After being reborn as a man, the woman improved her family's fortunes through education.

"Hahahaha, very good, very good. Lord Qiu Cheng deserves a great reward!"

Jiang Xiaoqi handed Qiu Cheng's letter of good news to the Second Prince, who was so happy that he couldn't wait to rush to the Tongzhou Wharf.

"Lord Qiu has indeed had a hard year, but he probably won't be able to take a break anytime soon."

"Oh? What do you mean? The ship is all built, and I was planning to give him a long vacation."

Jiang Xiaoqi shook her head. "This is nothing."

"Next, we need to test the waters and disembark the ship. We also need to recruit sailors and boatmen. After the initial test at Tongzhou Wharf, we will also conduct a sea trial."

The second prince finally remembered, "Right, right, building the ship is only the first step. Look at my brain, I'm getting too excited."

The second prince lowered his head and looked at the letter carefully again, saying, "Qiu Cheng said in the letter that the ship was built many days faster than expected, and the craftsmen had a good celebration on the day of completion."

"Alas, it's a pity we weren't there then, otherwise we could have shared in the joy with the people."

"What's the big deal? It's not too late to celebrate now. Today, let's not talk about anything else, just the ships."

Jiang Xiaoqi meant that they wouldn't be discussing the textbook material today, and they could have a small drink during lunch.

"Okay, let's celebrate at noon today, let's invite Brother Lin along."

The next day, the day for the ship trial arrived.

Qiu Cheng directed everyone to pull the boat closer to shallow water, deeper and deeper.

The water level was above one-third of the boat before everyone was able to get ashore.

Three hours later, the craftsmen boarded the ship to inspect its interior and check each cabin for leaks.

The lowest deck of the new seagoing vessel has dozens of cabins, which are "dormitories" prepared for the crew and shipwrights.

In addition, there is a larger warehouse on the ground floor, which can hold a large number of goods.

The middle floor consists of relatively spacious warehouses, with only a dozen or so rooms. The top floor is a suite, with only three rooms: one large and two small.

The largest room was naturally prepared for the second prince, while the other two smaller rooms could be used by the accompanying officials.

"How is it? Are there any problems?"

"Reporting to your Excellency, we have checked all areas and there are no problems. Shall we continue to go into the deeper water?"

"Pull it in another ten meters, and then go back into the cabin for another inspection in three hours."

"Yes! Your lord!"

Qiu Cheng was very cautious and did not take the trial ship matter lightly at all.

The boatmen pulled the boat forward another ten meters, and Qiu Cheng stayed on the dock, personally overseeing the operation.

When the Second Prince arrived at the dock with Jiang Xiaoqi and the others, they saw a group of people waiting on the shore to board the ship again for inspection.

Qiu Cheng was surprised that the Second Prince would arrive so early. He put down what he was doing and quickly stepped forward to pay his respects.

"Your Highness, this humble subject pays his respects!"

"Please rise quickly, Lord Qiu. You've worked hard. How is the test going?"

"Your Highness, the first round of testing has been completed, and there are no problems with the hull. However, just to be on the safe side, we have pushed it into deeper water by ten meters and will test it again in three hours."

"Okay, that's definitely safer."

As dusk fell and three hours had passed, the dozens of people responsible for inspecting the ship regrouped.

At Qiu Cheng's command, they boarded the ship again.

"Reporting to Your Excellency, the lower levels have been investigated and no problems have been found."

"Reporting to Your Excellency, the middle management has been investigated and no problems have been found."

"Reporting to Your Excellency, the higher-ups have investigated and found no problems."

"Alright! Everyone has worked hard today. It's getting late, so let's all head home early."

Qiu Cheng ordered the inspectors to retreat and had the boatmen pull the large ship back to the dock.

After Mr. Qian paid the boatmen and heavy laborers for the day, the dock finally quieted down.

"Your Highness, the initial trial runs are complete and there are basically no problems. We can now begin arranging for the new ship to be launched."

"Okay, first we need to recruit sailors and shipwrights, right? How long will it take to recruit enough people?"

Qiu Cheng was also unsure about this, and glanced at Jiang Xiaoqi for help.

"Your Highness, it depends on the method used. If we only recruit within the capital, it will definitely be very slow."

Since the capital city is not located by the sea, it naturally has few experienced sailors. If one wants to recruit experienced sailors and crew members, one should look further afield.

Ports like Jinmen Port and Jizhou Port are both located by the sea, so naturally there are people whose livelihoods depend on the sea.

Jiang Xiaoqi suddenly remembered the saying "one should not avoid recommending relatives when recommending worthy people," and said, "By the way, Your Highness, I can recommend a few people in the capital."

They were all from Linhai County, and grew up by the sea, so they had an extremely deep understanding of the ocean's temperament.

The Second Prince was surprised that Jiang Xiaoqi knew people from Linhai County. He knew Linhai County; it was surrounded by the sea on three sides, and if it weren't for the fact that one side was connected to the mainland, it would be an island.

"Oh? Who are they? Why would they come all the way from the capital?"

"Of course I came with my family, and you know them too."

He is His Majesty's personal attendant, my second brother-in-law, and also the former top scholar in the imperial examination, Li Haisheng.

The men I'm talking about are Li Haisheng's brothers. They've all settled down in Beijing now, but they're not doing what they're good at.

Therefore, I thought it best to recommend them to serve as crew members on Your Highness's ships.

Jiang Xiaoqi was referring to Li Chunsheng, Li Qiusheng, and Li Yesheng, three brothers who had all settled down and married in the capital.

The two sisters, Li Chunhua and Li Qiuyue, also married well under the arrangement of Li Haisheng and Jiang Xiyue, and are now both very happy.

"Oh? So they are Lord Li's family members. Well, if they can come, we will have a few people who are familiar with the sea."

"Does Your Highness intend to accept these three men recommended by me?"

"Of course, I also think you've recommended too few! Lord Qiu currently only has three men who are barely qualified to be crew members. Even with the three you recommended, that's only six people. The shortage is still quite significant!"

Indeed, such a large-scale ocean-going vessel would need at least several dozen sailors, crew members, and boatmen, if not a hundred, otherwise it would be very difficult to operate.

On the vast ocean, a mission can take ten or even dozens of days. If an emergency occurs, a shortage of manpower may prevent them from saving themselves.

"Then let Lord Qiu post a recruitment notice in the capital first. Even those without experience can come for an interview. Those with good physical fitness can be competent with a little training."

Your humble servant remembers that when Lord Li rescued two hundred young men from the capital, several of them were very brave and escaped from the water-filled cabin before Lord Li and his men could even make a move.

"If we could recruit some young people like that, it wouldn't be a bad idea!"

Qiu Cheng nodded in agreement. Haha, Lord Jiang is quick-witted. He even recommended three experienced people who have lived by the sea for a long time. This is a great help!

When we recruit more people, we can definitely let these people train them.