Da Ming: The system granted me immortality; I clock in every day.

Song Yin's heart pounded wildly as he listened.

That same tone again!

Such domineering rhetoric, which reduces everything in the world to interests and the edge of a knife, is exactly the same as that of the Grand Tutor who sat outside the examination hall eating hot pot back then!

"Lord Li... truly has great courage."

Song Yin took a deep breath, concealing the shock in his eyes.

"I wouldn't call it courage; I just felt that since the Ming Dynasty had sent a navy, it couldn't just be to go sightseeing at sea."

Li Changqing lay back down in the chair, covering his face with the tattered folding fan to shield himself from the glaring sunlight.

"Lord Song, we're almost at Quanzhou. You should rest and recuperate. Once we're ashore, those local bullies will probably have their stage already set up for us."

Several days later, the official ship finally sailed into Quanzhou Port.

Even though Li Changqing had lived for a century and had seen all the world's splendor.

As he stood at the bow of the ship, gazing at this largest port in the East, he couldn't help but feel a surge of emotion.

On the sea, thousands of sails race.

Towering high are not only Fujian and Guangdong ships produced by the Ming Dynasty, but also strangely shaped Western deck boats and bird boats from Southeast Asia.

Colorful flags swayed in the sea breeze, and the dock was bustling with activity.

Foreign merchants of different skin colors and accents mingled shoulder to shoulder with Ming Dynasty merchants.

This magnificent spectacle of all nations paying tribute was the most flourishing result of his decision to open the gates of maritime trade.

The official boat slowly approached the shore.

A wide open space had already been cleared out on the dock.

Zheng Hua, the prefect of Quanzhou, led the assistant prefect, the sub-prefect, and a group of local officials.

In addition, several highly respected local gentry and clan elders were waiting respectfully under the plank.

They saw Song Yin and Li Changqing walking down the diving board side by side.

Prefect Zheng hurriedly lifted the hem of his official robes and led everyone in a grand salute.

"Your humble servant, Zheng Hua, Prefect of Quanzhou, along with all officials and local gentry of Quanzhou, respectfully welcomes Imperial Envoys Song and Li!"

Song Yin's face was ashen, and he raised his hands in a gesture of respect: "Prefect Zheng, you may rise, everyone."

Prefect Zheng stood up. He had a kind and benevolent appearance and was slightly overweight.

The blue official robe he wore, which belonged to the fourth rank, even had several fine patches faintly visible on the cuffs.

Not only him, but also the several sub-prefects and assistant prefects behind him were all wearing worn-out official robes.

He had an upright and honest demeanor, and was incorruptible.

"Your Excellencies have had a long and arduous journey. I have prepared some simple food and drink at the government office to welcome you. The local conditions are poor, and I hope Your Excellencies will understand."

Zheng Hua bowed, his tone extremely sincere and humble.

Before Song Yin could speak, Li Changqing suddenly took two steps forward.

He walked slowly around Prefect Zheng, his deep gaze sweeping over Zheng Hua from head to toe.

Zheng Hua felt uneasy under his gaze, and beads of sweat gradually appeared on his forehead.

How could the newly appointed imperial inspector, who was rumored to have written that domineering imperial edict, have such sharp eyes?

"Prefect Zheng, Quanzhou Port is bustling with thousands of sails, bringing in a fortune every day. How come you describe it as a place of poverty and hardship?"

Li Changqing stopped in his tracks, his tone light and casual.

Zheng Hua quickly wiped away his sweat and replied with a bitter face:

"Lord Li, you are unaware of this. Although the sea appears prosperous, most of the ships are foreign merchant ships. The imperial court has not yet established a maritime trade office, so we officials dare not levy taxes on our own. In addition, the sea winds are fierce, and the local people are struggling to make ends meet by cultivating barren land."

"I have been wearing this official robe for five years without ever replacing it. I dare not deceive the imperial envoy."

"Oh, I see."

Li Changqing snapped his folding fan shut and slapped it against his palm with a "snap".

He suddenly reached out, his two slender fingers gently pinching the cuff of Prefect Zheng's faded sleeve, and abruptly flipped it outwards.

With a ripping sound.

The seemingly worn-out blue cloth cuffs were turned up, revealing the lining material underneath.

Under the sunlight, the inner lining fabric reflects a dazzling silky sheen like flowing clouds; it is light, soft, and warm to the touch.

Song Yin and several local gentry present all changed their expressions.

"Prefect Zheng must have worked very hard to wash that outer layer of blue cloth."

Li Changqing's lips curled into a mocking sneer. His voice wasn't loud, but it carried clearly to everyone's ears.

"But the material of this lining, if I am not mistaken, is the Heavenly Empress Brocade, specially supplied by the Suzhou and Hangzhou Textile Bureau. Such material is worth its weight in gold; ordinary wealthy merchants cannot buy it even with silver. It is mostly used as tribute to the imperial court."

"The Prefect is indeed very frugal, even using imperial brocade as an inner lining for his clothes. Such frugality is something I have never heard of in the capital."

Upon hearing this, Zheng Hua's face instantly turned from red to white, then from white to green, and his legs went weak, almost causing him to kneel on the ground.

He never expected that this imperial envoy's eyes were so sharp!

Sun Jin wore that inner lining specifically to conceal his corrupt activities.

He was so fond of the comfort of the fabric against his skin that he secretly sewed it into his old official robes.

He usually kept a deep secret, but who would have thought that today, upon meeting him, this young doctor would expose him completely!

"This...this humble official..."

Zheng Hua stammered, his mind blank, unable to find a single word to refute her.

The local gentry behind him were also terrified when they saw this, and they all lowered their heads, not daring to meet Li Changqing's gaze.

Seeing that Li Changqing had subdued the local bullies with a single move, Song Yin felt a surge of satisfaction.

He snorted coldly and took the opportunity to apply pressure.

"Prefect Zheng, we'll discuss the origin of this garment back at the yamen. Lead the way!"

"Yes...yes! Your humble servant obeys!"

Zheng Hua led the way cautiously, his back soaked with cold sweat through the expensive brocade lining of his robe.

The back hall of the Quanzhou Prefectural Government Office.

As Zheng Hua had predicted, the welcoming banquet consisted of only a few ordinary seafood dishes and a few vegetarian dishes, which looked rather meager.

But after what happened at the dock, everyone knew it was just a trick to fool the devil.

Song Yin and Li Changqing sat in the main seats, while Zheng Hua and several clan leaders from prominent families in Quanzhou accompanied them.

The atmosphere at the table was extremely oppressive.

After a few cups of sake, Lin Yaozu, the patriarch of the Lin clan, one of the four major families in Quanzhou, stood up with his sake cup in hand.

This man, nearing sixty, had shrewd eyes and held a powerful position in the business world of southern Fujian.

"The two imperial envoys have come from afar. We, the common people of Quanzhou, have been eagerly anticipating the establishment of the Maritime Trade Office by the imperial court."

Lin Yaozu smiled broadly, but his tone was laced with a subtle, probing undertone.

"However, things at sea are highly unpredictable. The fleets of the foreign merchants are fierce, and pirates frequently appear. If the imperial court rashly sets up customs and imposes taxes, it may provoke the dissatisfaction of those foreign merchants and cut off their livelihood of maritime trade."

"I humbly request that you two gentlemen, when setting the tariff, take pity on the difficulties faced by us maritime merchants and make an exception for us."

Song Yin was about to speak and refute.

Li Changqing, however, slowly put down his bamboo chopsticks.

He picked up a clean white silk handkerchief and wiped the corner of his mouth.

That nonchalant yet all-encompassing air of control resurfaced once again.

"Does Chief Lin think that the imperial court's taxation will cut off your source of income?"