kvmb Chapter 418 Going South
Chapter 418 Going South
Mingruo looked into the distance, paused slightly, and then turned and left.
Lin Wuji was even more surprised. He had known Mingruo for so long, and he had never heard him praise someone like that before. What kind of person could he be to receive such praise from him?
"Hey, don't go! Are you kidding me? How can you say I can't help but like you? Is it because you're better looking than me, or because you have a better personality? It can't be because you've read more books than me, right? I won't accept that. I just don't like reading. Hey, wait for me!" Lin Wuji was rambling on when he looked up and saw that Ming Ruo had already walked far away.
No matter how he tried to get information out of her, Mingruo refused to tell him who that person was.
……
About half a month later, Zhenyanfang's business had begun to get on track. The beauty cream and their unique business methods made Zhenyanfang an instant hit in Jiangnan, keeping Jiang Zhiyi extremely busy.
Lu Yangyang and Wen Qingqing had already cured all the girls during this time. Not only did they teach Old Meng how to treat venereal diseases, but several of the female doctors they had trained earlier were also exceptionally talented. Although their medical skills were lacking, they were already very proficient in how to make and use penicillin. So, after discussing it with Jiang Zhiyi, Lu Yangyang decided that Jiang Zhiyi would stay in Jiangnan Prefecture for the time being, while she and Wen Qingqing would continue south to Yuzhou. They would meet up with them in Yuzhou after Jiang Zhiyi had finished dealing with everything here.
Lu Yangyang and Jiang Zhiyi not only planned to take in and train those girls, but also planned to expand Zhenyanfang's workshop to absorb more women in need, pay them wages, and enable them to leave their homes and have the opportunity to make a living.
After arranging all this, Sheng Junyi arranged for Lu Yangyang to travel south on a merchant ship from Tiancheng Trading Company. The merchant ship would travel south from Mijiang, enter the sea from Songzhou, and take them to the port of Yingzhou. After passing Yingzhou, further south would be Yuzhou.
Unlike Yingzhou, which is the largest commercial port in the south with countless merchants coming and going, the neighboring Yuzhou is a wild and undeveloped land with extremely harsh environment and terrain. It has always been a place of exile, and those exiled to Yuzhou often have less than one in ten surviving.
When Lu Yangyang arrived in Jiangnan Prefecture, it was the height of summer; she never expected that winter would begin when she left.
She left with Wen Qingqing, Old Man Meng, Luo Jing, and Lu Zhan.
Lu Zhan was clever and quick-witted, and had a talent for martial arts. He became Luo Jing's apprentice and studied under him.
Wen Qingqing, on the other hand, kept pestering Old Meng to study the medical and Gu techniques of Miao territory, so during those days on the ship, only Lu Yangyang had some free time.
That evening, Lu Yangyang came out of her room, leaned on the railing on the side of the ship, looked at the boundless sea in the distance, and thought of Zong Que again.
I don't know if he is safe or not. After so long, if he was seriously injured, has his injury improved or not? And why did he go to Yuzhou?
As the date drew closer, Lu Yangyang felt a growing unease. No matter how much she reassured herself that His Highness would be safe, she worried that even after arriving in Yuzhou, she would still not hear from him.
Lu Yangyang was lost in thought when she heard a noise beside her. Turning around, she saw Manager Chen from the trading company. He was the one in charge of escorting the goods south this time, and they had interacted several times along the way, so they were quite familiar with each other. Manager Chen saw Lu Yangyang and quickly greeted her, "Miss Lu, haven't you rested yet?"
Lu Yangyang nodded: "It's so late, why isn't Steward Chen resting?"
Manager Chen looked into the distance and replied, "Miss, you may not know this, but our merchant ship will arrive at Yingzhou Port tomorrow morning. However, the closer we get to Yingzhou, the more rampant the pirates become, specifically targeting passing cargo ships. Therefore, we must not be careless tonight."
“I see,” Lu Yangyang asked curiously, “With pirates running rampant, doesn’t the imperial court do anything about it? Yingzhou is such a large port, and ships coming and going do such things, doesn’t the local government have any way to deal with it?”
Manager Chen smiled wryly upon hearing this: "It was indeed rectified a few years ago, which is why Yingzhou's port is so prosperous today. Not only do cargo ships travel to various places, but there are also ships from overseas. However, in the past two years, there have been signs of pirates making a comeback, especially after... after His Highness the Crown Prince passed away, when the news reached the south, the pirates became rampant again."
Fearing Lu Yangyang might not be aware, Steward Chen explained to her before she could ask, "Miss, you may not know this, but the opening of maritime trade was originally a major issue that was hotly debated in the court. Later, His Highness the Crown Prince strongly advocated for it, which led to the current prosperity of maritime trade. However, along with this prosperity came rampant piracy. Therefore, the court carried out a major crackdown a few years ago, giving maritime trade room to develop. But the profits from maritime trade are enormous and involve many people. There have always been many voices of opposition in the court. Many people worry that after His Highness the Crown Prince's passing, the court will change its policies regarding maritime trade. Therefore, there have been an unusually large number of merchant ships coming and going these days, taking advantage of the opportunity to make a fortune before any changes occur. Similarly, the more prosperous the maritime trade, the more likely pirates are to take risks, which has led to the current situation, with signs that pirates are making a comeback."
Lu Yangyang had indeed heard about opening up maritime trade before, but she didn't know there were so many problems involved. Did His Highness foresee that if he were deposed or died, all the reform policies he had been working on might change? That's why her elder brother had to rush back to the Northwest. Perhaps it was because if something went wrong, their efforts over the past few years in developing the Northwest border trade might vanish in an instant.
The Northwest border trade is currently being supported by the eldest brother, but what about the maritime trade in the south? The court may not have started discussing this issue yet, but with pirates becoming increasingly rampant, what will the court choose to do?
Is Your Highness determined to go to Yuzhou because of this matter?
As Lu Yangyang was thinking, she suddenly felt the boat rock. Manager Chen's expression immediately changed: "Miss, go to the cabin quickly. Don't worry, we've brought enough people, nothing will happen!"
As soon as he finished speaking, he shouted, "Be on guard!"
Dozens of thugs, who had been lying in wait, quickly surrounded the merchant ship with weapons in hand. Several thugs who were good swimmers grabbed ropes and tumbled down from the sides of the ship, causing it to rock once again.
Lu Yangyang hurriedly asked, "Did someone sabotage the bottom of the ship from below?"
Manager Chen nodded: "Don't panic, young lady. The bottom of our ship is specially reinforced. This little disturbance is nothing to worry about."
Lu Yangyang took out the black iron whip she always carried and said to Manager Chen, "Manager Chen, you don't need to worry about me. I can protect myself. You wait here, I'll call Uncle Luo to help."
Just then, a dozen pirates had already climbed onto the ship.
At the same time, not far away, another ship suddenly changed direction and approached them.
"Oh no!" Manager Chen exclaimed in alarm.