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

Lin Yaozu stared at the piece of cloth, feeling as if all his strength had been drained away, and collapsed to the ground in despair.

He's finished.

This seemingly gentle and refined official in his green robe was so meticulous in his thinking and so ruthless in his actions that he left no way out.

"My lord...this humble subject confesses his guilt..."

Lin Yaozu closed his eyes, tears streaming down his face.

"I only beg Your Honor to show leniency and spare the Lin family's survival... This humble citizen is willing to atone for my crimes by donating all my family's wealth to the national treasury!"

At this point, being able to save one's life is already an incredible luxury.

Song Yin listened from the side with a slight frown.

According to the laws of the Ming Dynasty, such a serious crime warrants the execution of nine generations of one's family.

However, he knew that if these major clans in Quanzhou were truly eradicated, the local trade routes would be paralyzed, and the Maritime Trade Office would be unable to operate in the short term.

He turned his gaze to Li Changqing, wanting to see what insightful opinion this unpredictable colleague had.

Li Changqing stood up, dusted off the hem of his green robe, and a faint smile appeared on his lips.

"Execute the whole family? That's the kind of thing those old scholars in the Ministry of Justice do. Our Ministry of Revenue can't stand the smell of blood."

"Killing people is ultimately a low-level strategy. Slaughtering a sheep means you only have meat for one meal, but keeping the sheep and shearing their wool every year is the long-term solution."

Li Changqing turned his head and looked at Lin Yaozu.

"Clan Chief Lin, I am a man with a soft heart. Since you are willing to atone for your sins, I will show you a clear path."

Lin Yaozu seemed to have grasped at a straw, and scrambled to Li Changqing's feet, kowtowing repeatedly.

"Thank you, Lord Li, for sparing my life! Whatever your orders, I will go through fire and water for you!"

"There's no need to go through fire and water."

Li Changqing held up three fingers, his tone calm, yet each word was like a knife.

"Firstly, all twenty ocean-going ships owned by the Lin family were incorporated into the Ming Dynasty Royal Merchants Bureau free of charge. The cargo on board was considered payment for the gunpowder used to disturb the imperial navy by the Lin patriarch."

Lin Yaozu felt his heart bleed, but he could only grit his teeth and nod in agreement.

"Secondly. From today onwards, the Quanzhou Maritime Trade Office shall establish new regulations. All merchant ships sailing from the Quanzhou area shall pay 20% in-kind tax in accordance with the Imperial Maritime Trade Tax Regulations, plus a ship allowance for departure."

"I will entrust this tax collection task to you, Chief Lin. You will act as a guarantor for the imperial court. If any merchant ship misses even a single penny of tax, I will not seek revenge against anyone else but your Lin family."

This is where Li Changqing's shrewdness lies.

Using existing local strongmen to govern other merchants not only saves the imperial court manpower but also allows them to check and balance each other.

To save his life, Lin Yaozu will inevitably become the most ruthless hunting dog of the imperial court, relentlessly hunting down those maritime merchants who want to evade taxes.

"This humble subject...this humble subject obeys."

Lin Yaozu lay prostrate on the ground, his voice trembling.

"That's the third point."

Li Changqing picked up a cup of warm tea and moistened his throat.

"The Lin family's thousand-acre tea plantation outside the city will be transferred to the Maritime Trade Office and used as a warehouse for the trading company in Quanzhou. Chief Lin, do you have any objections?"

"Absolutely no objection! Thank you for your understanding, sir!"

Lin Yaozu kowtowed repeatedly.

It's better to lose money than to suffer a terrible disaster. Although most of the wealth accumulated by the Lin family over a century was forcibly taken away, at least the clan's life was saved.

Where there is life, there is hope.

As long as this sea route exists, they will have a chance to rise again one day.

Song Yin watched from the sidelines as Li Changqing smoothly and effortlessly persuaded and incorporated them into his organization.

My admiration for this young colleague has reached an unparalleled level.

By employing both kindness and severity, they not only quelled the pirate rebellion.

They even managed to recruit Quanzhou's largest smuggler into the imperial court's puppet regime without shedding a drop of blood.

His skill in managing subordinates was even more refined than that of seasoned veterans who had been navigating the officialdom for decades.

"Lord Li, your swift and decisive actions this time have truly broadened my horizons."

After everyone had left, Song Yin couldn't help but clap his hands in praise.

Li Changqing chuckled and twirled the tattered fan in his hand.

"Lord Song, you flatter me. I was merely taking advantage of the navy's power. In this world, reasoning won't work; only when you put a knife to their throats will they obediently follow the rules."

Li Changqing walked outside the hall, looked at the cloudless blue sky, and stretched lazily.

"The turmoil in Quanzhou has subsided. Now, we can sit down and settle down to sort out the accounts of the Maritime Trade Office."

As night deepened, the sea breeze gently caressed the ancient city walls of Quanzhou.

In the guest room in the back hall of the Maritime Trade Office, a small oil lamp was lit.

Li Changqing took off his imposing fifth-rank official robes and put on a loose and comfortable moon-white nightgown, sitting cross-legged on the bed.

He listened quietly to the sound of waves crashing against the rocks outside the window, his thoughts drifting away.

Over the centuries, he has traveled countless roads.

From Gu Yannian to Pei Yuan, and now to Li Changqing.

He was like a detached ghost, wandering across this ancient land.

Every now and then, they reach out and pluck the strings of history.

The game in Quanzhou was merely a minor episode in his long career.

As long as the Ming Dynasty's fleet continues to sail the seas, and as long as the continuous flow of silver continues to flow into the national treasury.

This massive imperial warship will then sail along the course he set back then, braving the winds and waves in this magnificent age of exploration.

The next morning.

Li Changqing got up early, changed into an ordinary blue cloth robe, and without any attendants, strolled out of the Maritime Trade Office alone.

The streets of Quanzhou were already bustling with activity.

After yesterday's thrilling execution of the pirates, the people in the city were not panicked at all, but instead felt a sense of security they had never felt before.

The imperial navy was so powerful that it blasted even the ruthless sea miners into dust with a single shot.

What do ordinary people like them have to be afraid of?

Li Changqing sat down at a breakfast stall on the street corner, ordered a bowl of hot rice noodle soup, some fried pork with vinegar that was golden and crispy, and a plate of fragrant oyster omelet.

"Sir, your rice noodle soup is here!"

The stall owner, a weathered old man, chuckled as he placed the large bowl in front of Li Changqing.

They greeted him in Mandarin with a heavy Minnan accent.

"Thank you, sir."

Li Changqing picked up his bamboo chopsticks, scooped up a mouthful of noodles, blew on it to cool it down, and put it in his mouth.

The fresh and rich flavor of seafood instantly bursts on the taste buds.

"Old man, there have been pirate raids outside the city these past few days. Has your business been affected?"

Li Changqing chatted casually while eating.

The old man wiped his hands on his apron, his face full of excitement and awe.

"How could it be affected! Sir, you're from out of town, so you wouldn't know. Yesterday, our Ming Dynasty's navy descended like divine soldiers! Those wicked pirates didn't even get to the port before they were blasted into pieces."

"Nowadays, the maritime merchants in this city are as obedient as cats, going to the newly opened Maritime Trade Office to pay their taxes."