Wish You All the Best - Chapter 72

Chapter 72

At dusk, escorted by two lines of naval vessels, the dotted silhouettes of sails slowly entered the port, appearing in the sights of the waiting crowd.

The shore was already crowded with people who had come to welcome the ships. Upon seeing the silhouettes of the vessels, a ripple of commotion stirred through the crowd at first. As the ships gradually came into clear view, cheers erupted all around. Those who had family members on board were even more nervous and excited, pushing with all their might to the front in anxious anticipation.

Jiafu and Lady Meng had arrived early as well. Waiting at the front of the pier, they gazed ahead with wide eyes. As the ships drew closer, Jiafu finally spotted the figure of her brother, Zhen Yaoting, squeezed among a crowd at the bow of the ship. Some people were weeping with excitement, while others were desperately waving and jumping toward the shore.

It must be known that if a merchant ship fell into the hands of ordinary pirates, the crew might still return once their families paid the ransom. However, if they encountered Wokou, the Japanese pirates, there was usually only one outcome: the ship would be sunk, and the people would perish. Therefore, even though Governor Gao had dispatched the naval fleet to rescue them, almost no one dared to believe that they could truly be brought back alive. The hope had simply been too slim.

Yet, the most impossible thing had actually happened.

Upon seeing her son's figure, Lady Meng couldn't help but weep tears of joy once more. Jiafu supported her, her own eyes rimmed with red.

Zhen Yaoting had long since spotted Lady Meng and Jiafu beside her, and he was wild with joy. As soon as the ship stopped and the gangplank was laid down, he sprinted ashore ahead of the others. He rushed toward Lady Meng, calling out "Mother," then turned to Jiafu, calling out "Sister," and asked why she had returned to Quanzhou at this time. After hearing Jiafu explain what had happened, he hurriedly spread his arms and spun around in a circle, saying, "I'm perfectly fine! I made you both worry!"

Lady Meng grabbed her son's arms and looked him up and down. Seeing that apart from being a bit tanner and thinner, with a few extra scratches on his neck and forehead, he indeed looked alright. She wiped away her tears and then asked about Zhang Da and the others. She learned that during this perilous ordeal, both the ship and the cargo were lost, and tragically, one person had died. Fortunately, however, Zhang Da and the rest of the crew were largely unharmed. Those who were injured had only sustained minor wounds, and after resting ashore for a few days, they would fully recover. Only then did she breathe a slight sigh of relief, turning toward the direction of the Mazu Temple to bow several times in gratitude.

Zhen Yaoting said, "Mother, if you're going to pray, don't forget to also pray to the Golden-Faced Dragon King. If it weren't for the Golden-Faced Dragon King this time, your son probably wouldn't have made it back!"

Lady Meng hurriedly asked for the reason, but nearby, another person who had just disembarked was already recounting the ordeal to his family.

It turned out that several days ago, while sailing on the sea during their return voyage, they encountered the Wokou and were overtaken by their ships. The vessels used by the Wokou pirates were built differently from ordinary merchant ships; they were designed for pursuit at sea, agile and incredibly fast. Furthermore, the Wokou were vicious and exceedingly cruel. How could these ordinary merchant ships possibly fight back? Anyone who showed the slightest resistance was killed on the spot and thrown into the sea. This time, the Wokou seemed to want to capture people to build fortifications at their stronghold, which was the only reason they luckily survived. One after another, over a dozen ships in total were seized. The pirates plundered the valuable cargo and scuttled the remaining ships, sinking them into the sea. They captured hundreds of people in total, locking them all in the cargo holds. Just as the pirates were about to flee, they unexpectedly crossed paths with the warship of the Golden-Faced Dragon King. A fierce battle ensued. The Wokou were no match; those who weren't killed outright were slaughtered, and the survivors jumped into the sea to escape. The Golden-Faced Dragon King rescued many people, including Zhen Yaoting, and escorted them back. On the way, they once again encountered the official naval fleet. The two sides came face-to-face, but due to the special circumstances, the Commander-in-Chief did not attack the Golden-Faced Dragon King. He simply took all the rescued captives aboard, and both sides sailed their separate ways.

Having survived this calamity, the various shipowners suffered heavy losses, and naturally, there were also those who had tragically perished. Cries of mourning could gradually be heard from nearby, but the person recounting the tale had quite a flair for speaking, much like a storyteller. He described the events so thrillingly that it kept everyone on edge, portraying the Golden-Faced Dragon King in an especially majestic and awe-inspiring light. The crowd was completely captivated, and shouts of applause rang out continuously.

Zhen Yaoting said a few words, then looked around and asked, "Sister, did Magistrate Pei come along as well?"

Although he was nominally Pei You'an's elder brother-in-law, he was younger in age. As for his confidence, he was even more lacking, thus he addressed him as 'Magistrate Pei', not daring to call him 'brother-in-law'.

Jiafu turned her head. The shore was teeming with people, but she spotted his figure standing at the bow of one of the naval warships. Nearby was Governor Gao along with other local officials. A middle-aged man who looked like a military officer, presumably Commander Li, was leading a line of guerrilla commanders and vice-generals behind him, paying their respects to Pei You'an with deferential expressions. Pei You'an seemed to have been keeping an eye on this side the whole time. He glanced over, said a word to the Commander—seemingly telling him to wait a moment—and then stepped ashore, making his way to Jiafu's side.

Zhen Yaoting was always somewhat reserved around Pei You'an. Hearing Pei You'an ask about his well-being, he hurriedly replied that everything was fine, and to prove that he was truly well, he even swung his arms a few times.

Pei You'an smiled and nodded, then turned to Lady Meng and Jiafu: "Mother-in-law, Fu'er, I still have some matters to attend to here. It is best that Yaoting is alright; I am relieved as well. I will have someone escort you home first, and I shall return a bit later."

Although Pei You'an was wearing casual clothes today, his innate temperament was radiant and flawless as a mountain of jade. Standing in the crowd, he truly stood out like a crane among a flock of chickens. The nearby commoners had noticed him early on, and seeing that he was quite young yet even Governor Gao treated him with the utmost reverence, they grew curious. There had long been rumors in Quanzhou that when the Zhen family's daughter previously married, the Zhen family received imperial grace, and the old madam was granted a noble title, all because the son-in-law was a high-ranking official in the capital. At this moment, they guessed that this handsome, elegant, tall, and somewhat frail-looking young man must be the Zhen family's high-official son-in-law. They all looked at him with awe and reverence. Seeing him disembark and walk over, the surrounding area quickly quieted down.

Lady Meng knew that since he had arrived here, official socializing was inevitable. Moreover, it was unfortunate that they encountered such an incident right upon arrival, meaning he would certainly be even busier, so she hurriedly nodded.

Pei You'an personally escorted them to their carriage. Seeing this, Governor Gao and the others hurriedly came over to see them off as well. Only after the Zhen family's carriage had departed did Pei You'an board the warship again and enter the cabin. Commander Li immediately followed him inside, while Governor Gao didn't dare to enter, waiting outside with the remaining officials.

Pei You'an smiled slightly, "For the Zhen family's matters this time, I must thank you. Not only did you protect the residence, but today you have also brought back the person safely."

Commander Li hurriedly bowed, "Magistrate Pei’s words are too heavy. It was originally my dereliction of duty in the first place. Even if it meant risking my life, I absolutely had to protect the Zhen family's safety first."

Pei You'an said, "Although you were negligent in your duties this time, your subsequent response was timely enough to prevent greater losses, so your merits balance your faults. I will use my discretion to convey your earlier proposals directly to His Majesty. You must remember: by garrisoning here, you protect not just one family or one household, but thousands of homes and tens of thousands of people. You must never let your guard down for even a moment. I absolutely will not allow an incident like this to happen again!"

Commander Li had guarded Quanzhou for many years. As soon as they met earlier, he had brought up the need to establish additional inspection offices, expand the number of troops, add more warships, and replace weapons. He mentioned that he had been submitting these requests to his superiors for the past few years, but because there hadn't been any major Wokou threats in a long time, the higher-ups had constantly brushed him off with perfunctory excuses. This led to a lack of cohesion among the men and lax defenses. Coupled with the internal and external collusion of the great pirates of Eastern Guangdong, this disastrous oversight occurred. Hearing Pei You'an's reply, he was overjoyed and immediately threw himself to the ground, kneeling in gratitude.

Pei You'an told him to rise and then meticulously inquired about the situation regarding the Eastern Guangdong pirate leaders and coastal defenses. After arranging to inspect the terrain the following day, he dismissed him. The Commander retreated a few steps, hesitated, and then stepped forward to bow once more: "Magistrate Pei, this subordinate has another matter. I do not know if I should speak of it."

Pei You'an said, "If it concerns the imperial court and the livelihood of the people, speak."

Commander Li lowered his voice: "Magistrate, that Young Master Zhen and the others were able to return safely this time is entirely to the credit of the Golden-Faced Dragon King. I dare not claim this merit. As for this Dragon King, two years ago I was ordered to hunt him down. However, the Golden Dragon Island where he hides is in a secretive location with impregnable defenses. Since he has never harassed the coast, the higher-ups only dealt with him superficially, and I simply left him alone. This time, when the Wokou attacked, aside from Quanzhou, they also targeted Pinghai. I heard that the contingent of Wokou attacking Pinghai was encircled and annihilated at sea before they could even land. According to the soldiers, it seems this was also the doing of the Golden-Faced Dragon King's men..."

He paused for a moment: "By helping the government wipe out the pirates, the Golden-Faced Dragon King has made a great contribution. However, over the past few years, I have been secretly keeping an eye on this man. I always felt his background was not simple. This time, I finally managed to meet him face-to-face, and he reminded me of someone."

"Who?"

"None other than General Dong Chengmao of the Tianxi reign!"

"How can you be so certain?"

"There is something you do not know, Magistrate. Back in the day, this subordinate served as a guerrilla commander under General Dong. Later, General Dong was convicted and his whereabouts became unknown, while I went through many transfers before arriving in Quanzhou. This time, when I finally crossed paths with that Golden-Faced Dragon King, although it was just a glimpse from afar, and the man was indeed wearing a mask just as the rumors say, I couldn't shake the feeling that I had seen him before. Furthermore, observing his banners and signal flags, they also felt intimately familiar. Hence, I made this bold speculation. If this Dragon King truly is General Dong from back then, he was originally a good, honorable man who was unjustly wronged in the first place. Coupled with the merits he earned this time, if he were to pledge allegiance to the imperial court, I believe His Current Majesty would accept him into service."

Pei You'an stared intently at Commander Li: "Have you mentioned this matter to anyone else?"

"This matter is entirely my own speculation and may not be true, so I have not dared to inform anyone else. Knowing that you are a close minister to the Son of Heaven, I made bold to share this with you, hoping you will carefully consider what to do."

Pei You'an pondered for a moment, then nodded, saying, "You are a loyal and honest man, and you act with caution. I will recommend you before His Majesty. I will pay close attention to this matter, but on your end, you must not disclose this to anyone else."

Receiving such high praise, Commander Li was overjoyed and immensely grateful. He threw himself to the ground to kowtow in thanks once more. After rising, he obeyed the order and withdrew.

...

Jiafu went home together with her mother and brother. They first went to see her grandmother, and afterward, took an inventory of their property. The reports stated that a warehouse had been burned down, and a large ship fully loaded with cargo had been destroyed, resulting in heavy losses. Moreover, after such an incident, the imperial court would definitely order another maritime ban very soon. Once implemented, who knew what year or month it would be before shipping could resume? For a merchant family like the Zhens that relied on merchant fleets traversing the seas, this would severely damage their vitality, as if their lifeblood had been cut off.

However, these were all worldly possessions. Fortunately, the vast majority of the people on board had returned safely. That evening, the Zhen family set up a meal in the main hall to soothe the frightened crew members who had been on the voyage, distributing compensation to the injured and the families of the unfortunate deceased. In the inner courtyard, a separate family banquet was arranged. Pei You'an declined Governor Gao's dinner invitation and returned to the Zhen residence to eat. That night, Lady Meng tidied up a room for her daughter and son-in-law, and the couple settled in. The next day, Pei You'an went out. Accompanied by Governor Gao and Commander Li, he inspected the coastal defenses, adjusted the number of garrisoned troops, and supervised the joint mobilization of forces from various regions to encircle and annihilate the pirate leaders of the Guangdong region. He was extremely busy, leaving early and returning late. Finally, on this day, news arrived that the pirate leader who had plagued Guangdong and Fujian for years had been captured and beheaded, his head displayed as a public warning. Upon hearing the news, the people of Quanzhou rushed to tell each other. On the day Pei You'an returned to the city, the entire city celebrated. Citizens flocked to the streets, vying for a glimpse of the legendary Minister Pei's elegant demeanor. In addition, officials big and small, as well as local gentry, took turns setting up celebratory banquets. The invitation cards they sent nearly filled the Zhen family's greeting card box to the brim.

That night, Pei You'an accompanied Jiafu as they left Grandmother Hu's room after visiting the sickbed. Once they returned to their own room, he changed his clothes and said that he had one more matter to attend to and might not return tonight, telling her not to wait up for him and to rest early.

Jiafu clung tightly to his arm and refused to let go, pouting, "What matter is so pressing that you absolutely must go out late at night, and for the whole night at that? Could it be that those people have arranged another flower banquet, inviting some 'Ten Beauties of the Rosy Clouds' to have you admire their beauty under the lamps, appraising and judging them?"

Pei You'an had used his mourning period as an excuse to decline all those banquet invitations. Jiafu naturally knew this, but seeing that he had finally managed to find a moment of free time today after his arrival, only to have to go out again at night, she couldn't help it. Having spent day and night with him for so long, she could sense that he seemed to have something weighing on his mind tonight, which was different from the matters he had been busy with previously. Hearing from his tone that he would be out all night, she felt a mix of heartache and slight displeasure. Knowing that he always doted on her and would never truly get angry no matter how she fussed, she simply threw a little temper tantrum at him.

Pei You'an chuckled and pinched her small mouth, which was pouting like a morning glory. He then embraced her, comforting her in a low voice. After coaxing her for a moment, Jiafu finally let go of his arm, but instead wrapped her arms around his waist. Looking up at him, she said solemnly, "Big Cousin, I know you must have business to attend to, and I also know that I am useless and cannot be of help to you. But I want you to know that your affairs are my affairs. Even if I can't help, I hope you won't hide everything from me. I am truly not a child; I am your wife."

Pei You'an looked down at her. Their eyes met for a long moment, and he said softly, "I will return tomorrow. Go to sleep early."

Jiafu suppressed the disappointment in her heart, slowly releasing her arms, and smiled, "I understand. Then be careful, I will wait for you to come back."

Pei You'an raised his hand to cradle her head, leaned down to gently kiss her forehead, then turned and walked out.

Just how many heavy burdens were still resting on his shoulders? And in his heart, just how many secrets was he still bearing alone?

Jiafu watched his receding figure as he left the room, a trace of dismay slowly welling up in her heart. She was left to guess what exactly he was up to tonight that he couldn't even tell her. While she sat there lost in a daze, she suddenly heard a burst of approaching footsteps. Looking up, she saw that Pei You'an had actually returned.

"Let's go. I will take you with me."

Pei You'an gave her a faint smile as he spoke.