Lady Consort

The soldiers stood sideways, watching them rush past one after another. Some dropped to one knee on the beach, while even more charged straight into the sea. Though the waves knocked them flat, they still laughed wildly without end.

They stared blankly. Their hearts, hardened for so long, could not help but soften as they watched in silence.

After a moment, they turned to look toward the dock not far away.

Two large ships were moored there, and their general was aboard one of them.

Gong Xia stood on the deck with his hands behind his back, watching the spectacle. Seeing how stirred up the commoners were, he scoffed. "They're so excited, you'd think they were the ones earning this money. Hahahaha..."

Pan Yun looked at him coldly.

Gong Xia's smile froze. He hurriedly explained, "Daoist Priest Pan has never lived by the sea. In truth, fishermen have it hard. Fishing is far more grueling than farming."

Pan Yun said, "Fishing is indeed difficult, but some people in this world are simply better suited to surviving at sea. The purpose of lifting the maritime ban is not to make farmers become fishermen. It is to allow those who wish to make a living at sea to live by fishing—to give them one more choice, one more road."

She gestured for Gong Xia to look at them. "See? Aren't they happy? Because they have gained another way to make a living."

Gong Xia nodded with a grin. "Yes, yes. This is all thanks to Daoist Priest Pan. If Daoist Priest Pan had not discovered Japan's silver mine, and if two hundred thousand taels of silver had not happened to arrive at just this time, who knew when lifting the maritime ban could have been settled?"

Pan Yun felt no happiness at