After finishing some of the follow-up work, Fang Er sent a telegram to Li Shimin, informing him about the trip to Yizhou.
The reply he received, however, left him bewildered.
"I have received your report. Wait three days before departing."
What the hell? He was told to wait three days before setting off for no reason.
However, three days later, a brand-new helicopter flew in from the north. It was a newly manufactured one from Shen Fei's side.
The aircraft landed outside the Governor's Mansion, and a person who gave Fang Er a headache emerged from it.
Princess Changle, Li Lizhi!
Damn it, Li Shimin is up to...
"Brother-in-law!"
Li Lizhi ran towards Fang Er with her arms open after getting off the helicopter.
"Why are you here?"
Fang Er caught her and asked softly.
"Mother said it's cold in Shenyang, and it's warmer here, so she sent me to play with you."
Changle pouted and replied in her soft, childish voice.
Fang Er's forehead was covered in black lines. The Emperor is unreliable, and the Empress is following suit!
He turned to Chai Lingwu, who was covering his mouth and secretly chuckling, and said, "Go and summon the Prince of Wei and the Prince of Han. It's time for us to depart."
Chai Lingwu had come with the Skyfire Army, as did Li Tai and Li Ke.
Since going to Shenyang, Li Ke had been like a ghost, even less present than Liu Dacheng. This time, he was brought along for a trip.
The drought in the Central Plains had eased, and the remaining dried fish in the Ministry of Revenue's granary was sufficient to cope with the current situation. The eighteen fishing boats were left behind by Fang Er to serve as transportation for this trip to Yizhou.
After bidding farewell to Qin Qiong and the citizens who came to see them off, the fishing boats slowly set sail along the inland river.
On the deck of the Tuo 05, Lu Fei stood behind Fang Er and asked, "Duke, are we really going to Yizhou?"
Fang Er nodded slightly, "That is Fang Xin's fief. It's been so long, shouldn't I, as his father, go and take a look?"
Lu Fei hesitated for a moment before suggesting, "Duke, I believe that if we are going to Yizhou, it would be best to find some people in Quanzhou who are familiar with the area to accompany us."
"I heard that the natives there eat people."
Fang Er was stunned, "People eat people? Who told you that?"
"When fishing, we encountered merchant ships from Quanzhou and Yangzhou, and we heard them talking about it during our conversation," Lu Fei quickly explained.
"Oh, and they also said that Yizhou now has another name, called Liuqiu."
Fang Er: "..."
"So, the name Liuqiu has existed since the Sui and Tang dynasties?"
"Then notify everyone. We will go to Quanzhou first and recruit some merchants who often travel there to accompany us."
Lu Fei nodded, turned, and returned to the cockpit. He picked up the intercom and relayed the order to the other ships.
Li Lizhi, Li Tai, and Li Ke were playing poker in the cabin. With the presence of the two princes, Li Lizhi was not as clingy to Fang Er.
Chai Lingwu, with a cigar in his mouth, leaned against the railing with a fishing rod, passing the time.
Just as he had said during his first time on a boat, "You get used to vomiting after vomiting enough." Now, this fellow indeed no longer suffered from seasickness.
It's just, with such a fast ship speed, what the hell was he preparing to catch?
Two days later, the fleet arrived at Quanzhou Port. Wang Xuance jumped onto the pier and fired a signal flare to summon the Eastern Depot agents. Within ten minutes, a group of people dressed as ruffians rushed over.
The leader looked at everyone, then took out a newspaper from his embrace. There was a picture of Fang Er on it.
It was a report of him scolding Kong Yingda in Qufu earlier.
After confirming their identities, the man carefully folded and put away the newspaper and saluted Fang Er respectfully.
"Eastern Depot, Ge Xu, greets the Duke!"
Fang Er nodded slightly, then jumped off the small boat. The water at the port was not deep enough to accommodate the large fishing boats, so they had to land using smaller boats.
"How long have you been here?"
"Replying to the Duke, almost a year."
"Do you know anyone in the city who frequently travels to Yizhou, also known as Liuqiu Island?"
Ge Xu scratched the back of his head and thought for a moment before replying, "Liu Laoqi from the Liu Family Pearl Shop. He goes there almost every two months to collect pearls."
"Does the Duke need him for something?"
Fang Er nodded, "I plan to go to Yizhou and need someone familiar with the situation to lead the way."
Ge Xu was overjoyed, "Please wait, Duke. I'll have someone fetch Liu Laoqi right away."
After speaking, he turned and gave some instructions to the agents behind him. Two of them turned and left.
Quanzhou Port would become the largest port in the Tang Dynasty in the mid-Tang period.
But at present, it was not very large. To be frank, it was just a bigger fishing village, with more merchant shops compared to ordinary fishing villages.
The two agents returned with a lean man in a short time.
"This is my Duke, the Duke of Anguo."
Upon hearing the agent's introduction, the man quickly bowed.
"Liu Laoqi, from Liu's Pearl Shop, greets the Duke of Anguo."
"I am going to Yizhou and would like you to be my guide. Is Shopkeeper Liu available?"
Fang Er looked at Liu Laoqi and smiled.
"Yes, yes! As long as the Duke needs me, I am always free." Liu Laoqi nodded repeatedly.
Afterward, he asked Ge Xu for paper and brush, wrote a letter to his home, and then said to Fang Er, "Please trouble the Duke to have someone deliver this letter to my home. We can depart anytime."
His attitude was so respectful that no fault could be found.
"Hahahaha, good!"
"Ge Xu, you personally handle the delivery of this message!"
"Shopkeeper Liu, please come aboard quickly!"
Fang Er was overjoyed and pointed to the small boat.
"I wouldn't dare, I wouldn't dare. Duke, please go first."
Courtesy is courtesy, but don't mistake it for good fortune, or you'll end up a fool.
Fang Er went first, with Liu Laoqi following. After boarding the small boat, they headed towards the Tuo 05 in the distance.
Upon transferring to the larger ship, Liu Laoqi was completely stunned.
"Holy crap, this ship is too big!"
However, Fang Er had seen this kind of expression too many times. After handing him over to Wang Xuance, he returned to the cabin to catch up on sleep.
In the cockpit, the helmsman, guided by Liu Laoqi, steered the fishing boat across the strait towards Penghu.
As it was already dark, the fleet stopped to rest at Penghu Island that night.
"Duke, most of the people on this island are our Tang Dynasty citizens, including fishermen and merchants."
"For a hundred years, this has been our private land. The natives of Liuqiu cannot build ships and cannot come over."
After disembarking, Liu Laoqi introduced the island's situation to Fang Er.
The island was not very large. Including the surrounding islands, it was not as large as a county in the Tang Dynasty.
According to Liu Laoqi, the daily flow of people here reached thousands.
Upon learning of the Duke's arrival, some merchants enthusiastically offered wine and meat. To Fang Er's surprise, these fellows presented him with a "stunned donkey" in an iron pot as a token of respect.
But one should not refuse a smiling face. It was better to accept free food.
Fang Er's usual style was to swallow the sugar-coated bullet and fire back the cannonball. This was taught by Chairman Mao, and he would not forget it!