Tang Dynasty: Father, if you don't rebel, I will!

"Ding Ding Ding!"

The sharp, rhythmic tolling of bronze bells echoed as the vast fleet of ships began to disperse and prepare to dock.

It came from the bronze bell held by the officials at the Dengzhou Port dock.

Upon receiving the instruction, the lead ship began to lower its sails and adjust its course.

When Li Chengqian appeared on one side of the deck and waved gently to the crowd on the shore, the officials of Dengzhou who had been eagerly awaiting his arrival immediately began to bow or wave excitedly in response.

"Your Highness, that is His Highness the Crown Prince! I've seen him before, I saw him last year when I went to Taiyuan! That is His Highness the Crown Prince!"

"His Highness the Crown Prince has really come to Dengzhou! Cheer up, everyone! Be on your best and don't be disrespectful in front of His Highness the Crown Prince!"

Liu Rengui, the commander and chief instructor of the Dengzhou navy, stood beside Prince Li Ke of Han.

Upon seeing Li Chengqian's figure in the distance, excitement couldn't help but show in his eyes.

It was this very prince who personally appointed him to Dengzhou to oversee the reorganization of the navy and the training of the fleet. It can be said that Crown Prince Li Chengqian was Liu Rengui's mentor.

As Li Chengqian's cruise ship slowly approached the shore, a platform was erected on the ship and the dock.

Squads of elite soldiers from the Eastern Palace immediately disembarked from the ships, accompanied by sharp-eyed Imperial Guards dressed in flying fish robes and carrying embroidered spring knives at their waists.

Li Chengqian appeared before everyone with a smile.

Prince Li Ke of Han immediately bowed respectfully.

"Your subject greets Your Highness the Crown Prince. May Your Highness be well!"

"Your humble servants pay their respects to Your Highness the Crown Prince. May Your Highness be well!"

The officials all bowed and paid their respects loudly.

The wealthy merchants of Dengzhou in the surrounding area also hurriedly followed the actions of these adults, bowing and paying their respects to Crown Prince Li Chengqian, who was slowly disembarking from the ship.

"Hehe, very well. I'm grateful for your presence here to welcome me. Along the way, I've heard many people praising your achievements in Dengzhou. Indeed, very well..."

Li Chengqian helped Li Ke, who was bowing, to his feet, while smiling and greeting everyone.

Meanwhile, his gaze immediately turned to the enormous creature docked in its berth not far from the pier.

Today, Datang's shipbuilding industry is very mature and well-developed.

Whether it's riverboats sailing on inland waterways or the treasure ships like those moored in the docks before us, which will one day sail the seas, they are undoubtedly the shining stars of the shipbuilding industry in the world today.

"This humble general, Liu Rengui, pays his respects to Your Highness the Crown Prince. I have always wanted to thank Your Highness in person for your recommendation, and today I finally have the opportunity..."

Liu Rengui approached Li Chengqian and, as he spoke, began to bow down.

Li Chengqian stopped him.

"Hehe, Commander Liu, you're mistaken. Isn't your best way of thanking me right here in front of you?"

Li Chengqian pointed to the five Tang Dynasty treasure ships, his eyes filled with undisguised admiration and satisfaction.

When he was in Chang'an this year, his third brother Li Ke had already told him that the Tang Dynasty was now supplying 37 treasure ships, and there were also hundreds of smaller but more suitable cargo ships.

As for fishing boats that are thirty or forty meters long used by civilians, as well as some merchant ships, there are quite a few of them.

Led by Li Ke, Li Chengqian arrived at his residence in Dengzhou.

A banquet has clearly been prepared here to welcome him.

Li Chengqian didn't say anything about it. It was a dinner party, and he could chat while eating and ask about some detailed information about Dengzhou's government affairs.

Naturally, Duke Feng Ang of Yue, who was also present, was equally interested in this.

When he went to Chang'an before, he traveled by land and inland waterway.

As for the naval affairs in Dengzhou, the information at most only exists in some rumors and outdated newspaper reports.

When he saw the treasure ships moored on the dock today, even someone as shrewd as him was shocked and gasped in astonishment.

"Your Majesty, rest assured. As early as when the Embroidered Uniform Guard sent the message by carrier pigeon, I had already ordered some ships to return. At most, within the next few days, we will travel by sea south to Lingnan Road, and we will arrive in Guangzhou Prefecture in no more than eight or nine days."

"At that time, the materials and personnel needed for the new policy reform in Lingnan Province can be allocated from Dengzhou Port. If Dengzhou Port does not have them, they can be transferred from Luoyang, Chang'an or Taiyuan Prefecture."

Upon hearing this, Feng Ang smiled broadly.

He raised his cup to Li Ke and said, "At the banquet in Chang'an that day, this old minister was blind to your talent. I never imagined that besides the Crown Prince, you, Prince of Han, would be so outstanding. A young talent indeed, you truly put this old man of white hair to shame..."

"With His Highness the Crown Prince and His Highness the Prince of Han saying so, I guarantee with my life that the new policies in Lingnan Province will absolutely not have any problems!"

As everyone toasted and drank, and Li Ke introduced Li Chengqian to the main officials of Dengzhou, and Li Chengqian asked some questions, time passed quickly and it became quite late.

Even so, neither the workaholic Li Chengqian nor the Dengzhou officials who had been eagerly awaiting the arrival of the crown prince and wanted to show off their achievements complained of being tired or sleepy.

Feng Jinsi found Chu King Li You hiding in a garden.

When they met the other party, they found him holding a small meeting with dozens of officials who had accompanied him.

"I have already informed my third brother. You will have to work hard these next few days and go to Lingnan Road to prepare. Go to the places I mentioned before, first investigate the soil, and then study the terrain."

"Although there will be many workshops of various industries investing and building in Lingnan Road in the future, in order to truly make the new policy work, the local area must have its own highly advantageous pillar industries."

"Sugar production! That is Lingnan Circuit's greatest advantage! And what we agricultural officials need to do first is to regulate and coordinate sugarcane cultivation in Lingnan Circuit..."

Feng Jinsi stood on one side of the garden corridor, looking at Chu King Li You, who was completely different from the dull and rigid person she remembered. For some reason, the other party's voice seemed to carry a heroic and decisive aura of a superior today.

She had no interest in agronomy.

But looking at Li You, who was facing everyone and calmly issuing orders in front of a map of Lingnan Road, he was a different story.

Feng Jinsi stood there blankly, showing no intention of leaving.

He just stared blankly at the other person, seriously making arrangements such as planting cotton to promote the development of the textile industry in the Lingnan region north of the Yangtze River, or planning to establish a Chinese medicinal herb planting base in the Lingnan region south of the Yangtze River...

It wasn't until a final gust of cold wind brought her back to her senses.

Seeing that the other party still showed no sign of stopping, Feng Jinsi pursed her lips and ultimately chose to leave silently.

When she returned to the residences that the Prince of Han had arranged for the women who had accompanied the Crown Prince, as if she had lost her soul, she was surprised to find that the Crown Princess Qian Yingying and the other concubines were still not resting.

Seeing her like this, Qian Yingying smiled gently.

"Oh, Sister Feng, you've finally come back! If you had been any later, I would have sent someone to that little courtyard to call you. Even if you're in a hurry, you should wait until after the wedding!"

Upon hearing this, everyone couldn't help but cover their mouths and chuckle.

Even Madam Feng couldn't help but smile and gently shake her head.

Looking at her daughter's face, which was gradually turning red, her eyes were filled with relief.

"I... I was just casually strolling around the Prince of Han's residence, I didn't mean anything by it..."

Hearing her weak and unconvincing explanation, everyone laughed even more heartily.

Zheng Lizhen stood up and pulled the other person to sit at the mahjong table in front of her.

Despite her more outspoken personality, what she said made Feng Jinsi's pretty face turn even redder.

"Alright, you're already the chosen future Princess Consort of Chu, what's there to be shy about? You just went to see your future husband in advance and were amazed by his confident and poised demeanor, right?"

"It's no big deal..."

Feng Jinsi: "!!!"

Wang Yuyan, standing to the side, gently waved her round fan, her eyes mischievous: "Sister Feng is getting shy. Tell me, which of us doesn't admire His Highness the Crown Prince's demeanor when he's in power?"

"Ever since His Highness the Prince of Chu went to Taiyuan Prefecture with His Highness the Crown Prince, he has stayed there. Whether it is the promotion of Tianbao Golden Seed, the implementation of vegetable greenhouses, or the cultivation of fruits and vegetables such as carrots on the market, he has personally led people to handle them."

"In the future, there will be no more famine in our Great Tang Dynasty, and every family will have a variety of dishes on their table. His Highness the Prince of Chu will be the agricultural sage of our Great Tang Dynasty and our China!"

"I ask you, Sister Feng, how could you not be moved by such a hero?"

Feng Jinsi: "......."

Seeing her clutching the hem of her clothes, head bowed, face flushed, and silent.

Wang Yuyan rose gracefully, remembering the Crown Prince's request all the way. She walked behind Feng Jinsi and gently comforted her with a smile.

“Sister Feng previously said that His Highness the Prince of Chu was dull-witted, but apart from that, she couldn’t find any other faults. You know perfectly well what His Highness the Prince of Chu is pursuing, so why is he so passive time and time again?”

"Men are like that. Instead of making wild guesses and overthinking, you just need to go along with what they're thinking, and you'll find that... you're just making things difficult for yourself."

"King of Chu, it's not as complicated as you think!"

The next day.

Feng Jinsi, who hadn't slept much all night and only managed to drift off to sleep very late, was just getting ready to wash up.

Then I heard that the Crown Prince and the Prince of Han went to inspect the Dengzhou Shipyard early in the morning.

As for the King of Chu, he was busy with something in the room all by himself.

Hear the words.

Thinking of the advice and suggestions that Crown Princess Qian Yingying and Wang Yuyan gave her last night, she felt a pang of sadness.

Feng Jinsi hesitated for a moment, but ultimately walked toward the courtyard where the King of Chu was.

As soon as I walked in, I saw King Li You of Chu squatting on the ground, carefully smelling the soil from several earthenware basins that seemed to be from different places. He would occasionally take a small pinch and put it in his mouth, frowning as if he were studying something.

"what are you doing?"

"Studying the soil..."

Hearing the answer that was almost exactly what she had expected, Feng Jinsi pursed her lips and took a deep breath.

“The soil in Guangzhou Prefecture is definitely completely different from that in Dengzhou. In Guangzhou Prefecture, every farmer grows rice.”

Li You looked up in surprise, scrutinizing Feng Jinsi from head to toe with astonishment.

It was as if they never expected that the other party would talk about things related to farming.

He nodded slightly, then slowly shook his head: "I am not studying these things. I have never been to Lingnan Road, let alone the Yuejiang area. Dengzhou and Guangzhou Prefecture are both coastal. Although the climates are different, we can roughly estimate the soil conditions in the Yuejiang area from the soil salinity of Dengzhou."

"Uh, oh, I see..." Feng Jinsi said awkwardly.

Li You looked at the other person strangely, feeling that Feng Jinsi seemed very odd today.

Feng Jinsi felt a chill run down her spine under his gaze, but with the die already cast, she had no choice but to bite the bullet and stammer out her words.

“If you go to Lingnan to promote agronomy, you will inevitably have to mobilize the local farmers, right? Getting them to switch to the crops you asked them to grow, and also to reclaim wasteland, is not something that can be done in a few words.”

"The people of Lingnan are quite resistant to officials from outside the region..."

Li You frowned: "What are you trying to say?"

Feng Jinsi tilted her head slightly: "Under my mother's guidance, I've been involved in distributing porridge and helping the poor since I was a child, and I have a pretty good reputation in Lingnan..."

"If you accompany me shopping today, I promise to help you settle things with those farmers!"

Her face flushed red, and she noticed that Li You's dull face also seemed to have a faint blush on it, she wondered where he got the courage from.

Then another sentence was added.

"You still have to smile while you're with me!"

Li You: "!!!"

As Li Chengqian, accompanied by Li You and Liu Rengui, emerged from several interconnected private shipyards, he expressed his hopes for the future of Dengzhou's shipbuilding industry.

While browsing the seafood market at Dengzhou Harbor.

The appearance of two figures not far in front of them caused Li Chengqian and Li You to suddenly stop in their tracks.

Li You asked in astonishment, "Your Majesty, Your Majesty...that is, the Fifth Prince?"

Li Chengqian: "......"

In sight, Li You was seen following Feng Jinsi from the Duke of Yue's mansion, carrying a number of things that looked like snacks or pastries.

A blissful smile, which he probably didn't even realize himself, radiated from his face.

Holy crap... this... that's it?!