The fleet sailing to the East Ocean moved unnoticed and disappeared silently at the dock.
Except for a few core senior officials of the government office, no one knew where this big treasure ship had gone.
However, even if it is said, others will not be able to understand it. The distance of South America is definitely not something that the current world can understand.
On the day the fleet set sail, Qi Yu went to Tianzi Pier early to toast Fu Xian and the others.
Talking about the situation is naturally indispensable, giving some blood and promising rewards can fully mobilize everyone's enthusiasm.
Overall, the effect is pretty good.
Qi Yu roughly calculated that as long as they make good use of the monsoon and ocean currents, they can make the round trip in more than a year at most. The so-called three years of food is just to be prepared.
The deceased is like a man who never gives up day and night.
Time flies by and it’s the eighth day of the twelfth lunar month in a blink of an eye.
For local officials, there are also some rituals to be done on Laba Day.
The first is to worship the City God.
This time, Qi Yu fulfilled his promise and asked the skilled craftsmen of the workshop to cast a solid bronze statue of Su Shi, the city god, and officially unveiled it on Laba Day.
Pig heads, roasted whole lambs, sea fish and other hard vegetable offerings are placed on the altar to show their sincerity.
"Senior Su, after you eat and drink well, don't forget to continue to bless me, Qiongzhou..."
"If you can help me double the development of Qiongzhou, I will build you a statue of the City God's Lady, hehe..."
The ceremony is over!
After paying homage to Su Shi, the City God, Qi Yu went to the Temple of Mazu, the God of the Sea.
Likewise, worship is performed with great ceremony.
"God Mazu, please bless my fleet going to the East Ocean safely and without any trouble..."
"If my fleet can return safely, I will definitely rebuild the temple for you and attract more people to offer incense..."
After saying that, Qi Yu bowed down devoutly.
After leaving the Mazu Temple, he went to the east gate of Fucheng.
Well, there's still something to do.
According to unwritten rules, on the day of Laba, the government office will give out some Laba porridge to help homeless beggars or poor people and to convey a positive energy. Qiongzhou Prefecture is no exception.
In order to show his sincerity, Qi Yu specifically asked him to make the Laba porridge thicker and not make it soupy, which would make people think he was perfunctory.
Relief is a kind of morality, not an official show.
If it's just like carrying a bucket of oil and putting on a beautiful pose to fool the working people, then don't do it!
Qi Yu originally thought that there would be a long queue today, but it turned out to be the complete opposite. There was no one in front of the soup kitchen.
What, food is given away for free and no one wants it?
Why?
Could it be that the porridge is too unpalatable to the people's appetite?
Let me check the goods.
So, Qi Yu filled himself a large bowl and started to drink it slowly.
This porridge is cooked at just the right temperature, with a mellow taste, a rich flavor, and a refreshing taste.
It's strange that no one comes to eat such delicious Laba porridge.
Why?
In order to solve this puzzling question, Qi Yu specially sought out local villagers for consultation.
"Sir, the reason why people don't come to receive the porridge is not because the porridge is not delicious, but because they are afraid of losing their own face."
"Losing face? What do you mean?"
Yes, what's the shame in drinking my Master Qi's porridge?
You should feel honored!
Qi Yu's mouth twitched, feeling very uncomfortable in his heart.
But the old man from the village chuckled and said: "Don't misunderstand me, please listen to the old man's explanation. In the past year, our Qiongzhou has changed quite a lot. Not only did the people have food in their homes, but they also accumulated a lot of pocket money...
…”
"Oh...please explain it in more detail."
"Well, as far as Qiongzhou is concerned now, even an ordinary peasant woman can make money to support her family by raising silkworms and weaving cloth, let alone those workers in textile factories and young and strong men... With such a good government decree to protect you, if you are not good enough
If you take porridge from alms to eat, you will definitely be regarded as a lazy man who is worse than a woman, and no one will look down on you."
Oh, that’s what happened!
Tsk tsk, when did the people of Qiongzhou become so proud of themselves that they are not even willing to take advantage of what they got for free?
Anyway, this is progress.
Guan Zhongchang said: People can understand etiquette if they have enough food and clothing, and they can understand honor and disgrace if they have enough food and clothing. Only when they are rich and safe can people care about the so-called integrity.
Of course, some people think that being poor is a kind of glory, or a kind of noble integrity, but this is another matter for the time being.
The book returns to its true story.
After bidding farewell to the village elders, Qi Yu returned to the soup kitchen and prepared to give orders to call it a day.
However, at this moment, a woman's voice suddenly came to my ears.
"I said, scoop me a bowl and try it and see how it tastes?"
Um?
Who is this person? Why is he so rude?
Qi Yu suppressed the unhappiness in his heart and looked up, only to see that this woman was smiling casually and her face was as cold as a refrigerator. Who else could she be if she wasn't Leng Qing?
Cough, spit!
Why is this a dead woman?
I still remember that when she left, she said that she would definitely come back soon. Unexpectedly, it really came true.
However, this also brings up a problem.
The internal guards do not have any freedom. Where they go is decided by the emperor. In other words, Leng Qing's return to Qiongzhou must be His Majesty's wish.
Then, what is ‘meaning’?
I can't understand.
"I said, what are you doing standing there? Hurry up and serve the porridge. I've been running around all morning and I haven't eaten anything yet." Leng Qing said impatiently when she saw that he couldn't stop thinking.
"Okay, okay! Right now!"
I was worried that there was no place to dispose of the porridge, but now a foodie suddenly came to help digest it, which just lightened the burden.
One bowl, then another bowl, uh, three bowls are enough.
You're welcome, eat hard!
Leng Qing burped a few heartily, and then urged Qi Yu to return home quickly.
Going in such a hurry?
Yes, because she said she had something important to tell her.
Important matter?
Okay, let's go quickly!
…
Half an hour later, in the reception hall of the Qiongzhou government office, Qi Yu and Leng Qing were alone in the same room, discussing so-called important matters.
In this conversation, Qi Dalang kept his attitude very low, not only drinking tea with her, but also talking and laughing with her.
There was no way, even though this dead woman said she had something important to tell her, she just couldn't say it smoothly. After weighing the pros and cons, Qi Yu decided to bombard her with sweet words and sugar-coated bullets.
"Haha, I didn't expect that Mr. Qi is not only rich in capital, but also has such a sweet mouth."
"I asked, can these two places not be compared together? Of course, if you use your words to speak against my capital, then it doesn't matter..."
Leng Qing smiled and said, "Stop talking nonsense, let's get back to business!"
Qi Yu's face straightened and he said, "Please speak."
"I advise you to quickly sail that big treasure ship away from Qiongzhou, as far away as possible. His Majesty has ordered Wu Wanrong to secretly investigate the 'missing treasure ship case'. I estimate that in two days, the others will be almost there.
"Leng Qing said in a short and long tone.
drink!
I really guessed it right!
Qi Yu smiled slyly and lowered his voice: "To be honest with Sister Leng, the big ship has now left the South China Sea. Even if the imperial court sends out navy to investigate, no trace of it can be found."
What's the meaning?
oh, I get it.
Leng Qing nodded suddenly and said: "It turns out that you have got the news a long time ago..."
Qi Yu prevaricated: "No, no, it's just a coincidence. That big ship just happened to be far away."
Now that the important matter was over, there was no need to be so nervous, so Qi Dalang turned the topic to the reason.
Yes, why did the court suddenly investigate this matter? What was the reason?
Leng Qing said that when the treasure ship first started to disappear, the officials had no reaction, and they all tacitly came to the same conclusion: it was just normal damage during the voyage.
Unexpectedly, later on, there were rumors that this big ship made a great show in the Battle of Tuen Mun and caused great losses to Yong Wang's defenses, so it attracted some attention.
Taking advantage of this focused opportunity, Wu Wanrong deliberately slandered the emperor. He claimed that Qi Yu must have had ulterior motives and used some despicable means to hijack the imperial treasure ship. Otherwise, how could the ship be in his hands.
As soon as this statement came out, the government and the public were in an uproar.
Although Yin Jun stood up for Qi Yu as a guarantor, he still couldn't bear the fermentation of the situation, and slowly, a trend began to form.
Now that the matter is here, we need to investigate whether it is true or false, so as to stop these people from talking about it.
The emperor was not too radical. In order to save Qi Yu's face, he changed the public thorough investigation of the admonition to a secret investigation.
So, who will be the censor?
At this time, Wu Wanrong keenly seized this opportunity. He volunteered and took the initiative to take over the file.