Red Mansion Huacai

Chapter 207: Encountering water bandits in Yangzhou

In the hall, eyes were moving and words were few. Exactly: What's wrong with the first sight? Gloomy mimosa. Do you know that the love thread is still in the vine? I hope you will get up early in the morning.

Aunt Sun came with a light lotus step and saw two maids, Zicuckoo and Xueyan, hiding at the moon gate. They pulled the flower branches and looked inside quietly.

When Aunt Sun approached, the two maids were immediately frightened. Seeing that it was Aunt Sun, she breathed a sigh of relief.

Aunt Sun smiled and asked, "How's it going?"

Xue Yan covered her mouth and giggled. Aunt Sun smiled and then said: "The master is awake and is about to see the resurrection."

Zicuckoo then said, "If you don't wait a moment, I'm afraid I haven't talked enough to Fourth Master Jian."

"Then just wait a little longer."

In the hall.

Li Weijian carefully put the Luopa away, and out of the corner of his eye caught a glimpse of the skirt beside the flowers, and said seriously: "I heard that another child of the Lin family came to disturb me? If my sister is not able to speak, then I will send him away."

Daiyu shook her head and said: "That's not necessary. After what happened before, the person who came back this time is extremely conscientious, and I'm afraid he wants to adopt his father's name."

"Uncle Lin, has he agreed?"

Daiyu said: "Father doesn't value these things... Besides, people's hearts are separated from each other. Now that he is looking at his duty, how can he know that he is not pretending? Brother Jian, don't bother, father has already taken care of it."

"That's good."

There was a slight cough from outside, and Aunt Sun was about to come in slowly, and said with a little surprise: "Resurrection, the master is awake, and he will see Resurrection soon."

"Oh?"

Not to mention Li Weijian, even Daiyu quickly stood up and asked, "Father...are you okay?"

Aunt Sun said: "Doctor Sun changed the prescription, took two doses of medicine, and he woke up as expected."

Without further ado, no one knew how long Lin Ruhai could last, so Li Weijian hurriedly followed Aunt Sun to visit Lin Ruhai.

In the warm pavilion in the main room at the back, it was June, but the doors and windows were closed, and the fumigation cage was raised. When Li Weijian entered, he smelled the strong smell of urine. Compared with last time, Lin Ruhai was a little thinner and her complexion was dark yellow. It was probably because toxins accumulated in the body were constantly leaching out from the surface.

"Uncle Lin!"

Lin Ruhai glanced at Li Weijian, with a smile on his face: "Fusheng is here, sit down."

Without asking the maid to help, Li Weijian pulled up a stool and sat down next to the bed. Lin Ruhai could no longer sit back now, so he only raised his body slightly, looked at Li Weijian and said, "Don't say any more pleasantries. I'm not very energetic right now, and I don't know when I will wake up next."

"Yes."

"Resurrection...the title of uncle needs to be changed."

Li Weijian and Lin Ruhai looked at each other and suddenly understood. They stood up and bowed to the ground solemnly: "My son-in-law has met my father-in-law!"

"Yeah!" There was an exclamation from behind, but Daiyu, who was worried, chased to the door of Nuange. After hearing this, she was immediately ashamed and hurriedly covered her face and left.

Lin Ruhai seemed to be really low on energy, so he just nodded slightly and said hoarsely: "Yu'er is still young, so I'm afraid I need someone other than Xiao Fang to get married to Fu Sheng. So after much thought, I came up with the following arrangements - "

Li Weijian leaned closer and listened to Lin Ruhai's arrangements...

When the family wealth is dispersed, most of it is taken to Rongguo Mansion? It was only a hundred thousand taels of silver, so how could Li Weijian care?

After Lin Ruhai said it and saw that Li Weijian didn't care, he couldn't continue his explanation and sighed: "I have gained a lot from serving as an official for several years, but I don't think it is worth mentioning in the eyes of Fusheng."

Li Weijian hurriedly said: "Money has a price, but sincerity is priceless. My son-in-law has the audacity to ask his mentor to do it for him. It is not for the sake of his father-in-law's family fortune."

Lin Ruhai smiled and nodded and said: "Okay, okay, I had known that the resurrection would be affectionate and righteous, so I would be relieved." After a pause, he added: "I have been an eunuch for several years, and although my family wealth is not much, I always It’s because we have some old friends from the same age and old age. Even though people are tired of tea, there are always people who will still sell me some thin noodles."

As he spoke, he looked at Aunt Sun, who took out a black wooden box from the cage, opened it, and revealed a stack of letter paper inside.

Lin Ruhai said: "After resurrecting and entering the officialdom, there will always be times when the horses are high and the stirrups are short. If you encounter difficulties, you can keep this letter and ask for help, which may be of some help."

Li Weijian understood clearly that Lin Ruhai had passed all political resources to him. He is a proud young man, and he seems to have friends all over the world, but in fact his foundation is the most shallow, and he cannot even compare with the has-been nobles. It looks like everything is blooming now, but if there are setbacks in the future, how many people will really fight for it?

Of these dozen letters, half responded, and Li Weijian had room for change. The preciousness within it is difficult for outsiders to understand.

Because Li Weijian accepted it solemnly, then stood up and bowed: "My son-in-law, thank you father-in-law for taking care of me."

Lin Ruhai waved his hand and said: "I have sent out the legacy, but I don't know when the saint will grant the marriage. Yu'er will be raised in Rongguo Mansion for these three or four years. If she is resurrected, she must be taken care of more."

"The thing that my son-in-law saves me is that even if my father-in-law doesn't tell me, my son-in-law doesn't dare to be careless."

They are all human beings. If they had known that the Rongguo Mansion was in decline, those hundreds of thousands of wasted money would be dazzling. If they learn about the marriage between Daiyu and Li Weijian, who can guarantee that the Rongguo Mansion will not have the desire to be exterminated?

Li Weijian checked the letters in front of Lin Ruhai. Most of them were addressed to local magistrates and imperial envoys, and the highest ones were only from the third rank. It seems that the connections are not as good as those of his mentor Yan Xiyao, but courtiers like this are the mainstay of Dashun. After a few years, it is impossible to say that they have suddenly changed and become the princes of Yanyan in the court.

After checking, it turned out that Li Weijian had not seen the letter addressed to Jia Yucun. He hesitated and asked, "Father-in-law, why didn't he see the letter addressed to Jia Fuzun?"

Lin Ruhai frowned and said, "This person from Jia Yucun can share wealth and honor, but cannot share hardships."

This statement reveals the mystery! As for why Lin Ruhai recommended Jia Yucun that day, Li Weijian was not a fool, so he never asked. Among the hundreds of officials in the government and the public, capable ministers have their own uses, and villains have their own uses.

Then Lin Ruhai said again: "I heard before that Jia Yucun seems to have followed Chen Hongmou's path. I don't think it will be of great use in the next few years. If he is reborn as an official in the inner government, there is no need to deal with him. This person's character is unpredictable. When he gains momentum, Don’t try to offend me.”

It turns out that he has already been hooked up with the new party of the chief minister and his subordinates! Li Weijian was immediately relieved. With Jia Yucun's aggressive temperament, how could he let someone as thick as the New Party go? I vaguely remember that in the drama, this person rose to prominence, and later the gangsters raided the Rongguo Mansion. It seemed that he was affiliated with the New Party.

At that moment, Weng and his son-in-law had a secret conversation, and Lin Ruhai warned them earnestly, but then they seemed to have some resentment. Lin Ruhai never pointed out the secret words in Yan Xiyao's letter, so Li Weijian was confused as a monk.

Because Lin Ruhai was seriously ill, it was difficult for Li Weijian to stay in the Yan Division's inner house. When they returned to the post house in the afternoon, Qingwen led Xiangling, whose eyes were red, to find her.

"Tell me slowly, what's going on?"

Xiangling just kept sobbing, and Qingwen said: "Fourth Master doesn't know that Aunt Zhen has been in bad condition since she got on the boat. At first she thought she was seasick. Who would have thought that I would have a high fever today -"

"Can I invite a doctor?"

"Please, it's just that the doctor was so confused that he only said that Aunt Zhen was suffering from both yin and yang, and that this time she might be in danger."

Li Weijian frowned secretly. Aunt Zhen had spent more than ten years of hard life, relying only on her determination to find her daughter. Now that she had found Xiangling, her heart was at peace. With this sigh of relief, she was indeed as sick as a mountain!

Seeing Xiang Ling crying like she was in tears, Li Weijian said: "It doesn't matter, I happen to know a famous doctor, and I will immediately invite him to treat Aunt Zhen."

Xiangling hurriedly knelt down and said, "Thank you so much, Fourth Master. Xiangling has nothing to repay. I am willing to work as a cow or a horse in this life to repay Fourth Master's kindness."

Li Weijian waved his hand and said, "That's enough. You are someone close to me, how could I not care about such a thing?"

At that moment, Wu Haining went to Yansi Yamen and invited Xu Daye, a famous doctor from Jiangnan, to diagnose and treat Aunt Zhen. Not only her yin and yang, but also her qi and blood were extremely weak.

Then Xu Daye said: "Mrs. Zhen's illness is coming on quickly. She will be stable for the time being after I give her two doses of medicine. After that, she will have to take care of her for one or two months, especially the supplements and medicinal diet."

Xiang Ling asked hurriedly: "Doctor, may my mother go to the capital?"

Xu Daye twirled his beard and said: "I'm afraid it won't be easy to move, so I have to take good care of it."

"this--"

Li Weijian offered the consultation fee and ordered Xu Daye to be sent back to the Salt Division's inner house. He secretly calculated that with Aunt Zhen's illness, Xiangling might not be able to return to the capital.

But Xiang Ling's temperament has always been soft, and she is used to being submissive, so she really doesn't deserve a home. If the mother and daughter were left in Jiangnan, there was no chance that they would cause trouble, so they had to be looked after by others.

It's a pity that Hongyu is not around. With Hongyu here, this matter will be handled properly. Now, apart from Xiangling, there are still two people left, Xiuying and Qingwen. Xiuying is a naive person who has no martial arts skills and is very timid when things happen. Not even the slightest scheming.

After thinking about it, Li Weijian asked the three maids to talk about the matter, and then said: "I'm afraid Xiangling and her daughter will stay here. I plan to send you three to Sister Lin's place. Xiangling since Needless to say, you two are here to take care of Aunt Zhen; secondly, you are also taking care of Sister Lin for me."

Xiang Ling was filled with gratitude at the moment, Xiu Ying, a naive person, was a little unhappy at the thought of not being able to accompany her, but Qing Wen heard the hidden meaning.

"Fourth Master...you and Miss Lin."

Li Weijian smiled and nodded: "Keep it until the clouds clear and the moon shines. This matter should not be publicized, so don't let it spread."

Qingwen then smiled and said: "Congratulations to Fourth Master on getting what he wanted. Miss Lin will be the mistress. I am absolutely convinced. Fourth Master, don't worry, I will definitely take care of Miss Lin and she will not be bullied."

The matter was settled. At night, Li Weijian called Xiu Ying and Qing Wen respectively and left a thousand taels of silver for Qing Wen. Qing Wen spent all their expenses. He also explained carefully to Xiu Ying, this silly girl. Qingwen dared to quarrel, but every time she had the right to argue, she would argue so hard that she ignored her. Li Weijian told Xiuying to try not to quarrel if she could!

With Daiyu taking care of her, Lin Ruhai had already dismissed his concubine, leaving only Aunt Sun who didn't cause trouble. Jia Lian would not cause trouble for no reason. When he stayed in Yansi's inner house, the only people who could come to cause trouble were distant relatives of the Lin family. With Daiyu's support, who are the distant relatives of the Lin family?

The two women only agreed, but they were reluctant to let go of Li Weijian. How could Li Weijian ever let go? Xiuying was supposed to be sleeping with him in the night, which was a ridiculous scene. Xiuying was shy and did not refute, but Qingwen couldn't bear it, so she finally put on her clothes and ran away.

The next day, Li Weijian led people to the inner house of Yansi early in the morning. He did not see Daiyu. He only asked Aunt Sun to tell her about the matter. Aunt Sun only said that Li Weijian left someone to look after Daiyu on an excuse because it was a promise. There was a lot of teasing in his eyes.

Li Weijian shamelessly said he didn't see it. After settling Aunt Zhen and the three maids, he took Bitong on board the ship and set off, heading straight to Shanghai County, Songjiang Prefecture.

......................................................

Daming Palace and Imperial Garden.

Emperor Zhenghe was sitting in the pavilion, and Dai Quan presented a memorial.

Emperor Zhenghe took the memorial and looked at it carefully. Wang Ziteng inspected the nine sides, but he was born in Datong. There was a quarrel over wages just the month before, and the court allocated 1.5 million silver to calm it down. However, the quarrel broke out again this month.

Emperor Zhenghe frowned secretly. Now that half of the generals are from the Rong and Ning mansions, and are about to start a war with Junggar, he is sure to take the lead, but the investigation cannot be stopped.

He thought to himself that he had to appease these arrogant and powerful generals. Suddenly he caught a glimpse of Yuanchun standing by, and Emperor Zhenghe was moved. He put down the memorial and said, "How long have you been in the palace?"

Yuanchun hurriedly bowed and said, "Return to the saint, it's been ten years now."

"It's been ten years..." Emperor Zhenghe turned to look at Dai Quan and ordered: "Yuan Chun has served me well and will be promoted to Zhaoyi."

Dai Quan hurriedly responded and then looked at Yuanchun with joy. Although Yuanchun looked slightly happy, he was extremely confused in his heart.

Although the saint often took her with him in the past two years, he never favored her. How come she was suddenly promoted to Zhaoyi?

Dashun inherited the Ming system, and if the women in the palace were not in the harem, they were female officials. Naturally, it is possible to convert between the two. It was common for a female official to become a concubine after gaining favor.

From the queen down, the concubines are divided into noble concubines, concubines, concubines, Zhaoyi, Jieyu, beauties, talented people, selected attendants, and ladies. This Zhaoyi is the first class below the concubines. What is the saint's intention?

Feeling puzzled in his heart, Yuanchun thanked Heaven for his kindness, and remained as dignified as before, accompanying him by the side.

Emperor Zhenghe asked casually: "King Zhongyong hasn't returned yet?"

Dai Quan quickly reported: "Back to the saint, the prince went to the capital camp early in the morning and expected to be delayed for some time."

"Yes." Emperor Zhenghe nodded and threw aside what Wang Ziteng had written. When he caught a glimpse of the next letter, he quickly opened it and looked at it carefully.

This memorial was written by the seriously ill Lianghuai salt censor Lin Ruhai. It contains sincere words. He knew that time was running out, and the Lianghuai salt administration was corrupt. He begged the saint to send capable ministers and generals to cut through the chaos of Lianghuai salt. The government is alienated, only in this way can we not be destroyed or established.

Later, he asked for the marriage of his only daughter. Before leaving, his love for her was beyond words.

Emperor Zhenghe was very sad to see this. Lin Hai... that is his extremely trusted minister! He was capable and knowledgeable, yet still mellow. As a result, he had to go to Lianghuai for several years before he got seriously ill and couldn't afford to show off his talents. Within a few years, his wife died first and his youngest son died in infancy. Lin Hai was so frightened that he hurriedly sent his daughter to the Rongguo Mansion in the capital. However, despite all the precautions, he failed to prevent her!

That's not the case. As soon as the salt policy is sorted out, Emperor Zhenghe plans to make great use of Lin Hai!

Also seeing that Lin Hai chose Li Weijian as the husband for his daughter, Emperor Zhenghe felt mixed emotions. After thinking for a while, he said: "Order the imperial doctor to go south quickly to diagnose and treat Lin Ruhai."

If Lin Hai really does not miss the New Year, Emperor Zhenghe will certainly agree to the marriage proposal. However, the Lin family daughter is still young at this time, so she is not in a hurry at this moment.

Dai Quan agreed and hurriedly called Xiao Huangmen for instructions.

Emperor Zhenghe copied the third memorial, but it was the Cane Sugar Bureau of the Guangzhou House of Representatives that implored him to keep the silver coins to wait for next year.

Emperor Zhenghe frowned and said, "Why are the memorials from the inner government also sent up?"

Dai Quan apologized and said with a smile: "Sage, King Zhongyong resigned from the post of prime minister of the inner government the day before yesterday. There is no one in the inner government to make the decision, so we have to report it and ask the saint to make the decision."

That's right, my brother is going to lead an army on an expedition, and he has no time to pay attention to the complicated matters in the inner palace. Emperor Zhenghe glanced at it and saw that the Guangzhou government requested to keep 80,000 taels... not much, that's for sure.

Just at this moment, someone from Xiaohuangmen suddenly walked quickly and tiptoed to speak to Dai Quan. Dai Quan then came closer with a whisk in his hand and bowed: "Sage, please see me, King Zhongyong."

"Xuan."

After a while, King Zhongyong Long Xinghu walked into the Imperial Garden. At this moment, King Zhongyong could be said to be in high spirits - he was finally going to lead his troops to fight again.

Emperor Zhenghe only glanced at it and teased: "Is the leader so happy?"

King Zhongyong was no longer formal at this moment, and said happily: "The saint knows me, I have no other thoughts in this life, I only wish to be shrouded in horse leather——"

"Bah! The expedition is about to begin, so don't talk about that unlucky thing."

"Isn't this just nonsense?"

Emperor Zhenghe raised his chin, and King Zhongyong took his seat and reported: "The whole Wuyi camp is ready. Except for that one sentry, the remaining troops are ready to go. Saint, my brother plans to set off tomorrow."

Emperor Zhenghe said: "It's not that I'm busy... When you leave, there will be no one in charge of the palace. Can you recommend someone?"

"This..." King Zhongyong thought about it: "The sage also knows that there are many associate ministers in the inner government now, but there are only two who can really take on the job. Wang Qin is older and acts more safely; Zhao Kui is younger and more courageous. Bigger. If these two people can work together, the inner government can deal with all the big and small matters. If there are disputes, I'm afraid... why don't the saint choose another talented person to take charge of the inner government's errands?"

Emperor Zhenghe scratched his head. This inner palace was private territory. How could foreign ministers get involved at will? You can designate eunuchs to take charge of errands for the prime minister and ministers, which will definitely attract a crowd of civil servants.

Li Weijian was a capable man. After traveling south for a few months, the sugar business was about to be launched. Guangdong is just the beginning, and the real big head is still in Guangxi. If it spreads as expected, in ten years the annual income will be less than 10 million, and at least 8 million will be available!

Then there was the cement business, which made King Zhongyong applaud and yell at the same time! Cement, after asking Yan Xiyao, I found out that this thing is a powerful tool for building a city. If you build a fort in Qinghai, you can use this material with bricks and stones to build a fort in a few days! Spreading all the way like this, the siege also surrounded the Junggar traitors to death!

Unfortunately, the army is about to go on an expedition, and it is too late to prepare for the cement business in Shaanxi and Gansu. However, King Zhongyong has already transferred a dozen craftsmen from Xishan Island to stay in Xining to see if there is an opportunity to start a cement business.

After scolding him, he saw that Li Weijian had made twelve million taels of silver for the imperial family out of thin air, and that King Zhongyong only had a precious daughter. Now he was determined to recruit Li Weijian as his son-in-law.

It is said that he is the God of Wealth. He really is the God of Wealth!

Not to mention King Zhongyong, Chen Hongmou, the chief minister of the dynasty, had changed his mind at this moment. With plenty of money, Chen Hongmou could flex his muscles. The day before yesterday, he saw that the official administration was almost done, so he returned to the government after the fire and came up with a plan to abolish the lowly status.

From then on, the humble status was abolished, people could participate in the imperial examination, and the heirs of slaves were automatically freed from the status of slaves. A large family in the south of the Yangtze River had thousands of servants, and none of them had to pay taxes. It was self-evident who the sword was aimed at.

If one day Li Weijian is unfortunately involved in a court dispute, everyone will have to protect this living god of wealth. Without Li Weijian, who would make money for Dashun?

It's a pity that Li Weijian is too young to convince the public. After returning this time for meritorious service, the official position cannot be moved, and the title cannot be moved. However, the posthumous title can be moved, but it is difficult to reward him.

Emperor Zhenghe thought about it for a moment, nodded and said, "That's all. I'll look around in the clan for a while."

King Zhongyong agreed, then smiled and said: "Sage, if you read the newspaper and see that my brother is leading the troops to go on an expedition, I'm sure that Li Fusheng will be in a hurry."

Emperor Zhenghe laughed and said: "It's ridiculous. He just needs to stay in the inner government. After ten years, he will be transferred to the Ministry of Revenue. How can he think of leading troops to fight?"

King Zhongyong said: "The saint doesn't know that Li Fusheng is obsessed with being granted a title, and I, Dashun, can only be granted the title of duke, marquis, or uncle only for military merit. I'm afraid that's why I'm so interested."

Emperor Zhenghe said: "Young people don't know the heights of the sky. How can the confrontation between these two armies be child's play?"

After saying this, Ke Zheng and Emperor felt a little relieved. Li Weijian had made great achievements one after another and had a lot of wealth. Emperor Zhenghe was afraid that Li Weijian would slack off from now on, and then become confused and disappear into the world. It's good to have pursuits, so that you can drive with confidence, and Li Weijian can also do his best.

As for lingering in Rongguo Mansion and lusting after the girls in the mansion... Young people, who is not greedy for sex? Not a big problem. If Li Weijian is capable and self-denials and practices etiquette like a Taoist scholar, then the emperor will be murmuring in his heart: If you don't seek fame and fortune, what do you, Li Fusheng, want?

Now it is almost clear that Li Fusheng was hooking up with the second girl from the Rongguo Mansion, and then asked to marry the only daughter of the Lin family... No wonder he asked for a marriage. Although this incident is not new in Dashun, it is not common either. It was the daughter of the Jia family that made Emperor Zheng He feel disgusted.

There are so many good women in the world, why do you want to marry a daughter from the Jia family?

After collecting his thoughts, Emperor Zhenghe said: "We will wait until Li Fusheng comes back... I am thinking about it. If it doesn't work, let him escort the grain and grass, and just do some military merit."

King Zhongyong immediately smiled and cupped his hands and said: "My brother has the same idea. After sending the food and grass, my brother detained Li Fusheng in the camp to avoid any mistakes."

Yuan Chun stood aside, thinking secretly about the words of the sage and the loyal king, thinking that he should hand them out when he turned around, so that the family could make good friends with Li Weijian. Just at this moment, I suddenly saw the saint glance over and looked at each other briefly. The saint's eyes were so sharp that they were piercing him like a knife.

Yuanchun was suddenly shocked and quickly lowered his head. After a while, Yuanchun was secretly afraid when he saw the saint talking happily with King Zhongyong again. I'm afraid it's hard to spread these words!

............................................................

On the Yangtze River, two official ships went down the river.

The crescent moon hangs high, with lights on a ship behind it.

Bitong gently sharpened the pencil with a knife, and when he looked at it sideways, he saw that there were more Latin characters on the paper, and even more Chinese characters that he couldn't understand. The young official sitting behind the desk frowned and thought for a long time, not knowing what he was thinking about.

The boat merged into the Yangtze River from the canal and flowed down the river without stopping. By nightfall, it had passed Jiangyin. Perhaps it was because the rainy season was approaching and the weather outside was hot and humid, Bi Tong felt as if she had returned to Hao Jing.

Several maids around the new master had stayed in the prosperous Yangzhou, and now she was the only one left. Bi Tong couldn't help but feel worried, looking forward to it, but also a little afraid.

Although she was in the far east and couldn't figure out the eastern calendar, she knew for sure that she should have passed her sixteenth birthday. After spending a long time with Qingwen, Xiangling and Xiuying, Bitong gradually adapted to Eastern thinking.

In their opinion, young officials like the new master can be regarded as dragons and phoenixes in the entire empire, and it may take a hundred years to produce one. Being a concubine, or even a concubine, to such a person is a supreme honor.

She has the most contact with Xiu Ying, and Xiu Ying always mentions the new master in her spare time. He said that the new owner was so depressed more than a year ago that he even took a risk and borrowed 3,000 taels of silver just to qualify for the exam!

Then the new owner relied on his incomparable talent and ability, and quickly gained the appreciation of His Majesty the Emperor. After passing the exam, because of his past achievements, he not only became an imperial official, but was even awarded a knighthood.

Bitong always listened to her mother's stories about the past and knew that it was almost impossible for an ordinary person to become a noble in Europe! And this kind of thing almost always happens in Dashun.

Perhaps because he had adapted to the oriental aesthetics, Bi Tong took a sneak peek and felt that the new owner was very pleasing to his eyes... Maybe it was because the new owner treated Xiang Ling and her mother well. Perhaps, the new owner will be so kind to him in the future?

Bi Tong knew that she had no choice but to pray that the new owner would be gentler when she wanted to sleep with her... After all, this was her first time.

While thinking randomly, the tip of the pencil broke. Bitong's heart tightened, but she saw no reaction from the new master. She breathed a sigh of relief and started cutting again.

Li Weijian stretched his body and put down his pencil. As time passed, his memory became blurred. The last time he came into contact with chemistry was an open class in college in his previous life. Now he has even forgotten some chemical symbols.

The industrial revolution is not only a power revolution, but also an all-round follow-up of physics and chemistry. Practical learning reluctantly took root in Dashun and became widely spread among the scholar-bureaucrats. Many scholar-bureaucrats became scholars comparable to those of the Western Yi. But for chemistry, Xiyi didn't even understand it at the moment. They expected the people of Dashun to figure it out on their own. I was afraid that Li Weijian would not be able to see it before he died.

I don’t know if we can catch up with the Battle of Qinghai, but the pace of promoting industrialization cannot be stopped. The small kettle machine and the larger steam engine are all being built in an orderly manner. The next priority is steel, and then chemical materials.

Hey, take your time.

Li Weijian moved his neck. Bi Tong saw this and hesitated slightly, then stepped forward and kneaded him gently. Li Weijian ended his enjoyment and asked aloud: "What time is it?"

Bi Tong took out her right hand, took out her pocket watch from the sweat towel on her waist, opened it and glanced at it: "A quarter past eight in the evening... uh, a quarter past eight o'clock."

"Well, it's getting late, it's time to rest."

Bi Tong immediately said: "I'm going to make the bed right now."

Bitong stepped forward, perhaps because she was not used to Dashun's clothes, and the skirt tripped her feet. Bitong stumbled before she regained her balance, and hurried to the next cabin.

There was a faint sound of firecrackers outside, and Li Weijian wondered, how come people on this shore set off firecrackers in the middle of the night?

Just at this time, footsteps were approaching from outside, the hatch opened, and Cheng Wei was about to come in with a solemn expression: "Mr. Sir, there is a ship engaging in battle two miles away!"

The sleepiness disappeared immediately, Li Weijian stood up suddenly and said: "Do you know who is fighting?"

Japanese pirates have never disappeared, but they simply dare not go ashore. Dashun shipping accounts for a very high proportion, and merchants are certainly not stupid, because private shipping is also extremely developed. The ronin who escaped from the shogunate sometimes hid near the islands and reefs offshore Dashun, taking advantage of them to rob ships when they were not prepared.

Li Weijian then thought about it, no, this was on the Yangtze River. If the Japanese pirates dared to come in, wouldn't they be locked up and beaten by the Yangtze River Navy?

Because he hurriedly asked: "It's not Japanese pirates, but there are also water bandits on the Yangtze River?"

Monk Cheng Er was also puzzled and wondered: "I don't know why, but I heard that there are some water bandits in Taihu Lake, but it's just not the climate. The Yangtze River waterway has frequent traffic, so I don't think there should be water bandits, right?"

"How many boats?"

"It's so dark that it's hard to see clearly. It's probably a dozen small boats surrounding two large ships."

Li Weijian immediately stepped out, got on the deck, took a single-channel telescope from the Forbidden Army and looked into the distance. At this time, the boat was approaching, and a large ship could be vaguely seen with flames rising into the sky. Another large ship occasionally discharged cannons, and the water bandits who were shot would scream and fall into the water.

After observing for a moment, Li Weijian understood. The two large ships were both official ships, and the dozen or so attacking ships were all fishing boats, and the water bandits had no artillery.

Li Weijian and Cheng Heng looked at each other and said with a smile: "Congratulations to Mr. Cheng Shao, this is a great contribution to your doorstep."

But Cheng Heng said worriedly: "You must always protect the doctor first."

Li Weijian was happy: "There are more than a hundred Forbidden Army brothers on two ships, but are you still afraid of just a few dozen water bandits? Mr. Cheng Shao can just do it with peace of mind. At worst, I can go back to the cabin and hide for a while."

Only then did Cheng Heg smile, cupped his hands and said, "That's it, thank you so much, doctor."

"Ha, don't blame me for delaying everyone's journey to Qinghai to make a fortune."

"Haha, the doctor is joking."

During this trip south, the money Li Weijian rewarded alone was equivalent to everyone's annual salary. Who dares to blame? I'm afraid that in my heart I wish I could spend more time with Li Weijian.

At that moment, Li Weijian returned to the cabin, and Cheng Heng was gearing up. He blew his whistle to call out a brother, and the two official ships approached the scene of the incident.

Li Weijian watched from the window. When he got close, he fired a volley of guns, and the water bandits immediately made a pot of porridge. Some fled by boat, while others simply jumped into the river. With only three bursts of gunfire, the water bandits were dispersed.

These two official ships were not naval warships, and most of the Wuyi Town Imperial Guards were landlubbers, so Cheng Heng could only stamp his feet on the deck of the ship in a hurry, watching the water bandits scatter in all directions.

At this moment, the man on the big ship who was rescued shouted: "Thank you to our friends across the way for helping me. May I ask which adult on the ship is in charge?"

Cheng Heng replied loudly: "We are second-class men, a doctor in the Kuaiji Division of the Inner Palace, and the bodyguard of Mr. Li. May I ask who is the person opposite?"

Then I heard an exclamation, and the man begged in a trembling voice: "Master Li? But Li Weijian, Master Li? Master Li, I am an accomplice of the imperial envoy Baoling Hou Shi. I was escorting Jiangnan prisoners this time. Unexpectedly, the news leaked, and halfway Being intercepted by bandits, Mr. Shi unfortunately fell into the water, please ask Mr. Li for help!"

Li Weijian was immediately stunned. Is Baoling Hou Shi Nai an imperial envoy? Did he fall into the water? This is really...

(End of this chapter)