The Black Sails of the Ming Dynasty

Chapter 54 Casting a Net to Catch a Cold Moonlight

After saying goodbye to the fat congressman.

Lin Qian returned to the inn to pack her things, preparing to set off back to the Saint Anna.

Zheng Zhilong did not stay with the fat councilor, but came out with Lin Qian.

After walking a short distance, Zheng Zhilong told him about the news that the councilor had confirmed with his eyes when they met.

Lin Qian expressed her gratitude, but without Zheng Zhilong's nod, the councilor probably wouldn't have believed it so quickly.

Back at the inn, Lin Qian casually asked, "Brother Yiguan, now that things are settled, what are your plans?"

Upon hearing this, Zheng Zhilong knew it was time to show his loyalty. He immediately knelt down and said, "If you will not abandon me, I, Zheng Zhilong, am willing to serve you faithfully from now on!"

Lin Qian had been waiting for these words, and with a beaming smile, she helped him up: "From now on, we're brothers, and we'll make a name for ourselves together on the sea!"

Zheng Zhilong's ancestral home is in Fujian. He admired the glamorous life of maritime merchants since childhood. At the age of sixteen, he came to Macau with his uncle to make a living. He met all kinds of people, but none of them could compare with Brother Lin.

Being accepted onto the ship by Lin Qian at this moment felt like a virtuous minister meeting a wise ruler.

Zheng Zhilong thought to himself, "I suppose Zhuge Liang thought the same thing when he met Liu Bei."

Lin Qian and her two companions spent the night at the inn, and the next day, after packing their belongings, they checked out.

Then go to Qingmeifang to recruit Su Kang one last time.

However, this doctor had an eccentric temperament and preferred to endure the exploitation by officials in Guangzhou rather than board the ship with Lin Qian.

Lin Qian offered an exorbitant price of ten taels of silver per month, but Su Kang remained unmoved.

The girl named Mei'er was quite interested, but she couldn't persuade Su Kang, no matter how thin she was.

Lin Qian had no choice but to give up.

The three then went to Po Shan Wharf and took a Tanka boat to the anchorage of the St. Anna.

It's not noon yet, so we should be able to get back to the ship before dinner.

Following the three-person boat were twenty other boats belonging to the Tanka people, carrying about a hundred Tanka people.

Because the Tanka people practiced collective punishment, and the imperial court encouraged mutual denunciation, Bai Langzai and his sister could only find time to talk to people about getting on the boat.

In the end, only these hundred or so Tanka people agreed.

Fortunately, these people are enough to alleviate the manpower problem on the ship. Once they get a foothold on Nan'ao Island, they won't have to worry about not having anyone to come and join them.

With the exploitative Ming Dynasty government setting an example, Lin Qian's promise to reduce taxes would be a fatal attraction for the Tanka people and ordinary citizens.

As evening fell, amidst a sea and sky ablaze with crimson hues, the Tanka (boat-dwelling people) fleet arrived at the large sailing ship.

After taking their belongings, the Tanka people abandoned their boats and boarded the St. Anna.

The Tanka boats, now without their owners, drifted on the sea, gradually disappearing into the horizon.

Lin Qian ordered the ship to sail west for two hours.

Lei Sanxiang and others took advantage of this time to settle the newly boarded Tanka people, grouping them into two groups of two boats, each group being looked after by an old boatman.

Then they arranged hammocks, beds, and distributed dinner.

It wasn't until late at night that everyone was finally settled in.

The next day, Lin Qian ordered the Saint Anna to continue sailing west for half a day until it anchored at Hailing Island.

This is a small coastal island west of Macau, sparsely populated and with abandoned garrisons. Tanka people often stayed here overnight when traveling between the pearl farm and Guangzhou.

We stopped here, firstly to avoid the fat councilor's notice, and secondly to wait for Bai Qing.

The mother of the Bai siblings was left in Zhuchang, and they couldn't be left unattended. So Lin Qian made an agreement with Bai Qing that she would go back to Zhuchang first to pick them up and also try to win over the Tanka people there, and then they would meet up there.

A few days later, early in the morning.

A fleet of boats belonging to the Tanka people sailed into the harbor.

Lin Qian approached the ship's side and extended her binoculars.

In the field of vision, there were about a dozen Tanka boats.

As the fleet drew closer, a saltwater song could be faintly heard.

"The rich feast on wine and meat, while the poor suffer; nets are cast, but only the cold moonlight is caught..."

The song was arranged in advance to identify the performers.

The melody, however, was exceptionally mournful. Saltwater songs have no fixed tune; the melody follows the singer's heart.

Hearing such singing made Lin Qian feel uneasy. She raised her binoculars and looked again. She saw that most of the people rowing the boats of the Tanka people had white cloth wrapped around their arms.

When Bai Langzai arrived at the boat, he was initially overjoyed, but upon seeing this scene, his expression suddenly changed. He gripped the railing tightly with both hands, his knuckles turned white, his breathing became heavy, and he stared intently at the approaching boat.

The Tanka people on the St. Anne's also gathered at the ship's side, gazing at the approaching ship with somber expressions.

Finally, the Tanka boats arrived, and the Tanka people, carrying their personal belongings, boarded the boats via rope ladders.

The Tanka people boarding the boat all had white cloths tied around their arms, and some even had white headscarves wrapped around their heads—they were wearing mourning clothes!
Bai Qing finally came up the rope ladder, looking miserable. He walked up to Lin Qian and introduced them: "Boatman, they are the Tanka people from Zhuchang. They volunteered to board the boat after hearing about your righteous act."

Bai Langzai looked around and, seeing no sign of his mother, turned deathly pale. He stumbled to his sister, who was dressed in mourning, and asked in a trembling voice, "...Sister...where is our mother?"

Bai Qing's body trembled, and he looked up at the sky, whispering, "Dead... he jumped into the sea..."

“Wh…how…” Bai Langzai was struck dumb, standing there stunned.

Bai Qing took a deep breath and forced back his tears, saying, "Four days ago, the pearl farm launched a major pearl-dredging operation. In previous years, there was a fixed quota for each boat."

This year, the head eunuch said that we should take advantage of the hot summer weather to collect more water, and that the quota should be changed to a fixed amount per person...

Our mother...our mother...our mother didn't want to implicate us, so she threw herself into the sea that very night..."

Bai Langzai couldn't believe it. As if grasping at a lifeline, he pulled out a small bag of pearls from his pocket, held it in both hands, and handed it to his sister: "Sister, don't we have pearls? Our mother doesn't need to worry, we have pearls!"

Bai Qing shook her head: "It's too late... By the time my elder sister rushed back to the pearl farm, our mother had already been drowned for two days..."

Bai Langzai felt as if he had been stabbed in the heart; his body went limp and he collapsed to the ground. The bag of pearls fell onto the deck, scattering everywhere with a clattering sound, and then drifted into the sea through the gaps in the deck.

Bai Langzai was completely unaware, his eyes were empty and lifeless, and tears streamed down his face.

The Tanka people around them, also dressed in mourning, were wiping away tears, clearly indicating that their family members had also died in the same way.

"Stop crying!" Bai Qing wiped away her tears, pulled her younger brother up abruptly, and scolded him, "Our mother was killed by corrupt officials. If you're a man, come with me to avenge our mother!"

Bai Langzai suddenly realized what was happening, wiped away his tears, and said, "Yes, revenge!"

Then, Bai Qing looked at Lin Qian, made up his mind, knelt down with a thud, and said, "Master! You are Bai Langzai's sworn brother, and also the elder brother I, Bai Qing, admire. Today, my sister and I were murdered by corrupt officials. I beg you, elder brother, to help my sister and me avenge our mother!"

After saying that, without waiting for Lin Qian to respond, he kowtowed three times.

The impact was so forceful that the deck trembled slightly. When he straightened up, blood was already flowing from his forehead.

Bai Langzai followed his sister's example, kneeling down and kowtowing three times until his head bled.

Seeing this, the Tanka people who had come with Bai Qing also did the same.

It's not that they're weak-willed.

Rather, it was because the pearl market was heavily guarded, and the eunuchs there could not get close at all.

If these Tanka people were to go there rashly, they wouldn't be able to get close to their enemy, let alone seek revenge.

Right now, these people can only rely on Lin Qian.

The scene fell silent for a moment, with only the sound of waves crashing against the ship's hull.

Everyone turned their attention to Lin Qian.

Lin Qian fell into deep thought and remained silent for a long time.

Everyone knew in their hearts that attacking the pearl farm was a near-certain death, and even if they were lucky enough to succeed, it would still be a serious crime of rebellion.

The court might turn a blind eye to their pirate activities.

Once the pearl farm is attacked and court officials are killed, the perpetrators will be branded as rebels. The court will not stand idly by, and they will be hunted down to the ends of the earth.

Lin Qian remained silent for a long time.

Zheng Zhilong realized that Lin Qian had been put on hold by the Tanka people. Agreeing would be considered rebellion, while refusing would be considered betraying her brothers. She was caught in the middle.

It's his turn to step forward and offer a way out.

"Captain..."

Zheng Zhilong had just started speaking when Lin Qian stopped him.

Lin Qian slowly swept her gaze over the crowd, and then said in a deep voice, "I, Lin Qian, will avenge this grudge!"

(End of this chapter)