Chapter 491

The door was pushed open again.

Moreover, the voice of this acquaintance allowed Su Qiao to identify who it was without even raising his head.

"Husband, you have finally awakened!"

Correct!

Those who pushed the door open and entered were precisely Lady Liu Rushi and her maid.

Having received the report from the Captain, knowing that Su Qiao had awakened, they hurriedly ran over.

Su Qiao was already starving; he picked up his chopsticks, grabbed a piece of meat, swallowed it, and said without raising his head: "I just woke up, but my stomach is truly starving; let me eat something first, and we will talk later."

Liu Rushi also saw Su Qiao wolfing down his food in an uncouth manner.

She quickly stepped forward to help Su Qiao serve dishes and add rice, not continuing to speak so as not to disturb his meal.

He finished three bowls of rice in one breath, along with quite a few dishes.

Only then did Su Qiao feel that his stomach was no longer as hollow and burning, causing his heart to panic as before.

"Haa... Finally full!"

Su Qiao patted his belly, sat on the chair, and let out a long sigh.

Liu Rushi, with sharp eyes and quick hands, poured a cup of tea for Su Qiao to help him settle down.

"When we just woke up, we were also starving, dizzy and seeing spots; you slept several hours longer than us, so your body is even more depleted."

"Mm, I understand; it was just because I slept without eating, but now it is much better."

"By the way, where are we now, and how long until we reach Quanzhou?"

With his stomach filled, Su Qiao also had the mind to pay attention to the voyage.

"They say we can reach Quanzhou Port in another day; I heard Your Majesty ordered a search for Master, so the Fujian Navy, plus the Tianjin Navy, have all mobilized; one could say many people know you are missing."

Liu Rushi told Su Qiao the things she knew for the time being.

Su Qiao had actually guessed this long ago.

He originally thought that whoever in the Great Ming found him would still need some time.

Who knew his luck was good, and they discovered the Haidao where he was located in merely ten-plus days.

Additionally, Liu Rushi also told Su Qiao that his previous guess on the island was correct.

There had indeed been a band of pirates stationed on the island before, about three hundred people or so.

But!

Just because the Imperial Envoy Su Qiao went missing and vanished, everyone was extremely anxious.

The Fujian Navy plus the Tianjin Navy all mobilized; this also caused the pirates near the Great Ming's maritime borders to be terrified, so they all ran away.

That band of pirates on the island before was the same; upon discovering the Great Ming Navy mobilizing in various ways, they thought not and ran away!

...... 0

This allowed Su Qiao and Liu Rushi and the others to live safely on the island for so many days.

"Aiya, truly good luck; if some other deviation had occurred, that would have been troublesome!"

After listening to Liu Rushi's words, Su Qiao also felt slightly terrified in retrospect.

If they had really collided with pirates, the result would have been different.

It is very likely they would have lost their lives.

Highly probable!

Liu Rushi also nodded repeatedly.

Su Qiao and the others now hold the highest official rank on the fleet.

On the ship, the others are quite obedient to Su Qiao and the others!

This time at sea, they encountered no storms, so on the afternoon of the third day, they finally arrived at Quanzhou Port.

In fact, it is the port of Xiamen in later generations!

The officials of Quanzhou Prefecture had already received the news.

In fact, when Su Qiao went missing, the officials up and down Quanzhou Prefecture were truly under immense pressure.

Who else but Zhu Youjian, because of Su Qiao's disappearance, personally issued an imperial decree!

Only when they finally found him did everyone finally breathe a sigh of relief!

They were just hoping for the Imperial Envoy Su Qiao to return quickly.

The moment Su Qiao was found, the news was sent to Quanzhou Prefecture.

The officials up and down Quanzhou Prefecture also received the news immediately; even before the fleet returned, everyone had already begun planning how to welcome Su Qiao.

How to get closer to Su Qiao the Imperial Envoy.

When Su Qiao was previously in Quanzhou Prefecture, one could say many officials, as well as local officials, knew him.

After all, the plague incident in Quanzhou Prefecture was handled by Su Qiao!

345, the future Zheng Sen!

However, Su Qiao was mostly within Quanzhou Prefecture, with much interaction on official business.

Private interactions were few; everyone also feared Su Qiao's status as Imperial Envoy.

Wanting to get closer was naturally not easy; furthermore, there was the incident where the Four Great Families in Fuzhou City held a banquet and attacked Su Qiao.

This made it even more difficult!

This time, Su Qiao fell into the sea and went missing, only to be found by the people of their Fujian Navy.

Ai, isn't this an opportunity to close the distance?

Show a little concern, give a few more gifts, and the relationship will surely grow closer.

Thus, when the ship docked and Su Qiao appeared at the pier, he witnessed exactly this scene.

Officials of the Quanzhou Prefecture, from top to bottom—from Prefect Zhou Xun, Vice Prefect Li Heyu, and Assistant Prefect Wang Da Nian, down to the minor clerks of the eighth and ninth ranks—all waited here with faces full of concern.

The moment they saw Su Qiao, they were extremely enthusiastic!

"My lord, ever since you went missing, we have been unable to sleep at night, worried to the extreme!"

"Indeed, my lord, seeing you return safely now makes us truly overjoyed!"

"My lord, you have finally returned!"

What the hell is going on here?

Su Qiao's mouth twitched violently, genuinely shocked by the performance of this group.

Mainly because many of them were not sincere; in fact, as Su Qiao passed by, he could faintly smell a pungent odor.

Huh, that's the smell of garlic, right?

Damn, you guys are really going all out!

Su Qiao forced himself to suppress his disgust, did not expose the performance of everyone present, and instead pretended to look very happy and gratified.

"I am well aware of the hearts of all of you. Thank you for your help. Additionally, I must thank the brothers of the Water Division; if not for you finding me, I might truly have been stranded on a desolate island for the rest of my life..."

Acting? Who can't do that?

I can do it even better than you!

I can squeeze out a few tears without even using props.

Just take a look.

Su Qiao spoke at length with deep emotion, performing a role of immense gratitude and joy.

In any case, the pier was filled with an atmosphere of grand reunion.

Those officials, seemingly having achieved their inner goals, departed very happily.

Su Qiao then took the mistress and maid, Liu Rushi and her servant, into a carriage to rest at the guesthouse.

That evening, Prefect Zhou Xun even hosted a dinner banquet to cleanse Su Qiao of bad luck, a banquet prepared specifically for Su Qiao.

When leaving, Su Qiao did not refuse, stating that he would attend that evening.

Upon entering the carriage, the brilliant smile on Su Qiao's face vanished instantly.

He even rubbed his face, revealing a somewhat exhausted expression.

"Really, this bunch has all sorts of motives; no wonder people say not to enter officialdom, it is truly too complicated."

Su Qiao couldn't help but complain.