Chapter 978 Can't Afford It
King Luo had always had the idea of building a shipyard, but due to numerous difficulties, he remained only an idea and never put it into action.
"Lin girl, you don't know anything about the outer seas, do you?"
Luo Wang once read a travelogue about a scholar who mistakenly boarded a ship bound for the open sea and drifted at sea for more than a year. Fortunately, the ship did not encounter any major storms and returned safely.
The strange and unusual events were recorded by the scholar.
Where can I find travelogues?
Lin Yuesha understands the outer seas, but not the outer seas of this era, which interests her greatly.
The Great Qi Dynasty was closed off from the world, and its people were quite prejudiced against those with different backgrounds. They treated people like Yuwen Kun, who had blue eyes, as monsters.
"It was burned down, what a pity."
After reading the travelogue, the Prince of Luo was greatly surprised to find that a group of people also lived in some corner of the sea.
Those people had exposed arms and legs, dressed in extremely bizarre ways, and there were even blonde, blue-eyed beauties, almost like monsters from folk tales.
The outer seas are not lacking in skilled craftsmen, and their level is even higher than that of the artisans of the Great Qi. They can make more dazzling jewelry and music boxes that can sing.
When ships returning from the open sea arrived, several shops immediately opened in the capital, and goods from the open sea became incredibly popular, highly sought after by high-ranking officials and nobles.
"Those big merchants in the capital have a nose that's even sharper than a dog's."
After Luo Wang finished speaking, he helplessly spread his hands. Everyone learned that going out to sea to do business was a risky business, but the benefits were huge and extremely tempting. Small illegal boats kept setting sail from Yingcheng.
Unfortunately, the open sea was far away, and the weather at sea was unpredictable. There was also a lack of experienced sailors. Despite repeated attempts to probe, no one was ever found, and they all perished at sea.
This action caused considerable repercussions, all because of the travelogue. In a fit of anger, the court banned the travelogue, and all copies were burned, including the one in the possession of the Prince of Luo.
Lin Yuesha felt it was a great pity; if the travelogue were still available, she could at least have learned about the local customs and culture of the outer seas.
Anyone with a discerning eye could see the enormous profits involved, and Qi Heng, in particular, had long planned to build a shipyard.
"Craftsman Lu is capable; perhaps he can really succeed this time."
Luo Wang glanced at the sky and made an appointment with Lin Yuesha to set off the next day.
Qi Heng recommended candidates who had served on the battlefield and had distinguished themselves in battle, some of whom were subordinates of the Prince of Zhenbei.
For the wounded soldiers, those with a conscience would give a portion of the compensation money as resettlement allowance. However, if they encountered corrupt officials, the compensation money would be repeatedly deducted, leaving them with almost nothing.
After Lin Yuesha and Luo Wang reached an agreement, she went to Zhao Jingya to discuss business. She was concerned about the military supplies in the Northwest and needed a large quantity of sea cucumbers.
In the early stages, Lin Yuesha's workshop had not yet been established, and she could only operate on a small scale, unable to keep up with the supply.
"Sister Yue Sha, there are two fishing boats in the garrison. They used to be used for sea fishing, but they are now idle. Since they are just sitting idle, I'll give them to you."
Without Lin Yuesha's help, the garrison would have been targeted by the Wei family, leading to the destruction of the family and the deaths of its inhabitants.
The Wu family launched a counterattack and seized half of Yingcheng. The Zhao family immediately changed their attitude, and her snobbish father came to visit with lavish gifts.
Zhao Jingya was too lazy to argue with her father. When the Wu family was in trouble, the Zhao family, as her maternal family, wouldn't even let her in the door. Now that there was something to gain, she immediately came to get close to him and take advantage of him.
Her father-in-law was a kind man, and out of gratitude that the Zhao family was her in-laws, he invited them in and treated them well. However, Zhao Jingya felt very uncomfortable and guilty.
The Zhao family severed ties back then, and now they're trying to take advantage of us again. They're shameless!
When her father asked her for help, Zhao Jingya refused and was scolded by her father for being unfilial.
"It's said that once a daughter is married, she's like water spilled from a cup. Once the water is spilled, it's already dried up. Now you want to take her back? It's not that easy."
Zhao Jingya was very upset about this.
Her father-in-law, Commander Wu, treated her like his own daughter and didn't want to embarrass the Zhao family.
In Zhao Jingya's opinion, she shouldn't have let her father in.
"Sister Zhao, what's done is done. Try to think more positively and don't dwell on it."
Lin Yuesha comforted Zhao Jingya, saying that the Zhao family's actions were indeed not very ethical, but they were also understandable, as they were simply afraid of being implicated and getting burned.
Zhao Jingya is currently pregnant and needs to rest for the first three months, so worrying about these things is pointless.
What has happened cannot be changed, but it's enough to have a sense of justice in your heart.
We usually get along well, but it's only when we encounter real difficulties that we truly test our abilities.
“Sister Yue Sha, you’re right.”
Zhao Jingya sighed. If she made a scene, her in-laws would lose face. She was just upset, but after Lin Yuesha gave her some advice, she came to terms with it.
Feeling restless with nothing to do, Zhao Jingya helped Lin Yuesha set up a small workshop to buy dried sea cucumbers.
"Don't worry, the villagers don't eat this stuff, the common people don't eat it. In the past, when the villagers caught it in their fishing nets, they would just leave it on the beach and nobody wanted it. They would even complain that it was too heavy to carry back."
Zhao Jingya found the children in the village and promised them ten copper coins for drying a basketful. The children were eager to earn some pocket money.
"A shrewd merchant, all merchants are shrewd."
Lin Yuesha gave a thumbs up, saying that Zhao Jingya's hiring of child laborers had greatly reduced their burden.
"No, I don't deserve that."
Zhao Jingya is down-to-earth in business; she's not very cunning, and when it comes to scheming, she's no match for Lin Yuesha.
Lin Yuesha's intervention caused Yuwen Kun and Li Ruoshuang a great deal of trouble.
The two men were desperately trying to escape, and Zhao Jingya saw it all clearly. She never imagined that the city lord of Sishui City could be in such a sorry state.
Unable to continue the conversation, Lin Yuesha explained the subsequent arrangements, and the next day she and Prince Luo took a carriage straight to a rural area in Yingcheng.
The first person on the list was a man named Tian Dali, who had once served as a centurion under the Prince of Zhenbei.
Two years ago, barbarians harassed the Northern City of the Great Qi. Tian Dali led his men to kill them, but was injured while protecting his men.
As a result, one of his legs was almost crippled, and he had to retire from the army.
I heard that the person in charge of military supplies under the Prince of Zhenbei had a quarrel with Tian Dali, and most of the compensation money originally given to him was withheld.
Qi Heng valued Tian Dali because of his character; Tian Dali deserved to be treated well.
“Lin girl, Qi Heng is the kind of person who won’t do anything without a profit. He saw that Tian Dali was honest, kind and righteous, and guessed that he wasn’t doing too well, so he asked us to invite him back.”
King Luo was familiar with Qi Heng's tactics, so Tian Dali was naturally grateful and worked diligently from then on, willingly being exploited by Qi Heng, a heartless man, and serving him like a slave.
"Don't let Qi kid fool you."
Thinking of Qi Heng's many misdeeds, the Prince of Luo was filled with resentment. He tried to educate Lin Yuesha, but the smarter Lin Yuesha became, the more troubled Qi Heng became.
Those who are fond of scheming will eventually trap themselves in their own trap, thus pleasing the King of Luo.
“But Uncle, you said on your deathbed that your greatest wish was to see me and Qi Heng get married.”
Lin Yuesha blinked; the contrast before and after was too great.
Continue read on readnovelmtl.com
