The Prodigal Son

Back at the naval camp, Qin Yu summoned Zheng Tingchao, Yu Zhou, and several key naval commanders together and outlined his future plans for them.

Or rather, it's all just empty promises!

After receiving the promises Qin Yu made, Zheng Tingchao and Yu Zhou finally had some motivation.

Afterwards, Qin Yu gave them a sketch of his envisioned warship.

That afternoon, Qin Yu gave Yang Jichun some instructions and handed him his gold medal before preparing to head to Jiangning Prefecture in Fangzhou.

Before leaving, Zheng Tingchao and Yu Zhou pulled Qin Yu aside again.

"Although His Majesty is determined to thoroughly reform the salt administration, he shouldn't be too ruthless!"

"How many officials in the imperial court dare to say they are absolutely clean? Even if they are not corrupt, they will have done something else."

"To be honest, if I hadn't wanted to be transferred away from the navy to make a name for myself, and if I hadn't been mindful of the late emperor's kindness, I would have been greedy too!"

"If all the officials in various regions are purged, who will govern the localities?"

Even the late emperor once said, "If the water is too clear, there will be no fish..."

Zheng Tingchao, speaking from experience, patiently advised Qin Yu.

He knew that Qin Yu was at the height of his ambition.

After his crackdown, many officials in the Nine Provinces will surely lose their heads.

Some people really deserve to be killed!

But for some people, if they can still be used, then let's just make do with them for now!

Even if someone else were to take over, who could guarantee that the other officials would be upright and incorruptible?

Rights, rights—having power inevitably involves interests!

"Thank you for your valuable advice, General Zheng. I understand!"

Qin Yu smiled and said, "I'm leaving Haizhou in your care. As long as things stay stable here, no matter how much others try to cause trouble, they won't be able to make much of a splash!"

"rest assured!"

Zheng Tingchao patted his chest and assured them, "Although the Raojin Navy cannot compare to the elite border troops, dealing with the local militia and other lowly fodder is still a piece of cake!"

"With General Zheng's words, I can rest assured!"

Qin Yu cupped his hands in a respectful gesture to the two men, saying, "Then I'll take my leave now!"

"Take care on your journey, sir!"

The two returned the greeting.

Qin Yu nodded, quickly mounted his warhorse, and led his men away from the naval camp.

Watching Qin Yu leave, Yu Zhou smiled at Zheng Tingchao: "The general seems to have a pretty good impression of this man."

"What right do we have to talk to him about impressions or anything like that!"

Zheng Tingchao shook his head and smiled, "Look at others, then look at ourselves, we should feel ashamed!"

Yu Zhou patted Zheng Tingchao on the shoulder, comforting him, "General, don't think like that! Qin Yu had such great merit, but he wasn't even granted a title."

"He doesn't want to, nor does he need to, be granted a title! We're different!"

Zheng Tingchao sighed softly, then waved his hand and said, "Alright, alright, let's not talk about this anymore! It seems there's no hope of us transferring them away from the navy. Let's focus on the present!"

"Um!"

Yu Zhou nodded slightly, then asked with some concern, "Do you think His Majesty will really agree to Qin Yu's suggestion?"

Last night, Qin Yu made empty promises to them, saying that he would suggest that His Majesty reward the navy based on the amount of treasure it plundered.

As long as they hand over enough benefits to the imperial court, it's not impossible for them to be granted a title based on this!

"Since Qin Yu is so confident, the possibility is probably quite high!"

Zheng Tingchao smiled and said, "If this works out, we'll finally have something serious to do!"

"really!"

Yu Zhou nodded in deep agreement, a hint of anticipation flickering in his eyes.

With no hope of being transferred out of the navy, this was considered a relatively good job.

Even if there's no chance of being ennobled, as long as one can make contributions, it's much better than wasting time in the navy!

As for morale, there's absolutely no need for motivation!

As long as the soldiers get a share of what they've seized, they all yell and scream!

Hopefully this will work out!

……

Yun Huai, a historian.

As soon as Shi Yi returned home, the servants rushed up excitedly to announce the good news: "Master, the young mistress has given birth! It's a boy!"

"You've already given birth, why do you have to announce it to the whole world with fanfare?"

Shi Yi snapped irritably, kicking aside the servant blocking his way, "Next time you block my way, watch out for your lackey!"

The servant, terrified, turned deathly pale and scrambled to his feet, kneeling respectfully. "I know I was wrong! I'll never do it again!"

Shi Yi kicked the servant again in a huff, too lazy to even look at his newborn grandson, and walked toward the study with a dark face.

Only after Shi Yi left did the servant stand up tremblingly, his eyes filled with doubt.

What's wrong, sir?

The young mistress gave birth to a son, why isn't he happy at all?

He was eager to be the first to share the good news and ask for a reward, but instead he was inexplicably kicked twice.

This is the worst luck imaginable!

Shi Yi returned to his study, lay down, closed his eyes, and began to ponder quietly.

"Knock knock..."

However, before he could think for long, there was a knock on the door.

"Who is it!"

Shi Yi opened his eyes and shouted angrily.

"Second brother, it's me!"

Shi Wang's voice rang out from outside.

Hearing his voice, Shi Yi slightly suppressed his anger, vigorously rubbed his tense face, and then said calmly, "Come in!"

Only after receiving Shi Yi's permission did Shi Wang dare to push open the door and enter.

After entering, Shi Wang locked the door again. Not seeing Shi Yi in the outer room, he quickly hurried into the inner room.

At this moment, Shi Yi had already sat up in bed, but his complexion was still not very good.

"Second Brother, are you also aware of the news that Qin Yu has been ordered to take command of the military and political affairs of the Liangjiang region and the Hai and Yuan prefectures?"

Shi Wang immediately saw the root of Shi Yi's bad mood.

"nonsense!"

Shi Yi scoffed, annoyed. "You know everything, how could I not? I also know that this was entirely Zhao Luan's decision; she didn't even consult with the court officials!"

His network of connections is far stronger than Shi Wang's!

He received these messages yesterday.

That's why he was in such a bad mood. He didn't even go back to the Shi family yesterday, and spent a whole day and night thinking about it at the residence of the Salt Commissioner of Liangjiang.

Shi Wang looked slightly embarrassed and said with a serious expression, "We miscalculated. Sun Min's matter has thoroughly enraged Zhao Luan..."

Things did not go as they had expected.

Now, Zhao Luan is giving Qin Yu such great power, which clearly indicates that he wants to thoroughly reorganize the salt administration.

Moreover, the intensity will definitely be greater than before!

"What's the point of saying all this now?"

Shi Yi was filled with frustration. "Let's think about how to get through this difficult time first!"

Shi Wang was equally agitated and asked anxiously, "Do you think the court will suspect us because of Sun Min's matter?"

"What does Sun Min's matter have to do with us?"

Shi Yi's gaze suddenly turned sharp.

What an idiot!

Is he trying to confess without being asked?

He has dealt with all the people who needed to be dealt with!

Right now, this matter has nothing to do with them!

They themselves must insist on this point!

You must stick to this point no matter who you are dealing with!

"Yes, yes, it has nothing to do with us."

Shi Wang realized what was happening and quickly smiled apologetically, "What I meant was, what if someone is slandering us?"

"There may be slander, but no one should try to slander us if it has nothing to do with the history family!"

Shi Yi reassured him, "What I'm worried about now is that Qin Yu will use me and the Shi family as a scapegoat!"