Movie: Get Alpha Dog at the start

Chapter 1128: Jinghaicheng, Dou Zhao returns to Beijing
On the streets of Futing, a horse-drawn carriage was driving slowly on the bluestone street.

Suddenly, a group of soldiers in armor, led by a young general in black, rushed past and surrounded the shops on the side of the road.

Zhao Zhangru was startled in the carriage: "Sulan, what happened?"

The curtain of the carriage was lifted, and Wu Mai Su Lan replied: "It looks like the Dingguo Army. They should be catching pirates."

"Pirates? Are there pirates in Futing City?" Zhao Zhangru became even more panicked when he heard this.

Dou Zhao opened the carriage curtain and looked towards the shop. "I didn't expect that Yan Ji was also a pirate dealer. No wonder the price of the goods is lower than that of many other merchants."

Just at this moment, the young general in black came out with the shop owner.

The shopkeeper looked unconvinced: "Why did you arrest me?"

"Hmph, there must be a reason for arresting you. What did you do? Do you need me to help you recall it?" The young general in black snorted coldly.

"I am innocent. Did you listen to my words, General? My Yanji shop has been in Futing for 30 years and I have always been honest to everyone..."

"Be honest to everyone? The same applies to Japanese pirates and bandits, right?" The young general in black had a look of disdain on his face.

The shopkeeper's eyes flashed with fear when he heard this, but he quickly argued loudly: "It's unfair. How dare I do business with pirates..."

"Humph, whether it exists or not is not up to you, and it doesn't matter what I say. We will know soon."

Not long after, a soldier in black armor came galloping on a tall horse. After dismounting, he handed a porcelain bowl to the young general in black.

"The mark on the bottom of this bowl is from the batch of goods that were lost when the Heji merchant ship was robbed by pirates half a month ago. Now it is found in your warehouse. What else do you have to say?"

Upon hearing this, the shopkeeper's eyes turned dark and he collapsed to the ground.

"Humph, take all the people in the shop back to the barracks!"

"Yes."

The soldiers were very efficient and quickly sealed off the shop and took the criminals away.

Dou Zhao saw this and said to Wu Bi Su Lan, "Let's go."

"Yes, ma'am."

……

In just one day, the Dingguo Army captured a large number of illegal merchants in Futing City who were selling stolen goods to pirates. These merchants dared to do such business, so they must have backers behind them. However, this time, Duke Dingguo Jiang Meisun did not buy anyone's account and executed all the people involved on the streets of Futing. For a while, no one in Futing City dared to accept the stolen goods from pirates.

As a result, some pirates were left with large amounts of goods but unable to cash them in. Before they could find channels to sell the stolen goods, the chances of pirates robbing merchant ships were greatly reduced, and Futing's maritime trade was able to resume.

In the Dingguo military camp, Jiang Meisun was staring at a letter in a daze.

"uncle……"

"Yantang is here, please sit down."

Jiang Meisun handed the letter to Song Mo: "Does Yan Tang think this person is an enemy or a friend?"

Song Mo looked at Jiang Meisun in confusion: "Uncle, this person revealed the pirates' way of selling stolen goods, so he is naturally a friend. Do you think his motives are not pure?"

Jiang Meisun smiled and patted Song Mo on the shoulder: "Yantang, you have to remember one thing, sometimes the one who helps you is not necessarily your friend, and the one who hurts you is not necessarily your enemy, don't be deceived by appearances."

"uncle……"

"Okay, it's getting late and we have training tomorrow, go get some rest."

"Well, uncle, you should also go to bed early."

Looking at Song Mo's back, Jiang Meisun sighed softly: "It's a pity for the tiger son and the dog father. Your uncle shouldn't have let your mother marry him in the first place."

Time flies, and in a blink of an eye it is already the 24th year of Chengping. After years of clearing out the Japanese pirates by the Dingguo Army, they have been beaten to the point where they can no longer raise their heads. Duke Yingguo Song Yichun was ordered to escort food and fodder, but because he was greedy for credit in suppressing the bandits, he delayed the transportation of food, and the plan to besiege the pirates almost failed.

Duke Dingguo Jiang Meisun was furious and tied Song Yichun to the execution ground, intending to whip him. However, Song Mo used himself as bait to destroy Zhou Island and the last island where the pirates hid. He killed countless pirates and asked to be punished in his father's place.

However, Song Yichun did not buy it. He left angrily without caring about Song Mo's injuries and returned to Beijing that night.

The annihilation of the Zhoudao pirates also indicated that the pirate crisis had been resolved, and the remaining pirates were just remnants who could not become a force to be reckoned with.

This also led to the increasingly prosperous maritime trade business in Futing, with a large number of merchants pouring in, and even at one point the price of sea vessels increased by 30%, and the price of goods also rose accordingly.

Futing Dou’s Trading Company.

"Sister Zhao is truly a female Zhuge Liang. The tea, porcelain, and silk we stockpiled last year have all increased by 20%. This month's merchant ship orders have more than increased tenfold. My father said that we will make even more in the future." Miao Ansu said to Dou Zhao with admiration, holding a stack of silver bills.

Dou Zhao paused after hearing this and said, "Susu, go back and tell Uncle Miao to stop hoarding goods after he sells all the goods he has now. It would be best if he also sells the merchant ship. I don't plan to continue this maritime trade business."

Not only Miao Ansu was shocked, but even Zhao Zhangru was puzzled: "Shougu, are you crazy? You just said you don't want to do such a profitable business? The Dingguo Army has wiped out the pirates. Without the harassment of the pirates, the maritime trade will be more profitable, right?"

Dou Zhao shook his head slightly. "It is because the Dingguo Army has already pacified the sea, and the prosperity of maritime trade is a foregone conclusion. How much money has the court spent in recent years to eliminate Japanese pirates and sea bandits? Seeing that the sea merchants are getting rich one by one, from the Futing local government to the Ministry of Revenue, they are all eyeing this piece of fat meat. Increasing taxes is inevitable. In addition, with the increase in competitors, profits will definitely be further squeezed. I am afraid that this maritime trade business will not be easy to do. Let's look for business opportunities again."

Miao Ansu still did not give up: "Even if the local officials of Futing want to make money, with our relationship with the King of Qin, they should not dare to go too far, right?"

Dou Zhao's face immediately became extremely serious when he heard this: "Susu, be careful with your words. Dou's Company is the business of the Dou family and has never had anything to do with His Royal Highness the Prince of Qin. You must know that the mouth can cause trouble."

Miao Ansu shrank her neck: "Oh, Sister Zhao, I understand."

"Come to think of it, I haven't seen His Royal Highness the Prince of Qin for so many years. I wonder what he looks like now." Zhao Zhangru said with his head tilted.

Dou Zhao bumped her shoulder and teased, "Why, cousin, do you still want to marry into the Qin Palace and become the Qin Prince's Consort?"

Zhao Zhangru refused and reached out to pinch Dou Zhao's delicate cheek: "I still have some self-knowledge. With my appearance, His Royal Highness the Prince of Qin will probably not like me. Besides, if I really enter the Prince of Qin's mansion, I will probably not survive for more than a few months."

"Shou Gu, on the other hand, has good looks and brains, and has had a long history with His Royal Highness the Prince of Qin since childhood..."

Seeing that his cousin was getting more and more outrageous, Dou Zhao glared at her and said, "What nonsense! Although I have had some contact with His Royal Highness the Prince of Qin, it was only because my father was fortunate enough to be his teacher, and that was ten years ago. We can just talk about this behind closed doors, but never in front of outsiders. This is related to the royal family, and you may be caught by someone and regret it."

"Oh."

Seeing that Dou Zhao was serious, Zhao Zhangru and Miao Ansu both responded obediently.

Just at this moment, a maid came hurriedly.

"Miss, Madam Zhou from the capital is here."

Dou Zhao frowned. This Nanny Zhou was a capable person beside Wang Yingxue. There was no need to ask why she came to Futing. It must have been Wang Yingxue's idea.

"This person is really haunting us. Shougu, you have been hiding so far away from Futing, giving her and Dou Mingteng a place to go, but she still won't let you go." Zhao Zhangru frowned.

Dou Zhao sighed: "It's a blessing, not a disaster. If it's a disaster, we can't avoid it. Let's go. Since everyone is here, we might as well go and meet them."

When the three of them arrived at the front hall, they saw a middle-aged woman coming up to them with a big smile on her face and greeting them.

"This old servant has met the eldest lady and the cousin."

Dou Zhao said uninterestedly: "Just say whatever you want to say. I have something else to do in the shop and can't leave."

Nanny Zhou was not annoyed, and still had a smiling face: "The shop of the eldest lady makes a fortune every day, so of course she is busy. It is like this, the Mid-Autumn Festival is coming soon, and it happens that the Fifth Master and the Seventh Master are also on vacation, so I thought of inviting the eldest lady to return to the capital so that we can enjoy the happiness of family life."

Zhao Zhangru curled his lips and said, "What family happiness? In the first few years when we arrived at Futing, no one came to invite us. But in the past two or three years, they have come more frequently. I'm afraid they have set their sights on our birthday aunt's festival gift again, right?"

Dou Zhao secretly gave Zhao Zhangru a thumbs up. This cousin could be regarded as her substitute. She could say many things that were inconvenient for her to say.

The embarrassment on Madam Zhou's face flashed away: "Look at what you said, cousin. In the first few years, the positions of Fifth Master and Seventh Master were not stable. After all, we are family. Even if you don't consider Fifth Master's sake, you should go back for Seventh Master's sake."

"Seventh Master caught a cold a few days ago, and he was thinking about the eldest lady all the time..."

Dou Zhao sneered: "If I don't go back, I will be unfilial if I use my father as an excuse?"

"Miss, you misunderstood..."

Nanny Zhou was about to explain, but she heard Dou Zhao impatiently say, "Okay, go back and tell Wang Yingxue that I will be back to the capital later."

"Well, I will take my leave now."

Seeing that her goal had been achieved, Nanny Zhou didn't dare to say any more words and ran away.

Zhao Zhangru was a little worried: "Shou Gu, are you really planning to return to the capital? I'm afraid Wang Yingxue's motives are not pure."

"Her motives have never been pure. She is always after the little money in my pocket. Don't worry, if she dares to have bad intentions, someone will naturally punish her."

Zhao Zhangru smiled knowingly: "Yes, His Royal Highness the Prince of Qin also has a share of this money. If Wang Yingxue dares to do anything wrong, His Royal Highness the Prince of Qin will definitely make her pay for it."

Three days later, Dou Zhao dismissed the local employees in Futing and led the caravan to the capital.

Along the way, my thoughts quickly retreated along with the scenery outside the carriage window.

Although she and the King of Qin had been exchanging letters over the past fifteen years, they had never met in person. However, judging from the information obtained from the outside world, the prestige of the King of Qin in the court in recent years has far exceeded that of the past, and there is a situation in the court where the Crown Prince, King Qing, and King of Qin are competing with each other.

After transferring by land and water along the way, Dou Zhao and his party finally arrived at the outskirts of the capital before the Mid-Autumn Festival.

When passing by Shili Pavilion, Dou Zhao suddenly stopped the convoy.

"Alas, Shou Gu was about to enter the city, why did she stop?"

Dou Zhao ignored his cousin's shouting and walked all the way to the pavilion.

"Oh, I see. This seems to be the place where you had a long conversation with His Royal Highness the Prince of Qin, right?"

Dou Zhao rolled his eyes at her and said, "What do you mean by a long chat? We just had a few simple conversations, and we were talking about the cooperation with Frost Sugar."

"Forget it, I won't talk to you anymore. Let's go. The city gate will be closed soon."

"He stops when he's told to stop, and leaves when he's told to leave. I wonder if His Royal Highness the Prince of Qin can handle this temper."

"If you keep saying that, I'll tear your mouth to pieces."

"Come on, come on, let's see if you can catch me."

The group entered the city smoothly. As soon as they arrived at Dou Mansion, Zhao Zhangru's face fell because she saw a person she hated very much - Wang Yingxue.

Wang Yingxue was all smiles: "Oh, I haven't seen Sister Zhao for many years. She has become more beautiful and charming. Shiying and Fifth Brother are waiting for you. Come with me."

As he was about to hold Dou Zhao's hand, she broke free.

"We have come a long way, so let's change our clothes before we go meet father and uncle."

Wang Yingxue's face froze: "We are all family, there is no need to be so particular."

"Oh, but why did I hear that the Fifth Uncle also invited many new nobles from the court?" Dou Zhao sneered.

Wang Yingxue's eyes flashed with resentment, and she said with a fake smile: "They are all students of your father and fifth brother, it's okay."

Zhao Zhangru suddenly had an idea: "Will all the students come?"

Wang Yingxue was stunned: "Your Highness the Prince of Qin is of noble status, I'm afraid he won't lower himself to your level."

"Sister Zhao."

Dou Zhao turned around and saw a face that was both familiar and unfamiliar to her.

"It's really you, Sister Zhao."

Dou Zhao looked at Dou Ming and said to Wang Yingxue, "Sister Ming, you look so stylish in this outfit."

Even someone as thick-skinned as Wang Yingxue couldn't help feeling embarrassed.

However, what Wang Yingxue didn't expect was that Dou Zhao didn't say anything else, and took the initiative to say: "Let's go, don't let father and uncle wait too long."

In the backyard of the Dou Mansion, Dou Shishu saw Dou Zhao and Dou Ming standing together. The difference in their attire was too obvious, and he immediately frowned, "It's impolite to be late for a family dinner. Why are you dressed like this to meet guests?"

Dou Shiying spoke up for his daughter: "Shougu and the others have been exhausted from the long journey, so it's normal that they don't have time to change clothes. Why not let them dress up first..."

"Father, there's no need. It's a family dinner after all. It doesn't matter if you dress plainly. We still have Sister Ming to hold the scene." Dou Zhao interrupted directly.

"Humph, a rotten tree cannot be carved."

Dou Shishu left angrily.

Dou Shiying was about to exchange a few words with his daughter, but was pushed away by Wang Yingxue to greet the guests.

After they left, Zhao Zhangru said indignantly, "Shou Gu, you knew that Wang Yingxue had bad intentions and wanted you to be Dou Ming's foil, so how could you still do what she wanted?"

"What good can Wang Yingxue choose? What's wrong with being a foil? Isn't it good to let Dou Ming take the lead to block our arrows?"

"Now that you mention it, it's true."

Just as the two were chatting and laughing, a hearty voice came from behind them.

"I am Wu Shan, and I am honored to meet you two young ladies."