One month later, Panjin Wharf.
Fang Er sat by the wharf, gnawing on mantis shrimp, waiting for Li Ji to arrive.
On the sea, eighteen fishing boats were already loaded with supplies.
In addition to them, there were the three missile destroyers that Fang Er had left behind last time, and the three new Bestaman fishing boats brought out this time.
There were also three flat-bottomed cargo ships, but the cargo ships were empty. Instead, they each carried three helicopters, their fuselages and decks secured together with steel cables.
Over the past month, Fang Er had led Luffy and the others to inspect the equipment on the ships. While they couldn't say they were experts, they could at least sail the ships.
Chai Lingwu, standing opposite, casually threw an oyster shell into the sea and pointed at the fishing fleet in the water.
"I say, aren't you afraid your uncle will see these ships and con them away from you?"
There's an old saying, "A nephew leads his uncle's ox, and if it's led away, it's gone for good."
But in Fang Er's case, it was the complete opposite. He was constantly being fleeced by Li Shimin, and Chai Lingwu couldn't bear to watch.
Helicopters, hovercraft – how many had already been "borrowed"?
They said they were debts, but they never saw them repaid, did they?
*Slap!*
Li Xiuning felt something was off and slapped her son on the head.
"What nonsense are you spouting, you little brat? Your second uncle has IOUs from the stingy old Fang. If he doesn't repay them, don't blame me for smashing those green teeth of his!"
She had just returned from a trip with Hua Mulan and others. Upon hearing that Fang Er was going on a long journey, she decided to join him. This kind of overseas voyage was something she had never experienced before.
Chai Lingwu quickly plastered a smile on his face after being hit: "That's right, with Mother here, even if Fang Lao Kou had ten times the courage, he wouldn't dare to default."
He then turned to Fang Er again, "Brother-in-law, if the Emperor fancies your 'egg-dropping' ships, how much do you plan to charge him?"
"This matter is for me to decide. Without one hundred million taels of silver, he can forget about it!"
Before Fang Er could speak, Li Xiuning's hand reached out again.
Everyone else's sisters are affectionate towards their brothers, but this woman seemed to have a grudge against her brother, terrified that Fang Er would give him too good a deal.
Fang Er was momentarily stunned. One hundred million taels of silver! He had been planning to say fifty million. He didn't expect his mother-in-law to double it.
Hua Mulan and the others were astonished.
Especially Qin Liangyu, who began to calculate in her mind. One hundred million taels per ship, and there were three of them!
Furthermore, if other ships were included, this fleet would be enough to cover the imperial treasury's income for decades of the Great Ming Dynasty.
She couldn't help but ask, "Duke Anguo, are these ships really worth that much silver?"
Fang Er touched his nose and then pointed at the missile destroyers, laughing: "If the Ministry of Works were to build them, it would likely cost at least a hundred times more."
This price is based on having the complete technology. If one were to research them from scratch, no matter how much money was spent, the Ministry of Works could not build such a thing.
Everyone gasped in unison. Li Xiuning's eyes widened.
"Good son, are you saying that Du Yiyang, that useless fool, would need to spend ten billion to build these ships?"
Fang Er blinked and then nodded with a smile. Some things were hard to explain, so it was better to gloss over them.
*Slap!*
"No, if the second one wants ships, he'd better come up with at least ten billion taels of silver!"
She slapped her thigh, increasing the price she had just quoted tenfold.
Is fleecing your brother considered fleecing? Didn't you hear your own son-in-law say that the Ministry of Works couldn't build them without spending tens of billions?
This is already a discounted price out of goodwill!
Hua Mulan, Qin Liangyu, Mu Guiying, and the others exchanged glances, suddenly unsure of what to say.
"Hehehe, it's good to have a loving mother~"
Fang Er happily peeled a large shrimp and placed it on the plate in front of Li Xiuning.
Li Xiuning extended her delicate fingers, picked up the shrimp, dipped it in some sauce, and put it in her mouth. As she ate, she said, "Of course, if Mother doesn't dote on you, who will? Are you going to count on that father of yours who only thinks with his lower body? He'd probably have your uncle con him out of his pants too!"
Chai Shao, who was diligently shucking oysters by the wharf, wished he could disappear on the spot. This woman had become increasingly brazen since her return!
She made a group of people eat while she made him squat there and serve them, and then she even mocked him.
This was outrageous. Was it just because she found out about the three good sisters in the side courtyard?
Did she have to be so disrespectful?
Seeing him stop, Li Xiuning raised her hand and threw an abalone at him, shouting, "Did I tell you to stop? Hurry up and shuck. Don't you see the plate in front of our son-in-law is empty?"
Chai Shao caught the abalone that hit his face, stuffed it into his mouth, and turned around with a sheepish smile: "Thank you, Princess, for the gift~"
To be told to shuck but not to eat, and not even allowed to sneak a raw bite, he finally got a mouthful of something hot!
Oh my, it's delicious!
A buzzing sound of propellers came from the sky. Fang Er looked up, and several black dots appeared in the sky. Before long, they approached. The foremost one was the Great Tang Warrior Wei Xuancheng.
A total of fourteen helicopters landed near the wharf, and Li Shimin jumped down from the leading one with a swagger.
This fellow, under the guise of being a Military Governor, had bought thirty helicopters, and they had all been delivered.
He had promised three helicopters to each Military Governor's office and kept three for himself as imperial machines. However, he had forcibly taken one from each army, and the key was that Cheng Yaojin and the others had no recourse.
After everyone stood up to pay their respects, Li Shimin pulled Fang Er aside.
"Lad, are these ships something new you've acquired?"
He pointed at the Bestaman fishing boats and missile destroyers on the sea.
Their over hundred-meter-long hulls made the fishing boats beside them, which were as large as the Wu Ya Great Ships, look like grandchildren. As soon as he saw them from the helicopter, Old Li's heart began to itch.
So, as soon as he landed, he pulled Fang Er aside to question him.
Fang Er nodded slightly: "That's right, Your subject plans to use these ships to go out to sea."
Li Shimin scratched his head, then put his arm around Fang Er's neck and said very familiarly, "Lad, I haven't treated you badly, have I?"
Fang Er feigned helplessness and said, "Father, I can't make the decision about these ships. If you want to buy them, you'll have to discuss it with my mother-in-law."
When it came to bargaining, he knew he couldn't win. It was more reliable to pass the buck to her.
A mother-in-law with a doting son-in-law was exceptionally fortunate!
Li Shimin quickly waved his hand and said flatteringly, "No, no, no, I didn't mean that. I meant, can I go with you?"
Fang Er looked at him in surprise: "You want to go out to sea too? This time, it's uncertain when we'll be back."
Old Li explained, "I've been in Chang'an for a month, and Cheng Qian is handling court affairs. I'm so bored I'm getting sick. How about it, can you give me a ride?"
"Don't worry, I won't let you carry me for nothing. I've brought your wife along with me, she's in the helicopter behind."
Saying that, he pointed to the helicopters over there. Empress Changsun, holding Changle, was slowly peeking out of the cabin.
"Holy cow, are they planning a family trip overseas for days?"
No wonder he was speaking so courteously. Was he afraid his mother-in-law would scold him for neglecting his duties, so he wanted me to put in a good word later?