Chapter 768
Silver is just a pile of stones
Lu Mingzhe smiled and said, "I thought General Gong would know, after all, Pan Yun is familiar with Chen Wen, a commander in the navy. I heard that the helmsmen on her ship are borrowed from Chen Wen."
Gong Xia's expression darkened slightly as he said, "Isn't Prefect Lu also on very good terms with Alliance Leader Lin? Pan Jun and Alliance Leader Lin's nephew both came from Longhu Mountain and have a very good relationship. Prefect Lu hasn't inquired about this with Alliance Leader Lin."
Lu Mingzhe did not answer his question, but murmured, "The silver transported all the way back from Japan must have been at least 100,000 taels to impress the imperial court, right?"
Gong Xia stopped arguing with him and instead lowered his eyes and said, "After all, Japan is not our territory. It has few people and few resources, and we only have three months to smelt. Reaching 50,000 is already tempting."
No sooner had he finished speaking than Cao Jixiang and Pan Yun disembarked from the boat. The old eunuch's face was full of smiles, and his eyebrows showed a joy they had never seen before.
The two exchanged a glance and unanimously rejected their previous assertion.
Pan Yun must have brought back a considerable amount of silver, otherwise Cao Jixiang, that old eunuch, wouldn't be so overjoyed.
The two immediately walked down to meet Cao Jixiang and Pan Yun.
Cao Jixiang was talking enthusiastically to Pan Yun when he saw Lu Mingzhe and Gong Xia walking towards him. His smile faded slightly, but the joy in his eyes remained.
The four exchanged greetings, and Cao Jixiang immediately pulled Wang Cong, who was following behind him, up and warmly introduced him to the two men: "This is Wang Cong from Sanqing Mountain. He will be in charge of his family's three seagoing vessels in the future. Prefect Lu, General Gong, you must take good care of this junior of mine in the future."
Old man, Pan Yun is still here. Do you need to steal the spotlight?
Lu Mingzhe and Gong Xia smiled and agreed, looking at Wang Cong with warm and friendly expressions.
Wang Cong bowed respectfully to them, then stood behind Pan Jun.
Pan Yun didn't want Wang Cong to be used as a tool to stab each other, so after he bowed, she said, "Go up on the ship and keep an eye on things. Help Lord Cao transport all the goods to the Maritime Trade Office."
Wang Cong agreed, bowed to the three men, and withdrew.
Lu Mingzhe praised, "You know how to advance and retreat; Sanqing Mountain has a worthy successor."
Gong Xia: "I can tell from his light and graceful movements that he is quite skilled in martial arts. He is truly accomplished in both literary and martial arts."
Pan Yun listened quietly to their praise, while Wang Cong's ears turned bright red, and he quickened his pace to leave.
The three men praised Wang Cong in front of Pan Yun, their parent, and once Pan Yun was satisfied, a smile appeared on her face. Only then did the two men inquire about the pirates they had encountered on their journey.
Cao Jixiang's gaze sharpened slightly as he realized that he hadn't had a chance to inquire about the pirates yet.
All three asked with concern, "Are they heading for Master Pan's two ships?"
Pan Yun smiled and said, "Lord Cao is joking. It's just two civilian ships. Why would the pirates need to send so many people to ambush them twice, and even use cannons? I think they were after the envoy's team."
"Alas—" she sighed and said, "Lord Yang is also pitiful. He was sent to Japan on a royal mission. I don't know who was so bold as to dare to abduct and kill the envoy."
Cao Jixiang, Prefect Lu, and General Gong exchanged a glance and immediately became restless.
Cao Jixiang asked, "Is Lord Yang still on the ship?"
Pan Jun looked at the main ship with a worried expression: "He should be there, right? He's holding the bandit leader on board. The dock is in chaos right now, so he'll probably only come down after most of the people have left."
Lu Mingzhe immediately said, "These pirates have committed numerous atrocities, and this prefecture will certainly punish them severely. I will go and take a look now."
Cao Jixiang: "I heard that the delegation was able to return home safely thanks to the help of Master Pan and the King of Ryukyu. The King of Ryukyu even sent a prince to escort them. As the Director of Maritime Trade in Quanzhou, I should personally go to receive them."
Pan Yun smiled and nodded to Cao Jixiang, watching him leave in a hurry, then looked at Gong Xia, who was still standing there.
Gong Xia narrowed his eyes slightly and asked, "Master Pan, are the people Chen Wen gave you getting used to?"
Pan Yun smiled and said, "General Gong is joking. How could I, a mere commoner, dare to be a member of the Navy?"
Gong Xia glanced at the large ship behind her, but didn't see those people on it. However, he trusted his intelligence.
Without Chen Wen's helmsman, how could Pan Yun, a Taoist priest who had never been to sea, dare to steer two ships into and out of the ocean?
But he truly had no evidence. Pan Yun looked relaxed and asked Gong Xia with curiosity, "General Gong, pirates ambushed and killed the imperial delegation at sea. It should be considered a dereliction of duty by the naval authorities, and even Prefect Lu is anxious. Why do you seem so unconcerned? Do you have connections who can protect you no matter how big the storm is outside?"
Gong Xia stared intently at Pan Yun.
Pan Yun met his gaze directly and smiled.
Gong Xia then clasped his hands in a fist salute and left to greet the envoy team.
The main ship became lively.
Pan Yun neither joined in the fun nor left; instead, she leaned against a tree with her arms crossed and watched the spectacle.
The port only quieted down after Yang Shan and Prince Shang Kang of Ryukyu were escorted away by the crowd.
Almost half an hour later, Xue Shao arrived carrying a food box and holding Pan Xiaohei.
He handed her the food box and whispered, "I've already taken Yang Shan's men out and hidden them."
Pan Yun asked, "Where did you hide it?"
Xue Shao: "Quanzhou Circuit Intendant Office".
Pan Yun's mouth was slightly open. She had thought of many places, but this was the one she had never considered.
But this place... is really wonderful.
Pan Yun pondered for a moment, then asked, "Where do Miaozhen and the others live?"
"He went back to the Maritime Trade Office."
Pan Yun raised an eyebrow: "What about my fourth senior sister and third senior brother?"
Xue Shao smiled and said, "The two Taoist priests went to the Taoist Discipline Office. I think they are not used to greeting the government."
Pan Yun quietly gave him a thumbs up, completely relieved.
With Xuanmiao and Tao Ji around, those people won't be able to escape.
She was so smart and hardworking back then, but she still couldn't escape their grasp.
The two hundred thousand taels of silver were counted until the hour of Wei (1-3 PM).
Actually, there weren't that many silver bricks, since each one weighed thirty pounds.
It's just that it's heavy, so you have to be extra careful.
As was customary, the Maritime Trade Office would randomly select five silver bricks from different boxes and locations, cut them to ensure they matched the contents, and then pack them into boxes, have them carried off the ship, loaded onto carts, and transported back to the Maritime Trade Office.
Cao Jixiang didn't want anyone to know the amount of silver, but he also knew he couldn't hide it. Moreover, he wanted to create momentum for the silver mountain, so after thinking about it, he decided to have the silver transported directly back to the Maritime Trade Office without making any further attempts to conceal it.
Wang Cong was so hungry that his stomach was sticking to his back. As soon as he got off the boat, Pan Yun handed him the food box that Xue Shao had brought.
Wang Cong buried his head in his food and ate for a while before catching his breath: "I no longer feel excited when facing silver. To me, it's just a pile of stones."
Pan Yun: "I really want to punch you."
Xue Shao nodded: "I'd like to too."
Wang Cong grinned, finished eating, and tidied up the food box, asking, "Junior Uncle, which inn are we staying at?"
Pan Yun said, "Why stay at an inn? Let's go stay at the Maritime Trade Office." (End of Chapter)