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

"Master Lin, you summoned me in such a hurry, is there some kind of problem with the shipment bound for Malacca?"

Sea Loach walked up to Lin Yaozu and asked in a very casual manner.

Lin Yaozu glanced at the desperate man and said coldly, "The goods are fine. It's just that two plague gods have come to this city of Citong, trying to cut off our source of income."

He briefly recounted how the imperial court established the Maritime Trade Office and imposed heavy taxes.

Upon hearing this, the sea loach spat disdainfully onto the ground.

"I thought it was something important. I've seen plenty of officials in the Ming Dynasty. As long as you pay enough money, these rules are just a piece of paper. Why is Master Lin looking so worried?"

"You don't know anything!"

Lin Yaozu slammed his hand on the table and said through gritted teeth.

"This time, we are accompanied by Song Yin, the Minister of Revenue, and a censor whose secrets are unfathomable. At yesterday's welcoming banquet, that censor surnamed Li exposed all my secrets in just a few words."

"These two are determined to settle down in Quanzhou Port. If we let them cause trouble, we'll both be starving in less than three months!"

The sea loach narrowed its one eye, revealing a fierce glint: "So, what does Master Lin mean?"

Lin Yaozu stood up, walked to the mountain god statue, took out a heavy package from under the offering table, and threw it at the feet of the sea loach.

The package unfolded, revealing gleaming white silver ingots inside, totaling over a thousand taels.

"Here is a deposit of one thousand taels. I need you to do something for me."

Lin Yaozu turned around, his eyes revealing a desperate madness.

"The day after tomorrow, two large barbarian ships will be entering the harbor. I want you to take your men and rob them before they arrive!"

Sea Loach was taken aback: "Rob a ship belonging to the barbarians? Master Lin, those barbarian ships have firearms. This is not a worthwhile deal."

"You don't need to really risk your life!"

Lin Yaozu sneered.

"All you need to do is create a stir, set off a few fires around the port, kill a few foreign sailors, and make a big scene. I want all the people of Quanzhou, and those foreign merchants, to see what's going on."

"The opening of this Maritime Trade Office has brought not wealth, but pirates and bloodshed!"

"Once the seas become chaotic, those two imperial envoys will be unable to protect the port. At that time, local people will be filled with resentment, foreign merchants will protest, and I will then contact my colleagues in the capital to submit a memorial impeaching them."

"The Maritime Trade Office will then be unable to continue operating!"

The sea loach weighed the silver at its feet, its eyes gleaming with greed.

"So it was a scheme to kill someone with a borrowed knife. Don't worry, Master Lin, I'm an expert at creating chaos and causing trouble. By noon the day after tomorrow, I'll make sure the area outside Quanzhou Port is ablaze with flames and utter turmoil!"

Having said that, the sea loach grabbed the silver and disappeared into the dense forest outside the temple like a ghost.

Lin Yaozu stood in the empty mountain god temple, looking at the clay and wooden statue of the mountain god, a sinister smile curling at the corner of his mouth.

"Even a powerful dragon can't suppress a local snake. Two pale-faced scholars from the capital dare to try and seize my empire? The waters of Quanzhou are deep enough to drown you!"

Two days later.

At midday, the sun was scorching.

Outside Quanzhou Port, the waves surged.

Two large, decked-out ships, flying Western flags, were sailing towards the port, cutting through the waves.

The foreign merchants on the ship stood on the deck, pointing happily at the distant city of Quanzhou.

They were calculating how much exquisite porcelain and silk they could exchange for this ship's cargo.

Just now.

A piercing whistling sound suddenly rang out from behind the island not far away.

Dozens of long, narrow, and extremely fast pirate ships shot out from behind the hidden reefs like arrows.

They formed a fan shape, completely blocking the retreat route of the two deck boats.

Those speedboats all flew black skull and crossbones flags.

The pirates on the ship were shirtless, brandishing gleaming scimitars and emitting eerie screams.

"Enemy attack! It's pirates!"

The foreign sailors on the decked-out boat were thrown into chaos, shouting in terror.

The sea loach stood at the bow of the lead speedboat, holding a musket in his hand, his single eye filled with bloodthirsty fervor.

"Get closer! Light the fire! Make the noise as loud as possible!"

At his command, several flaming flasks with burning fuses were thrown far onto the deck of the deckboat.

A raging fire instantly erupted, with thick smoke billowing straight into the sky.

This scene was clearly witnessed by countless merchants and ordinary people in Quanzhou Port.

Chaos erupted at the dock as people screamed and fled.

The merchants, their faces ashen, pointed at the distant flames on the sea and began to discuss amongst themselves.

"We're doomed! The pirates have come knocking!"

"This Maritime Trade Office has only been open for a few days, and it's already caused such a huge disaster! We shouldn't have listened to the imperial court and set up this customs house right on our doorstep!"

The Lin family steward, who was secretly mingling in the crowd, was sparing no effort to fan the flames and spread panic rapidly throughout the port.

Upon hearing the news, Zheng Hua was so frightened that he didn't even straighten his official hat before scrambling into the new office of the Maritime Trade Bureau.

"Your Excellencies! Something terrible has happened!"

Zheng Hua knelt down in the hall, his face covered in sweat, his voice trembling.

"A large group of pirates is causing trouble on the sea outside, plundering foreign ships entering the port! The pirates are powerful, and the people in the port are in a state of panic."

"Your humble servant humbly requests that you two quickly retreat into the city to avoid the enemy's advance, while I mobilize the local militia to defend against them!"

His words, ostensibly to protect the imperial envoy, were actually a way of mocking him.

The few hundred old, weak, sick, and disabled men in the local garrison were no match for the pirates.

Once the imperial envoy leaves, the prestige of the Maritime Trade Office will be completely destroyed.

Song Yin abruptly stood up, his face ashen.

He had planned everything meticulously, but he never expected that these local gentry would be so audacious as to openly collude with pirates to cause trouble outside the port!

This is clearly an attempt to establish authority over the imperial court!

"Retreat? I am an imperial envoy; how can I back down in the face of battle!"

Song Yin shouted angrily.

Li Changqing, who had been sitting to the side sipping tea, slowly put down his teacup at this moment.

He slowly stood up, straightened his unremarkable blue official robe, and gently waved the old folding fan in front of his chest.

His expression showed no sign of panic, but rather an air of calm as if he were watching a show.

"Prefect Zheng, don't panic."

Li Changqing walked to the front of the hall, looked at Zheng Hua who was covered in sweat, and a mocking smile appeared on his lips.

"A few clowns jumping around like that, is it really worth the prefect making such a fuss?"

Zheng Hua was taken aback, inwardly cursing the censor for being so reckless.

That sea loach is a ruthless bandit who kills without blinking an eye. They've already come to our doorstep, what are you still pretending to be, acting all high and mighty?

Li Changqing ignored Zheng Hua's reaction.

He turned his head to look at Song Yin, his eyes revealing a profound sense of complete control.

"Lord Song. A few days ago, I had nothing to do, so I wrote a letter and had the Office of Transmission send it to Tianjin Garrison by express courier. Judging by the time, it should have arrived by now."

Song Yin's pupils suddenly contracted.

Tianjin Wei?