The supervisor, seeing that the man in plain clothes was unfamiliar, looked puzzled and asked, "What position are you on duty for? I've never seen you before."
He stood with his arms crossed, as steady as a mountain, in the middle of the stairs.
He calmly replied, "I came from the Nanshan mine. My brothers and I secretly protected our boss on his journey to the capital."
"We're all on the same side, I'm sorry to offend you. I noticed you were acting strangely earlier and thought something had happened at the master's place."
When the man mentioned the Nanshan Mine, the supervisor's doubts were dispelled; not everyone knew about that place.
The manager and his men left to continue with their own business.
Guo Baoxian's meals were served by a special person, and there was a small kitchen on the ship to prepare three meals a day for him.
The manager soon discovered that the person who used to come to collect the food had changed.
When it was time for dinner, the manager felt something was amiss, so he personally led people upstairs with wine and food.
The man who stopped him repeated the same words.
The steward glanced at the empty corridor and said, "I have something to report to the master. Please pass it on."
"Leave the food and drink here; the host refuses to see anyone." The man's face was expressionless, and his tone left no room for argument.
The steward had been with Guo Baoxian for many years. He was capable of handling things on his own, and the master never refused him whenever he asked to see him.
The maids who used to serve him were nowhere to be seen. The steward vaguely sensed the murderous aura in the strange man's eyes and a sense of foreboding rose in his heart.
He left the food behind, turned around, and walked away.
The leftover food and wine were sent to Lin Xiangzhi's room, which made Zhu Xi extremely happy.
"Young master, the Emperor is really good. The people he sent are very considerate of us. We can continue to take on business trips in the future."
Zhu Xi completely forgot the grumbling he had made in his heart when he first arrived in Jiangzhou.
Lin Xiangzhi stared at Zhu Xi in disbelief. “Are you stupid? Even your young master has no choice. Who wants to take on such a dangerous job?”
"Oh, right, that would be disobeying the emperor's orders."
The food and wine were for two people, and Lin Xiangzhi asked Zhu Xi to eat with him.
Zhu Xi opened the window. The city lights were just coming on, and in the distance, the lights of thousands of homes on the shore twinkled like stars in the night sky.
A night breeze swept across the river, carrying a slight chill.
"Young master, we can disembark and travel by land tomorrow. If we ride at full speed, we'll be home in just two or three days."
When talking about going home, Zhu Xi's eyebrows and eyes were full of smiles.
Lin Xiangzhi picked up his wine cup, took a sip, and looked at the night view outside the window, his thoughts already drifting back to the capital.
Is she alright? I wonder if the Empress Dowager has returned to the capital yet.
When he returned to the capital, he asked the emperor for the promise that had been made to him. He wondered if the emperor would deny it.
Lin Xiangzhi was so engrossed in his thoughts that he didn't notice the scenery on the shore spinning.
Just a moment ago, Zhu Xi was engrossed in eating, but when she looked up, she saw that the scenery outside the window was unusual.
He quickly dropped his chopsticks. "Young master, look! The boat seems to be spinning!"
Lin Xiangzhi looked closely and was horrified. "Could the boat be damaged?"
Upon closer inspection, something was wrong; the ship seemed to be turning around.
Just as Lin Xiangzhi was about to get up, he heard the sound of swords clashing outside, followed by exclamations and the sound of something falling into the water, creating waves.
"Young Master, don't move. There must be a fight outside." Zhu Xi and Lin Xiangzhi didn't know martial arts. Swords and blades have no eyes, so Zhu Xi naturally didn't want his young master to go out and risk danger.
Lin Xiangzhi peered out the window and saw someone being knocked into the water at the stern of the boat.
The water surface was rippled with waves, and the river shimmered under the lights of the boat before quickly returning to calm.
Hearing the sounds of fighting outside, Zhu Xi was extremely anxious.
Guo Baoxian wielded considerable power, and he worried that his limited number of secret guards would be no match for those people.
If Guo Baoxian gains the upper hand, he will definitely check everyone on the boat after the matter is over.
He anxiously rubbed his hands together in front of the door, silently praying, "Heaven help me, this is the last chance. Please, God, protect my young master so he can arrive in the capital safely."
After several splashes, Lin Xiangzhi turned to Zhu Xi and said, "Why are you panicking? Those people are not to be trifled with."
"Young Master, why haven't the Black and White Impermanence come to tell us what's going on outside? If things are bad, this servant will jump into the river with you..."
Zhu Xi suddenly remembered that he was a terrible swimmer, and changed the subject, saying, "No, it was the young master who jumped into the river and swam to the shore to hide. If I was lucky enough to survive, I would go to the shore to find you."
Seeing that Zhu Xi was completely disoriented, Lin Xiangzhi walked to the door, making a gesture as if to open it and go out to take a look.
He believed that the Black and White Impermanence were guarding them not far from the corridor.
Zhu Xi quickly braced his back against the door, "Young Master, don't go out. It's not too late to open the door and see what's happening outside."
Lin Xiangzhi flicked Zhu Xi's forehead with his finger. "Look how scared you are. It's over outside. I'm going to check if the person in charge is still alive."
Lin Xiangzhi followed his maternal uncle south to trade, and once went to the ship's cabin to see how the helmsman operated the ship.
Even if the ship loses its helmsman, he can at least steer it to shore.
The door opened, and a dark figure descended from the sky.
"Lord Lin, everything is alright now, please rest assured." It was Hei Bai's voice.
When Zhu Xi heard Hei Bai address the young master by his real name, he knew that his worries were unnecessary.
Lin Xiangzhi stopped in his tracks and asked, "What happened outside?"
"The boat captain discovered that Guo Baoxian was trapped and tried to turn the boat around to find help while everyone was not paying attention. However, our men discovered him and captured all of Guo Baoxian's henchmen on the boat."
"Is the helmsman still there?" Lin Xiangzhi asked, taking a step forward, a faint smell of blood lingering in his nostrils.
Hei Bai and Zhu Xi stood on either side of him.
Hei Bai said, "The sailors are afraid of death and dare not disobey. The helmsman has been taken into custody."
At this moment, Lin Xiangzhi also felt the ship turning its course and continuing towards the capital.
Fortunately, there weren't many passengers on the ship, so the panic only lasted for a moment.
The guards quickly cleaned up the bloodstains on the boat by drawing water from the river.
The next morning, when everyone stepped out of their rooms, the floor was spotless, as if nothing had happened the night before.
Upon arriving at the point where the waterway connects to the land route, someone was already there to meet us.
Lin Xiangzhi and the men escorting Guo Baoxian split into two groups and proceeded separately.
The Black and White Impermanence continued to act as his coachmen, protecting him and Zhuxi as they headed to the capital.
Inside the spacious carriage, Zhu Xi looked around at the interior, her gaze settling on the soft tatami mat.
"Young master, this carriage and two horses are worth a lot of money. I don't know if it was ordered by the Emperor or if the officials who came to pick you up were just trying to flatter you."
"If you can't speak properly, then shut up."
Lin Xiangzhi glared at Zhu Xi.
Zhu Xi gave an awkward smile, "This servant wasn't referring to the young master's buttocks, but rather their attitude."
"Do you need to explain? I know perfectly well. Whoever arranged it, as long as we save money, that's all that matters."
As he spoke, Lin Xiangzhi simply lay down on the soft couch.
It must be said that those people really knew how to get things done; the carriages were spacious, and the soft couches were so comfortable that people would fall asleep as soon as they lay down.
On the flat official road, a large troop of people and horses galloped past, kicking up clouds of dust.
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