The Heir

Сhарtеr 240: Japаnеsе Рirаtes Invade thе Вorder

Li Zhеngping was sаfе аnd hаd rеturnеd unharmed, bringing jоy to everyonе in thе Li familу.

Bеfоrе lоng, all thе brаnсhеs оf the Li fаmily had gathеrеd at Li Jingming’s hоme.

After thе initial joу subsided, when аskеd аbоut thе twists аnd turns оf the evеnts, Li Zhеngping sсrаtсhed his hеad sоmеwhat sheерishly аnd even stolе a glancе аt his mоther, Мadam Fang.

In thе еnd, it wаs Ge Qiu Jiе whо rесоuntеd the stоrу in detаil.

Zhen Niаng then leаrned thаt аftеr Li Zhengрing аnd а fеw others had rushеd ahead to the dоck to delivеr the messаge, hе hаd not rеturned to the ship with the others. Instead, he had taken another boat, entering the Qiantang River from Ningbo and then proceeding along the Suzhou River until he reached Songjiang.

This was the location of Ge San Er’s imprisonment—the Songjiang quarry.

Li Zhengping had remembered that Ge San Er’s sentence was nearly complete. Having earned some silver from his overseas venture, he had intended to go to the Songjiang quarry first to redeem Ge San Er, hoping to reunite him with Ge Qiu Jie as soon as possible.

However, when he arrived in Songjiang, he discovered that Ge San Er had already been redeemed by a few friends of Ge Dana, who had pooled their money for his release. Ge Qiu Jie had then brought Ge San Er and Old Hu Tou to Huizhou.

For a time, Li Zhengping lost track of Ge Qiu Jie’s whereabouts.

Having spent months drifting at sea and rushing to Songjiang with high hopes, he was met with disappointment once again. To make matters worse, it rained that day, and he was caught in the downpour. He fell ill at an inn, completely unaware of the news from the outside world.

Ge Qiu Jie, however, had never given up her search along the Ningbo coast. One day, she happened to encounter the boat Li Zhengping had taken when it returned to the dock. The boat’s captain, who recognized Li Zhengping, told Ge Qiu Jie about his trip to Songjiang after she inquired.

Without delay, Ge Qiu Jie rented a small boat and traveled day and night to Songjiang. After several inquiries, she finally found the inn where Li Zhengping had fallen ill.

When Li Zhengping learned that his family believed he was dead, he understood how heartbroken they must have been. Anxious and unable to stay in Songjiang any longer, he disregarded his illness and, together with Ge Qiu Jie, hurried back on horseback. Fortunately, reuniting with Ge Qiu Jie lifted his spirits, and the exertion of the journey made him sweat, which helped him recover almost completely from his illness.

“Ah, it’s fortunate that this young man was so devoted to Qiu Jie. He managed to escape a great disaster—truly, heaven has blessed him,” said Wu Shi, the eighth aunt of the Li family, clasping her hands together and bowing toward the sky.

“Indeed, it seems Qiu Jie is a lucky star,” added several other aunts. Everyone understood that Li Zhengping was determined to marry Ge Qiu Jie. Moreover, this time, Li Zhengping had narrowly avoided a disaster because of Ge Qiu Jie. Combined with Madam Fang’s earlier regrets, the reunion of the estranged couple seemed like a natural outcome. Thus, everyone was happy to add to the joy.

Li Zhengping was quick-witted. Sensing that everyone was advocating for him, he stood up and said, “Mother, I… I…” After stammering twice, he pulled Ge Qiu Jie down, and they knelt together with a thud. “Please grant us your blessing, Mother.”

“I was not a proper daughter-in-law before. Please give Qiu Jie another chance to make amends for my mistakes,” Ge Qiu Jie added, bowing her head sincerely.Madam Fang looked at Ge Qiu Jie with a complicated expression. She had never liked this daughter-in-law, but after this incident, her tolerance had grown considerably. Moreover, Ge Qiu Jie's devotion to Zhengping truly moved her.

"Ah, in the past, I, as a mother-in-law, didn't do too well either. From now on, let's all work together to improve," Madam Fang said sincerely.

Her words essentially meant she agreed to Li Zhengping and Qiu Jie's relationship. During this period, Madam Fang had thought Li Zhengping was truly in trouble, which led her to reflect deeply. Seeing Ge Qiu Jie's sincerity, she naturally came to understand.

"Good, good, good. Next month is Zhen Niang's wedding. I think after Zhen Niang's wedding, we should arrange Zhengping and Ge Qiu Jie's ceremony. After all, when Li Zhengping married Qiu Jie back then, he didn't bring her home, nor was she recorded in the family register. That was against the rules. This time, we'll hold a proper ceremony and then enter her name into the family register," Old Madam Li chimed in cheerfully.

Once Old Madam Li spoke, it was settled.

Thus, everyone began discussing Li Zhengping's marriage to Ge Qiu Jie.

And so, after a fright, the Li family was about to welcome another joyous occasion.

In the following period, Zhen Niang was confined at home, not allowed to go out, as she prepared for her wedding. Even though Luo Wenqian still often came to the Li family to discuss matters with Li Jingfu, every time he visited, Zhen Niang had to avoid him. It was customary to avoid contact in the month before the wedding.

As for the Ink Workshop, most matters were handed over to her father and Uncle Jingming and Jingdong. Meanwhile, Zheng Fuli managed the Nanjing side. The Ink Workshop progressed smoothly, leaving Zhen Niang with little to worry about.

However, even though Zhen Niang stayed at home every day, with Xi Ge'er as her little informant, she could still learn quite a bit about outside events.

Recently, in Huizhou, the topic of conversation had been resisting Japanese pirates due to the Huiyuan Bank incident. It was said that the Ningbo commander led his troops to drive the Japanese pirates back to the sea. However, a group of several hundred pirates had scattered and fled to Hangzhou, Jinhua, and other areas. Curfews were now imposed in Hangzhou and Jinhua to prevent these scattered pirates from taking advantage.

But now, this group of pirates had reached Jinhua and disappeared without a trace.

"Elder sister, do you think the Japanese pirates might invade our area?" Xi Ge'er asked indignantly while discussing the pirate situation.

"Probably not. Hangzhou and Jinhua are quite far from here," Zhen Niang replied.

Historically, some people in Huizhou had connections with Japanese pirates. For example, Wang Zhi and Xu Hai were able to dominate the seas partly due to their ties with the pirates, though this was mainly commercial in nature.

As for Japanese pirates invading Huizhou, they were primarily active around the Zhoushan Islands and Fujian at that time. Huizhou was too far away. However, at their peak, they might have indeed reached here, though Zhen Niang wasn't entirely sure.

"Don't worry. If they come, I'll definitely beat them back into the sea," Xi Ge'er declared, pounding his chest. "The teacher at the private school said, 'Now, with the Tatars in the north and Japanese pirates in the south invading our China, it is the time for us men to make our mark and achieve greatness!'""Pah, making contributions and establishing a career—the Tartars don't need you to worry about them. They're already negotiating with the court now. You'd better go tidy up your bed. Last time you said your private tutor told you, 'If you can't sweep your own room, how can you sweep the world?'" At that moment, Zhao Shi passed by, grabbed Xi Ge'er by the ear, and glared at him.

Although some historical events had occurred slightly earlier due to Zhen Niang's arrival, events were still unfolding according to history without any changes. Because of Bahanaji's surrender, the court had now begun negotiations with Anda.

Like all ordinary people, the people of the Great Ming, though far from the imperial court, could still discuss state affairs in idle gossip. Moreover, with rumors that the tea-horse market was to be restored, the tea business was naturally closely tied to the people of Huizhou.

Thus, everyone chatted away, wishing they could replace the court's negotiators and subdue the enemy without fighting.

"Ouch, Mother, that hurts. I'll go right away." Xi Ge'er immediately scurried off dejectedly. All his lofty ambitions were dashed by his mother's scolding, and he left in low spirits.

Zhen Niang watched him go. This kid was already fourteen, almost old enough to get married.

Then Zhao Shi sat down, glanced outside, and closed the door.

"Mother, what is it? Why so secretive?" Zhen Niang, rarely seeing Zhao Shi act so mysteriously, asked curiously.

Zhao Shi's face flushed slightly, and she then pulled a small booklet from her bosom and handed it to Zhen Niang. Curious, Zhen Niang took it and looked—her face immediately burned. In academic terms, it was a physiology and hygiene tutorial, but through a more colorful lens, it was an illustrated manual of intimate positions, complete with various postures.

Of course, the most important part was teaching which positions were most likely to lead to pregnancy.

(Since we're in that phase, let's not delve too deeply into the contents and profound meanings of this booklet. Hehe.)

"Take a look when you have time. Every woman has to read this before getting married," Zhao Shi said, then calmly turned and left. She had many things to keep her busy.

So, for the entire afternoon, Zhen Niang carefully studied the booklet, delving into its contents in a simple yet thorough manner. By the end, her mind was wandering, and that night she had a vivid dream.

When she woke up, her mouth and throat were parched.

Although it was already mid-March, the late spring night still carried a chill. Zhen Niang draped a robe over herself, got up, lit the oil lamp on the table, and then gulped down a large amount of water from the teapot on the table. Only then did her dry mouth and throat ease.

But just then, Zhen Niang turned her head and noticed that the window was brightly lit from outside, visible through the paper pane. What was going on? Curious, she opened the window and looked out. She saw flames soaring into the sky near the city gate, with several fire spots blazing. The air was thick with smoke.

Startled, Zhen Niang dropped the teapot in her hand, which hit the tip of her foot, causing sharp pain. However, she paid no mind to the teapot or the pain in her foot. She quickly opened the door, ran downstairs, and knocked on her parents' door. "Father, Mother, it's terrible! There are fires in several places in the city!"

"What? What's happening?" Li Jingfu, draped in his clothes, came out. Hearing Zhen Niang's words, he hurried upstairs to the second floor. Sure enough, he saw several fires blazing near the city gate. At that moment, Li Dalang and Xi Ge'er also woke up."Father, Mother, stay inside. We'll go out to gather information." As Li Dalang spoke, he pulled Xi Ge'er along, and the two of them went out together, followed by the gatekeeper Li Liujin.

Before leaving, he shouted for Liu Jin Sao to quickly close the gate.

Watching them leave, Liu Jin Sao shut the door and then stood guard by it.

By then, all the members of the Li family had come out. They stared at the distant flames, which had now multiplied, and the direction of the fires was heading straight toward the Li household. Moreover, the night wind carried the sounds of fighting.

What... what was happening?

Suddenly, Zhen Niang thought of a possibility and couldn't help but slap her forehead, her face filled with anxiety. Could it be that Xi Ge'er's jinxing words had actually come true?

Just then, a series of knocks sounded at the door: "Open up, it's me, Wenqian."

The Li family was in a state of panic. Hearing that it was Luo Wenqian calling at the door, Liu Jin Sao hurriedly opened it. In that moment, concerns about propriety were forgotten, and Zhen Niang rushed out as well: "Brother Luo, what's happening outside?"

"It's the Japanese pirates. They've invaded the border..." Luo Wenqian said with a grave expression.