Golden Branch

"Dengzhou!"

Lou Yu took out a sea chart, circled the location of Japan, and his eyes fell on Dengzhou on the coast.

In these years in Yizhou, Lou Yu was ostensibly helping the prince build a canal, but in reality he was training troops.

Build treasure ships and train sailors.

Lou Yu was very familiar with Qingzhou, Dengzhou, Jiaozhou and other provincial capitals.

"That's about right. However, Amian only mentioned Japan once. Most of the time, she would talk about Treasure Island!"

Xiao Wuji knows the importance of things.

If Princess Langya had run inland, Xiao Wuzhi would not have been so active in helping Lou Yu.

But these two girls are courting death.

Go to sea!

Is that something a noble lady like Wang Jiu can play with?

If Wang Jiu were really allowed to board the boat and go into the sea... Lou Hanzhang would go crazy!

Xiao Wuji didn't want Amian to be involved in other people's love games.

"Treasure Island?"

Lou Yu and Wang Mian have known each other for ten years and are quite familiar with this "adventurous" friend.

Wang Mian is a person who always says strange things and has all kinds of weird ideas.

According to Wang Mian's personality, the "Treasure Island" she defined should not be a description or exaggeration, but a realistic description!

Gold and silver, right?

Lou Yu's mind moved slightly and he wrote down the name.

However, now is not the time to worry about this. The most important thing is to catch the willful and running raccoon!

……

After coming out of the Southern Court, Lou Yu went to the Hongwenguan without stopping for a moment.

I asked for leave and arranged some errands.

He went to the East Palace again and had a secret conversation with the prince in the study.

After leaving the Eastern Palace, Lou Yu didn't even go back to the Duke's Mansion. He went straight to the city gate.

The personal guards have already assembled, and they have also prepared the necessary dry food, money, luggage, etc. for the trip.

In addition, the troops in the farms outside the city also received orders to mobilize.

When Lou Yu arrived at the farm on horseback, surrounded by twenty or thirty personal guards, all 200 troops were ready to go.

"Get the horses ready! Two for each of you!"

"During a forced march, the horses are changed but the men are not."

Lou Yu was wearing Hu clothing and black pointed-toe boots.

At first glance, Lou Yu is still as gentle as jade, but his temperament is a bit cold.

It is like a green pine on the top of a snow-capped mountain, or like a sword hidden in a sword box.

Although it is not as sharp and intimidating, it has a strength that is hard to ignore.

The order was given quickly and all the soldiers were ready.

Lou Yu and twenty or thirty personal guards, each equipped with two horses, marched straight to Dengzhou at a rapid pace.

Wang Heng suppressed her pampered temper and fully unleashed the potential of her steed, enabling it to travel two to three hundred miles a day.

But her "limit" cannot be compared with that of real cavalry after all.

Lou Yu was a young general who had fought in battles. He once traveled thousands of miles deep into the northwest.

He and his personal guards could not claim to have experienced hundreds of battles, but they had all been tempered by the cruel battlefield.

Lou Yu's forced march was to travel day and night, changing horses but not men, and he could reach an astonishing five or six hundred miles in a day.

Lou Yu arrived three days later than Wang Heng, but he still caught up with and overtook her in the shortest time with his superb riding skills and extraordinary speed.

……

Wang Heng didn't know that Lou Yu had already locked onto her whereabouts and was rushing over at a speed that surpassed her.

She endured the pain of her thighs being rubbed while riding a horse and fantasizing.

Soon!

Arriving in Dengzhou soon!

When she arrived in Dengzhou, she went straight to the dock to meet up with the fleet that had been waiting for a long time.

She would not stay on the shore for too long, even though she was tired and exhausted, and wanted to stop and take a comfortable bath and rest.

But Wang Heng knew what was important and what was not.

Now is not the time for her to relax.

Arriving in Dengzhou is not the goal.

Only after she got on the boat and into the sea could she have a good rest.

"One more day... half a day..."

There was the sound of horse hooves and the whistling of wind in my ears.

As they approached their destination, Wang Heng could even smell a faint damp, salty smell in the air.

This is the breath of the sea.

When Lou Yu was training his troops, Wang Heng also went to the beach.

Therefore, she knows the vastness of the ocean and has also tasted the taste of the ocean.

"arrive!"

Wang Heng felt the refreshing sea breeze and became excited.

The pain in the inner thighs and the soreness in the waist seemed to have disappeared.

And the days of sleeping in the open air and having unkempt hair and a dirty appearance seemed to become unimportant.

Wang Heng even felt "freedom"!

"Go! To the dock!"

Wang Heng gave orders repeatedly.

Several guards agreed and increased the speed of swinging the whip.

The group did not enter the city, but headed straight to the seaside.

A cargo yard and rows of shops were built at the Dengzhou wharf.

Outside the pier is the endless sea.

From afar, the sky and the sea are connected.

It's a deep blue sky, with white clouds above and rolling waves below.

Seabirds occasionally fly by in the middle.

The magnificent sea view is beautiful and mysterious.

There are also sailboats that make the picture come alive.

This pier is very busy.

Ships come in and out, and all kinds of goods are transferred at the dock.

The boatmen were busy moving cargo and replenishing supplies.

The merchants were shouting and hawking their wares.

Although it is a dock outside the city, it is as bustling as a market.

Seeing this scene, Wang Heng's heart became even happier.

"Where is our fleet?"

She sat on the horse, whip in her hand, looking left and right, searching everywhere.

"Jiuniang!"

At this moment, a man in an indigo round-necked shirt squeezed through the noisy crowd.

He is in his twenties or thirties, with an ordinary appearance, but he is very capable.

Wang Heng looked carefully and found that this person seemed familiar.

"Manager Zhao!"

This is the manager of the fleet she and Amian formed.

It was Amian who selected it and made the final choice.

In recent years, this manager surnamed Zhao has been working at docks in Dengzhou, Jiaozhou and other places.

He is not responsible for going out to sea, but only for the management of docks, cargo yards, etc.

During every New Year and birthday, Manager Zhao would represent the fleet and personally go to Yizhou to deliver gifts to the two owners, Wang Heng and Wang Mian.

Most of the time, Wang Mian was the one who entertained us.

But occasionally, when she was in the mood, Wang Heng would summon him personally.

Although not many times, he is still a familiar person.

Wang Heng recognized Manager Zhao and was extremely happy at the thought that she would soon be able to board the ship.

Perhaps because she was too excited and expectant, Wang Heng, who was always perceptive, ignored the slight unnaturalness hidden in Manager Zhao.

"I greet Ninth Lady!"

"Nine Madam, you've been on horseback all the way and must be exhausted. I've already booked a room at the inn nearby. Please rest for a while there!"

Manager Zhao replied respectfully.

Wang Heng was startled. "Go to the inn?"

Aren't you just getting on board?

"Nine Lady, when the fleet was conducting routine inspections of the treasure ship today, they discovered some problems."

"I've already ordered someone to expedite the process, but it will still take some time."

"Don't worry, Jiuniang, we'll be able to set sail tomorrow morning!"

Manager Zhao tried his best to explain and solemnly promised: Master, just one night! Just one night at the inn!

After today, tomorrow morning, you will be able to -

The smile on Wang Heng's beautiful face remained unchanged, but the warmth in her eyes had disappeared.

"Early tomorrow morning?"

Haha, probably not until tomorrow morning.

Her heart tightened slightly.

Wang Heng withdrew her gaze from Manager Zhao and looked at the sea nearby.

So blue, so vast.

On the other side of the sea is the Treasure Island that Amian mentioned.

Pity!

Wang Heng lowered her eyelids and sighed silently.

She looked around and saw that her personal guards were already exhausted.

If a "fight" occurs, they simply don't have much fighting power.

At least compared to someone, they are no match.

Ugh!

Just one step away!

……

"Let's go to the inn!"

Wang Heng lost her excitement, and her slender and graceful figure seemed to slump a little.

Manager Zhao's eyes flickered and his lips moved, but in the end he said nothing.

He bowed and saluted, "Yes! Please follow me, Jiuniang!"

As he spoke, Manager Zhao took the initiative to step forward and lead the way for Wang Heng.

Going around the pier's outlet and coming to one side, there is a row of houses.

One of them is the inn.

Manager Zhao stopped, knelt in front of the horse, used his body as a stool, and helped Wang Heng dismount.

Wang Heng lost her energy and became spoiled again.

Her thighs, palms, waist, back and other parts of her body were either burning with pain or numb and swollen. When she got off the horse, she almost couldn't stand steadily.

It was the personal guard beside him who hurried forward to support him.

But, inexplicably, the personal guards who supported Wang Heng felt their hearts tighten and their hairs stood on end, as if they were being stared at by some terrifying monster.

Despite the cold sweat, the personal guard gritted his teeth and helped Wang Heng land steadily on the ground.

After Wang Heng stood firm, the guard quickly withdrew his hand and took a big step back.

As soon as I moved away, the oppressive pressure disappeared instantly.

"What the hell, what's going on? Is Ye Ye exhausted?"

The personal guard thought it was just an illusion, cursed inwardly, and then joined other companions to guard Wang Heng from behind.

The group entered the inn, and the innkeeper greeted them warmly and personally led the way, taking Wang Heng to the upper room on the second floor.

The shopkeeper opened the door of the first room of the Tianzihao store.

He didn't go in, but stood at the door and stretched out his hand as a gesture of invitation.

Wang Heng sighed silently in her heart again.

If she still had some hope just now, then at this moment, there was no longer any illusion in her heart.

Someone is coming!

Not only did he catch up with her, he also arrived before her.

Wang Heng dared to bet that her fleet and her assassins had all been "dealt with"!

……

"Brother!"

After entering the door, Wang Heng saw a tall and graceful figure by the window.

She smiled and called out sweetly.

"You still remember me as your 'brother'?"

Lou Yu spoke in a gentle voice, and although his tone didn't fluctuate much, it was still enough to make people tremble with fear.

However, Wang Heng is not an ordinary person. She understands Lou Yu and is even more "confident".

She continued to smile sweetly, "Brother, what are you talking about? I don't understand."

Wang Heng walked in, and the door closed gently behind her.

"Ajiu, did you have fun? Jiutian, you ran over 1,800 miles."

Lou Yu turned around, his deep gaze like a searchlight, scanning a slender figure closely and intensely.

The little girl's standing posture was a little abnormal at this moment, and she subconsciously stood with her legs slightly apart.

This is a bruise on the inner thigh.

Live it!

She is clearly a pampered little girl who can even get hurt playing a game of cuckold, but now she has to run thousands of miles.

It was nearly two thousand miles, and except for very few rests, I was on horseback the whole time.

Such delicate skin must have been rubbed terribly.

Ah Heng didn't need to suffer this calamity, but she was disobedient.

"Not bad! Haha, my brother is more powerful. It took me nine days, but my brother couldn't last nine days."

Wang Heng originally wanted to deal with Lou Yu obediently.

But, after all the trouble and suffering, it was all in vain.

She couldn't help but feel angry.

Unable to control herself for a moment, Wang Heng began to act eccentrically: "Not only did he catch up, he even surpassed me!"

"Brother, you should have arrived yesterday, right?"

After enduring it again and again, Wang Heng finally couldn't hold it back any longer. She asked with a hint of accusation, "Where's my fleet? Has it already—"

"Well, the fleet has set sail early this morning."

Lou Yu nodded and said generously: "Little girl, you got it right! It's a pity there is no reward!"

"Set sail? Where did you take my fleet?"

Wang Heng became angrier and angrier as she spoke, and her rationality seemed to be fading away along with the fleet.

"Treasure Island! Don't you want to go to Japan? There are gold and silver mines on that island, right?"

Lou Yu spoke calmly, yet inexplicably made Wang Heng irritated.

"You know it all?"

Know her purpose: to reach Treasure Island, find the gold and silver mines, and then rely on the endless supply of gold and silver to perform well in front of the saint.

"Before, I was just guessing, but now, I know everything!"

Lou Yu deliberately imitated Wang Heng's tone of voice, which made the already angry little girl even more angry and gritted her teeth.

"Lou Yu, what do you want?"

"I just want to go out for a walk, why do you have to stop me?"

Wang Heng finally couldn't bear it anymore and she exploded.

She no longer pretended to smile sweetly, but stared with her big round eyes and questioned in a hateful voice.

"Why, you don't call me brother anymore?"

"You little heartless fellow, if you have any problem, it's 'brother', if not, it's Lou Yu!"

"You asked me what I want, and I also want to ask you, what do you want?"

Lou Yu finally stopped pretending to be a gentle and kind gentleman.

His face was cold, his voice was even colder, and traces of murderous aura emanated from his bones.

Anyone else would be frightened by this terrifying aura.

Wang Heng, however, was different. She knew Lou Yu well and was more confident: "I told you, I just want to go out and have some fun!"

I don’t want to get married, and I especially don’t want to marry Lou Yu.

No? !

She is a princess now, no longer the poor orphan who had to act nice and please others!

Lou Yu sneered, "Play around? Are you going out to play? You want to escape!"

"Wang Heng, you and I both know what you rely on to be so willful."

"Aren't you just taking advantage of the fact that I like you and I've decided on you, that's why you dare to act so recklessly?"

Wang Heng felt somewhat embarrassed and annoyed when Lou Yu revealed her thoughts.

She stared, stiffened her neck, and shouted without caring, "Why did I act so foolishly?"

"Also, when you said you liked me, was it just love or a desire to monopolize everything?"

"Lou Yu, I'm not your pet. Why should I stay obediently in the cage you set for me just because you 'like' me?"