Chen Shurong warned the whole mansion that for the sake of the young master and young lady, no one should be shy about mentioning the Second Master, and just assume that he is out dealing with the bad guys and his return date is uncertain.
They understood that the princess had accepted it, but still wanted to hide it from the two young masters, so they all agreed.
In the following days, the two little ones would always receive gifts carefully selected by their biological father, and would often look forward to what good things their heroic father would send back next time.
Whenever there was no one around in the middle of the night, Chen Shurong would open a box, which contained the largest night-shining pearl. She had never seen one so big and bright in the palace.
Every time I opened it, the man's teasing voice would automatically appear in my ears: "Rongrong, let's put this night pearl in the bed curtain from now on, and watch it every day, okay?"
He was always bold and shameless, and asked her to remember the size so that he could check it for her next time.
Putting the box down, she covered her face and said that he was shameless. She was not much better and actually measured it.
He was so amused that he covered his mouth and laughed, not daring to make a sound. Then he used his two claws to measure her and told her to take good care of herself. He liked it.
Don’t think about it anymore. The more I think about it, the more I miss him.
Get up, put the box back, lie down and go to sleep.
I don’t know what she was thinking about, but her ears turned red again and she pulled the quilt to cover her face.
It took a long time to open it, and his face turned red.
…
Since Chen Shurong had always disagreed to hold a funeral for Xie Yunzhao, the Duke of Lu's Mansion had been saying that the second young master was missing and had not held the funeral.
His official position was retained for him, Gu Kaizhi was promoted to the sixth rank, and Lu Ziqian was conferred the seventh rank.
The two of them would personally lead the navy and protect the merchant ships carrying the treasury as they went out to sea.
Many merchant ships were still robbed at sea, but Princess Yongjia's navy took fixed routes and there were treasury signs on the ships, so no one dared to rob them.
When not going out to sea, Lu Ziqian would often drink, set up a table with side dishes and two wine glasses, and clink glasses with the air while mumbling thanks to Er. He was saved by him and got an official position because of him, but he is no longer here.
Apart from official business, Gu Kaizhi seldom spoke to him. It was because of him that his elder brother disappeared.
As the days passed, the two of them had been guarding the maritime business for half a year. Li Chen felt that after so long, the treasury should have some revenue.
He wrote a letter to Shen Shurong and sent an auditor to see whether the treasury could take out the silver.
He planned to build a pavilion to ascend to heaven and then build the best palace for his favorite concubine.
Shen Shurong received the visitors according to the rules and showed them the account book without reservation.
Several accountants nodded while calculating on their abacus. The income was indeed good, thanks to the princess' insistence on water and sea transportation.
After a few days, the revenue has almost caught up with half a year's revenue during the peak period.
When they were about to return to Beijing to report, Chen Shurong took out the debts and showed them to the gentlemen.
This is very straightforward, no need to use an abacus, these are all IOUs owed by the treasury.
"The treasury is indeed profitable now, but this princess still dares not pay back the money. Once the money is paid back, if there is any risk again, all the efforts will be in vain."
"Only when the treasury is strong enough to withstand all crises, will this princess dare to pay back the money and allow His Majesty to take action."
"Do you remember, my Lords, that during the treasury bank crisis, the entire treasury was almost destroyed?"
Several people were speechless. The princess's worries were not unreasonable.
"Don't worry, my Lords. It will probably take less than two years for the treasury to pay off all the debts. Just wait a little longer, and we will give back to His Majesty. The treasury will help him realize his ambitions in governing the Great Zhou."
Several gentlemen understood, nodded in agreement, and returned to Beijing to report.
Another month passed after all this trouble, and it was already July. Li Chen could not wait any longer.
After finally getting a few accountants back, he was told that the hole in the treasury was too big and in order to stabilize it, he could only use it after two years.
He didn't believe that Yongjia would trust these accountants who had followed him since he became the Emperor.
It seems that I have to think of other ways. The palace can wait, but the Ascension Pavilion is definitely not an option.
The master said that during his reign, disasters decreased and ships could sail on the seas. These were all great fortunes, and it would be easier for him to ascend to heaven than for ordinary people.
If the Ascension Pavilion cannot be built, wouldn't it be so embarrassing for him when he becomes an immortal?
If that happens, he will be delayed in his ascension to heaven. Who can rebuild it for him?
As he thought about it, a strange smile appeared on his face. All the treasures in the royal private treasury cannot be seen from outside.
These treasures are used to reward concubines and officials. The imperial gifts cannot be damaged or bought or sold.
The key is in the hands of emperors of all dynasties, and what a coincidence, he is the emperor.
If these treasures were sold, there would be more than enough to build a pavilion of ascension.
However, to avoid being discovered, he could choose to sell part of it and keep the rest as a reward, and no one would question it.
If someone really finds out, he has already become an immortal. Can they still go to heaven to ask him for it?
These treasures cannot be allowed to appear in the territory of the Great Zhou either, so they must be shipped by sea. However, he does not trust Gu Kaizhi and Lu Ziqian, so the news must not leak out.
…
When Xie Yunzheng received the news, he was confused and surprised. He was going to escort the sea transportation on behalf of His Majesty?
But he still cherished the emperor's attention. Li Chen said he didn't trust others.
After making some assurances to Li Chen, he returned home and began to prepare for his trip.
The summer sea breeze brings a slight coolness to people's faces, and stirs up layers of waves that sparkle under the sunlight.
The man with the fox mask on his face thought that if she and the children were here, they would definitely like it here.
"Boss, there is new news."
The masked man listened to the translator's report and glanced at Cong Wu beside him: "Why does he want to get involved?"
Cong Wu asked tentatively: "Isn't he your..." brother?
The masked man sneered: "We are pirates, so who cares who he is."
"What do you mean?" Cong Wu shook his head: "But, they follow the princess's route."
"It's the Princess' route, and it's not her ship. We are pirates, so there's no reason not to intercept it."
The translator showed a look of delight, the boss was so awesome that anyone could intercept him.
"Have someone continue to investigate and see when they will go out to sea."
"Yes, boss." He translated it and happily shared the news with his friends.
These people were all white people. They had always been engaged in this kind of business. They had thought that they would be treated as slaves if the island was occupied. However, nothing changed except that there were more people.
They were very grateful to their boss, who not only did not restrict them from being pirates, but also often encouraged them to rob.
He would also share some of the treasures he had stolen with them.
They are already very content as they don't have to be slaves and can still share in the benefits.
But there are more and more people on the island, and they are all the boss’s people. No one knows what the boss wants to do by calling so many people here.
They happily went out to gather information. Only by making more contributions could they get close to the boss and become more useful.
A little blond boy, about six or seven years old, was squatting and picking up shells.
He looked up and saw that everyone had left. He blinked his big blue eyes and then lowered his head to continue picking up shells.
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