Autumn of the eighteenth year of Yuankang.

Xue Hai arranged for someone to say that all the warships of the Ship and Route Department had been completed, and everything was ready except for the east wind. However, they might need to make this east wind themselves, so they could still make false accusations. Wang Yu used the excuse that the Dongyi had killed the fishermen of Dali for no reason to start a war against them.

Fifty warships can accommodate fifty thousand soldiers. According to the speed of the steamship, it will take about five days to reach Dongyi Island. Wang Yu calculated a suitable day, and the soldiers set off for Dongyi.

Wang Yu did not follow because he knew that this was a one-sided war and the other side did not have such sophisticated firearms and artillery as Dali, so victory was only a matter of time.

The warships were lined up neatly on the sea, the Dali battle flags fluttered in the sea breeze, and the soldiers on the ships were waiting for the commander to give orders.

Xue Hai glanced at Wang Yu and said, "Master Wang, we are leaving now. If nothing unexpected happens, we will be back in two months at the latest."

"Well, I wish the general a successful start and a glorious return."

This was indeed the case. In just over a month, they returned, bringing with them members of the Dongyi royal family.

According to Xue Hai, wherever they went, they were unstoppable. The Dongyi people had no power to resist and surrendered before they even reached the imperial palace. The flag of Dali had been raised on Dongyi Island, and the island was finally included in Dali's territory.

Wang Yu and Xue Hai escorted the Dongyi royal family members to Beijing. Wang Yu had discussed with the emperor long ago how to deal with the Dongyi royal family members. Those who obeyed would be given houses in the capital to live in, while those who disobeyed would be killed directly to serve as a warning to others.

The prestige of the Celestial Empire must not be violated by them.

Afterwards, the emperor rewarded Wang Yu, established Dongyi as a province, set up a prefecture, and appointed Wang Yu as the prefect to manage Dongyi affairs. Xue Hai also rose from the third-rank commander of the guard to the second-rank commander-in-chief.

Wang Yu thought that his affairs ended here, but he did not expect that the emperor would arrange for him to go to Dongyi without any negotiation. He could only take the imperial edict to the emperor to bargain. He could serve in Dongyi, but only for three years. After three years, he had to resign and return home.

The emperor really couldn't understand why he wanted to resign. He had worked so hard to study, and the purpose of taking the imperial examination was to become an official and make a name for himself. Why would he be unwilling to do so? However, he knew that only Wang Yu could do this, so he finally bargained and agreed to Wang Yu's request with a five-year deadline.

In the past few years, he and Wang Yu were the ones who personally arranged and discussed how to fight and manage the Dongyi people, so there was no one more suitable than Wang Yu to handle Dongyi's affairs. Moreover, Wang Yu seemed to understand Dongyi very well, at least that was the feeling he had after so many discussions.

Everyone in the court was surprised that Wang Yu jumped from a fifth-rank prefect to a fourth-rank governor. It was unprecedented that he was promoted three levels in a row.

But everyone knew that Dongyi was a hot potato now, and no one wanted to go there, so no one objected. Although some people envied Wang Yu for being the governor of a province at such a young age, Dongyi was really a barbaric land, and the journey was long and difficult to manage.

No matter what the court officials thought, Wang Yu had already bargained with the emperor, and he would be freed after working for another five years.

He happily went home with the imperial edict. When he returned to Beijing, Cheng Chen and others also came back with him. Dingzhou was an official business, so the emperor would arrange for other people to go there.

"Dad, you're back."

Looking at Dabao, whom he hadn't seen for more than two years, there was a joyful expression in his bright eyes. Wang Yu had stayed in the palace from the time he was escorted to the capital until the emperor issued an edict, and only then did he come back.

"Well, you're back." Wang Yu touched his head.

Wang's father and mother were also happy. They had been very happy since Cheng Chen brought the second baby back. Now they were even happier to see Wang Yu. "Yu'er."

Although Wang's father and mother were not his biological parents, they had a deep affection for each other after living together for so many years. They were really good to each other, and he called out to them, "Dad, Mom."

The Queen Mother was so happy that her eyes were moist. She walked forward, took Wang Yu's hand and said, "Okay, okay, go in and rest for a while."

A family of six was finally reunited after two years of separation. Wang Yu held the imperial edict in his hand, but they had to separate again.

Erbao was only one year old when he left and has no memory of anything. Now he is only three years old. He is still a little shy after not seeing his father and mother for a long time.

After all, Dabao is also a teenager. After playing with Erbao for an afternoon, he became familiar with him. The main reason was that Erbao was getting more and more handsome. Dabao also liked to play with him. He thought his own younger brother was so cute that he even took him to show off to Shitou.

Wang Yu also wanted to stay at home for a while longer, but he couldn't ignore the affairs of Dongyi. The emperor wanted him to go as early as possible.

"Father and mother, I will be going to Dongyi to take up my post in a few days."

When the Queen Mother heard this, the joy of her son's return was greatly dampened. She only knew Dongyi, a very far place, even farther than Dingzhou, and she didn't know when he would come back.

"When are you leaving?"

"The emperor told me to leave as soon as possible, maybe in a few days." I still have to go see Song Boyan and Chen Yanwen when I come back.

The Queen Mother nodded. She couldn't say anything about the Emperor's arrangements. "Okay, clean up for the next few days. I'll ask the kitchen to make you something delicious. It's not easy to come back once."

"Okay, Mom, wait until I'm settled in Dongyi, and then I can take you there to play."

On the second day, Wang Yu asked Song Boyan and Chen Yanwen to meet at a teahouse. Zhang Siyuan had something to do, and Cui Haoling and Chu Feng were not in the capital.

Chen Yanwen is now very free in the Ministry of Rites, and has a good relationship with the princess. He just gave birth to his second child, a boy, in the first half of the year. He is really very proud of himself. His second child is the son of the princess, and the emperor likes him so much, so he will definitely get a title.

He also knew that Wang Yu was going to Dongyi, and the emperor had already issued an order, "When will Xiuzhi leave?"

"It's scheduled for the day after tomorrow. There's nothing going on in the capital, and the emperor asked me to go early."

"That's right, but it will take several years before we can see each other again. Dongyi is really too far away."

Song Boyan didn't say much. Just like before, he watched Wang Yu and Chen Yanwen talk and rarely expressed his opinions. Now he was also a sixth-rank tutor. His promotion was not as fast as Wang Yu's, but it was stable. Moreover, the emperor was training him as the prince's tutor, so promotion was only a matter of time.

"After I left, Dabao still needed Ziheng's help to take care of him. I asked him last night, and he's very knowledgeable. He said Ziheng often tests and teaches him. It's a blessing for him to have you test and teach him."

Song Boyan waved his hand. "It's all a small matter. Two children study together. It's the same whether I take care of one or two. Besides, Dabao is very smart. I don't need to worry about him much."

Song Boyan was telling the truth. Dabao was very smart and had a talent for studying. He was also sensible and obedient, and he could motivate Shitou to study hard as well.

Chen Yanwen: "On the day Xiuzhi leaves, I will come to see you off."

Wang Yu smiled and said, "Okay, I'm far away in Dingzhou when your second child is born, and I haven't given him a gift yet. Wait for me to make up for it tomorrow."

"good."

They talked for a while and then separated.

On the second day, Wang Yu prepared gifts and sent them to the princess's mansion. Cheng Chen went to Cheng Xiu Pavilion and took a look. He felt relieved that Yunhua managed the shop very well.