Upon hearing her name, Miyojin felt an unidentified feeling rising in him. How could he not know this fact? She is his wife yet his brother knew more about her. Well, that is something beyond him. She spends all of her time with him.
Come to think of it. They only say a few words to each other. Most of the time, it is in the form of a greeting. Since Lijuan came, they never had a proper conversation.
“Ah, yes! Of course! My daughter-in-law was a merchant. Has she made dealings with the people of Yumin in the past?”
“Yes, Father! Most of the fishermen knew her. They have a strong business relationship.” Zhujin answered with confidence.
A wave of realization hit the court. Of course, the Second Princess Consort knew her way around Xieye sea. After all, the Xias own most of the sea businesses in all of the Great Yong Empire. They are the reason why sea-produced commodities can reach as far as the western provinces.
“That is a great idea, Your Highness!” the Minister of Economic Affairs said. “The Second Princess Consort had managed the sea businesses of the Xias. Not only she be able to find the island with ease. But she’ll also help us build a good relationship with the people of Yumin Islands.”
“That is true…” the emperor agreed.
For a brief moment, the emperor cast a glance at the Second Prince who was quiet throughout the matter. Then His Majesty turned his gaze back to the Imperial Council before him.
“Well, in that case, Prince Zhujin… and Prince Miyojin!”
Upon hearing his name, Miyojin turned to his father in surprise.
“Yes, Father!” the princes acknowledged at the same time with a bow.
“You two, along with Princess Xia Yu, will be the royal representatives. See to it that you build goodwill with the people of Yumin Island.”
“Yes, Father!” Zhujin answered first.
“Yes, Father! I will tell my wife immediately.” Miyojin said.
That is why three days later, Miyojin found himself at the port of the east coast of the empire. He was idling around as his brother was speaking to the captain of the ship. He honestly didn’t know what he should do. He didn’t feel like joining his brother and the captain. He didn’t want to be a listening statue between them.
So, he decided to keep looking around the vicinity of the port. There was a large market nearby. That is where the business dealings take place. However, he heard from the crew that it is less bustling today. That is because the fishermen of Yumin were preparing for the harvest festival.
Miyojin held his thoughts when something caught his sight. It wasn’t a thing actually. It was a person. Xia Yu has arrived. She came with her entourage who seemed like workers. She didn’t join him on the journey to the east coast. That was because she spent the night before at her family’s manor reading through records and maps.
After the meeting that day, he immediately went to find her and tell her the news. She was surprised at first. But then, she suddenly turned ecstatic. She even asked if she could see the invitation. For the past few days, she did nothing but prepare for this trip.
When she drew closer, he noticed what she was wearing. It was the most unusual attire he had ever seen. It looked like a man’s clothing like the one he was wearing. But the way she wore it still made her look so feminine. It looked so good on her.
Xia Yu soon spotted Miyojin. They made eye contact. Then, Xia Yu walked her way to him. Their eyes never left each other. Miyojin started raking his mind for what was the most sensible thing he could say to her. However…
“Little Sister!”
A happy Zhujin came into their line of sight. He even jogged his way to Xia Yu. Because of this, her eyes left Miyojin and went to Zhujin. She even greeted the Crown Prince with a smile. Soon enough, they began talking like it was just the two of them in the world.
Miyojin’s mood went spiraling down. Once again, his brother hogged all of his wife’s attention. He even predicted that this would be a constant occurrence throughout their trip. Though he was her husband, he felt like he would be the one third-wheeling.
No longer enjoying the sight of them, Miyojin turned his attention to the sea. He watched the waves rolling on the shores repeatedly. But it didn’t last long, even the sea’s beauty couldn’t distract him from his agitated thoughts.
He knew very well that he shouldn’t be displeased over the two being close. He shouldn’t be caring about Xia Yu and what she does. After all, she doesn’t care whatever he does. She was right to give him and Lijuan some space. It was a part of their deal anyway. In that same deal, they even agreed to separate after three years.
So what if she likes Zhujin more than him? It’s not like they can be together anyway. The Imperial Council will not allow that. By then, Lijuan will become his official wife and their child will become a legitimate prince. Xia Yu will go back to being a merchant and continue whatever she had been doing before their marriage.
But why is he so frustrated? Xia Yu stayed out of his way as she should. If she was giving him space, then he should welcome it. Why need to worry about anything? He should have been worried about his and Lijuan’s future.
Just like what she said…
Miyojin cringed in frustration. He thought of her again!
“Your Highness? What are you doing there?” said the very person he was thinking of.
Miyojin turned around to see his brother and his wife already near him. They were eyeing him in confusion waiting for an answer.
“I-I’m just admiring the sea.”
It was not the entire truth but it still has a bit of the truth. Maybe that is why the two easily believed him.
“Oh? Well, you’ll have an even better view of it once we are on board. And I’m sure you’ll love the refreshing blow of the wind at dusk.” Xia Yu said with a smile.
“That’s a great idea.”
The smile Xia Yu gave Miyojin wasn’t the usual polite one. There was real excitement in them. How could she not be excited? She never thought she’d be on a ship again so soon. She thought she would not see Xieye for the next three years. Lucky for her, she had the chance now.
But… there’s something that’s been bothering her since yesterday.
“Your Highnesses, I need to open something to the two of you.”.
Both of the princes looked at Xia Yu.
“What is it, Little Sister?” Zhujin asked.
“I was able to locate the island that we are going to visit.”
“That’s great! This makes our trip a bit easier.” Miyojin commented.
“Yes, but… there’s something unusual.”
“Unusual? What is it?” the older prince asked.
“There are two islands found at the southwest of the Islands of Yumin. Both of those islands are nearer to Nansheng than our country.”
“Oh? Which one of those is our destination?” Miyojin asked.
“You think that there might be trouble with territories in the future?” Zhujin said.
“The two islands are not far from each other. It will only take us more than a day to get to the other one.” Xia Yu said, answering Miyojin’s question. Then she turned to Zhujin.
“Yes, there’s that. But I doubt Nansheng would care if our people will start residing in one of the islands. This brings us to my other concern.”
“And that is?”
“The islands are uninhabitable for centuries.”
“Uninhabitable?” the two princes both said in astonishment.
“What do you mean by that?” Zhujin asked.
“Those two islands have very scarce resources. Lack of freshwater supply and few living wild animals are only some of its issues. People believed these islands were haunted or cursed. That is why no one dares to go there. It surprised me that now they claim the islands are rich in marine sources.” Xia Yu explained
“It is indeed suspicious. If that is the case, I guess we have to be alert at all times.” Zhujin concluded.
“Why?” Miyojin asked in confusion.
“This could be a trap.” Xia Yu answered.
“You mean we might be walking into a trap!” said Miyojin.
“Yes, but there’s something uncertain,” Zhujin told his brother.
“What?”
Once again, it was Xia Yu who answered.
“They don’t have any clear motive to harm us.”
“Yes, you’re right. Apart from not gaining any benefit from it, the citizens of Yumin can’t afford to offend us. All the more, they’ll be at a disadvantage if the Great Yong Empire declares war against them. They don’t even have any warriors to fight.” Zhujin concluded.
The Crown Prince and the Second Princess Consort remained silent as they seemed to be deep in thought. Their behavior didn’t go unnoticed by Miyojin. The two seem to have the same mind. If not, how could they possibly finish each other’s explanations? Miyojin was right to think he’d be third-wheeling.
“Well… trap or not, we still have to go,” Miyojin said.
“That is true. We continue the journey, proceeding as we originally planned. But we have to be on guard at all times. I’ll speak to the captain of our guards.” Zhujin said with a tone of finality. But right before anyone could utter another word, the captain of the ship approached them.
“Your Highnesses! Everything is all set. We will sail soon.” the captain announced.
And thus the three royal representatives went their way aboard the ship. Without any more delays, the ship had finally sailed. When the ship had sailed away, everybody went back to their respective work.
As discussed, Prince Zhujin gave instructions to the guards to tighten their watch. They must make sure that they are guarding the ship around the clock. And to report immediately, if they sense any threat.
On the other hand, Xia Yu went straight to the captain’s deck. She is the ship’s navigator so she has to keep working alongside the captain. That leaves Miyojin with nothing to do. Realizing he couldn’t be of any help, he decided to go down to the cabins to idle in his room.
For three days and three nights, nothing eventful happened. It seemed like a boring routine for Miyojin. Though he and Xia Yu share the same room, they don’t meet in their room. She’ll be gone before he wakes up and he’ll be fast asleep when she returns. All Miyojin did was eat three meals a day and idle anywhere on the ship.
On the fourth night of this dreary journey, Miyojin is beyond annoyed. He has no one to talk to. He has nothing to entertain him. The view had already become dull since the second day. After all, it is now just a vast sea landscape.
No longer taking the sight of his room, the prince rose from his bed and went out of his cabin. He walked with swiftness due to the irritation. A minute hadn’t even passed, and Miyojin reached the ship’s deck.
Since it was already late at night, only the guards roaming around the ship were on the deck. He decided to take a seat by the barrels. Leaning his back on the wood containers, he looked up at the starless sky. The moon is the only one not hidden by the clouds. Miyojin was thoughtlessly watching the moon when…
“Mind if I join you?”
Miyojin looked at the person who suddenly approached him out of nowhere. It was Zhujin.
