Chapter 036 Donggang Fishing Village

The Yong King put his folding fan to his lips, smiled softly, and helped him up: "You praised me, I am so happy, how can I blame you, get up quickly."

Li Qingzhou looked at Yuan Ming for help, not believing him. Then he stood up tentatively, and saw that the Yong King was not angry, so he was relieved and hid himself at the back, trying to reduce his presence.

The Yong King had not eaten breakfast yet. Soon, a group of servants came up with plates and set a full table in the pavilion.

"Have you eaten? Eat more with the king." The Yong King called.

They naturally did not dare to retort and sat down obediently. However, they had already eaten their fill in the main hall and did not use their chopsticks much. King Yong did not mind and enjoyed the food by himself. When he ate something new and delicious, he would tell his subordinates to ask the accompanying chef to learn how to make it and to ask the kitchen to make more for his guards to taste.

Yuan Ming said, "Your Highness is really kindhearted, and he is very generous and kind to his subordinates."

Yong Wang smiled and said, "After all, my life and property are entrusted to them, so it is only right that I treat them well."

Xiao Wu, who was standing by his side, quickly expressed his loyalty, "I will definitely protect my master."

After finishing a meal, it was already mid-morning. Yong Wang did not delay any longer and asked the carriage to wait outside the door. The first place he would inspect today was Fangyuan Academy in Shifang Town.

When they arrived at the academy, the dean was standing at the gate. It was unknown whether he had received the news in advance or had been waiting for a long time.

The dean was a respected old man, and Yong Wang was very polite to him. Not only did he exempt him from the etiquette, but he also respected him like an ordinary younger generation to an elder.

The school was divided into eighteen classes according to their grades. The Qingmiao class where Yuan Ming and his classmates were located had the best chance of passing the imperial examination. Before they even reached the door, they could hear the sound of students reading.

The dean didn't come to the school often, so of course the students in the Qingmiao class knew the actual situation best. So Zhao Yucheng became a temporary tour guide, walking in front, taking Prince Yong around the school and giving some explanations.

The school was not big, but it was right at the foot of the mountain, and the scenery of the back mountain was very nice. Prince Yong wanted to walk around inside, so everyone followed him.

After a round of walking, everyone was exhausted except Prince Yong, who was always supported by someone to carry water.

The dean had bad legs and feet, so he didn't climb the mountain with them, but in the end he became the most energetic person in the group.

The lunch was prepared by the dean. It was a healthy and light meal. It was very delicious to eat it suddenly.

Seeing that everyone was not in good condition, Prince Yong waved his hand and asked everyone to go back and rest for an hour, and then gather at the gate of Shifang Town in the afternoon.

Everyone thanked him again and again. Yuan Ming felt that this was the most sincere thank you after giving him gold.

After saying goodbye to his classmates, Yuan Ming returned home as quickly as possible.

Ji Qingyue had just finished her meal and was about to wash the dishes. When she saw him come back, she was surprised: "Why are you back, my husband? Have you eaten?"

"I have. The prince asked me to come back for lunch, and I thought it would be a good opportunity to take you to the jewelry store to buy a ring." Yuan Ming said.

Ji Qingyue's hands were still stained with soap foam, and he was pulled out of the kitchen by Yuan Ming.

He staggered a few steps and finally stood still, pointing at the gray-black linen clothes on his body in disbelief: "Just go like this? Won't the waiter chase us out?" This is the clothes he wore when making incense, and he is not afraid of getting it dirty or damaged.

Yuan Ming thought for a while and said, "Then go change into a new set."

"But..."

"Don't say buts, go quickly, time is tight and the mission is important." Yuan Ming said as he pushed Ji Qingyue into the bedroom.

When Ji Qingyue came out again, he was wearing a ginger-yellow wet shirt. The clothes were a little thick, which wrapped up his slender body curves. His smiling face was slightly red, which made him look much rounder.

"This dress looks nice, let's go."

Ji Qingyue nodded, took Yuan Ming's hand, and let him lead her.

He lagged behind half a step, looking at the back of Yuan Ming's head, his heart as sweet as honey. Yesterday, her husband promised him to buy a ring, but he didn't have time all day. Although he didn't say anything, he felt a little disappointed in his heart, and his efficiency in making incense in the morning became much lower.

But what he didn't expect was that Yuan Ming suddenly came back and hurriedly asked him to change clothes. In just a quarter of an hour, they came from home to the door of the jewelry store.

Standing under the vermilion plaque, Ji Qingyue still felt a little unreal.

There was not much business in the jewelry store at noon. The clerk saw them at a glance, put on a standard smile on his face, and said in a loud voice: "Please come in, my two guests. When buying jewelry, it's still about appearance. Our store has all kinds of new styles, and the nobles in Beijing think they are beautiful."

Yuan Ming said, "Look at the two rings."

The clerk knew they wanted to buy engagement rings as soon as he saw their tightly clasped hands, and his mouth grinned from ear to ear. If you want to say who has the best business, it is certainly those who come to buy things with their husbands and wives. As long as the price is not outrageously expensive, they will grit their teeth and buy it to save face.

"We have gold and silver rings. Do you want rings with jade or gemstones? You two are both born fair-skinned, and rings with gemstones will go with your skin tone and highlight your temperament."

The clerk spoke a lot in rapid succession. His mouth was quick and his hands were even faster. In the blink of an eye, several styles of rings were already on the counter in front of them. All of them were beautiful and sparkling.

"Take a look at which one you like. I'll leave the space for you. If you need anything, call me immediately." After the clerk finished speaking, he bent down and left, standing at the door of the store to continue looking for new customers.

Yuan Ming and Ji Qingyue sat on the stool in front of the counter and took the rings in their hands to look at them carefully.

Yuan Ming said, "Qingqing, pick one with gemstones, and give me a plain ring. We can wear them on weekdays, and anyone who sees us will know that we are a couple."

"Okay!" Ji Qingyue nodded heavily.

Both of them had slender fingers, and all the rings could fit them. After trying them on carefully, Ji Qingyue chose a gold ring inlaid with light blue gemstones, and Yuan Ming chose a gold plain ring.

When they went to check out, the waiter's face was almost broken with laughter. In all these years of working in the business, he had never had such an easy business. Not only did he not use the words he had prepared, but he also didn't negotiate the price in the end. When they

came out of the store, both of them had a ring on their ring fingers, and they couldn't suppress the smiles on their faces.

It took a long time to look at the rings, and Yuan Ming went out without much rest when he got home.

At the city gate, Prince Yong and his guards wearing silver masks got on the first carriage, and Yuan Ming and four others followed closely on the next one. These carriages were specially bought by Prince Yong's men. They were very spacious and more than enough for five people.

Soon, the carriage, surrounded and protected by dozens of guards, started slowly and drove towards a village below Shifang Town - Donggang Fishing Village.

Donggang Fishing Village is located at the estuary and is the largest fishing village in Shifang Town. All the seafood in the town comes from here. In order to increase the efficiency of fishing, the town governor applied for a grant from the court a few years ago to build several large fishing boats here. They set a fixed route every day and are operated by specialized sailors, striving to avoid casualties among fishermen in extreme weather while maintaining the catch.

Donggang Fishing Village is more than an hour's drive from Shifang Town. When the carriage was shaking and everyone was about to fall asleep, a faint smell of fish appeared at the tip of their noses, which was coming from the fishing village.

Many people in the carriage had never seen the sea, and they were all excited for a while.

The village chief had received orders early and led the villagers to wait for them at the entrance of the village. A group of fishermen who had never seen the world, saw the strange carriage coming, and they knelt down in a large group.

King Yong obviously did not expect such a battle. He got off the car quickly, walked to the side of the village chief, and wanted to help him up: "Don't be polite, fellow villagers. I am here to inspect on the orders of the court. I am sorry to trouble you all."

However, the villagers did not feel relaxed because of his kindness, but buried their heads even lower. The village chief was grabbed by the arm and stood up tremblingly, his eyes full of panic and fear.

Yong Wang frowned and wanted to say something, but when he looked at the large group of people kneeling on the ground, he suddenly didn't know what to say.

"Find two people to take us to see the fishing boats." The original plan was for the village chief to lead them and introduce the development and changes in the village since the boats were built, but the current situation was obviously not right. King Yong undoubtedly made things difficult for the old village chief who was over 70 years old, and added: "Find two strong young men."

Hearing this, the village chief's eyes became more worried, but he did not dare to disobey the emperor, and he could pick out two people from the crowd and said: "Ahua, Adao, you two take the adults to see the fishing boats."

As his voice fell, the two men as big as hills kneeling in the first row stood up: "I know, Dad."

It turned out to be the village chief's son.

The villagers were not able to move the carriage due to uneven ground, so they all got off the carriage and walked towards the beach under the leadership of Ah Hua and Ah Dao.

The fishing village was hiding secrets. Ah Hua and Ah Dao were not as experienced as the village chief. King Yong fired candy bombs at them at the same time, and soon, neither of them became alert.

The beach was some distance away from the entrance of the village. King Yong kept chatting with them on the way and got a lot of useful information.

For example, after the big fishing boat was built, several boatmen divided up the control and controlled the fishing boat. Ordinary fishermen not only had to pay a boat fee when getting on the boat, but also had to pay a protection fee when getting off the boat.

Another example was that with the big boat, the fishermen became poorer and poorer, and many people even went hungry all year round.

There were also those young and beautiful girls and boys. Whether they were willing or not, many of them were snatched away by the captains and their relatives and friends to be concubines, and all of them had miserable endings.

Most of these words were said by Ah Hua. Although he was big, he was only sixteen years old, which was the age when he was jealous of evil. Ah Hua also had a childhood sweetheart. The two families had met for a long time and had planned to get married at the end of last year. As a result, the girl was favored by the captain after going out, and the marriage of the two had to be cancelled. Although the girl had not been taken away, she sat at home crying every day.

After hearing these things, King Yong's face turned ashen.

The fishing boats were built by the court to improve the relationship between fishermen and civilians, but they did not expect that they would become the root of harm to them.

"It seems that my trip was not in vain." He said with a sneer.