January 15th, the eighth year of Jianning.

On the official road north of Luoyang, a long procession slowly made its way towards the city.

"Phew~, it's been two years, I'm finally back!"

Yuan Shu, standing at the front of the procession, gazed at the majestic city walls of Luoyang, his eyes filled with nostalgia and melancholy.

He left his father two years ago. He thought he liked going abroad and adventure, but when the night was quiet, he couldn't help but think of his father and mother.

As the city walls became clearer, Yuan Shu couldn't help but feel a sense of trepidation, as if he were returning home.

Behind Yuan Shu followed sixty large carts, each carrying four red wooden boxes, each six feet long and four feet high and wide.

Behind these large carts followed thirty horse-drawn carriages with green canopies.

Nearly ninety carriages formed a procession that was six hundred meters long, which looked quite spectacular and attracted the attention of pedestrians on the official road.

More than 600 burly men, each riding a tall horse, guarded one side of the convoy.

These men each carried a Han-style ring-pommel sword at their waist, and each of them had a fierce look on their faces, exuding a murderous aura.

Judging from his appearance, he must have killed many people and seen a lot of blood.

Before long, Yuan Shu, who was walking in front, arrived at the city gate first, dismounted, and walked towards the officers guarding the city gate.

"I am Yuan Shu, summoned by the Emperor to return to Luoyang to pay my respects!"

As he spoke, Yuan Shu took out a letter from the Han envoy stationed in Yamatai and handed it over. He spoke only about official business and did not mention his own Yuan family identity.

"Oh? You're Yuan Gonglu?"

Upon hearing Yuan Shu's name, the officer's expression shifted, and a hint of respect crept into his words.

"Uh, yes, it is I. You know me?"

Yuan Shu paused for a moment, then asked with some curiosity.

Since he went to sea, he has never contacted his family and knows very little about the situation in Da Han.

"Haha, His Majesty personally named him Yuan Gonglu, the pioneer of navigation in the Great Han Dynasty. Who doesn't know him now?"

The Da Han Daily and street storytellers often mention your exploits in Yamatai, how you conquered nearly half of Yamatai's territory with your own abilities.

Nowadays, all the people of the Han Dynasty who love seafaring and adventure regard you as a hero and admire you very much…

The officer guarding the city laughed loudly, and then recounted the emperor's personal inscription and Yuan Shu's reputation within the Han territory.

"I am truly unworthy of the title of hero!!"

Upon hearing that he was so famous, Yuan Shu was overjoyed, but also waved his hand modestly.

This situation would have been absolutely impossible for Yuan Shu in the past.

However, after two years of fighting overseas, Yuan Shu has undergone a complete transformation. The arrogance of a noble family scion has completely disappeared, and he has become much more humble and bold.

"Haha, Young Master Yuan, don't be modest. Let's hurry into the city!"

After reading the letter, the officer immediately ordered his soldiers to clear the way and let Yuan Shu's troops into the city.

After entering the city, Yuan Shu did not go straight home, but went to the Ministry of Rites to report and wait for the emperor's summons.

"Oh? You are, my nephew, Gong Lu?"

Just as Yuan Shu arrived at the entrance of the Ministry of Rites, he heard a voice coming from ahead.

Yuan Shu looked up and saw Cao Song and Yang Ci standing on the steps, looking at him.

The one who spoke just now was Cao Song.

Since Liu Hong issued the order to vigorously encourage childbirth, Cao Song and Yang Ci have had more contact due to the publicity and construction of maternal and child hospitals. The two often get together to discuss matters related to encouraging childbirth.

Upon seeing the two, Yuan Shu hurriedly stepped forward and bowed to Cao Song and Yang Ci.

"Your nephew Yuan Shu greets Uncle Cao and Lord Yang!"

Cao Song had just addressed him as his nephew, so naturally he should address him as his uncle now.

"Well done! It's been years since I last saw you. You've gotten quite a bit stronger, my dear nephew. You've done a great job overseas, you've really made your father proud!"

Cao Song smiled and stroked his beard, praising Yuan Shu highly.

"Uncle, you flatter me. I only thought about not bringing shame to the Han Dynasty, and never thought about anything else!" Yuan Shu said respectfully.

"Good, well said! With Benchu ​​and you brothers around, your Yuan family is truly blessed!"

While praising Yuan Shu, Cao Song couldn't help but feel envious of Yuan Feng.

Thinking about his son, who only knew how to find women, Cao Song felt a surge of anger.

Although Cao Cao has made some military achievements, he is now far inferior to Yuan Shu in terms of both fame and contributions.

Yuan Shu, on the other hand, genuinely expanded his territory overseas.

Faced with Cao Song's praise, Yuan Shu simply smiled and said nothing more.

"By the way, my dear nephew, I have other matters to attend to, so I'll be leaving now. Please come to my residence with your father another day!"

Yuan Shu bowed respectfully, "Your nephew respectfully sees you off, Uncle!"

"Let's go!"

Cao Song waved his hand, then stepped down the stairs and walked towards the Ministry of Revenue.

As he walked, Cao Song also focused his attention on the caravan behind Yuan Shu, his eyes fixed on the mahogany boxes on the carts.

Seeing the tired horses struggling to pull the cart, Cao Song's eyes gleamed, and his pupils began to dart around.

In his view, the only thing that could make a slow horse struggle so much was metal.

And since Yuan Shu had returned from Yamatai, the wooden box must have contained silver.

Judging from the size of the wooden boxes, each box could hold at least 20,000 taels of silver, and each cart could hold 80,000 taels. There were as many as 60 of these carts.

Although the national treasury now uses silver as the unit of measurement, the development of silver mines in various places has only just begun because the Yamatai silver mine has only been developed for a short time.

Currently, there isn't much silver actually circulating in the market; the total amount is only a little over 50 million taels.

To ensure the stability of the silver coin system, a large amount of silver in circulation was essential.

Furthermore, with the establishment of the Great Han Bank and the Royal Bank, the demand gap for cash is also very large.

Now that Yuan Shu has brought back so much silver, Cao Song naturally has his own ideas.

In his view, Yuan Shu's decision not to take the caravan home but to the Ministry of Rites must mean he intended to present it to the emperor.

Therefore, Cao Song was considering how to get the emperor to allocate this batch of silver to the national treasury.

With these thoughts in mind, Cao Song quickened his pace and headed towards the palace.

In front of the Ministry of Rites, Yuan Shu also handed the messenger's message to Yang Ci.

"Don't worry, Highway, I will send someone to report to His Majesty as soon as possible. Who are those large carts behind you?"

After reading the message, Yang Ci also turned his attention to the large carts.

"In reply to Lord Yang, this is a gift I brought back from Yamatai, presented to His Majesty!"