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Chen Tao had not forgotten Wei Zhuang's lavish hospitality, nor had he forgotten Wei Zhuang's sense of brotherhood in the martial world. No matter the circumstances now, it was undeniable that Wei Zhuang had stood up for Chen Tao back then, which led to him being beaten by Song Qiao and his gang.
Now, having fallen into the plight of working as a dock laborer, Chen Tao naturally remembered their past friendship and thought to help. "Wei Zhuang, don’t worry! Leave this to me; I will definitely ask His Highness for clarification." There must be some misunderstanding in this situation.
Based on his observations over the past few days, Chen Tao believed that Xu Lie, the Second Prince, was not the kind of person who abused his power. Whether it was allowing him to teach the sailors the Cang Hai Jue to increase their survival rate at sea or personally funding laborers to repair the docks, every action was commendable.
There were even more outrageous gestures, such as allowing Chen Tao to find an opportunity to assassinate him without holding it against him. Such a hero could hardly be bothered by a minor issue involving Wei Zhuang. In Chen Tao's view, this incident might just be a suppression orchestrated by certain individuals and not a punishment directly imposed by Xu Lie.
Unbeknownst to Chen Tao, his words made Song Qiao, who was there to welcome them back from their voyage, feel somewhat awkward. "Ahem! Captain Chen, let’s just head back with Old Man for now. We shouldn’t keep His Highness waiting."
At that moment, Wu Qianchuan was not concerned about Wei Zhuang at all; he was only focused on when they would set sail again to quickly find gold. "Yes, yes! We absolutely cannot keep His Highness waiting; that would be unacceptable." After saying this, he pulled Chen Tao along.
Chen Tao wanted to say something more when a loud shout interrupted from nearby: "Still slacking off? Do you want your wages for today or not? Hurry up and unload the cargo! I need to set sail before dark. Damn it, if I had known I wouldn’t have brought so much cargo!"
Wei Zhuang shrank his neck and headed toward a civilian ship while casting a pleading glance at Chen Tao. There was nothing he could do; despite having some strength himself, he could not resist the soldiers responsible for maintaining order around them. Moreover, his family was still in Yuan City; he couldn’t just disregard their safety for rebellion.
Chen Tao felt helpless but returned Wei Zhuang a reassuring glance before being pulled away by Wu Qianchuan. Once they were in the carriage, Wu Qianchuan began drafting in his mind how to report this perfect voyage to His Highness. More importantly, he needed to figure out how to get His Highness’s permission for him to set sail again as soon as possible.
Chen Tao, however, was not concerned about money; his only focus was on Wei Zhuang.
Song Qiao scoffed, "Do you really think that Wei Zhuang is anything special? Let me tell you, that punishment was personally decreed by His Highness. Do you think you can plead for him? Save your breath."
"How could that be?" Chen Tao thought, his assumptions drastically misaligned with the reality before him. "His Highness is such an extraordinary person; how could he possibly hold a grudge against Wei Zhuang?"
"Hmph!" Song Qiao let out a derisive laugh, clearly looking down on Wei Zhuang. "He's just a young man who knows nothing of the treachery in the world."
"You only see Wei Zhuang as generous, hosting many from the martial world. But doesn't that strike you as odd?"
"Why is his estate called the Pearl Manor? According to His Highness, if he produces nothing, where does all the wealth for entertaining these heroes come from?"
A chill ran through Chen Tao as he began to harbor unsettling suspicions. He recalled the opulence of the Pearl Manor; one banquet could cost more than what an ordinary person would earn in several years.
"You can't guess it," Song Qiao observed Chen Tao's expression and decided not to keep him in suspense. "It's actually quite simple. The Yuan Cheng Coast is famous for its abundant pearls."
"The most arduous work comes from the Ama in the coastal villages. Each time they dive, they risk their lives to gather pearls from the depths of the sea."
"You possess the Cang Hai Jue and might find it easy, but for those without it, diving into the depths is an excruciating ordeal—I'm sure sailors can attest to that."
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