Do you know that my grandfather was entitled to be enshrined in the Imperial Ancestral Temple?

Chapter 5 Feng's Methods

The Grand Canal benefited more than just the canal basin.

Many other waterways are connected to the Grand Canal and will also benefit from it.

To travel from Shouzhou to Yangzhou, one must cross the Fei River into the Huai River, then enter the Grand Canal via the Huai River, and finally arrive in Yangzhou.

Upon hearing this, Wang You suppressed his curiosity, nodded, and led his pageboy Xiaoman away from the bow of the boat towards the cabin.

"Stone, go untie the rope over there," Shi Keng instructed his younger brother.

"Why."

The rugged-looking boy responded and busied himself with the task.

Wang You suddenly stopped upon hearing the sound and glanced at the busy young man.

Perhaps due to years of making a living on the river and being exposed to the wind and sun, the boy's face was dark and rough.

At first glance, he looks to be around twenty years old, but upon closer inspection, one can see the youthful innocence in his features.

The boy was about six feet tall (in the Song Dynasty, six feet was roughly equivalent to 1.9 meters), with a very robust build and an honest-looking face.

"Could it be that stone?"

Wang You remembered that Gu Tingye had a follower named Shitou (Stone).

In families like the Gu family, servants are trained from a young age.

Brother Shi and his wife were boatmen, so supporting Shi would not be a problem, let alone selling him into slavery.

Therefore, it is highly likely that the stone was acquired by Gu Tingye from outside.

It was either the time Gu Tingye went to Yangzhou, or the time he studied at Bailudong Academy.

Stone is skilled in martial arts and extremely loyal.

Wang You also lacked a bodyguard, although Xiaoman, his page, also served as a bodyguard.

Wang You glanced at Xiao Man, who was two years older than him but only slightly taller and thinner.

If something really happens, it's hard to say who will protect whom.

Seeing Wang You suddenly stop and glance at him, Xiaoman asked with some confusion, "What's wrong, young master?"

"It's alright, let's go."

Wang You shook his head slightly and entered the cabin.

…………

The following morning, Wang You once again led his page out of the cabin and onto the deck.

The wind direction was mixed today, so Shi Keng led his younger brother to observe the wind direction on the deck and adjust the sails as needed.

For medium-sized sailboats like these in Neijiang, directional control relies entirely on the rudder and sails.

Even when winds are mixed, as long as the wind isn't too strong, you can still sail; just adjust your sails according to the wind direction.

Shi Keng was transferring experience to his younger brother when he saw Wang You approaching. He quickly stopped, stepped forward, and bowed, saying, "Young master, the wind is a bit strong today. It's best not to get too close to the side of the boat."

"Um."

Wang You nodded slightly, noticing a noticeable increase in the number of boats on the river, and asked, "Is this the Huai River?"

"Young master, we entered the canal just before dawn," Shi Keng replied.

"This is the canal."

Wang You surveyed the waterway that had brought prosperity to the entire Jiangnan region since its creation.

To say that it was a race of a thousand sails and ten thousand boats was a bit of an exaggeration.

However, boats came and went on the river in an endless stream, delivering rice and silk from Jiangnan to Bianjing.

On the deck of a passenger ship that was passing by, several young men dressed as scholars were arguing about something.

Wang You vaguely heard Han Da Xiang Gong, something about becoming prime minister again.

Has Han Zhang already been reinstated as prime minister?

He hadn't heard this news in Shouzhou, so it must have spread recently.

However, these things were too far away for him, and Wang You didn't think much about them.

Looking back at the Shi brothers, who seemed a little reserved because of his presence, Wang You smiled and asked, "Do you usually travel between Shouzhou and Yangzhou?"

"Young master, that's not the case. As long as the guest is willing to pay, the entire canal and its connecting waterways can be traversed," Shi Keng said.

"You must earn quite a bit normally, right?" Wang You asked.

Shi Keng said with a wry smile, "I can make some money, but I have to bribe people at each dock, and what's left is barely enough to make ends meet."

"Is it for the dock officials?" Wang You asked curiously.

"No, that's not it. We roughnecks would never see those officials. It's the canal gangs who handle communication with the officials at each dock. We boatmen just need to pay money to the canal gangs," Shi Keng said.

Wang You became interested, but after asking some questions, he was greatly disappointed.

The so-called canal gangs were not an organization that covered the canals, but rather a group of ruffians who colluded with dock officials to extort money from docked ships.

If they don't give it to them, it's normal for them to deliberately delay docking at the pier, letting the boat drift on the river for a whole day.

There were similar organizations at each dock, and the sailors called these people the "Grass Gang".

But thinking about it, it makes sense. The Grand Canal was the lifeblood of the Song Dynasty. If there really was an organization spanning the entire Grand Canal, the court would have taken action long ago.

Wang You didn't care about any of that and changed the subject to chat with Shi Keng.

Seeing that Wang You, despite his young age, possessed an extraordinary demeanor, yet unlike the sons of wealthy families who looked down on them, Shi Keng relaxed.

"I see you are all strong and powerful, with robust physiques. Have you been trained in martial arts?"

"I do know some farming skills. After all, I travel all over the country and often get into conflicts with boatmen. You really can't do this job without some martial arts skills."

"I need a bodyguard. Your younger brother is quite strong and must be skilled in martial arts. I'd like to recruit him as a bodyguard. Would you be willing?"

After chatting for a while, Wang You revealed his true intentions.

Yesterday, he asked Xiaoman to inquire, and it was confirmed that Shi Keng's younger brother is indeed Shi Tou.

"This…"

Shi Keng's parents died early, and Shi Tou was practically raised by him.

As he said, running a ship was barely enough to make a living.

He naturally wanted his younger brother to have a better future, rather than making a living by running ships like him.

He was not opposed to serving as a bodyguard for wealthy families.

But he didn't know Wang You's identity or character.

If the stone is entrusted to the wrong person, wouldn't that harm the stone?

Wang You smiled and said, "My father is the prefectural judge of Shouzhou, and my grandfather was posthumously awarded the title of Grand Tutor by the government and was honored with a place in the Imperial Ancestral Temple. He doesn't need to sign a contract to serve as my bodyguard; I will give him five taels of silver every month."

"It is an honor for the young man to have taken a liking to the stone."

Although Shi Keng was a rough man, he understood what it meant to be a prefectural vice-prefect.

As for posthumously being granted the title of Grand Tutor and being enshrined in the Imperial Ancestral Temple, he didn't really understand.

He might receive a posthumous title from the government, so his status certainly couldn't be low.

Stone would definitely have a better future following someone like that than working on a ship with him.

As for Wang You's identity, he had no doubts.

Impersonating a government official's family member is also a serious crime. Their identities are not high enough to allow others to impersonate officials' relatives and commit fraud.

Moreover, Wang You and his mother were accompanied by more than a dozen servants, which clearly indicated their extraordinary status.

"Stone, come and pay your respects to the young master. From now on, you will follow the young master and obey his orders," Shi Keng urged Stone, who was standing there dumbfounded.

Stone was simple-minded; upon hearing his elder brother speak, he obediently stepped forward and bowed.

"Greetings, young master!"

No need for formalities.

Wang You smiled and said, "From now on, you'll be by my side. It's rare for brothers to see each other, so take these few days to reunite with your brother. Come with me when we get to Yangzhou."

Upon hearing this, Shi Keng naturally expressed his gratitude.

…………

When Madam Feng learned that her son had actually taken in a bodyguard, she gave him a severe scolding.

Naturally, people around them would choose a family with children born in the home as the most reliable option.

It's one thing for Wang You to accept a follower whose background is unknown, but he doesn't even sign a contract of indenture.

What if someone runs away when they encounter danger?

Wang You insisted, and Feng had no choice but to send someone to give Shi Keng and his wife some money and cloth. She also chartered a boat and asked Shi Keng to wait in Yangzhou to take them back to Shouzhou.

The stated purpose was to allow the brothers to spend more time together.

After thinking for a moment, Wang You understood his mother's purpose.

This way, they can both show favor and win people's hearts, and also have time to investigate the background of the Shi brothers.

The method was extremely clever.