"Go, go, bring An'er back as soon as possible. There's a long road ahead, no need to rush to say anything." Old Mrs. Li readily let him go, as long as her grandson was safe and sound.
Li Zhensheng immediately pulled his son and nephews to the study in the outer courtyard.
As soon as he entered, Li Zhensheng said, "Xi Ge'er, tell me in detail what you encountered at sea and what news you brought back. Don't miss anything. I need to make arrangements in advance and be prepared."
Reporting only good news and not bad news is something that almost all of the Li family's children who live away from home are good at.
Needless to say, the journey to sea will definitely not be as easy as Xige'er just described.
Jiaxi knew she couldn't hide it, nor could she keep it a secret.
So he began to explain in detail from the beginning.
"After we had been at sea for a month, the fleet was separated due to a storm, and my boat and Ang'er's boat ran aground on a large island."
"My mentor and I from the Foreign Affairs Department were seriously injured, and the ship also needed major repairs, so we stayed in the area."
"During this period, we established diplomatic relations with local small countries and received a lot of help. Unfortunately, my master eventually fell seriously ill and passed away. We received the official letter, seal, envoy's staff, and the like."
"My..."
At this point, he blushed slightly, coughed twice, and said, "Well, I met the princess of this small country, and we got married..."
"What?! You're married?!" Li Zhensheng, Jiayi, and the others exclaimed in surprise.
Jiayi patted his younger brother's shoulder hard, both amused and exasperated, "You little rascal, you're really something! That was fast!"
Cat Brother jumped over like a monkey and teased Xi Ge'er, "Brother, tell me quickly, what does your sister-in-law look like? Is she like those foreigners on the street, with blond hair and blue eyes?"
Since Jiaxi had already brought it all up, he simply confessed everything.
"No, my wife's name is Aibei. She's just a bit dark-skinned, with big eyes and a high nose. She doesn't have blonde hair or blue eyes. She's in the fleet; she'll be back in a few days, and you'll see her then."
“After I got married, I continued to go to sea with Angor and his men. When we went to pick up Aibe on our return journey a while ago, we learned that she had given birth to a son for me. Moreover, the old king had passed away, and she had become the new queen.”
"This time, she handed over the reins of government to her younger brother and brought her child with me. Firstly, she's coming back to my husband's family home with me, and secondly, she's visiting our Tianwu..."
After he finished speaking, no one responded for a long time; the air in the room seemed to freeze.
After a long while, Cat Brother finally jumped up, grabbed his older brother, and shouted excitedly.
"Brother, you actually married the Queen! The Queen!"
Jiayi and Liu Yang also stepped forward and patted Jiaxi hard on the back.
Jiayi laughed heartily, "You little rascal, you've really made a fortune in silence! Getting married is one thing, but you actually married a queen! You're simply... simply mind-blowing!"
Liu Yang chimed in, "Others would surely die in a storm, but you not only escaped with your life, you also married a queen! Your luck is simply incredible!"
Jiaxi scratched the back of his head, feeling smug inside, but still trying to be modest, "I don't know what happened either, hehe, anyway, that's how it is!"
Li Zhensheng slapped the boys aside, pulled Jiaxi back to sit down, and asked, "Brother Xi, now that your wife has come back with you, will she go back to her country? If you just abandon the government like this, won't her brother usurp the throne?"
"Also, you married a foreign woman outside the family. Was that to provide a way out for your family?"
Upon hearing this, Jiayi, Liu Yang, and Maoge'er all sat down, their expressions becoming more serious.
Old ginger is spicier!
Jiaxi was not surprised at all; his uncle had guessed his and Ange'er's plans right away!
“Uncle, Aibei and I did get married because we loved each other. But there are dangers at sea. When Ange’er and I decided to continue our journey, we were afraid that she would suffer with me, so after discussing it with her, we left her behind.”
"At the time, I intended to use Abe's country as a supply station, so I could dock there without worry on my way back. But I never expected that Abe would have my child and become queen."
"His younger brother is only eight years old. He was raised by Aibei since he was a child, and they have a very good relationship. He likes to draw and read, but he doesn't like politics. So for the time being, there is no possibility of him usurping power."
“I’ve discussed it with Anger. If the family allows, I can live in her country with Aibe and the children.”
"Her country could also be our family's last resort, and it wouldn't be difficult to use it as a transit point to reach even more distant maritime countries."
"Of course, it would be even better if the family didn't need this backup plan."
"In the future, even if we are separated by sea for a month, it won't be difficult for us to come back and visit each other."
Li Zhensheng sighed inwardly, feeling both gratified and heartbroken.
The children in the family have really grown up. Almost all of them have seen the dangers and shortcomings behind the family's current prosperity. They are doing their best to add wings to the family and find a way out if necessary.
"Alright, Uncle understands." Li Zhensheng nodded, then thought for a moment and asked, "Are there any other envoys from foreign countries in your fleet?"
“Yes, Uncle,” Jiaxi replied. “In the past three years, we have visited seven or eight countries, and almost every country has sent envoys back with us to visit Tianwu.”
"But these envoys are almost all of low rank in their own countries, so even if they encounter danger at sea, it will not cause any loss to their countries."
"If we must discuss status, then of course, the one with the highest status is Queen Abe."
Li Zhensheng nodded repeatedly, "If Aibei and the child come back to acknowledge their ancestors, it will naturally be a matter for our Li family."
"But now that she is visiting as a queen, along with envoys from other countries, we must report this to the court."
"The Marquis is about to lead his troops to reclaim Jiangbei. The entire Tianwu is in high spirits. At this time, all nations will come to offer their congratulations. I believe the Emperor and the court will be extremely pleased."
"In a little while, I will take you and Jiayi to see General Tang of the Hailan Army and ask him to send warships to welcome the envoy's fleet. We also need him to write the report."
“But I will write to the Marquis in private, explaining your affair with the Queen, and then the Marquis will tell the Emperor. That way, once you arrive in the capital, even if others want to sow discord, they will lose the initiative.”
“Okay, Uncle, please make the arrangements. We will listen to you.” Jiaxi quickly replied.
No matter how much he and Jia'an learned at sea, it was only the ability to deal with natural risks.
When it comes to guessing people's hearts and minds, we're still far from being good at it.
Now that we're home, listening to our elders in everything is the wisest thing to do.
Li Jiayi patted his younger brother on the shoulder and laughed, "You guys came back just in time. I'm getting married in a few days."
"You'll need at least half a month to rest and recuperate here in Quanzhou. You can go back to Xindu after the wedding banquet."
Remembering this, Li Zhensheng quickly instructed his sons, "If your grandmother wants to go back to Xindu with the fleet, you must help me persuade her to stay."
"This year, the Marquis intends to recapture Jiangbei. Once successful, the situation in Xindu and the imperial court will inevitably undergo significant changes. No one can say for sure what the specifics will be."
Their families are at ease knowing they're in Quanzhou. And if anything happens, they don't have to worry about being caught red-handed.
Everyone nodded.
Jiaxi suddenly remembered something and said, "Uncle, I have a ready-made reason here."
"What reason?" Li Zhensheng asked curiously.
Two chapters delivered~
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