When the two families living in the princess's mansion heard that Qingtian wanted to go out to sea, they were in an uproar.
Everyone wanted to persuade Qingtian to give up this idea.
Ye Changxue almost beat Ye Xianglei up for this, thinking that it was because of him that Qingtian was corrupted by going out to sea.
Everyone in the family was worried about Qingtian's safety, and they also felt that a round trip out to sea took too long.
Prince Rui and Princess Rui's attitudes were relatively mild.
"Sunny, what is it about the West that attracts you so much that you have to go there?"
"That's right, there are so many Westerners in Da Qi now. If you want to know something, Dad will ask someone to come back and tell you.
"Even if they don't know, Dad can just ask someone to go to the West and invite some teachers to come back and explain it to you."
The Ye family knew even less about the West, and therefore had even more worries.
Old Madam Ye took Qingtian's hand and said, "Qingtian, grandma is old. If you go to the West and don't come back for several years, if something happens to grandma, she won't even be able to see you for the last time!"
"Grandma, you're in good health. Stop scaring yourself. It doesn't take as long to go abroad these days. You can come back in just over a year."
And there are plenty of reasons for wanting to go out on sunny days.
“I have indeed come into contact with many Westerners in Da Qi. Although they all yearn for Da Qi’s prosperity and the people’s peaceful lives, they think that life here is far better than in their hometowns.
“But the people over there have many clever ideas that we, the people of Da Qi, don’t have.
“Not to mention the glass, clocks, glasses, and clairvoyance they brought back from the West.
"Take the steam engines used on ships today, for example; they are something we haven't invented yet.
"So I wanted to go to the West and see how many skilled craftsmen there are.
"If we can learn their ingenuity and methods, with the wisdom and ingenuity of the people of Daqi, we will definitely invent more and better things."
Although Prince Rui was reluctant and worried, he also knew that Qingtian had always been a very independent child.
She will never change her mind easily.
Prince Rui felt mixed emotions for a moment, but he was mostly proud of his daughter for being so outstanding and independent.
*
A year later, in early spring, Tianjin Port was bustling with people coming and going.
In recent years, due to the advancement of shipbuilding technology, Da Qi's shipping has developed by leaps and bounds.
Going to sea is no longer the dangerous business that you have to put your head on the belt like it was in the early years.
A few years ago, Westerners applied steam engines to ships, which shortened the one-way travel time from one or two years by sailing to four to six months today.
In recent years, the grain production in Da Qi has increased year by year, the people's lives have become prosperous, and many Westerners have come to Da Qi every year.
There are also more and more Da Qi merchants willing to cross the ocean to make money in the West.
Qin Songyin invested in a shipyard and a caravan a few years ago. Now, the Qin family's ocean-going caravan is not only the largest in Da Qi, but it has even opened its own trading company in Great Britain to receive compatriots from Da Qi who come to Great Britain to do business, providing them with various food, accommodation, translation and business assistance.
If not for this, Prince Rui would never agree to Qingtian's request to sail to the West.
Although there were many people on the dock, the three large ships docked in the deep-water dock were still very eye-catching and attracted everyone's attention.
"Dad, look, those three ships over there are so tall and big, as tall as three-story buildings!"
"Didn't you see the word Qin on the flag? That's the big ship that the Qin family is sailing to the Western Ocean."
"Dad, I want to go to the West when I grow up!"
"Then you have to study hard and learn Western languages. You can't fall asleep while reading like you do now."
As the father and son were talking, they heard a commotion not far away. A team of Yulin Guards came in and separated the crowded crowd, clearing a path.
Soon, more than a dozen carriages drove into the dock and stopped directly on the deep-water dock.
The people on the dock began to whisper, wondering who this important person was.
Soon, the carriage door opened and many people got off the carriage one after another.
Leading the way were Qingtian and Qin Hexuan. Prince Rui and his wife and the Ye family also came to the dock to see them off.
Sitting in the carriage at the back were the female students who were going to the West with Qingtian.
They were wearing the same horse-faced skirt and carrying the small leather suitcases given to them by the female students. After getting off the car, they gathered together and instantly caused a sensation at the dock.
Many people had known before that the princess would take the girls' school students to the West, but they didn't expect to meet her on the dock. Everyone couldn't help but stop and stretch their necks to look over here.
At Qingtian's signal, Madam Lu took the students from the girls' school and boarded the boat first.
On sunny days, he stayed downstairs to say goodbye to his family one by one.
Qin Songyin and Mrs. Qin also came along.
Qin Songyin looked at his son, who was almost as tall as himself, and said in a deep voice, "Hexuan, when you get to Great Britain, go find our business first. Kang Ximin is the manager there. If you need anything, just tell him.
"This time when you go there, you can take the opportunity to learn about the situation of the business back home.
"It also prevents the people over there from feeling that the emperor is far away and becoming too lazy and not doing their job properly."
Mrs. Qin couldn't bear to listen any longer, so she pushed him aside and told her son, "Hexuan, your luggage has already been put on the boat. I have also prepared a medicine box for you, and there is also a doctor on board.
"You must take good care of yourself and Qingtian on this journey, do you hear me?"
"Mother, don't worry!" Qin Hexuan said, "We have three ships in total. Not only do we have guards from Prince Rui's Palace, but the emperor has also sent two royal ships to protect us along the way. There will definitely be no problem."
Compared with Qin Hexuan's side, the number of people who pulled Qingtian aside to give him instructions was several times greater.
After a round of soothing on a sunny day, I was already exhausted and thirsty.
The female students who boarded the ship early had already been arranged, with two people sharing a room.
Since Shen Nianzhi learned the news that the princess was going to take people out to sea, he began to study Western languages diligently.
After a year of hard work, she finally made it and boarded the ship today.
After she put away her suitcase, she couldn't help but pull her roommate Sister Qin onto the deck.
They came on deck just in time for a sunny day to board the ship.
Looking at the clear sky, Shen Nianzhi's eyes flashed with admiration, and she grabbed Sister Qin's hand and said, "Sister Qin, look, the princess is on the boat too. Are we about to set off?"
"That should be the case!" Sister Qin couldn't tell for a moment whether she was excited or scared, and her voice trembled uncontrollably.
"I never thought that there would be a day when I could board a ship and sail to Great Britain." Shen Nianzhi said, and suddenly choked up.
Sister Qin held her hand and said firmly, "Running away from home to attend the girls' school was definitely the best decision we ever made."
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