Chapter 1572 Extra: If we don't close the net soon, I'll become the boss (Part 1)

"What night is this, that I row my boat midstream..."

"What a day this is, to be able to share a boat with the prince."

"I am honored even though I am ashamed, and I do not care about the criticism or disgrace."

"My heart is troubled and restless, but I have learned of the prince."

"There are trees on the mountain..."

Ji Moqiu strummed an ancient instrument, humming an obscure and difficult tune. Gong Xiqiu listened for a long time, but still couldn't hear the last line. A pearl struck Ji Moqiu's knuckles, causing him to go off-key, and the music stopped abruptly. Ji Moqiu put down the instrument he was carrying and cast a dangerous glance at him. Gong Xiqiu didn't feel any danger, but only complained, "What kind of music is this?"

Ji Moqiu: "Is there something wrong with this piece of music?"

Gong Xiqiu said disdainfully, "What a roundabout way to do this."

Ji Moqiu: "..."

Gongxi Chou added, "They've been chanting for ages without even understanding what they're trying to say. It's nothing like the ancient music of our tribe. Besides, this isn't appropriate for the occasion. Where would we find a prince on our ship?"

He disliked this kind of lingering, repetitive style the most.

When singing to express one's feelings, one must be direct and passionate.

The estrangement between people often stems from communication problems.

Shen De silently raised his hand: "The princess should count too."

Gong Xichou said, "Singing this to Ru Gui to show loyalty? There's no need for all that back and forth, just tell Ru Gui directly, isn't that enough?"

They were only a few steps apart.

You can just say whatever you want to say face to face.

Ji Moqiu silently handed the ancient instrument to Xun Zhen, who had been suppressing his laughter for a long time. Xun Zhen tested the tone, and just as he started, he suddenly broke down, covering his face with one hand and uttering a soft "Pfft—"

Gong Xichou: "..."

"I've lost my composure, I've lost my composure. I just suddenly remembered something interesting." Xun Zhen managed to hold back for a while, his fingers nimbly strumming the strings as he began to sing. He sang a popular folk tune from the Phoenix Court in recent years, lively, cheerful, and full of vibrant local flavor.

This pleasure boat is one of the largest and most expensive cruise ships in the Five Seas.

The pleasure boats offer a variety of entertainment options and, after nightfall, serve as the leading group of lantern-lit cruise ships, truly attracting widespread attention. Renting such a popular pleasure boat requires not only money but also patience. It's said that bookings are booked up to three years in advance.

Today is the birthday of Gong Xilai and Xun Ding's second son. The family initially just wanted to have a meal out to celebrate, but they ran into several acquaintances on the way. After learning what had happened, several acquaintances also wanted to join in the fun, so the group grew and they booked a pleasure boat.

Xun Zhen naturally couldn't bear to spend the money to buy a spot at a high price, but the Ministry of Revenue's money-grubber was willing. Ji Moqiu chartered the pleasure boat, and several of his court colleagues from Wuhai also came. It was still early, and someone suggested finding some entertainment. The manager of the pleasure boat took out an entertainment booklet, looked it over, and decided to sing. The rules of the game were simple: the manager rolled the dice, and the game would start in the order of the dice rolls.

Those who sing well deserve applause, those who sing poorly will be punished.

Jimo Qiu happened to be the first one.

"The young man from Jimo didn't finish his song, shouldn't he be punished?"

What punishment?

"Why punish him? I interrupted him before he finished singing. If anyone should be punished, it should be me. I don't have any special talents, so I'll dance for you." Gong Xiqiu pressed down on Ji Moqiu's shoulder as he was about to get up, and then lightly jumped onto the stage.

Ji Moqiu: "..."

Xun Zhen sighed, "Such a pure-hearted person is truly rare."

Having witnessed countless acts of deceit and treachery, Gongxi Chou was truly a breath of fresh air. Ji Moqiu mentally translated Xun Zhen's words—

High emotional intelligence: Such a pure heart is rare.

Low emotional intelligence: This kid's adolescent delusions haven't healed yet.

Gong Xichou's strength certainly gives him the confidence to not need to think.

No matter how many schemes and plots there are, they cannot withstand the power of one force to overcome all laws.

There's nothing wrong with being optimistic and straightforward.

While the painted boats were bustling and noisy, the small boats on Lotus Lake were quite quiet. The boatwoman quietly steered the boat, Qin Li sat upright, gazing absently at the emerald green lotus leaves, and Shen Tang lay on the deck with her trousers rolled up to her knees, her hands behind her head, and her feet soaking in the lake water.

"...Having enjoyed ourselves to the fullest, we returned by boat late, accidentally wandering into the depths of the lotus blossoms..." Shen Tang said, "What's missing right now? How about a drink?"

"Respect is not as good as obedience."

Qin Li's alcohol tolerance was only average.

After drinking a jar of undiluted wine, my ears felt hot.

Shen Tang emptied the wine jar and then threw it into the water, letting the empty jar drift away with the rippling waves to who-knows-where. The boatwoman, not having time to wonder how the wine jar came to be, solemnly reminded her, "My lady, Lotus Lake is an important place; it cannot be discarded carelessly."

Shen Tang waved her hand: "It's nothing."

"What if something goes wrong and I get punished by the supervisor..."

Shen Tang assured him, "Then I'll pay the fine for you, and I'll take full responsibility. Gong Su, you tell me, isn't that right?"

Qin Li nodded: "The boss can make this decision."

Shen Tang, looking at the wine jars, had an inspiration: "Let's drink three hundred jars of wine, then string the empty jars together with a rope. When the lantern parade begins at night, let's quietly follow the end of the procession and see if we can arrange the wine jars into a long, straight line. Maybe someone on the shore will see this and record this feat, giving future generations a new idiom to describe someone with an exceptional drinking capacity? Wouldn't that be a way to make a name for ourselves in history?"

Qin Li said seriously, "I can't drink that much."

The likelihood of dying from drinking is higher.

"Why is Gong Su so rigid? We can cheat."

"How to cheat? Invite someone over to drink with you?"

Qin Li sensed the presence of many colleagues within the Five Seas region.

Shen Tang smiled mischievously: "Why go through all that trouble? We can just pour it out directly. If you think it's wasteful, you can just conjure up empty wine jars... As long as people see a large number of empty wine jars, they will automatically fill in the gaps in what they haven't seen."

Qin Li: "..."

He rubbed his slightly sore temples.

He thought to himself that he really hadn't thought straight today.

"This is a very good move."

To outsiders, this might seem a bit pointless, but Shen Tang took it very seriously. She sprang up with a somersault, and if the boatwoman hadn't been experienced, she might not have been able to quickly stabilize the swaying boat: "Let's get right to it. How far apart should the two wine jars be?"

They shouldn't be too close; a dense cluster of wine jars wouldn't be aesthetically pleasing. But they also shouldn't be too far apart, otherwise, it wouldn't be visually impressive.

Qin Li said, "Use half a arm as the standard?"

Shen Tang accepted the suggestion: "That's a good idea."

Glug glug glug glug—

The empty wine jars fell into the water rhythmically.

Each wine jar was connected by a thick rope formed from martial energy.

Shen Tang tied up the wine jar, and Qin Li threw it into the water in rhythm.

As the boatwoman finally rowed out of Lotus Lake, a long, long wine jar-like tail was attached to the stern of her boat, and its length was steadily increasing.

Tourists passing by on the cruise ship cast curious glances their way.

They were curious about what was going on with the wine jar.

Shen Tang said, "When I was boating and drinking with friends, we had so many empty wine jars that we didn't have room to step on them, so we came up with a way to put them on the water and drag them along."

A single sentence enlightened the tourist who asked the question.

The other party exclaimed, "Hearing your words is better than reading for ten years! Your Majesty's guidance has enlightened me greatly!"

Shen Tang and Qin Li exchanged a glance.

"How did you end up giving them pointers?"

A tourist said, “Alas, I, Jiang, have recently encountered a problem and am worried about how to transport my goods. Your words remind me that we can take advantage of the water. We can hollow out the thick logs, put the goods inside, and then tie several logs together to make a raft. We can push it downstream and let people downstream receive it, which can save a lot of shipping costs.”

Shen Tang: "Save on shipping costs?"

Qin Li also found these contents somewhat strange.

Since the unification of the four continents, the postal system has developed rapidly. With the opening of official roads, the business it handles alone keeps the system running smoothly. With official backing, merchants prefer government-run postal stations, and Shen Tang remembers that the shipping costs are not expensive.

Why bother developing your own transportation methods?

unless--

There was a problem with the goods being transported.

Shen Tang and Qin Li locked eyes once again.

Qin Li said, "What you said about the method is quite interesting. My family also runs a large business. May we discuss it further?"

The tourists readily agreed.

Shen Tang gestured to the boatwoman that they could dock and wait for a while.

Boatwoman: "Don't you need to take the Queen across?"

Shen Tang casually grabbed Qin Li and rode away on the waves: "No need."

Before the lake water could even wet their clothes, the two had already boarded a tourist boat, and the tourist came out of the cabin to greet them. The other person was a young man who looked to be in his early twenties, dressed simply and plainly, like the most inconspicuous down-on-his-luck scholar. Qin Li straightened his appearance, cupped his hands in greeting, and the young man hurriedly returned the greeting. The two introduced themselves.

When it comes to naming, Qin Li is quick-witted than Shen Tang.

The young man's original surname was Jiang, and he was from another place.

My parents are still alive, and I have several siblings.

Qin Li and Shen Tang's public identities were self-proclaimed; they claimed to be locals of Huangting, having spent a fortune to establish connections and do business with the government. Qin Li was currently struggling with the transportation and storage of large-scale transactions. Although the official postal service was contracted, dealing with the government involved much more than just official expenses. There were also private favors, gifts to grease palms…

After going through all the layers, it adds up to quite a bit of expense.

The young man listened with great interest, then sighed after a long pause: "I thought the world had changed, but I didn't know there were so many underhanded things going on behind the scenes. Qin Jun, do you mean you want to develop your own transportation route to save on these expenses?"

Qin Li nodded seriously: "That's exactly what I'm thinking. If we can save some money, the profits will save me from having to travel for several months."

The young man exclaimed in surprise, "It's this big?"

Qin Li: "Many a little makes a mickle. It is precisely because the scale is so large that we have no choice but to rely on the government-run postal service. Apart from them, there is no one else in Kang State who can guarantee time efficiency. The more we rely on them, the easier it is to be taken advantage of. I am also suffering in my heart."

The young man said he understood.

Qin Li rambled on about this and that until he had covered most of the topics, then casually changed the subject, probing the young man's family business.

The young man spoke quite humbly and politely: "It's just a small matter, nothing compared to the powerful and wealthy Qin Jun. My ancestors used to run a copper and iron business, and we were fortunate enough to accumulate some wealth. Things that weren't worth much before are now changing in price every day. I was thinking about whether I could ship the goods out. I heard that the prices outside are 70-80% higher than in Huangting, so I wanted to give it a try."

In the normal world, copper and iron are certainly expensive.

Unfortunately, the rules governing power in this world are not quite right.

Even the lowest-ranking nobles can conjure the most suitable weapons using their martial energy, and they are the main labor force for undertaking various infrastructure projects. There are few places in the common people where copper and iron are needed. In recent years, Kangguo has also discovered large amounts of copper and iron mines in various places, so the royal court has taken the opportunity to promote the replacement of various agricultural tools. With useful agricultural tools, wouldn't farmers be able to achieve twice the result with half the effort in future cultivation and land reclamation?

Qin Li nodded knowingly: "I see."

The young man and Qin Li discussed their conjectures about waterway transportation, covering everything from the selection of timber to the arrangement of river routes—since the goal was to bypass the official post stations, which was tantamount to snatching food from a tiger's mouth, they certainly couldn't be discovered by the authorities; this had to be done secretly.

The two had a very pleasant conversation.

By the time the moon is high in the sky, they will have become bosom friends.

The young man warmly invited Qin Li and his companion to his home for a short visit.

Shen Tang said, "I would rather obey than be too respectful."

Qin Li: "The cruise is about to start, shouldn't we wait a little longer?"

Shouldn't the wine jars be arranged in a long, straight line?

Shen Tang said, "I've seen it all before, so one more time won't make a difference."

The ruler of a nation is like a fixed-location NPC; except during royal court inspections, they randomly spawn within the royal court or the Phoenix Court's territory. Shen Tang is skilled in both literature and martial arts, and is naturally immune to heat and cold, so she can't even use the excuse of going elsewhere for a summer vacation.

I've watched the night cruise on the Five Seas countless times.

Qin Li had no choice but to agree and turned to the young man.

"Please lead the way, Brother Jiang."

The young man raised his hand: "Please."

The houses in Huangting were expensive, so the young man rented a house for a short period.

It looks quite serene from the outside.

I pushed open the door and entered; there were faint sounds of people inside.

According to the young man, there is only his elderly father living in the family now.

Who's here?

“Father, this is the friend I made today.”

The young man was speaking while facing inwards, so he naturally didn't notice the strange changes in Shen Tang and Qin Li's expressions. A short while later, a middle-aged man emerged from the house. He was dressed even more simply, his hair was gray, and his face was weathered, but his eyes held a clear light.

Middle-aged man: "..."

His gaze quickly met that of Shen Tang and the other person.

"Father, how was business today?"

The middle-aged man looked away, coughed twice while covering his fist, and said in a hoarse voice, "I did more than twenty divinations today, which is alright."

The young man had previously mentioned that his father was a fortune teller.

It is said that his cultivation was extremely profound, making him a veritable demigod.

In the young man's words, there was no fortune or misfortune in this world that his father couldn't predict. His father said that he would surely gain something by going out today. At first, the young man had no clue what to do, but after overhearing the conversation between Brother Qin and his brother, he suddenly understood and his inspiration flowed.

Shen Tang: "..."

At first, I didn't believe in charlatans.

However, after meeting the person in question, she realized she should probably give it a try.

For no other reason than that the middle-aged man in disguise was actually her husband, Jiang Sheng, the Minister of War, Grand Master of the Palace, and Duke of Wen, who was on annual leave and had completely lost contact during that time!

Jiang Sheng: "..."

He clearly had no intention of acknowledging Shen Tang's identity.

He continues to play the role of the wise and shrewd father.

Shen Tang realized this but didn't expose his identity, using a false one to engage in a back-and-forth struggle with the father and son. It wasn't until late at night that Jiang Sheng quietly came to see Shen Tang: "Greetings, Your Majesty."

Shen Tang had been waiting for a long time.

"Xian Deng, what are you doing?"

Jiang Sheng sighed: "It's a long story."

He was prepared to keep it short.

ヽ(ー_ー)ノ

The last post for the fan title event has been approved. It's in the book club. If you're interested, you can participate, but remember to read the event rules first.

PS: I'm having writer's block _(:з」∠)_ Actually, I wanted to ask for leave today, but when I looked at my leave slip, I realized I only had one left, so I had to force myself to take it.

P.S.: Let me sort out how many more side stories there are for each character.

Once it's almost finished writing, add the IF line.

(End of this chapter)