Taichang Ming Dynasty

Chapter 744 The fox pretends to be the tiger's power
Although the furnishings in the main hall of the front courtyard were predominantly Chinese, the glassware in the corners and the Western paintings on the walls still exuded an exotic atmosphere. He Xiaokui was sitting in the guest seat, eating large mouthfuls of delicate Jiangnan pastries from a plate while eating from a rough porcelain teacup, his cheeks bulging. The gatekeeper, Li Jiaqing, stood by with his hands at his sides, his eyes calm and expressionless, but his peripheral vision was constantly locked on He Xiaokui.

Footsteps approached, and three foreign merchants led Wang Zheng into the hall. He Xiaokui looked in the direction of the sound and, upon seeing the newcomers, hurriedly swallowed the pastry he hadn't yet swallowed. He stood up hastily and bowed indistinctly, saying, "This humble one, He Xiaokui, greets you gentlemen!" A few crumbs of pastry flew out as he spoke, landing on the smooth blue brick floor.

Wang Zheng's brow furrowed almost imperceptibly. The three foreign merchants, however, did not seem to mind. The leader, Władysław Amato, quickly stepped forward and, imitating the manner of the Ming people, solemnly returned the greeting with a cupped hand: "Officer He, thank you for your hard work." He tried his best to imitate, but his movements still showed some awkwardness and sluggishness, like a puppet in a shadow play being pulled by bamboo sticks and wires.

He Xiaokui straightened up, his gaze sweeping over the group, deliberately feigning familiarity: "It's no trouble at all. You're too kind, Master Wu."

“Officer, please don’t stand on ceremony, please have a seat.” Władysław Amato had learned some polite phrases, so he spoke them very fluently.

"Thank you for your kind words, gentlemen." He Xiaokui sat back down and rinsed his mouth with his teacup.

"Excuse me, Eunuch Gao, why were you sent here?" Władysław Amato sat in the head seat, with Rogers Heydrich and Lane Hobbes on his left and right sides respectively. Wang Zheng did not sit, but stood behind the three of them.

“Master Wu,” He Xiaokui swallowed his mouthwash slowly, his gaze sweeping between the three merchants. “Where is your Master Di? I have something important to give him.”

Władysław Amato's listening comprehension was clearly better than his spoken Chinese. Although he still couldn't fully understand every syllable He Xiaokui uttered, he roughly grasped what He Xiaokui meant. Without waiting for Wang Zheng to translate, Władysław Amato stammered, "Diniš went to Tianjin! Together with Brant! Eunuch Gao knows too! We informed him long ago."

Of course, they had to report this, otherwise they wouldn't be able to get a travel permit. And if they didn't have a travel permit and didn't have an important person to guide them, they would be unable to move an inch in the mainland. Let alone going south to Tianjin, they couldn't even leave Beijing.

He Xiaokui was stunned. He had no idea that Dinesh João had taken Harald Brandt from Beijing to Tianjin, nor did he know that the two travel documents were personally handed to them by Gao Shiming.

“Of course!” He Xiaokui’s eyes darted around, but instead of foolishly pressing for answers, he forced a confident expression and said, “Of course I know that Master Di went to Tianjin. I’m asking, has Master Di not returned yet?”

“He hasn’t returned, he’s still here.” Wadsław Amato was taken aback. He didn’t think much of it and assumed that Gao Shiming had something to tell Dinish João. “Right now, I’m in charge at the trading post! Eunuch Gao, if there’s anything, I can help! If Eunuch Gao has something to say, ask him to write a letter to convey it, I can do that.”

Władysław Amato spoke quickly and urgently, interspersed with Portuguese accents and grammatical errors, leaving He Xiaokui completely bewildered. He Xiaokui looked blank and subconsciously shook his head with an embarrassed smile: "Master Wu, please speak slower, I really didn't understand."

“I said.” Władysław Amato understood He Xiaokui’s confusion and bewilderment. He subconsciously opened his mouth, but then closed it again and turned to look at Wang Zheng.

Wang Zheng understood immediately and, without waiting for the other party to speak, succinctly explained, "Esteemed official, Master Wu said that Master Di has gone to Tianjin and has not yet returned to the capital. For now, all affairs of the trading post in the capital are temporarily under Master Wu's management. If Eunuch Gao has any instructions, Master Wu can handle them on his behalf. If Eunuch Gao's instructions are addressed to Master Di personally, Master Wu can also relay the message."

"In other words, the person in charge now," He Xiaokui nodded, deliberately confirming, "is still this Lord Wu Dong?"

“Exactly.” Wang Zheng nodded.

“Alright.” He Xiaokui reached into his robes, fumbled for a moment, and pulled out a small bag carefully wrapped in coarse cloth. The cloth was slightly damp, obviously from being kept close to his body for a long time and absorbing sweat. He carefully unwrapped the cloth, opened the bag, revealing a relatively dry envelope inside.

He originally wanted to say a few more polite words to uphold his status as "a servant under Eunuch Gao," but after racking his brains for a while, He Xiaokui couldn't think of any suitable words. He could only awkwardly hand the envelope to Li Jiaqing, who was smiling and greeting him: "Here, this is it. Take it."

Li Jiaqing accepted the envelope with both hands, his expressionless face blank. His gaze swept across both sides of the envelope with lightning speed—completely blank, without a title or signature. Li Jiaqing frowned slightly and gave He Xiaokui a disapproving look. However, his expression returned to normal after he turned away.

“Lord Amato.” Li Jiaqing quickly walked up to Władysław Amato and respectfully handed him the envelope.

Władysław Amato practically snatched the envelope, eagerly tearing it open and shaking out the letter inside. He, along with Hobbes and Heydrich who had joined him, huddled together, their brows furrowed as they tried to decipher the Chinese characters on the paper. Unfortunately, aside from a few simple words like "Udis," "tomorrow," and "bank," the rest remained completely incomprehensible to them. The three exchanged bewildered glances, their faces filled with confusion, before finally turning their pleading gazes to Wang Zheng and handing him the letter. "Mr. Wang, please take a look, give it to us."

“Okay.” Wang Zheng took the letter and unfolded it. The contents were extremely simple and clear. It was a fairly standard invitation. Apart from the format and the accompanying wording, the core content was just one sentence: Please invite the owner of the Europa Trading Company, Udis, to meet with you at the Zhengyangmen branch of the Sun and Moon Bank tomorrow morning after the bank opens, as there are important matters to discuss.

Wang Zheng's eyes flickered slightly, and he glanced at He Xiaokui with a somewhat strange look.

"Your Excellency Philippe, what does this letter say?" Władysław Amato asked eagerly in Portuguese.

“It is Eunuch Gao who requests that you, Lord Wudong, personally go to the bank tomorrow morning.” Wang Zheng’s Portuguese had a heavy northwestern accent, but it was generally fluent and grammatically correct. Upon hearing this, Wadsław Amato’s face immediately showed a nervous smile. “Your Excellency Philip,” he urgently requested Wang Zheng, “please ask Officer He for us why Eunuch Gao has suddenly summoned us?” Hobbes and Heydrich nodded in agreement.

Wang Zheng nodded in response, but instead of translating the merchants' questions directly, he turned to He Xiaokui and asked calmly, "Does Officer He know the contents of this letter?"

He Xiaokui's heart skipped a beat. How could he possibly know what was written in the letter?
But his quick wit kicked in immediately. He remembered that Gao Yingqiu had asked him to deliver the letter shortly after Wang Yingjiao left, so he smiled mysteriously and said, "I'm just a messenger. How dare I open and read my master's letter without permission? But..." He paused, deliberately lowering and drawing out his voice to sound serious, "I reckon it's probably related to the new Minister of Revenue."

"The new Minister of Revenue?" Wang Zheng's voice suddenly rose two octaves. "You mean Minister Wang Wuyuan!"

"Yes." He Xiaokui sat down in a pretentious manner. "This noon, Minister Wang came to my office and had a long talk with Eunuch Gao for the whole afternoon. They were very cordial, and in the end, they even arranged to look at houses together!"

Wang Zheng was indeed somewhat surprised. He had read the official gazette and knew that Wang Yingjiao was the new Minister of Revenue who would succeed Li Ruhua, but he did not know that the man had arrived in the capital, much less that Wang Yingjiao had already met with the emperor and assumed office. He couldn't help but ask, "When did Minister Wang arrive in the capital? And when did he take office?"

"When?" He Xiaokui didn't know as much as Wang Zheng, but he still braced himself and pretended to be well-informed, casually replying, "Hehe. It'll be in the next day or two!"

Wang Zheng continued, "May I ask what brings Minister Wang to your esteemed institution? And what is this about looking at houses that you mentioned earlier?"

He Xiaokui was actually feeling guilty, afraid that he would say too much and give himself away. He pretended to be nonchalant, slowly picked up his teacup, and used drinking tea as a cover to vaguely say, "Hey, that's all I can tell you. Why ask a nobody like me about other things? When Master Wu meets Eunuch Gao tomorrow, he will naturally know everything."

Wang Zheng nodded slightly and did not press the matter further. He turned to the three foreign merchants who were eagerly waiting and said in Portuguese, "The reason why Eunuch Gao summoned me is probably because the newly appointed Minister of Revenue, Wang Yingjiao, went to the bank today."

Upon hearing the name "Minister of Revenue Wang Yingjiao," the merchants' feelings became complicated. Although Gao Shiming had told them that the emperor's policy of opening up trade would not change because of the change in Minister of Revenue, the merchants were still worried that the new Minister Wang would change course, alter the agreements they had previously reached with Minister Li, and impose even more demanding conditions.

“Your Excellency Philip, please inquire further about Minister Wang’s matter for us. We want to know…” Before Władysław Amato could finish speaking, Wang Zheng shook his head: “I already asked him, but this Officer He refused to say more. Of course, it’s also possible that he himself doesn’t know much about the inside story.” His tone was calm, with a reassuring undertone. “I don’t think so, and you all don’t need to worry too much. Since Eunuch Gao took the initiative to invite us, he must still value the Chamber of Commerce.”

Władysław Amato could only nod regretfully. “Then please thank Officer He for us and ask him to tell Eunuch Gao that I will definitely go to the bank first thing tomorrow morning.”

Wang Zheng nodded slightly, then turned to He Xiaokui: "Officer He, Lord Wu Dong asks you to convey to Eunuch Gao that he will definitely keep the appointment on time tomorrow. Thank you for your trouble." He paused, then made a gesture to see him off, "Officer, you've worked hard. You can go back and report now."

Upon hearing "You can go back now," He Xiaokui inwardly groaned. The tea and snacks were delicious, but they weren't what he wanted! And the real reward was nowhere to be seen! But he couldn't just ask for it directly. His eyes darted around, and he feigned exhaustion, rubbing his legs. He then picked up a piece of pastry and stuffed it into his mouth, mumbling, "Oh dear, I've been running around all day, my legs are weak. Sir, could you allow me to rest a bit more, have a couple of snacks to tide me over, before I go on my way? That won't delay your business, will it?"

Wang Zheng was exceptionally astute and immediately saw through He Xiaokui's attempt to extort benefits. Although he felt disgusted, he understood the saying, "It's easier to see the King of Hell than to deal with his underlings." He suppressed his displeasure and leaned down to whisper a few words in Portuguese to Wadsław Amato.

“No problem!” Vadizław Amato smiled knowingly. He thought for a moment and took out two brand-new silver notes from the inner pocket of his robe.

The silver notes were exquisitely printed, precisely the standard "one tael" silver notes issued by the Sun Moon Bank. He rose and walked to He Xiaokui, handing over the two silver notes, and said with difficulty in broken Chinese, "Officer He, thank you for your trouble! This is just a small token of my appreciation. I am very... grateful!"

He Xiaokui's eyes lit up when he saw the silver note handed to him, but then a hint of hesitation flashed across his face. Two taels of silver was quite a sum, enough for more than a month's salary. But it was a silver note; although it could be used, it wasn't as reliable as cash. Moreover, if he went to the bank to cash it, the teller would inevitably find out that he had skimmed money on this trip. But then he thought: they'd already given it to him; it would be impolite to be picky. Besides, it was a note printed by their own bank; whether he kept it or cashed it at another branch, it was all the same!
"Oh dear, I can't accept this! You're too kind." He Xiaokui said politely, but his hands moved swiftly. He deftly took the two silver notes and stuffed them into his pocket, his face beaming with smiles. "Thank you so much for your generous reward, Lord Wudong! I will convey your words without missing a single one!"

"Thank you for your trouble." Władysław Amato didn't quite understand what the other person meant, but he roughly got the gist of it.

He Xiaokui stood up with satisfaction, bowed to the three foreign merchants and Wang Zheng, and said, "Then I will take my leave and go back to report!"

Wang Zheng merely nodded slightly, not even sparing a glance. Władysław Amato returned the greeting with another bow: "Thank you for your hard work! Take care!" He then instructed the gatekeeper: "Jiaqing, escort Officer He out!"

Li Jiaqing respectfully replied, "Yes, sir." He then turned and gestured to He Xiaokui, "Gao Cha, this way please."

He Xiaokui, clutching the silver notes in his pocket, walked out of the Sino-Western style living room with his head held high, reeking of sweat and the aroma of pastries, following Li Jiaqing. Inside, the three foreign merchants watched his retreating figure, their faces still showing a mixture of worry and anticipation for the unknown summons. Wang Zheng lightly dusted off his sleeves, as if brushing away some unseen dust.

(End of this chapter)