Chapter 437: Punch Through the Official Ship
Three days later, Meng Gongyujie and his family set off for Chengdu. Zhao Yulin went to the dock to see them off. Old Meng told him not to worry and he would ensure that Madam Hulan would be safely sent to her home in Chengdu.
Zhao Yulin helped Hu Lan onto the boat and said with a smile that everything would be safe.
After watching the two official ships disappear on the river, he instructed Chu Yuxuan to take two customized new official ships and follow them slowly.
As soon as Zhao Yulin returned to the government office and sat down, a guard came in and reported: There is someone outside the door who claims to be the uncle of the King of Feiyan and wants to see the young master.
Zhao Yulin found it strange. It was true that people were afraid of becoming famous just like pigs were afraid of becoming fat.
Damn it, Zhao Feiyan had just ascended the throne of the country, and someone actually dared to pretend to be Zhao Feiyan’s uncle and come to him.
He asked to bring him in.
After a short while, the guards brought Kuang Siying in.
Haha, it turns out that this rascal was driven away by Madam Danfeng Kuang Sisi from Chengdu, so he went to the Zhao Mansion to look for Zhao Feiyan but was rejected again. He was very depressed. On the way back, he saw prosperous cities one after another and was reluctant to leave Sichuan.
That day, he was having lunch at Jiangling's dock, and he regretted it so much when he saw the Chengdu Weekly report that Zhao Feiyan had taken over as the king.
Zhao Feiyan is his niece, and now she has become the ruler of the new Song Dynasty. Isn't this a joke?
If his genuine uncle-in-law relationship had happened in the previous dynasty, he would have been a royal relative and should have lived a luxurious life with everything provided for him. However, he was eating at roadside stalls like a beggar at the dock and could not even fill his stomach.
He returned to the boat and continued his bumpy journey back east. When he heard the boatmen talking about the commander of the Shenwei Army and the third young master of the Zhao family who was in Jiankang Prefecture to meet the enemy, he immediately became excited.
Zhao Feiyan married Zhao Yulin, who was the Third Young Master, and the Third Young Master was his nephew-in-law. He thought that everyone said that the Third Young Master was kind and righteous, so he might as well go to Jiankang Prefecture again to try his luck. Maybe his nephew-in-law didn't know the story of his mother-in-law and would take care of him.
Kuang Siying bowed with a smile on his face and introduced himself as Kuang Siying, a native of Qiantang. He is the uncle of the current ruler Zhao Feiyan and the eldest brother of Madam Danfeng's biological son.
Zhao Yulin was confused. The big hats on this man's head meant he was from a prominent family. He immediately stood up and smiled, inviting Kuang Siying to sit down in the hall. He called Ke Zhenxie to his side and whispered to him to check it out.
Kuang Siying sat down and ate the Longjing tea brought by the maid, which was sour and refreshing. Haha, it was the best Longjing tribute tea. The immortal boss came all the way to Chengdu to see his sister Kuang Sisi. He fainted and vomited three times on the boat. Not to mention the scolding, he didn't even have a sip of boiled water.
Kuang Siying was so happy that he was dizzy while sipping the fragrant Longjing tea, and began to be intoxicated and daydreaming.
Zhao Yulin couldn't call him uncle before he confirmed the other party's identity, so he bowed and called him "uncle". Before he could finish the conversation, Kuang Siying called him uncle. He was really Feiyan's uncle, and the third young master should call him uncle.
Kuang Siying said happily: I came here for no other reason than that my dear son-in-law just wants to give my uncle a county magistrate, or a judge, or a deputy commander or something like that. My uncle also went to the county school in Qiantang, so writing an official document is certainly no problem for him.
Holy shit, what is this called?
You just want to be an official? You have to start as a county magistrate?
Zhao Yulin coughed but still called him uncle and told him: Even if he is really Feiyan's uncle, in the New Song Dynasty, people still have to do things based on their abilities and virtues. The New Song Dynasty appoints people based on their merits, regardless of relationship. There is no such thing as royal relatives.
Kuang Siying was stunned immediately and looked at him with wide eyes.
Zhao Yulin continued: Uncle, don’t you know that we no longer have an emperor in the New Song Dynasty? Queen Feiyan is just an official who works for the people. The people call her Queen, but they just mean that she is the first person to work for the people.
This girl was drinking the best Longjing tea and dreaming of becoming successful. She gradually came to her senses after hearing Zhao Yulin's words.
It seems that society has changed. You can't become Zhao Yulin's uncle just by saying a few words? Moreover, even if you become an uncle, you still have to rely on your ability to make a living. The new Song Dynasty does not practice nepotism, but appoints people based on merit. There is no such thing as the emperor's uncle who is a relative of the emperor.
After Kuang Siying thought it through, he was in a daze again, holding the tea bowl.
At this time, Ke Zhenxie came back and whispered to Zhao Yulin about Kuang Siying's travel itinerary. He then realized that the man in front of him had come here on a cargo ship from Chengdu; the pass documents left in Kuang Siying's luggage at the inn also proved that this person had set out from Lin'an Prefecture to Chengdu, and then went down the river from Chengdu to Jiankang.
Two conclusions immediately flashed through Zhao Yulin's mind. First, it was true that this man was his mother-in-law Kuang Sisi's elder brother, but Kuang Sisi had never mentioned such a relative in front of him, which meant that Kuang Sisi did not like this person.
The second is that this person knew Kuang Sisi and wanted to come to Xinsong to get free food and drinks, but Kuang Sisi did not buy it and drove him away without reporting him to the police for punishment.
After some thought, Zhao Yulin tended to believe the former, because the man's surname was Kuang and he was from Qiantang, so he should be a member of the Kuang family.
After confirming this relationship, he smiled and said to Kuang Siying that there are more than tens of millions of people with the surname Kuang in the world, so uncle, please don't try to make friends here. I am busy with official duties and cannot accompany you.
Once you leave this door, you are not allowed to use the name of the Zhao Lord's in-law to deceive others. If you do, you will be severely punished. Then he asked the guest to be sent away, and then he stood up and left.
Kuang Siying was immediately petrified, holding the tea bowl and staring at Zhao Yulin's departing back in a daze.
Damn, this change is too fast.
Just now he was immersed in the happiness of tasting Longjing tribute tea.
Did I say something wrong and reveal a flaw?
I really am Zhao Feiyan's uncle.
While Kuang Siying was still reviewing the situation to find the reason, the captain of the guard had already taken out ten consecutive new Song coins and handed them to him, saying: Here are ten strings of money, the travel expenses given by our commander. Hurry up and catch the boat back to Lin'an Prefecture.
As Ke Zhenxie spoke, he stuffed the money into his pocket, pulled it up and pushed it out.
Zhao Yulin didn't have the time to deal with these trivial matters, but there is a saying that goes "leave a way out for others so that we can meet again in the future", so he asked Ke Zhenxie to give a gift and send him out of the country.
It is said that Meng Gong and Yu Jie sailed upstream to Chengdu. They were chatting on the same official ship. After they had completely put aside their work, they felt much more relaxed. They called the guards to set up wine and food on the deck. While eating and chatting, they enjoyed the scenery along the river. Unknowingly, they left the territory of Jiankang Prefecture and entered the territory of Luzhou in the afterglow of the sunset.
As night fell, the guard in the lower cabin suddenly ran up to them in panic to report: the watertight door of the official ship's rear hold was broken and the ship was taking in water.
Meng Gong was shocked, damn it, this is going to sink the ship.
Yu Jie immediately ordered the upper watertight door to be closed and rescue efforts to be carried out quickly, and the water that had poured into the cabin should be pumped out.
They were busy with the rescue work when the official ship behind them that was carrying the families of the people also sounded the alarm. The two official ships moved closer and headed towards the shoal on the shore to prepare for any eventuality.
The guard on the official ship behind them jumped over to report to them that the bottom cabin of the large ship had been pierced through and was flooded, and it could not be stopped at all. They suspected that someone was sabotaging it.
Yu Jie was so frightened that he broke out in a cold sweat. Damn it, someone is trying to sink the official ship and kill them. Damn it.
Meng Gong quickly ordered everyone and belongings to be moved to the deck. After a while of hard work, although they were safe, the two ships were stranded and could not move.
Yu Jie said cautiously that there was no village in front of them and no shop behind them, so they might have strong men lurking around and they had to be on guard. Both of them were experienced warriors and immediately became alert , and immediately deployed their guards and security guards to prepare for defense.
When they counted the number of people, they found that three people were missing, including two guards from Yu Jie and one guard from Meng Gong.
Meng Gong said doubtfully: The problem may lie with these few people. They are the ones who caused the damage. Because Meng Gong's guards were on his boat, and Yu Jie's guards were on the boat with his family members behind him, it is very likely that these two people pierced the bottom of the boat and let in water?
Meng Gong did not dare to be careless, as Zhao Yulin's young wife Hu Lan was also inside. He quickly brought all the female family members to the boat here, and asked the guards to wait in groups of three and supervise each other.
The women in the family saw that the ship was still sinking, the river water was rising , and the surroundings were pitch black. They were frightened and panicked, and kept screaming and crying. The maids around them had trembling legs and were shivering.
Only Hulan's guard Barter stood by her and shouted: Don't be afraid, don't be afraid, the Third Young Master will definitely come to save us.
It was pitch black above the river, so Meng Gong didn't dare to count on Zhao Yulin to save him. Zhao Yulin was not a god, so how could he have predicted that there was a thief on his official ship who wanted to harm people?
On the dark river, the only lights floating up and down were the flickering lights of a few lanterns on their two boats. Otherwise, there was no sign of even a ghost.
Just as they were panicking, lights appeared in the distance downstream. The dots of fishing lights were getting clearer and closer. Yu Jie had been in contact with the navy for a long time, and he could tell at a glance that a boat was coming. Meng Gong immediately shouted to be on guard. Both men and women on the boat held the things that could be used as weapons in their hands.
From a distance, I heard someone shouting with an iron loudspeaker: Is that General Meng or General Yu on the boat?
I am Chu Yuxuan from Jiankang Shunfeng Office, and I have been following and protecting you on the orders of Commander Zhao.
When Meng Gong heard that it was Chu Yuxuan, he still did not let down his guard and ordered the boat to slowly move closer.
Chu Yuxuan climbed onto Meng Gong's official ship to check and found that both large ships were flooded and stranded, so he had to abandon them. He immediately ordered his men to help transfer the personnel and luggage.
Everyone quickly got busy.
The move was finally completed after dawn. Chu Yuxuan persuaded Meng Gong and the others to continue westward on the new ship, while he stayed on the broken ship waiting for rescue.
Yu Jie looked at the stranded ship gradually disappearing from his sight and marveled at Zhao Yulin's genius. How could he have predicted that the thieves would destroy their ship and prevent them from heading west to Chengdu?
Meng Gong told him: In fact, Commander Zhao had already reminded him that Jiankang Prefecture was the ancient capital of the Six Dynasties, and various forces had been intertwined and operating for a long time. Moreover, it was close to Lin'an Prefecture, so there was no need to be cautious.
