Holding the Emperor Hostage : Chapter 87: The Dragon Boat Festival Regatta

The people of Yan were not skilled in naval warfare.

However, since racing dragon boats was the custom of the Dragon Boat Festival, Yin Shuhuai wanted to watch a dragon boat race. He ordered the naval fleet stationed at Qinhuangdao to form an official dragon boat team. The civil and military officials, as well as the aristocratic families and nobility, could organize their own Nine Ministers dragon boat teams according to their respective departments, and he also called upon ordinary commoners and merchants to voluntarily organize civilian dragon boat teams. As soon as the decree was issued, all parties responded with great enthusiasm. The Ministry of Water Transport and the Imperial Waterways Bureau received hundreds of orders for building large warships overnight. One could easily imagine the lively scene on the canal on the day of the Dragon Boat Festival, with a thousand sails competing and a hundred boats racing.

Learning that hundreds of boats would race on the day of the competition, Yin Shuhuai was struck by a sudden whim to turn the empty spaces on both sides of each dragon boat and the hanging banners into advertising space for rent. Merchants from all over could bid to advertise their businesses, and the funds raised would be used to support the widowed, the lonely, the old without children, and orphans, making full use of everything.

Naturally, Yin Shuhuai handed such a tedious task over to the Prime Minister. Upon receiving the Emperor’s decree, Shen Tu Yang naturally passed the entire matter down to the Prime Minister of Yan.

And so Yao Wenruo, who was already so busy preparing for the imperial examinations that he was running himself ragged, was once again dug out from his mountainous and heavy workload by his master. Before he could even catch his breath, Shen Tu Yang casually tossed yet another new task right into his hands. Dazed and dizzy with exhaustion, Yao Wenruo stared with dull eyes and a blank expression, taking quite a while to react.

“My lord!” Yao Wenruo cried out in disbelief, accusing him, “Are you trying to work me to death?”

Perhaps having reached the point of a near fatal heart attack, the Prime Minister of Yan, who had always been submissive and respectful toward Shen Tu Yang, spoke with unprecedented bluntness and insubordination. Faced with Yao Wenruo’s angry and shocked expression—which made it look as though he wanted to devour someone alive—Shen Tu Yang felt a momentary pang of guilt before straightening his posture and saying righteously, “Able people should shoulder more responsibilities!”

“You can continue passing the work down to capable subordinates!” Shen Tu Yang offered righteous advice to his most capable subordinate. In this life, one must know how to make choices. Just grasp the big picture and let go of the small details, so why bother micromanaging everything?

If you do not know how to lead a team, you will work yourself to death. This was a valuable lesson taught to him by the Emperor himself. Now he was passing this precious experience on to Yao Wenruo, hoping the latter would grasp it as soon as possible.

“Why do all people under heaven praise ruling by doing nothing?” Shen Tu Yang patted Yao Wenruo’s shoulder and said earnestly, “Wenruo, you must learn how to delegate people!”

Yao Wenruo: “…”

Yao Wenruo felt as though the breath in his chest had failed to come up, leaving him choking with stars dancing before his eyes. Staring in gloomy frustration at the big boss who spoke so casually without straining his back, he ground his teeth, took a deep breath, and could not help generating yet another wave of emotion deep down: he really had backed the wrong boss!

Yet it was of no use. Regardless of whether the Prime Minister of Yan—who stood below two people yet above ten thousand—had backed the wrong boss or not, the work assigned to him still had to be completed meticulously.

And so Yao Wenruo temporarily set aside the preparations for the imperial examinations and plunged headfirst into the sponsorship work for the Dragon Boat Festival regatta. After bustling about for several days, he finally successfully completed the tasks handed down from above.

The day before the Dragon Boat Festival, Yao Wenruo delivered the advertising sponsorship fees raised from the regatta—totaling fifty thousand shi of grain—to the Emperor. Yin Shuhuai was greatly pleased. Seeing that Yao Wenruo handled matters so properly, he assigned him the subsequent task of comforting the widows, widowers, and orphans. Yao Wenruo was already numb. He discovered that both the Emperor of Yin and his master shared a common flaw: once they trusted someone, they would keep working that person to the bone, practically until they dropped dead.

Truly, putting everyone to their best use and making full use of everything.

The Emperor of Yin did indeed cherish talent. Learning that Yao Wenruo had been exhausting his mind and body over documents recently, he specially rewarded him with two thousand-year-old ginseng roots. Yao Wenruo was moved to tears when Zhuang Wuwei personally delivered the millennium-old ginseng roots to him.

As the saying goes, a scholar dies for one who truly knows him, and he would surely dedicate his utmost loyalty and give his life for the Emperor.

Fortunately, although Yin Shuhuai liked making full use of people, he was not an emperor who exploited his subjects ruthlessly. On the day of the Dragon Boat Festival, not only did he not force Yao Wenruo to work voluntary overtime, but he also had Yao Wenruo accompany the imperial carriage to the banks of the canal to watch the dragon boat race.

The dragon boat race was scheduled for noon. Before the appointed hour, the banks on both sides were already packed with throngs of ordinary people, and the restaurants and eateries lining the canal were packed to capacity. Especially the private rooms on the second floor facing the canal had long been entirely booked by the aristocratic clans.

The Minister of Ceremonies and the Directorate of Palace Armament had set up a high viewing platform at the spot with the best view, and the Emperor of Yin led the civil and military officials to enjoy the dragon boat race together from this platform.

As soon as Grand Commandant Huo Quan sat down, he felt something was amiss and immediately asked, “How is it that the Prince of Yan is nowhere to be seen?”

Hearing this, Yin Shuhuai smiled, while Yao Wenruo, who appeared on the high platform alongside the Emperor, answered expressionlessly, “The Prince of Yan is down below.”

Down below? Which down below?

The civil and military officials looked at one another in dismay, then belatedly looked toward the dragon boats on the canal. “It cannot be?”

The dignified Prince of Yan, an exceptional prince personally conferred by the Emperor and the Prime Minister of Great Yin, had actually run down to race dragon boats alongside the soldiers?

How was this any different from putting on colorful clothes to amuse one’s parents?

Yet among those present, who was worthy of Shen Tu Yang doing such a thing?

In an instant, the entire court of civil and military officials understood everything in their hearts, and all eyes turned toward the Emperor of Yin seated in the high position above.

Yin Shuhuai smiled without speaking, his gaze fixed intently on the surface of the canal.

At the threshold of early summer, the midday sunlight made the river glitter. Hundreds of dragon boats rested on the water, waiting for the starter’s order. With the deafening sound of gongs and drums, thousands of sturdy men across the hundreds of dragon boats exerted their strength in unison, and the first batch of dragon boats shot toward the finish line like arrows leaving a bow. However, the Nine Ministers dragon boat teams and civilian dragon boat teams that started afterward were somewhat chaotic. Dozens of paddlers, helmsmen, drummers, and gong-strikers working together resulted in a comedy of errors.

Some boats capsized the moment they left the starting point, some drifted off course and crashed into neighboring dragon boats while paddling, and others scrambled in a panic to avoid incoming boats only to crash into someone else.还有 some that refused to paddle in a straight line no matter what, spinning the entire boat sideways. The river instantly transformed into a lively spectacle resembling dumplings dropping into a boiling pot. The common people on both banks shouted at the top of their lungs, originally cheering for the dragon boats they supported, but upon seeing this scene, they could not help bursting into roaring laughter.

The laughter shook the heavens and echoed far and wide along the riverbanks.

Yin Shuhuai and the civil and military officials sat on the high platform closest to the finish line. Hearing the sounds of joy and laughter drifting from both banks of the canal in the distance, they could not see the specific situation at the starting point at all. They could only make out tiny black dots smaller than ants moving slowly in their direction. Fortunately, the Night Owl secret agents hidden among the crowd had already promptly relayed the grand spectacle ahead to the Emperor. Hearing the frontline battle reports, Yin Shuhuai could not help laughing in amusement.

Seeing this, Huo Quan asked out of curiosity, “What is Your Majesty laughing at?”

Yin Shuhuai then instructed the young eunuch on duty to convey the fierce frontline battle conditions to his esteemed ministers. Hearing this, the civil and military officials all burst into hearty laughter as well.

“Does this mean our dragon boat team was completely wiped out?”

“There is still the undefeated naval fleet remaining,” Grand Commandant Huo Quan pointed to the growing black dots in the distance and laughed aloud. “His Majesty’s naval fleet has conquered all four seas and crossed vast oceans without difficulty, so how could they stumble on this tiny canal?”

Yet those were the only surviving regular military teams left.

Hearing this, the officials craned their necks to look into the distance. Unfortunately, the few dragon boat teams formed by the naval fleet were still a long way off, and no one knew when they would paddle over.

Fortunately, the weather was fine and clear today. The Emperor led his officials to ascend a height for a distant view, appreciating the scenery, expressing their aspirations, drinking fine wine, and enjoying music and dance, making for a joyful occasion.

The officials drank and feasted together, and some literary scholars even composed poems and rhymed verses. After more than an hour had passed, they finally began to clearly make out the dragon boats approaching the front.

Taking the lead was unexpectedly the dragon boat personally led by Shen Tu Yang. Shen Tu Yang stood valiantly in the middle of the dragon boat, his clothes already soaked through by the river water, outlining his sturdy and powerful physique. With his feet planted in a horse stance, he stood firmly in front of a large drum, wielding two drumsticks to strike the drumhead heavily. Waves of surging drumbeats rolled over them, and with every movement, Shen Tu Yang’s solid arms and muscular chest gleamed brightly in the sunlight, his handsome face exuding a wild and untamed aura.

Through the twelve strings of pearls on his crown, the Emperor of Yin’s gaze drifted intentionally or unintentionally toward the Prince of Yan’s shoulders and chest. He looked with some regret at the trim waist and firm hips partially obscured by the large drum, then calmly withdrew his gaze.

The paddlers, helmsmen, and gong-strikers on Shen Tu Yang’s dragon boat were all naval soldiers who had served together when they went south to Jiangnan years ago. When Shen Tu Yang was guarding Jiangnan with free time on his hands, he had consulted them on naval warfare tactics and even learned how to swim from the naval general. Having spent over a year together, they possessed a tacit understanding. Working seamlessly together now, they surpassed the other naval dragon boat teams by a narrow margin to claim the championship.

Once several dragon boat teams reached the finish line, they were guided by young eunuchs to the high platform to pay respects to the Emperor.

Yin Shuhuai was greatly pleased and immediately rewarded the champion with a thousand pieces of gold and ten jars of imperial wine; the runner-up with five hundred pieces of gold and five jars of imperial wine; and the third place with two hundred pieces of gold and two jars of imperial wine. As for the remaining dragon boat teams, as long as they successfully reached the finish line, each was rewarded with a jar of imperial wine and ten catties of rice dumplings. As for the dragon boat teams that failed to reach the finish line, they also received rice dumplings and imperial five-poison scented sachets. The emphasis was on participation, ensuring nobody walked away empty-handed.

The Emperor’s words carried the weight of law. Once the decree was issued, it naturally called for universal celebration. What surprised the common people even more was that when they finished watching the dragon boat race and headed home satisfied, government clerks actually showed up at their doors carrying rice dumplings. According to the Emperor’s decree, every household with elderly people over the age of sixty would be issued five rice dumplings each—

These were rice dumplings personally wrapped by the chefs of the Imperial Household! Rice dumplings that the Emperor himself had eaten! They were rare treasures that were previously only bestowed upon high-ranking officials and nobles! Yet today, the Emperor was actually distributing them to elderly people over sixty. This showed that the Emperor loved the people like his own children, respecting the elderly and showing compassion to the common folk. Families who received the rice dumplings were filled with deep gratitude, chanting praises of the Emperor’s benevolence and virtue in unison.

Yet the benevolent Emperor felt that he was somewhat intoxicated. He looked again and again at Shen Tu Yang, who had just stepped off the dragon boat. Up close, it was even clearer: an ape-like back and waspish waist, firm hips and long legs, powerful and muscular arms… Yin Shuhuai could not help draining the wine in his cup in a single gulp.

That very night, the Emperor of Yin took the initiative to have Shen Tu Yang stay overnight in the palace. After having him drink a full two jars of realgar wine, he ordered the Prince of Yan to change into the exact outfit he wore during the daytime dragon boat race. After dismissing all attendants, he pushed him directly into the hot spring pool.

Yin Shuhuai jumped in as well, reached out his arms to embrace the wet Shen Tu Yang, felt the sturdy and scorching body of the Prince of Yan, and smiled teasingly, “The Prince of Yan looked magnificent beating the drum. It is only a pity that it was too far away, and I did not get a clear look.”

“Would the Prince of Yan be so kind as to perform it for me once more?”