When Zheng Chao was still doubting his life, he heard Yuan Xiang add: "The reward that the Grand Commander just received was sent to us without stopping..."
Zheng Chao suddenly realized: "It's the reward I just received..."
Oh, that's okay.
For a moment just now, he couldn't help but doubt his nephew's sincerity towards him... He was so narrow-minded, he was really unworthy of being a father.
When Zheng Chao was about to reflect on this, Yuan Xiang added in a low voice: "But these things are nothing... As early as last year, the Grand Commander sent all his family assets to Jiangdu, which amounted to several million strings of cash."
After Yuanxiang finished speaking, he couldn't help but look emotional.
Zheng Chao's expression froze again: "..."
Obviously, after his emotions fluctuated back and forth between having problems and not having problems, he finally had problems.
He would not comment on his nephew's wasteful act of giving away a huge fortune...
What he really cared about was, could this be the truth behind Jing's gradual poverty? Millions of taels of silver... his nephew who was also expelled from the clan was actually richer than he had imagined...
But this wealthy nephew secretly gave away his property, and then wrote to him saying that he "could not support me"...
He reflected on his extravagant spending more than once. Sometimes he would wake up in the middle of the night and feel guilty that he had bankrupted his nephew! It is true that he spent money recklessly and was too generous, so it was indeed very expensive to raise him... But his nephew was a man with millions of dollars in assets!
Don't tell him that all the money was given to his sweetheart... A rich man of this level, if he can squeeze a little money from his fingers, he can still support him and make him fat and white. Those who want to support their uncle don't need anyone to teach them.
Such behavior clearly shows that one has no intention of supporting his uncle.
But what good would it do that boy to starve his only uncle to death? So, starving him to death was not the goal... The real goal was probably to force him to surrender to Jiangdu!
Zheng Chao looked at the boxes of valuables, and suddenly he was deeply moved - what his nephew presented to Envoy Chang Jie was more than just these boxes. What was the difference between him, Zheng Guancang, and these boxes? If there was a difference, perhaps there was a little difference... These boxes were sent by someone, but he, he ran here on his own!
Zheng Chao suddenly felt like he was a box with legs. Thinking of the more than ten pounds of weight he had lost due to starvation, he felt heartbroken.
His nephew has such a handsome face, but such a dirty heart!
Originally he thought that his nephew would only bring him frugality from luxury, but at this moment, Zheng Chao felt that he was so angry that he might be buried on the spot in the next moment.
Zheng Chao, who was about to be buried, turned around and left, saying, "It's nothing important, I'll come back another day."
Even Yuan Xiang sensed something was wrong after hearing this, so he quickly took two steps and asked, "Mr. Zheng, are you feeling unwell?"
Zheng Chao, who had already unilaterally buried himself in his heart, shook his head. His body was fine, but his corpse did look a little uncomfortable.
But seeing that Yuan Xiang was still asking more questions, Zheng Chao told the truth: "...I will go back and write a letter to Ling An."
His nephew needs to give a reasonable explanation for every ounce of flesh that fell from his body.
Zheng Chao's thoughts were very clear, he just wanted to ask for an explanation from his nephew.
As for staying to confront Chang Suining, it was absolutely impossible - as an elder, he was schemed against by his own worthless nephew, how could he have the face to confront the girl? Besides... that was his current employer, he had already come here, boarded the pirate ship, and had already laid down comfortably... what else could he do?
Naturally, he could only find his nephew to settle the score! Seeing Zheng Chao hurriedly leaving with a slightly unfriendly back, Yuan Xiang's facial features wrinkled.
Why did Uncle Zheng suddenly want to write a letter to the Grand Commander? Could it be related to what he just said?
Did he say something wrong? Yuanxiang bit his fingers nervously in his mind.
At this time, Chang Suining had come over, and seeing Zheng Chao leaving, he asked Yuanxiang, "Why did Mr. Zheng leave?"
Yuan Xiang said in a low voice with some uneasiness: "Perhaps I said something wrong. Mr. Zheng suddenly said that he wanted to go back and write a letter to the Grand Commander..."
Yuanxiang then told Chang Suining all the things he had said.
After Chang Suining heard this, his eyes suddenly revealed enlightenment.
Although Cui Jing did not tell her in detail how he "persuaded" Zheng Chao to come to Jiangdu, seeing how miserable Mr. Zheng looked when he came to Jiangdu, she could guess almost everything.
Now this is obviously a mistake.
Chang Suining didn't know for a moment whether he should worry about Zheng Chao's skill in writing the letter or Cui Jing's eyes when reading the letter in the future.
Yuan Xiang also assigned a task to his wrist in his mind - after returning home tonight, he would definitely copy the four words "be careful in what you say and do" hundreds of times!
Yuanxiang felt like crying but had no tears, but Wang Changshi was in a good mood and hummed a little tune.
Wang Yue heard Wang Changshi's little song, and Wang Yue secretly told Luo Guanlin: "...someone has sent money to our master again. I heard it's the same person as last time."
Luo Guanlin frowned as he thought about it. Who is this kind-hearted rich man who does not want to reveal his name?
"Although it is better to rely on oneself than on others, it is a good thing to have a close friend who can not only help you in times of need but also add icing on the cake..." Wang Yue sighed and looked at his close friend: "Old Qian, do you want to go to the sea sacrifice ceremony in three days?"
"You guys go ahead, I won't join in the fun."
The sea sacrifice ceremony mentioned by Wang Yue is a custom among fishermen along the coast. At first, it was a spontaneous prayer for blessings when the sea opened every year. Until the establishment of the Maritime Customs Office in Jiangdu, the Maritime Customs Office took charge of this event.
But later, the Maritime Customs Office was gradually abolished, and the preparation of this event was handed back to the fishermen. As a result, Jiangdu has not held a decent sea sacrifice ceremony by the government for many years.
Chang Suining had people start preparing for this sea sacrifice ceremony half a month ago and released the news in advance.
On the day of the Sea Sacrifice Ceremony, the sea was clear and the sky was blue with no clouds in sight.
The people had long heard that Chang Suining would personally preside over the sea sacrifice, so the ceremony was particularly lively. Some people even came before dawn just to grab a good spot.
Amid the noise of the crowd, Chang Suining, wearing the official robe of the governor, walked up to the high altar under the guidance of the ceremonial officer.
The surroundings suddenly became even more noisy.
"Governor Chang!" Gu Erlang cheered along with the people. Unable to restrain himself, he was about to approach the altar when a guard blocked him with a sword, frowned and said coldly, "Don't force me to draw my sword."
Gu Erlang suddenly came back to his senses, took a step back, and looked at the female guard with an exotic face in front of him. He recognized her at a glance and smiled to comfort her: "Why draw your sword? We are all family... and today we are here to pray for blessings, how can we see blood!"
Kang Zhi's expression remained indifferent: "Since Gu Erlang knows the importance of this matter, then he should respect himself."
Every time this second son of the Gu family appears, he has a foolish look on his face as if he doesn't know how to live or die. He always wants to get close to her family. He really looks like someone who deserves a beating.
Gu Erlang stepped back a little, and as he turned around, he muttered softly, "You have such a bad temper. It's a waste of such a beautiful exotic face..."
Beside the altar, in addition to the guards responsible for maintaining order, there were more than a hundred fishermen standing solemnly.
Soon, drum beats were heard and the sea sacrifice ceremony officially began.
The prayer flags embroidered by the fishermen fluttered in the wind under the sunlight, and the sound of drums seemed to cause ripples on the surface of the sea.
According to the process, one must first ask the sky for divination to predict good or bad luck.
The person in charge of divination for this ceremony was Wu Jue. He had observed the stars last night and measured the wind direction at sea today. He had already made a judgment in his mind, but when he got the auspicious hexagram, he still showed great joy.
[Getting a lucky hexagram, showing a happy expression, reporting it] - This is a step that must be followed in the process booklet he got.
Wu Jue, wearing a Taoist robe, showed the auspicious omen to the fishermen and people around the altar, and said to Chang Suining with a happy face: "My lord, this is a very auspicious sign! The opening of the sea this year will surely bring peace and prosperity!"
Seeing Wu Jue grinning so hard to follow the procedures, Chang Suining also joined him and smiled brightly.
Upon hearing this divination, the fishermen cheered loudly.
Chang Suining stood on the altar, facing the sea in front of him, and bowed down: "The vast yellow water will last for ten thousand years. The grace of heaven is witnessed by the sun and the moon."
The fishermen from all around also followed suit, kneeling and bowing towards the sea with a pious look in their postures and expressions.
Most of them have made their living by fishing for generations. For them, the existence of the sea is a gift from heaven. The significance of the sea sacrifice ceremony is not only to pray for a good harvest and peace, but also to express awe and gratitude to the sea.
The common people surrounding them were also infected by the solemn and pious aura of the fishermen, and they fell silent for a moment, not making any noise to offend others.
Chang Suining held up the bowl filled with rice wine with both hands and bowed three times towards the sea. Each time he bowed, he said slowly:
"I pay my respects to the sea gods, and wish the seas to be calm and peaceful."
"Secondly, I pay tribute to the heaven, earth, sun and moon, and pray for a good harvest and prosperity for all mankind."
"Three tributes to the ancient souls at sea, may they protect my people and return to peace."
After three bows, Chang Suining held the bowl in one hand and his sleeve with the other, and slowly poured the strong wine onto the altar.
Under the altar, not far away, Wang Yue, who was following the worship, looked at the figure of his master and felt the pious and vigorous spirit of the people around him. For no reason, his eyes became moist. When he stood up, he couldn't help but raised his sleeves to press the corners of his eyes.
Luo Guanlin, who was standing by, saw Wang Yue's actions, but this time he did not laugh at Wang Yue's sentimentality.
He knew where Wang Yue's feelings came from, because he had the same feelings.
Luo Guanlin rarely left the Governor's Mansion, and this was his first time to participate in such a grand and lively occasion.
Hearing and seeing are always different. At this moment, he was in this sea sacrifice ceremony, and the public sentiment he felt personally could not be concretely conveyed in those meticulous and detailed official documents.
The people's morale is rising and they all look forward to a peaceful and prosperous year.
In addition, Luo Guanlin could also clearly perceive that the vigorous morale of the people in Zhaosu contained more than just a desire for a good harvest.
Luo Guanlin raised his head slightly and looked up at the figure above the altar.
The sunlight was dazzling, and the sea-worshiping flags fluttered in the sea breeze under the blue sky, casting dancing shadows on the figure.
The mottled light and shadow blurred her appearance, and the sea breeze ruffled her clothes, but her figure was still visible, as tall and straight as a green bamboo.
She stood there, offering sacrifices to the sea on behalf of the people. Her every move showed her piety towards heaven and earth, and her compassion for the people.
She stood in this vast universe, facing the boundless ocean, yet she did not give people a sense of insignificance at all. Her spirit, form and aura were all natural and although invisible, she was indestructible.
Luo Guanlin saw this and actually felt that he had caught a glimpse of something...an indescribable aura.
At this moment, he was almost certain that she was "lying".
She said she was willing to support the Li family...
But what he saw at this moment gave him an extremely clear feeling - there was no way she could be inferior to anyone.
Luo Guanlin's eyes changed several times, and he slowly retracted his fingers in his sleeves, but he was strangely aware that he did not feel the slightest bit of anger at being "tricked".
Perhaps he couldn't imagine at this moment... who could make her willing to be under him.
On the altar, she was worshipping the gods on behalf of the people, but in the eyes of the people of Jiangdu, wasn't she also a god worthy of worship? This was another sentiment that Luo Guanlin noticed.
The people's hearts will not lie. Luo Guanlin was in it, and his mind was shocked by waves of shock.
The drumbeats gradually became cheerful, shirtless fishermen began to dance in honor of the sea, and the atmosphere was very lively.
Today, those who came to watch the Sea Sacrifice Ceremony included not only ordinary people, but also merchants headed by Jiang Hai, and literati from all over. Looking around, there were huge crowds of people and a deafening roar.
Some people have heard about the news of reopening the Maritime Customs. The reason why Chang Suining set up such a grand sea sacrifice ceremony today is, firstly, to inspire people's morale, secondly, to declare her determination to reopen the Maritime Customs, and thirdly, to create a grand occasion.
The word "grand occasion" itself has many meanings and functions.
To publicize the grand event, the pens of writers are indispensable.
Zheng Chao, who came to the "platform", took in the whole scene and was inspired to write a poem in praise of it.
Zheng Chao recited with his hands behind his back while Wang Yue's son Wang Yi wrote down the poem for him. As for why he didn't write it himself, it was firstly because reading aloud would make it seem more heroic, and secondly... his wrist really hurt.
As Zheng Chao started the movement, many scholars and literati followed suit. For a time, poems and couplets were heard one after another, and the gorgeous words danced in the sea breeze.
Wang Yue was unwilling to fall behind, so he asked someone to find paper and pen.
Wang Yue spread the paper on the drum in front of him. However, he was indecisive when it came to his words. While he was thinking and considering, he saw a hand stretched out in front of him: "Wangshan, can you lend me your pen?"
As Wang Yue raised his head, the brush in his hand was taken away.
Luo Guanlin bent slightly and picked up the pen to write. His handwriting was clear and distinct, and his strokes were like a thin plum blossom, but the force was so strong that it could be seen through the back of the paper.
Wang Yue was stunned. He leaned over, looked carefully, and recited the new poem on it in a low voice, his face gradually becoming surprised.
You must know that since his good friend became "Mr. Qian", he has never written any poetry again.
As expected, it is still the Luo Guanlin who is famous for his poems and essays.
Such a good poem will surely spread far and wide.
Looking at this poem, Wang Yue even had an urge to claim it for himself...
But he did not ask to "borrow" it. Firstly, the idea was too shameless and lacked the spirit of a scholar. Secondly, his good friend had already signed his name - the two words "Qian Shen" were signed on it.
Good night~
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