Chapter 303: The Unboardable Boat

Splash!

Waves rippled across the lake as the Third Prince emerged from the water. He swam toward the shore and, with both hands pressing against the ground, hauled himself onto land.

His luxurious purple robe was completely soaked, clinging to his body. His neatly tied hair had come loose, wet strands hanging messily over his face, making him look utterly bedraggled.

The nearby guards, seeing his sorry state, hurriedly fetched a cotton blanket from the carriage to cover him.

But he refused. With a casual wave of his hand, he dismissed the attendants, then swept his damp hair back and frowned at Ye Zhiqing. “A boat with no bottom—how exactly is one supposed to board it?”

Since the question was directed at her, Ye Zhiqing merely shook her head. “This is my master’s arrangement…”

As the two conversed, an abrupt creak echoed across the lake!

Everyone turned toward the source of the sound—it was the Fifth Prince, who had decided to take a different approach.

The boat had no bottom, but at least it still had a framework around its edges, didn’t it?

With that logic, the Fifth Prince climbed onto the frame itself. The boat swayed slightly at first, but after that, nothing else happened.

Not giving up just yet, he tried another method—gripping both sides of the frame, he lay on his back, floating inside its hollow interior.

Still, the boat remained perfectly still, refusing to move even an inch from the shore.

After multiple attempts—at one point even trying to swim while pulling the boat along—the Fifth Prince finally managed to drag it a short distance forward.

But before he could celebrate, something unbelievable happened.

The boat, which had remained completely motionless all this time, suddenly pulled itself back—dragging the struggling prince right back to the shore!

Exhausted and fuming, the Fifth Prince stormed back onto land, panting heavily as water streamed from his soaked garments. His frustration was evident; even his nose seemed to twitch with anger.

At that moment, Ye Zhiqing’s voice rang out. “By the way, each of you has only two attempts to board the boat. If you fail both times, you must leave.”

Both princes stiffened at her words.

They hadn’t expected this utterly baffling trial to come with a limited number of attempts!

Realizing this, the Third Prince couldn’t help but show a hint of frustration in his tone. “Zhiqing, if there were such conditions, why didn’t you say so earlier?”

Ye Zhiqing replied indifferently, “You both rushed forward so quickly—when exactly was I supposed to explain?”

“Oh, and one more thing,” she added. “You only have the time it takes for two incense sticks to burn. If you don’t figure out how to board within that time, the boat will leave on its own.”

At this, the princes’ faces darkened further.

They had initially hoped to stall for as long as possible, but now that wasn’t an option either!

At this point, Royal Prince Ye turned to his daughter. Stepping closer, he lowered his voice and asked, “Zhi’er, this whole thing makes no sense. Can you give me a hint?”

Ye Zhiqing frowned. “Father, even if I knew the answer—which I don’t—do you really think knowing it would guarantee that you could board the boat?”

“Yes, yes, yes!”

“I must be getting senile, actually thinking of having you bend the rules for me… That was wrong of me, very wrong indeed…” Royal Prince Ye chuckled sheepishly. As he walked toward the lakeshore, he waved a hand and said, “You all think of a solution. I’ll use my two attempts to help you test things out.”

“Each of you nephews gets one try—fair and square.”

Hearing this, the Third Prince and the Fifth Prince exchanged glances. Both expressed their gratitude with a simple, “Thank you, Uncle.”

Then, their eyes turned toward Gu Ning’an.

After all, Gu Ning’an had also been granted two attempts. Royal Prince Ye’s turns could be split between them—but Gu Ning’an’s? His attempts could be bargained for.

“Mr. Gu! Could you try boarding in my place?” The Fifth Prince spoke first. “If you’re willing, name any condition—you have my word, I will grant it!”

From his perspective, he had a closer relationship with Gu Ning’an than the Third Prince did. No matter what condition his older brother offered, he was determined to match it.

Before Gu Ning’an could respond, the Third Prince spoke up as well.

“Mr. Gu, more than half of the high-ranking officials in the court support me. In the military, I command 180,000 elite troops.”

“Compared to my younger brother, my chances of ascending the throne are far greater!”

“If you give me your two attempts today, I swear that once I take the throne, I will grant you high office, build a grand academy in your name, and make you the foremost scholar of Great Wu—ensuring your legacy lasts for generations!”

“Heh!”

The Fifth Prince scoffed. “Promising what isn’t even certain—you dare make such a claim?”

“Mr. Gu, don’t be fooled by his empty words. Such promises can easily be broken!”

“I’m different. Whatever you want—if I have it, you can have it. If I don’t, I’ll find a way to get it for you!”

The struggle for the throne truly made people reckless…

Ye Zhiqing glanced at Gu Ning’an, curious to see how this refined man in white would respond.

“The conditions you both offer are tempting, but unfortunately, they are of no use to me,” Gu Ning’an said as he walked toward the shore. “Water can carry a boat, but it can also overturn it. You two princes have no concern for the people—naturally, you will never be able to board this boat.”

With that, Gu Ning’an lifted one leg over the frame and stepped into the hollow interior of the boat.

Just when everyone thought he would plunge straight into the water, something unbelievable happened!

Instead of sinking, Gu Ning’an stood steadily atop the water within the boat’s frame!

Royal Prince Ye, who was closest to him, widened his eyes in shock. “How did you do that?!”

A short distance away, the two princes, though unsure of how Gu Ning’an had managed it, knew one thing for certain—this was an opportunity they could not afford to miss.

If Gu Ning’an could stand on it, then surely, they could too!

Without hesitation, the two princes launched themselves forward once more!

Almost simultaneously, they sprinted to the shore and leaped toward the boat!

By this time, the boat had already begun to drift away from the shore, though at a slow pace.

Because of this, their timing was just right—they each landed on opposite sides of the boat’s interior!

To their surprise, Gu Ning’an even took a few steps back, as if courteously making space for them to stand.

Splash! Splash!

Two splashes erupted in succession as both princes, instead of landing on solid footing, plunged straight into the water!

Refusing to give up, they reacted instantly—reaching out to grab the boat’s frame in hopes of being dragged along with it.

As long as they could hold onto the boat, they could navigate through the mist and find the island’s direction. More importantly, they could conserve their energy to cross the unknown expanse of the crescent-shaped lake.

To be fair, their reaction was quick, and their reasoning sound.

But the boat seemed to be toying with them.

The moment their hands touched the frame, it became as insubstantial as an illusion—their hands passed straight through, unable to grasp anything at all…