The reeds rustled in the wind.
Ren Wei boarded the ship. At this point, he was filled with hope and anxiety. This time, he had boarded the ship because Pei Zi Yun had written a letter to him, asking him to be a Counselor. He would be paid a hundred taels of silver every year.
Ren Wei thought about it for a few days and agreed, so he boarded the ship.
"Brother Ren, how have you been recently?" Pei Zi Yun asked. Ren Wei was dressed in green robes as he laughed, "Many thanks for your help that day. Life has been pretty good."
As soon as he finished speaking, he looked around the boat and noticed that there weren't any passengers on board. He then asked curiously, "Brother Pei, why aren't there any passengers on this boat?"
Pei Zi Yun laughed and waved his hands, "This boat belongs to me. I'll be using it for this trip to the capital city. I've transferred it here to pick up brother Ren."
Ren Wei was taken aback. "I wouldn't dare."
Pei Zi Yun laughed, "If it were anyone else, it wouldn't matter. But since you and I are friends, this is nothing. Let's go!"
Under Pei Zi Yun's command, the boatman pulled up the anchor and set sail. He then showed Ren Wei around the boat, "Look, this is the third level."
"The first floor is built on the deck, with a dining room and kitchen, and a tea room opposite."
Ren Wei looked up and saw a three-meter-wide staircase leading straight up. The railings were exquisitely carved, and there were a few windows. The floor was painted red, and it could hold eight tables. There was also a wine rack in the corner.
The curtains were drawn to isolate the teahouse. He walked over to take a look. There was a chessboard in the center of the teahouse, surrounded by a tea set, soft chairs, a bookshelf, and an incense burner in the corner.
Ren Wei was delighted. "This is a good place to study."
"Let's take a look down there."
Entering the inner cabin, there were six rooms. Opening any room, there was a bed, a table, and a cabinet.
"This is the VIP room. You and I can choose freely."
"Open the cabins for the sailors."
"Let's not look at the lower hold. We can store some goods there."
"This time, I bought a new boat. It's eight feet long and three feet wide. I spent a total of seven thousand taels of silver on it." Pei Zi Yun explained.
Along the way, Ren Wei carefully sized up the ship. The craftsmanship of the ship was excellent, and the wood was hard.
Finally, the two of them returned to the deck and looked behind them. Pei Zi Yun then pointed to a ship behind them and said, "This is our cargo ship. I've brought a lot of goods with me to sell in the capital city."
Hearing these words, Ren Wei replied, "Brother Pei is indeed from a wealthy family. How enviable."
Pei Zi Yun laughed, "All of this was because of my hard work. My father died when I was young, and my mother had to put in a lot of effort to raise me. It was only because of all the hard work I've put in to get to where I am today."
When Ren Wei heard this, he was astonished and in disbelief.
"Brother Pei, did you really build all these businesses yourself? I thought you were the descendant of some powerful family. "Ren Wei said with admiration.
"Haha!" Pei Zi Yun laughed out, feeling extremely proud of himself.
"Brother Pei, since you're treating me so courteously, I'm sure you have something to say." Ren Wei retracted his smile as he spoke.
Pei Zi Yun replied seriously, "Indeed, I have something to ask of brother Ren. Please come to the tea room."
"Please!"
The two of them entered the tea room. There were many rare books on the bookshelf, and one of them was placed on the table.
"Serve tea." Pei Zi Yun instructed.
"Yes, Young Master." Bai Ya, who was standing guard, bowed.
Ren Wei then sat down as Bai Ya placed a cup of tea in front of Pei Zi Yun and Ren Wei. Ren Wei lifted the lid of the cup and fanned himself gently. A fragrant aroma wafted into his nose.
"Have some tea." Pei Zi Yun said.
"Good tea!" Ren Wei drank a mouthful of tea and paused for sometime before asking, "Brother Pei, do you want me to be your advisor or subordinate?"
Pei Zi Yun nodded his head, "Of course. Who wouldn't want someone like brother Ren to be their advisor?"
"Brother Pei, you're too kind. I still wish to take another step forward in the imperial examinations." Ren Wei pondered for sometime before replying. If he were to rely on King Lu, he would be able to become an official. However, if he were to rely on Pei Zi Yun, he wouldn't receive such benefits.
Even if he were to become a Dao Master, or the Sect Leader of Free Cloud Sect, he wouldn't have much of a future.
Pei Zi Yun didn't reply immediately. It was November, and the wind was chilly. The boat continued to sail, and the autumn waters flowed down. The riverbank was filled with fields.
Pei Zi Yun then laughed and said, "How can I possibly serve you?"
"I won't hide it from you. This time, I've come to the capital city because of the Crown Prince. I'm sure there are many things I need to do. Brother Ren is a genius. If you could help me out, I would be grateful."
When Ren Wei heard this, he hesitated. Pei Zi Yun laughed, "Brother Ren is a genius. In the future, you'll have to pass the Grand Examinations before you can achieve your goals. I'm not talented, but I have some insights. I'm willing to share them with brother Ren."
Ren Wei pondered for a while before he understood that this was the position of an official. He then sighed, "Since that's the case, I can't decline. Greetings Young Master."
After the host and guest were identified and they sat down again, the atmosphere was different.
Pei Zi Yun then retrieved a small booklet, "Actually, these are the spoils of war. The last time I fought the pirates, I handed them over to the government. However, there were two hundred households on Golden Island, and a thousand mu of land.
"As for the pirates' boats, they weren't suitable to be used any longer. Hence, I sold them off."
"I've exchanged them for this new boat and three old merchant boats. One of them is following me to the capital city for some business. It's also here to scout for me."
Ren Wei wasn't too bothered by this. No matter how talented he was, he couldn't surpass the times. Hence, he didn't care much about the Golden Island. He then laughed, "Three merchant boats. Does that mean you can earn three thousand taels of silver a year?"
"Three thousand taels?" Pei Zi Yun laughed coldly, "If it's an inland sea voyage, that's about the same. If it's a foreign trade route, we can earn three thousand taels of silver a year!"
Ren Wei was taken aback by this number. After some time, he then said, "Don't worry, I will definitely help you settle all these matters."
Pei Zi Yun laughed. This time, he had brought two ships to the capital city. It wasn't a lie. However, the most important thing was to find the hidden gold.
This hidden gold had been discovered five or six years ago. This meant that there were still traces of it. That's right. No matter how secretive the matter was, after so many years, there would definitely be traces of it.
Although he wouldn't hand it over to the Crown Prince, that would be courting death. However, he could still dig it out himself.
Pei Zi Yun had another thought in his mind, 'Now that the original owner's memories are almost complete, this hidden gold of the previous dynasty, although it's mostly made up of gold bars, there are still many treasures left behind by the royal family.'
'Who knows, there might even be a Daoist's treasure.'
'Once this merchant boat has unloaded the goods, we can take the opportunity to retrieve everything. I don't trust anyone now. I only trust the Golden Island and the mountain people.'
After a few days, the boat arrived at the estuary. The dynasty had inherited the previous dynasty's system. Shipping was mainly done by sea, with rivers and land as support.
Both of them studied and occasionally played chess. To Ren Wei, this was a rather extravagant life. He had a pillow and bedding, and drank fine wine. The books he read were systematic and tidy. If he had any questions, he would ask Pei Zi Yun, and Pei Zi Yun would answer them immediately. Ren Wei was enlightened.
Sometimes, when Ren Wei was tired of studying, he would stand at the bow of the boat and look at the vast sea. Birds flew across the water. This kind of life seemed to pass by in the blink of an eye.
On the deck of the boat, Ren Wei stood beside Pei Zi Yun. It was snowing and raining, and both of them were holding umbrellas. The wind blew past, and the smell of blood permeated the air.
"Young Master is really amazing. If I had such knowledge years ago, I wouldn't have failed so many times." Ren Wei spoke with a hint of loneliness in his voice, "Now that I'm enlightened, I'm old. I'm 41 years old this year. I'm afraid that even if I were to take the examination, I might not be able to pass."
"If I don't pass this time, do I have to wait until I'm 47 or 78?"
"I'm just a servant in Young Master's house."
"Brother Ren's talent is not limited by studying. Now that you've figured it out, you'll be proud of yourself in the examination. Look, we've reached the pier. We've arrived at the capital city." Pei Zi Yun said.
"That's right, this boat has saved me a lot of trouble." Ren Wei laughed bitterly and didn't speak much about the examination, but sighed.
By the time they reached the pier, the sky had darkened. Rain and snow were falling from the sky, and lanterns were lit everywhere. Boats could be seen anchored on the water, and crowds of people could be seen moving about.
The soldiers were all draped in straw raincoats as they patrolled the area. When they got closer, they could see that the soldiers were all wearing thick cotton jackets. Pei Zi Yun brought Ren Wei and the rest ashore. They abandoned the boat and boarded the ox-cart. Along the way, they could feel the cold wind biting into their bones. The dusk was different from the pier. The bustling and bustling capital city had a sense of desolation under the snow.
The ox-cart stopped in front of a mansion, which was locked. Bai San Chu hurriedly got off the cart and started cleaning.
Within the mansion, there was a huge tree, with a Daoist following behind it.
"I bought this mansion many years ago, but it needs to be cleaned. I'll leave Bai San Chu and Bai Ya to do the cleaning. Cheng An, protect Mister Ren!" Pei Zi Yun said.
"Yes, Sect Leader." The Daoist beside him acknowledged.
"I still have some matters to attend to. Brother Ren, I'll leave the rest of the goods to you." Pei Zi Yun smiled as he spoke.
This era did not discriminate against goods, and Ren Wei didn't mind. He then sent Pei Zi Yun out and took a deep breath, "Everyone, please follow me and clean up the place. We shall move in tonight."
"Cheng An, I'll have to trouble you to buy some blankets, oil lamps, candles, and other food. We can take the ox-cart there."
Pei Zi Yun took the ox-cart back to the pier. He Qing Qing welcomed him as soon as they reached the new boat. At this point, there were only He Qing Qing, the mountain people, and a few sailors on the boat.
These mountain people were different from the usual people. They were all dressed in black, and had a killing aura about them. They had long blades hanging from their waists, and looked extremely imposing.
"The Lumen Army greets the Young Chieftain." The mountain people bowed down in unison.
Pei Zi Yun swept his gaze across them and sighed. These were the seeds of the High Priest. Although they had been destroyed, they still managed to retain some of their potential.
After recuperating, these people had regained their health and strength. They could finally be put to good use.
If this was in the Han territory, these people would have been assimilated. However, now that they were on Golden Island, it was a different story. They were full of vigor and vitality.
Pei Zi Yun then waved his hands, "Let's set sail to Shigu Island."
"Yes, Young Master." He Qing Qing instructed the boat workers, "Raise the sails, let's set sail."
The sails started to move. Apart from the sailors, the twenty mountain people were all extremely agile and strong. They patrolled the deck of the boat, walking rhythmically. Most of their faces were expressionless. They held long blades in their hands, which gleamed under the light of the fire.
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