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

Chapter 899 Interrogation
When Yuan Chongyu woke up again, he found himself in a different place. He was in a dark room and didn't know where he was.

After struggling for a long time, he finally managed to sit up. The ropes on his body were still tied up, and there was no place to gain leverage, so he couldn't even stand up. Even his mouth was stuffed with cloth, which blocked it tightly, making it impossible for him to shout.

It took him a while to get familiar with the darkness around him. He stared with his eyes wide open and took in everything carefully. His feeling also told him that he seemed to be on a ship.

Combining the memories before he fainted, Yuan Chongyu tried hard to think about what was going on. Suddenly, an idea flashed through his mind, and Yuan Chongyu seemed to understand his situation a little.

"Could it be that we encountered pirates?" Yuan Chongyu guessed. He still remembered the bearded face before he fainted. Combining the other party's methods and the environment he was in, Yuan Chongyu judged that there was a high possibility that he fell into the hands of pirates.

Mokpo is a port in the south of Korea with many ships coming and going. Yuan Chongyu has also heard that there are indeed pirates on the route from Korea to Japan. Some of these pirates are Koreans, some are Japanese, and some are Ming Dynasty people. These pirates are elusive and often rob lone ships at sea, but it is rare for them to land and commit crimes.

Just because they are rare doesn't mean they don't exist. Yuan Chongyu thought that it was probably because of his high-profile behavior in Mokpo that he attracted the attention of pirates. In addition, the ships from the Ming Dynasty attracted foreign pirates. These pirates followed the Ming Dynasty ships to Mokpo, hid in the dark, and sneaked into his residence, and then kidnapped him.

After thinking this through, Yuan Chongyu felt less fearful and more angry. He was angry that the Eight Banners soldiers who were protecting him were too careless, and that the Korean soldiers were useless, as they were able to sneak into his residence and kidnap him.

After I get out of this, I must get to the bottom of this matter. Which bastard is so bold? It is unbelievable that a great Qing Dynasty official was kidnapped from his residence. I must punish him severely to vent my anger.

As for the pirates, Yuan Chongyu was not worried. He felt that his safety was not a problem. If they wanted to kill him, he would have died long ago, and there would be no need to go through so much trouble to get them on board. Since they were pirates, they were just looking for money. As a businessman, Yuan Chongyu knew this situation too well. As long as he gave them certain benefits and met their needs, it should not be a problem for these pirates to let him go.

Furthermore, Yuan Chongyu believed that he was eloquent and it would not be difficult for him to convince the other party's head if he was given the opportunity. As a result, Yuan Chongyu no longer had any fear or worry. He half-sat against the cabin, patiently waiting for the person who was going to capture him to appear.

I don't know how long it took, but just when Yuan Chongyu was about to doze off, there was a noise outside. With a sound, the hatch above his head was opened, and the dazzling sunlight shone down from above, causing Yuan Chongyu to squint his eyes.

"Hey, this kid is awake." A man jumped down from above and said in surprise when he saw Yuan Chongyu.

Yuan Chongyu still remembered this voice. He looked with half-opened eyes and, as expected, he could vaguely make out that it was the bearded man.

"Just wake up. Several hours have passed. It would be strange if he didn't wake up. Okay, stop talking so much and bring the person up." Another voice came from above. The bearded man responded, stretched out his hand to grab Yuan Chongyu, and then dragged him out of the cabin.

When he got outside, Yuan Chongyu was really sure that he was on the boat, and the boat was still at sea. In addition to the bearded man, there was another strange man. Both of them were dressed in ordinary clothes, but they not only carried knives, but also exuded a fierce aura.

"Let's go!" The bearded man pushed Yuan Chongyu and dragged him to one direction, while the other man did not come forward but just walked beside him. Yuan Chongyu was about to take a closer look around, but before he turned his head, the bearded man poked him with the knife in his hand and scolded him for looking around with a sneaky look. Yuan Chongyu, feeling the pain, gave up the idea and continued to walk forward obediently as the other party asked.

After a while, they arrived at a cabin. This cabin was different from the cabin where Yuan Chongyu was imprisoned. It was not only much bigger, but also well decorated. It seemed to be the ship owner's residence.

Yuan Chongyu was pushed into the cabin. He stumbled and almost fell to the ground. Fortunately, the bearded man pulled him up and he was able to stand.

Standing up, Yuan Chongyu's eyes swept across the cabin and soon fell on a person.

The man looked to be in his forties, dressed in ordinary clothes, but he had the dignity of a superior. When Yuan Chongyu looked at him, the man was also looking at Yuan Chongyu with an elusive smile on his face.

"How can you treat a distinguished guest like this?" When the other party's eyes fell on Yuan Chongyu, he smiled and waved his hand and said, "Since the guest has come, why don't you untie him?"

"Yes!" The bearded man answered, reached out and pulled out a dagger from his boot, and cut the ropes that bound Yuan Chongyu neatly, and then took out the cloth that was stuffed in his mouth. Finally, with Sobo gone, Yuan Chongyu felt much more relaxed, and he stretched his muscles a little, while taking this opportunity to quickly think about the next response.

But before Yuan Chongyu could speak, the leader pointed to a chair beside him and said, "Take a seat. The boat is simple, so don't mind me inviting you here in this way."

"No, no..." Yuan Chongyu clasped his fists and saluted. After sitting down, he showed a flattering smile to the other party: "I, Pu Shangyin, would like to meet this big boss. I don't know how I have offended the big boss. I would like to trouble you to invite me like this."

"I have been doing business for many years and I believe I know the rules. If the boss is short of money, you can just ask someone to tell me a message. I love making friends and will never refuse. Why do you have to do it in person in this way? But since I have been invited by the boss, I am not an ignorant person. Please tell me the price. I will definitely satisfy you. Please take care of me..."

Yuan Chongyu's words seemed to be somewhat unexpected to the other party. The other party was slightly stunned at first, and then laughed again. He looked Yuan Chongyu up and down and asked: "I didn't expect Mr. Park to be so tactful. I haven't even opened my mouth yet, but you took the initiative first?"

"Haha, you are joking, Boss. Park is a real person and a wise man. He knows the rules here, so there is no need for you to enlighten him. In fact, Park likes to make friends very much. Boss, you may not know what Park is like when you deal with him for the first time, but you will understand what kind of person he is when you get to know him better."

"As the saying goes, the first time is strange, the second time is familiar, and after a long time, we will come and go frequently. Although I am a businessman, I am also half a gangster when I am a businessman. I know that the life of the big boss and the brothers is not easy. If the big boss does not abandon me, I should show some filial piety. What do you think, big boss?"

"Haha! Hahaha!" After Yuan Chongyu finished speaking, the other party burst into laughter, and the look in his eyes when he looked at Yuan Chongyu carried another layer of meaning.

"Good! You are a great man of the world!" The other party nodded and said, "In that case, how much tribute can you give?"

Hearing this, Yuan Chongyu was completely relaxed. It seemed that his words had worked. As he thought, the other party just wanted money instead of life, otherwise he would not have spent so much effort. Since the other party asked this, there was a possibility of a deal. Yuan Chongyu was not without money, so it was worth spending some money to redeem himself. As long as he got out of this, he could find a way to get back the place later. As a businessman, Yuan Chongyu knew too well when to bow his head and when to give in.

"Pu is willing to pay three thousand taels of silver to the boss and make friends with him, how about that?" Yuan Chongyu was naturally not stingy with his life in his hands, so he said the number directly. Three thousand taels of silver was not a small amount. You know, ordinary people would be very good if they could save a few taels of silver after working hard for a year. This was three thousand taels!

If converted into the prices of the 21st century, three thousand taels of silver would be worth a huge sum of about five to six million yuan. Yuan Chongyu took the initiative to say this number, which can't be said to be not generous.

But he didn't expect that when he said this number, the other party was not excited at all. Instead, he looked at him with a mocking look and shook his head and said, "It's less. Your life is not worth this much."

Yuan Chongyu's heart sank slightly. He didn't expect the other party's appetite to be so big. Three thousand taels were not enough? It seemed that he couldn't get away without spending a little more money today. However, Yuan Chongyu was not nervous. Since it was less, he would just add more. If he spent more money, he would spend more. As long as he returned safely, he would have a chance to earn back the money. Besides, he had seen the appearance of these pirates. He would find a way to arrest them. With his status in the Qing Dynasty and the support of Huang Taiji, what would a few pirates mean? Once he got these people and they fell into his hands, he would let them know that his money was not so easy to take.

Yuan Chongyu immediately raised the price from three thousand taels to four thousand taels, but the other party still shook his head and continued to say that it was too little. Yuan Chongyu, cursing in his heart, could only increase the price again, all the way to five thousand taels, but the other party was still unmoved.

"How about this, you take this and count it out." The other party stretched out two fingers and said with a smile.

"What! Twenty thousand taels?" Yuan Chongyu was shocked and gasped. The boss actually had such an appetite.

Who would have thought that the other party shook his head and said, "Haha, what's a mere 20,000 taels? I want 2 million taels! Not a penny less!"

"Ah!" Yuan Chongyu was stunned. He never thought that a pirate would ask for such a high price. Two million taels? This was an astronomical figure. This pirate leader must have never seen two million taels of silver in his life, let alone two million taels. Where did he get such confidence?
"Why? You can't take it out?" The other party sneered, staring at Yuan Chongyu with a sharp gaze and said, "You sold private salt and supplies in Liaodong back then, and made a profit of more than 800,000 taels in less than three years. Later, with the support of your brother, you sold the army's stored grain to Mongolia first, and then sold it to the Jian Nu. This amounted to nearly one million taels. When your brother was imprisoned in the capital, you took your brother's wealth and ran away after hearing the news. There are still 200,000 taels here, and all of these add up to more than two million. Today I only ask you for two million taels, and this is just a rough estimate. If you calculate it carefully, it will be more than this."

"You...you...who are you?" Yuan Chongyu was struck by lightning. He never expected that the other party had already known his background clearly. The other party not only knew that he was not Park Sangyin, but also knew that he was Yuan Chongyu. He even knew how much profit he had made from smuggling in Liaodong by taking advantage of Yuan Chonghuan's power. Could it be that the other party was not a pirate?
"Hahaha! Yuan Chongyu, ah Yuan Chongyu, you're still hoping for the best after falling into my hands. Forget it. Today I'll let you know who I am. My last name is Zhou Anmin. Have you heard of me?"

(End of this chapter)