IDWBE -Chapter 515 Blessing

In the end, a burst of cool sea breeze woke him up. He stopped insisting on sleeping outside and obediently went back to his room.

The next day, before dawn, his teeth suddenly started hurting. Even drawing in a breath hurt!

Startled, he quickly stuck his fingers into his mouth to check. Thank heavens—it wasn’t a wisdom tooth problem, just a simple mouth ulcer.

Otherwise it would have been serious trouble.

A wisdom toothache isn’t technically an illness, but when it hurts it can be unbearable.

And with the level of dental medicine in this era, pulling a wisdom tooth was no small matter.

Even as someone at the very top of society, it was best not to get dental problems casually.

“Your Highness…”

Seeing Lin Yi grimacing in pain, Pan Duo didn’t know the reason and cautiously said, “I’ll go fetch a physician immediately.”

“No need. Just bring me some salt water to rinse my mouth,” Lin Yi sighed. “A mouth ulcer is basically an incurable disease. Salt water can only relieve it until it heals on its own.”

“Incurable disease?” Pan Duo was startled.

“Don’t make a fuss. People are used to many incurable diseases—like poverty,” Lin Yi said while rinsing his mouth. “You all go eat breakfast. In my condition I can only drink porridge.”

Looking carefully, it turned out to be crab porridge, so he reluctantly drank a few mouthfuls.

Pan Duo handed him a cup of freshly brewed tea.

“Your Highness, Du Sanhe requests an audience.”

Lin Yi asked in surprise, “He’s been in Jizhou the whole time?”

Pan Duo replied, “Your Highness encouraged frontier land claims in Saibei. Du Sanhe took advantage of the policy and led more than ten thousand of his men to claim land on Heixiazi Island. Now most of the island belongs to the Du family. He rarely comes ashore and usually stays on the island. When he heard Your Highness was in Jizhou, he rushed over.”

At present Lin Yi had no real ability to effectively control the distant frontier and offshore islands.

And many migrants were unwilling to move there unless forced.

So he strongly encouraged people to claim land on the frontiers and islands first.

Better that his own people occupy it than leave it empty.

When the empire became strong enough later, they could always claim it had belonged to them “since ancient times.”

“As long as he can hold and defend the land, I won’t begrudge him occupying it,” Lin Yi said with a smile. “Let him come in.”

Soon Du Sanhe followed Pan Duo into the room.

His massive height instantly cast a shadow over Lin Yi.

Even though he bent forward respectfully, his presence still felt imposing.

Before he could speak, Lin Yi waved his hand.

“Don’t stand there. Sit down. You’re too tall—it makes me feel pressured.”

Du Sanhe sat cautiously on half of the chair.

“I know my fault.”

“Speak normally,” Lin Yi rolled his eyes. “You came all this way, so there must be something important. Get straight to the point. People like you earn hundreds of taels every minute—you don’t want to waste time either.”

Du Sanhe forced a smile.

This Prince He was still as blunt as ever, leaving no one any face.

“Your Highness jokes. Without Your Highness’s support I wouldn’t be where I am today!”

Although the imperial court had never officially canceled the warrant for his arrest, the Shadow Guards were gone and the Imperial Guards were now under Qi Peng.

No one was hunting him anymore.

He could finally walk openly across the Liang Empire.

Seeing Lin Yi growing impatient, he quickly continued: “Last year in the extreme north, I discovered a large island. There are only some barbarians there, their language incomprehensible and unwilling to accept imperial culture. Because the mountains resemble a dragon, I named it Black Dragon Island. It is a natural harbor that never freezes in winter. I request permission to establish a Maritime Trade Office there and bring the region under imperial rule.”

Lin Yi glanced at the crude map.

“You’re asking for a Maritime Office as an excuse—you really want to claim the place for yourself.”

Then he said confidently, “This is probably near the Arctic Circle. There’s a warm current, so it might indeed make a good port.”

But it was too remote.

Without trade ships or transit commerce, it would lose money.

“Your Highness misunderstands,” Du Sanhe hurriedly said.

“No matter what you’re thinking,” Lin Yi snorted, “If you want it, take it. But report it to the Ministry of Revenue and operate it under a commercial company. Every year your accounts will be inspected, and you must pay taxes according to the law. If you ever think of yourself as a local emperor, try it and see what happens.”

He had no time to manage such distant places anyway.

Letting private capital develop them was better than leaving them empty.

It was essentially the same model used by early European colonial companies like the East India Company.

Du Sanhe bowed hurriedly. “I will remember Your Highness’s teachings.”

He had only tried his luck, but he hadn’t expected the prince to agree so easily.

Lin Yi added, “Treat the local natives gently. Do not commit brutal acts unless absolutely necessary.”

Du Sanhe replied solemnly, “I will promote imperial culture. Those who resist will be sent to Ankang City and judged under Liang law.”

“Good.”

Lin Yi waved him away.

“Now go take care of your business. I won’t keep you for a meal.”

His mouth hurt too much to eat anyway.

Du Sanhe bowed deeply and left.

Pan Duo said, “This man has great ambition. We must guard against him.”

Lin Yi replied, “What Liang lacks are exactly people with ambition and pioneering spirit. Otherwise we’ll live forever on the legacy left by our ancestors.”

He believed the empire would eventually experience a population explosion, and expanding living space would become necessary.

Unfortunately, Liang lacked explorers like Columbus.

Du Sanhe was the closest thing.

Lin Yi then asked, “Any news from the spies you sent to the Western Wasteland?”

Pan Duo answered, “The Westerners are invading. Xing Chenhai is gathering tribes to resist them. It’s unclear who will win. But Nangu Valley can’t hold much longer. The Westerners bombarded Tugu Mountain with cannons for three days. The Barbarian King fled and his whereabouts are unknown.”

“So weak?” Lin Yi was surprised.

After thinking, he said, “Send orders to Chuanzhou. Guard the border with Nangu Valley strictly. If Westerners cross into our territory, punish them severely. At sea we may fear them, but on land is another matter.”

After all, he had cannons too.

By noon his mouth ulcer had only worsened.

He wanted to eat, but couldn’t. If he didn’t eat, his stomach protested.

So he could only survive on porridge.

By evening he sat weakly on the beach, staring blankly at the sea.

“Your Highness…”

Pan Duo was alarmed and insisted on bringing a physician.

When Lin Yi saw the “doctor,” he laughed.

“What kind of doctor are you?”

It was Du Yinniang.

She wore simple servant clothing—gray shirt, white socks, black shoes. Her long hair was hidden under a cap, but her lively eyes revealed her identity.

No disguise could hide her stunning beauty.

Beautiful people look good in anything.

Du Yinniang bowed slightly.

“Mouth ulcers are not serious, but enduring it like this isn’t good. If Your Highness trusts me, would you take a dose of Huanglian Ejiao Decoction?”

“Huanglian and donkey-hide gelatin…”

Although Lin Yi didn’t fully trust her, he couldn’t refuse while she smiled so sweetly.

“Fine. Let’s try it.”

It wouldn’t kill him anyway.

Soon she brought a steaming bowl of dark medicine.

Looking at it, Lin Yi joked, “Hu Shilu and Chen Xilian haven’t improved. Still making these bitter soups. Can’t they make pills instead?”

Du Yinniang laughed.

“For mouth ulcers, Fengsui Pills would be best. But I left in a hurry and didn’t bring any.”

“Then this will do.”

Lin Yi pinched his nose and drank the medicine, then quickly drank tea to wash away the bitterness.

“Your Highness,” she said, taking the bowl, “drink another dose tonight and you should recover.”

“We’ll see tonight.”

Lin Yi asked, “You came from Ankang City?”

“Yes,” she nodded. “I heard my father came to Jizhou, so I took leave from my master to see him.”

“Where is your father now?”

“He has gone to Ankang City. I was supposed to go too, but when I heard Your Highness was unwell, I came here instead.”

“You’re thoughtful,” Lin Yi said, gesturing to a chair. “Sit.”

“Thank you.”

“You’re extremely wealthy,” Lin Yi yawned. “You don’t need to practice medicine. You could lie down your whole life and still live comfortably.”

Du Yinniang couldn’t help asking, “Your Highness promotes equality between men and women. Was that only talk?”

Lin Yi laughed awkwardly.

“That’s not what I meant. I just wonder how someone as delicate as you can serve patients.”

“You underestimate me,” she replied proudly. “I grew up traveling the seas with my father and faced countless hardships. I’m already at the seventh martial rank, not some fragile girl.”

She almost wanted to say:

Someone as weak as you—I could defeat a hundred of you.

Lin Yi studied her curiously. “I wouldn’t have guessed…”

How could someone exposed to sea wind and rain still have such perfect skin?

“My father only has me,” Du Yinniang said softly. “He regrets that I’m not a son. My uncles treat me kindly, but if I try to inherit my father’s position, they will oppose me. If I want their respect, I must accomplish something.”

Since she wasn’t good at martial arts or scholarship, she hoped to succeed through medicine.

Lin Yi laughed.

“Ambition is good, but it seems difficult. You’ve studied medicine with Chen Xilian for years. If you had talent, you’d have shown it by now.”

Du Yinniang sighed.

“You’re right. I have no talent. Others memorize prescriptions once; I must repeat them many times. Others can create their own formulas, while I still rely on old ones.”

“Self-awareness is also a skill,” Lin Yi joked. “Honestly, you could forget about inheriting your father’s business. Why deal with a group of rough men every day? Take your father’s wealth and enjoy life in Ankang City.”

“I refuse!”

Du Yinniang suddenly raised her head.

“That is my father’s lifelong effort. How could I let others take it?”

“So what will you do?” Lin Yi asked casually. “You can’t defeat them. Will you have your father kill them all?”

Du Yinniang smiled.

“There is another way.”

“Oh?”

Lin Yi crossed his legs.

“Let’s hear it.”

She looked directly into his eyes and said clearly:

“With my humble beauty, I seek to receive Your Highness’s favor and protection.”