Gou was a member of the imperial family in the late Ming Dynasty

Chapter 1306
As a Dutch businessman, and a prominent one at that in Batavia, Ribeck certainly knew the governor.

On ordinary days, meeting Governor Reinice would be a great honor, but right now, the person Ribeck least wants to see is precisely Reinice.

“Governor… Your Excellency…” Liebek, pale-faced, was at a loss for words. He forced a smile: “What are you doing? Why did you kidnap me here in this way? I… I am a legitimate merchant of the Kingdom of the Netherlands! And a partner of the East India Company! You… you can’t treat me like this!”

“Hehe, my friend.” Reinice smiled at Ribeck and said, “Kidnapping? No, no! How could I, as the governor, do such an illegal thing? It should be an invitation, you are my guest, aren’t you?”

As he spoke, Reinice looked around and frowned slightly: "Where's the guest's tea? Why hasn't it arrived yet?"

"Your Excellency, it's here! The tea is here!" As soon as the words were spoken, someone brought up a cup of tea and placed it on the table between the two of them.

Reinice nodded in satisfaction and pointed to the tea: "Mr. Rebec, this is top-quality tea imported from the Ming Dynasty. Even as governor, I rarely get to enjoy it. I specially had these prepared to entertain you today. Here, please have a taste and see if it suits your palate?"

“This…” Ribeck glanced at the tea, unsure of what to say. He composed himself and forced a smile, saying, “Thank you, Your Excellency Governor. Since it is Your Excellency’s fine tea, it must be good.”

"Really? You're so sure before you've even tasted it? Why don't you try it first?" Reinice asked with a smile, his arms crossed over his chest and his body leaning slightly forward.

Ribeck felt uncomfortable under his gaze, and had no choice but to pick up his teacup and take a sip. As for whether the tea was good or not, or what it tasted like, Ribeck had no time to ponder those things. He put down his teacup, smiled, and nodded repeatedly, praising it as indeed a fine tea.

"Is it good tea? Mr. Ribeck, I'm glad you're satisfied."

"Satisfied...I am very satisfied. Thank you for your hospitality, Governor."

“Well then, since you are satisfied and so grateful, may I, as your host, make a small request of Mr. Ribeck?” Reinice asked with a smile.

Before Ribeck could answer, Reinice asked directly, "Mr. Ribeck seems to have been very busy in Batavia these past two weeks, making several trips there. Could you tell me what you've been doing there, and what kind of mission you're on?"

“This…” Ribeck’s eyes darted around. He instinctively wanted to deny it, but then he thought that since Reinice had already pointed out that he had been to Batavia many times, it was impossible to deny. However, he could not tell the governor the truth, so he quickly made up other excuses and said that it was only for business reasons. After all, he was just an ordinary businessman.

"Commercial reasons? Is that really the case?"

"Of course! Your Excellency the Governor, I am a businessman, what else could it be but for business reasons?"

"Hehe, but I don't think so."

"Then what does Your Excellency the Governor think?" Ribeck calmed himself down considerably, much more composed than before. He had gone to the peace talks with the Ming Dynasty as a representative of the board of directors. So what if Reines was the Governor? Did Reines dare to turn against the board of directors?

Furthermore, the three directors had instructed Ribeck to keep this matter a secret from Reines from the beginning, and Ribeck, as the envoy, was also aware that the governor was involved in the terms of the negotiations, so it was even less likely that he would tell the other party the truth.

Moreover, although he was kidnapped by Reinice as soon as he arrived at the dock today, many people know that his ship has arrived at the dock. If he does not report to the three directors in time, they will definitely realize that something is wrong and then they will look for him and rescue him from Reinice.

Therefore, Ribbek believed that as long as he insisted that there was absolutely no such thing, Reinice would be powerless against him. He could buy time until the three directors found him, and then everything would be fine.

"I heard that our Mr. Ribeck has been busy negotiating with the Ming Dynasty these days? Is that true?"

“Slander! This is slander! Absolutely not!” Ribeck denied it outright, saying firmly, “How could that be! I’m just an ordinary businessman, not a big shot like Your Excellency the Governor. How could I possibly do such a thing?”

"No?"

“Absolutely not!” “Since not, then please tell me, according to the information I have received, you have been to Sulumayi many times. So can you explain why you went there?” Seeing Ribeck’s firm denial, Reinice’s tone gradually became cold.

"That's because I want my ships back! To redeem my captain and sailors!" By this time, Ribeck had completely calmed down. He answered the question calmly and stated that as a Dutch merchant, especially one with a good working relationship with the East India Company, he had made great contributions to the company. When Batavia was recruiting armed merchant ships, he provided two armed merchant ships and offered his captains and sailors to the East India Company, allowing them to join the company's fleet.

However, in the Battle of Sulumayi, the East India Company's fleet was almost completely annihilated, with only five warships escaping, including General Capelen. The other ships were either destroyed or captured by the combined fleet of the Ming Empire, including two armed merchant ships from Ribek.

The two armed merchant ships were no small amount, worth nearly half of Ribeck's entire fortune. Moreover, they carried his captain and sailors, who had served him for many years, including some of his friends. Although they had been captured by the Ming Dynasty, Ribeck couldn't stand by and watch them perish. Besides, according to European custom, it was perfectly normal for Ribeck to approach the other side in this situation, intending to pay to ransom the ships and their crew. Even if Reines was the governor, he couldn't stop him from doing so.

So what if Ribeck said he did go to Sulumayna? His purpose was simply to redeem his ship and people, which is a perfectly normal thing to do. As for the so-called negotiations that Reines mentioned, they were nothing at all.

After explaining, Ribeck remained calm and composed. He believed that Reinice had no evidence to prove his involvement in the negotiations as an envoy. After all, Ribeck always contacted the Ming Dynasty alone; his subordinates never accompanied him. Furthermore, he had kept the correspondence well-hidden; apart from himself, the Ming representatives, and the three directors, no one knew about it. If he didn't speak up, the Ming Dynasty wouldn't tell Reinice, and the three directors were even less likely to. Therefore, as long as Ribeck kept his mouth shut, Reinice would be powerless against him.

Reinius listened quietly to Ribbek's explanation, his smile gradually fading, replaced by barely suppressed anger and coldness.

With a loud bang, Reinius slammed his hand heavily on the table, the force so great that the teacups on the table were overturned, clattering and spilling tea onto the table.

“Mr. Ribeck!” Reinice stood up, his tone icy. “Are you treating me like a fool? Do you really think I know nothing? You’re trying to deceive me like this? Let me tell you the truth, I know exactly what you did in Sulumay. I was originally planning to have a good talk with you and give you a chance, but I didn’t expect you to be so unwise.”

"What did I do? I didn't do anything except redeem my ship and people!" Ribeck's heart was pounding, but he still insisted on denying it, because he knew that if he denied it, the other party couldn't do anything to him as long as they didn't have evidence, but if he admitted it, he would be in big trouble.

But Ribeck never expected that as soon as he said that, Reinice completely tore off his pretense. Without even glancing at Ribeck, he waved his hand and made a gesture. Two men in black who had been waiting on the side stepped forward, grabbed Ribeck on the left and right, and dragged him out.

The sudden change terrified Ribeck, but he remained rational and did not change his mind. Instead, he cried out, "You can't do this! Your Excellency! Your Excellency! I am a citizen of the kingdom, a legitimate merchant, and a partner of the East India Company! Let me go! Let me go! You can't do this to me... Waaah... Waaah..."

Ribeck, whose mouth was gagged, was dragged out, and the sound disappeared behind the door in a short while. After the others were taken away, Reinice remained quietly sitting in his original spot, lost in thought, his right index finger tapping rhythmically to himself. The room was completely silent.

Half an hour later? Or perhaps a little longer, there was a knock on the door from the outside.

"Come in!"

As soon as he finished speaking, one of the men in black who had dragged Ribeck out earlier came in. He first bowed to Reinice, then handed over an envelope with both hands: "Your Excellency, this is the letter we found on Ribeck. It should be what you are looking for."

Reinice's eyes lit up immediately, and he quickly took the letter to read it. The letter was sealed with wax. Reinice asked, "Where is it hidden?"

The man in black said, "It was hidden in his hat. Ribeck is very cunning. He deliberately put the letter in the hat's lining, and when he got off the carriage, he deliberately left the hat on the carriage. If this guy hadn't been unable to withstand the interrogation and finally confessed, we would have overlooked it."

“Heh, a little bit of cleverness, but not much.” Reinice nodded with a smile, then he found a paper cutter, tore open the letter, and began to read it carefully. After a while, Reinice’s face turned extremely ugly, veins bulged on his forehead, and his hands clenched tightly and trembled slightly. He looked terrible.

"Your Excellency, are you alright?" The man in black asked with concern, noticing that something seemed amiss with Reinice.

Reinius took a deep breath, trying to calm himself down.

"I'm fine. Have Colonel Cohen come to see me immediately! Immediately!" Suppressing his anger and fear, Reinice said to the man in black. The man in black responded and turned to leave. After the man in black left, Reinice slowly sat back down in his chair, subconsciously glancing at the letter in his hand, a ferocious look flashing across his face.

(End of this chapter)