Chapter 502: Chapter 503: Spoils of War

Ancient Wen Heng said, "The title of Prince isn’t fake, but this man doesn’t actually have much power among the Eastern Yi.

The men he brought this time were essentially the bulk of his forces.

He only dared to be so brazen in the past because he was banking on our helplessness in the seas.

Especially that batch of Water Ghosts he trained. This time, by a stroke of luck, we’ve pretty much wiped them out.

However, to prevent them from escaping, I didn’t have their injured eyes treated. Their vision will likely be blurry from now on, so they won’t be as effective in the water as they used to be."

Zhou Shixiong nodded happily. "That’s good news indeed. In a way, this provides indirect revenge for my father and the soldiers who fell before.

Without these Water Ghosts, our naval training will be much safer in the future."

Ancient Wen Heng replied, "But our soldiers’ aquatic skills can’t be neglected. Training must continue as scheduled.

I’m just worried that if Prince Zuo doesn’t return, someone else will take over his territory."

Zhou Shixiong said, "That’s to be expected..."

Watching the two of them walk further away, Li Ji followed with a dark expression, prodded along by A Er and San.

&

Jin Qianqian never imagined such a windfall. Standing on the beach and looking at the few wrecked ships piled there, the dimples on her face seemed to deepen.

"They leave something to be desired, but they’ll be usable after some repairs." She patted them here and there, her mind already racing with how to best make use of them.

The craftsmen who had come with her were also seeing these behemoths up close for the first time.

These were on a completely different level from the small fishing boats they used to build.

Looking at the shape of these ships and comparing them to the simple blueprints Mrs. Gu had given them earlier, a clearer picture began to form in their minds.

"What do you think? These are excellent models."

"With these, we’re much more confident.

Please, Madam, allow us to stay here for a few days so we can get a better understanding of this type of ship."

Jin Qianqian naturally had no objection. Pointing to one of the more dilapidated ships, she said, "If there’s anything you don’t understand, I’ll allow you to dismantle this one first. Let’s incorporate their strengths and avoid their weaknesses, and do our best to build the Rong Dynasty’s first ocean-faring vessel."

Before, she had worried it was all just armchair theorizing and that they wouldn’t be able to build the ships so quickly.

Now, with these concrete examples before them, they could avoid a lot of pitfalls.

Jin Qianqian circled the ships twice before turning to Vice General Wang with a grateful expression and giving a Fuli curtsy. "My thanks to you, General Wang. Salvaging these ships must have taken a great deal of effort, I imagine?"

Vice General Wang pointed to the soldiers guarding the area. "The credit belongs to them. They took advantage of the low tide, using fishing boats and sheer manpower to push these ships to shore, one by one."

They had hoped to find some spoils of war on the ships, but it turned out the enemy was all flash and no substance. The ships only carried some grain, which was no longer edible after being soaked in seawater.

Jin Qianqian, unaware of the details, said gratefully, "Having these ships will save us a great deal of effort. Besides, with some repairs, they’ll still be usable.

How does this sound? There’s one here that’s quite battered. We can let the craftsmen dismantle it. As for the others, we’ll have them help repair them, and then you all can use them in the future."

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Vice General Wang hesitated. "...Can they really be repaired? But the Great General already said these are all yours from now on. Mrs. Gu, you really don’t have to..."

Jin Qianqian said, "I was overjoyed when I first saw these ships.

But I understand even better that these ships are the spoils of war, earned through everyone’s hard work. I can’t be so shameless as to claim them all for myself.

General Wang, I’m already incredibly grateful that you’ve allowed me to bring my craftsmen to study them."

From her initial joy to her current calm acceptance, it wasn’t that Jin Qianqian was reluctant to let them go; it was that she would feel uneasy accepting the fruits of others’ hard labor for nothing.

"Mrs. Gu, you’re overthinking it," Vice General Wang said, his impression of the Gu Family couple improving even more. "If it weren’t for the extra-spicy chili powder and the bamboo injectors you provided, we wouldn’t have been able to take them down so easily this time.

It’s just that we can’t publicize your contribution, so we can only reward you in a different way. You’ve earned all of this."

Jin Qianqian had instructed the craftsmen to create syringe-like injectors from bamboo. She had also provided the "killer move"—an extra-potent "devil chili"—which was mixed with thick ink and used to strike the enemy when they least expected it.

"But I only provided the idea. The soldiers were the ones who truly suffered and toiled."

Jin Qianqian knew just how much effort the soldiers hidden underwater had put in for this crucial battle.

They not only soaked in the water every day but also had to observe the currents. They had even practiced with those loaded injectors countless times.

"We remember their contributions. The Great General will not treat them unfairly..."

Unable to refuse any longer, Jin Qianqian could only think to herself, ’Once the ships are repaired, I’ll discuss it with General Zhou again.’

&

Returning to the back office of the Magistrate’s residence, Jin Qianqian finally saw Ancient Wen Heng, who had not appeared for several days.

Even though only a single wall separated the front office from the back office, Ancient Wen Heng had been so busy these past few days he was practically run off his feet. He even had Ming Feng bring his meals over so he could have a quick bite.

"You haven’t even shaved. Aren’t you worried our two sons won’t recognize you?" The moment Jin Qianqian saw him enter the back office, she knew the matter was more or less resolved.

Ancient Wen Heng reached up and touched his stubble; it was indeed a bit prickly. "As long as my wife recognizes me, that’s all that matters. I’ve never grown a beard before. Does it make me look more distinguished? A bit more authoritative?"

Jin Qianqian reached out and stroked his beard. "It does make you look more distinguished, but it also makes you look a bit old."

"My dear, are you saying you’ve grown tired of me?" Having returned to the back office, Ancient Wen Heng finally relaxed and was in the mood to joke around.

Jin Qianqian nodded affirmatively. "Who doesn’t like a handsome young man? With that ’uncle’ look of yours, the most you could do is fool some of those little girls from a later generation who are into older men."

Ancient Wen Heng ground his teeth. "A husband can’t stay young and handsome forever. Is my dear wife having other ideas?"

"Well, it’s not that I wouldn’t—" The words Jin Qianqian was about to blurt out did a lap on her tongue before she changed course. "How could that be possible?

I’m just worried that when your beard gets long, it’ll be inconvenient for you to eat soup and other things. It wouldn’t look very elegant if you got food stuck in it.

You can’t possibly clean it all over again after every single meal, can you?"

"...You have a point." Ancient Wen Heng couldn’t even bring himself to imagine it. If he grew a long beard, would it be covered in rice grains after every meal?

He thought about all the ministers at court, most of whom wore beards, and wondered if they had the same troubles.

Jin Qianqian added, "Besides, how old are you really? If you grow a beard, doesn’t that mean you’re admitting you’ve already entered your middle-aged years?"

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