Chapter 337: Food Box and Dongfan

Two food boxes, two things in heaven and earth.

Inside the food box, with a lotus flower carved on the lid, was a delicate jade bowl filled with pearls. I don't know how the girl who sent her was carefully carried along the way, but in short, she didn't even spill a single one, and all of them lay quietly in this bowl. The contrast between the turquoise color and the milky white pearls makes them even more precious.

The situation inside the barrel-shaped food box, which is a little rough in its workmanship, is very different. Although it is a three-layer food box, only the first layer of the head contains something, and there is only one piece of paper, and on that paper there are only two words written in delicate brushwork.

"Tofan?"

Zhang Yue was slightly stunned, and then came to his senses. After he came to Daming, he spent a lot of effort on geography, after all, there is a big difference between the current age and the geographical terms he knows. The so-called Dongfan refers to Taiwan, which was famous in later generations. However, at the beginning of the Ming Dynasty, Dongfan was just a lonely island, and when Emperor Zhu Yuanzhang of Hongwu ordered the sea ban, he revoked the inspection department on the island, and ordered all the people living in Dongfan to move to Zhangzhou and Quanzhou, but in the end there were still many people staying.

After all, China's largest island is now free from taxes and forced labor, and has no official jurisdiction at all – which means, of course, that there is no need to expect to be in charge of murder and goods on the island.

At this time, Amber and Lingxi also came out of it one after another, and they inevitably gathered around to see what was going on. Although the pearls in the jade bowl were shining, the two of them were surprised for a while—after all, they weren't the ones who were tempted when they saw the jewels—however, when they saw the piece of paper, they couldn't help but feel strange, and even the silent Amber asked, "Young Master, what is Dongfan?" ”

Zhang Yue almost said in his throat that Dongfan is Taiwan, but fortunately, he still held back when the words came to his mouth, and he stretched out his hands and explained after a long time: "Dongfan is an island on the other side of the sea, a very big island. ”

Since the imperial court forbade the private sector to build ships with more than three masts, most of the sea ships quietly built in private ports in Fujian were less than two masts, and the carrying capacity was generally less than 500 stones. Although most of these ships will be doomed in the event of extremely bad weather at sea, it is a common practice not to use large ships for smuggling, in order to be able to get rid of officials and soldiers with speed.

However, when dozens of large ships swept past the private ports along the coast of one island after another, even the fastest ships could not stop these treasure ships with their sails puffed up, and the pirates and pirates entrenched in the coastal areas of Zhejiang were all fleeing from the wind. So, Yang Jin sat on this small sailboat and sailed on the sea, vomiting so much that his stomach was empty, and he felt that the future was bleak.

Seeing Feng Ying sitting on a high stool with her feet crossed, with a look of indifference, Yang Jincai suddenly felt an inexplicable irritability, and couldn't help but raise his voice: "Do you know what kind of place this Dongfan is?" You also know what the old man said that day, and he is still thinking about the relationship between father and son, as long as I honestly tell what I know, it will be fine, at most it will be house arrest for three or five years. But now when I go to sea at this time, if I run into the hands of those officers and soldiers who patrol the sea and hunt for widows, I will die! ”

Speaking of this, he couldn't help but hug his head: "What is Dongfan?" In addition, there are many people who want to escape the Ming Dynasty's enslavement, those who commit crimes and are afraid of being pursued by the government, those who want to do overseas trade but want to avoid the government, and even pirates or pirates who raid the island. It is a place where there is no royal law, whoever has a big fist is the truth, and whoever has great strength can cover the sky, I am alone with goods like this, isn't it a fat sheep sent to the door! ”

"I can't imagine that young master, you have always been pampered, and you will still know this!"

Although she was fleeing, Feng Ying was still wearing heavy makeup and beautiful clothes, as if she didn't know how attractive a woman like herself would be during this long journey at sea. Seeing that Yang Jincai was still in that frustrated and desperate look, the smile on her face quickly turned cold, replaced by a trace of disgust.

"House arrest for three or five years...... You also think too highly of yourself. If your father knew about it, how could he let you go? Even if that place is very chaotic, it's better than if you lock people in a dark room for the rest of your life at home or die! I'm not afraid of a woman, you're a man, it's a big deal and you have no money, what is there to be afraid of? ”

"You ......"

Seeing that Yang Jincai's forehead was bruised and his eyes were staring at her, she sneered again, and then said slowly: "I rescued you from the fire pit of the Yang family, and rushed ahead of the official army to let you pack up these goods stored on Hengsha Island, and also helped you subdue such people on the ship, not to mention the girl, even the aunt's main house, it will not do better than me." You can rest assured, I am from the east myself, so naturally I will not watch you treat others as a fat sheep. If it weren't for you, the master above me wouldn't have been able to catch up with those people in the capital, after all, it's not much fun to be a pirate for the rest of your life. ”

Although Yang Jincai usually loves Feng Ying and wants to hold it in the palm of his hand all day long, when he heard this, he couldn't help but feel a cool breath rushing to his brain from the soles of his feet, and even an indescribable anger. He jumped up almost without thinking about it, and pounced on him with an arrow, and at this time all the affection and love points were left behind, and there was only one thought left in his heart.

Kill her! Kill this slut who has deceived himself for years!

However, before his hand touched the soft neck, a sharp pain suddenly came from his stomach, and the whole person involuntarily bowed down. Squatting on the ground, he tried his best to raise his head, but saw that the face that was the most familiar in the past was full of cold expressions at this time, and the whole person revealed a chilling aura.

"I grew up in Dongfan, and in order to survive and make money, there is nothing that cannot be sold. In the past, I could have been submissive to you, but now if you want to put the young master in front of me, then don't blame me for throwing you into the sea to feed the fish! ”

Speaking of which, Feng Ying didn't look at Yang Jincai, who was so painful that he even broke out in a cold sweat, jumped off the high stool and walked out of the cabin. Although the sea was stormy and the small sailboat was extremely unsteady when it was floating around, her steps were quite steady, and she didn't look back until the top of the door and smiled coldly: "There were twelve people on the ship that was sent to land from Dongfan, and I was the only one who survived in the end. I've seen a lot of dead people, this trip is very difficult, I've done my best, it's your business if you can't support it. ”

She was about to leave when there was a knock on the door. Frowning, she reached out to open the door, and a salty, wet and cold sea breeze suddenly swept over her face. She narrowed her eyes, only to notice that it was a sturdy, black-faced sailor. However, this guy who used to be extremely strong in the past was holding on to a rope next to him at this time to stabilize his body, and his face was full of panic.

"Miss Feng, it's not good...... Soldiers...... There are ships of officers and soldiers on the sea! ”

This sudden news was like a bolt from the blue, not only Yang Jincai, who was full of resentment in the cabin, was stunned, but even Feng Ying's face couldn't help but change greatly. She couldn't care about the burden in the cabin anymore, and hurried to the bow of the boat, not even caring about the swaying waves that soaked her clothes. In the cold wind, she finally saw the dozen boats in the distance, and saw the dragon flag on it.

This time the luck turned out to be so bad! Gritting her teeth, she took a deep breath and made up her mind in an instant.

Although he had killed Japanese in Jinxiangwei, it was the first time for Zhang Chao to go to sea by boat. Originally, Zhang You was not willing to let him follow the boat, but after all, he was the general personally ordered by the Son of Heaven, so with the help of the two deputy commanders-in-chief, he was finally able to stand alone as a thousand households. However, after the initial novelty, he gradually grew a little tired of the unchanging sea, and only had a slight pick-me-up when he met a smuggling ship yesterday, but only arrested fifteen people.

Now he feels that Zhang Yue is not wrong, although it is a big crime to kill the head for the sake of a sharp word, there are still so many people who take risks. The youngest sailor on that ship was only sixteen years old, but according to the Great Ming Law, he was still to be put to death.

"My lord, there's another boat ahead!"

Zhang Chao originally hoped to meet the ship or pirate ship of the Japanese Invaders, but when he heard this, he came to the bow of the ship to look at it from afar, and he was immediately a little disappointed. The lonely boat was identical to the one captured yesterday, and it would take it almost effortlessly if it caught up, but it didn't really make much sense. Although he was very uninterested, but now that he is the chief officer, the soldiers under his command are all gearing up, he naturally will not pour cold water at this time, and immediately ordered in a deep voice: "Catch up, if there is resistance, let go of the cannon!" ”

Because half of Zhang Chao's troops were elite soldiers who went to the West with Zheng He, proficient in naval warfare, and he was not a casual meddler in command, this trip could not even be called an encounter, but the result was somewhat unexpected - I don't know if the threat of guns was too strong, or those crew sailors were too afraid of the consequences of being caught and beheaded, all in all, when a few sergeants boarded the gunwales and got on the ship, Except for a half-grown child of fourteen or fifteen years old who barely held the rudder, and a woman in the cabin who was dying with flowers, there was no one else, and only a lot of gold and silver were found in the cabin.

"The boy claimed to have been taken hostage, and the woman in the cabin was taken by them, and everyone else jumped into the sea?"

Zhang Chao almost thought that there was a problem with his ears, it was already several miles away from the coast, not to mention winter, it was summer, could he still hope to swim back after jumping into the sea? Puzzled, he immediately ordered someone to bring the captured young man, interrogated him personally, and found that there was nothing suspicious, so he put the matter aside for a while, and only after going ashore did he personally go to see the dying woman. However, just after a glance, he couldn't help but be stunned for a moment.

Naturally, he will not forget the unforgettable relationship at the beginning. At that time, he helped Pao Ze, who died on the battlefield, to send something and send a message back, and met the woman he would never forget in his life on Surabaya Street. During that time, he forgot his identity, forgot his responsibilities, and forgot the fact that he was talking about marriage, just wholeheartedly in front of a rich man who fell in love, and even had the idea of retiring from marriage and elopement.

Although Zhang Yue broke his delusion that time, when he returned to Surabaya Street to see her, he still had a trace of luck, who knew that he was facing people going to the empty building. Later, he and his new wife met with their parents, and after listening to his grandmother's knocks, he finally realized that he had completely lost her.

At this moment, staring at that pale face for a long time, Zhang Chao finally determined that this was not the person in his dream, however, the eyebrows and eyes made his heart pound. Naturally, it is impossible for him to go back to the past, but since God has sent such a woman to him, maybe it is to compensate for his unforgettable memory?

"My lord, this woman ......"

"Since she was coerced, and now she is dying, call the military doctor to come and see it first, and wait until she wakes up...... Also, the report said that all the pirates on the boat had jumped overboard, and the boy told him to draw a detainment and let him go. As for the woman's business...... You should know how to do it. ”

The pro-soldier followed Zhang Chao for half a month, and he figured out a little bit about the boss's temper, so he nodded hurriedly at this time. And Zhang Chao kept watching this person tiptoe away, and then he turned his head and looked directly at the woman with his eyes closed, and the woman who made him haunt his dreams appeared in front of him.

She's always been cheerful and unpretentious—but where is that person now? He suddenly felt a pain in his heart, and his chest was filled with that feeling of loss.