The mistress has no feelings, why do you provoke her?

After crossing the Heihe River, one still needs to cross a majestic mountain to reach the Eastern Tombs.

At this moment, the river surface was as calm as a giant silver mirror, reflecting the sky and the mountains on both banks, so tranquil it seemed unreal.

The icy aura that hit you felt like tiny ice blades, seeping into your body through the gaps in your collar and cuffs, making you shiver uncontrollably.

Xiao Nanzhi stood quietly on the deck, her gaze fixed on the distance, watching the outline of her hometown gradually blur and shrink in her vision, getting farther and farther away from her.

The river wind howled, blowing her skirt wildly and casting a shadow of sorrow over her heart.

Her eyes were sore and dry, and a thin layer of mist quietly spread across them, blurring everything in front of her.

"Princess, please go back to your cabin," a maidservant advised with concern and urgency. "Your body is not fully recovered yet. If you catch a cold, I really cannot bear the consequences."

Behind Xiao Nanzhi, Ji Huaili stood tall and elegant, like a jade tree in the wind.

His gaze toward Xiao Nanzhi was filled with endless indulgence and tenderness; even the maids standing nearby were moved by his affectionate look.

The distant, rolling mountains gradually disappeared from view as the boat moved forward.

Only after he had completely disappeared did Xiao Nanzhi slowly withdraw her gaze.

She turned around and walked towards Ji Huaili with light but firm steps.

After standing in front of Ji Huaili, Ji Huaili reached out and gently took Xiao Nanzhi's hand, asking softly, "Are you cold?"

Xiao Nanzhi shook her head slightly and said softly, "It's not cold."

But her hands were as cold as ice; how could they not be cold?

When her gaze met Ji Huaili's warm and affectionate eyes, it was as if a warm current surged from the bottom of her heart and spread throughout her body.

With such a considerate husband by her side, she should be content.

Xiao Nanzhi forced a smile, but a hint of loneliness remained in her eyes. She looked up at Ji Huaili and said softly, "From now on, you'll be all I have."

Her words were like a pebble thrown into a calm lake, stirring up ripples in Ji Huaili's heart.

Ji Huaili looked at Xiao Nanzhi with a serious and firm expression and said solemnly, "Rest assured, I will never let you down."

Unwittingly, Ji Huaili's gaze fell on the small wooden puppet hanging from Xiao Nanzhi's waist. Its simple yet exquisite appearance aroused his curiosity, and a look of doubt and curiosity appeared on his face: "What is this?"

Xiao Nanzhi followed his gaze and then noticed the small wooden puppet she always carried with her.

She gently untied the little wooden puppet and handed it to Ji Huaili, her eyes filled with a hint of confusion and reminiscence. She slowly said, "This little wooden puppet is something very important to me, but after I had a serious illness, I don't remember where it came from."

At this point, she lowered her head slightly, her long eyelashes fluttering like butterfly wings, her voice filled with disappointment and sadness: "If I remember, I will definitely share this story with you."

"It's alright." Ji Huaili's lips curled up slightly, revealing a gentle smile.

He gazed tenderly at Xiao Nanzhi and softly comforted her, "We'll have plenty of time together in the future, and I'll have plenty of opportunities to get to know you slowly."

After saying that, he stretched out his large, warm hand and gently patted Xiao Nanzhi's head.

His eyes were full of doting affection.

In this warm and peaceful moment, an unexpected change occurred.

The ship began to shake violently without warning, as if it were being violently shaken by an invisible giant hand.

The powerful impact, like a raging tide, instantly swept over the entire ship.

In an instant, everyone on the boat was terrified by the sudden tremor, and screams rose and fell, breaking the once calm surface of the river.

Ji Huaili reacted quickly, grabbing Xiao Nanzhi without hesitation and pulling her tightly into his arms.

However, the impact was too strong, and the two of them, like withered leaves in the wind, slid uncontrollably toward the side of the boat.

Those maids who were powerless were not so lucky.

Several screams were heard, and some of the maids were so shocked that they stumbled and fell into the icy cold river.

At this critical moment, Ji Huaili and Xiao Nanzhi were about to fall into the river together.

Suddenly, a black rope shot out like a serpent and precisely wrapped around Xiao Nanzhi's waist.

Xiao Nanzhi subconsciously looked up and saw that the other end of the rope was firmly held in the hand of a guard.

The guard was dressed in black, his entire body seemingly blending into the darkness, with only his sharp eyes showing, like two razor-sharp blades.

A strange feeling swept through Xiao Nanzhi's heart. She felt that those eyes were so familiar, as if she had seen them somewhere before.

"Princess, hold on tight." Bai Shu gripped the rope tightly and wrapped it around her arm.

The ship was already tilting, and if the two let go, they would fall into the icy river.

Fortunately, all the guards on the ship came out and pulled Ji Huaili and Xiao Nanzhi back.

The two had just escaped death, their hearts still pounding in their chests, and they had not yet recovered from the shock.

To their astonishment, they saw a massive black ship on the river, like a ferocious beast, relentlessly ramming into their vessel.

The river was pitch black, and the surrounding area was completely covered by a huge curtain.

No one noticed the large ship approaching.

At this moment, it was too late to escape.

The crowd could only watch helplessly as the large ship rapidly approached, and a sense of despair spread through them.

Just then, someone suddenly cried out in terror, "It's a ship from the Southern Moon Kingdom! It's a ship from the Southern Moon Kingdom! They've broken their promise!"

The shout was like a bomb dropped into the dead silence, instantly making the atmosphere on the ship even more tense and chaotic.

Everyone glared at Xiao Nanzhi with murderous intent. Even Ji Huaili couldn't help but look puzzled: "This is impossible, how could this be?"

In order to sign a peace treaty with Dongling, the Emperor of Nanyue did not hesitate to marry his princess to Dongling.

He went to such great lengths, how could he possibly want to break the treaty?

However, the facts before him left him no choice but to believe it.

Those were indeed ships from Nanyue. At that moment, someone shouted, "It's the King of Chu's ship! He wants to kill us!"

The large ship bears the flag of King Xiao Ji of Chu; how could that be fake?

"Nanzhi, what exactly happened? Why did Nanyue betray us?" Ji Huaili's eyes turned red as he gripped Xiao Nanzhi's wrist tightly, wanting to get an explanation.