Chapter 77: Joyfully Acquiring the Treasure Ship

The day after the grand court audience, I properly asked Grand Tutor Xu for leave; this time it's not to skip class, oh—it's that the big ship I bought overseas has arrived, and I, the Prince, will go to the new dock to receive it.

Grand Tutor Xu opened his mouth then closed it again; before he could utter his refusal, the Prince interjected, "The funds for this ship I borrowed part of from Zhao Zhuge, and this also concerns next year's livelihood in Youzhou—it's very important, oh~"

Grand Tutor Xu: "How does this relate to livelihood? You're really not just taking your cousin out to play, are you?"

The Prince: "Hmph! We've already gone to the new dock to play! Well… Grand Tutor Xu, come along—you'll see the ship's size and know. If we put this ship to use, all of Youzhou will have fish to eat; if it doesn't operate, just wait for me to sell off my estate to pay debts!"

The Prince has been relatively well-behaved in his recent lessons, and Grand Tutor Xu wasn't planning to stop him, but hearing this he couldn't help but say: "Your Highness, do you still have any estate left to sell?"

He had heard that the Palace Affairs Bureau was busy making a new batch of ritual vessels; even the large bronze vessels brought from Chang'an had gone missing, one piece. They said it was lost, but he didn't believe anyone would dare steal imperial ritual vessels. Surely it was the Prince who had that Zhao fellow sell them overseas; otherwise the Prince couldn't suddenly have such ample funds. But they couldn't say this outright, since the Prince is already poor enough to have started selling his estate—do these ministers really have nothing to lose? He saw Minister Xue also understood, but this old fox never brought it up.

Finally, the Prince and Wei Shen led a group of horsemen ahead, while a convoy of carriages followed behind; besides Grand Tutor Xu and Minister Xue, several other attendants also came.

Since it concerns Youzhou's livelihood, everyone wanted to go see what it was about.

Wei Shen charged to the front; although his horse wasn't good, his horsemanship outshone the Prince's. This guy practically grew up on horseback—on the road to the dock these days, many people had come to see the Prince's newly completed project. Wei Shen truly dared to charge ahead, deftly dodging pedestrians; the Prince, fuming behind, muttered that his cousin had actually spotted the treasure ship before him!

When he spotted from afar a mast that seemed as tall as a lighthouse, the Prince also grew excited; ignoring Zhao Chuan and Zhao Bao's earnest pleas, he spurred his horse and charged forward.

Soon he saw his lost cousin; Wei Shen didn't approach close, instead standing far away on the open ground before the dock, holding his horse's reins, staring in shock at the huge object in the sea.

So ships can now be built this big!

Before, when he came to the seaside he'd only seen three‑meter‑long little boats, and he'd thought they were like land carts at most this size; turns out ships at sea can be built this big!?

Poor him—he was born and raised in the southwest; the southwestern troops' combat environment to the south, facing the barbarians, is in the mountains; when friction arises with the Western Regions states and they need to support the northwestern army, that combat environment becomes the desert.

So you folks at sea are this capable? You can make something this big float in water, oh!

He didn't understand, but Zhao Chuan and Zhao Bao, who came running up behind, did; together they stared blankly a few times at the huge ship that looked like a floating island on the sea, then looked at the gleeful Prince.

No, just this ship—how much money would it take to buy it!?

So overseas they can already build ships of this scale!?

Tens of zhang in length, a mast that soars to the heavens, and even two stories of rooms on the ship?

The Prince's thoughts are simpler than anyone's; he mimicked Mengmeng, silently scattering a few flower petals in his heart, then saw Zhao Zhuge bringing three strangers from the direction of the big ship, his round face filling with excitement.

Sure enough, those three people are the ones sent here!

The Prince rode Xiaozhao straight into the big‑ship mooring area where ordinary folk are forbidden, and Zhao Zhuge, together with the three new NPCs, offered their greetings.

The Prince waived the formalities; upon seeing their appearance he realized Mengmeng had really gone to town. All three were tall, burly men, their faces progressively darker, very much like fishermen who make a living at sea all year. Even the fairly tall Mr. Zhao looked frail by comparison.

"Let this commoner introduce these few to Your Highness…"

The Prince hastily waved his hand: "No rush, wait till the Prime Minister comes to introduce them, or else they wouldn't know!" He also had to explain it again, since he trusted Mr. Zhao's storytelling ability more.

Wei Shen moved in to size up these three tall, sturdy NPCs, then leaned close to his cousin's ear and whispered, "…How much money would this cost?"

If you listened closely, you'd think the Prince had some lofty opinion: ……

By the time the officials arrived by carriage, the Prince and Wei Shen were already drooling at the sight of the ship below.

The forty‑five‑zhang‑long ship loomed close, its end unseen; Wei Shen went further, declaring that if this ship were used as a troop transport it could hold ten thousand men and easily sail south to land at Jiankang.

Zhao Chuan: ……

Zhao Bao: ……

... No wonder, Your Highness's cousin—he really didn't treat them as outsiders. Fortunately, the attendants he brought stayed at a distance, standing guard to keep commoners from accidentally barging into the Prince.

Zhao Chuan and Zhao Bao went deaf together, silent as chickens, fixedly watching the Prince running about gleefully.

"Hurry, hurry, we're waiting for you all to board! Minister Xue, Grand Tutor, this is the big ship I staked my entire estate on, oh~"

The stunned Grand Tutor Xu: …… "I don't believe your estate is enough."

Minister Xue thought further: "Has overseas shipbuilding technology already reached this level? The Great Jin lacks even a navy—if they scheme to seize the Central Plains… we're in peril!"

The Prince bounded over to Zhao Zhuge like a happy little bird: "Mr. Zhao, everyone's here—let's take a tour; where do we board? I, the Prince, have never set foot on a ship before~"

Zhao Zhuge, who always accommodates the Prince's any role, stepped forward and respectfully clasped his hands: "Your Highness, before boarding let me first introduce a few people to the Prince. These three are the ship's technical masters whom I hired at great expense in Canglang Island State; they know this vessel better than I do, so let them introduce the treasure ship to the Prince."

The Prince raised his chin in assent; the first to be introduced was the captain NPC.

"This is Chen Cang, captain of this treasure ship; like the other two, his ancestors were Minyue from the Great Jin's Fujian region. Later he drifted to sea, ended up in Canglang Island State, and settled there. As for everything concerning this ship, the Prince can entrust it to him. This is Chen Huai, the ship's helmsman, responsible for steering. He also knows how to maintain and repair the vessel; the Prince had best find a few clever people to apprentice under him and learn well. Lastly is Huang Zhong, the ship's chief mate, in charge of managing the fishermen aboard and all deck affairs. Their contracts are for one year, after all their families are no longer in the Great Jin; they need to return home to reunite with kin, so the Prince must have someone learn each of their skills properly."

The Prince knows all this; it's said for the benefit of the others present.

After listening, the Prince nodded; the three again offered their greetings, and the Prince, in a formal manner, encouraged them.

Then Chen Cang led the group aboard the ship via the lowered gangway.

Upon boarding, they found themselves inside the hull; everyone curiously surveyed the surroundings, wondering what material the walls were made of. Wei Shen reached out and felt them…… but came up with nothing.

A tap produced a clear ringing sound; he thought it might be metal or stone, then immediately doubted himself, feeling that if it were, the ship shouldn't be able to float.

Chen Cang led the group on a tour of the fish‑storage hold, the crew's oar‑station, the crew's living quarters, and some fishing gear and tools they didn't recognize.

"With sufficient fresh water, this treasure ship can venture into the deep sea; its hull can withstand a gale of up to force ten."

Before today, the group had utterly no concept of ships; now aboard this vessel that rocks as little as solid ground, their eyes couldn't take it all in. Naturally, whatever the captain said went unquestioned—aside from Zhao Zhuge, no one present knew what a force‑ten gale at sea actually entailed.

Ignorance often makes people appear unusually calm.

The Prince clambered onto the deck and, like Wei Shen, went berserk with a mad dash—this thing is truly huge!

Wei Shen was so excited he nearly flipped twice, "You can even run horses here!"

If this were sailing on the open sea……

The Prince ran back and said, "Captain Chen, could you get her moving a bit, just a turn nearby so I can have my fun?"

Zhao Bao was the first to object, "That's way too dangerous!"

The Prince, full of conviction, replied, "They brought the ship all the way from distant Canglang Island State to Youzhou, and the voyage was smooth sailing; how could a little turn nearby be dangerous? Can ordinary wind even capsize this ship? After a few days, once the fishermen finish their training, I'll personally take them out to the open sea—I fear no hardship, and I'll gladly try anything that benefits Youzhou."

Zhao Bao: ……

Very well, you've raised the stakes this high—who would dare oppose?