Chapter 135: The Method of Self-Recommendation

The commotion grew louder and more urgent by the second, until a sharp cry pierced the air. "Wait, they really have stopped!"

Another youth chimed in, "Indeed! Those boats are completely motionless. Could something be wrong?"

At these words, everyone crowded to the bow, peering intently ahead.

Before them, the river channel was densely packed with vessels. These were none other than the fleet from the Qixiang Pavilion that had sailed ahead of them the previous evening.

Presently, the entire fleet had pulled over against the riverbank and remained completely stationary despite the passengers' prolonged observation.

Amidst a flurry of excited chatter, Lu Ying heard the boat owner exclaim, "Oh no, could it be another blockade with iron chains across the river?"

"Iron chains across the river?"

The passengers turned to one another in confusion. With a grimace, the boat owner explained, "That happened eight years ago. To capture some river bandits, the imperial court strung massive iron chains all the way across the Yangtze River, halting all traffic."

Seeing the passengers turn pale with fright, the boat owner quickly consoled them, "You need not worry, my lords. Setting up an iron-chain blockade takes far too much labor. In this era of peace and prosperity, the officials would never resort to such measures." After a brief pause, he added, "At most, they must have set up some obstacles in the channel to restrict certain vessels from passing."

Hearing this, a young man shouted, "Then the restricted ships must be extremely large ones, surely! But our vessel is quite large as well."

At that remark, the boat owner's face fell.

It was true. This passenger ship was larger than most. Operating as both a passenger and cargo vessel, at least half of those on board were merchants, and the goods they carried filled the bottom hold, taking up a vast amount of space.

While everyone was talking, the passenger ship gradually caught up to the painted pleasure boats. As they drew closer, they saw that the pleasure boats were indeed busy maneuvering side by side, laying down wooden planks to form temporary bridges. Passengers were being ushered across into smaller pleasure boats. Once those smaller craft were filled, they departed, leaving five large pleasure boats stranded in the middle of the channel.

Surveying the channel ahead, a man on one of the pleasure boats turned around, cast a glance at the passenger ship, and shouted, "Turn back! You cannot pass. Obstacles have been set up in the channel ahead, and your ship is too large."

Another man emerged from a different pleasure boat and called out loudly, "We are heading back to Chengdu. What about you?"

They were only this short distance away from Jiangzhou, yet they had to turn back to Chengdu? The boat owner looked around with a bitter smile and asked, "What are your thoughts, gentlemen?"

Chai Jing stood up and said, "We are only about three hundred li from Jiangzhou. I must ask the old master to bring the boat to the shore so we can find another way to Jiangzhou."

Several other merchants stepped forward. "We cannot afford any delays. Let us dock at the shore."

The boat owner agreed and ordered the crew to steer toward the riverbank. Lu Ying and her younger brother also returned to their cabin to pack their belongings.

Just as Chai Jing had mentioned, they were only some three hundred li from Jiangzhou. If things went well, they could hire carriages; if not, the siblings could walk with their packs and reach their destination in just a few days.

As soon as the passenger ship touched the shore, the merchants began unloading their cargo. The boat owner, wearing a dismal expression, began refunding silver to the passengers. Though it was only a small portion, Lu Yun still looked quite pleased as he pocketed his share.

Their luggage was light, and the siblings promptly crossed the wooden plank onto the riverbank. The shore here was an endless expanse of shallow shoals. Fine sand, washed ashore by the river over the years, had formed uneven, flat tracts interspersed with occasional pools of standing water where lotuses bloomed.

Such river sand had never been suitable for growing crops, and during the high-water season in June and July, the area would be completely submerged. Consequently, it was a desolate wasteland devoid of fields or farmhouses.

The merchants grumbled repeatedly. In a place like this, even if one wanted to hire a carriage, where on earth could one be found?

Just as they were wearing gloomy expressions, someone cried out, "Look, more people are arriving!"

Sure enough, another large vessel was approaching from behind. The crowd watched with schadenfreude as a sleek green-masted ship cutting through the waves drew near. One person remarked, "I know that ship. The cabins inside are spacious and exquisitely furnished, and the fare is exorbitant—only the wealthy can afford it. It seems these rich folks will soon be lamenting on this desolate shore just like us."

And indeed, everything happened precisely as predicted. The crowd watched with great amusement as the large vessel was forced to pull over and dock, and men and women dressed in magnificent brocade robes emerged with their luggage, looking utterly helpless as they stepped onto the wasteland.

Within a mere hour, nearly two hundred people had gathered on this barren expanse. Amidst the tight, jostling crowd, voices rose in a chaotic din. Those who were usually most fastidious, growing weary of standing, now found themselves forced to sit directly on the ground like commoners.

Lu Yun glanced around, turned to Lu萦, and asked, "Sister, must we wait as well?" Ahead of them, a few people with light luggage had already set off on foot, which prompted his question.

Lu萦 was observing the crowd. Hearing his question, she nodded and said, "Let us wait for a while. In a desolate place like this, walking ahead for a few hours would only cover an extra twenty or thirty li. It is better to stay here and wait until others find out the situation nearby before we make a decision."

True enough, within a short time, those with servants had already dispatched sturdy attendants in all directions to scout the area. A few even carried carrier pigeons and were busy releasing them.

Time slowly slipped away in the waiting.

Another two hours passed. During this period, more than a dozen large vessels were blocked in the river channel, the majority of which were cargo ships that chose to return to Chengdu. Only the passengers on one more ship decided to disembark.

It was not until then that the servants sent out by the wealthy households returned one by one. According to their reports, the nearest town was a full hundred-odd li away. There were villages in the east, west, and north, but those settlements were crude and rustic—leave aside ox-carts, they possessed hardly even a few donkey-carts.

Without carriages and with a sparse local population, everyone was somewhat at a loss. After some discussion, they decided to send servants once more to towns one hundred and twenty li away to hire carriages and men, while they themselves would spend the night out in the wilderness.

Among the crowd was an elderly man skilled in observing celestial phenomena, who declared at a glance that there would be no rain that night. With no rain and the season being a warm summer night, camping out in the open, though plagued by mosquitoes, would not be overly difficult. Furthermore, people traveling in those days frequently spent ten-odd days on the road alone, so many servants were accustomed to carrying camping gear for their masters.

Having reached a decision, the crowd set about starting fires to cook their evening meal.

Lu萦 and her brother had not brought any food with them, but Chai Jing and the young men and women had plenty. Once the campfires were lit, the siblings joined their group and shared a meal.

The sun gradually sank toward the west.

Even at this hour, large boats were still being intercepted, and the crowd on the desolate shore continued to grow in a steady stream. The newly arrived wealthy households habitually dispatched servants to scout the surroundings for paths...

Lu萦 watched the proceedings all the while.

As the sun dipped below the horizon, Lu萦 finished her meal, stood up, and walked toward a campfire on the western side.

It was a large fire, surrounded by more than a dozen people. Sitting right in the center were four men in lavish attire.

Approaching the hearth, Lu萦 glanced around and walked straight toward a youth of about seventeen or eighteen seated on the rear-left side. He was pale-faced with somewhat disheveled bangs that partially blocked his eyes, yet his exposed facial features were exceedingly refined.

As Lu萦 walked over, the group naturally noticed her. Seeing her head directly toward the youth, everyone watched her in silence.

Lu萦 stopped before the youth, bowed slightly, and said in a clear voice, "My surname is Lu, given name Wen. I have come today to offer a suggestion to the young master."

The youth looked up at her through his bangs. Just as a middle-aged man in fine robes was about to speak, the youth raised a hand to stop him. Fixing his gaze on Lu萦, the youth spoke in a slightly husky voice, "What suggestion? Speak."

"Up to this point, a total of fourteen groups of servants have been sent to various villages to scout the area," Lu萦 said. "Wen believes that in these remote wilds, there may well be fierce bandits and unruly folk. Those people could easily learn of our situation from this wave after wave of inquirers. My lord, I fear someone might attack us tonight."

The youth listened attentively and asked, "What you say makes sense. Continue."

Lu萦 continued, "Wen suggests that we consolidate our camp. Moreover, taking advantage of the darkness, we should order our servants to dig a trench two men deep and one to two men wide around the perimeter of the camps just in case."

The youth raised his head, staring intently at Lu萦. After a moment, a smile touched his pale face, and he said, "That does make sense." Pausing briefly, he added, "There is only one thing I do not understand. Why did you choose to come to me with this matter, Lu Wen? I presume you do not know me."

Lu萦 smiled faintly. "The reason Wen came directly to my lord is simply because, upon this desolate shore, my lord's status is unquestionably the most prominent."

The youth was momentarily stunned, as were the three men around him.

They exchanged glances, inwardly astonished. For this journey, they had all changed into ordinary casual attire; their clothes and accessories were indistinguishable from those of common merchants. Quite apart from that, even among themselves, while they varied in age, they were all accustomed to making decisions in the outside world, giving each of them an air of authority and dignity. Yet this person before them had pinpointed their young master at first glance.

After a brief moment of surprise, a young man could not help asking, "Your name is Lu Wen?"

"Indeed."

"You do not know who we are?"

Lu萦 shook her head. "I do not."

"You have a remarkable eye!" The young man stared straight at Lu萦 and said, "Neither in Jiangzhou nor in Chengdu is there a prominent clan surnamed Lu. Your bearing is extraordinary, but you travel without attendants, so you appear to be merely the son of a commoner."

After a short pause, the young man smiled. "However, even if you are a commoner's son, with such discernment, rising above your station is only a matter of time."

Lu萦 bowed and smiled, "I thank my lord for your kind words."

The pale, refined youth, who seemed disinclined to speak much, now broke his silence. "Lu Wen, are you heading to Jiangzhou this time?"

"Precisely."

"As it happens, we are also going to Jiangzhou. I find you quite intelligent, and we are currently short of a person for our endeavors. Would you care to join us?" Smiling slightly, the youth added, "Once the matter is accomplished, I will treat you well."

Lu萦 lowered her head in a bow. "That is precisely what Lu Wen desires."

Indeed, it was what she desired above all else. Having observed so much and seized this opportunity to display her abilities, was it not for this very moment?

Lu萦 understood better than most that building fame and fortune entirely on one's own required far too much time and energy. If she wished to restore her younger brother to his former state as quickly as possible, the best approach was to associate with the powerful and wealthy, earning generous rewards by executing tasks for them.

The youth before her possessed delicate features and amber-like eyes, bearing a striking resemblance to members of the legendary Nanyang Deng clan, renowned for producing beauties... Of course, even if he were not from that clan, it mattered little. As long as they were aristocrats who possessed the ability and willingness to offer generous compensation, that was all that mattered.