Lu Wulang sat there until dusk, and only left when the evening drum sounded. Seeing that the front was scattered, he hurried to the front to find Si Langqiang, asking him to lead her before leaving to ask Zhang Wulang for help, borrowing Zhang Wulang's men to spread the word that she would arrange a meeting with Cao Wanrong at this time next year, in order to test Cao Wanrong's attitude.

  He Zhizhong and others knew that Mudan had returned, but they hadn't seen her yet. When they saw Mudan come in, they were very happy and asked her to sit down, asking about everything. He Zhizhong was more concerned about the brocade and asked about it first. Mudan didn't think much of it before, but now she felt a bit strange and replied vaguely: "I received it, it's good, Jiang Gong is also satisfied, he also helped me find a good florist." Then she hastily changed the subject: "Dad, which brothers are you taking this time? How long will you be gone?"

  He Zhizhong saw that she was hesitant to speak, and her eyes flickered. He knew that she had something on her mind, but he didn't press the issue. Instead, he smiled and said: "This time, I'll take your eldest brother, third brother, and fourth brother with me. I'll leave your second brother, fifth brother, and sixth brother at home. If you have any matters to discuss, you can talk to them about it. As for when we'll return, it will be either in a year or two, or perhaps just seven or eight months. We'll definitely come back."

  The peony was reluctant: "Going for so long? Which places will you pass through?"

  He Zhizhong told her to sit down next to him and said, "From Guangzhou, sail southeast for 200 miles to Tunmen Mountain, then head west for two days to Jiuzhou Stone, then south again, two days to Xiangshi, southwest another day to Zhanbulao Mountain, turn south and go for two more days to Lingshan; continue on for a day to reach the country of Men Du Guo; another day's journey will take you to the country of Gu Di Guo; then after half a day, you can arrive at Ben Da Lang Zhou, cross over after two days, to Jun Tu Nong Mountain, and continue onward, five more days will bring you to the strait. To the north of the strait is the country of Luo Yue Guo, to the south is the country of Fo Si Guo, and then you still need to continue onward..."

  Peony was all confused, she had no idea where these ancient countries were, all she heard was twists and turns all the way, so she said: "Oh my, I can't remember, just tell me how far Dad can go."

  He Zhizhong stroked his beard and smiled: "If the wind is good, it will take about 87 days to reach Wula from Guangzhou. If you want to go further, you can change to a small boat and then travel overland for thousands of miles until you reach the capital of Dashi."

  The capital of the Great Food Country reported that the peony was actually Baghdad today. I didn't expect He Zhizhong to go so far. At this time, the sea ship was not as sturdy as modern times, and she was a little worried: "Going so far?"

  He Zhizhong smiled and said, "Of course we won't go that far. I was just joking with you. We will not report back, but instead buy some spices and jewels in the countries along the way. If the weather is good and the wind direction is favorable, we will return soon."

  "Who knows, by the time we get back, your Fragrant Garden might have already broken even! When that happens, I'll make sure to knock on your bamboo stick and you'd better treat us well with some of your earnings!"

  "Where's the hurry? I've calculated it, and at the very least, it'll be after New Year's before we can get our investment back."

  Liu Lang said, "That's not necessarily true. If you go to a nobleman's garden party and he takes a liking to you, it's possible that he'll reward you with thousands of taels of gold. I've heard that Zhang Wu Lang makes a good living from his fighting chickens, every day he earns a tidy sum. Whenever some noblemen come to watch the excitement, he can't help but join in and personally take part in a match or two. He then helps them pick out fighting chickens, if they win, he gets a share of the winnings and also receives rewards."

  "Waiting for someone to bestow wealth is an empty and elusive thing, it can't be counted on. It's still necessary to rely on actual achievements."

  He Zhizhong then said to Liu Lang, "Listen to what your sister has to say. I've told you many times before, don't always wish for something that's unlikely to happen, and don't say it can't be done. Even if it does happen, you have to see if you have the good fortune to receive it without getting hurt! It's better for people to be down-to-earth."

  Liu Lang said indifferently: "I know, I just said that, isn't it hoping that Dan Niang can have good luck and make money soon?"

  He Zhizhong frowned and said: "We're going, you have to follow your second brother and fifth brother closely, don't wander around when there's nothing to do, spend more time with your wife."

  While He Zhizhong was scolding Liu Lang, Mudan pulled Si Lang aside to discuss going to find Zhang Wu Lang for help. Si Lang smiled and said, "This is very simple, tomorrow morning I will take you to find him."

  Rokurō was just humoring Kishichō, but when he overheard that Shirō was going to take Botan to look for Zhang Wulang, his interest was piqued: "I'll go too!"

  He Zhizhong frowned and said, "What are you doing here to join in the excitement?" If it weren't for Liu Lang not having an heir until now, he would have taken him away this time to broaden his horizons, why would he leave him here?

  Liu Lang smiled and said, "In the past, the spice shop on this side of Dongshi was always managed by Fourth Brother. I'm not familiar with the people here, and I'm afraid someone might take advantage of me. Zhang Wu Lang is already well-known in Dongshi, if I get along with him, those who don't know better won't dare to come and cause trouble, this is also for the sake of business."

  He Zhizhong listened and thought it was reasonable, but he was still uneasy and threatened: "In short, I am the one who made contact with you first. If you can't make it on your own, don't blame me for not being a good father."

  Liu Lang heard this and was very displeased, saying in a half-coquettish, half-reproachful tone: "Father, don't always think that I'm just playing around. At my age, I know what's important and what's not. You've taught me everything yourself, hand over hand, so why don't you trust me? Besides, aren't Second Brother and Fifth Brother keeping an eye on me?"

  He Zhitong sighed, didn't speak, turned his head to look at Peony: "I'm not home, you have to be more careful, don't overwork, when there's nothing going on, spend more time with your mother." He paused, lovingly stroked Peony's hair, and whispered: "Forget it, I won't say anything else. You know what to do. We shouldn't aim too high, but also can't humiliate ourselves. If someone is good, we should grasp the opportunity well."

  "Father, I'm really scared right now."

  He Zhizhong furrowed his brow and took her hand: "It's noisy here, let's go to the study room for a quiet talk between father and daughter."

  "Peony roughly told He Zhizhong about what had happened since then, and then said: 'I used to be like Dad said, not deliberately pursuing a high social status, nor humiliating myself. I thought that if he was really good and suitable for me, I wouldn't refuse him either. We would slowly get along with each other, and when we both felt it was right, we wouldn't think much about it anymore. But now, I'm really afraid of repeating what happened to the Li family. Moreover, I don't understand what kind of person he is after all, and I feel a bit uneasy.'"

  Mrs. Cui was originally acting alone, relying on the influence of Meng Ruo from the Ning Wang Fu to get things done, and it seemed like a viable solution. However, if Zhu Guogong were in charge, it would be a different story altogether. Zhu Guogong probably wouldn't resort to using unreasonable tactics like Mrs. Cui and Meng Ruo, but might instead try to reason with them first before taking action. If they refused to listen, he could always use the law against them. All that's needed is to harass the He family's business a bit every day, making it difficult for them to operate without leaving any evidence behind, making it impossible to take legal action.

  This is only one aspect, and then there's Jiang Changyang. Peony didn't know him for a long time, they hadn't had much contact, nor did they discuss their inner thoughts or life ideals. In fact, she wasn't even clear about many things that happened to him. If it were in modern times, they would have needed to talk for several years before considering marriage. But this was ancient times, where seeing someone once and hearing their good name could be enough to determine a lifelong commitment.

  She and Jiang Changyang's situation is already much better than those who are blind and dumb, so Jiang Changyang can think that he now understands her well enough to meet his requirements, be satisfied, and take her back. But how deep his feelings for her are, she cannot know just from a few words.

  In the past, whether she was facing Liu Cheng or Li Wei, she generally had the upper hand. She understood Liu Cheng's temperament and could easily provoke him, leading him by the nose; Li Wei was very familiar with her, so she didn't have to worry about being hurt by him. But Jiang Changyang was different, his behavior that day overturned her previous understanding of him. He believed more in his own eyes and ears, and was not easily deceived by superficial phenomena. He was bold and thick-skinned, she was unfamiliar with him, and wasn't sure if she could grasp him. What he would do to her, whether he would hurt her, were all unknown quantities.

  He Zhizhong walked back and forth in the study with his hands behind his back, saying: "This thing is not difficult to handle. There are some words that you can't say out loud, I'll go ask him. Before, he didn't explicitly express it, so I couldn't say much either. Since he has already said this to you, let me take care of it."

  "Will it be all right? It's as if I'm forcing him... and besides, Zhu Guogong is also there..."

  He Zhizhong couldn't help but laugh and say, "What's wrong with that? Since he dares to speak such words and do such things to my daughter, as her father, I naturally have the right to ask him what he means. If he is sincere and really has the ability to solve it, then wait for good news. But if he dares to tease my daughter, your brothers will still beat him until he's toothless!"

  Peony couldn't help but purse her lips and smile, remembering how angry Da Lang was when he hit Liu Chuan. She stretched out her hand to hug He Zhizhong's arm and coquettishly said: "It's great to have a father and brother like that." After thinking for a moment, she added another sentence: "He also punched Liu Chuan twice."

  He Zhizhong smiled and said, "Daring to beat Liu Chuan is not a big deal, Zhang Wulang has also beaten him before. But you're right, people's hearts are unpredictable, and I must let your father take a closer look at this matter. We can't afford to make another mistake after the first one." He sighed, stroking Peony's hair and said, "My dear Dan Niang, how many years do we have in life? Youth passes by in the blink of an eye. Father remembers that I've only gone out to sea a few times, and you kids have grown up, while your mother and I have grown old. Your father is worried about you."

  The peony felt its heart turn soft and sour and warm, and it gently laid its head on his knee and said in a low voice: "Dad, I really don't want you to go far away."

  He Zhizhong sneered, "You're so old and still so annoying. Aren't you afraid of being laughed at by your nephews and nieces? Alright, go rest early, don't you have important things to do tomorrow? My time is tight, I need to think carefully about how to deal with Jiang Chengfeng after luring him out."