Chapter 474 Heading to Southern Fujian
That night, Lu Zhiran suffered from insomnia again. When she finally fell asleep, she was confused and had a lot of dreams.
Dark clouds covered the sea and the wind was howling.
Xiao Yanci's warship was tossed on the crest of the waves, its mast snapped by the hurricane, and the hull groaned under the weight. She saw him clinging to the ropes tightly, and a huge wave came crashing down, swallowing him up in an instant...
"No--"
She subconsciously reached out to grab it, but only grasped a curtain of cold moonlight.
I don't know when it started raining outside the window. The night rain knocks on the eaves, and the sound of waves sounds very much like the sound of waves in a dream.
She clutched the quilt so tightly that her nails almost dug into her palms.
The dream was so real that it made her heart ache.
She remembered that she had a similar dream last time in Xiping.
And something did happen to Xiao Yanci.
This time, is it another warning?
She couldn't fall asleep anymore, so she got out of bed. The maid who was on night watch heard the noise and quickly poured her a cup of warm tea.
"Crown Princess, what's wrong with you?"
Lu Zhiran shook her head and asked the maid to go and rest. She walked to the window, opened it, and let the cold wind blow on her face to calm herself down.
The next morning, she gave instructions to Shuanghua.
"I'm going to southern Fujian. Please prepare."
There was a flash of surprise in Shuanghua's eyes, but it quickly disappeared. She didn't ask any more questions and quickly went to prepare.
After hearing this, Cui Fu and Dan Yan both showed expressions of surprise and doubt on their faces.
"Crown Princess, are you really going?"
Lu Zhiran nodded, "I will always feel uneasy if I don't take this trip."
"Then, please take me with you. I will definitely be obedient and will never cause any trouble for you."
"I, your servant, can stay by your side and take care of your daily affairs. Shuanghua can't do these things as meticulously as we can."
Lu Zhiran thought, who cares about those things when you are away from home?
But the two maids looked at her earnestly, like two puppies afraid of being abandoned, which made Lu Zhiran feel a little soft-hearted.
"This journey may be very dangerous, you must be prepared."
Hearing the reassurance in her words, the two of them were delighted and immediately made assurances.
"This servant is not afraid of hardship."
"I will definitely not cause you any trouble."
Lu Zhiran finally nodded, "Since you want to go, then let's go together. Hurry up and pack your things, the sooner the better."
The reason why I didn't bring them last time was because the battle situation in Xiping was unclear and bringing two of them wouldn't be of any help.
This time, the crisis and danger occurred at sea. As long as we don't go out to sea, those pirates will not dare to come ashore to cause trouble.
The two maids have been with me for so many years and have never left the capital. This time I took them with me so that they could see the world.
Lu Zhiran went to see Luo Guanlan again and asked him to help prepare a few ships and manpower. She was going to southern Fujian - her merchant ship had already gone out to sea, so she could only seek external help.
Luo Guanlan arranged for people to prepare without saying a word.
Lu Zhiran also sent someone to write a letter to Wen Shouyi, the manager of Hengrui Trading Company, hoping to meet him.
Wen Shouyi happened to be in the capital, so he did not dare to be arrogant and hurried to meet Lu Zhiran in person.
Lu Zhiran didn't beat around the bush and directly stated his purpose.
She wanted to borrow someone from Wen Shouyi.
Wen Shouyi's merchant ships have sailed many times and are experienced veterans who are very familiar with the conditions in the southern Fujian waters. Since she is going to rescue people, she naturally has to bring enough helpers.
Wen Shouyi had already received instructions from his own prince, so he did not refuse Lu Zhiran's request and agreed immediately.
"I'll get ready right away! We can set off early tomorrow morning."
Lu Zhiran secretly breathed a sigh of relief, "Thank you, Manager Wen, for your righteousness."
How could Wen Shouyi dare to accept her thanks? He kept saying, "I dare not."
Finally, Lu Zhiran went to the Jiang family.
She came to find Jiang Nansheng and wanted to ask her to go with her - to be precise, Lu Zhiran needed the help of Lin Zheng's Saker Falcon.
The ocean is vast and human resources are limited after all. It is naturally much more convenient for the Saker Falcon to search for people on the sea than for them.
If Jiang Nansheng is willing to go, Lin Zheng will definitely follow him, and the Saker Falcon will naturally be borrowed.
Lu Zhiran did not hide anything from Jiang Nansheng and told him everything about Xiao Yanci's disappearance and her own plan.
Upon hearing this, Jiang Nansheng's face suddenly became solemn.
She agreed immediately without saying a word.
"Okay, we'll set off with you tomorrow!"
Lu Zhiran held her hand, a look of gratitude on his face, "Nan Sheng, thank you so much."
Jiang Nansheng held her hand back, "What nonsense! Ah Ci is my best friend who I grew up with. I wouldn't just stand by and watch him die. But, I have to report to the Emperor in advance."
She had to go to the palace every now and then to give the emperor acupuncture and diagnose his pulse, so she couldn't just disappear for no reason.
Lu Zhiran hesitated for a moment and said, "I will go into the palace with you."
She was worried that the emperor would stop her from leaving the capital. After all, her status was different now and she shouldn't continue to show up in public, so she planned to act first and report later.
But now that there is no way around it, let’s go into the palace with Jiang Nansheng.
If two people can appeal to his emotions and explain things to him logically, they will surely be able to convince the emperor.
Emperor Defeng was already furious about Xiao Yanci's disappearance, and now after hearing Lu Zhiran and Jiang Nansheng's plan, his expression became complicated.
"Do you know that going out to sea is very dangerous?"
Lu Zhiran said, "No matter how great the danger, it is not as important as the safety of the Crown Prince. Father, I know that I am just a woman and my abilities are limited, but I also want to do my best to help. I only hope that the Crown Prince can return safely soon."
Emperor Defeng was touched when he heard this.
Last time, when A Ci was in danger in Xiping, it was Lu Zhiran who went to rescue him.
This time, when she learned the news, she immediately made arrangements with all parties and was ready to go for the rescue at any time. This kind of friendship and courage is beyond the reach of ordinary people.
Emperor Defeng thought of Master Wuchen's fortune-telling again, and hope unconsciously arose in his heart.
Perhaps, if Lu Zhiran goes there, she can really find the prince smoothly.
Now, the safety of the crown prince is more important than anything else. Once something happens to the crown prince, the Great Qi Dynasty will be plunged into turmoil again. His body cannot withstand any more waves.
Emperor Defeng agreed directly with a stroke of his pen.
He also gave Lu Zhiran a token, "With this token, the navy of southern Fujian will obey your orders. Lu, I await your good news."
Lu Zhiran immediately took it respectfully.
"I will do my best to live up to my father's trust."
Before leaving the palace, Lu Zhiran went to pay her respects to Concubine Rou again, but did not mention Xiao Yanci so as not to worry her.
After that, she was not allowed to enter the palace for a period of time, but since the matter had been made clear to Emperor Defeng, he would naturally find a way to help her deal with the aftermath.
It goes without saying that everyone was busy preparing for the upcoming trip.
The next day, early in the morning, everyone packed up and boarded the boat early, heading for southern Fujian.
Lu Zhiran felt a little seasick, but fortunately Jiang Nansheng had prepared some medicine in advance, and her symptoms improved quickly.
We boarded a ship from the capital and headed south, sailing swiftly without stopping along the way. We had a smooth journey, crossing the Yangtze River and passing through the Qiantang River. In less than ten days, the dark green mountains of southern Fujian appeared between the sea and the sky.
Continue read on readnovelmtl.com
