91. Bring the Ship Closer

"Imperial envoy?!"
Zhao Yan was eating noodles in the mansion when suddenly a big gift package fell from the sky.
Due to his meritorious service in the Northern Expedition, he was promoted by one rank and took over the rebellious Wang Xuangan, commanding the troops and horses in the Five-Fang Camp.
With high official position and generous salary, as well as military power, he was considered an outstanding figure among the younger generation, and it wouldn't be an exaggeration to say he was a dragon and phoenix among men.
Zhao Yan couldn't help but sigh in his heart again. If Zhao Quliang hadn't been exposed, if he hadn't colluded with Northern Meng, he would not have become the favorite lonely minister of the little emperor, and Da Qian would not have launched the Northern Expedition.
If Daqian does not launch a northern expedition, he will have no opportunity for advancement and will continue to be suppressed by Wang Xuangan. Even the second, third, and fourth sons of the Wang family might fare better than him.
And now?
Reversed!
The Wang family is almost dead, his future is even brighter!
"Zhao Quliang's death is great!"
Zhao Yan is looking forward to this mission to Jianghuai.
If it is done well, there will be further promotion!
"Mr. Fish, has His Majesty given any tokens such as knives or swords?"
Zhao Yan stared eagerly, hoping for a bestowed item.
Whether the tokens are real or not doesn't really matter, the main thing is the excitement. What if there's gold inside?
Fish Cheng En had an expressionless face: "No."
"Really? Don't you even have a seal?"
Zhao Yan's thievish heart did not die.
Fish Cheng En gave a standard reply: "No."
After a few days, it was time to leave Beijing.
Zhao Yan specially prepared.
Not only prepared a necessary umbrella for both sunny and rainy days, but also prepared two boxes of vine clothes.
Inside are facial cleansing products, replacement shoes, tailoring tools, lighters, writing tools, first aid kit.....
Very thoughtful, after all, Prime Minister Cao has considered it, and there may be chaos in the Jianghuai region, so he dare not use someone else's things.
Most importantly, there is a blue, white, and red fabric lining on the chest.
At extremely critical moments, this small cloth represents surrender and can save lives.
Proud and full of energy, Zhao Zheng is well groomed and fully dressed when he leaves the house.
As soon as he stepped out of the house, Zhao Zheng found Yu Cheng'en waiting at the front gate.
Zhao Yan was deeply moved, and even had Fish Grandpa personally see him off. It seems that the young emperor really values him!
"Fish Grandpa, I will set off immediately without delay!"
Zhao Yan said proudly.
Yucheng En limps and presses Zhao Yan back, still expressionless:
"General Zhao has already set off."
"Huh?"
Zhao Yan was pushed back a few steps and didn't react: "I was just about to set off!"
"General Zhao, has already, set off."
YU Cheng'en repeated word by word, and then repeated it again, tightly closed the door, before finally relaxing his expression, with a helpless look on his face.
"Hey, I haven't gone out yet!"
Zhao Yan looked puzzled.
Soon, several guards in straw raincoats came out of the Zhao residence and took Zhao Yan back to the house.
It was not until the door closed that Zhao Yan came to his senses.
He sat down on the ground.
It's not General Zhao, but someone else...
.........................................
"Your Majesty, aren't you taking the land route?"
The speaker was a lively-looking young boy.
"The land route is dangerous, and the distance from Luoyi to Huaizhou is far. To save time and disguise ourselves, it's better to take the water route."
Another young person looks a bit gloomy, with a poker face, but should be quite clever.
"What Xuan Shan said is right."
The General Zhao who is travelling is Zhao Zheng, if there is really any problem in Huaizhou, this first-grade expert Emperor can better control the situation.
After all, it is the land of prosperity and we cannot afford any mistakes.
As for personal savings, it is not reassuring to hand them over to someone else.
If we can also find Jinguo's treasure along the way, we can secretly take it away.
As for why we have to travel in such a secretive manner, it is very simple.
Openly visiting Huaizhou on a southern tour is too costly, even if it is using money from the household department, it makes my heart ache, and it is also too ostentatious, which can easily lead to trouble.
Covertly secretly investigating in disguise requires money from the internal treasury, but the internal treasury is out of funds and cannot afford it.
Just take advantage of Zhao Yan's name, spend the money from the household department, make unofficial visits with public funds, it's a foolproof plan.
Even if the courtiers find out later, it doesn't matter, it's actually saving money for the household department!
Zhao Zheng only brought a team of Suiyi Guards and the top scholars of the imperial examination, Wang Xuanshan and Wu Dingqian. It doesn't matter who the second-place candidate was.
There were two teenagers, one moody and the other careless, but both had a fifth-grade cultivation level. They would definitely become the next generation of leaders. With proper cultivation, even though their backgrounds were complex, they would be sufficient as the backbone of Daqian in the next decade.
Both the internal spies, Wu Chong and Wang Xuance, can also be controlled at the same time to ensure that Daqian is sufficiently strong. The two children within Daqian have a brighter future than rebellion, and even if the external undercover agents have any intentions, they can only suppress them.
The ship splits the waves and the sails dance fiercely.
Ships of various sizes sail on the water, including official ships and merchant ships.
Zhao Zheng and the cloak guards disguised the ship as a merchant ship.
Or, one could say that this is originally the Shuiyiwei's merchant group. When there's nothing to do, they engage in water trade, which allows them to disguise their identities and gather intelligence, as well as subsidize their expenses. When there's something to do, they become the government's watchdog, able to eliminate people without leaving any evidence.
At this moment, the water's surface kept making sounds of "plop". Looking closer, several workers dressed as fishermen were throwing the freshly caught fish into the water.
"What's going on? Can't they be eaten?"
Zhao Zheng is heartbroken. In the palace, there are only three or two pieces of meat per meal. These bunch of parasitic guards are throwing it into the water. It is not extravagant and wasteful to show off wealth like this. They should all be fined!
Xiaoqi stopped throwing fish and said, "Your Majesty, this is a ceremony, praying for a safe journey...."
"Nowadays we use fish for the ceremony, but in the past we used people," Wang Xuanshan suddenly sighed.
Wuding Qian expressed his confusion: "You're saying that this fish originally belonged to the river, and you caught it just to release it again. Does it serve any purpose for the ritual?"
"Exactly, exactly. It's such a waste to release fish, let alone wasting zongzi!"
Zhao Zheng shook his head repeatedly, very disappointed. Wang Xuanshan was still born in a wealthy family. Look at Wu Dingqian's good nature, not bound by worldly matters, and has a promising future.
"Even when going to war in the Northern Expedition, I didn't perform any rituals. This thing is just a waste of resources and only for peace of mind. If I come back safely, I will be grateful that the rituals were performed. If I don't come back, there won't be anyone left to complain that the rituals didn't work."
He found a piece of door panel, showing off an amazing woodworking skill of the world. In just a few moves, he made a small water mill and hung it on the ship's wall, then tied a fish to it:
"Just by playing with it, one fish is enough to offer sacrifice to Huaizhou."
"The rest of it can be grilled, the river fish, with its original flavor, grilled directly, sprinkled with salt, is also good."
"Hmm...."
A few guards of the sedge cloak watched the fish on the water wheel, repeatedly going in and out of the water as the water wheel turned, stunned, but smelling the aroma of grilled fish, they had no other thoughts.
Zhao Zheng had a full meal and saw a ship. The ship had a deep draft, which seemed unusual to him. He asked the nearby officer wearing a straw raincoat, "Where is that ship headed?"
An officer is usually of the fourth rank. This officer named Hai Dagui not only had considerable strength but also made a living on the water. He had seen a lot and had extensive knowledge. After identifying the ship, he answered, "Your Majesty, that is a ship from the Huaizhou canal transport. Based on its direction, it should be returning to Huaizhou from Gengzhou with goods."
"The ships of the Cao gang..."
"The Cao gang is spread throughout the inland waterway system and has intricate relationships with government docks in various regions. They operate both their own business and the government's business, making them a semi-official and semi-private organization."
Zhao Zheng's eyes flickered slightly: "Gengzhou is a major state for salt and iron."
Hai Daguixi realized that things were not good: "Your Majesty, what should we do?"
"Bring the boat over."