Taichang Ming Dynasty

Chapter 747 Doing What Needs to Be Done
Just as He Yingkui was staring blankly at the entrance of the building, the meeting in the tea room on the second floor was also coming to an end.

Inside the tea room, Vice President Gao Yingqiu stood respectfully behind his godfather, his hands at his sides. In front of him, President Gao Shiming sat alone on the main seat to the left, with only a single cup of light tea on the tea table beside him.

Opposite the two, Władysław Amato, who was in charge, and Wang Zheng, who was acting as the translator, sat on two guest seats to the left of the main seat. Ryan Hobbes and Rogers Heydrich sat on two other guest seats to the right. Gao Shiming's original intention was only to have a brief talk with Amato, but since the other three had come along, he didn't force them to leave.

"Rest assured, everyone." Gao Shiming took a sip of warm tea, a gentle smile appearing on his face as usual. "The bank will do its best to mediate between your institution and the Ministry of Revenue. We will ensure that your business can proceed smoothly within the territory of our Great Ming."

Wang Zheng translated the words into Portuguese in a calm and clear voice, ensuring that all three foreign merchants present could hear him. Wadsław Amato's face immediately showed gratitude. He looked at Gao Shiming and tried his best to say in fairly fluent Chinese, "Thank you, Eunuch Gao!" Then, he turned to Wang Zheng and quickly made a request in Portuguese.

Wang Zheng immediately turned to Gao Shiming, the translator, and said, "Eunuch Gao, the Udonis wish to ask you to help arrange a meeting with Minister Wang." Before Wang Zheng could finish speaking, Władysław Amato added urgently in his ear. Wang Zheng nodded slightly, and then the translator added, "The location of the meeting is entirely up to you, Eunuch Gao."

Gao Shiming's smile remained unchanged. He neither confirmed nor denied, only speaking in an official tone: "Minister Wang is a high-ranking official of the country, busy with countless affairs. Now that he has just taken charge of the Ministry of Revenue, he has even more to do and may not have the time to personally attend your appointments." He paused, then changed the subject, "However, the trading company is a distinguished client of our bank. Since Master Wu Dong has brought it up, the bank will do its best to accommodate you. I will send someone to the trading company to inform you when there is good news."

Having spent some time in the capital, Władysław Amato had gained a general understanding of the manner and manner of speech of Ming Dynasty officials, and knew that one could not force things. Therefore, after listening to Wang Zheng's translation, he no longer pressed for answers, but simply thanked him again in broken Chinese: "Thank you, Your Excellency! I'm grateful for your help!"

Gao Shiming nodded slightly, and asked casually, "How is your business in Yuegang?"

Wang Zheng translated the question for Władysław Amato. Amato's face immediately showed confusion, and he instinctively asked Wang Zheng in Portuguese, "Your Excellency Philippe, what does 'Yuegao' mean?"

Wang Zheng was taken aback and asked in confusion, "Yuegang is a maritime port in Zhangzhou, Fujian, specifically opened by the imperial court for Western merchants. I know that, so how could Lord Wu not know?"

Upon hearing the pronunciation "Chincheo," Władysław Amato immediately understood. He smiled and said to Wang Zheng, "We don't say 'Yuegao,' we just call it 'Chincheo' or 'Gao'."

"Chincheo" is the Hokkien name for "Zhangzhou". Sometimes, Western merchants also wrote this word as "Chinchiu" or "Chinchew".

Wang Zheng understood and nodded in acknowledgment. He then repeated Gao Shiming's question: "Master Wu, Eunuch Gao just asked how your business in Zhangzhou is going?"

Władysław Amato's smile faded slightly. Instead of answering the question immediately, he cautiously asked Wang Zheng, "Your Excellency Philip, please ask Eunuch Gao why he suddenly asked this?"

Wang Zheng shook his head slightly and lowered his voice to say to Vadisław Amato, "Lord Udon, officials don't like to ask questions. Even if they do, they might not answer you. If you don't want to answer, I can help you make excuses, but I still suggest you answer truthfully based on what you know."

Wadsław Amato paused for a moment, then nodded knowingly. He gathered his thoughts and replied in Portuguese, “Business is generally good. Merchants from various countries import large quantities of cotton cloth, silk, porcelain, tea, or ironware from Zhangzhou every year, which they then sell to Europe, Southeast Asia, or Japan.”

Wang Zheng translated Amato's answer to Gao Shiming. Gao Shiming listened without expression and then asked, "Cotton cloth, silk, porcelain, tea, ironware—these are all things you bought from the Celestial Empire. So what goods do you sell?"

Upon hearing this question, Amato's face showed a hint of helplessness, and he shook his head: "Chinese merchants are very picky. They only want spices and luxury goods produced in the Southeast Asian islands. Other goods simply don't sell. Most of the time, we still have to use silver for large-scale transactions."

"What about the grain and crude iron?" Gao Shiming asked again. "Didn't you transport the grain and crude iron to Tianjin?"

“This is an order from the imperial court,” Władysław Amato said with a wry smile. “In the past, some people have tried to sell grain and crude iron produced in Southeast Asia to Chinese merchants, but in all my years of business, I have never heard of anyone successfully selling large quantities of grain or crude iron to any Chinese merchant.” Amato paused for a moment and said, “The first person to place a large order with us was Minister Li of the Ministry of Revenue.”

Amato's words immediately resonated with Lane Hobbs and Rogers Heydrich, one a mine owner and the other a plantation owner, who owned many mines and plantations but had never done any decent business with the Chinese.

When Li Ruhua resigned in February, the two men reacted the most. In particular, plantation owner Rogers Heydrich, after reaching an agreement with Li Ruhua, even wrote a letter at the urging of Dinesh João, asking the agricultural trade association to actively raise funds to purchase grain from South Asians or Indians in order to fulfill the orders Li Ruhua had placed with them.

Grain, unlike ore or crude iron, cannot be stored for long periods. If it cannot be delivered in time, irreversible and enormous losses will quickly occur. Although they received some assurances from Gao Shiming upon learning of Li Ruhua's departure, he was not truly at ease until he received news that the ships were allowed to dock in Tianjin.

Gao Shiming listened to Wang Zheng's translation, his face remaining calm. "Then," he slowly picked up the teacup beside him, gently skimming off the foam with the lid, and casually posed his final question: "Approximately how many days would it take you to sail a ship fully loaded with goods from Fujian to Tianjin? And how much money would it cost?"

Wang Zheng vaguely realized that Gao Shiming's questions seemed to conceal some subtle intention, but he did not reveal this meaning to Amato. He simply translated the literal meaning as a matter of routine.

Władysław Amato didn't think too much about it; instead, he saw it as an opportunity to raise the price. He did some serious calculations and replied, "A fully loaded galleon, what you call a thousand-tael ship, including the sailors' monthly wages, the consumption of supplies during the voyage, the depreciation and maintenance costs of the ship itself, and the necessary administrative expenses, would cost at least a thousand taels of silver per month."

He paused for a moment, then continued, "And from Fujian to Tianjin, even with a smooth and unobstructed journey, it would still take at least a month to sail. Therefore, the cost of a galleon for this trip from Fujian to Tianjin would be at least one thousand taels. If, by bad luck, a storm or pirates were encountered, causing the ship to be anchored for a long time, or even resulting in the death of crew members, the cost of this trip could even climb to two or three thousand taels!"

After hearing Wang Zheng relay the price quote, a glint seemed to flicker in Gao Shiming's eyes. But in the end, he made no comment, only nodding slightly: "I see, thank you for letting me know." With that, he gently put down his teacup, turned his head, and looked at Gao Yingqiu: "Yingqiu, see the guest out."

Upon hearing the order, Gao Yingqiu immediately stepped forward and gestured for him to proceed. His gaze politely fell on Wang Zheng: "I'm grateful to Mr. Wang and all the business owners for making this trip today. Please return home. If anything comes up in the future, the bank will send someone to the trading company to inform you."

Before Gao Yingqiu could finish speaking, the door to the teahouse was opened by the waiter standing guard at the entrance. Although the foreign merchants still had something to say, seeing this, they could only rise and take their leave. ————————

In the lobby, He Xiaokui stood stiffly in his seat, restless. The two silver notes in his pocket felt like red-hot irons, making him uneasy. He tried to concentrate on whether any guests would arrive, but his thoughts kept drifting to the staircase leading to the second floor.

Just then, a series of slightly hurried footsteps came clearly through the floorboards. He Xiaokui was startled and suddenly looked up, his heart clenching! His ears caught the trail of the footsteps, and his eyes followed the movement of the sound.

The footsteps grew closer, each step feeling like a blow to He Xiaokui's taut nerves. When the footsteps finally reached the top of the stairs and were about to descend, He Xiaokui's heart nearly leaped out of his throat! He instinctively took a step forward, as if to greet them, but then abruptly stopped.

On the stairs, Gao Yingqiu led the three foreign merchants down with Wang Zheng. As soon as they reached the bottom of the stairs, the leader, Władysław Amato, immediately spotted He Xiaokui standing in the center of the lobby. Amato smiled familiarly and greeted He Xiaokui in Chinese: "Officer He! We meet again."

He Xiaokui's face flushed crimson! He tried to force a smile, but his facial muscles were frozen stiff. His lips moved a few times, but he couldn't utter a single word. It wasn't until Gao Yingqiu's gaze swept over him with a questioning look that He Xiaokui snapped out of his daze, as if pricked by a needle. He hurriedly lowered his head, hunched over, and almost staggered forward, his voice dry as he asked, "Are...we...we're going back already?"

Władysław Amato understood his words and nodded with a smile: "Yes! I'm off! I'll come again next time!"

He Xiaokui quickly walked a few steps to the door, opened the bank door, and bowed, gesturing for customers to enter: "Come again, sir! Have a safe trip!"

Ryan Hobbs and Rogers Heydrich were completely oblivious to He Xiaokui's unusual behavior. They simply nodded politely to him and followed Amato out the door. Wang Zheng, however, found He Xiaokui's expression and actions rather strange. His gaze lingered on him for a moment, but he didn't dwell on it. He quickly looked away and joined the other foreign merchants in bowing to Gao Yingqiu inside the door to say goodbye. "Farewell."

"Please take your time, everyone." Gao Yingqiu bowed in return and saw them off a few steps further.

The foreign merchants and Wang Zheng boarded the waiting merchant carriages, and the wheels rolled slowly away from the bank.

Gao Yingqiu watched the carriage disappear around the street corner before turning back to the bank lobby. He walked through the lobby and headed straight for the stairs leading to the second floor. When he passed He Xiaokui, who was still standing stiffly by the door, trembling slightly, Gao Yingqiu acted as if he didn't see him at all, not even stopping to talk to him, and didn't even glance at him out of the corner of his eye.

Gao Yingqiu went up to the second floor without stopping, heading straight for the tea room where they had just met. The door to the tea room was wide open, and two waiters were deftly clearing away the cups and teaware. Gao Yingqiu glanced around and noticed that his godfather, Gao Shiming, was not there.

When one of the waiters saw Gao Yingqiu enter, he searched for him with his eyes, immediately stopped what he was doing, and respectfully pointed to the floor above: "The master has already gone upstairs."

Gao Yingqiu squeezed out a short "hmm" from his nose. Then he turned and climbed the stairs leading to the third floor.

The door to the bank manager's office on the third floor was tightly shut. Gao Yingqiu walked to the door and was about to knock when Gao Shiming's voice came from inside first: "Come in."

Gao Yingqiu pushed open the door and entered. He saw Gao Shiming standing with his back to the door, hands behind his back, by the open window, gazing at the bustling street scene outside. The morning sunlight outlined his slightly thin figure.

Gao Yingqiu quietly turned around and closed the door, then stopped about three steps behind Gao Shiming and whispered, "Godfather, those foreign merchants have been sent away."

“I saw him.” Gao Shiming didn’t turn around; his gaze remained fixed on the view outside the window. After a moment of silence, he suddenly asked, “Who is that interpreter named Wang Zheng who came with them today? I’ve never seen him before.” In previous meetings, the interpreters brought by the foreign merchants were all Jesuit monks.

Gao Yingqiu was slightly taken aback, then shook his head: "Father, I don't know either."

Upon hearing this, Gao Shiming slowly turned around, his gaze falling on Gao Yingqiu's face: "Then go and find out. Find out his identity, place of origin, and address."

After a moment's thought, Gao Yingqiu suggested, "The Western trading houses are definitely places that the Eastern Depot and the Eastern Depot are keeping a close eye on. Why don't we go directly to the Eastern Depot and ask them?"

“No, you find a way to investigate yourself.” Gao Shiming said decisively. “This shouldn’t be difficult. After you’ve found out the truth, write a report and submit it.”

Gao Yingqiu looked puzzled: "Why go through all this trouble?"

“It’s precisely because we’re doing this that we need to go to the trouble.” Gao Shiming turned around and looked at Gao Yingqiu meaningfully. “The imperial guards are the imperial guards, and the bank is the bank. Although we’re all from the same family,” he held up one finger and waved it in the air a few times, making it appear as two, “we still have to eat from two pots. Understand?”

"Yes, son understands. I'll go check right away." Gao Yingqiu clearly didn't understand, but seeing his godfather's resolute attitude, he didn't dare to object.

“You don’t understand.” Gao Shiming took in his expression and explained calmly, “I’m not interested in Wang Zheng’s identity, and I know that the Imperial Guard has probably already investigated him. But none of that matters.” He paused, “I asked you to go through all this trouble just to let the higher-ups know that our bank has been doing its best to do what it’s supposed to do.”

(End of this chapter)