Red Mansion: I am Jia Lian

Chapter 494: Banquet of Thanks
As the head manager of Xinglong Dental Clinic, Chen Ding came to a remote courtyard and met Hai Longtou's three men.

Hai Longtou never considered himself a pirate, but a businessman, so his subordinates all called themselves shopkeepers. The shopkeeper Qin in front of him was ranked third.

"The third shopkeeper has informed us to go ashore for an urgent matter. What is it?" Chen Ding also received the news at the last minute, so he had to ask this question. After all, Jia Lian was in Huizhou, and everyone was more careful than usual. Only the people of Nanhaiwei continued to do their own thing, and they really couldn't control that.

"Longtou learned that Governor Jia was on an eastern tour, so he sent me to Huizhou to try to get in touch with the governor. If that doesn't work, send him a letter." Shopkeeper Qin looked fierce, but he was very polite in his words and deeds. The contrast was quite strong.

Chen Ding shook his head after hearing this: "It's difficult, too difficult! Longtou also wanted to get in touch with Governor Wang before, and even said that he wanted to be an official, and would be recruited if he killed people and set fires. There was a precedent for this matter, and the ship owner was a precedent. If he didn't go ashore, he could still save his life. If he went ashore, he would be at the mercy of others! The court newspaper reported an agreement reached between the court and England and France, which demarcated Nanyang as our sphere of influence. Why didn't Longtou try to do this?"

The ship owner Chen Ding was talking about was Wang Zhi, the ship owner of Wufeng. This guy was tricked by Hu Zongxian and came ashore, but he didn't have a good ending. Although the murderer was Wang Bengu, the Zhejiang Provincial Surveillance Commissioner, it also fully illustrates that after the Song Dynasty, the so-called imperial court's amnesty also depends on the time. When the country is basically stable and peaceful, it is difficult to achieve amnesty, and most of the time, local officials will use their heads as political achievements.

"Brother Chen should know that in all parts of Nanyang, the Westerners have strong ships and powerful guns, which are beyond our reach. If we move to Nanyang, we will be subject to the control of others, so it is better to be happy on the sea. Moreover, this is the intention of the leader, how dare we disobey?" Shopkeeper Qin San said it very implicitly, with only two meanings. First, the brothers below are unwilling to go to Nanyang and rely on others, especially foreigners, and second, the leader of the sea is in the mentality of seeking amnesty, and the people below at least have no clear opposition.

After all, after drifting on the sea for so many years, the people down there have accumulated some capital. Who wouldn't want to go ashore and live a happy life?
"Hey, it's not that Chen is unwilling to help. What was the result of the last time we contacted Captain Wang? We were surrounded by Captain Wang's army. If we hadn't escaped quickly, we would have been killed by the navy's warships and cannons. Shopkeeper Qin, go back and tell the leader. Why are you so obsessed with this?" Chen Ding seemed to be persuading him earnestly, but Shopkeeper Qin San just smiled and perfunctorily responded. He still insisted that he think of a solution.

How can I say that? Your Chen family is happy on the shore, but we are floating on the sea. Of course you are not in a hurry.

"In that case, I'll go back and discuss it with my brother before deciding." Chen Ding couldn't refuse directly. After all, the two parties were partners, not subordinates. Besides, if he was pushed into a corner and sued the Chen family directly, there was a high possibility that they would break up and be ruined together.

After Jia Lian accepted the money from the Chen family, the Chen family's vigilance was greatly reduced, and Chen Ding did not realize that he was being monitored during his visit.

After midnight, Qin San, the shopkeeper, and others had already gone to bed, and the occasional barking of dogs in the distance could not wake them up.

The yard was not big, and the two-meter-high wall was easily climbed over. A group of soldiers holding torches rushed into the front yard.

The three pirates in the room were awakened. The pirate blocking the door turned around and shouted, "Third Shopkeeper, our Chen family has been sold out."

Shopkeeper Qin San saw the door shaking from being hit, but he said calmly, "Don't block it, let them in."

The pirates who were blocking the door moved aside, and the bolt was easily broken. Then a group of soldiers holding torches rushed in, pointing their rifles with bayonets at the three of them.

The noise was so loud that it woke up the people around. Some people leaned over the wall to watch the excitement, but were stopped by the soldiers: "The governor's standard-bearer is arresting the assassin, it has nothing to do with you, why don't you retreat quickly."

The three men no longer resisted, surrendered, were tied up, and escorted back to the garrison camp.

It is said that Chen Ding returned home in the middle of the night and met Chen Dong. After explaining the purpose of Qin San and others' visit, Chen Dong could not help but mocked him: "You really have no memory at all. What did Wang Taiwei do in the beginning? He refused the imperial edict and sent troops to encircle and suppress them. Although it was just a show, his attitude was revealed. Besides, Wang Taiwei's navy has tacitly acknowledged their existence. Isn't it better for them to be local emperors on the island? Recruiting the amnesty, those who have been in charge of the amnesty have never had a good end. All the officials are smart, and none of them will learn from Hu Zongxian."

When the pirates were brought back in the middle of the night, Jia Lian was still awake and immediately interrogated the three pirates.

Looking at the three tightly tied pirates, Jia Lian shook his head unhappily and said, "Everyone, how much do you despise me? You knew that I was on a tour to the east and there would be strict security along the way, but you insisted on jumping into the fire pit? I just can't understand why you had to come to Huizhou at this time. After thinking about it, I can only think that you came here to assassinate my secret agent. What do you think, is my guess right?"

The three men were tied up and their mouths were gagged. They could only listen to Jia Lian's monologue. They wanted to explain but couldn't open their mouths.

Fortunately, Jia Lian signaled to take off the cloth gag from their mouths.

"Are you Governor Jia?" Shopkeeper Qin San confirmed without fear.

Jia Lian nodded and said, "I am Jia Lian, the Governor of Guangdong."

Shopkeeper Qin San smiled bitterly and said, "How dare we covet the governor's secret money? The so-called secret money in the underworld is just a rumor so far, and no one has ever seen the person who made the secret money. Even if it is true, we don't have the courage. I came to Huizhou because of the governor."

Jia Lian was slightly startled when he heard this. He sat down from his standing position, picked up the teacup, and took a sip slowly before continuing, "Go on, are you going to Huizhou for me? There must be a reason for that, right? What do you like about me? Also, I don't mind reminding you that when you meet an official in the future, it's best to call yourself a commoner. I don't mind these things, but that doesn't mean other officials won't care."

The following paragraph is the most realistic part. In front of other officials, do you dare to call yourself "I"? Are you worthy? A group of pirates who committed evil on the sea are not even as good as the Tanka people, and can barely be considered pariahs.

Shopkeeper Qin San's expression dimmed slightly after hearing this. He knew that what Jia Lian said was true. They were well-known in the gang and their words were effective. But here, they could still stand and talk. Even if Jia Lian showed mercy, how could you still have the nerve to call yourself "I"?
Despite facing the reality, Shopkeeper Qin San still had to hold on, because the purpose of his coming here was to get rid of his identity as a pirate and directly transform into an official.

"Before, when Wang Taiwei was in Guangzhou, Longtou sent me to deliver a generous gift, and was able to meet him. He mentioned the intention of surrendering. At that time, Wang Taiwei was furious and drove me out, but did not kill me. Afterwards, Wang Taiwei sent troops to encircle and suppress them, but it was just a show. I have had contact with the Wang family and privately acquiesced to Longtou's status on the sea. In my opinion, if I can leave the governor's headquarters safely, I can leave Governor Jia safely."

Shopkeeper Qin San's words made his attitude clear: he was not here to assassinate, but to recruit the enemy.

Jia Lian was stunned when he heard this. Was there such a thing? This Wang Ziteng was playing around and even admitted that the dragon head was the leader of the sea.

"I'm back. The governor doesn't believe this. I just ask him to send someone to investigate. Half of the ships that sent supplies to the Annan army were under Longtou. The Wang family also engaged in smuggling with foreigners, and they also used Longtou's maritime channels."

Jia Lian couldn't help but feel disgusted when he heard this, but he still said, "General Wang controls the navy, does he still need your ships for smuggling? Isn't it better to use the navy's warships for smuggling directly?" Shopkeeper Qin San said, "Your Excellency the Governor doesn't know that General Wang said that the navy was built for war and cannot be involved in smuggling. Once involved, the navy will be useless. Besides, Hai Longtou is a businessman. When doing business in the open sea, he follows the rules of businessmen and does not cheat anyone."

Jia Lian knew what he meant, and could not help but taunt him, "The court is in charge of the shore, and the sea is under the control of the leader, right? Zheng Zhilong did the same thing back then, selling the Zheng family's flag and collecting protection fees. Wang Taiwei acquiesces to you, does that mean I have to acquiesce to your existence as well? Could it be that I, as the governor of a province and the descendant of a duke, still have to obey the orders of you pirates at sea? Do you really think the court's navy is just a decoration? Or do you look down on me and think I don't have the ability to wipe you out?"

Shopkeeper Qin San hesitated to speak and did not continue to argue, but his expression showed that he was not afraid of your encirclement and suppression at sea.

Jia Lian also knew that they were indeed confident. The biggest difficulty in eliminating pirates at sea is not whether you have enough warships, but whether you can find them.

After all, there are so many islands along the coast, you can't search for them one by one. That would tire you to death, and you might not even be able to find them.

Besides, they are familiar with the sea conditions and it will be easy for them to fight guerrilla warfare against you.

Although he knew what was going on, Jia Lian still acted very forceful and said, "Alright, don't think too much about the amnesty. It's getting late and I should go to bed. Next, I hope you will cooperate. When the people below interrogate you, tell me everything you know. I will spare your lives."

Jia Lian left after saying this and went back to his bedroom to sleep. Jia Lian also brought Third Sister You with him on this tour. There was no way, after Baochai got pregnant, Third Sister You became even more clingy.

Look, Third Sister You is still awake, waiting for Jia Lian to come back, yawning as she comes over to help him change his clothes.

After lying down for a while, a humming sound was heard in the darkness.

The next morning, Chen Ding was awakened by his servants. After reporting, he learned that before dawn, the governor's standard-bearers had dispatched hundreds of people to control the four city gates. The excuse was that the assassin was discovered last night and successfully captured. In order to ensure the safety of the governor, the governor's standard-bearers took over the city gates.

"Hurry up and ask Lai San to check on the guests." Chen Ding gave the order hastily. Without even taking time to wash up, he hurried to find Chen Dong.

Chen Dong also received the news and got up. He was washing up leisurely. When he saw Chen Ding coming in, he said calmly, "Why are you panicking? If something really happened, the governor's soldiers would have blocked the gate of the mansion long ago. How can you allow people to come in and out freely? Besides, Lord Jia has taken the money, what are you afraid of?"

It can only be said that the officials of the Great Zhou Dynasty have a very good reputation in accepting money to do things. As long as they receive money, they will definitely do things according to the agreement. Jia Lian should guarantee that he will not touch the Chen family after receiving the money.

"I am worried about the shopkeeper Qin San and the others." Chen Dong was also worried when Chen Ding mentioned this. He asked in confusion, "Why, aren't they here to seek amnesty? I was thinking that you should go over and tell them that this matter is difficult and will not be solved in a short time. Ask Hai Longtou to be patient and wait."

"That being said, who knows if they ran out and ran into the guns of the governor's standard-bearer?" Chen Ding said with some concern, and Chen Dong also frowned: "Hurry up and find out. Really, these people are used to not following the rules at sea. When they come to the shore, they always like to make trouble and let us clean up their messes. That old Qin is quite steady in doing things. I hope nothing happens to them."

Chen Ding felt more at ease. After he went back to wash up, Chang Sui came in quickly and said, "Master, Lai San's family is missing. According to the neighbors, there was a commotion at their house last night. The neighbors saw that their family was taken away by several people. Those people looked fierce and ferocious. They all said that something happened to the Lai family."

Chen Ding didn't even bother to take a look at the breakfast that was served to him. He hurried to find Chen Dong again. After explaining the situation, Chen Dong was also shocked.

While he was hesitating, the servant came in again to report that after midnight last night, the courtyard where Qin San, the shopkeeper, and others were located was raided by the governor's standard-bearing soldiers, who said they were arresting an assassin.

The two brothers' faces suddenly changed when they heard this, especially Chen Ding, who was panicked: "How can this be good? How can this be good?"

Chen Dong was able to keep calm, frowning and saying, "Why are you panicking? Didn't the soldiers come to our house?"

Having said that, he was still very panicked. He couldn't go to the prefect to discuss the matter, so he had to handle it himself.

After Jia Lian stood up, he quickly obtained a confession. Shopkeeper Qin San and others seemed to be very cooperative in front of the torture instruments. Perhaps they really wanted to be recruited, so they answered whatever was asked and it didn't take much effort.

According to the confession, the Chen family had been cooperating with Hai Longtou for ten years, when Hai Longtou had just begun to emerge.

At the beginning, the Chen family organized the supply of goods on the shore and handed it over to Hai Longtou, who then traded with Westerners on a random island.

The result of this is that the goods sold to Westerners are much cheaper, but certainly much higher than the price they were forced to sell to the guilds in Guangzhou.

No one is willing to do something that is unprofitable and risky. As for the businessmen who can do this, aren't they just looking for profit?

In other words, the Chen family and Hailongtou actually had a cooperative relationship. Through smuggling, they bypassed the Maritime Customs and traded directly with foreigners.

So who was the loser? Of course, the inner treasury and the national treasury. Although the Maritime Customs Office also took a share from both, it did not dare to reduce the share of the imperial court and the inner treasury. This side really did not pay a penny of tax.

Holding the confession, Jia Lian said, "Someone come!"

When the Chief of Staff Guo Ping came in, Jia Lian told him, "Prepare the invitations. This evening, I will host a banquet to thank the local officials and gentry."

(End of this chapter)