After the fifteenth day of the first lunar month, Wen's parents returned to the south of the Yangtze River, and Zhou Mubai went out to sea with the caravan, saying that he wanted to meet some friends. The house became quiet again, and the hidden guards were all feeling emotional, not knowing where Lord Shang and the others had gone, and they hadn't come back for so long.
In the vast East China Sea, a huge merchant ship is sailing through the waves. Shang Yunze shook off his cloak and wrapped him up: "Go back to sleep for a while?"
"Not sleepy." Mu Qingshan shook his head and refused.
"It's nothing more than a trip to the sea, why are you so excited." Shang Yunze couldn't laugh or cry, "I wake up before dawn, and I don't want to sleep until midnight every night, and I'm not sleepy during the day."
"I've never been on a boat before." Mu Qingshan's eyes sparkled, "I never thought I'd be able to go to sea."
"Then sitting for more than ten days should be enough." Shang Yunze put his arms around his shoulders, "Hey, come back to the cabin with me, it's going to be windy later."
"Don't go back!" Mu Qingshan protested.
"I'll kiss you if I don't go back." Shang Yunze threatened.
Mu Qingshan kicked him, not frightened at all.
Shang Yunze took a deep breath, and was about to forcibly carry him back, when a melodious singing sounded in his ears.
"Huh?" Mu Qingshan felt a little strange, "Did you hear any sound?"
"En." Shang Yunze nodded.
"Then it's not that I heard it wrong." Mu Qingshan looked around, "But it's all the sea, how can there be singing?"
"Maybe...the people in the sea are singing?" Shang Yunze raised his eyebrows.
"A shark?" Mu Qingshan was surprised.
"I guessed wildly." Shang Yunze covered his mouth lightly, and listened intently for a while, "It's gone now."
"But we all heard it just now." Mu Qingshan looked down the boat, "I don't know if it will swim over."
"Two guests." The captain followed the voice and looked for him. "Go back to the cabin, it's not very peaceful ahead, it's better not to show your face."
"Why is it not peaceful?" Mu Qingshan frowned.
"Young Master, you don't know yet, but there is Bel-Air Bay in front of you, the East China Sea's famous enchantment formation." Said the captain, "There are monsters inside."
"What monster?" Mu Qingshan asked again.
"I don't know, if I see it, there will be no life." The owner waved his hands again and again, "Guests, hurry up and enter the cabin, and you will be fine if you bypass this area."
"Thank you for the reminder." Shang Yunze pulled Mu Qingshan, and the two of them went back to their residence together.
"Why don't you watch it for a while?" Mu Qingshan was puzzled, "Maybe we can really see the shark."
"A shark is not a flying fish, you can see it casually, and besides, there is a lot of fog around Bel-Air Bay, I can't let you be in danger." Shang Yunze helped him pour a glass of water, "I can go to Haicai Island tomorrow night, After seeing Aunt Zihua, it's not too late to ask her any questions."
"Hmm." Mu Qingshan thought for a while, then asked again, "Will Aunt Zihua be very fierce?"
"A little bit." Shang Yunze hugged him and sat on the side of the bed, "But it's an outsider, you are from your own family."
"But she wanted to marry her niece to you earlier." Mu Qingshan reminded.
Shang Yunze laughed: "I just mentioned something by accident, but you remember it clearly."
Mu Qingshan kicked him, just remembered clearly!
"It's just a thought, it's fine if I don't want to. It's not like girls from other people's families can't get married, so I'm the only one." Shang Yunze touched his forehead, "Do some bad things, okay?"
"I won't do it." Mu Qingshan squeezed his mouth fiercely.
"Duplicity." Shang Yunze turned over and pressed the man on the bed, bowed his head and kissed him.
Little Wood turned his face to one side.
Well, then just do it once.
The night was extremely calm, and the fleet successfully bypassed Bel-Air Bay and sent people to Haicai Island in the evening of the second day.
"Master Shang?" A familiar voice came from beside his ear.
"Brother Zhou, why are you here?" After seeing Zhou Mubai, Shang Yunze and Mu Qingshan were also a little surprised.
"It's such a coincidence." Zhou Mubai smiled, "I just heard Aunt Zihua say that Lord Shang will come yesterday, but I didn't expect to see him today. I think I came here for the same thing."
"Bel-Air Bay?" Mu Qingshan guessed.
Zhou Mubai nodded: "Let's go see Aunt Zihua first, she cleaned up a quiet courtyard with her own hands early in the morning, after talking about it a dozen times, why can't she still come?"
Compared with Luoying Island, Haicai Island is much bigger, almost as big as a big town in the inland. The owner of the island is Granny Zihua. It is said that she was originally from a family of martial arts in the Central Plains. Later, she escaped from marriage and left the sea because she did not want to be accused of marriage by her father and brother. Later, he helped the common people develop fishery, which is quite legendary.
"This is the most prosperous island in the East China Sea." Shang Yunze said to Mu Qingshan as he walked, "I'll take you to visit after you settle down. It's no worse than the inland area."
"It smells so good." Someone was selling grilled fish by the roadside, and there were baskets of sweet and sour wild fruits.
"It's not only adults who like it, pirates also like it. In the past, they led their troops to rob, burn, kill and loot the people and suffered a lot from it, but the imperial court has been reluctant to send troops to rescue." Shang Yunze said, "In the end it was Zihua My aunt couldn't bear it anymore, and led the fishermen to capture the leader of the enemy army, hang him on a pillar and flog his corpse for three days, and finally got peace."
Mu Qingshan was surprised: "It's so powerful."
"That's natural. How can a group of pirates who are used to bullying the weak and afraid of the hard can compare to the young lady from the Central Plains martial arts family." Shang Yunze whispered, "She is still a savage young lady." Even though she is old now, when she was a girl, Temperament is half unchanged. As soon as I saw myself at the martial arts conference, I said that I would take it home for a blind date with my niece. I was not happy when I was rejected, and I almost made a bad face in the end.
Mu Qingshan hadn't seen many young ladies from the Central Plains martial arts, so he imagined Huatang in purple clothes, and if his hair were grayer, he thought it would be almost the same. Unexpectedly, after the meeting, she turned out to be a kind-hearted aunt, who smiled and spoke nicely, and she didn't look a bit savage.
"You are little wood, you look so white." Aunt Zihua pulled him to look back and forth, obviously liking him very much.
"Auntie." Mu Qingshan greeted with a smile.
"A few days ago, I was still telling Ming Chuan that I would go out for a walk after the Chinese New Year to relax." Aunt Zihua ordered her servants to make tea, "I didn't expect that one or two of you would come to my place. Nothing can go to the Three Treasures Hall."
"Cough." Zhou Mubai touched his nose, "Who said that, I just want to visit my aunt, and I have no other intentions."
"You only have this mouth." Aunt Zihua shook her head, "You hang out all day, and you don't know what it's like to be a fool and a fool."
Zhou Mubai drank tea calmly.
"You can't trust these two people." Aunt Zihua patted Mu Qingshan's hand, "Stay far away from now on, you are a scholar, don't be led astray."
"En." Mu Qingshan nodded obediently.
Shang Yunze's eyes widened, so he agrees
"Tell me, what is it for?" Aunt Zihua peeled walnuts for Mu Qingshan.
"Bei-Shawan." Shang Yunze and Zhou Mubai said in unison.
"Bel-Air Bay?" Aunt Zihua frowned, "Why do you ask this?"
"I heard that there is a ecstasy formation?" Shang Yunze said.
"Yeah, but it's not a recent thing. The big guy has been used to it for a long time, and the boat will go around." Aunt Zihua said, "I didn't hear that there was any trouble. Why did you two suddenly come to ask?" ?”
"It is said that there are sharks there." Zhou Mubai said.
"Nonsense, there are no mermaids in this world." Aunt Zihua didn't believe it. "Ming Chuan also said that he saw a mermaid when he was a child. Later, several uncles worked together to catch them. It was just a big fish with a strange appearance."
"But when we passed by in a boat, we heard singing." Mu Qingshan emphasized.
"That's a big yellow croaker." Aunt Zihua said, "It's not a shark."
"Has your aunt ever been to Bel-Air Bay?" Shang Yunze asked again.
"No, I have nothing to do, so why take risks." Aunt Zihua said, "It's covered in clouds and mist, and it's too late to walk around. Could it be that you want to go in?"
Shang Yunze nodded: "I want to go in and have a look."
"That's impossible, it's dangerous." Aunt Zihua shook her head, "The sea is no better than the land, so don't act rashly."
"For so many years, aunt really hasn't heard any rumors about the mermaids in Bel-Air Bay?" Zhou Mubai asked again, "Not at all?"
"I'm not old and confused, so I still can't remember clearly." Aunt Zihua complained.
It's really nothing... Zhou Mubai sighed.
"Why, you start to get impatient when you can't ask anything?" Aunt Zihua was dissatisfied.
"How could it be?" Zhou Mubai quickly smiled, "Even if you don't ask anything, it's still good to visit your aunt, right, Brother Shang."
"Naturally." Shang Yunze nodded.
"The scenery on the island is very good." Mu Qingshan also said, "The grilled fish is also delicious."
"What are those street vendors? Auntie will bake it for you later." Aunt Zihua took his hand, "Come on, I'll take you around the island first."
"Okay." Mu Qingshan was very happy.
Seeing the two of them go out, Zhou Mubai sighed with emotion: "Sure enough, mother-in-law and aunt like gentle and clean scholars."
"It's just right, you and I will go out for a drink." Shang Yunze said, "I heard that the flower wine on this island is pretty good."
"Such a glutton for drinking, could it be that brother Shang has been under supervision all the way?" Zhou Mubai joked.
Shang Yunze patted him on the shoulder, without saying anything.
It just so happens that there is a market on Haicai Island, and there are people everywhere. Even though it was the first month, it wasn't cold, Mu Qingshan didn't like anything, so he finally bought a fish cake, dipped it in salt and ate it slowly, his mouth was covered with fine powder.
"This little body is skinny." Aunt Zihua squeezed his arm, "It's okay to eat like a cat, aren't you used to things from the East China Sea?"
"No, it's delicious." Mu Qingshan stuffed the rest of the fish cakes into his mouth, "I used to eat less."
"Eat more to please people." Aunt Zihua taught.
Mu Qingshan narrowed his eyes and smiled: "Yes, sir."
"It's Mrs. Wen, right? I've also heard a lot of rumors, and it's much better than Chu Heng." Aunt Zihua said, "Looks like a good official."
"My lord is an honest and honest official, he is smart, he can talk, and he eats a lot." Mu Qingshan is very serious, "Everyone likes him."
Aunt Zihua laughed straight after being teased: "It turns out that Yunze likes you so much, no wonder she refused to marry Yinger."
Mu Qingshan was a little embarrassed.
After eating a lot of snacks, remembering that there was a bonfire meeting by the sea, Aunt Zihua took him there to watch the fun again. It was already dusk when we arrived, and the young man was building a firewood pile. Everyone was laughing with melodious fisherman's songs.
"Can you dance?" Aunt Zihua asked him.
"Ah?" Mu Qingshan quickly shook his head, "No."
As soon as the words were finished, a group of fisher girls pulled him over, held hands and sang around the campfire, toasted a bowl of wine before releasing him.
"Dizzy." Mu Qingshan doesn't have much alcohol tolerance.
Aunt Zihua smiled and shook her head, she is really a young scholar.
After staying at the bonfire for a while, Zhou Mubai and Shang Yunze also came over. Seeing his dumb little wood, Shang Yunze had a headache and said helplessly, "Auntie."
"A bowl of brewed rice wine, after a night's sleep, you'll be fine." Aunt Zihua returned him, "I'll go to Dongtou to have a look, you guys should go back earlier and rest."
"Hmm." Mu Qingshan lay in Shang Yunze's arms.
Zhou Mubai's sense of humor disappeared, Master Shangbao patted the little idiot in his arms: "How about going home?"
"Recite." Mu Qingshan asked.
Shang Yunze smiled and shook his head, just as he was about to carry him on his back, a wave hit the beach, as if something was rolled up.
"Where are you going?" Mu Qingshan was puzzled.
"Go and see what it is." Shang Yunze led him there.
Mu Qingshan followed obediently, before he could get close, Shang Yunze suddenly stopped in his tracks, and covered his eyes with his hands.
"Huh?" Mu Qingshan was puzzled.
Shang Yunze sighed: "Hey, don't look."
Aunt Zihua brought people over after hearing the news, and the black shadow was the corpse of a young man, who looked to be only twelve or thirteen years old.
"Poor..." Aunt Zihua shook her head, ordered someone to fetch a white cloth, and prepared to find a place to bury her. In order to make a living, there are many boys in the East China Sea who went to sea with their uncles when they were young, and it is estimated that they accidentally slipped.
"Wait!" Zhou Mubai seemed to feel that something was wrong. He took a torch and took a closer look, and saw that the boy's ankles were tightly tied together with a rope, obviously someone deliberately harmed him.
"Bastard!" Aunt Zihua was furious.
"Auntie!" Someone in the distance exclaimed again, "There is another one here!"
Mu Qingshan frowned, and looked at each other with Shang Yunze.
this…
The young and middle-aged men lit torches to search all night. At dawn, there were four corpses on the beach. They were all boys in their early teens, and their ankles were bound with ropes without exception. It should have fallen into the sea somewhere, and then was rolled onto the beach with the waves.
"Who would be so vicious?" Mu Qingshan asked, even such a small child would not be spared.
"I can't see anything." Zhou Mubai said after checking, "There are many scars on the body, but there are no other marks."
"The method is so vicious, if it continues unchecked, I don't know how many people will suffer." Aunt Zihua shook her head, "This matter is no small matter, we must find out as soon as possible."
Haicai Island is the only way for sea trade, so many merchant ships berth every day. Aunt Zihua is straightforward and has a good relationship with many ship owners. It is not difficult to inquire about news.
"Are you sure it's a big black ship?"
"That's right." The owner of the Blessed Fleet said, "A few days ago, we fought over the waterway with us and almost got into a fight. At that time, we saw seven or eight boys on the deck. They thought they were children from poor families who were going south to beg for a living."
"Where did you go?" Aunt Zihua asked.
"That's not a question, but it looks like we're heading south." The captain said, "Did you get some food on this sea vegetable island?"
"No." Aunt Zihua shook her head, "Ming Chuan went to check the registration book, and there has never been such a ship."
"That's weird." The captain was also a little confused. "After passing Haicai Island, it will take a while to get to the next big island. What do you want to eat if you don't make up some dry food?"
Then there is only one possibility. Zhou Mubai and Shang Yunze looked at each other, the next voyage is very short, so short that they can reach their destination without resupply.
Bel-Air.
"What the hell is this place again?" Granny Zihua shook her head.
"I just said it's not peaceful inside." Shang Yunze opened the map.
"Then what do we do now, lead someone to attack?" Granny Zihua asked.
"I'm afraid the government will have to do this." Shang Yunze said, "For ordinary fishermen, it's too dangerous to go through the mist formation."
"Chu Heng?" Granny Zihua disdainfully said, "But no one pointed out that he can send troops to Bel-Air."
"It's not Chu Heng." Mu Qingshan said, "It's Lord Wen."
The sun was warm and warm, and in the city of Great Kun, Wen Liunian stretched himself, feeling sleepy in spring.
"My lord!" The dark guard ran in, "The lord and the others are back."
Wen Liunian regained his spirits immediately, it can be regarded as his return.
The dark guard added: "I also brought a lot of food from Jiangnan."
"Very good, very good." Mr. Wen warmly welcomed him out.
Get a snack and eat it.
"During our absence, Duan didn't come to bully you, did he?" Ye Jin asked as soon as they met.
"Of course not." Wen Liunian was puzzled, "Why does Master Gu ask such a question?"
"It's fine if you don't have one." Ye Jin finally felt relieved, "I gave his birth date to my mother during the Chinese New Year, and I found three masters who said that this person is too lecherous, so we should stay away."
Shen Qianfeng raised his forehead, and you followed him with a look of cannibalism, who would dare to say anything nice.
"Master, can you still count this?" Wen Liunian was startled.
"Of course." Ye Jin nodded.
"But why did Lord Gu go to count Duan Wang's birthday?" Wen Liunian still couldn't figure it out.
Ye Jin resented: "Because he's too nasty!" He looks very, very lecherous, the kind who would take off his pants when walking on the street!
Wen Liunian was taken aback for a while.
"Okay, okay, go back and rest." Shen Qianfeng couldn't laugh or cry, and forced him back to the room.
"Why do you have to go to the royal conquest? Can't we just let Qian Fan come? Otherwise, General Wang can do it too!" Ye Jin still couldn't figure it out, and finally stood up and packed his bags, "Otherwise, I'll go to Wangcheng to persuade you."
"Be obedient and don't make trouble." Shen Qianfeng hugged him into his arms, "The emperor will come whenever he wants. There are so many of us, I'm afraid he will get hurt."
"What do you know!" Ye Jin put her hands on her hips.
"If you don't tell me, of course I don't understand." Shen Qianfeng said, "You don't seem to want the emperor to meet the Southwest King?"
Ye Jin nodded vigorously.
"Why?" Shen Qianfeng said, "When the emperor met King Qijue, you didn't say anything."
"How can King Qijue compare with King Southwest!" Ye Jin protested.
"They're all frontier kings, why can't they compare?" Shen Qianfeng continued to ask patiently.
Ye Jin and him looked at each other, feeling so complicated that I can't describe it, what should I say.
"Xiao Jin?" Shen Qianfeng waved his hands in front of him, "Why don't you speak?"
"Let me tell you something." Ye Jin said slowly.
"En." Shen Qianfeng nodded.
"Don't tell anyone."
"good."
"Otherwise I'll divorce you!" Ye Jin said fiercely.
Shen Qianfeng was very cooperative: "Yes."
"I want to castrate Duan Baiyue!" Ye Jin clenched his fists.
Shen Qianfeng was helpless: "That's it?"
Ye Jin leaned close to his ear and whispered something.
Shen Qianfeng frowned suddenly: "Are you sure?"
"Of course!" Ye Jin bit her lower lip angrily.
"This..." Shen Qianfeng was also a little surprised, "The emperor and the Southwest King?"
Ye Jin continued to nod.
Shen Qianfeng: "..."
Ye Jin banged on his chest.
I'd rather die.
Shen Qianfeng patted him on the back to comfort him, but couldn't hide his worry between his brows.
Because of my status as the son of the eldest son of Shen, I have worked so hard to be able to stay with him, let alone the son of the emperor.
No wonder the King of the Southwest is willing to put all his power into the country, and in the name of treason, he wants to occupy the East China Sea to guard Chu Heng. He thought it was a secret agreement with the emperor before, but he didn't expect that it would be because of this reason.
I'm afraid the road ahead will be difficult...
On the official road, the secret envoy sent by Chu Yuan was galloping on horseback, delivering the letter with the private seal to Duan Baiyue as scheduled.
Ten days later, a shocking thunder exploded in the East China Sea, and the King of Southwest raised his troops!
"This is a war." Wen Liunian's face turned pale.
"If I remember correctly, my lord was sent by the emperor to negotiate peace with Duan Baiyue!" Chu Cheng gritted his teeth.
"But it's not my fault that we didn't talk about it." Wen Liunian's tone was full of grief and indignation, "I really tried my best!"
"What do you think, my lord?" Chu Heng asked.
"Me?" Ye Jin said, "Now that the war is breaking out suddenly, it is natural to fight it, so can I hide?"
"I don't know Alliance Leader Shen—"
"Qian Feng is the leader of the martial arts alliance, not the general of the East China Sea." Ye Jin interrupted him coldly, "The prince will hide and relax."
This sentence obviously carried a lot of weight. If it was someone else, Chu Heng might not be able to bear it, but the other party was Ye Jin, so he had no choice but to drop his teeth and swallow it.
"Can I go back to the royal city?" Wen Liunian asked cautiously from the side.
Chu Cheng: "..."
"It won't help if you stay here." Wen Liunian was extremely sincere, "At most, I can write a poem for my great Chu generals."
Chu Cheng: "..."
"Qian Feng will protect the adults." Ye Jin said.
"That's good." Wen Liunian was obviously relieved.
Chu Cheng: "..."
Seeing that everyone was looking at him, Wen Liunian thought for a while, and then said: "The prince will surely win."
Chu Cheng almost vomited blood, with such a half-dead tone, it would be better to shut up quickly.