Tu was so jealous that her eyes turned red.

She was a woman, and even more so the wife of a marquis, yet no one cared when she died of illness. Wasn't it because the marquis was a useless man?

Xie Zhaozhao ignored the sour grapes from the outer courtyard and expressed her heartfelt gratitude to all the gift-givers, keeping all the gifts as a token of her appreciation.

Her illness looked dangerous, but it didn't last long; she recovered completely in seven or eight days.

She had just recovered from her illness when great news arrived: her ship had returned safely from its voyage.

As soon as Yin Jin'an and Li Yunmu returned, they rode to Qingyuan Teahouse and shouted at Xu Li, who was waiting, "Fatty, go and call your master over."

Xu Li ran back excitedly from outside, breathless, and said, "Madam, Madam, they're back!"

Xie Zhaozhao was excited. She changed into a dignified autumn outfit and went to the old lady's Ci'en Courtyard to report: "I have something to do and need to go out for a while. I hope Mother will grant me permission."

The old lady did ask, "Where are you going?"

Xie Zhaozhao said, "You brought me some rare items from the south. Go and pick them up."

The old lady said, "Go early and come back early."

Xie Zhaozhao dispatched her two-wheeled carriage and four guards to Qingyuan Teahouse.

The shopkeeper had already received her instructions, and every time Yin Jin'an and Li Yunmu arrived, they were treated to the best tea, water, and snacks.

Yin Jin'an and Li Yunmu were filled with excitement. Although they used to walk with an arrogant and domineering attitude, they were actually quite nervous inside.

That's real swagger now, that's confidence.

The two men had initially wanted to rush to tell her about their haul, but upon seeing her, they swallowed their words.

Yin Jin'an said strangely, "You look strange. Did Gu Shaoyu bully you?"

Xie Zhaozhao smiled and said, "I was sick for a while, and I only recovered yesterday. Hearing that you're back, I feel completely better."

"That's good. Xie Zhaozhao, this time, we've really struck it rich!" Yin Jin'an held up five fingers.

Xie Zhaozhao didn't understand.

Li Yunmu laughed and said, "We brought back five boatloads of goods!"

Xie Zhaozhao was also dumbfounded: "Five ships? Robbed pirate ships?"

“You are really smart! My sailors and your Black-Clad Guards not only ensured our ships successfully navigated the strait to Xiandou, but they also captured a pirate ship and subdued another in the open sea. Together with our original ships and the two escort ships of our navy, they all returned fully loaded.”

Xie Sinan led the Black-Clad Guards, and Liang Jianguo led two hundred sailors; the pirates were no match for them.

The pirates threw the anchor hook over, and as soon as they boarded the ship, they chopped it up.

Then they seized the pirate ship, and the seizure went exceptionally smoothly.

Li Yunmu was the one who went out to sea with the ship this time.

"Before I went, Dongqin brought me two guides, one who understood Sindh and the other who understood Persian. They were both Dongqin's men, and they were as clever as monkeys. They did all the talking, and I paid for it."

Li Yunmu recounted the thrilling adventures he had encountered along the way: pirate raids, raging storms that nearly capsized the ship, and underwater reefs...

“I never believed in God before, but this time I prayed with my hands clasped together. The cargo on the ship is all the cargo of Guanyin, so the gods must protect us!” Li Yunmu said with a grin. “I’m not married yet, so I can’t just die like this.”

Xie Zhaozhao covered her lips with her handkerchief and chuckled.

Old Liao and his crew were seasoned seafarers. They not only avoided storms and reefs along the way, but also drew detailed maps of the route.

Li Yunmu said, "I made two copies, just in case I lose them. I brought you one."

He took it out and gave it to Xie Zhaozhao.

Xie Zhaozhao looked at the booklet, which was drawn in great detail, including the location and size of the reefs, the safe harbors along the way, and the places where pirates frequented.

They even recorded in detail the languages ​​spoken along the way.

This information is extremely valuable; it surpasses anything these cargo ships have ever carried.

Xie Zhaozhao picked up her teacup and said sincerely, "I offer this tea in place of wine, firstly to toast your safe return, and secondly to your successful opening of the Maritime Silk Road!"

This marks the first time Da Gan has opened an overseas shipping route and the first time it has opened the Silk Road.

It was not only a successful start, but more importantly, it accumulated a wealth of experience.

It is of milestone significance.

Yin Jin'an and Li Yunmu picked up their teacups and said excitedly, "We've taken another big step closer to our goal."

Xie Zhaozhao looked at the catalog and said to Li Yunmu, "I really like this information, thank you! Please continue, what good things did you bring back?"

"Five ships of cargo, two ships of spices, one ship of gems, one ship of grain, seeds, knives, cloth, etc., and one ship of horses and various rare animals."

They talked back and forth, recounting their stories with great excitement.

Xie Zhaozhao would occasionally chime in when they had a moment to spare, and the group talked from 9 am to 1 pm without stopping.

"So you mean all that money was spent? And all the goods were exchanged?"

"Yes! How should we set the price?"

Xie Zhaozhao had already decided on the price before she arrived.

In her past life, Guan Yingying opened up trade routes for Xiandou. Although it was an inland caravan, she still brought back many rare items.

Including spices, the profit margin was more than three hundred times.

We are still living in a prosperous era, so profits are naturally a given.

"The price of BMW will remain the same as last time; the profit margins for spices, jade, and weapons will be increased by three hundred times. Seeds will not be sold for the time being; they will all be stored on my estate."

She plants the new seeds first, and if the yield is high, she keeps half of the grain and gives the other half to the two of them.

Yin Jin'an was very satisfied and gave Xie Zhaozhao a thumbs up: "You're amazing! We were worried you wouldn't dare to raise the price!"

“Anyone with a bit less luck along the way could have made it back. Asking for a hundredfold profit isn’t unreasonable,” Xie Zhaozhao said.

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