Chapter 168 The Ship Sinks
Shen Qingtan's heart skipped a beat: "What happened?"
Liu Yue replied, "The big ship that Mr. Gu rented out sank."
“Boom—”
A loud thunder boomed, and the gray sky suddenly became dark, and the room also became dark.
The strong wind rattled the windows, foreshadowing the coming of a storm.
Shen Qingtan frowned and ordered, "Go prepare the carriage."
Liu Yue reminded: "Second Madam, Boss Gu is at the boat company."
The Gu family’s shipping company has a branch at every port where each route requires a stop.
"To the boat company."
Shen Qingtan took Liu Yue to the boat.
The carriage stopped at the door of the boat company. Shen Qingtan took out a black cloak and put it on, then put on a veil. He got off the carriage alone and walked into the boat company with an umbrella.
The boatman saw the jade pendant on Shen Qingtan's waist, took the oil-paper umbrella from her hand, and led her to a door.
The person guarding the door was Gu Zongci's personal attendant.
The attendant recognized Shen Qingtan and respectfully invited her in.
Shen Qingtan closed the door and glanced at Gu Zongci and the person in charge.
"Zhao..." Gu Zongci paused and changed his address: "Manman, you're here."
When Shen Qingtan heard this name, he was stunned for a moment.
Manman...
Is her nickname Manman?
Shen Qingtan suppressed his emotions and mentioned the purpose of the boat trip: "I heard that something happened to the boat, so I came here to take a look."
"I received news that the large ship we rented had an accident. The details are still unclear. I have to go back to Qingzhou after the rain stops." Gu Zongci frowned. "If all the ships sink, the sailors and cargo will be drowned. The loss will be heavy."
"Master, this is entirely my fault," the chief said helplessly. "That merchant bought silk, porcelain, and tea in the Great Zhou and is anxious to ship them back to Northern Qi. If he can't deliver his goods on time in two months, he'll be left with nothing and have to pay a hefty fine for breach of contract. That's why he's spending so much money to rent a ship."
"If it were anyone else, I wouldn't have agreed. I really owe him a favor," the manager said, his face pale. "Before agreeing to this, I hired someone to observe the celestial phenomena, and they said there wouldn't be any storms for the next two weeks. Since there wouldn't be a Dragon Boat Festival flood this year, I assumed there would be a drought like last year, so I agreed to rent the boat out."
Shen Qingtan asked, "Do you mean to say that you have some kind of acquaintance with the person who rented the boat?"
The chief nodded and said, "If it weren't for this, I wouldn't dare rent a boat during this critical period."
Now that things have come to this, there is no point in saying more.
"Every failure is a lesson learned. Next time you take orders during the flood season, remember to ask me." Gu Zongci carefully examined the boat charter contract in his hand again. After confirming that there was no problem, he asked, "How is Hongyun Shipping Company? Have they stopped sailing during the flood season?"
The manager's eyes flickered slightly as he said, "They maliciously compete with us, accepting orders even during the flood season, and stealing many of our customers. They also took on a large order this time. I wonder if anything went wrong."
"Hongyun Shipping Company relies on the support of people behind them, so they act without any scruples." Gu Zongci remembered that Hongyun Shipping Company had had several accidents, all of which were settled by the people behind them.
He warned: "We are honest businessmen. We just need to follow the rules and we will avoid a lot of trouble."
"Master, I won't dare act so arrogantly again. This time, I will take full responsibility for what happened to the ship." The master was afraid that the danger of the ship was beyond his estimation, so he said nervously, "Shall I rush back today to investigate the situation?"
"It's useless to go back now." After reading the boat charter contract, Shen Qingtan said, "Wait until the rain stops."
The person in charge heard the sound of raindrops hitting the tiles above his head. He pursed his lips and said nothing. He looked at Gu Zongci beside him, waiting for him to speak.
Gu Zongci glanced at Shen Qingtan, his heart moved slightly, and he repeated: "Let's go back after the rain stops."
-
In the study in the front yard of Marquis Cheng'en's mansion, Marquis Cheng'en put his hands behind his back and watched the raindrops hitting the tiles, forming a curtain of water that flowed down and gathered into a small puddle on the ground.
Suddenly, a foot stepped on a puddle and mud and water splashed.
The visitor was completely unaware and hurried to the door of the study. He took off his straw raincoat and said, "My Lord, I have something important to report."
"Come in." Marquis Cheng'en said.
The confidant pushed the door open and saw Shen Shaohuai and Madam Shen sitting on the couch, and Marquis Cheng'en was still standing in front of the window.
"My Lord, all those ships have sunk." The confidant said in a relaxed tone, "This heavy rain came just in time. The large ships have all sunk, so it won't arouse suspicion from others."
"It's all sunk."
"It's all sunk."
Marquis Cheng'en stared at the puddle for a long time until a withered yellow leaf fell and floated on the water. On such a rainy day, there was a special kind of desolation.
He looked up at the big tree in the yard, which was full of fresh green.
When the dead leaves fall, new buds will grow.
Just as the old forces fall, new ones will rise to replace them.
The "food" from Qingzhou was shipped out, the big ship sank, and everything went according to plan.
Marquis Cheng'en pondered and said, "Go and keep an eye on the Gu family and see how they react."
"Yes." The confidant left in a hurry again.
There was a brief silence in the study.
After a moment, Madam Shen put down her teacup and said, "My Lord, the Gu family has made contributions, and the Emperor has commended them, so we are even. This time the ship sank, and not only was all the food lost, but there were also sailors and soldiers transporting the food on board. This is a serious matter, and the Gu family should not try to use their merits as an excuse. They should be held accountable."
Marquis Cheng'en said in a deep voice, "Of course I know."
Madam Shen raised her eyebrows: "Then why do you look so worried? Are you worried that something might happen to Shen Qingtan?"
Shen Shaohuai, who was standing by, said, "Mother, the emperor has entrusted this matter to father. The ship sank, and the food was lost, so he has to take responsibility."
"What's the big deal?" Madam Shen said disapprovingly, "No matter how big the deal is, your father will only be dismissed from his post and investigated, but he won't lose his head. If the Qingzhou incident is exposed, your father won't be able to pay with just one head. Everyone in our family will lose their heads as well."
When Marquis Cheng’en heard Madam Shen’s words, his expression suddenly changed.
Madam Shen continued, "Now that the Qingzhou incident has been resolved, we no longer have to worry about being exposed. As long as Prince Yu doesn't fall, when he takes that position in the future, your father will not only be reinstated, but he might even be promoted."
In Madam Shen's opinion, this plan has advantages and no disadvantages. Prince Yu will protect Marquis Cheng'en no matter what, and in the end it will only be a minor punishment.
Marquis Cheng'en knew this. When the emperor issued this decree, Prince Yu's letter came along, signaling him to go ahead and get the matter done, and that he would cover for him.
These words coming out of Mrs. Shen's mouth were very harsh.
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