Translator: EndlessFantasy Translation Editor: EndlessFantasy Translation
At dawn, the clouds were faint and the sun was shining brightly. The blue sea and silver sand were rolling in waves. The fishing boats were floating lightly, and the lighthouse was down. The seabirds were chirping in the distance, and the sounds on the shore were echoing in the distance.
At the beginning of summer, the fleet of the Ning family in Qinzhou, as well as the ships of the people who had been tricked, finally docked at Lu Zhou's pier. Even the Ning family's ship was no exception.
First, they were overtaken by the Zhang family's fleet. Their speed was so fast that they could only watch the waves. They were fast and steady. Even when they were drawing the so-called 'zigzag' in the sea, they were not the ones who could catch up.
At first, they wanted to follow behind. After all, the sky was already on the horizon. It was said that the currents and winds had changed. The people on the fleet wanted to follow the Zhang family. It did not matter if it was embarrassing or not. As long as they could deliver the goods, it was a success.
They only followed for a day. To be precise, it was an afternoon. At night, they lost track of the Zhang family's fleet. At dawn, there was only the blue sea and blue sky.
The people of the Ning family complained. The people on the ships who followed them sighed. They were not capable enough to get the triangular sail and the propeller technology. Even if the ship looked simple, it could not be built. The internal structure was complicated.
Only the Zhang family could use it openly. After all, they were the ones who provided the technology. There were reports of impeachment, but a few influential ministers in the imperial court directly refuted them with a reason that made people speechless.
"The things made by the Zhang family can only be improved if they use them. Who knows, they might be able to make better things. If they are not allowed to use it, how can they do it?"
The thing that made people lose their competitive spirit the most was that as long as the Zhang family's ship passed by, they could draw a sea map. It was said that they had a unique measuring method. The Zhang family kept a copy of the sea map, and the other copy was kept in the imperial palace. If one wanted to get the map from the imperial palace, they might be able to do it in their dreams. However, if they wanted to get the map from the Zhang family, they would have to work harder. It was easier to get the map from the imperial palace.
As the distance between them increased, the moon came out to join in the fun. For some unknown reason, the changes in the tides were actually disrupted for a few days.
All of a sudden, the Ning family's fleet veered off course. Unbeknownst to them, it was caused by an earthquake in the sea. Coupled with the solar wind and the lunar eclipse, there was a small problem with the sea they were sailing in.
As a result, four of the twenty-two ships that came here hit the rocks. The people were rescued, but the goods were out of the question. Four ships were abandoned there, and the remaining ten ships finally found the right way after several days of sailing. This was because of Si Nan, at least they knew which direction was north, south, east and west.
The four ships that hit the reef belonged to the Ning family. Who asked them to invite others? When the position of the sea changed, they had to send ships to explore the way. This time, the Ning family sent a total of six ships. Only two ships were left. There was no point in docking at Lianzhou.
They couldn't understand why the Zhang family's ship didn't hit the reef. This route was opened by the Zhang family. Nothing happened the first time they came here. Could it be that when they were in danger, the Zhang family's ship was fine?
Of course, the Zhang family's ship was fine. It wasn't that they were lucky, but that the people of the Zhang family were good. There was an eighty-year-old man on the ship. He followed his parents to sea to fish since he was four years old. As a result, he fell ill and became paralyzed at an old age.
Zhang Xiaobao and Wang Juan didn't think too much about it. They just wanted to let some old people with poor family conditions go to the nursing home. The old man followed them and was well taken care of.
The old man didn't have any other skills. He could see where there were fish and where there were submerged reefs with ease. If he was given a clairvoyant eye, he could accurately judge the situation under the sea.
After the old man was properly arranged, he imparted his experience to others for free. This kind of wealth couldn't be measured by money. Therefore, the Zhang family gave the old man a ship with a propeller and a jib sail. The ship was called 'Golden Age'.
After the Zhang family's fleet learned this experience, they braved the wind and waves in the face of countless submerged reefs. They laughed proudly between the sky and the sea.
When Zhang Xiaobao and Wang Juan sent the old man to the nursing home, they didn't expect to make use of the old man. In the end, they not only received their own spiritual reward, but also countless wealth.
The old man also had his own diet and his own wheelchair. His family was also properly arranged. Even his grandson, who used to be a gangster, was also sent to the army.
Every time the Zhang family's fleet set sail, the old man had to go with them. After all, there were still some things that the people on the ship hadn't learned, and that was the ability to hear. The old man could actually judge whether there were shoals of fish and submerged reefs by the sound of the sea at night when nothing could be seen.
After Zhang Xiaobao and Wang Juan learned about this, they repeatedly exclaimed that the old man's ears were almost as good as sonar. The two felt that the old man's kind smile was the real pride. The two of them set up a separate academy for the old man, the 'Time Navigation Academy', to inspire the people in the future.
They also engraved a couplet on the gate of the academy, 'Golden Age, Blue Waves, Time Passing, Blue Sky.'
Zhang Xiaobao and Wang Juan didn't do this just because of the old man. They respected the spirit of dedicating one's life to the sea. People would die eventually. The difference was what they left behind for the future generations. When they commemorated others, they also warned themselves.
*****
The Ning family didn't have such an old man on the ship, nor did they have such an old man in their own home. It was impossible for them to save an old man who couldn't even walk. Therefore, they had four ships that were loaded with goods. The value of the goods was enough to feed 100 old men for 60 years, just like the Zhang family.
When humanity was more important than money, there would be more opportunities to earn money, just like Zhang Xiaobao and Wang Juan. When money was more important than humanity, both were lost. Humans were better than other animals not because they knew how to use tools, but because they had hope and compassion in their hearts.
They couldn't understand why nothing happened to the Zhang family's fleet, while they lost four large cargo ships. When the Ning family docked at Lu Zhou's pier with the other 16 ships, they were still notified that they had to pay 10 strings of coins per ship.
Zhang Xiaobao and Wang Juan didn't care who owned the ships. They didn't want to give in at all. There were rules in business. As merchants, they had to follow the rules of business. If they changed their identities, it would be a different matter. If they revealed their identities as aristocratic families, it would mean that they were visitors. Then, it wouldn't be strange to take out 1,000 strings of coins to receive them. If they said that they were here to do business, they would gladly hand over the money.
The Ning family still wanted to sow discord. However, some of the people on the ships seemed to have been warned by their families. When they docked, they had already handed over the money. Then, they took out a letter written by their families and gave it to Zhang Zhong. At the same time, they also gave him a gift.
Zhang Xiaobao and Wang Juan were very satisfied with this approach. They clearly distinguished between private and business transactions, so they treated them differently. Therefore, the people sent by the aristocratic families enjoyed abalones, shark fins, conches, and other precious things. Each of them also received a precious mirror in a wooden box.
The value of these things far exceeded the money spent on docking the ships and the gifts. When the Zhang family took them out, they didn't hesitate at all. Even Zhang Zhong personally came over to have a meal with these people.
Not only did this approach not anger the aristocratic families who came with the ships, but it also made them value Zhang Zhong more. At the same time, they set a rule for Lu Zhou's docks. Anyone who docked a ship would have to pay, no matter who it was. Even the Zhang family's ships would have to pay. After all, they would pay separately.
Of course, there were also special circumstances. For example, the flagship of the main family, the flagship of Li Xun's family, and the ships of some people with status in the imperial court couldn't be charged when they came here. They had to be flexible. Even if those officials might bring some goods, they had to pretend that they didn't see it.
They couldn't bring 100 ships with them every time they came here, right? It was also impossible for them to spend nearly half a year just to come and go.
The people of the Ning Clan were still waiting to see a good show, but they didn't expect that their hopes would be dashed. This news was quickly sent to Qinzhou within a few days, together with the land route from Lianzhou.
Before the Tang Governor Of Ning received the news, he was angry. The Zhang family's ships had arrived first, and so many goods were distributed to various provinces. Through the various trading channels of the merchants, the prices of these goods were much higher than expected.
The Tang Governor Of Ning couldn't care about what happened to the other provinces, but it was the same in Qin Province. Didn't he order those merchants not to contact Lu Zhou? How could there still be goods coming over? He had already sent out almost all the military forces in Qin Province to patrol the land routes. It was impossible for goods to come over from those roads.
It was impossible for them to come over from those roads either. All the ships that came over would be checked at the mouth of Qin River, and on the way up along the river, they would have to pass through three checkpoints. Every ship that came over would have to search every cabin, and even the bodies of the people who came over would not be spared.
As a result, a large number of Zhang family's goods were shipped over from Qin Province, and they were sold at a high price. How was this possible?
Waiting for the news from Lu Zhou again, the Tang Governor Of Ning couldn't hold back the anger in his heart. He slammed the leather-wrapped table he bought from Lu Zhou and roared loudly, "What the hell are you doing? Is it so difficult to deal with Zhang Zhong? You always brag about how powerful you are, but look at you now! Not only are four ships gone, those people don't even hate the Zhang family! What's the use of keeping you? "
After the steward delivered the news, he didn't dare to touch it. He knew how angry the Old Master would be with this news. At this time, when he saw the Old Master slamming the table, he didn't have the mood to tell the Old Master the price of the table. He could only stand there with his head lowered, waiting for the Old Master to calm down.
The Tang Governor Of Ning had been the provincial governor here for ten years, and he had never encountered such a sullen situation. Since Zhang Zhong came here, he seemed to have been restraining himself everywhere. A man who was not even 30 years old was actually pressuring the Ning family to the point that they couldn't breathe.
When they had not won a single battle in the dark, he kept coming up with ideas and schemes. In the end, everything from Lu Zhou's side was out in the open. He just watched them do it, but he couldn't think of any way to deal with it.
He sent memorials to the imperial court, but the imperial court didn't say anything. They even warned him that if he sent memorials again, there would be no news. This time, the fleet was obviously covered, but the Zhang family's ship arrived at the destination a month in advance, and they didn't notice any damage at all.
As for those goods, almost all the troops were sent to search for them by land, but they couldn't find anything. Several checkpoints were also set up on the waterways, but they couldn't find any way to get the goods in.
Could it be that those goods grew wings and flew here on their own? Even if they flew here, they had to land, right?
"It seems like we have to capture those merchants and interrogate them one by one. We can't lose in this business after losing in politics, don't you think so?"
The Tang Governor Of Ning thought of these things. The only way to solve this problem was to capture the merchants. Even if capturing the merchants would affect the business in Qin Province, they couldn't lose without knowing why.
The butler was listening at the side. He knew that this sentence was directed at him, so he quickly said, "Master, give the order. Capture all of them, including those who bought the goods. I don't believe that they can keep their mouths shut."
"Capture, capture, capture all of them. Don't let a single one of them go. Ask them clearly how the goods were transported here. If anything happens, I'll take responsibility."
The Tang Governor Of Ning gritted his teeth and said.
'Crazy, this is really crazy,' the butler thought in his mind.
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