The Black Sails of the Ming Dynasty

Chapter 38 Beauty Trap

"Alright, Brother Yiguan, let's not stand on the deck. Please come to the stern to talk in detail, please." Lin Qian's expression remained unchanged, but she thought to herself, "I never expected that I would meet Zheng Zhilong, whom I've been talking about all the time, by chance."

"Please." Zheng Zhilong was very polite and walked with Lin Qian towards the stern restaurant.

After both parties were seated.

Zheng Zhilong spoke first: "Mr. José's letter said that the cargo on board was worth 400,000 taels. I didn't quite believe it at first, but after seeing this huge ship, I realized how short-sighted I was. I am truly ashamed. The Spanish actually entrusted such a treasure ship to Senior Lin. I admire him to the skies."

José's letter had already explained where the ship came from.

Zheng Zhilong referred to "capture" as "commission" simply to make it sound better; it was a polite way of putting things. Moreover, he adopted a very humble attitude to avoid offending Lin Qian in his words.

The fact that he was able to board the ship as a special envoy suggests that he wasn't just some random person that "senator" picked out to deal with.

Since Zheng Zhilong liked to make polite remarks, Lin Qian patiently chatted with him and waved her hand, saying, "What senior or junior? We're not that far apart in age, so calling each other like that would be too formal. Since I've already called you Brother Yi Guan, if you don't mind, you can call me Brother."

Zheng Zhilong was overjoyed. He stood up, cupped his hands, and bowed deeply to the ground, saying, "Brother Lin."

Lin Qian stood up and offered a helping hand, saying warmly, "Brother Yiguan, you're too kind. Please have a seat... Hey you, go brew some tea, and also bring my collection of cigars for Brother Yiguan to try."

"Brother Lin, how can this be..." Zheng Zhilong was somewhat flattered.

He may appear to be a smooth talker, but he is only a sixteen-year-old boy. He may have experienced many hardships, but he is certainly not used to extravagance and flattery.

Lin Qian had seen plenty of people like this who liked to act mature, and she had plenty of ways to deal with them.

A moment later, tea was served, and cigars were brought out.

Lin Qian asked someone to bring scissors and a candlestick, and demonstrated the suction method to Zheng Zhilong: "...cut off the eggplant like this, but don't cut too much, just leave a small opening...and then light it over a fire like this..."

After Lin Qian finished speaking, he took a puff. He didn't know if it was because he hadn't drunk coffee for a long time and was hallucinating, but he felt that there was a coffee flavor in the cigarette, which was extremely mellow and refreshing.

Zheng Zhilong imitated Lin Qian, taking a mouthful of air, and was immediately choked and coughed repeatedly, feeling dizzy and lightheaded.

Lin Qian smiled and said, "Brother Yi Guan, you can't swallow this smoke. Just let it stay in your mouth and then exhale. I apologize for not explaining clearly. Try again..."

Cigars have no filters, and if you take a puff and inhale too much nicotine, you'll get "smoking intoxication." Lin Qian deliberately didn't explain this clearly so that Zheng Zhilong would get drunk first, making it easier to discuss things later.

Zheng Zhilong tried it again as instructed, and after several attempts, he indeed experienced its wonders and was full of praise.

"These cigars are a pastime among Western nobles, often paired with wine and brandy. When enjoying them, a quiet room is required..."

Lin Qian began to talk at length about cigars, but in reality, everything he said was completely fabricated.

Cigar culture has not yet taken shape, and tobacco in the Americas is still mostly smoked through pipes.

In Europe, pipe smokers are everywhere, and there aren't many fussy rules.

But Zheng Zhilong couldn't possibly know so much about European nobles. Plus, Lin Qian's description was so detailed and convincing, and with the stimulation of nicotine, he felt like he was floating on clouds.

This was exactly the tactic Lin Qian used to deal with clients in her previous life: the more effort she put into the hospitality, the easier it was to negotiate terms.

After all, everything is inseparable from "human relationships." When it comes to official business, one face is one thing, but when it comes to human relationships, one face is another.

While Zheng Zhilong was smoking, Lin Qian had already instructed people to arrange the banquet for the evening, and then went to find two girls.

Lin Qian's shipment was of dubious origin, and the goods were susceptible to moisture and seawater damage. The large sailboat could not remain anchored at sea for an extended period, and she could not keep it in her hands indefinitely. All these conditions were unfavorable to Lin Qian, leaving her with little leverage to negotiate.

As long as "Mr. Congressman" remains calm and keeps delaying delivery, the price will drop again and again. If he's really ruthless, he might even push it down to 100,000 taels. The fact that he sent Zheng Zhilong onto the ship most likely means he has the intention of driving down the price.

That's why Zheng Zhilong spent so much time making pleasantries, addressing her as "senior" and calling her "brother," but never getting to the point. If Lin Qian were to take the initiative to inspect the goods and inquire about the price at this moment, she would reveal her weakness, and would inevitably be at a disadvantage in the price negotiation. Therefore, Lin Qian couldn't be in a hurry. Zheng Zhilong could drag it out if he wanted, delaying for a day or two to see who would lose patience first.

As Lin Qian had expected, Zheng Zhilong never mentioned the inspection of the goods, and Lin Qian chatted about all sorts of things.

Lei Sanxiang was so frustrated that he kept trying to ask questions, but Lin Qian stopped him with her eyes and gave him a task to get him out of the cabin.

It wasn't until evening that Lin Qian invited Zheng Zhilong to have drinks and dinner.

After being entertained and flattered all afternoon, Zheng Zhilong finally couldn't stand it anymore and took the initiative to speak, subtly probing, "Brother Lin, since you've been to Southeast Asia, could you tell us about the customs and culture there?"

"Of course." Lin Qian readily agreed, and then began to chat about all sorts of things, starting with the topography of Manila, then moving on to the distribution of islands, population structure, and conflicts between different people, and so on.

The conversation was kept away from his cargo.

Having lived two lifetimes, Lin Qian was quite knowledgeable and eloquent, drawing on a wide range of sources and making witty remarks.

Although Zheng Zhilong was mature for his age, he was only sixteen years old. The farthest place he had ever been in his young life was Macau. His intention in talking about Southeast Asia was just to get Lin Qian to take the initiative to talk about business.

Unexpectedly, after listening to a few words, he was captivated by the Southeast Asian customs and culture described by Lin Qian, and a look of longing appeared on his face.

During dinner, Zheng Zhilong was repeatedly urged to drink by Lin Qian.

However, Zheng Zhilong's alcohol tolerance was much better than Lin Qian had expected, and she was unable to get him drunk.

After the banquet, Lin Qian invited Zheng Zhilong to return to his cabin to rest.

Zheng Zhilong quickly declined, saying, "The councilor is waiting for me to report back..."

As Lin Qian pulled him toward the cabin, she advised, "It's getting late, and sailing at sea is inconvenient. Why don't you stay the night and go back early tomorrow morning?"

Despite Zheng Zhilong's repeated refusals, Lin Qian refused to let him go, pulling and dragging him into the cabin before tightly closing the door.

Zheng Zhilong was extremely anxious and kept banging on the cabin door: "Brother Lin, please open the door! I really can't stay on the ship. I appreciate your kindness, but please let me go back..."

Just then, a soft voice rang out from inside the cabin: "Young man, could you please pass me my shoes?"

Zheng Zhilong was frozen in place. He slowly turned his head and, in the dim light of the cabin, saw two older sisters sitting on the bed, looking at him shyly.

One of them sat curled up on the edge of the bed, her pink little toes peeking out from under the hem of her horse-face skirt.

Based on this detail alone, Zheng Zhilong immediately recognized that these were top-quality natural feet.

"Oh dear, young man, what are you staring at me for? How shameless!" The barefoot woman blushed as if burned by Zheng Zhilong's gaze, and pulled her toes back into her skirt.

Zheng Zhilong's breathing became heavy, and his heart pounded like a drum in his chest.

Another older sister laughed and said, "Silly boy, why don't you help my sister pick up her shoes? If it gets any later, she'll be so embarrassed she'll die."

Zheng Zhilong looked down and saw a single embroidered shoe lying on the ground.

Zheng Zhilong picked it up and, as if possessed, put it under his nose.

"Ah~" Upon seeing this, the barefoot woman let out a soft gasp, her face flushed crimson, and murmured in a seductive voice, "Don't smell it~"

……

(End of this chapter)