Pitter-patter-
The downpour battered the boat's canopy with a dense, sharp clatter. The little boat drifted with the river's waves toward East Lake Bay downstream.
Braving the downpour, Ye Jingtang hauled in the anchor rope, then ducked into the black-awning boat and took the fire starter he carried from behind his waist. After checking that its wax seal was intact and no water had gotten in, he wiped his hands dry, opened it, and lit it with his fire steel.
Click, click~
Ssshhh...
Dim yellow firelight appeared beneath the canopy, illuminating every corner.
Wrapped in the black robe, the Empress leaned against the canopy. Once she let out her breath after the fierce battle, her complexion visibly weakened, though she was mostly all right. Only her long, pale legs showed beneath the robe.
When the light came on, the Empress drew her legs back and pulled her lapels closer together. Seeing Ye Jingtang's icy, thoroughly annoyed expression, she spoke first.
"I knew my limits..."
"What limits did you know?"
Ye Jingtang sat down in front of her and took her wrist to check her pulse.
"That was Xue Baijin, the leader of the rebels. You went out yourself to fight her one-on-one. Weren't you afraid she'd kill you? If Prince Jing and the Imperial Court found out, would you ever get to go out alone again?"
Knowing that she had given Ye Jingtang quite a fright, the Empress said gently,
"Xue Baijin has tens of thousands of lives behind her. Even if I offered her my head, she wouldn't dare bring her blade down. I only wanted to recruit her. Even if you hadn't come just now, she couldn't have won..."
Ye Jingtang didn't believe a word of that nonsense. "Do you think I don't know what condition your body's