The Great Seminary

Chapter 207 Nonsense
After breaching the ancient well city, they successfully occupied a sea outlet.

After composing himself, Zhang Gui began to command the metal flying men of the Heavenly Gang's "Heavenly Craftsmanship" to clear the ruins of the Ancient Well City.

Expand the natural harbor left by the old city and rebuild the new city.

During this time, a large armed merchant ship with a tonnage of 10,000 tons approached the dock, seemingly an acquaintance of the Gujing family.

A manager, looking shocked, asked loudly from across the sea:

"These gentlemen, who are building docks and new cities with their mechanical skills, certainly don't look like pirates or bandits."

Do you know where the original owners of this land, the Gujing family, went?

Upon hearing this, several of the most eloquent young courtiers from the True Dragon Kingdom on the shore exchanged glances.

Following their pre-planned strategy, the leader solemnly countered with a question:
"You haven't been to Gujing City for at least half a year, have you?"

"That's right, that's right."

With the sea routes now unstable, opportunities to travel on long-distance trade routes have decreased significantly.

The last time we visited Gujing City was last year in the first month of the lunar calendar, when the old city lord was on his deathbed.

"That's right."

Later, after the old lord of Gujing City died, one of his good-for-nothing sons took over as head of the family.

Disliking that making money in business was too slow, he took a crooked path, committing murder and robbery.

This resulted in opposition from some righteous people in the family.

Unrest suddenly broke out in the city.

Coincidentally, a victim came to seek revenge, and after a period of chaos, Gujing City was reduced to ruins.

People either died or were injured.

The surviving old, weak, and disabled soldiers, fearing further retaliation, abandoned the breached city and fled.

When our master learned of this, he felt that this place was strategically important and it would be a pity to leave it undeveloped, so he occupied it.

The voice just fell.

A figure suddenly appeared out of nowhere on the deck of the merchant ship, rushing across the sea as if attending a banquet.

The young man, dressed in a flawless silk robe with not a single fold, and with a slick, oily appearance, laughed loudly and said:
"The only flaw in your story is that the Gujing clan could not possibly have a single righteous person."

So, if we break through the city and seize territory, so be it. This is the open ocean, where nothing is forbidden and the strong rule. Why bother with any excuses?

The courtiers of the True Dragon Dynasty showed no embarrassment at having their lies exposed, nor did they retaliate with angry curses. They simply said, unconcerned:
You say your piece, I'll say mine.

It doesn't matter if you don't believe me, it's just the truth.

By the way, our new town is called 'Anle Town'. Once it's built, you're all welcome to come and do business here.

My host is extremely fair and would never take advantage of his guests in the slightest.

And if they're in a good mood, they might even give out generous "lucky money" (red packets).

"Oh, it's not easy to find someone with such a good temperament in the outlying area."

May I ask your honorable name?

Listen carefully.

Our master is Zhang Jiuqing, the young master of the Zhang family from Pingyang, Siyang County, Dongyue Province, Ming Dynasty.

"cough cough"

The richly dressed young man nearly choked on his own saliva upon hearing this, and angrily pointed at the courtiers of the True Dragon Court.

"In this day and age, it's no big deal for you to lie."

But if you tell lies to the point of insulting someone by saying they're "mentally ill," that's going too far!

Zhang Jiuqing was one of the "twin outstanding young literary officials" of the Ming and Song dynasties, who submitted the famous memorial "A Memorial on the Blood Ties Between Father and Son".

Now he's the Imperial Censor of the Eastern Guangdong Province of the Ming Dynasty, how could he possibly come here to build a city and do business!

"How strange! Even the princes of the Ming and Song dynasties were able to build cities and garrison troops on Giant Snake Head Island."

Why can't the talented Zhang family of Pingyang do business on Giant Snake Island?

Besides, has the young master forgotten the story of Blackwood Town?

Upon hearing this, the elegantly dressed young man couldn't help but recall the incident three years ago when he was indulging in pleasure in Zhangjia Heimu Town, Pingyang, and had encountered a mysterious powerful figure who killed people with supernatural abilities while remaining invisible. He couldn't help but shudder and lost interest in continuing the conversation.

"Okay, you're right."

In short, remember that I am Zhen Bailu Xue from the Zhen family of Jinling Flower Fish.

If I ever do business here in the future, I must remember to ask your host to give me the best possible treatment.

"I didn't expect you to be such a straightforward person, young master."

It's fate that we met, and you're the first large merchant ship to approach our new city—a very auspicious sign.

There will definitely be preferential treatment in the future.

Zhen Bailu smiled with satisfaction upon hearing this and waved goodbye.

Once his ship had turned back into the deep sea, someone behind him asked:
"Young Master Lu Xue, the Gu Jing family was wiped out by someone else, who also seized their territory."

Our long journey was a complete waste of time.

What should we do next? Please advise.

“I know you feel that the benefits of being on a deserted island have been snatched up by others. You should consider the other party’s worth.”

Let's see if we can snatch chestnuts from the fire.

But I advise you not to overestimate it.

There's no such thing as a coincidence in this world.

We just received word that the Gujing family on Giant Serpent Head Island actually possesses a unique and ancient artifact, the Shikigami, that is exclusive to Japan.

They took the "Wind-Stabilizing Pearl," a treasure specifically designed to counter his family's inheritance, and went to his door to steal it.

Then they encountered a group of people casually using mechanical flying men that looked almost identical to all the Heavenly Craftsmen of Prince Zhen to build houses and repair docks on the original site of the ancient well city.

He even made up a story, claiming to be a member of the Zhang family of Pingyang.

Hmph, today they're Zhang Jiuqing of the Zhang family in Pingyang, tomorrow they might be the head of one of the three legendary "powerful families" of Dongyue Prefecture: Liang, Chen, or Chu.

Such a person is mysterious and unscrupulous, daring to keep things shrouded in mystery even when he is on the same island as Prince Zhen's "temporary residence".

Is it worth provoking them for a mere possibility?

The person who asked the question chuckled twice upon hearing this.
"I originally asked Young Master Lu Xue to instruct me on what to do next."

"I dare not act arbitrarily."

"Is it okay if I ask you to go home?"

"Of course, let's head back now."

Although the person asking the question was still somewhat reluctant, he also felt that Zhen Bailu Xue's words made a lot of sense.

Without a scapegoat, they dared not act rashly and had no choice but to agree.

Meanwhile, in Zhihai Town, Siyang County, Dongyue Province, Ming Dynasty.

Zhang Gui originally planned to rest for a day before sailing his "Ironwood Turtle Mechanical Ship" to Xianrong Island.

I obtained an official letter from Chu Tuantuan, the chief eunuch of the Longmen Port Bureau and the head of the Eastern Depot in Siyang County, from the official in charge of the Longhu Shogunate.

Please ask him to take some time to meet with the 'Ryūmon Port Bureau' after he returns to the shogunate.

Zhang Gui and Chu Tuantuan were good friends.

Exchanging letters is perfectly normal.

However, this time Chu Tuantuan used her real identity when leaving the letter, and more importantly, she also added the title of "Chief of the Eastern Depot in Siyang County".

That's really unusual.

Zhang Gui sat in the pavilion in the backyard of the government office.

After reading the letter, he frowned slightly and asked:
"When Chief Chu left me the letter, did he come to Zhihai Town in person, or did he send it over by someone else?"

"Reporting to the young master, the day Chief Chu left the letter happened to be the day I was on duty, and he personally handed it to the soldier."

The official in charge of the stars answered respectfully.

(End of this chapter)