"This beautiful scenery, marred by the noisy crowd. Hou, hang the banner and tell these people to scram! Within a quarter-hour, I don't want to see another boat on the lake!"
From the first deck, Hou Renmeng responded:
Then, under the horrified gaze of the dock officer, a Jinyi government officer took out a black court flag and hung it up, bellowing in a deep voice to drive the boats on the river away.
The scholars and beauties who had been enjoying themselves, along with the foreign traders, all froze, some unable to react right away.
Seeing these people disobeying, Hou Renmeng shouted:
"By order of the Lord, disperse all idlers within a quarter-hour!"
Thereafter, this Lihua Hall ruffian bent his knees slightly and suddenly leapt onto the neighboring boat.
Swinging a sheath, he thrashed about, and kicked a scholar who had stepped forward to argue into the lake.
With his lead, the other government officers followed suit, jumping from one boat to another; those farther away simply lowered small boats and chased them down.
They ordered the boatmen to leave immediately, not to disturb Mr. Zhao's viewing of the scenery.
Those who resisted received a beating, splashing into the frigid river one after another, floundering toward the shore like dumplings dropped into boiling water.
Chaos reigned on several boats, with continuous screams and cries from the women.
"Ah... They're hitting people!"
"Dear officials, spare us... we are leaving now... ah... splash!"
"How dare you act so arrogantly under the broad daylight, is there no... ouch!"
Hou Renmeng whipped another prestigious young man with the sheath, causing him to flee in panic; he snarled with a sneer:
"No matter who your Dad is, we dare to beat even Princes; all of you, get lost!"
Witnessing this scene, the Little Princess's complexion was off; her sweet, graceful smile froze on her face, eyebrows furrowed as she looked at Zhao Douan's indifferent expression beside her:
"Lord Zhao, acting this way may damage the court's reputation."
She spoke rather tactfully, while the maid, Lv Shui, felt intense anger, thinking Zhao Douan was too arrogant.
They were somewhat familiar with Zhao Douan's way of conducting affairs but still felt uncomfortable.
Yet Zhao Douan merely smiled and said softly:
"Doesn't the Commandery Princess find these people a nuisance? Such a fine scenery, when crowded, becomes vulgar. The world's best views, like beauties and precious gems, are meant to be privately treasured, for few to cherish."
Xu Junling's brows knitted even tighter; she took a deep breath, not arguing with the suddenly despicable Mr. Zhao, merely turning around:
"As it is, Lord, enjoy the scenery on the river by yourself; I feel somewhat unwell, please lower a small boat for me to return to shore."
Zhao Douan, however, looked at her meaningfully and said:
"The princess seems disappointed, but how can a host leave before the guest has enjoyed herself?"
Xu Junling turned back, her eyebrows more furrowed, a somber look in her eyes:
"What exactly do you want to do?"
The corners of Zhao Douan's mouth curved upward, his eyes shimmering with a frigid, menacing air.
He raised his hand, and to Xu Junling's astonishment, placed it on her shoulder, leaned closer, smelling the scent of her sachet, and whispered:
"Can the princess really not guess? If there are others coming to the lake later, wouldn't it be better to have fewer people enjoying the scenery?"
Xu Junling's expression turned grave: "Do you think there will be danger today?"
Zhao Douan smiled faintly:
"I hope not. But to err on the side of caution, I must keep the princess with me. Only this way can I assure your honored father that he is not suspected of plotting my assassination."
Xu Junling's expression changed.
Just as she was about to speak, she suddenly saw Zhao Douan hold a finger to his lips:
"Shh, listen, someone is coming."