Chapter 398 Arson
"Even if we build at full speed, it will take three months?"
After listening to the Grand Canal Governor's explanation, Shen Yuexi stared at the bustling shipyard in front of her, stunned. She had never imagined that building a ship would be so difficult. She had thought that strength in numbers could solve all problems.
"This is the fastest speed possible when all the raw materials are available," Governor Ren pointed at the mountain of oak logs. "Otherwise, the oak logs needed to build the ship would have to be air-dried for at least three years before they could be used as hull material."
Xiao Zhuo said, "The Queen of Xiliang and the Governor of Anzhou have been kidnapped. We can't wait three months."
Zhao Mu also echoed: "Can't it be faster?"
Governor Ren said, "Prince An, General. Three months is the fastest. Since I received the news, all the craftsmen in the shipyard have been working non-stop for the past two weeks."
Zhao Mu patted Governor Ren on the shoulder and said, "If we add ten times the manpower, the speed will naturally be ten times faster. The ninety-day construction period can be shortened to nine days."
Governor Ren was so flattered that his teeth were bared in disbelief. He thought, "Based on the general's calculations, if we added a hundred times the manpower, wouldn't the ship be finished by tomorrow?" His position was not as high as Zhao Mu's, and he didn't dare point out Zhao Mu's mistakes, so he could only smile apologetically.
As Zhao Mu was giving instructions, a maid came up to the group and said, "Prince An, Princess An's accommodation has been arranged."
Xiao Zhuo held Shen Yuexi's hand and said, "Yuexi, it's hot and humid outside, and the air is bad. Let me take you back to the guest room."
Shen Yuexi knew that Xiao Zhuo's excuses were mainly due to his concern for her safety. Being outside was indeed dangerous; a fatal bullet could strike from anywhere, and that was no joke. So, she obediently followed Xiao Zhuo back.
After walking for a distance, Shen Yuexi looked back and saw that Zhao Mu was still arguing loudly with Governor Ren, still discussing the issue of adding more manpower.
"So the scaffolding can't hold so many people. Why didn't you tell me that earlier? Oh, and why didn't you let the workers continue working at night?"
"General, the ships are made of wood. If we continue at night, we'll need torches for lighting. A spark could start a fire."
"Oh, that makes sense. Zhao has wronged you."
Shen Yuexi turned around and said to Xiao Zhuo, "Husband, what is the name of this ship? I can ask Daxiong to build it."
Although the ship was large, it was still not as impressive as the walls of Shengjing. She estimated that with the power of Big Bear, she could build at least three or four.
Xiao Zhuo said, "An ordinary warship can carry hundreds of people, and a larger ship can carry thousands. A ship of this size can only be built in an open space in a shipyard. The assassin must be watching us in secret, so it's better not to take the risk."
"Okay," Shen Yuexi didn't force it and looked towards the fish market, "Husband, I want to eat seafood."
Xiao Zhuo smiled and said, "I guessed you would ask this, so I've asked Xia Lan to arrange it. Go to the inn and rest first. Your sister-in-law is already waiting inside."
The two entered the inn and went upstairs. Xiao Zhuo walked them to the door of the guest room and said, "I have booked the entire inn. There are soldiers guarding outside. You and your sister-in-law can move around freely, but remember not to open the windows to avoid being seen by assassins. I will go and take care of the warship construction first."
Thinking of the delicious seafood that would be served soon, Shen Yuexi couldn't help but lick her lips and waved to Xiao Zhuo, saying, "Husband, come back early and rest."
She said goodbye to Xiao Zhuo and entered the room. Su Mo came up to her and said, "Sister-in-law, you are so brave. Why did you walk so far? What if my mother's assassin saw us?"
The guest room they were staying in was on the second floor of the inn, consisting of two rooms. From the window of the inner room, one could see the sea in the distance and a corner of the shipyard. Liuli, the parrot, was clinging to the window, chirping and pecking here and there, seemingly very curious.
In the outer room, there was an octagonal table and several round stools. Shen Yuexi sat down at the table and said, "I went out for some fresh air. I'm back now. The island must be heavily defended. Ten warships aren't enough. The general is negotiating with the governor to speed up the process."
The two talked for half an hour, and Xia Lan and two maids brought in the prepared dishes, including fish slices in fermented rice wine, fried cuttlefish with chives, steamed swimming crab, shark fin soup, blanched shrimp, steamed fish dumplings... There were six or seven large bowls in total, plus various seasoning plates, filling up the eight-immortal table.
"Master, these are all freshly killed and cooked at the restaurant next door," Xia Lan said with a smile as she placed the fish on the table. "They were all just caught from the sea today. Come and try some."
Seeing the table full of seafood, Shen Yuexi was in a good mood and asked Xia Lan to prepare a portion for Xiao Zhuo and Zhao Mu as well. She washed her hands, sat back at the table, rolled up her sleeves, picked up a steaming big crab and was about to open it.
Su Mo was arranging the dishes and chopsticks. Seeing this, she quickly stopped him and said, "Sister-in-law, crabs are cold, don't eat them directly. I'll make you some ginger vinegar sauce to dip it in later."
Shen Yuexi stuck out her tongue, put the crab back into the bowl, and took a steamed dumpling and put it in her mouth instead.
Seeing that she didn't even use chopsticks, Su Mo suppressed her laughter and stood up to get a small bowl. She put the chopped ginger in it, poured vinegar, and placed it in front of Shen Yuexi. Then she picked up the scissors and cut the crab legs while saying:
"Sea crabs aren't full this month. October is the best time to eat them. I ate one in October when I first married Bei Heng. My father was still alive then..."
When Shen Yuexi heard her mention Xiao Ming, a trace of resentment crossed her brows. She consoled him, "Sister-in-law, it was mother who turned you into this for her own selfish reasons. She made you cold-blooded and cruel since you were little. It's not your fault."
"What about mother?" Su Mo looked up at her. "She has done so many wrong things. Will you kill her when we get to the island?"
Shen Yuexi was stunned for a moment and thought, yes, if I meet Pei Jingyun, how should I treat her?
Pei Jingyun was Xiao Ming's legal wife, and even though Xiao Zhuo was Wen Yi's son, he had to address Pei Jingyun as his mother. Given Xiao Zhuo's past behavior, he obviously wouldn't kill Pei Jingyun. However, Pei Jingyun deeply hated Wen Yi and wouldn't stop wanting to kill her.
It seems the only way is to persuade Pei Jingyun to stop. As for what price Pei Jingyun and Xiao Beiheng will pay for their actions, let Xiao Zhuo decide.
It’s good to have a husband. You can just push all the troubles to him.
"That's our mother. How could we hurt her?" She scooped a bowl of shark fin soup with a spoon and handed it to Su Mo. "But mother must stop chasing us."
Su Mo took the bowl and said, "Bei Heng and I followed my brother and his wife to persuade Mother. Once the boat is built, we'll go to the island to meet her."
Shen Yuexi nodded, scooped up the shark fin soup and took a sip. She found it extremely delicious. It was true that fresh seafood was delicious.
"Drink it quickly, sister-in-law, it tastes really good."
After dinner, Su Mo set up a game of Go and the two played against each other.
Su Mo's Go skills are only average, but against Shen Yuexi, who has only a limited understanding of the game, it's hard for her to lose. After three games, Shen Yuexi was completely defeated by Su Mo. Unconvinced, Shen Yuexi called Xia Lan over for advice, but they both lost to Su Mo.
After lunch, it was Shen Yuexi's turn to set up the Go board, determined to beat Su Mo. Su Mo had no choice but to teach her as she played. Shen Yuexi then realized that her Go skills were only at an entry-level level, the kind that even Su Mo couldn't teach her to beat.
In the end, Su Mo had no choice but to make a few stupid moves on purpose, which helped Shen Yuexi win the game.
Shen Yuexi was overjoyed when she realized it was already dark. She had no idea that playing Go was such a time-consuming process.
Just as she was about to go find Xiao Zhuo, Liuli flew out from the inner room and circled around her, calling, "Good luck to Yuexi, go go go..."
Shen Yuexi thought Liuli was hungry and was about to get some bird food when Su Mo came out from the inner room and said, "Sister-in-law, come and see, there's a fire outside."
After Su Mo reminded her, Shen Yuexi saw a faint red light flashing from the window of the inner room.
She ran to the window and gently opened it a crack. She immediately saw a blazing fire in the shipyard in the distance, the flames illuminating half the sky red. She could faintly hear the noisy shouts of people and the rapid sound of clappers.
"The shipyard doesn't work at night," she said to Su Mo after closing the window, "This is arson."
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