Just as Li Hui led his team westward, Zhao Xian and his group had been traveling through the Gobi Desert for four days and were only one day away from reaching Yuanshui.
That morning, the group set off from the post station, planning to take a boat back to Yingkou Town after reaching Yuanshui.
Although we'll arrive a few days later, traveling by boat is much more comfortable than by car, allowing us to enjoy delicious food while admiring the beautiful scenery along the way.
Of course, their main reason for taking the boat back was to consider Yang Hong. Due to his leg injury, it was very inconvenient for Yang Hong to ride in a carriage, so taking the boat back was the best option.
As evening approached, the group finally arrived at Yuanshui. Since it was already late, they did not go to the government office, but planned to visit Prefect Miao the next day.
They found an inn and booked several good rooms, but the accommodations were only so-so, a little better than a traditional post station.
Li Xue began to miss Narcissus Village, where Zhao Xian had tailor-made a suite for her inn.
After resting overnight, Li Xue and Zhao Xian went to Yuanshui Prefecture the next morning. Prefect Miao was very excited to hear that they had arrived and hurriedly came out to greet them.
"Greetings, Princess; greetings, Registrar."
"Prefect Miao, there's no need for such formalities. This time, with the great victory in Yuanxi, Prefect Miao mobilized troops and provided strong support in suppressing the rebellion in Yuanxi. I, the princess, thank you for your kindness." After saying this, Li Xue bowed deeply to Prefect Miao.
He was only a fifth-rank official, and the fact that the princess of the court bowed to him made him feel somewhat unworthy of the honor, so he quickly returned the bow.
“Your Highness is too kind. Supporting the suppression of the rebellion in Yuanxi is my duty, and I should do my best,” said Prefect Miao, before leading Li Xue and the others into the government office.
The suppression of the rebellion in Benxi and the elimination of Xiao Taiyuan's forces were the result of the joint efforts of the three regions, and Prefect Miao certainly deserves much credit.
A few days ago, the person who returned had told him what had happened in Yuanxi. Prefect Miao was very happy, knowing that the court would be rewarding those who had contributed, and he would definitely be among them. Perhaps his hard times were finally over.
Li Xue told Prefect Miao that she and her group planned to stay in Yuanshui for a day and would take a boat back the next day. She wanted to know if there were any boats going to Yingkou Town.
Upon hearing this, Prefect Miao laughed.
"What a coincidence! There's a merchant ship going to Yingkou to load cargo, and it's scheduled to depart tomorrow. The ship is very large, and the conditions on board are excellent. Princess, you can take this ship back to Yingkou Town."
"That's wonderful, Prefect, please make the arrangements for us," Li Xue said.
"Princess, rest assured, I will take care of this. For your safety, I will arrange some government officials to accompany the ship and protect you."
Li Xue thought about it and didn't refuse. After all, three people would need to drive the three carriages back, and losing three people would indeed weaken their security.
After leaving the government office, the group went to the market to buy some local specialties to take back.
There's no need to buy food, but you can buy some jade items to take home. The jade items here are quite inexpensive and of good quality, so you can buy some for your family.
The following day, Prefect Miao personally escorted Li Xue and her entourage to the Yuanshui Wharf and led them onto a merchant ship.
Li Xue took some beef jerky from the carriage and then asked Wang Xing, Lü Liang, and the chef to drive back to Shuixian Village, where they would be picked up from Yingkou Town later.
This merchant ship is indeed quite large, and since it hasn't been loaded with cargo yet, it looks very clean.
Several rooms on the ship had already been prepared, even better than those in the inn, and Li Xue was very satisfied.
Prefect Miao prepared a lot of supplies on the ship to ensure that they would have a worry-free journey.
In addition, after learning about Yang Hong's situation, Prefect Miao specially arranged for two servants to go with him by boat to take care of Yang Hong's daily life.
Yang Hong has spent the last few days feeling grateful, as he has been well taken care of since being rescued.
He finally understood a principle: to gain respect from others, having power and money is one aspect, but you also need ability and wisdom.
My brother-in-law is a case in point. He used to be a poor scholar, but through his intelligence and hard work, he not only amassed a lot of wealth but also earned the respect of many people.
I have a good brain, but I misused it. It not only harmed others but also ruined myself. Now that I've survived this ordeal, I must start anew and live a decent life.
Just as Yang Hong was thinking about these things, the merchant ship weighed anchor and set sail.
This river is an important waterway connecting the western region to the Central Plains, and its surface is wide.
It's not the rainy season yet, the river is flowing smoothly, and with the current, merchant ships are traveling at a relatively fast speed. As a result, they can arrive in Yingkou Town one or two days earlier.
Traveling on a merchant ship was very pleasant; besides eating, drinking, and enjoying the scenery, all she did was sleep and rest. After two or three days, Li Xue got a little bored.
Seeing this, Zhao Xian considered whether he should find some entertainment for these people, otherwise they would be too bored. After thinking about it for a moment, he came up with an idea.
He found the boat captain and asked him for some cardboard to make two decks of cards. He had ready-made decks of cards in his system, but he couldn't buy them to use, otherwise things would get complicated.
The cardboard the boat captain gave him couldn't be used to make playing cards, so he secretly bought some cardboard from the system to make the cards. That way, no one would notice and think that the cardboard was given to him by the boat captain.
At this time, the others had nothing to do, and seeing Zhao Xian tinkering with things, they wondered what he was going to do and watched him make it with curiosity.
The playing cards were quickly made. Although they weren't as exquisite as the ones bought from the system, they were still usable.
Next, Zhao Xian began teaching Li Xue and the others how to play cards, starting with Guandan. They learned it quickly and became addicted.
Once they started playing cards, they couldn't stop. The group got more and more excited, playing from morning till night without getting bored.
Upon seeing this setup, Zhao Xian realized that playing cards like these would soon become unusable due to wear and tear. It seemed they would need to make several more decks as spares, since they would be staying on the ship for several more days.
After that, the group played cards to pass the time, and life on the ship was no longer boring.
At this moment, Yang Hongzhu, leaning on his crutch, limped over to Zhao Xian and asked:
"Brother-in-law, are the playing cards you make sold in the market?"
"No, what's wrong?" Zhao Xian asked.
"These playing cards are so ingeniously designed. You can create endless combinations with just a few dozen cards. No wonder they are so addictive. They are much more fun than dice."
"You're not planning to gamble with playing cards, are you?" Zhao Xian couldn't help but become wary.
Yang Hong didn't notice Zhao Xian's expression. He lowered his head and slowly spoke:
"I used to be such a jerk, picking up a lot of bad habits. Now that I think about it, I wish I could cut off my own fingers. I will never be so foolish again and will definitely be a good person."
These past few days I've been thinking about what I should do after I go home to earn money to support myself and take care of my parents.
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