Fearing being killed for his overwhelming merits, the empress decided to marry him.

The following morning, Ban Dingyuan, along with a group of envoys, boarded an official ship bound for Shengjing.

Accompanying them was a river official named Ding Shizhen, who was about fifty years old, with a white beard and a hunched posture.

"Foreign Envoy, the sea is relatively calm today. If all goes well, we will be able to enter the inland waterway before sunset."

"Lord Ding, it must have been hard for you to lead the way this time."

"You flatter me, envoy. I have been traveling back and forth to the capital along the river for thirty years now. You can rest assured and listen to my instructions. We will arrive in the capital in two months at the latest."

As Ding Shizhen spoke, he skillfully directed the sailors on the ship to raise the sails and set sail.

Looking at the shirtless, thin men on the deck, struggling to pull a stiff sail, Ban Dingyuan was quite surprised.

"Lord Ding, I have a question for you."

"If the foreign envoy has any instructions, just tell me. If I know the answer, I will tell you everything I know."

Ding Shizhen looked old, but his spirits were still quite good, and he was also very talkative, which made Ban Dingyuan feel a long-lost sense of familiarity.

Ban Dingyuan pointed at the sailors and asked, "May I ask which government department these sailors belong to? Why don't they even have a decent set of clothes?"

“Sailors?” Ding Shizhen was taken aback at first, then immediately realized, “You mean these water workers? They are not under the jurisdiction of the government. They are conscripted by order of the Haizhou Waterway Administration to serve as laborers for fishermen from the surrounding area.”

"Corvée labor?"

"Yes, every citizen of Wuzhao is required to perform at least twelve days of corvée labor each year. Haizhou is mainly responsible for towing the ships of envoys from various routes to the capital to the inland waterways."

After they take us onto the inland river, we'll wait for a boat returning to Haizhou from the capital to pass by, and then we'll board it back to Haizhou port.

Ban Dingyuan silently kept all of this in his heart.

Finally, after much effort, the sails were raised, and the lead sentry shouted, "Weigh anchor!"

"Hey-yo, hey-yo~"

All the sailors shouted in unison, pushing the winch on the deck to slowly pull up the stone anchor that was hanging in the seawater.

"Let's set sail!"

With another shout, a group of men with raven tails immediately bowed three times towards the sea.

Ding Shizhen explained, "This is a tradition of fishermen in Haizhou. Before each fishing trip, they must bow three times to the sea and pray to the sea god for a safe return."

"I see."

Ban Dingyuan responded with a sound of agreement and then fell silent.

The official ship slowly sailed away from Haizhou Port. Under the helmsman's control, it quickly adjusted to the best position and headed towards the inland river along the inner sea.

Ding Shizhen continued, "The arrival of the foreign envoys is at an opportune time; the seas are relatively calm this season."

In the past, when faced with waves, sometimes a ship would capsize as soon as it left the harbor.

Upon hearing this, Ban Dingyuan couldn't help but carefully examine the ship's structure.

It has to be said that the shipbuilding level of Wu Zhao Kingdom is the worst he has ever seen.

The structure of the multi-story ship lacked proper scientific insulation of its hull, meaning that once it ran aground at sea, it would be doomed.

Such ships are incapable of ocean voyages and can only drift on rivers.

The journey was uneventful until around noon when a crisp sound of bamboo clappers being struck echoed from the deck.

"It's time to eat!"

With a loud shout from a foreman, all the sailors immediately stopped what they were doing and gathered on the deck to collect their rations.

Ban Dingyuan walked curiously onto the deck, wanting to see what the sailors were eating.

As a result, each person had only a bowl of white rice, some dried fish and shrimp, and a small amount of vegetables.

Ban Dingyuan frowned and asked Ding Shizhen, who had come to dissuade him, "These waterworkers work so hard and do such heavy work, is this all they eat?"

Ding Shizhen laughed: "The envoy is joking. Ask them if they are satisfied with the food. This is food specially prepared for the waterworks by my Wuzhao Kingdom."

White rice, dried fish, and dried shrimp—how ​​can such a sumptuous meal be considered merely eating these things?

Ban Dingyuan: "But there's not much meat or oil in it, and working on deck is tiring. Shouldn't we prepare some meat?"

Upon hearing this, Ding Shizhen immediately laughed: "I say, you foreign envoy are really joking. Do you know how expensive meat is?"

Ordinary people might not be able to eat meat for several years.

That's something only the wealthy and powerful can afford. I've served as the river official for thirty years, and I only eat meat two or three times a year."

Ban Dingyuan fell silent. Judging from Ding Shizhen's words, it seemed that many people in Wuzhao Kingdom never knew what meat tasted like in their entire lives.

Looking at the sailors, they were eating rice with dried fish and shrimp, their faces filled with satisfaction.

"Foreign Envoy, let's go into the cabin for a meal. It's already noon. We can just eat something casual on the ship and then find a resting place to have a proper meal once we enter the inland waterway."

Ban Dingyuan didn't speak, glanced at the sailors again, and then turned and followed Ding Shizhen into the cabin.

Food was already prepared inside the cabin: ten crispy-on-the-outside, tender-on-the-inside flatbreads, a dish of meat sauce, and a plate of fresh vegetables.

The food was just as simple, but it was more than ten times better than what the sailors had eaten, leaving Ban Dingyuan with mixed feelings.

After lunch, Ban Dingyuan stood at the ship's railing, gazing at the scene of the rising blue waves, his heart still unable to find peace.

The sailors behind him were busy with their own tasks, while two armored officers kept a close eye on the sailors and secretly monitored Ban Dingyuan, preventing them from having any close contact.

As dusk fell, a distant port slowly came into view.

Having just caught a nap, Ding Shizhen stretched and walked out of the cabin. Seeing the port, he said, "Foreign Envoy, we're almost there. Let's get ready to disembark."

"it is good."

……

When the group disembarked, officials from the local river administration in Huizhou had been waiting for them for a long time. They warmly welcomed Ban Dingyuan and his party to the inn to rest and began to arrange for people to prepare for their journey north within two days.

After dinner that night, Ban Dingyuan decided to go for a walk.

As soon as he stepped out of the post station, he was stopped by two soldiers with knives.

"Foreign envoy, you cannot leave the post station without orders from the Water Conservancy Department. Please rest early, as it is getting late."

Upon hearing this, Ban Dingyuan cupped his hands and said, "Gentlemen, I am very interested in the customs and traditions of Wuzhao."

Furthermore, the policy regarding the passage of foreign envoys clearly states that foreign envoys are not prohibited from entering or leaving Huizhou city.

"Would it be possible to make an exception and allow me to go out for a stroll? I promise I'll be back before 9 PM."

A soldier on the left immediately shook his head: "Foreign Envoy, please don't make things difficult for us. If anything happens to you, we're afraid our heads will roll!"

Ban Dingyuan thought for a moment, then suddenly asked, "May I ask how much your monthly salary is?"

The two officers were both taken aback, not understanding why Ban Dingyuan would ask such a question.

But then Ban Dingyuan took out a ten-tael silver ingot.

"Gentlemen, please make an exception. I just want to experience the local customs and traditions, and I have no other intentions."

"This……"

Seeing that the other party was so generous, spending a full ten taels of silver, his eyes were immediately filled with greed and expectation.

The two exchanged a troubled glance, then one of them quietly slipped the silver into his pocket and waved his hand, saying, "We didn't see anything. Please do as you please, but remember to be back before 9 PM, or it won't be good if we cause a commotion."