Chapter 27: Sudden Waterfall

It was said to be a time-travel novel, but Qi Chengming had only heard of it before and knew nothing about its contents.

Now, as he turned the page, his eyes slowly widened: "...!"

Just looking at the table of contents, it's divided into a dazzling array of major sections:

First, agriculture.

Some courses teach basic agricultural knowledge for different terrains and how to deal with complex pest problems; others teach how to help rural people become wealthy by engaging in sideline businesses while farming. Some cover intercropping and crop rotation, and how to improve soil fertility…

There's also civil engineering, everyday handicrafts, how to read ledgers, and learning some basic accounting and auditing knowledge.

The last part of the book contains modern knowledge that is no longer useful. For example, how to shoot down enemy planes, how to repair cars, and how to deal with nuclear war (?).

"No wonder the infrastructure system sent me this book first..." Qi Chengming murmured, a smile playing on his lips, unable to hide his ecstatic joy.

He closed the book, only to realize that the large, pleasing characters clearly read "How to be a good prince in exile."

Most importantly, Qi Chengming is not as good at reading accounts and managing household affairs as the women in the inner quarters. Xiao Song, the head steward, and Bi Shu are good at this and are loyal to him. But as a leader, he can't always rely on his limited mathematical knowledge to manage things by guessing and making assumptions.

Now the merchant fleet has two sets of ledgers, and the fleet also has two ledgers, one for internal use and one for external use. In the future, there will only be more and more ledgers—he really needs to learn professional accounting and finance knowledge.

Mr. Huang would definitely need knowledge of civil engineering and architecture; he might even be overjoyed. If he could master it, wouldn't Qi Chengming's palace and the reconstruction of Liuzhou be even more advanced?

Qi Chengming lowered his eyelids, made up his mind, and turned his wrist—he would polish this part of the knowledge into ancient language, rewrite it, and give it to Mr. Huang to study tomorrow morning.

The remaining agricultural knowledge was priceless in ancient times.

We're still an agricultural society!

Most people just wanted to have enough to eat, and life was even harder in a barren place like Liuzhou. Qi Chengming was determined to help them live a better life, and now, they had knowledge! All that was left was to study like crazy.

You can read some books on the ship; you can finish your studies before you reach Liuzhou!

Qi Chengming made a fierce vow in his heart, feeling more pleased than surprised.

He wasn't afraid of having so much to learn; he was afraid of having nothing to do.

"Your Highness?"

Xiao Dezi's low voice came from outside the door.

After Lao Hua left quietly, he thought that the Second Prince had already gone to rest, and the lights in the bedroom were all off. Why was there a noise now?

Xiao Dezi, with his keen ears, didn't dare to be careless and got up again. Through the wooden window, he asked softly with concern, "...Is Your Highness thirsty? Or was you having a nightmare?"

"I'm not that delicate." Qi Chengming got out of bed and opened the door in an annoyed tone, telling Xiao Dezi to go back to sleep.

For some reason, he always seemed so fragile in their eyes. He'd been growing quite fast lately, and the new clothes he'd made were already too short, which made Qi Chengming so distressed that he wouldn't allow Bishu and the others to cut any more. He planned to keep the old clothes to wear as pajamas; they were quite comfortable. In this era, there were no short-sleeved shirts or shorts, and Qi Chengming hated the heavy, covered-up undergarments.

—On the contrary, it was Xiao Dezi and Xiao Chengzi, who were a few years older than him, who were still short and developing slowly; they were the ones who should be resting. Qi Chengming, mindful of their eunuch status, dared not ask any questions for fear of reopening old wounds.

"Go to sleep. Tomorrow you and Xiaochengzi will have a day off to go ashore and explore. You've been cooped up on the ship for so many days."

"We'll take turns." Xiao Dezi didn't argue, just grinned and backed away, ready to go back to sleep.

He and Xiao Chengzi were both sleeping in the cabin next to His Highness's, close by so they could easily give each other instructions. On the couch, Xiao Chengzi was half asleep when he heard the noise and struggled to open one eyelid: "...Is everything alright with His Highness?"

"You didn't find anything?" Xiao Dezi quickly reminded him.

Whether anyone came or made any noise in the middle of the night, Xiao Dezi couldn't hide it from Xiao Chengzi, who lived with him. But they couldn't reveal the secrets their master wanted to keep hidden in their sleep; that was a required course for any servant.

"...!" Xiao Chengzi snapped back to reality in an instant. He pursed his lips in annoyance, sat up, and gave himself a light slap. "I'm going to the deck for some fresh air."

He can't sleep, so he should wake up and figure out how to keep his mouth shut even when he's half asleep.

"Anyway, I'm going to sleep now." Xiao Dezi lay down on the inside of the room, still looking forward to visiting Wuling County tomorrow. Although it had been tough traveling for so long, he had seen all the different towns and scenery, and Xiao Dezi was gradually enjoying himself.

The sky was pitch black, and the large ship was moored at the shore, with dark water churning beneath it, and all around was quiet.

Xiao Chengzi climbed onto the deck and peered around, clinging to the edge of the ship.

The Wuling County, which His Highness had praised for so long, was in the distance, shrouded in darkness. Only a few scattered lights remained on the shore. Even at this late hour, the boatmen at the dock were still working tirelessly. They were truly working hard.

……etc!

Xiao Chengzi suddenly turned around, startled, and stared intently at the streak of firelight.

That group of people seemed to be heading towards that big ship next door!

He hesitated for only a moment before the flames shot up, trailing a tail, and the fire began to burn.

"Fire! Someone's setting a fire!" Xiao Chengzi shouted anxiously. His high-pitched voice was clear even in the darkness. He also cupped his hands around his lips and shouted down, "Boss Mao! Fire!"

Just as he finished shouting, panting, Xiao Chengzi turned his head and looked around warily. Being inexperienced, he panicked for a moment and didn't know what to do.

Screams and cries erupted from the large ship next door; chaos had broken out, indicating that they had discovered the fire. The fire was spreading rapidly on the wooden boat, but putting it out on board wouldn't be easy. Xiao Chengzi's first instinct was to rush over and help, preventing the flames from spreading to their ship. But he hesitated, mindful of the chaos… His Highness needed someone by his side!

In that moment of hesitation, Xiao Chengzi saw more than a dozen figures rush out of the cabin like arrows, scooping water and splashing it onto the opposite ship. Judging by their reaction speed, even if he hadn't shouted that, the guards on night watch and the miners would have seen it. They reacted immediately and helped put out the fire.

Meanwhile, the tall, conspicuous figure didn't stop, beckoning another group of brothers to rush off the ship and head straight for the dock to chase after the arsonist...

The chaos lasted for a long time.

Qi Chengming hadn't slept to begin with, and now that he'd been disturbed, he couldn't sleep at all. He put on his coat, tied his hair up simply, and came out to see how everyone was putting out the fire.

"Move our ship a little further away," he ordered, his brow furrowed.

In ancient times, fires could easily spread to the surrounding areas. Qi Chengming's three ships were all moored here, representing most of his assets, so he couldn't afford to be careless.

Footsteps sounded, and a familiar-looking Imperial Guard, his face blackened by smoke, approached. The young man himself seemed unaware of his surroundings, and with a stern face, he respectfully announced, "Your Highness, the owners of that ship wish to board and thank us."

"Let them come aboard, and find them a quiet and respectable cabin to rest. Are there any female relatives? Have the guards make way for them."

Qi Chengming gave very detailed instructions, mainly because he was worried that the people on the neighboring ship would have nowhere to go in the chaos, and he wanted to see his good deed through to the end.

"Ahem..." Qi Chengming coughed lightly, barely managing to suppress his laughter and maintain his composure. But the Imperial Guard's face was so comically smeared that his eyes darted away, and he tried to lower his voice while speaking with concern, "...Abu, take the brothers to wash their faces and rest later."

"..." The guard named Abu was stunned for a moment, flattered that His Highness actually remembered his name. The next second, after the words entered his mind... his face, which was covered in smoky powder, turned bright red. He stammered and covered his face with his sleeve as he retreated, "I, I understand!"

—Ah! Wouldn't this make His Highness lose face in front of the guests just now?!

Wash it right away!

They fled in panic.

After a while, a series of footsteps sounded, and a young man with a sullen face and an angry expression boarded the ship. Judging from his clothes and demeanor, he didn't seem like a scholar, but rather a martial artist from a wealthy family.

Qi Chengming continued to observe discreetly. Upon seeing Qi Chengming, the young man's angry expression softened slightly, replaced by sincere gratitude. He bowed and thanked him, saying, "Thank you so much for your rescue, sir. Your cries woke us up, and you even helped put out the fire. If it weren't for your early warning, the women on the boat would probably be..."

"I am the son of the Bai family of Wuling, and my given name is Xuan."

Qi Chengming exchanged names and ages with him, being very polite, but did not reveal what he did for a living; they were just strangers who had met by chance.

"So Brother Qi is from the capital. I wonder how long you'll be staying here? I'd like to treat you to a meal." The young man was clearly five or six years older than Qi Chengming, yet he earnestly addressed Qi Chengming as "brother" and himself as "younger brother."

Xiao Dezi glanced at his prince's low-key and ordinary attire, then looked at the dusty gray hull of the ship.

Since boarding the ship, and since His Highness has been unwilling to publicize it, there are no signs indicating a prince's travels on board, only the mark of the Marquis of Weiyong's residence. Is this Bai family lad speaking like this because he recognizes you and wants to curry favor? Or is he simply expressing gratitude for being saved from the fire?

He was so tired that his brain was almost shutting down, and he simply couldn't analyze anything anymore.

—The little eunuch, his eyes glazed over.

On the other side, Xiao Chengzi was wide awake and not sleepy at all. He understood and quietly slipped away to help His Highness find out what kind of organization the Bai family of Wuling was. His Highness would definitely ask about it when he returned.

"Alright... then let's meet tomorrow night at Chun Yuan Pavilion, the largest restaurant in Wuling. I'll be waiting for you anytime." The conversation had already escalated to attending a thank-you banquet tomorrow night. Qi Chengming and Bai Xuan were having a very pleasant chat.

Another sound of footsteps boarding the ship followed; the night was bustling with activity, a chaotic scene indeed. It was Commander Mao returning, his face grim, shaking his head at Qi Chengming with self-reproach, sweat beading on his forehead: "...It's my incompetence that allowed them to escape."

He wanted to explain, but didn't want it to sound like a defense.

"Those arsonists?" Bai Xuan, who was standing next to him, seemed to understand something. His face darkened for a moment, but he quickly recovered and continued to comfort Commander Mao, explaining to Qi Chengming on his behalf, "...There are many alleys and waterways in Wuling. It's normal for you to get lost since you're not locals."

"Leave the rest of this matter to the Bai family," Bai Xuan said earnestly.

"Alright." Qi Chengming wasn't curious. Judging from Bai Xuan's expression, he seemed to have a pretty good idea of ​​what was going on. This fire had nothing to do with Qi Chengming anyway. He would have to stop here again tomorrow, so he would just go along to have some local Wuling delicacies, make some friends, and then leave. That would be enough.

Bai Xuan just gave him a plaque, saying it was the mark of the Bai family shop and could be used in various places to thank Qi Chengming.

Qi Chengming didn't know what this was yet, but he accepted it discreetly for now, not wanting to lose face... He would discuss its specific use later.

It was almost two hours later, as dawn broke, that the fire on the neighboring ship was finally extinguished. A once magnificent and imposing ship was now completely reduced to ashes.

"How's the inquiry going?" Qi Chengming asked Xiao Chengzi, toying with the fine sandalwood carving in his hand and stroking the uneven grain of the edges.

He still felt a bit excited.

He put out a fire on the road and unexpectedly got a plaque. The Wuling Bai family sounds quite large, with shops in various places. What's the real story behind them?

To be honest, this place isn't particularly far from Liuzhou. If Qi Chengming's caravan were to expand its business along Liuzhou to the surrounding areas in the future, Wuling would be an unavoidable destination.

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Author's Note: Tomorrow we'll be on the leaderboard, and this list is very important, so I'll only be updating the day's chapter after 11 PM.

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I'm recommending this column for pre-order again:

"Being a Good Eldest Brother with a System (Qing Dynasty Time Travel)"

Copywriting:

Before going to sleep, Jun Gu read a novel about a prince who was reborn in the Qing Dynasty. When he woke up, he found himself transmigrated into the body of the eldest prince in the novel.

a bolt from the blue!

Did he become the eldest prince, Yinqi, who, because he was the eldest son, had to become the whetstone for the crown prince, and whose love-hate relationship with the crown prince lasted for more than 30 years, resulting in mutual destruction and no good ending for either of them?

After being reborn, did that crown prince learn from his mistakes and begin to punish the dishonored and humiliated eldest prince, ultimately causing him to suffer an even more tragic fate than in his previous life?!

The future looks bleak.

Fortunately, he awakened the system in time. The shop sells everything: butterfly pills, antidote pills, power pills, contraceptive incense, and gender-predicting pills...

System: "Are you worried about your future? Are you heartbroken by the struggle for the throne among the princes? This system is the best helper for the host to protect himself!"

Jun Gu, who had been feeling hopeless, quickly straightened up: "Alright, alright, let Father Khan give up on that idea—no longer let me be the prince's whetstone. The ability to protect my life depends on you!"

.

The reborn Crown Prince Yinreng was equally shocked.

Everything in this life has changed beyond recognition:

Most of the brothers have mysteriously disappeared?! All of Khan's sons combined only number a few:

The eldest prince, skilled in martial arts, became the crown prince himself; the third prince, fond of literature; the fourth prince, pragmatic; the fifth prince, kind-hearted and plump; the sixth prince, who died young; and the seventh prince, who was born with a disability.

The fact that he had so few children made the Khan cherish each and every one of them.

The struggle for the throne among nine princes? That's gone.

The primogeniture struggle? That's gone too. This eldest prince is completely off! Yinreng swears he's not the reckless, impulsive older brother he was in his past life! Who is he really?

But... looking at the eldest prince in front of him, who was gentle and kind, with the air of an elder brother, and was waiting for him to go to the study together, Yinreng felt that it didn't matter who it was anymore.

The important thing is, you should never switch it back!

This guy... is actually pretty nice.

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