Hu Kuangming considered returning to the Capital City with Tan Yuanshang for a long time before finally agreeing.
After all, if the reigning emperor was in poor health, it was no longer a personal matter, but one that concerned the nation itself. With Tan Yuanshang explaining the situation in those terms, Hu Kuangming had no reason to refuse.
Once Hu Kuangming agreed, Tan Yuanshang had no desire to linger in Deng Province and took him aboard the ship.
The Tan Household's fleet traveled along the Datong River, but the merchant ships' route did not lead straight to the Capital City. Staying on the waterways would require too many detours, so Tan Yuanshang took his people ashore and traveled by carriage, only boarding another ship once they reached the Kaiyang River.
Throughout the journey, the Tan Household's trading houses scattered across the country were ready to receive them at a moment's notice. To Hu Kuangming, it seemed that whether they traveled by ship or carriage, everything was arranged clearly and flawlessly, with inns and waystations posing no difficulty at all.
At every stop, horses and carriages were already waiting. Whenever they stopped for the night, if it was mealtime, a table of steaming dishes invariably awaited them, all famous local dishes or regional specialties.
Such connections, methods, and formidable coordination truly opened Hu Kuangming's eyes. He had never even imagined anything like it before.
They traveled swiftly throughout the journey, yet Hu Kuangming never felt any noticeable weariness from the boats and carriages.
Now their large ship had reached the port of Heaven-Bearing Prefecture. Sails rose like a forest in the distance, and tower ships stood like a city. Small boats threaded through the shipping lanes, some carrying officials who issued passage and berthing numbers, others carrying peddlers selling all manner