Wu Shu's hometown is in Bingzhou, which is quite far from Chang'an. Fortunately, it can be reached directly via Fenshui River. It doesn't take much time to get back and forth, and you don't have to suffer on the way.
However, she is the general manager of Zixiaoguan, and it is not that easy to leave. A lot of work has to be arranged and handed over, so she has been very busy in recent days.
Naturally, Sun Simiao had no time to take care of these secular affairs, so his disciple Chen Jingke had no choice but to take care of it.
He doesn't usually feel it, but just looking at what he has to do every day, his scalp feels numb.
Then I felt really happy from the bottom of my heart that I had found Wu Shu as my wife, otherwise all these mundane things would have annoyed him to death.
Thinking that he would have to take care of so many things in the next month, he felt that his whole body was not well.
Being accustomed to being lazy, he found Yang Tianlu and Yi He and said, "I will ask Yi He to help me with the internal affairs of the Taoist temple, and let Senior Brother Yang help me with the external affairs."
"Okay, it's only for a month anyway, it doesn't matter if you ask them to help you." Wu Shu glanced at him and finally agreed to the proposal.
Naturally, Yang Tianlu and Yihe would not refuse. The former was the foreign affairs manager of Zixiaoguan and was responsible for contacting various sects. Now he just has to shoulder more burdens.
Yihe is only the editor-in-chief of Mochizuki Tan, but because he has a good personal relationship with Wu Shu, he often helps with settling accounts and the like, so he is also familiar with this aspect of work.
The two got started very quickly and completed the handover of the work in a short time.
However, Chen Jingke, the hands-off shopkeeper, did not take it seriously in the end. Although he was not required to do specific things, as the owner he was responsible for the general supervisor.
If you want to supervise others, you have to know nothing. I have been following Wu Shu for the past few days.
Sun Simiao also went to see Mrs. Wu to officially finalize their marriage. Xie Xiao will get married when she returns.
Time soon came to mid-August, and the day for Wu Shu's departure arrived. Chen Jingke took them all the way to the Weishui Wharf.
The person sent by the Menxia Province to deliver the recruitment letter was a recorder named Zhu Xiliang. Chen Jingke called him aside and said: "Please take care of Zhu Lushi along the way."
Zhu Xiliang said politely: "Don't worry, Sir, I will do my best to take good care of Mrs. Wu and Mrs. Wu, and prevent them from suffering any injustice."
Obviously, he also knew what happened in Duke Ying's mansion, so he said such words.
Chen Jingke said gratefully: "I've thanked you in advance... This is tea money for the brothers, just to show my appreciation."
Zhu Xiliang said seriously: "Master, what are you doing... Oh, I can't do it, I can't do it."
He said he couldn't help it, and pushed Chen Jingke's hand firmly with his hand, but the cuffs were wide open.
Chen Jingke let go of the money bag and dropped it into his cuff, then took back his hand and said with admiration: "Hey, Zhu Lushi is willing to help others without asking for anything in return. I really admire him."
When Zhu Xiliang felt the heavy weight in his sleeve, he knew it was gold, and it weighed at least a pound. He was stunned in his heart, this Chen Zhenren was so generous.
The smile on his face became a little more sincere, and he said: "Master, I'm grateful, it's all within my bounds... The ship is about to set off, I'll go first, and Master Wu can say goodbye to Mrs. Wu."
Chen Jingke said: "Okay, Zhu Lu, please go first."
After Zhu Xiliang left, Chen Jingke returned to Mrs. Wu and the others and said, "Auntie, please don't worry. I have already taken care of Zhu Lu's affairs. With him taking care of me, I won't dare to embarrass you. Don't delay after paying homage to your uncle. Follow him."
Just go back."
Mrs. Wu was very satisfied and said: "Okay, I can rest assured that you can handle the matter. I will get on the boat to check the room first. If you have anything, please discuss it with Shu'er."
Chen Jingke said quickly: "Okay, Auntie, please be careful where you step."
Chen Jingke kept putting her and Wu Chang on the boat before returning. Looking at Wu Shu, he had a lot of things to say, but he didn't know what to say.
Wu Shu seemed to be able to understand his mood and took the initiative to say: "Don't worry, I will come back safely."
Chen Jingke nodded and warned: "In addition to paying homage to my uncle, don't make any extraneous matters. If you encounter a problem that cannot be solved, you can find a way to return to Chang'an. If it doesn't work, just send me a message."
Wu Shu was moved and took the initiative to lean into his arms, saying softly: "Yes, I know."
After all, in a public place with people coming and going, the two of them just hugged each other lightly and separated. After saying some thoughtful words to each other, the boatman blew the whistle to start the boat.
Wu Shu reluctantly boarded the ship.
It wasn't until the boat disappeared on the river that Chen Jingke turned around and returned to the city. Then he felt empty in his heart, always feeling that something was missing.
He knew that he was not used to Wu Shu's absence for a while, but he would be fine in a few days.
After staying alone for a while, he remembered something and asked someone to ask Cheng Huailiang and Qin Huaidao to come to Zixiao Temple tomorrow.
A night of silence.
The next morning, Cheng Huailiang and Qin Huaidao came to Zixiao Temple together, and the three of them sat in the pavilion in the yard and chatted.
Watching Chen Jingke feeding the carp, Qin Huaidao said with envy: "Your koi pond has finally begun to take shape..."
"Sometimes I wonder, why is God so unfair? Why can you raise a fish so differently than others?"
Chen Jingke grabbed a handful of fish food and sprinkled it on the water little by little. Looking at the group of small carp that were several inches long, he felt very proud and said with a smile:
"The beggars on the roadside will definitely have the same idea when they see you wearing bright clothes and angry horses."
Qin Huaidao was choked and couldn't speak. After a while, he said angrily: "I found that your mouth is getting more and more poisonous."
"No, I feel uncomfortable if I don't take advantage of you. Give me a few of these koi when you go back."
Chen Jingke smiled and said: "Good guy, it turns out that the fox's tail is here... You can catch any fish you want, as long as these three big ones and the one with black spots are left behind."
Looking carefully, there is indeed a koi in the water that is different. The dorsal fin actually has black scales, but...
Qin Huaidao took a look and said puzzledly: "This black spot is just like undyed black paint, it doesn't look good either. Why are you taking it so seriously?"
Chen Jingke explained: "Dragon gives birth to dragon and phoenix, and the mouse's son can dig holes. This fish has black spots, and there is a high probability that the little fish it will give birth to will also have black spots."
"But it's hard to say where the black spots will appear on its babies and what they will look like. But as long as there are enough babies, there will always be a few that are particularly beautiful."
Cheng Huailiang interjected: "This is similar to horse breeding."
Chen Jingke nodded and said: "It's almost the same. Whether it's animals or plants, this is the method for cultivating new varieties..."
"Forget it, let's not talk about it. I called you here today to ask about the fleet. How are the preparations going?"
Cheng Huailiang showed joy and said: "The four of us have jointly raised thirty merchant ships, and they are all filled with goods. According to what you said, they are all tea, silk and porcelain."
"As long as these goods can be sold for three times the price... hehe, the four of us can make a lot of money."
It's not that they don't want to sell glass, it's that this thing is too scarce and they don't have the goods at all. Changsun Wugu's merchant ship brought a batch, but the quantity was limited.
Chen Jingke didn't care about how much money he could make. No matter how much he earned, it wouldn't be as big as the dividends given by Changsun Wugao. Although he didn't want the profits from glass, he had a 10% share of the profits from sugar.
He is more concerned about other things.
"Has it been confirmed how many merchant ships there are in the fleet?"
Qin Huaidao said: "It's almost confirmed. There are 100 ships from the empress, 30 ships from our four families, plus other merchant ships of powerful people, there are 235 ships in total."
Cheng Huailiang added: "This is only a preliminary estimate. There will be many maritime merchants following the fleet seeking shelter when it sets off."
Chen Jingke said clearly: "This is normal. The ocean is extremely dangerous. In addition to storms, be careful of pirates. Following a large group can reduce the risk."
"But we can't just let them follow us randomly. We must manage it in a unified way to avoid being held back by them when we encounter danger."
Qin Huaidao said: "Don't worry, I have found many ship owners who often go to sea, and also got a battalion of naval officers and soldiers to board the ship. They are experienced and will not have any problems."
Chen Jingke thought about it. He only knew a little bit of theoretical knowledge but didn't know whether it was true or false. Compared with actual operations, he was not as good as an ordinary crew member.
The problems he can think of can naturally be thought of by those professionals.
"Forget it, let's not worry about it anymore. I came to see you today because there are two things that need your attention."
When they talked about business, the two of them immediately became serious: "You tell me."
Chen Jingke waved his hand and said: "Don't be so serious, it has something to do with the ocean caravan. The caravan's destination this time is Tianzhu, where a unique kind of steel is produced."
"The quality of this kind of steel is very high, and the swords made of it are extremely sharp...I forgot its name, but it is very famous there. I should be able to get some clues if I ask around."
Qin Huaidao said: "Do you want to buy a batch of this kind of iron?"
Chen Jingke nodded and said: "This kind of iron comes from a unique ore. It is the only one in the world that has no other branches. The reserves are very small and will be gone after mining."
"If you trust me, you can buy as much as you want. I have a lot of use for this thing. Don't worry about the price difference, I will make up for it."
Cheng Huailiang and Qin Huaidao didn't say anything like, "My brothers, don't be so polite." This time, the fleet's profits were too huge, and they really couldn't be polite.
The only thing they can do is: "Don't worry, I will notify the fleet manager and replace all the goods with the kind of iron you mentioned."
The kind of iron Chen Jingke was talking about was wootz steel. He was not looking for this stuff to make swords, but to make special mechanical parts.
Apart from anything else, the drill bit is absolutely amazing.
It is difficult to produce suitable drill bit steel with Datang's smelting technology. Utz steel can solve this problem to a certain extent.
After talking about Wuzi Steel, he took out a locked small box and said, "After we go to Tianzhu, we will look for a Han monk named Xuanzang and give this to him."
Cheng Huailiang was moved in his heart and said: "Xuan Zang, is he an old friend of yours?"
Chen Jingke knew what they were thinking, shook his head and said: "No, I have never seen him, but I have heard of him..."
So he talked about Xuanzang's trip to Tianzhu to obtain Buddhist scriptures.
Cheng Huailiang said in surprise: "I didn't expect there to be such a pious eminent monk in the world. When he comes back from Tianzhu, I will definitely visit him personally and ask for advice."
Qin Huaidao also nodded, and then suddenly smiled and said: "If he knew that he could reach Tianzhu directly from Liuzhao to the southwest, I don't know how he would feel."
"Haha..." Chen Jingke couldn't help but laugh. In later generations, people often joked like this on the Internet. Unexpectedly, he heard it again after traveling through time.
"But with Master Xuanzang's character and cultivation, there is a high probability that he would just smile indifferently. Journey to the West was a training in itself for him, and the process was as important as the result."
Qin Huaidao and the other two also nodded in agreement. Those who have the perseverance to travel thousands of miles to Tianzhu to obtain the true scriptures will naturally not regret it for such a trivial matter.
They did not ask what was in the small box, but said: "Don't worry, I will tell them to hand over this thing to Master Xuanzang personally."
Chen Jingke nodded, he naturally believed the two of them.
The box only had a lock but no key. He believed that Xuanzang would be able to open it.
Inside is a letter and a set of books. The book is a modified version of Journey to the West; the letter talks about the current situation of the Tang Dynasty and his thoughts on the convergence of Buddhism and Taoism.
It depends on how Xuanzang chooses.
If he is willing to take this path, that would be great. If he insists on taking the independent path, Chen Jingke will find ways to attack him.
If nothing else, the all-round university consultant Lu Cai is here.
In his previous life, Li Zhi sidetracked, causing Lu Cai to lose to Xuanzang in the debate. In this life, no one sidetracked him, and with Chen Jingke's help, I believe he would give Xuanzang a head-on blow.
What's more, now that Taoism has become a general trend, the convergence is also a general trend, and it cannot be stopped by anyone who wants to.
Neither can Xuanzang.
In addition to these, at the end of the letter, Chen Jingke also asked him to draw a detailed map of Tianzhu.
Chen Jingke knew that Li Shimin would definitely send someone to do this, but Xuanzang had a transcendent status in Tianzhu and could find out a lot of confidential information.
By using him, he can obtain more detailed maps and information without arousing suspicion from others.
As for whether Xuanzang could draw this map, there is no need to worry.
This is not the pedantic monk in Journey to the West who only eats food and chants Buddha's name. He has very high political wisdom and knows how to assess the situation.
On the way west, there was a monk from a temple whose understanding of Buddhism was different from his, and he couldn't argue with him, so he pretended to let him discuss Buddhism.
In fact, he had murderous intentions and wanted to stabilize him first and find an opportunity to kill him at night.
However, Xuanzang had noticed this a long time ago and calmly agreed. Then he fled under the cover of night before others took action.
Such a person naturally understands the reason for drawing maps. As long as he wants to return to the Tang Dynasty, he will definitely be able to draw them, and he will draw them in great detail.
After talking about the serious business, the three of them sat here and started chatting.
Talking about going to sea, talking about restaurant business, talking about the situation between North Korea and China...the topic naturally turned to Yuchi Xunyu.
Chen Jingke said: "Time flies so fast. Before I knew it, it had been more than half a year since he went to the Western Regions."
Qin Huaidao said: "Yes, my sister-in-law is about to give birth. I guess he won't be able to come back in time."
Cheng Huailiang shook his head and said: "Even if the war goes well, his return will not be until the end of this year or the beginning of next year. It is impossible to make it in time."
Chen Jingke sighed and said, "I don't know how he is doing now, but the war is going well."
