict his own demise...
Nonsense. Impossible.
He still had urgent, perilous matters to attend to—how could he die here? #####TBC
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