Yuan Xingchi said with a self-deprecating smile.
"This was not planned from the start. Originally, it was just to find a way to get promoted, but sometimes in officialdom, one is helpless!"
As Han Mo said this, he couldn't help but stand up and stretch his back.
"Is that really the case?"
Yuan Xingchi suddenly smiled, though there was a hint of jest in his laughter.
"What does Mister think?"
Instead of answering, Han Mo asked with a smile.
"Hahahaha, does my son-in-law know how Grand Commandant Liang evaluates him?"
Seeing the smile on Han Mo's face, Yuan Xingchi's interest was piqued.
"It's definitely not something nice!"
After a self-deprecating chuckle, Han Mo reached out and poured Yuan Xingchi a cup of tea.
"Grand Commandant Liang's most frequent description of me is 'little fox'!"
"Hahahaha, isn't he an old fox himself? In this world, one can't get by without being a bit of a fox!"
Hearing Liang Shicheng's assessment of him, Han Mo burst into laughter.
"My son-in-law is right, aren't the entire court a den of foxes? Hahahaha!"
"Why do I always feel like you're scolding someone?"
Han Mo said, suddenly glaring at Yuan Xingchi.
"Do you?"
"I think so. Mister, as they say, when in Rome, do as the Romans do. How about I take you to the fox den tonight?"
Seeing the triumphant smile on Yuan Xingchi's face, Han Mo suddenly spoke.
"My son-in-law, please spare this old bone. If I follow you into a brothel tonight, I'm afraid Madam will tear me apart tomorrow!"
Hearing this, Yuan Xingchi immediately began to beg.
"Hahahaha! Old fox! Since you don't want to go to the brothel, I'll have them bring some food and wine. We can drink here, right?"
"Do you have nothing else to do today?"
"Even if I did, what of it? There will always be more work, but opportunities to drink with Mister will likely become fewer and fewer!"
"In that case, I won't be polite! I've indeed drunk a bit too much at the brothel, but opportunities to drink in the yamen are truly rare!"
"Then we won't go home until we're drunk!"
"We won't go home until we're drunk!"
...
While Han Mo and Yuan Xingchi were engaged in a lively conversation over drinks, Shao Bowen finally led Zhe Shijiu and their fleet to their final destination.
"Th-this is the Spice Island the Lord mentioned..."
As soon as he stepped ashore, Zhe Shijiu was utterly astonished by the sight before him.
Even the golden nanmu trees covering the mountains when they arrived had dazzled him.
But seeing this island filled with spices once again, he was completely stunned.
"This, this is nutmeg! Cloves! And pepper!"
After walking only a short distance, Zhe Shijiu began to act like a madman.
"The Lord truly did not lie to me!"
It wasn't just Zhe Shijiu who was acting erratically. Even Shao Bowen, a man of extensive experience, was now completely mesmerized.
"Ten copper coins!"
Trembling, he picked up a nutmeg from the ground and handed it to Zhe Shijiu, muttering to himself.
With the outbreak of wars in the north and south, the craving for spices among the powerful and wealthy of the Great Song Dynasty had reached its peak.
Just one small nutmeg, when transported to the Great Song Dynasty, was worth ten copper coins!
And how much was there here?
Just within their line of sight, there was a thick layer of naturally scattered nutmeg on the ground.
As for pepper, its price was even higher.
"I, damn it, always thought pepper came from the Great Arab Kingdom. Turns out, it's right here in the Southern Seas!"
Plucking a peppercorn and popping it into his mouth, Zhe Shijiu's voice was choked with tears as he spoke.
"Lord, this is all money!"
The soldiers Zhe Shijiu had brought with him had eyes that were beginning to turn red.
"Hoo—"
"Mister, I don't think just blockading a few islands is enough. Why don't we bring more people?"
After exhaling a long breath, Zhe Shijiu finally regained his senses.
Shao Bowen was almost tempted to roll his eyes at his words.
According to his original plan, he intended to gather all the local tribes on the nearby islands and concentrate them on the island they had first discovered.
However, the strongest opposition had come from Zhe Shijiu and his men. While they all spoke eloquently, in reality, they were unwilling to part with that golden nanmu wood.
Shao Bowen didn't force the issue, as completing this task would indeed be time-consuming and labor-intensive. With the manpower they had, clearing all the nearby islands would require at least several months even under the most ideal circumstances.
Since they all opposed it, the matter was temporarily shelved.
But he hadn't expected this fellow to bring up the plan again now.
"According to what the Lord said, there should be at least dozens more islands like this! Tell the brothers to leave a team to scout the island's conditions, and the rest of us will return to the ships and check out other islands!"
Shao Bowen was too lazy to deal with this capricious fellow.
At this moment, within their line of sight alone, they could see seventeen or eighteen lush islands. Compared to harvesting spices, quickly ascertaining the conditions on these islands was the urgent matter.
After all, according to the original plan, the Huang family's team should be on their way by now.
Of course, for the sake of secrecy, the Huang family's fleet would not be allowed to approach here.
Until they could prove their loyalty, they could only be responsible for transporting supplies back and forth. Personally going to the island to collect spices would have to rely on Zhe Shijiu's soldiers and the local tribes for the time being!
"Leave a team here, the rest follow me!"
As soon as he heard that there were dozens more islands like this, Zhe Shijiu's spirits immediately lifted.
With mountains and plains covered in spices, a single small island was of immeasurable value. If there were indeed dozens of similar islands, the Great Song Dynasty would never lack spices again!
Those damned barbarians, trying to make a fortune by bringing spices to the Great Song Dynasty would be a pipe dream!
"Tell the ones who stay to be careful. Places like this are rich in spices, but also in venomous snakes. Getting bitten here is no joke!"