Di Ming

Chapter 133 Kita-ri Akane!
Before Ning Caiwei could decide whether to save the person, someone on the opposite boat shouted in Cantonese:
"Black Sails will commit murder! Don't meddle! Anyone who tries to save them will be killed!"

Mei Fusheng, the Guangdong attendant, said, "Lady Caiwei, these are the Black Sail Bandits, a gang of assassins on the Pearl River, hired to take lives."

Ning Caiwei understood; she had encountered an assassin organization on a business trip.

"So arrogant?" Ning Caiwei was speechless. "Isn't the government doing anything about it?"

"The government?" Mei Fusheng said sarcastically. "They're all in cahoots with the government. They've spent money, burned incense, and worshipped all the gods, so nobody cares about them."

"The Black Sail Bandits aren't the real big shots. The mountain lords, ship owners, and cult leaders are the real big shots. They can even be on friendly terms with the county magistrate."

Ning Caiwei was unaware that in Guangdong during the late Ming Dynasty, criminal gangs were extremely rampant, with countless secret societies and gangs, and a strong gang "culture".

There were mountain bandits, river bandits, secret societies, gangs, cults, and so on.

These criminal organizations range in size from a hundred to tens of thousands of members. They engage in all sorts of evil deeds, including smuggling salt, robbery, kidnapping, and murder, arousing widespread public outrage.

The common people were also helpless.

Qu Dajun said, "Those who govern the people today take advantage of bandits."

Guangdong officials treat organized crime as a cash cow, and there is deep collusion between officials and criminals. They are openly in cahoots, and organized crime is everywhere, as is the protection of criminals.

As a result, it has become commonplace for families to be destroyed and entire households wiped out by criminal gangs.

During the Longqing era, in Yong'an Prefecture alone, tens of thousands of civilians died as a result of the machinations of evil forces, a tragedy akin to war.

At this moment, seeing the two people about to swim over, Mei Fusheng quickly said:

“Young lady, I think it’s best not to get involved. These are all gangland feuds, and the victims may not be good people. If we offend the Black Sail Bandits, this journey by water will be troublesome.”

Zhang Naizhu, Zhou Desi, and others were on high alert, waiting for Ning Caiwei's order.

Ning Caiwei didn't hesitate any longer and ordered, "Avoid them, don't save anyone."

She's a businesswoman now. She's here to get things done, not to be a vigilante. Why would she want to get herself involved in something the government doesn't care about?
Her primary responsibility was the safety of her dozen or so subordinates.

Seeing Ning Caiwei's boat sail away, the two men couldn't help but curse loudly:
"Fuck your mother!"

"You little bitch! May your child be born without an anus!"

Ding Hongying, who was like a female knight-errant, originally felt a little guilty, but when she heard the two cursing each other, her guilt vanished instantly.

It seems these two aren't exactly good people either.

The two men cursed the bandits for not helping them, but after only a few words, they were shot dead by arrows from the Black Sail bandits.

The Black Sail bandits shot and killed two people, and then actually caught up with them.

Their boat was faster and quickly closed the distance.

Ning Caiwei's face immediately turned icy cold.

I wasn't meddling in other people's business, why are you still making such a fuss?

If you're looking for death, don't think that just because you're Black Sail Pirates, you're not a Black Sail Pirate, but the Brocade Sail Pirates too—you'll all die.

"Prepare for battle!" Ning Caiwei ordered. "If we don't make a move, fine; but if we do, wipe them all out, leave no one alive."

A dozen or so men stood at attention, their muskets drawn.

Ning Caiwei immediately led Xue Susu, who was of similar age, into the cabin.

A daughter of a wealthy family should not risk her life; she could not be involved in any dangerous battles. This was not out of fear of death, but because she did not want to become a burden to her subordinates.

However, before she could hide in the cabin, a voice came from the pursuing ship:

"Thank you to the friends on the ship for giving face to my Black Sail Society! Now that we've met, I hope you'll accept this small token of our appreciation!"

After he finished speaking, someone tossed a heavy bundle onto the deck.

Immediately, the boat turned around, hoisted its sails, and headed downstream.

This scene was completely unexpected by everyone.

Zhou Naizhu picked up the bundle, opened it, and found several silver ingots, exactly twenty taels.

"Young lady, it's twenty taels of silver."

Ning Caiwei picked up a silver ingot and saw that it was pure snowflake silver. The silver ingot was shaped like a boat, and the bottom was stamped with the words "Black Sail".

"Heh, these assassins are quite disciplined," Ding Hongying laughed. "If someone else sees them working, they have to pay a prize."

Ning Caiwei asked, "Is this called a prize?"

Ding Hongying nodded, "Yes. Those who follow the rules give a prize, meaning they're making friends. Those who don't follow the rules are just killing people to silence them."

Ning Caiwei put away the silver and said with a smile, "Use this silver to buy everyone some wine."

Soon after, the boat reached the Guangzhou section of the river, where the banks were ablaze with lights, and flower boats filled the streets. It was a scene of bustling prosperity.

Amidst the melodious sounds of traditional Chinese string and wind instruments, accompanied by the plaintive singing of Cantonese opera—in the Yiyang style—there were excerpts from "The Romance of the Western Chamber" and "The Purple Hairpin's Lament," but they were:

"A poignant melody evokes memories of a heartbreaking night; kindred spirits resonate through the ages..."

"A year of imperial examinations has been filled with worldly toil; now, with lights off and wine flowing freely, youth is wasted. May I not have wasted ten years of study..."

The autumn wind blew fiercely across the river, and Ning Caiwei's dress fluttered, yet she felt no chill.

Ning Caiwei stood at the bow of the boat, gazing at the ancient metropolis under the lights on the north bank, her eyes filled with a dreamy look.

This is Guangzhou. No wonder it's a millennium-old commercial capital; even in the Ming Dynasty, it was a megacity.

Guangzhou, now the capital of Guangdong Province, is renowned for its bustling commerce and city life, ranking first in southern China. It is a major metropolis on par with Nanjing, Beijing, Suzhou, and Yangzhou.

At that time, Guangzhou had a population of at least 800,000. In the 35th year of the Jiajing reign, Fernand, a missionary living in Guangzhou, recorded: "Guangzhou consumes 5,000 pigs every day."

"Young mistress." The boat captain approached Ning Caiwei with a simple and honest smile. "We won't be leaving tonight. Would it be alright to rest at the Guangzhou dock?"

This riverboat was rented by Ning Caiwei from Xiangshan Wharf. It's suitable for sailing on the Pearl River, unlike the previous seagoing vessel.

The boatman and his crew numbered only four, but that was enough to steer the boat.

"Why?" Ning Caiwei frowned slightly. "Riverboats don't need manpower; they can move as soon as they hoist the sails. Why do they need to rest for the night?"

The boatman said, "Young master, we've traveled dozens of miles by water from the river mouth to Guangzhou. Everyone is hungry, so we need to dock for a meal and drinks..."

Ning Caiwei said dismissively, "Isn't there dry food on the ship? There's also cooked food. We can just buy some to eat on the ship. Why do we need to go ashore to rest for the night?"

The boat captain said with a forced smile, "The dry rations on this boat can't compare to the delicious food in restaurants on shore. If you don't eat and drink well for a day, you won't have any energy."

Ning Caiwei couldn't help but roll her eyes.

People from Guangdong really love to eat.

"Alright." Ning Caiwei didn't want to have a falling out with the boatman, after all, it was his boat, and she still needed him to take her to Liuzhou, Guangxi.

Why not take this opportunity to visit Guangzhou, as a business trip?

“However, I must warn you beforehand,” Ning Caiwei said seriously, “the prosperity on the shore is like smoke, so don’t let your eyes be blinded by it and cause you to miss things once we’re ashore.”

The boatman thought to himself: This little girl is really precocious for her age, acting like an adult, so clever and shrewd. But he said aloud:
"Don't worry, young master. Now that we've received the money, we won't dare to be negligent."

At that moment, the riverboat slowly docked at the north bank pier, looking for a place to anchor. The riverbank was densely packed with boats, their lights shining like stars.

After getting ashore, Ning Caiwei finally realized the humid and hot climate of Guangzhou.

Even at night, the shore is teeming with tourists. Most of them, both men and women, are dressed in silk gauze and satin.

The women's clothing styles were mostly phoenix-tail skirts and moon-flower skirts. In Ning Caiwei's view, they were completely different from the clothing of the Qing Dynasty.

Unlike women from Jiangnan, women from Lingnan love to wear necklaces, which are often adorned with items such as ear picks, toothpicks, tweezers, small knives, thimbles, and small scissors, making them quite distinctive.

She carries silver toothpicks and a small knife with her, which shows she really loves to eat.

She carries a thimble and small scissors with her, which shows how diligent she is.

Their hairstyles often resemble those of Tang Dynasty women, including the double spiral bun and the fallen horse bun.

Regardless of gender, most people wear wooden clogs, perhaps because the climate in Guangdong is hot and humid, and people don't like to keep their feet warm?

Indeed, during the Ming Dynasty, Guangzhou was the place where wooden clogs were most commonly worn, and also the place where the Tang Dynasty style was most prevalent.

Both men and women love to wear flowers in their hair. Many people have their hair adorned with fresh flowers. Even doorways and carriages are decorated with flower branches.

Although the custom of wearing flowers in one's hair existed throughout the Ming Dynasty, no one liked it as much as the people of Guangzhou.

Ning Caiwei, Ding Hongying, and the others looked at the crowd of people wearing flowers in their hair and suddenly felt a little out of place.

Because they weren't wearing flowers in their hair, it seemed like something was missing.

Ning Caiwei and the others found an inn near the city gate outside the South Gate and checked in to rest for the night.

In the sixth year of the Zhengtong reign, the imperial court ordered the restoration of Guangzhou due to the chaos there. Afterwards, the city was completely transformed. Therefore, at least within the city, it was relatively safe.

There were too many mosquitoes at night. Luckily we had mosquito nets, otherwise no one could have slept at all.

Ning Caiwei was from Guanzhong, and she was not used to the humid heat of Guangzhou. She always felt sticky and uncomfortable, and did not sleep well all night.

Even though it's late autumn, people in Guangzhou still like to sit outside, drink herbal tea, eat late-night snacks, and chat.

the next morning.

Just as the hour of Chen (7-9 AM) arrived, the city gates opened, and many people were seen pushing flower carts and carrying flower baskets, entering the city in single file.

They are the first flower farmers and vendors to enter the city every day, numbering in the hundreds or thousands.

In the early morning, Guangzhou is immediately immersed in the fragrance of flowers, and the whole city is intoxicated by the aroma of flowers.

It turns out that the people of Guangzhou love flowers so much that they call them "jasmine." Flowers were so essential that the flower trade was very prosperous, supporting many flower farmers.

During the Ming Dynasty, the flower farmers of Guangzhou were famous throughout the land.

Guangzhou even has a special ferry crossing for transporting fresh flowers, namely the Flower Ferry Crossing on the south bank of Wuyangmen.

There are many flower fields outside Guangzhou, where flower farmers specialize in growing flowers. All seven city gates of Guangzhou are flower markets, selling thousands of loads of fresh flowers every day, truly making it a flower city.

Ning Caiwei and the others spent a few coins to buy some flowers, which they then wore in their hair, instantly filling their bodies with fragrance.

I no longer dare to get close to those annoying mosquitoes.

"I get it now, it's to repel mosquitoes!" Ning Caiwei immediately understood why people from Guangdong were accustomed to wearing flowers.

It's not just about loving beauty.

There are too many mosquitoes here, so wearing flowers will reduce the disturbance. Ning Caiwei left the inn and headed north along the Jade Belt Canal, which leads to the famous South Gate of Guangzhou.

Nanguan is the most prosperous area in Guangzhou.

Gaodi Street and Haopanjie in Nanguan were the most prosperous streets in Nanguan, described as "stretching for six or seven miles from east to west, with a dense population and piles of goods, truly a prosperous capital."

Huang Zuo of the Ming Dynasty described the four passes of Guangzhou as "East Village, West Charming, South Rich, and North Poor".

The people of Dongguan are simple and honest, the people of Xiguan love to dress up, the people of Nanguan are wealthy, and the people of Beiguan are poor.

Ning Caiwei and her companions entered the South Gate and saw that both sides of the Jade Belt Canal were lined with thousands of houses and shops, with pedestrians thronging the streets, stretching as far as the eye could see.

It surpassed even the commercial streets of later generations.

People in Guangzhou are kind and polite. Goods sold in the shop can be returned a few days later.

She saw a commercial street specializing in selling fabrics, with all kinds of cloth available.

Guangzhou fine white cotton cloth and twill cotton cloth, Shunde banana cloth and kudzu cloth, Dongguan zhu cloth and yellow silk cloth, five-silk cloth, eight-silk cloth, Guang satin... are all materials favored by northerners and foreigners.

Guangzhou cotton is in no way inferior to Songjiang cotton. Its silks and embroideries sell well all over the world.

Fabrics were a major commodity in Guangzhou. In addition to fabrics, there were also luxury goods in the eyes of Westerners, such as musk, pearls, porcelain, ivory carvings, and lacquerware.

Today, luxury goods are produced in the East, the opposite of what happened in later generations.

Ning Caiwei had studied "Commercial History," and she knew very well that the famous Guangdong Maritime Trade Office was nearby.

However, the Maritime Trade Office of the Ming Dynasty mainly managed tributary trade, not normal commercial trade. Nowadays, the power to levy taxes on maritime trade rests with local governments, not the Maritime Trade Office.

In the twenty-seventh year of the Wanli Emperor's reign, Wanli and the local government competed for tax revenue, so he handed over the tax collection authority for Guangzhou's maritime trade to the Maritime Trade Office, which was managed by eunuchs.

In Ning Caiwei's view, what's even more ridiculous is that the Ming Dynasty government did not recognize Guangdong's maritime trade and considered it smuggling under the law.

However, on the one hand, they consider it smuggling and do not recognize its legality. On the other hand, they still impose taxes.

This strange phenomenon only occurred during the Ming Dynasty.

In reality, this is a reluctant, tacit admission that smuggling is justifiable, because there is too much smuggling between officials and businessmen, and the vested interest groups are too powerful.

The emperor could neither admit it nor prohibit it, so he had no choice but to turn a blind eye.

Qu Dajun wrote a poem: "Foreign ships rush out, driven by officials and merchants; the cross gate opens to the two oceans."

As for why they don't openly lift the maritime ban, it's because only by legally banning it can they monopolize maritime trade.

If it were truly fully open and the benefits were shared, they would no longer be able to monopolize the market.

Ning Caiwei strolled around the South Gate Market and suddenly saw a shop sign with four characters: Wuxiang Opium.

Wuxiang Opium? Ning Caiwei frowned. Isn't that opium?

Is opium being sold in Guangzhou nowadays?
She didn't know that Westerners were importing a lot of opium from overseas, and it had been around for decades, since the Jiajing era. It was not a rare commodity in Guangzhou at all.

What she didn't know was that in just over a year, the Ming court would officially impose an opium tax.

As for the harm of opium... sorry, even the emperor took it, calling it "longevity ointment," and couldn't do without it every day.

Of course, she was unaware that one of the secret orders Wanli had given to Tian Yi was to investigate the volume of the opium trade in the south in preparation for taxation.

This was a very large store, and there were many customers. When Ning Caiwei entered the store, she found that the staff were selling goods.

The goods were wrapped in white paper, and inside was a jet-black mass with a somewhat pungent smell.

Ning Caiwei felt a sudden unease. She was certain this was opium!

"This is agarwood just delivered by the Frankish ship," a shop assistant said with a smile. "It costs one and a half taels of silver per catty, and there are two catties in total. You can enjoy a discount of three taels of silver!"

One jin costs one liang and five qian? Ning Caiwei was a little surprised.

That's too expensive, it's outrageous profiteering!

One tael and five mace of silver can buy three bushels of rice right now, but can only buy one pound of opium!
Seeing that there were many customers, the shopkeeper said with a smile:
"This agarwood from the West is better than that from Siam! Even the agarwood that Siam offers to the royal palace can't compare to what I have here! Buy it, it's even better than what the palace uses."

Another customer with a Zhejiang accent said, "I want 200 jin (100 kg), can you give me a discount? I'll be a regular customer!"

Good heavens, he ordered two hundred catties of opium right off the bat, that's quite a sum!

Just as Ning Caiwei was about to ask, a shrill voice suddenly asked, "Shopkeeper, how much merchandise do you sell in a year?"

Ning Caiwei took a look and saw that the man was dressed in luxurious clothes, wearing a hat with the Six Harmonies Unification, with a fair face and no beard, and looked very familiar.

It didn't take long for her to remember.

Isn't this just one of the eunuchs under my uncle's command? What's he doing in Guangzhou?

He must have been sent by Tian Yi. What is he doing here?
Ning Caiwei listened to his questions as if he were conducting a business investigation about opium.

Is it going to be a crackdown on opium?

Did the Ming Dynasty have an anti-opium campaign? It seems not. So, was it for...taxation?
Ning Caiwei suddenly remembered that Emperor Wanli seemed to have levied an opium tax.

Thinking about this, she seemed to understand.

Most likely, it's for a tax investigation. That selfish, greedy, and incompetent ruler might impose an opium tax!
Imposing an opium tax meant that the Ming court recognized opium as legal.

It is a tragedy for the entire nation to have such an ignorant and incompetent person sitting on the throne. No wonder later generations said that the Ming Dynasty fell because of Wanli, and that his grandson hanged himself.

It's not unfair at all.

Ning Caiwei had no interest in shopping anymore. She took a quick look around Guangzhou, then returned to the ship and ordered it to set sail.

She couldn't linger in Guangzhou, so she had to leave in a fleeting moment.

As Ning Caiwei looked back at the majestic city of Guangzhou after leaving the port, she couldn't help but recall the tragic events of the past.

Decades later, the Qing army marched south and perpetrated the Guangzhou Massacre.

The once bustling city of Guangzhou was massacred, the Pearl River stained red with blood, 700,000 people died, and the corpses piled up like mountains.

The last great city of the Han people fell to the swords of foreign invaders.

Little Tiger, we must never let this kind of history happen!

.........

Qingqiao Lane.

When the news of the Wang family's property being raided spread, half of Jiangning County was shaken.

The Wang family, which had dominated the local area for many years, was wiped out overnight.

The Zhang and Liu families, along with other powerful and influential clans, were like frightened birds, fearing that they might get burned.

Just four or five days after the Wang family's property was raided, another unsettling piece of news followed.

The Chen family, not far from Qingqiao Lane, known as the number one pharmaceutical merchant in Jiangning, was also raided.

The charge is also colluding with foreign barbarians and Japanese pirates to plot treason!
It is said that Chen Gui's son, Chen Ji, put righteousness before his death and wrote a letter exposing the crimes of his father and brother.

It turns out that the Chen family and the Wang family had been colluding before.

When the news spread, even the Zhang and Liu families, who had previously disbelieved that the Wang family would collude with the Japanese pirates, began to suspect that the Wang family might indeed be colluding with them.

However, one person's name soon spread throughout the town.

Zhu Yin!

Zhu Yin was only ten years old!
Legend has it that behind him were not only Magistrate Zhuang, but also Eunuch Tian. The Wang family was only discovered to be colluding with foreigners and Japanese pirates because they offended Zhu Yin.

Otherwise, the Wang family wouldn't have been specifically investigated.

Then many people learned that Zhu Yin had bought all of the Wang family's fertile fields and estates.

Then someone else said that Zhu Yin had also bought the Chen family's eight medicinal herb gardens.

If the news is true, it means that Zhu Yin has suddenly become the most powerful landowner in his hometown, as well as one of the top medicinal herb garden owners in Southern Zhili!

Even Zhang Shixun and Liu Xuanchu couldn't sit still after hearing this news.

They never imagined that a child who had only been in the area for two months would suddenly become a prominent local family, replacing the Wang family's position!

Should we go to the Zhu family and see that boy?
Even the peddlers and itinerant doctors in the village knew that the Zhu family in Beili had risen to become a new power in the area.

The King of Sairi is gone, replaced by... Kitari Akane!

……

While the villagers were discussing the matter, Zhu Yin took advantage of the holiday to take Ning Qingchen to inspect his manor.

That's right, it's the Wang family's 3,600 mu of fertile land and the Chen family's eight medicinal herb gardens.

He's already bought it, and he's got the deed. Of course, the new owner has to go and take a look.

He also "exposed" the Chen family because he discovered Chen Ji's corpse.

In Tian Yi's view, he had no grudges against the Chen family and had no dealings with them, so it was impossible for him to wrong the Chen family.

The Chen family's eight medicinal herb gardens were, of course, sold to Zhu Yin at a bargain price. The gardens, valued at 30,000 taels of silver, were sold to Zhu Yin for only 3,000 taels.

Tian Yi clearly intended to support Zhu Yin and establish him as a new power.

This involved both gratitude from Tian Yi and Tian Yi's own selfish motives. Supporting Zhu Yin would certainly benefit his plans in Southern Zhili.

As soon as Zhu Yin and Ning Qingchen stepped out, they ran into two acquaintances.

It was Zhuang Shu and Tang Rong!

When Zhuang Shu saw Zhu Yin, she said with a smile, "Zhihu, it's been more than half a month since I last saw you, and you've become the Zhu of Beili. You've really impressed everyone."

After speaking, he bowed to Zhu Yin.

Her cousin, Tang Rong, also greeted her with a smile.

"Chihko, are you going out? Where are you going?"

Ning Qingchen, who was on Zhu Yin's back, immediately showed hostility when she saw Zhuang Shu and hugged Zhu Yin's neck tightly.

Hmph, my sister specifically told me to keep an eye on the little tiger and not let him... get close to that little girl named Zhuang Shu!
P.S.: I mainly wrote about Guangzhou today, not much. I couldn't write much due to space limitations. I'll speed up the pace a bit next time. Thank you, goodnight!

(End of this chapter)