Chapter 505

In the dim dungeon, Meng Youliang’s face flickered in the swaying candlelight.

As if he had thought of something, his gaze became firmer.

Xiao Ming, on the other hand, gave Meng Youliang a deep look. If Meng Youliang truly had not collaborated with the Japanese, this job was very suitable for him. After all, experience at sea was crucial these days.

If Meng Youliang truly had collaborated with the Japanese, then it would be a clean break; he wouldn’t have to show mercy when he saw him again, and he would only lose one ship, which was insignificant.

“If you’ve thought it through, after you leave the dungeon, you can take my letter to Dengzhou and find Governor Yang Chengye. He will give you a Japanese Atakebune. These ships were captured during the Battle of Ryukyu, and I have kept them for you,” Xiao Ming continued.

Meng Youliang nodded. He understood that he couldn’t get the battleship he had seen last time, but the Atakebune was already a top-tier warship in Japan, so he felt it was quite good.

After explaining this, Xiao Ming continued, “Lu Luo is waiting outside for you. If you have anything to say, say it now.”

With that, Xiao Ming turned to leave, and the jailer following behind Xiao Ming stepped forward and opened the cell door for Meng Youliang.

As Xiao Ming slowly walked out of the dungeon, Meng Youliang immediately shielded his eyes. Accustomed to the the dim underground, the bright light stung his eyes.

Lu Luo was waiting outside the door at this moment, her expression agitated when she saw Meng Youliang come out.

“You two siblings can talk. I will not disturb you.” Xiao Ming smiled at Lu Luo, mounted his horse, and left.

Meng Youliang and Lu Luo simultaneously bowed to Xiao Ming. Seeing Xiao Ming leave, Meng Youliang looked at Lu Luo with excitement and said, “Sister, I have wronged you.”

Lu Luo sighed softly, “Why say such things now? What’s past is past. I only hope that elder brother will not associate with Japanese pirates again, otherwise, from now on, you and I will no longer be siblings.”

“Sister, why don’t you believe me? Our parents both died at the hands of Japanese pirates. Even if I were heartless, I wouldn’t possibly collude with them. All these years, I’ve endured humiliation just for revenge. If it weren’t for the crucial news about Japan’s attack on the Great Yu Empire, I wouldn’t have revealed my identity. But now I can still go be a pirate to avenge our parents,” Meng Youliang said excitedly.

“You still want to be a Japanese pirate!” Lu Luo’s willow-like brows furrowed, and she, rarely angered, trembled slightly. She threw off Meng Youliang’s hand that was pulling her arm and angrily said, “Go away, I’ll just pretend I don’t have you as an elder brother.”

Meng Youliang then reacted. He added, “Sister, you misunderstood. This time, His Highness asked me to be a privateer captain. There’s a difference between that and a pirate. I’m serving His Highness.”

“Serving His Highness?” Lu Luo asked in surprise.

Meng Youliang nodded and told Lu Luo what Xiao Ming had said to him.

After hearing the news, Lu Luo breathed a sigh of relief, but then she worried about Meng Youliang. She said, “But why bother? His Highness has given you a chance to live a stable life, why do you still want to risk your life at sea?”

“If I hadn’t found you, perhaps I would have settled down as an ordinary commoner. But sister, I have wronged you, so from now on, I will use my life to protect you,” Meng Youliang said. This was the reason for his firm belief.

Before Lu Luo could speak, Meng Youliang continued, “I heard from the warden in the prison that my sister is now His Highness’s person, but I don’t want my sister to be a servant for life. So I want to serve His Highness, to be as important to His Highness as Yue Yun, so that my sister might even become a side wife in the future.”

Lu Luo was terrified upon hearing this. She said, “Elder brother, please don’t talk nonsense. How can a mere servant like me become a side wife? Everyone in the Prince’s Mansion says that His Highness has a boundless future, and a side wife will definitely come from a renowned family. You should not overthink things. Since you want to serve His Highness at the sea, saving your life is what truly matters.”

Meng Youliang initially wanted to continue explaining, but seeing Lu Luo’s expression, he decided not to. However, he stubbornly believed that if he could be like Yue Yun, this might be possible in the future.

The two talked for a while in front of the prison gate. At this moment, Zhao Long suddenly returned and handed a letter to Meng Youliang.

“His Highness said, the letter is in your hand, you still choose whether to go or not,” Zhao Long said before mounting his horse and leaving.

Clutching the letter tightly, Meng Youliang said to Lu Luo, “Sister, I will definitely repay what I owe you.”

With that, Meng Youliang gritted his teeth and turned to leave without looking back, leaving only Lu Luo with a complex expression.

Watching her elder brother disappear into the crowd, Lu Luo’s eyes were slightly red. Sighing, she walked towards the Prince’s Mansion. It wasn’t that she didn’t try to stop him, but that she simply couldn’t.

She understood her elder brother’s character; once he made a decision, there was no turning back. It was precisely for this reason that he had ruthlessly left her to go to sea back then.

Now that he had returned to the sea, she didn’t know what this would bring him.

Dazed, she made her way back to the Prince’s Mansion. As soon as she entered, she saw Xiao Ming waiting for her inside the door.

Seeing this, she wiped away her tears and walked in.

“Your elder brother left?” Xiao Ming asked.

Lu Luo nodded.

“You don’t blame me, do you?”

“I dare not. I understand my elder brother. Even if Your Highness didn’t give him this opportunity, he would still return to the sea. Rather than fighting for revenge at sea, it’s better to fight for Your Highness,” Lu Luo’s small face showed a hint of determination.

The softest can also be the strongest. Lu Luo had always been timid and weak, but at this moment, she showed a strong side to her character.

Nodding slightly, Xiao Ming said, “It’s good that you understand.”

After a brief discussion, Xiao Ming sent Lu Luo back to rest.

As for Meng Youliang, he was simply the right person who appeared at the right time.

Whether he truly had real capabilities, Xiao Ming didn’t know, but privateering now had to be put on the agenda. For Meng Youliang, his greater significance lay in the fact that this was the beginning of the Great Yu Empire’s privateering program. As a supplement to the navy, privateers could not only deter pirates but, more importantly, could recruit sailors for the future navy.

Of course, historically, many privateers eventually lost their way in rampant plunder and became true pirates.

But Xiao Ming was not worried about this. He allowed legitimate privateering. If these privateers turned into pirates, they would become targets for Yue Yun’s extermination.

Precisely because of this, he was not at all worried that Meng Youliang would betray him one day, as Yue Yun’s prejudice against him would surely lead to a relentless pursuit to the ends of the earth.

Thus, they could keep each other in check. After all, if Meng Youliang’s privateering became successful, it would also be a formidable armed force. With galleons, it would be a standard navy.