"Go down to the sea?" Qin Chengzu looked at Fu Qinghe with doubt.

  Zhou Pu and Cao Ziang hummed softly, turned their heads away without speaking, nor did they look at Fu Qinghe. Their attitude undoubtedly told him: You are not qualified to speak out.

  Wu Qi was quite interested, and he was also very kind to Fu Qinghe. He leaned over the table with his elbows on it and asked: "Why can you go down to the sea? Tell me, Third Uncle Tiger said." He still called Fu Qinghe by his old name.

  Fu Qinghe ignored Zhou Pu and Cao Zikangs facial expressions, saying: "Ive received news that the Xie familys surrender has become a settled matter. The Xie family will be enfeoffed as marquises and control Jinan. For years, there have been rumors that the Eastern Sea pirates were actually supported by the Xie family, which is why their power was able to recover. These rumors should be believable. The Xie familys surrender is about to become a reality. Perhaps the Xie family needs to express its sincerity in surrendering to the imperial court, or perhaps they will worry that the Eastern Sea pirates will become too powerful in the future. However, the Xie family will not completely abandon their military power. It can be predicted that in the next few years, the Eastern Sea pirates power will be in a delicate balance. In this situation, Cheng Zu, although your numbers are small, its not entirely impossible to go out to sea and find a place to survive..."

  Qin Chengzu thought of the three-masted sailboat at Qingjiangpu Haikouzi, and he glanced out the window to see two young men holding bamboo spears on guard. "Are you also going down to sea?" he asked. Last night when Qin Chengzu first saw these young men, he didnt think they would be of much help because in order to ensure a strong impact from behind, during the hijacking of the official ship, Qin Chengzu and Zhou Pu had all dived into the water, leaving only a limited number of people on the boat. He hadnt expected that it was these young men holding strange bamboo spears who successfully blocked the officials charge into the cabin, even killing six officials.

  "Uh, Ill take them with you to the sea," Fu Qinghe glanced at the young man outside the window and nodded, "Lin Ye has his own future, we cant delay him; besides, we want to go out to sea and settle down, its not possible without anyone taking care of things on shore..."

  This was what Lin Xie and Fu Qinghe had just discussed.

  Without Qin Chengzu and the others, it would be very difficult for these young people to survive at sea; Lin Xuan had considered returning to Dongyang Prefecture or Jiangning Prefecture to find a place to settle them down, but this was also very difficult.

  This year, the soldiers are rising up all over the place, and refugees from Jiangning Prefecture and Dongyang Prefecture have been pouring in. Lin Xie had just passed the imperial examination and become a scholar, so it would be easy for him to take in one or two refugees as his entourage and help them re-register their households in Dongyang Prefecture without fear of being investigated. However, finding a way to settle down so many young men at once was definitely not something that Lin Xie, a small-time scholar, could accomplish on his own. The most likely solution would be for Fu Qinghe to lead the young men into the crowd of refugees and wait for an opportunity to arise - but this was also very dangerous. The government would periodically clean up the refugees within its borders, either sending them back to their hometowns or resettling them locally, and the identities of the young men remained a huge problem.

  Now going out to sea with Qin Chengzu and others, there is no need to worry about encountering small pirate forces. Especially at present, considering that the Jia family will surrender to the court and be stable for a period of time, the East Sea pirates will also be restrained, and the waters east of the Yangtze River estuary will be relatively calm.

  Qin Jizongs line will not make a living by plundering the countryside after flowing into the sea, and Lin Xuan does not want these young people to become pirates that harm the world. Fu Qinghe took the young men with Qin Chengzong to the sea, and someone was needed on the shore to barely survive at sea - there is no one more suitable than Lin Xuan to take care of the shore!

  In a few years, when Xiao Tao is transferred away from Ninghai Town, these young people can return to Chongzhou and reunite with their families.

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  Fu Qinghe suggested going to the seaside for recuperation, Qin Chengzu furrowed his brow, finding it hard to make a decision.

  Cao Zikang, Zhou Pu, Wu Qi and Feng Peipei, the leaders of the bandits, all fell into deep thought. They clearly realized that their survival space on land had become very narrow, and going to sea might be a good choice. The three-masted sailing ship anchored at Qingjiangpu estuary was a good seafaring vessel, but they couldnt ignore the practical difficulties: they were used to being bandits, having made a living on horseback for over a decade, and the ocean was an unfamiliar place to them.

  Where can we find a foothold at sea, how can we stand firm on the sea, how to avoid conflicts with other pirate forces, and how will people on shore respond? All these are necessary to consider thoroughly.

  Lin tied up quietly sat on the side, listening to the waves gently hitting the bottom of the boat and the wind blowing through the reeds, a bright moon hung high in the lead-gray night sky, the moonlight pouring in from outside was like water, shining on his face.

  Qin Chengzu narrowed his eyes and looked at Lin Xie, asking: "By the way, Ive only heard that San Hu said that Master Lin also had a helping hand and saved his life, but I havent heard you two talk about this in detail yet."

  Qin Chengzu was not familiar with Lin Xuan, and in recent years, he had not heard of any famous figures from Dongyang Prefectures Shiliang County. However, the young man before him was truly admirable. This time, Fu Qinghe also lent a great hand, but Qin Chengzu had deep feelings towards Fu Qinghe, and his gratitude towards him was somewhat lukewarm. Nevertheless, his gratitude towards Lin Xuan was entirely different. Lin Xuan was an outsider who had no connection with them, yet he risked his life to help them due to his relationship with Fu Qinghe. They were able to rescue Zi Ang and Si Niangzi so easily this time, all thanks to his ingenious plan.

  Among the people with Qin Chengzu, Zhou Pu is the most straightforward. He is warm and direct to others. Just now when they were discussing things in the cabin, he warmly put his arm around Lin Xies shoulder and praised him: "I, old Zhou, have lived for many years and seen many heroes. You are definitely one of them! Mr. Qin is good at everything, but he is not decisive in doing things. In my heart, he is not as good as you!"

  Qin Chengzu listened and could only sigh, he had self-awareness, knowing that he was good at planning but poor at making decisions. Over the years, he had led his brothers to carefully drift along the Huai River as bandits, but in the end, they couldnt escape the disaster of Jiangling. In the past, if Fu Qinghe could have stayed, he would have been willing to be Fus deputy, but now was not the time to regret past events, and he had to make plans for the future.

  If it were an ordinary decision, Qin Chengzu would not have pursued Lin Xuans identity to the bottom of the pot, but since it involved the lives and deaths of more than 40 brothers who had gone through thick and thin together, as well as the survival of nearly two hundred families, Qin Chengzu could not help but consider every detail carefully.

  Lin Xie smiled and said, "Its not worth mentioning, Fu Ye and I are both survivors of the disaster. It cant be said who saved whom, but these young people have suffered a great deal...". He hoped that in the future they could work together to overcome difficulties, and there was no need to hide some things from Qin Chengzu and others. Lin Xie started talking about Su Meis boat selling art for disaster relief in Baisha County, from the East Sea pirates kidnapping people to the government soldiers continuing to use the young people as hostages to extort money, and he and Fu Qinghe killing the government soldiers on a deserted island to save people, all of which he told Qin Chengzu and others in detail.

  Zhou Pu heard the whole story, clenched his fist and pounded the table, cursing loudly: "This group of bastards, all sons of bitches! Killing them would be a pleasure!" He became even more respectful to Lin Xie, stood up and bowed his hands, saying: "I usually cant stand scholars, but Master Lin, you really make me admire you!"

  "I dont dare," Lin Xuan said again, bowing his hands to apologize to Qin Chengzu, "The matter concerns the lives and families of all the young people, I didnt inform you truthfully beforehand, I hope you can forgive me, Ancestor Qin!"

  "Caution is warranted," said Qin Chengzu, who was also shocked by Lins identity. "Qin had never expected that Lin would be a scholar with a wealth of knowledge." It wasnt that the status of being a holder of the imperial examination was particularly valuable to him, but rather he had never thought that Lin, having just passed the provincial exam, would disregard his future prospects and defy death to lend them a hand, completely overturning his previous views on scholars.

  "It was just a lucky pass, nothing worth mentioning." Lin Mou smiled and saw that Qin Chengzu and others seemed to be surprised by his Huiren identity.

  "Lin Ye is lucky again!" Zhou Pu sneered, his eyes fixed on Qin Chengzu, saying, "Mr. Qin was a child prodigy in the county of Hejian, passing the imperial examination at the age of 14, but unfortunately, he never got lucky until he was 30 years old and had to join the army. Now that hes become a bandit leader, its even more impossible for him to get lucky."

  Qin Chengzu shook his head and smiled bitterly; Cao Zikang patted Zhou Pus shoulder, not letting him talk nonsense. However, after learning about Lin Xies identity and the things he had done for Fu Qinghe, Su Mei, and the other young people, he admired Lin Xie even more and truly believed that Lin Xie and Fu Qinghe had no ulterior motives in lending them a helping hand this time. Cao Zikang covered his mouth and coughed twice, looking at Lin Xie with his eyes for a while before shaking his head and laughing: "Really unexpected."

  For a month, he has been traveling far and wide, exposed to the wind and sun, and his appearance has undergone great changes compared to when he was in Baisha County. His skin has been darkened and roughened by the sea breeze, his originally pale and chubby cheeks have become thin and angular, with sharp facial features, a straight nose bridge, piercing eyes, and an air of vigor and vitality that makes him look nothing like the scholar they used to despise.

  Qin Chengzu sat beside him and suddenly thought of something, tapping his forehead and saying to Cao Zikang: "We have delayed Miss Su..."

  "Yes, trouble Fourth Sister to take a trip!" Cao Ziang hastily said to Fourth Sister Feng Peipei.

  They used to think of Su Mei and Xiao Man as Lin Xies concubines and maids, so they wouldnt notify them when discussing matters. Who would have thought that Su Mei was actually a famous courtesan from Jiangning, and Fu Qinghe was just her hired bodyguard? Qin Chengzu and his men were bandits roaming the Huai River, so they didnt look down on Su Meis entertainer status; instead, they admired the heroic spirit she showed in helping them rob the official ship. Only then did they realize they had been neglecting Su Mei and her servant, and quickly asked Fourth Mistress Feng Peipei to go invite them over.

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  PS: Collecting and red tickets are welcome! Another chapter will be posted later!