Chapter 470

Everyone rested well for the night and continued on the road the next day.

Su Qiao and Liu Rushi were chatting over hot tea in the middle of the carriage.

However, as the carriage moved forward, it suddenly jolted to a halt.

"Whoa..."

Zhao Xifang's voice suddenly rang out.

Su Qiao and Liu Rushi inside the carriage froze, putting down their teacups.

They asked strangely from outside: "What's going on? Has something happened? Why did we stop suddenly?"

Zhao Xifang quickly replied: "Mr. Su, there is a merchant caravan ahead. It was fine at first, but their carriage seems to have broken down, spilling quite a lot of goods. The convoy has blocked the official road, so I stopped!"

"Lift the curtain and take a look!"

Su Qiao instructed the maid Qing'er.

Qing'er quickly lifted the curtain, and Su Qiao and Liu Rushi raised their eyes to look.

As expected!

Just as Zhao Xifang said, on the road ahead, a convoy was indeed blocking the official road, appearing to be a merchant caravan.

The scattered items on the ground were hard to make out clearly; they seemed to be furs, along with various other miscellaneous and exquisite small items.

In the middle of the convoy, there was indeed a carriage lying on the ground.

It appeared that the wheels had all cracked open.

Yet, while they were blocking the way here, they showed no intention whatsoever of making room.

Hmm, even if their temper is bad, relatively speaking, shouldn't their carriage look even more luxurious?

Besides, they have so many guards around them.

Under normal circumstances, merchants would not want to cause trouble for themselves and would simply make way.

But what is going on here?

Su Qiao's heart was filled with doubt.

At this moment, Liu Rushi casually said to Su Qiao: "Husband, this is too coincidental, isn't it? It seems you have encountered trouble near here every time you went out recently; it feels intentional!"

The speaker meant no harm, but the listener took it to heart!

That strange feeling in Su Qiao's heart suddenly seemed to flow smoothly!

He had felt before that those people were acting rather strangely.

At the very least, if things were broken, wouldn't they worry or feel heartache?

If a carriage broke down, wouldn't they rush to repair it or immediately find another way to avoid delaying time?

But what about the people in the convoy we just saw?

They acted as if the goods were not their own, keeping their distance, while their gazes fell even more upon us.

"Rushi, it seems you were right; they are targeting me."

Having roughly understood the situation, Su Qiao's eyebrows relaxed, and a confident smile returned to his face.

"Then what should we do?"

Liu Rushi looked at Su Qiao with some worry.

Su Qiao shook his head and comforted her: "Do not worry; this place is not far from the capital, nor far from Tianjin Wei. Even if they have the nerve, they dare not act. Do not forget that the remnants of the White Lotus Sect failed last time!"

Thinking of Su Qiao's strategic planning and how he easily resolved the danger last time.

Liu Rushi's worry in her heart eased somewhat.

"Then..."

"Hehe, they just want to get close and follow us. We do not yet know who they are, so there is no need to act rashly!"

"Does husband mean they will board the ship with us?"

"Exactly!"

Although Liu Rushi was still not entirely at ease, she said nothing more at this moment.

She believed Su Qiao had a plan in mind.

Just as Su Qiao guessed.

The people in the convoy were indeed targeting Su Qiao.

They deliberately broke a carriage and the items inside to facilitate observation and their arrangements.

So, not long after, they dealt with the damaged carriage, and the long convoy moved forward again...

Throughout the journey, the two sides remained dozens of meters apart.

Ma Kui and the other Embroidered Uniform Guard members wore plain clothes, did not approach them, and they did not come over to chat, maintaining a cold and aloof posture.

Slowly, they arrived at Tianjin Wei!

This time, because of the delay in between, the arrival time at Tianjin Wei was about the same as last time.

It was all in the evening, just before dark!

Last time, Battalion Commander Lin Pei, the deputy general of Tianjin Wei who helped Su Qiao, received the news early.

He went out of the city to welcome Su Qiao's arrival.

Not only that, Su Qiao's arrival also prompted Commander Zhao Lin, the main official of the Tianjin Wei garrison, to wait personally at the entrance of the Yiguan Sect.

When they came last time, they merely regarded Su Qiao as an imperial envoy who had risen through favoritism.

But later, after careful inquiry, they found they had been mistaken.

Especially since Su Qiao annihilated three thousand Japanese pirates led by Fujita Goichiro in Suzhou, thwarted the conspiracy of the Bai Lianjiao remnants, discovered the treasure of Emperor Yang of Sui, and governed the plague in Quanzhou Prefecture.

Each item, each event, made them deeply admire him.

He was also well aware that although Su Qiao was young, his capabilities were immense.

Most importantly, Su Qiao was a court official deeply favored by Your Majesty.

Moreover, Su Qiao was heading to the southeast this time to oversee major military and political affairs, seemingly to launch a campaign against the Dutch.

The news had spread long ago!

Zhao Lin, though merely the Commander of the Tianjin Wei garrison, also commanded the Tianjin Wei naval fleet.

However, the Tianjin Wei navy was somewhat nominal in reality; too many positions were filled by ghost soldiers drawing pay for 0.3 people, and the ships were old-style warships!

His enthusiasm and this humble posture were all to intercept the deal at the Tianjin Wei shipyard.

After all, it was right under his nose.

He had seen the new-style warships and cannons produced by the Tianjin Wei shipyard.

Equipped with them, they looked invincible!

As a brave and valiant general, how could he not covet them?

He could not get what he wanted by asking directly; he had to find Su Qiao, the person in charge, to have a chance.

That was why he had come personally today with such a low profile to welcome him.

Even Su Qiao was taken aback upon seeing him waiting personally at the entrance of the Yiguan Sect.

"Oh, General Zhao, it has been quite some time. What is all this fuss about?"

Su Qiao hurriedly jumped down from the carriage.

Zhao Lin's face was plastered with a smile as he said half-jokingly, "Is this not to welcome the Imperial Envoy, my lord?"

326, a storm is approaching!

"General Zhao is too polite. This official is merely passing through. Your General's great hospitality truly makes this official feel overwhelmed with honor!"

Su Qiao said this humbly to him.

Zhao Lin's attitude toward Su Qiao was far more sincere and humble than last time.

"It is only right, it is only right. My lord is too humble!"

After exchanging pleasantries with Su Qiao and the others, Zhao Lin and the officials entered the Yiguan Sect.

By now, arrangements for the Yiguan Sect had long been made, making it very easy for Su Qiao to take up residence.

The resting places for the Embroidered Uniform Guard were also arranged.

It could truly be said that guests felt as if they were at home!

This showed that the officials of Tianjin Wei had indeed been preparing for a long time.

Zhao Lin and the other officials also showed their faces before Su Qiao, slightly drawing closer in their relationship.

Fortunately, they clearly knew they could not delay Su Qiao and the others from resting, so after chatting for a few moments, they tactfully took their leave.