The morning mist at the Xiangyang Han River docks was heavy with the smell of gunpowder, and Shen Xitang’s black boots crunched over the charred edges of a "Zheng Family Nautical Chart." Xiao Heng’s Xiuchun Saber cleaved open a hidden compartment in the hold of a sunken ship. A scrap of the "Red Pill Formula" inside a bronze box spontaneously ignited in the river breeze; the cinnabar annotations revealed in the ashes matched perfectly with the handwriting of the prescription Cui Wensheng had presented to the Taichang Emperor!
"Lord Thousand-Householder, look at this medicinal ingredient." She traced a line with her fingertip: "Tears of the South Sea Shark-person." She added, "These so-called Shark-person tears are actually salt crystals from the Java Sea—the Dutch merchant ship Zheng Shilong plundered last year was carrying twenty crates of exactly this!"
Cannons suddenly roared across the river. Five Fuchuan ships flying "Great Ming Navy" banners broke through the mist. The inscriptions on the Red-Coat Cannons at their bows were blinding in the dawn light—"Constructed by the Ministry of Works, Sixth Year of Chongzhen!" Xiao Heng’s scabbard shattered a cannon barrel, but instead of lead shot, it disgorged bundles of "Secret Letters from the Governor of Fujian." Every wax seal bore the hidden dragon pattern of the Prince of Fu’s estate.
Chapter 145