Gu Bi let out a cold snort and boarded Wang Boshan’s ship with his men.
Wang Boshan let out a heavy sigh and cupped his hands toward Li Zan. “Until we meet again.”
Li Zan returned the salute. “Until we meet again.”
Watching the fleet slowly sail away, Li Zan turned to Wang Liang. “Let’s go back.”
Wang Liang secretly breathed a sigh of relief. At last, he could return to being a helmsman.
Li Zan shook his head with a smile and turned to leave.
Yu Huixuan hurried after him. “Advisor Li, let’s go together.”
Li Zan glanced at him and smiled. “All right.”
After hesitating for a moment, Yu Huixuan asked, “Someone asked me to inquire about the farmland and shops in the four counties Lord has reclaimed…”
Li Zan stopped in his tracks helplessly. “You’ve followed Lord for so long. Don’t you know her way of doing things?”
Yu Huixuan gave a bitter smile. “I do. It’s just that I was pestered until I had no choice.”
Most of the merchants who had owned shops and farmland in the four counties seized by the Jiao army of Daqing were still alive.
Now that the four counties had been reclaimed, they naturally wanted their former possessions back. Even if they couldn’t keep the farmland themselves, they could still sell it to the government at a low price and make some money.
Not to mention the shops and ancestral homes, which represented the wealth their families had accumulated over generations.
Li Zan shook his head. “Since Lord brought these things out, they naturally belong to her now. As for the shops and ancestral homes, I don’t know either. We’ll have to ask Lord.”
“However…” His expression turned stern. “Those merchants did nothing to help seize these four counties.”
“If Lord returns their shops and ancestral homes, that will be an act of grace on her part. If she doesn’t, I hope they won’t resent her and narrow their own path forward.”
Wang Boshan watched the wharf fade into the distance until only a blurry shadow remained.
He sighed. “Do you suspect that the Daqing army was behind what happened to the fleet?”
Gu Bi gazed out at the endless sea. “Either the Daqing army or the Jinyang army.”
Wang Boshan felt a headache coming on. “What are we supposed to do now? Two thousand soldiers, five hundred thousand taels of silver, and our warships are all gone. And—and we didn’t even accomplish anything in the negotiations.”
Gu Bi rubbed his temples, his breathing somewhat labored. “What else can we do? We can only report the truth.”
He sighed. “I wonder whether we’ll still be alive after this.”
Wang Boshan was equally worried.
Time passed quickly, and it was already the thirtieth day of the eighth month. After traveling day and night for three days, Xie Nanxiao’s fleet finally reached Tao Commandery.
By then, the rain in Tao Commandery had already stopped. The sun hung high in the sky, shining down on this land that had been ravaged by the floods.
From a distance, the three men—Qi Pingwei, Wen Zixin, and Qiu Dao—saw the enormous fleet and exclaimed in astonishment, “There must be more than a hundred ships, right? Princess Jinyang is actually this wealthy?”
They had arrived the day before and had been lingering near Tao Commandery, waiting for Fengzhou’s disaster-relief fleet.
Displeasure flashed through Wen Zixin’s eyes. “Are all these ships really here for disaster relief, or are they here to show off their strength?”
He knew that Fengzhou had a navy, but he had never expected it to have developed to this extent. He had assumed it consisted of only a few thousand men and a few dozen battered ships.
Qiu Dao also looked somewhat puzzled. “Could all the ships be carrying grain and medicine?”
Wen Zixin sneered. “How could that be? Most of these are medium or large ships. How could Fengzhou possibly prepare so many supplies for Sizhou?”
He simply refused to believe that Princess Jinyang had come to Sizhou out of genuine concern for disaster relief.
As they spoke, their fleet gradually approached Fengzhou’s. They stopped only after reaching a distance of seven or eight zhang and called out, “Are you the disaster-relief fleet under Princess Jinyang of Fengzhou?”
Several people stood on Xie Nanxiao’s deck. “That’s right. And who might you be?”
Qi Pingwei cupped his hands. “We have come by His Majesty’s command to welcome you.”
Xie Nanxiao understood. “Then we’ll trouble you. Why don’t you come aboard my ship so we can discuss things in detail?”
Qi Pingwei naturally had no objections. The ships slowly drew alongside one another. After fixing them in place with grappling hooks and laying down planks, the three men crossed over to Xie Nanxiao’s ship safely.
After both sides introduced themselves, they remained fairly restrained and courteous.
However, when Yan Ke was introduced, Wen Zixin’s brows furrowed slightly.
Although he had long known that Fengzhou employed female officials, this was the first time he had actually encountered one. He was deeply displeased, but he said nothing.
Qi Pingwei looked toward Fengzhou’s fleet. “May I ask how many supplies Her Highness the Sixth Princess has prepared for disaster relief this time?”
Xie Nanxiao answered honestly, “We’re the advance force. We’ve brought only twenty thousand shi of grain, along with a large quantity of medicinal herbs.”
“Twenty thousand shi?” Qiu Dao exclaimed.
This was only the advance force, which meant more grain would be coming later. The sheer quantity of supplies completely exceeded his expectations.
Xie Nanxiao nodded. “That’s right. Fengzhou is currently raising donations. Whatever amount we collect will be exchanged for supplies needed in the disaster-stricken areas and transported here. If it still isn’t enough, my Lord will make up the difference. We guarantee that the victims of Tao Commandery and Shankang Commandery will have enough to survive.”
“Excellent! Hahaha, Her Highness is truly benevolent!” Qi Pingwei’s heart surged with emotion. He felt that this was exactly how one ought to show compassion toward one’s people.
Unfortunately, they had not brought even a single grain of rice this time, only the small quantity of medicinal herbs Qiu Dao had managed to solicit through donations.
Xie Nanxiao accepted his praise without modesty. “My Lord does indeed have a heart for the people.”
He looked toward the coastline of Tao Commandery in the distance. “Does Tao Commandery have a wharf? Where would be the best place for us to land?”
Qi Pingwei shook his head. “Tao Commandery has no wharf. If your large ships wish to dock, I’m afraid Bilan County is the only place with suitable conditions.”
Xie Nanxiao raised his brows slightly and gestured toward the cabin. “Why don’t we discuss it inside?”
No one objected. Once they entered the cabin, Xie Nanxiao pointed to a location on the map spread across the table. “Is this the place General Qi was referring to?”
Before Qi Pingwei could answer, Wen Zixin let out a cold snort. “You’ve certainly made thorough preparations. Anyone who didn’t know better might think you intended to take advantage of this opportunity to seize Sizhou.”
Qi Pingwei and Qiu Dao stared at him in astonishment, momentarily at a loss for words.
They had come from Fengzhou and were unfamiliar with Sizhou’s terrain. Wasn’t it perfectly normal for them to bring a map?
How had that escalated into an accusation that they intended to seize Sizhou?
Zhou let out a cold snort. “As the saying goes, one cannot have both fish and bear’s paw. But apparently, foolishness and ignorance can coexist. Lord Wen, how did you manage to embody both so thoroughly—and so harmoniously?”
Xie Nanxiao shook his head. “The things that complement each other in Lord Wen are insatiable greed, arrogance, resentment, and selfish desire.”
Yan Ke smiled and continued, “As well as having his judgment clouded by desire.”
Suo Qian stroked his beard. “Confused and muddle-headed.”
For some reason, Qiu Dao suddenly continued, “Muddling the people and bringing ruin upon their lives?”
Everyone turned to look at him.
Whose side are you on? Can’t you tell that they’re blatantly insulting Lord Wen?
Xie Nanxiao immediately became much gentler toward Qiu Dao. “You’re not bad.”
Qiu Dao: “…”
Suo Qian also looked at him with a beaming smile. For the sake of Elder Qiu, he would certainly take good care of him.
Wen Zixin was so furious he nearly spat blood. He slammed his hand on the table and stood up. “You—you people! What do you mean by this?”
“You’ve brought so many ships into our territory of Sizhou. I have every reason to suspect that you harbor ulterior motives. What’s wrong with that?”
Zhou let out another cold snort. “Ulterior motives? Isn’t our purpose to provide disaster relief? Don’t disaster relief efforts require supplies and manpower? Or does Sizhou provide relief with nothing but empty words?”
