This area was originally under the jurisdiction of the Prime Minister's faction, and in recent years, with Li Heng's indulgence, the local chamber of commerce has frequently bullied merchants from other places.
Although Li Heng and his faction were imprisoned, the emperor had not yet had time to deal with their underlings, and the prevailing atmosphere could not be reversed overnight.
Xie Tingzhou nodded. "Have the prefect come over."
The newly appointed prefect was just promoted by the emperor from elsewhere, and Xie Tingzhou needs to be given a warning so that he can more forcefully govern the area.
The new prefect was a man of the emperor, but he had also met the crown prince. He was filled with trepidation and said, "This humble official was unaware that Your Highness was here. I have failed to greet you properly..."
"Alright, I summoned you here for something else."
Xie Tingzhou briefly explained what Jiang Lingzhou had encountered, saying, "Starting tomorrow, you will need to conduct a thorough overhaul."
If out-of-town merchants dare not come again, how can coastal trade and economy develop, and how can local people prosper?
"Yes, I will begin this matter tomorrow."
He had originally planned to regulate those merchants, but being new to the area, he hadn't come up with a foolproof plan yet. Now that the Crown Prince was backing him up, he no longer needed to worry.
If he does it well, it will also be part of his political achievements.
Xie Tingzhou left two men with him and sent him back. He then reported the situation to the emperor and rested.
The next morning, he went to Jiang Lingzhou's boat again.
Jiang Lingzhou had drunk too much last night and was still groggy and half-asleep. "Brother Chen, are you here to see me off?"
While drinking last night, he said he was going shopping during the day to buy some local specialties from Taiyuan for his family, and would set sail in the evening to avoid trouble from his local colleagues at night.
Xie Tingzhou shook his head. "I came today to ask Brother Jiang if he could give me a ride?"
Jiang Lingzhou said he came from the Pu Kingdom and was going back to the Pu Kingdom. Xie Tingzhou remembered that he had previously found out about the situation in the Great Wei Kingdom.
The Kingdom of Pu and the Kingdom of Wei are related by marriage, so once he arrives in the Kingdom of Pu, he can travel overland to the Kingdom of Wei.
Those who had previously gone to the Great Wei to search for people also mentioned that the sea voyage was difficult and that they had lost several people.
Jiang Lingzhou's ship looked more sturdy than the others. Last night, he noticed that the sailors all had dark skin and well-defined muscles, which should be as Jiang Lingzhou said, as they had been traveling with him at sea for many years.
If someone is familiar with the route, unnecessary casualties can be avoided.
Jiang Lingzhou readily agreed, "Sure, where are you going, Brother Shen?"
Xie Tingzhou laughed and said, "Don't laugh at me, Brother Jiang, but I've never been to sea before. Last night, I heard Brother Jiang mention the Kingdom of Pu, and I'd like to go and see the world."
"Of course, of course. I will definitely take Brother Chen to have a good time in Pu Kingdom."
The two agreed on this, and Xie Tingzhou returned to the inn and asked the prefectural government to send him two more official boats.
He followed Jiang Lingzhou, but also brought his own boat.
Firstly, he did not fully trust Jiang Lingzhou; secondly, he also took the opportunity to gain experience with the official ship and prepare for future exchanges between the two countries.
As Jiang Lingzhou had said before, he purchased a lot of things to take on the ship during the day, and Xie Tingzhou also had his people make thorough preparations before boarding Jiang Lingzhou's ship, with two official ships following closely behind.
As the ship departed the port, no one noticed the smug glint in Jiang Lingzhou's eyes.
Ye Zhen was unaware that Xie Tingzhou had already boarded the ship. She spent the afternoon on the ship, watching the dolphins play in the water at sunset.
Dinner was eaten on the boat, and it was already dark when they returned. The group took a carriage back to the palace to wash up.
Madam Wang, clutching a pillow, knocked on Cui Yihuan's door. "Auntie, I can't sleep. Let's talk."
She genuinely wanted to talk, and she was also genuinely worried that Cui Yihuan would overthink things and be saddened by being alone at night.
I just wanted to be with her.
Before she married into the Wang family, she met Lou Tinglan and knew that her future husband treated her like a younger sister. So she always treated Lou Tinglan like a younger sister.
After becoming her sister-in-law, the relationship between the two women improved even more. Now that Cui Yihuan's identity has been exposed, she can openly and without restraint take care of her.
Cui Yihuan hugged her, "Sister-in-law, you're always so good to me."
"Don't be so formal with me. We used to sleep together quite a lot."
A weak voice came from behind, "Could I be included?"
It's Su Luoqing.
She followed suit, bringing a pillow with her, saying, "I've never slept with my mother-in-law before."
Her mother had been gone since she could remember, and she didn't know what it felt like to share a bed with her mother.
Cui Yi smiled and said, "Alright, come in, all of you."
She figured it out: this niece-in-law was very clingy to her mother-in-law, just like her sister-in-law was clingy to her aunt back then. The Wang family was lucky; the relationship between mother-in-law and daughter-in-law was good, which saved them a lot of trouble.
Thinking of the mother-in-law and daughter-in-law inevitably brought up the image of Shu Liu Niang. Just as hatred arose in her heart, she heard a voice behind her.
"Then include us too."
Yin Jiuniang brought Ye Zhen over, saying, "I'm a little excited today and can't sleep."
Following behind were Yin Yue and Wan Xing, each carrying a considerable amount of food and drink...
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