The Black Sails of the Ming Dynasty

Chapter 44 Time is running out

The letter explained the reason for the meeting in great detail, and the words were extremely sincere.

But Lin Qian saw through the trick at a glance; it was nothing more than the Hongmen Banquet routine.

Fearing that Lin Qian might not dare to keep the appointment, they first arranged to meet in Guangzhou.

Then send Zheng Zhilong as a hostage.

The fact that the letter was written with Zheng Zhilong in mind clearly shows that the councilor doesn't consider Zheng Zhilong one of his own.

This so-called hostage has no real significance.

Given the extent of corruption in the Ming Dynasty court, it's likely that even in Guangzhou, a member of parliament would have little to no scruples if he wanted to take action.

His rash decision to go there was tantamount to suicide.

The senator killed him, leaving the ship leaderless. Taking advantage of the situation, the senator sent troops to seize the large sailing ship.

This way, we save money, get the goods, and even gain a large ship for free—killing three birds with one stone! What a clever plan!

Seeing through the trick is one thing.

How to deal with it is another matter entirely.

Anyone with common sense knows they don't have to go.

However, it would be difficult to find buyers for goods worth hundreds of thousands of taels of silver in a short period of time. Lin Qian was not a legitimate businessman and could not possibly engage in retail sales by the box.

Most importantly, it is now the beginning of July in the 48th year of the Wanli reign, and the Wanli Emperor in history will die at the end of this month.

Emperor Taichang, who succeeded him, reigned for less than a month before passing away.

In just over a month, two emperors died in succession, severely damaging the administrative system of the Ming Empire and almost paralyzing it.

For Lin Qian, this was a once-in-a-lifetime opportunity.

If we compare it to stocks, it's the kind of market opportunity where you'd rather miss the college entrance exam than miss out on it.

In order to catch this peak market trend, Lin Qian had to save up some capital.

He had to take a risk.

time is limited!
In a flash, Lin Qian's mind raced, and a plan quietly took shape.

Lin Qian remained calm, finished reading the letter, handed it to Zheng Zhilong, and asked, "Spanish, can you understand it?"

Zheng Zhilong's heart skipped a beat. He wasn't stupid; he had already guessed what the senator meant by writing the letter in Spanish.

He forced himself to remain calm, took the letter, read it through, and gave a bitter smile.

Spanish and Portuguese have some very similar words, similar to some kanji characters in Japanese.

With just a few words he knew, Zheng Zhilong had already guessed his fate.

He was treated as a pawn by the congressmen.

He considered himself intelligent and mature beyond his years. He taught himself Portuguese at the age of fifteen and went to Macau at sixteen, becoming an interpreter that everyone envied. Through hard work, he gradually won the trust of his Portuguese masters and served as a special envoy for members of parliament on various occasions.

In the end, I was still just a pawn.

His Portuguese masters abandoned him as if he were a stray dog ​​no one wanted.

Zheng Zhilong looked back and realized that the small sluice boat that had brought him there had already returned to port on its own.

Zheng Zhilong could only force a smile and say, "It seems I'll be troubling Brother Lin for the next few days."

Lin Qian waved her hand: "That's too formal. Come on, Brother Yiguan, let's have a cigar."

Zheng Zhilong followed Lin Qian toward the captain's cabin like a walking corpse.

He was in high spirits when he last came here.

At this moment, I felt my steps were heavy, and the luxuriously decorated captain's cabin now looked like a prison cell.

Although Lin Qian showed him no difference on the surface, Zheng Zhilong knew in his heart that this was only because of the congressman. If anything went wrong during Lin Qian's meeting with the congressman, he, the hostage, would be the first to be torn to pieces.

After smoking a cigar, it was lunchtime.

Lin Qian used the excuse of arranging some things to ask Zheng Zhilong to wait in the lower-level restaurant.

After Zheng Zhilong left, Lin Qian closed her eyes and went through her plan in her mind to make sure there were no problems.

Five minutes later, Lin Qian opened her eyes and sent someone to summon Zhou Xiucai and Jose.

A moment later, the two of them pushed open the door and came in, just in time to see Lin Qian writing something at her desk, her pen moving very quickly.

"Captain," the two said first.

"You're here?" Lin Qian didn't even look up. "You two find a fisherman to rent a small boat and go to Macau to find out about Councilor Andre..."

André is the name of the Portuguese parliamentarian.

Jose had told Lin Qian about this person's basic information, but he didn't know much about it.

"Including this person's competitors, political enemies, main businesses, the size of their subordinates, personal character, hobbies, habits, etc..."

After saying this, Lin Qian put down her pen and handed what she had written to Zhou Xiucai.

"The specifics are all written down. You can handle it as you see fit. Time is limited, so you must bring me the message before the 10th of July. I will wait for you at Poshan Wharf, which is the anchorage for the Tanka people of the Pearl River."

Zhou Xiucai took the note and read it carefully.

Lin Qian said to Jose, "Macau is heavily guarded. Do you have a way to get in without attracting attention?"

“Going to Macau isn’t a problem…” Jose hesitated for a moment, “but may I ask why? Is there some problem with your business dealings with Congressman Andre?”

Lin Qian said with a relaxed expression: "Don't worry, everything is going smoothly. I will go and negotiate the price with him in person in a few days. It's always good to get more information beforehand."

Relieved, the two left the captain's cabin.

Lin Qian then called Lei Sanxiang and Chen Jiao in.

When Chen and Lei entered, Lin Qian was still writing at her desk.

Lin Qian kept writing and said, "I'm going to Guangzhou for about five days in the next few days. There are some things I need to tell you during that time."

Chen Jiao and Lei Sanxiang exchanged a glance, then clasped their hands in a fist and said, "Please give your orders, Master."

As Lin Qian wrote, he said, "After I disembarked, the large sailing ship immediately weighed anchor and sailed about 600 li to the northeast, where there is a place called Nan'ao Island."

The large sailing ship anchored around there for several days to familiarize itself with the route and the nearby waters, before returning five days later.

"Keep a discreet voyage, avoid approaching shores, and don't make a conspicuous appearance."

Chen Jiao said, "Nan'ao Island is separated from Chaoshan by the sea. I know this place."

Lin Qian put down her pen, picked up the paper, blew the ink to dry it, and handed it to Chen Jiao, saying, "Knowing the flight path will make things easier. I've also written down how to deal with various situations on the paper."

Chen Jiao unfolded the paper; he recognized a few characters and could barely understand it.

After reading it, Chen Jiao looked somewhat worried: "Master, has something gone wrong with the business with the Franks?"

Lin Qian nodded: "Yes, the councilor wants to meet with me in Guangzhou in five days."

"That damn bastard, is he trying to set us up for a trap?" Lei Sanxiang roared.

Despite being illiterate, Lei Sanxiang knew the story of the Feast at Hongmen, which demonstrates the wisdom of the Chinese people.

Seeing that Lin Qian had given so many instructions, Chen Jiao understood that he was preparing to attend the banquet and advised, "These French barbarians are extremely cunning. Captain, you don't need to pay them any mind. Let's go find another buyer."

"Don't worry, brother. Not only will I be safe on this trip, but I'll also be able to squeeze more money out of these French devils."

Chen Jiao was about to persuade her again, but Lin Qian stopped him, saying, "Brother, we've known each other for so long, you should know me. I don't bet on things I'm not sure about, so don't worry."

(End of this chapter)