Jiapingguan Chronicle

Chapter 2409 Bring a Message 72.0
Before Xia Chen came to find the Third Master and Madam Ning, he asked Shen Cha about their affairs. Only then did he know that although the Third Master was from Liao, he was a master in medicine. He and Master Huilan were from the same school and they were very close brothers.

He had the impression that Master Huilan had a junior fellow apprentice, but he had never met him. He did not expect that he was a Liao person, and a member of the Yelu family. This really surprised him.

However, this Third Master never interfered in the affairs of the court. He just lived his life leisurely and improved his medical skills. When he was young, he traveled around, and when he was old, he lived in seclusion in Linhuang Prefecture. Unless summoned by the palace, he generally did not have too much contact and involvement with people in the court. Even if someone wanted to take advantage of his relationship with Master Huilan, as long as he was not happy, he would eventually be turned away.

Xia Chen was very respectful to the Third Master. It was difficult for anyone to do this and remain unscathed.

As for Madam Ning, when Shen Cha said that she was from the Wang family of Langya, the branch of the Wang family that was engaged in shipping, Xia Chen immediately reacted. He must have met this old lady before he went to sea that year.

The Wang family owns the largest shipyard in Daxia. Their business is spread all over Daxia, and there are even merchants from the Western Regions who ask the Wang family to build ships for them.

When Xia Chen was going to lead a fleet out to sea, the entire fleet's ships and the nautical charts they used were all provided by the Wang family.

Not only that, the very experienced sailors and helmsmen on the fleet are all from the Wang family. It can be said that without the support of the Wang family, Xia Chen’s many years of sea operations would have been ruined long ago.

Moreover, Xia Chen was stationed directly at the Wang family's shipyard in Jiangnan a month before setting sail. He lived and ate with the craftsmen every day, and witnessed with his own eyes how the large ship that would follow them to sea was built bit by bit.

So, when he saw Old Madam Ning, Xia Chen felt very close to her and felt that the two of them had something in common.

He walked up to Madam Ning and bowed deeply to her to express his gratitude to the Wang family.

Old Madam Ning was shocked. She had no idea why this dark-skinned young man would come up to her and give her such a big gift without saying a word when they met. She wanted to avoid it, but was stopped by Shen Cha, so she had to accept the gift.

Jin Miaomiao dragged Shen Cha to the Third Master to feel her pulse, and Xia Chen then spoke to Old Madam Ning, explaining that the gift just now was to express his gratitude.

"Thank you?" Madam Ning looked Xia Chen up and down, and felt that this young man looked familiar, but she didn't dare to recognize him rashly, "Did I see you a long time ago? Or did I remember it wrongly?"

"The old lady is not mistaken. We did meet. It should have been in the summer many years ago, at the Wang family's largest shipyard in Jiangnan. At that time, the shipyard should have been busy with orders from the palace, right?"

"Are you His Royal Highness Prince Hui?"

Seeing Xia Chen's acquiescent smile, Madam Ning wanted to salute, but was stopped by him. "Madam, there is no need to be polite. You are my elder, and I should salute you both in public and in private. Although I am a prince, without the help of the Wang family, I can't return from the sea smoothly, right?"

"Your Highness is thoughtful." Madam Ning nodded slightly and looked at Xia Chen, "Your Highness has been at sea for many years. My father and the elders in the family have always been worried about you. I wonder if your Highness's journey is going well?"

"It went smoothly. The entire fleet returned the same way they left. No one was missing and they were all lively and energetic."

"Yes!" Madam Ning agreed with Xia Chen's statement very much, "This is indeed an important factor that we think will go smoothly."

"Yes, that's what the captain of my main ship said. We all go out together and come back together. This is the most important thing."

"You encountered a lot of problems on the road, didn't you? Sometimes you were on the verge of life and death, isn't it scary?" The old lady looked at Xia Chen with a smile, "These problems are completely unimaginable to Your Highness on land, right?"

"What the old lady said is true. I encountered many accidents, learned a lot, and realized a lot. After really going out to sea, I realized how insignificant I am, or how small I am. A huge wave could break through the seemingly very solid hull, and the people on the boat would panic. If there were a violent storm, it would be even more tragic. The big ship might capsize in an instant, and people might fall into the sea and die in an instant. So, at that time, staying alive was the ultimate goal of everyone. Moreover, at the moment when life and death were at stake, there was no distinction between high and low status. There was only concerted efforts to ensure that everyone survived."

"Your Highness finally realized the truth during this voyage."

"Yes, after going through all this, I feel that my previous calculus was ridiculous." Xia Chen smiled, helped Madam Ning sit down, and said, "I took this job just to show my pride. After I really arrived at the sea and experienced all that, I felt that this job was a good one. I feel that I have been elevated."

"This is the charm of the sea. This is also the reason why I was willing to go to sea with my elders when I was young." Madam Ning nodded gently and patted Xia Chen's arm. "Although life at sea is hard and inconvenient, it is a baptism for our souls. After returning from the sea, looking back at the things that bothered me before, I feel stupid and foolish."

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"Yes!" Xia Chen nodded, took a chair and sat next to Madam Ning. "However, we were able to return safely this time, thanks to the sailors and helmsmen sent by the Wang family. After all, although the group of people I brought with me were numerous, they had no experience in going to sea, let alone learning to sail. Some people had never even seen what the sea looked like. But after being trained by the sailors and helmsmen of the Wang family, they can be independent, not to mention capable. The next time we go to sea, we won't be like this time, facing unknown dangers, and we won't be so panicked and unsure."

"Very flustered?" Old Madam Ning saw Xia Chen nodded, "It's really normal. People are like this when facing something they don't know. However," she smiled at him, looked Xia Chen up and down again, and nodded with satisfaction, "I remember that before His Highness went to sea, he was still a fair-skinned young master, the kind who looked naive at first glance. Now it's different."

"What's going on now?" Xia Chen looked at Madam Ning eagerly.

"He has become a real man."