Ci Jinzhi

“Be careful on the road.” He Qingxiao warned in a gentle voice while looking at the harvested fields.

 He thought of what Xinyou said to him during the Mid-Autumn Festival last year, and asked him to spend the Mid-Autumn Festival together again this year.

 “Ayou.”

"Um?"

“When we return to the capital, Aunt Gui and I will learn to make mooncakes and we will taste them together during the Mid-Autumn Festival.”

“Okay.” Xin You curled her lips and smiled, “I like red fruit filling the most, don’t forget it.”

  “Won’t forget.”

 The two stood side by side and said nothing.

The next day Emperor Xingyuan saw him off in person. After stopping, he told King Xiu: "Take good care of Ayou."

“Father, don’t worry, my son will take good care of Ayou.”

 “Go ahead. Return to Beijing as soon as possible after finishing your work.” Emperor Xingyuan waved his hand.

 The team heading to Guangcheng boarded the ship and headed south.

Emperor Xingyuan stood on the shore and watched the ship gradually disappear where the sky and water met, letting the wind blow the hem of his clothes.

“Your Majesty, the wind is strong on the riverside in the early morning, so go back early.” Sun Yan advised.

Emperor Xingyuan withdrew his gaze and glanced at He Qingxiao, who was standing quietly. There was no sign of reluctance on his face.

 Those who can’t understand it should read it well.

 “The Marquis of Changle.”

 “I am here.”

“You stay with me on the way back to Beijing and tell me about what happened in Wen County in the past six months.”

"yes."

Xinyou and his party took a boat and exchanged horses, and arrived in Guangcheng more than ten days later.

 Compared with the pleasant countryside of Wen County, Guangcheng is much more prosperous.

This is the coast, and the streets are full of people. From time to time, you can see foreigners with tall noses and deep eyes.

The bustling life in Guangcheng has a vast and random feel, which is completely different from that in Beijing.

Although Xinyou has traveled extensively, this was his first time in Guangcheng and he was delighted at first sight.

Mr. Liu was happy to visit his old place again. He excitedly told Xin You about the food customs in Guangcheng.

The prefect of Guangcheng, whose surname is Yan, respectfully invites Xinyou and his party to live in the government office.

The government officials came to pay their respects. It was obvious that many people were relieved when they heard that Xin You said they were here to inspect the shipyard.

For local officials, the last thing they want is to see the imperial envoy suddenly arrive, who knows what they will find out, and they will be unlucky.

It's good to inspect the shipyard. The shipyard is right there. Since the official went to sea last year, we repaired what needed to be repaired and replaced what needed to be replaced. Now we are very good at it, and we are not afraid of these imperial envoys patrolling.

 Zhifu Yan hosted a banquet for the guests, and after a day's rest, he personally accompanied Xin You and others to the shipyard.

There are several large shipyards in Guangcheng, one of which is dedicated to building ships for the imperial court. This is the first place Xin You and the others want to go.

“Your Highness King Xiu, Miss Xin, this is our shipyard that specializes in building official ships...”

 Under the leadership of Magistrate Yan, Xin You saw the busy craftsmen, dozens of tall ships, and mountains of shipbuilding timber. The shock in his heart can only be understood by seeing it with his own eyes.

When you look at such a magnificent tall ship being built piece by piece, piece by piece, the calculations in the capital become even more boring.

  Next to the shipyard is the repair shop, as well as the sail yard, the iron foundry, the rope yard, and a large area of ​​land planted with tung trees and other things.

 It took me a few days to look at these one by one before going to other shipyards.

Later on, Magistrate Yan no longer accompanied the whole process. Although Xiu Wang was serious, he couldn't stand Xin You, and finally got the opportunity to inspect alone on this day.

In a shipyard that not only builds official ships but also accepts orders from the private sector, the Sixth Master pointed quietly: "Girl, look, that's our ship."

Xinyou raised her head and looked at her ship.

 It was a large treasure ship, several feet wide and carrying an astonishing load. With Daxia's mature shipbuilding technology, it had enough ability to ride the wind and waves and take its owner out to sea. Xinyou was silent for a long time, fascinated.

On the way back to the government office, the Sixth Master was in high spirits: "Girl, when will the next time you go to sea be?"

 “Is it so good overseas?” Xiaolian asked.

The Sixth Master was stunned by the question and thought about it seriously: "There are many countries overseas, but I have never seen any that are more prosperous than our Daxia."

“Then why do you want to go to sea so much?”

The Sixth Master scratched his head: "It's interesting. You can see red-haired and yellow-haired foreigners, eat all kinds of strange foods, experience completely unexpected customs, and bring good things from overseas back to our Daxia..."

 Listening to the sixth master's talk, Xiao Lian rarely quarreled and asked about going to sea.

"I have been sent to Guangcheng for inspection today. The next trip to sea may not be far away."

Xin You judged it like this. As soon as she arrived at the government office, she saw several people walking out quickly. When she saw her, she looked anxious: "Miss Xin, His Highness King Xiu, please go see him quickly."

Xinyou's heart skipped a beat and she hurried to King Xiu's temporary residence.

King Xiu paced back and forth with an anxious expression. As soon as he saw Xin You coming in, he drove the others out and grabbed her wrist: "Ah You, something happened!"

  King Xiu gave the impression of being gentle and elegant, but this was the first time Xin You had seen him lose his temper like this.

 “What happened?” Xinyou asked calmly.

The hand holding her wrist tightened subconsciously, and King Xiu's voice was trembling and inaudible: "I just received an emergency report that the yellow boat my father was on on his way back to Beijing suddenly caught fire, and his father fell into the river..."

Xin You's face changed, and she suppressed the turmoil in her heart: "Have you found the person? Where are the others?"

 She admitted her selfishness. When she heard something happened to that person, the first thing she thought of was He Qingxiao.

“That’s all the emergency report said. Ahyou, we have to rush over immediately!”

"Okay -" Xin You took a breath and tried to keep his tone calm, "The others stay, we will take some guards and set off right away."

They wanted to leave Guangcheng, but they did not tell the truth to Yan Zhifu and others. Xin You hurriedly asked the Sixth Master to take care of Xiao Lian, continue to familiarize himself with the shipyard, etc., and rushed to the accident site with King Xiu.

It is the season when the weather is neither cold nor hot and is suitable for traveling, but no matter how good the weather is, it cannot withstand traveling day and night.

King Xiu had blood blisters on his inner thighs. During a short break, he looked at the girl who was drinking water with an expressionless face.

 “Ayou, are you okay?”

Xin You only took a few sips before he stopped and nodded slightly: "It's not bad."

King Xiu’s lips were chapped and his voice was hoarse: “Take more rest, don’t burn out.”

Xin You looked at Xiu Wang and nodded: "Yes."

    King Xiu handed over a small jar.

Xin You cast a puzzled look.

 “Sour plums. You can’t drink too much water on the way, so you’ll feel better if you hold one in your mouth.”

Xin You was silent for a moment and said, "Thank you very much."

 The plums taste sour and sweet, just like Xin You’s mood when she was with He Qingxiao.

 But now she only feels heavy.

Based on her understanding of He Qingxiao, if something happened to that man, he would risk his life to save him. Is he safe now?

Even though she didn't want to get close to that person, she knew that with that person's presence, the New Deal could be implemented with courage and the sea ban could be relaxed.

　　If that position was filled by someone else - she glanced at King Xiu, lowered her eyes and remained silent.

 “Ayou.”

Xinyou raised his eyes.

"Don't worry too much. My father is the destined emperor, and good people have their own destiny."

Xinyou nodded slightly.

 (End of this chapter)