When he returned home, Li Mu realized that something had happened during his absence.

For example, after Li Shimin allowed Bai Qiaoqiao and others to leave Luoyang and come to Yangzhou, it didn't take long for him to come to Luoyang and spend the summer in Luoyang's Ziwei Palace. The Manchu Dynasty civil and military naturally followed, this move was considered to be Li Shimin's temptation to move the capital, and the price of land in Luoyang soared for a while, but for some reason, just a few days before Li Mu returned, Li Shimin returned to Chang'an, and had already bought Luoyang's shops, and the officials and businessmen of the mansion lost a lot of money.

Someone tried to find out what Li Shimin was thinking, but they didn't find anything. It was as if Li Shimin really came to Luoyang to spend the summer, Li Mu couldn't guess why Li Shimin was like this, and he didn't bother to guess. Everything in Luoyang is already on track, even if he won't go for two years, it's fine. Now the development of Yangzhou Port, the development of Mingzhou Port, is the focus of his work, as long as Li Shimin does not come to Yangzhou, he will do whatever he likes.

Gradually into winter, although Yangzhou Port is an ice-free port, but after the winter, hesitation river transportation stopped, the Grand Canal also stopped, Yangzhou Port freight less than half, the port is deserted, into the port, out of the port, more are shipping ships.

In addition to accompanying his children and wife every day, Li Mu has to come to the port every day, and he is waiting for a ship. A ship that had departed at about the same time as him on his way to the Wakoku was supposed to have returned a month earlier, but it still hasn't returned.

At this time, there were no satellite phones, and even the ships of a fleet could not be contacted from a distance. All Li Mu can do now is wait, only wait.

This ship was sent by him to explore the channel, and he wanted to find a channel that could stably transport grain back from Linyi and Chenla.

Now it is not that there is no waterway, but the existing waterway is not stable enough, and secondly, some detours are long, and it takes a long time.

The longer it takes, the more food the crew has to consume. At the same time, it also means more risks and uncertainties. The 'expedition team' sent by Li Mu was composed of the oldest sailors with the most qualified shipping qualifications in Yangzhou, and their ship was also a newly built standard thousand-stone sea ship, so logically speaking, the probability of risk was extremely small.

But for some reason, the boat just didn't come back.

It's a month later than the agreed time.

Gu Sizhi told Li Mu sideways that usually going to sea may be delayed, but the delay is usually seven days and a half months, which is the most. In this way, if you are delayed for more than a month, there is basically no possibility of coming back.

But Li Mu didn't give up, so he had to come to the port every day. Day after day, in vain.

The families of the crew had already come to look for them once, and Li Mu promised them that if there was no news at the end of the month, they would be given a bereavement pension at twice the agreed amount. Hearing that Li Muken gave twice the pension, the families of all the crew members stopped, and no one made any more trouble. As Yangzhou people, they are used to seeing the situation that they can't come back from the sea. In the past, when such a situation was encountered, the owner lost the goods and the ship, and basically did not give a pension, and the family members made trouble in vain.

Li Mu not only gave a pension, but also gave a very high amount, and this time he promised to double the pension, what else to say?

But Li Mu felt very sad.

In his eyes, those who dare to explore the way are undoubtedly warriors.

And in the eyes of their families, it is nothing more than a sum of money after all.

Maybe the fate of those who are sailors is like this. When a person dies at sea, all that can be left to his family is the money that his life has been exchanged.

But Li Mu still felt very sorry, and at the same time had a deep sense of frustration.

Seeing that the sun was going to set again, the carriage that came to pick him up had arrived. Dugu Jiu flashed out from the side, put on a cloak for Li Mu, and said, "Big brother, it's almost time, it's time to go back." ”

Li Mu nodded and said, "Let's go...... Go back and don't delay, send the bereavement to everyone-" Suddenly he stopped, looking at the horizon in a daze, Dugu Jiu followed his line of sight, and said in surprise: "That's not ...... Yunlong Banner, it's that ship! ”

Li Mu called himself General Yunlong, and the ship went to sea on his orders, so a Yunlong flag was prepared on the mast of the ship.

This flag is only available on the Chang'an and this pathfinder ship, so when he saw this flag, Dugu Jiu recognized it as soon as he saw it.

"It's back!" A smile appeared on Li Mu's face, he glanced at Dugu Jiu, Dugu Jiu understood, and turned around to make arrangements.

The dock was instantly lively, and Li Mu sent three boats to answer and lead the pathfinder ship back to the port.

He personally walked to the dock and watched the ship enter the port.

The crew gathered on the deck, and although they were a little dusty, they were all in good spirits. When he got closer, Li Mu saw clearly why the ship was moving so slowly, it turned out that the ship was already fully loaded, and the precious coral was all over the deck.

Far away, you can smell the smell of spices, and you can imagine how many precious spices there are.

A familiar figure squeezed out of the crowd, and when he saw him, Li Mu's heart really relaxed.

This person is not someone else, it is Li You, the king of Qi who has been deposed. He was the envoy of this 'expedition' ship, and originally according to Li Mu's character, he would definitely not let Li You go. First, from a professional level, Li You has almost no knowledge of navigation. Second, Li You's identity is sensitive after all, and if something happens to him, Li Shimin's side will not be able to explain after all.

But Li You didn't know what medicine he had taken this time, he turned into a dead eye, and the road went dark, Li Mu didn't agree to him, he stayed at the Yuelai Inn as a running hall, and he didn't make noise or trouble, so he served him as a subordinate.

It's not that Li Mu can't stand Li You's service, he doesn't look at the face of the monk and looks at the face of the Buddha. Even if Li You was demoted to a concubine, he was a prince after all. He was served by Li You, and Li Shimin couldn't explain there.

In the end, there was really no way to boil it, so Li Mu asked Li You to write a 'letter of exemption', saying that it was his voluntary choice to go to sea, and wrote down the process of how he was persecuted, so that if something happened, Li Shimin would have an explanation.

Li Mu has come to the dock every day in the past few days, and in fact, he also has a relationship with Li You. Li Shimin went to Luoyang, and he must have known that Li You was no longer in Luoyang. He hasn't asked, just because it's over. It's coming to the end of the year soon, if you can't give an explanation, even if Li You is a concubine, this matter will definitely become a knot in Li Shimin's heart.

After all, he is his own son, and Li Mu knows that the only person who can want Li You's life is Li Shimin himself, and he must not have an accident because of himself.

Fortunately, Li You is back.

"You're finally back, why are you so late?"

The sea breeze blew for half a year, turning Li You, a white fat boy, into a swarthy teenager. He grew taller and his muscles stronger. I didn't see the slightest arrogance, my eyes were embarrassed, and there was a trace of Li Shimin's heroism.

"Big brother, when I was sailing back, I encountered an ocean current and the ship deviated from the course, but it was a blessing in disguise, and the channel of the Nanyang generation was clarified by the way. We exchanged the silk and porcelain we had brought with us for gifts, and exchanged them for a boatload full of precious stones and spices. Li You grinned and said, "This trip, I earned it!" ”

This is a smile from the heart, and it is full of pride after I have done something.

Li Mu looked like Li You, but he didn't know what to say.

People can change so much. Think about what Li You was like a year ago, and then look at Li You now. I don't know what things he encountered on this trip to the sea that can make him grow so much.

Li Mu didn't say anything, patted him on the shoulder, and said, "Let's rest first, your father-" After a pause, Li Mu changed his words: "Your father already knows about your going to sea, so let's think about it first, how to reply." ”

"Huh!" Li You agreed, as if he didn't seem to be worried.

Li Mu asked Dugu Jiu to arrange for Li You to rest, and made arrangements for the other people on the expedition, as for these things on the ship. Before going to sea, Li Mu promised that as long as they completed the task, all the things they brought back from this trip would belong to the crew.

Looking at these things on the boat, Li Mu couldn't help but wonder if this group of bastards deliberately did business along the way because of these words, causing them to come back late.

None of that matters, though. Coming back half a month late, exploring more of the South Sea waterways, this is a very cost-effective deal.

……

After resting for the night, early the next morning, Li Mu called Li You over. Yesterday he had already asked the people on the ship, and today he called Li You to see what he had to say. The result is already there, and the truth is actually not very important, but if it is not right, it will be very difficult for Li Shimin to explain it.

What Li You said is the same as what the crew said. Li Mu was also relieved, and was about to send Li You away, when Li You suddenly said, "Big brother, I want to ask you to do me a favor." ”

"Huh?" Li Mu cast a puzzled look, and immediately remembered something, and said: "If you want to go to sea again, you must tell your father in person, and I can't agree to anything." ”

"That's not it." Li You smiled and waved his hand, Li Mu breathed a sigh of relief, and said, "It's pretty much the same, let's talk about it, what's the matter." ”

He knew that Li You was not short of money now, not to mention anything else, that is, the things on the ship were sold at a price, and there were at least 10,000 or 20,000 yuan on his head. He's a single person now, where is the money to go?

"Isn't our Datang going to develop Jiaozhou Port? Big brother, I want to be an envoy to Jiaozhou City. ”

"You fart!"

Li Mu didn't say anything, patted him on the shoulder, and said, "Let's rest first, your father-" After a pause, Li Mu changed his words: "Your father already knows about your going to sea, so let's think about it first, how to reply." ”

"Huh!" Li You agreed, as if he didn't seem to be worried.

Li Mu asked Dugu Jiu to arrange for Li You to rest, and made arrangements for the other people on the expedition, as for these things on the ship. Before going to sea, Li Mu promised that as long as they completed the task, all the things they brought back from this trip would belong to the crew.

Looking at these things on the boat, Li Mu couldn't help but wonder if this group of bastards deliberately did business along the way because of these words, causing them to come back late.

None of that matters, though. Coming back half a month late, exploring more of the South Sea waterways, this is a very cost-effective deal.

……

After resting for the night, early the next morning, Li Mu called Li You over. Yesterday he had already asked the people on the ship, and today he called Li You to see what he had to say. The result is already there, and the truth is actually not very important, but if it is not right, it will be very difficult for Li Shimin to explain it.

What Li You said is the same as what the crew said. Li Mu was also relieved, and was about to send Li You away, when Li You suddenly said, "Big brother, I want to ask you to do me a favor." ”

"Huh?" Li Mu cast a puzzled look, and immediately remembered something, and said: "If you want to go to sea again, you must tell your father in person, and I can't agree to anything." ”

"That's not it." Li You smiled and waved his hand, Li Mu breathed a sigh of relief, and said, "It's pretty much the same, let's talk about it, what's the matter." ”

He knew that Li You was not short of money now, not to mention anything else, that is, the things on the ship were sold at a price, and there were at least 10,000 or 20,000 yuan on his head. He's a single person now, where is the money to go?

"Isn't our Datang going to develop Jiaozhou Port? Big brother, I want to be an envoy to Jiaozhou City. ”

"You fart!"

Li Mu didn't say anything, patted him on the shoulder, and said, "Let's rest first, your father-" After a pause, Li Mu changed his words: "Your father already knows about your going to sea, so let's think about it first, how to reply." ”

"Huh!" Li You agreed, as if he didn't seem to be worried.

Li Mu asked Dugu Jiu to arrange for Li You to rest, and made arrangements for the other people on the expedition, as for these things on the ship. Before going to sea, Li Mu promised that as long as they completed the task, all the things they brought back from this trip would belong to the crew.

Looking at these things on the boat, Li Mu couldn't help but wonder if this group of bastards deliberately did business along the way because of these words, causing them to come back late.

None of that matters, though. Coming back half a month late, exploring more of the South Sea waterways, this is a very cost-effective deal.

……

After resting for the night, early the next morning, Li Mu called Li You over. Yesterday he had already asked the people on the ship, and today he called Li You to see what he had to say. The result is already there, and the truth is actually not very important, but if it is not right, it will be very difficult for Li Shimin to explain it.

What Li You said is the same as what the crew said. Li Mu was also relieved, and was about to send Li You away, when Li You suddenly said, "Big brother, I want to ask you to do me a favor." ”

"Huh?" Li Mu cast a puzzled look, and immediately remembered something, and said: "If you want to go to sea again, you must tell your father in person, and I can't agree to anything." ”