Chapter 1198: Island

Chang Lian arrived at the yamen and sat down, not thinking about his job. His mind was still thinking about the fan and the familiar figure, and his heart was pounding. Xuzhou had also heard about the emperor's situation in the capital, and the Prince of Qi was thinking of giving it a try.

Chang Lian pursed his lips, thinking that he had to tell his father, so he took out a pen and paper and began to write a letter. He was afraid that the letter would be blocked, so he wrote it in a very obscure way, believing that his father would be able to understand it.

However, this letter was destined not to leave Xuzhou City. King Qi thought that something bad was going to happen so he sent people to keep an eye on it early.

King Qi opened the letter and found nothing wrong with it. It was just that Zhou Changlian still underestimated him. He should indeed admire Zhou Laosan's sharpness. It was a pity that Zhou Laosan guessed wrong.

Zhou Mansion, Tao came here by herself this time, Zhulan, "Why didn't you bring Tao Ran with you today?"

Tao's smile faded a little, "I have already asked someone to send Tao Ran back."

"Um?"

This is not right. Tao really likes Tao Ran, otherwise she would not bring Tao Ran with her every time she visits Zhou's house.

Mrs. Tao didn't want to mention the family shame. She got angry whenever she thought about it. Her nephew actually had this idea. Not to mention that her eldest grandson was already engaged to the Zhou family, even if they were not engaged, her father-in-law and husband would not choose a girl from the Tao family.

Now she knew that the engagement was clear and her father-in-law would not allow anyone to disrupt it, and she would not allow it either. But her nephew still had his eyes on his grandson, so she could only take her as a concubine. The thought of her mother's daughter becoming a concubine made her furious, and she completely gave up the idea of ​​pulling her mother's family in.

Originally, she brought Tao Ran to Zhou's house because she thought that if she became friends with Yang, she would be liked by Yang and would be good to Tao Ran in the future. However, her nephew did not understand her good intentions and plotted against her.

Seeing that Tao's face was getting worse, Zhulan changed the subject and asked, "Why are you here today?"

Mrs. Tao smiled again, "Of course it's a good thing. Your son Mingrui is not young anymore. You are worried about his marriage. I have a good candidate. Let me tell you about it."

Zhulan was in high spirits. She was also worried about Mingrui's marriage. Many people introduced her to him and many were interested in him, but none of them were satisfactory. She finally found a suitable one, but after asking around, Zhulan rejected him.

The Second House is not suitable for a daughter-in-law with a deep mind. She will not get along well with Mrs. Zhao, and the relationship between the mother-in-law and daughter-in-law will be bad. The Second House will have a lot of troubles in the future. Mingrui is not suitable for a child with many thoughts. A simple and generous one is good.

The second wife is different from the first wife. The eldest daughter-in-law of the first wife needs to be in charge of the household. When the second wife splits up, Zhao is also in charge. Who can blame Zhao for being young, while Yudie and the baby in her belly are small?

Zhulan smiled and said, "Tell me about it."

Tao, "The daughter of Lord Jiao, she is eight years old this year. She is a straightforward girl. I have met her a few times and she is a good kid."

Zhulan thought about it for a while. There weren't many people with the last name Jiao in the capital. She thought carefully and asked, "Are you talking about Jiao Zhuo, the governor of the capital?"

Tao nodded, "Yes, she is from his family. She is a young lady who was brought up by him, so she is a little cute and naive."

Zhu Lan thought, he is a fourth-rank official. Jiao Zhuo himself is capable, and so is his father. This family is one of the most honest families in the capital. "The Jiao family has a great family background."

Well, she had never considered the Jiao family. If it was just Jiao Zhuo himself, she could still think about it, but she didn't think about Jiao Zhuo's father. How could the legitimate daughter of the Jiao family marry into the second wife of an official of the seventh rank? Even if Changyi worked hard, he couldn't wait for the legitimate daughter of the Jiao family to get married and strive for the fourth rank.

As for valuing the Zhou family because of Zhou Shuren, that’s not the case. The Jiao family has been honest for generations and has a good family tradition. The Jiao family has its own confidence.

Tao said, "I think we can give it a try. The Jiao family does not consider wealth when marrying off their daughters."

The daughters of the Jiao family had no trouble finding a husband, and many people sought to marry them, but no daughter of the Jiao family had ever married into a wealthy family.

Zhu Lan smiled and shook her head, "The Jiao family is great, but I wouldn't choose the Zhou family."

It can be seen from the marriage of their daughter that the Jiao family has a clear mind. Not getting too involved with the nobles and maintaining a clean family tradition are the way for the Jiao family to survive.

Tao really felt it was a pity, "Do you think about it?"

Zhulan, "Don't think about it."

If the Zhou family did not have the blood of the Rong clan, it is hard to say whether this good marriage could be accomplished. Now the Jiao family will only avoid the Zhou family because the Zhou family is too conspicuous.

On a small island in the sea, Rongchuan and his companions were so hungry that their stomachs growled, but they could not make a fire for fear of attracting the attention of the distant islands, which were not far away.

The island is not very big. It is hidden under a cliff and is covered with gravel. A small boat is tied to the rocks not far away.

Rongchuan touched his stomach and felt hungry. He had eaten all the dry food he brought with him on the boat. If there had not been a boat passing by last night, they would have already reached the opposite island.

At this time, Yang Wen came down from the side of the cliff. The clothes he took off were bulging, and it was obvious that he was filled with a lot of things. There were several people behind Yang Wen, all carrying things.

Rongchuan saw Yang Wen and asked, "Did you find something to eat?"

Yang Wen grinned, "Uncle, we dug up some sweet potatoes."

Rong Chuan was stunned, "Why are there sweet potatoes here?"

Yang Wen put down the sweet potatoes in his clothes and said, "We checked the entire island and found a stone house in the east. It has been abandoned for a long time. We dug a piece of land near the house and found sweet potatoes. We dug some back."

Rongchuan, "It seems that this island is a sentinel island."

As for why they were abandoned, he didn't know. Fortunately, they were abandoned, otherwise they would have been discovered yesterday.

Now we have sweet potatoes. Even though they are raw, we can still eat them and we don’t mind throwing them away. They are not big in size and can be eaten by a dozen people after just wiping them.

Rongchuan ate two and felt full before he took out the map.

He was lucky. When he saw that he could not catch up and wanted to turn back, he unexpectedly encountered a naval patrol warship. He had a military token in his hand, and Yang Wen was on the ship, so his identity was proved. The ship was much faster than the small boat, and the escaped person was quickly caught.

These people ran into the sea and saw that there was a secret base on the nearby island. He brought not only experts but also secret guards with him, and they found out the location through interrogation.

But the warship was too big and would surely be discovered if it got close, so when they were almost there, they changed to a small boat and continued to move forward. The island in front of them was their destination, and they had to get there under the cover of night.

Yang Wen also finished eating and took out the binoculars he was wearing in his arms. "I just looked carefully. There are many patrols on the opposite island, and there are several high platforms. It is not easy to land on the island. Cousin, do you think we should wait for the messenger from the navy to come back and capture the island together?"

He really didn't want his cousin to take any risks, and he wanted to protect him.

Rongchuan took the telescope. Fortunately, the two islands were close, otherwise the telescope would be useless. He pursed his lips. The island opposite was too strict. "Too many people at night will make it easy to be discovered. Now choose two of the best skills to try. If you can't get on, you can only wait."

He still wanted to find out more about the situation. He remembered gunpowder, and the defenses on the opposite island must be very difficult.