“If I’d known there were so many things to do here, and all of this kind, you shouldn't have let Chen Kai take the boat back to Yicheng first. Leaving him here would have been far more useful than me. I can manage the documents, but I'm completely helpless with accounts and such.” Having finally persuaded Ye Tao to put aside his work and join him in enjoying the island's night scene with the wind as wine, Feng Zi couldn't help but sigh. If Chen Kai, who was well-versed in business and accounting, had stayed, many things would have been completed sooner. Or, perhaps he should have brought Liu Qing, who was stationed in Yunzhou, along with him.

Ye Tao chuckled and explained, “Chen Kai’s status is rather unique, after all. I'm afraid people would have ideas. It’s better to send Chen Kai back to Yunzhou early and let him start getting familiar with the Third Civil Affairs Office's affairs. You’ve really worked hard these past few days."

Feng Zi shook his head and said, "It’s not that I'm afraid of hard work. I know that after this busy period, I can relax a lot for the next few years. It’s just that the Seven Seas Trading Company’s rules are thorough, but they're too cumbersome."

Ye Tao sighed, "Yes, it’s true. It needs to be comprehensive but not let the organization become bloated and slow down the response speed. I’m increasingly losing confidence in the operation of this trading company.”

Feng Zi nodded and said, "Lord… perhaps I shouldn't bring it up at this time, but I really do have a request for you."

"Oh?" This subordinate of Feng Zi rarely made any requests usually. He was, after all, a young master from a large clan, his father and maternal grandfather were both very influential figures. He didn't covet the salary of an official, even though the salary Ye Tao offered him was so considerable. And Ye Tao never asked Feng Zi what he really wanted, perhaps because Ye Tao always regarded Feng Zi as a friend rather than a subordinate. Asking would imply an attempt to buy him off.

“Lord, your suggestion to Chen Kai to revive the Chen family is heartening. Before that, it is I who must first start a family. I usually don't carry the Qu surname, and my father hasn't said anything. But now, at this age, without a family, without a wife and children, life is becoming increasingly difficult. In the past, it was fine because I hadn't met a woman who could capture my heart. But now, I've finally met one. I'm thinking of getting married and having children as soon as possible, preferably two children. One to be handed over to my father to train to become a marquis or prime minister, and the other to be handed over to my maternal grandfather to be taught to become a famous doctor. As for me, I can really relax..."

"You… who have you fallen for? Do you want me to propose marriage for you?" Ye Tao was confused.

"... It's your Ye family's chief accountant, Miss Wei Zhi." Feng Zi tilted his head, with a gentle expression. "Wei Zhi herself has no objections and gets along quite well with me. However, Wei Zhi said that it was you who took in the twelve dancers, cultivated them step by step, and that they not only didn't become men's playthings, but instead became figures of admiration, respect, and worship, each with her own skills. Although you destroyed their contracts of servitude back then, it couldn't change the fact that they regard you as their lord, their patriarch, or at least, as a father figure. And since I want to marry Wei Zhi, I naturally need your consent."

Ye Tao was completely unaware of this love story that was happening right under his nose. He stared at Feng Zi with wide eyes and said, "Indeed… you don't make a move until you do, and when you do, it's the most beautiful of the twelve. Don't worry, since you two are in love, why would I not agree? After we return to Yunzhou, we'll hold a grand celebration for you. But… Wei Zhi is, after all, a different race. We may not have any issues in our hearts, but what will your family say? What will your parents, your maternal grandfather say? In the future, if Wei Zhi is not well-received by them, how should you get along with them? Since… of the dancers back then, only two besides Wei Zhi are still single. Those who have married have husbands with only ordinary family backgrounds. Since they regard me as their patriarch, their father figure, and have my support, it's naturally fine. But what about your family?"

Feng Zi's face showed his usual cynical smile, as if nothing could ever worry him, but that smile was mixed with a bit of determination. He said, "I'm determined to marry into her family. I'll hand over my grandson later, what can they do to me?"

Ye Tao said uncomfortably, "Goodness, it’s really not easy being your superior. No matter what your family thinks, I’ll be hosting your wedding, and your father will start disliking me again. This time, there are truly many things to shield you from."

Feng Zi raised the corner of his eye and asked, "What? Are you afraid?"

Ye Tao was long immune to this lowest level of provocation. "Whatever. But I believe Censor Qu's vision is not so narrow-minded, and as for Old Master Feng, he wouldn't do anything about such a thing, would he?" Ye Tao said nonchalantly.

However, just as they were preparing to continue the conversation, raindrops began to fall. From a drizzle, it quickly turned into a torrential downpour, and the wind grew stronger. After a while, the raindrops looked like they were flying horizontally.

The fierce wind and the pouring rain made the island at night appear somewhat disheveled. The sailors in the harbor had started to tie down the sundries when the wind picked up, preparing to deal with the wind and rain, and were still doing some finishing work at this moment; the houses scattered around the island were busy closing windows, checking for leaks, and making emergency repairs; many crew members and guards were carrying bags of food and other daily necessities, storing them in different houses, because they couldn't keep running back to the ship to get them, especially for the things needed by those high-ranking stewards; and in this kind of weather, the guards could only stand guard in places where they could avoid the wind and rain, although they tried their best to keep their eyes wide open, trying to capture any abnormality from the chaotic sounds, but the rain blurred their vision, and the sound of wind and rain made everyone's hearing unreliable.

And at this moment, a group of people quietly took action near Jiaoya Island's main island. For the Seven Seas Trading Company and Ye Tao and others, this sudden wind and rain was a huge trouble, but for this group of people, it was a rare and fleeting opportunity.

The Seven Seas Trading Company had only taken Jiaoya Island for too short a time, their understanding of Jiaoya Island was insufficient, and they had not even been able to pry a very unique place on Jiaoya Island out of the Black Eagle Gang's mouth. Not far from the main island, only about three or four hundred feet away, there was a small island that protruded abruptly from the water. According to the Seven Seas Trading Company's plan, they were planning to build a watchtower and lighthouse on the top of this small island in the future, but they did not know that this place, which looked like there were no buildings on it, no traces, and was ignored, actually hid a secret.

This small island was hollow. The entire small island was like a bowl upside down on the water, the outside was a layer of rock of varying thickness, but in the middle there was a considerable space. This space had two passages to the outside world, one was a passage that only one person could enter and exit. This passage was naturally very well disguised, and most of the Black Eagle Gang members did not know about it. The other passage was now underwater. Only when there was a very rare astronomical low tide could this underwater passage be entered and exited by boat. And this kind of opportunity only occurred about once every three to five years. Because of this extremely unique place, this small island became a place for the Black Eagle Gang to store treasures and secrets. And when the Seven Seas Trading Company attacked and destroyed Jiaoya Island, there were a few people hiding in the cave. And a few days ago, this number increased to forty-four people. The Black Eagle Gang took a great risk and sent a team of divers to quietly return to this cave, bringing an encouraging message to those who were originally desperate: the Black Eagle Gang would launch a counterattack.

How was the Black Eagle Gang able to avoid the Seven Seas Trading Company's heavy blockade and enter here? This was because the Black Eagle Gang had brought out something that was absolutely top secret. No one would have thought that the Black Eagle Gang, this very lame gang that had been suppressed to the point of near extinction in recent years, actually had boats that could dive.

This simple submarine had no offensive power at all, its diving depth was not deep, and its endurance was very, very poor. This submarine could carry twelve people, and even the most experienced sailors would be exhausted after shaking the crank to propel the submarine for two hours, and even in those two hours, they had to surface more than once to change air. But relying on four such submarines and an unparalleled familiarity with the waters near Jiaoya Island, the Black Eagle Gang did it. Four strange-looking submarines, carrying people and weapons, safely entered the middle of the hollow island. And the task of these people was to take the opportunity to attack the main island and meet the Black Eagle Gang's fleet.

Originally, the attack was scheduled to be launched at midnight today, but this sudden wind and rain caused this arrangement to fall through. The ships of the Seven Seas Trading Company that were originally patrolling outside entered the port one after another to take shelter from the wind, but the Black Eagle Gang's fleet not far away did not have this treatment. According to the Black Eagle Gang's consistent tradition and style, they would inevitably attack the small island in advance, anyway, it was just as dangerous to be exposed on the sea, it was better to take a gamble. And these people hiding inside the hollow island, although they did not know when their own fleet would arrive, they should also start taking action.

Forty-four divers, feeling a rope that had been submerged underwater for many years, carrying weapons, swam out of the cave and quietly sneaked onto the main island. No one noticed them. If it were normal times, there would be sailors from the Seven Seas Trading Company or the guards of those stewards constantly patrolling the beach, and even if there was a little abnormality, some unusual footprints, the entire island would be searched immediately. What the Seven Seas Trading Company understood well enough now was probably just this main island. However, in the wind and rain, the patrol on this beach was just a formality. These divers actually easily landed on the island, rushed past the beach, and entered the dense forest. Their footprints were quickly washed away by the rain.

The person leading these divers was the veteran pirate "Shark Eye" Old Six, the best underwater expert in the Black Eagle Gang. He watched everyone enter the forest and breathed a sigh of relief. He put his hand on his forehead and looked at the sky again. He really hoped that the rain would continue to fall. At least for today.

——————————

……Even a madman is getting married.