Chapter 179: Two Ships Launched, the Grand Secretary Bestows Names

Lin Qian turned his attention back to the stack of timber.

The planks were largely a bronze-brown color, with straight grain and a strong oily sheen to the surface, carrying a very faint fragrance.

Having spent a long time aboard the Tianyuan, Lin Qian was already familiar with this kind of wood: "Teak, isn't it?"

Xiao Jiu nodded. "Exactly. This batch was brought back by the trading caravan from Jiaozhi—all large teak planks, over nineteen thousand of them."

Noticing the teak was darker in color rather than the golden yellow of fresh-cut wood, Lin Qian asked, "Dried using the fire-roasting and smoke-curing method?"

Xiao Jiu said, "The timber the caravan bought was all air-dried for four or five years.

Captain Lü said Hoi An port is more prosperous than Hirado or Quanzhou—whatever you want, you can get it there.

I hear they even have keel-grade timber that's been air-dried for decades."

This caught Lin Qian somewhat by surprise. In his impression, Jiaozhi had always lagged behind the Central Plains dynasties and was deeply influenced by Han culture—they practiced the civil service examinations and the whole Confucian ritual system—so it shouldn't be this prosperous.

He would just have to wait until Lü Zhou returned to the island and ask him then.

If Jiaozhi truly had timber as abundant as Lü Zhou claimed, Lin Qian's motivation to get a foothold there grew even stronger.

Still, even if Jiaozhi had ample air-dried teak, he couldn't afford to rest on his laurels and abandon technological progress.

Lin Qian asked, "Do we have any timber on the ship dried by the fire-roasting and smoke-curing method?"

Xiao Jiu nodded. "Yes—the bulkheads and decorative fittings in the hold came out of the smoke-curing sheds. The sheds are right at the shipyard. Please follow me."

The group headed northeast along the bay, passing countless artisans' dwellings before finally reaching the foot of the mountain.

There, over twenty thatched sheds lay spread out—extremely long and narrow, roughly three zhang long and one zhang wide, with no windows, only doors at either end.

Beneath the sheds were trenches dug half a man's height, and in the trenches sat the smoke-burning furnaces. In front of every door, someone kept a close watch.

The sheds had no chimneys, and the roofs weren't completely sealed—thin wisps of white smoke seeped out through the thatch.

Xiao Jiu pointed at the smoke and said, "With this method of baking planks, the temperature can't get too high. The thatched roof keeps out rain while letting heat escape, so excess warmth can dissipate through the top."

Lin Qian knew nothing at all about how to dry planks, so he could only nod.

Xiao Jiu jumped back down into the trench and scooped up a handful of sawdust. "This is the main fuel for the smoke-curing sheds—sawdust burned with a smoldering fire. Low temperature, gives off smoke, and saves fuel too."

The shipyard planed and cut wood from dawn to dusk, so sawdust was nearly limitless. Using it to smoke the planks was a fine way to make use of waste.

Xiao Jiu used a fire iron to open the furnace lid, dropped the sawdust in, then closed it again. "This method needs a smoldering burn, so the furnace can't let in too much air—but it can't be completely sealed either, or the fire would go out. That's why someone has to watch the fire at all times. And the curing sheds can't be built too large, or the smoke won't distribute evenly."

With that, Xiao Jiu climbed out of the trench and walked around to the side of the shed. "One curing shed can smoke a thousand planks at a time. During the process, the doors at both ends can't be opened—the craftsmen use this window to check on things inside."

Xiao Jiu pulled at the wall, and sure enough, a small eye-sized window opened up.

Lin Qian leaned in and was immediately hit by an intensely thick smoke smell—like sticking his nose into the chimney of a village kitchen stove.

He peered inside. The smoke wasn't as thick as he'd imagined; he could make out the planks standing vertically on mesh racks. The gaps in the racks were quite wide, just barely enough to hold the planks in place while letting the smoke pass through.

After only a short look, Lin Qian felt his eyes stinging from the smoke.

Xiao Jiu closed the little window and pointed to a basin of water nearby. "You can't look too long, or your eyes can't take it. The craftsmen keep a basin of water handy—every time they look, they wash their eyes."

Lin Qian smiled. "That's a good method." He then said to the director of the Construction Bureau, "Give the craftsmen two towels each month, and have a physician come check their eyes every six months."

"Yes, sir." Fang Ju pulled out his notebook and wrote it down.

In the Great Ming, when officials or landowners conscripted laborers, providing one filling meal was already considered generous.

A job like watching over the curing sheds—one that didn't require much effort—was already a position too good to trade even for immortals. Who would care whether your eyes hurt?

That Lin Qian would consider such fine details moved the craftsmen around him.

Xiao Jiu suppressed his excitement and pointed to one side. "Captain, look—those are the planks that just came out of the curing sheds."

Lin Qian followed his finger and saw a large open area with a canopy set up. Beneath it sat rows of mesh racks stacked with large planks—except here the planks were laid flat, with a fist's width of space between each one.

Lin Qian walked over, picked a plank at random, and felt it. It was camphor wood, its surface already thoroughly dry and tough—almost no different from planks air-dried for years.

Xiao Jiu said, "Smoke-cured planks tend to be dry on the outside but still damp within, so after they come out of the curing shed, they need another two or three months of air-drying here before they can be used."

Lin Qian asked, "What's the quality of planks cured this way? Can they substitute for air-dried ones?"

"They can match ninety to a hundred percent of the quality—but—" Xiao Jiu shifted his tone, "this method only works for boards. Large structural timber won't do."

By large timber, he meant the stem posts, stern posts, ribs, masts, rudder stocks, and keels.

These components generally required large sections of timber joined together, and their structural characteristics meant they weren't suited for smoke-curing—they could only be air-dried. The bigger the ship, the more this held true.

That was why the keel-grade timber air-dried for ten years that Lü Zhou mentioned in Jiaozhi was so precious.

In this era, its value was no less than ten intercontinental ballistic missiles.

As the saying goes: an innocent man may be condemned for possessing a coveted treasure.

Ever since learning that Jiaozhi had keel timber air-dried for ten years, the amber luster, the straight and sturdy trunks, the fragrant resinous scent, the perfect 12%–20% moisture content, the fully stress-relieved properties of aged teak—all of it refused to leave Lin Qian's mind.

The Trinh–Nguyen conflict in Jiaozhi—it seemed he had no choice but to get involved.

Still, Lin Qian knew this couldn't be rushed. His previous opponents had all been warlords and sea bandits. Jiaozhi, whatever else it was, was a nation—its strength couldn't be compared on the same scale.

And if Hoi An port was truly as prosperous as Lü Zhou claimed, then the country was by no means closed or backward. At the very least, it would have a sizable army, and possibly even formidable firearms and a navy.

With only the scale of Nan'ao Island behind him, contending with such a power would be genuinely difficult.

If he could swallow up Zhangzhou and Chaozhou first, develop for a while, and then make his move, things would likely be far more secure.

Just as Lin Qian was lost in thought, a fast rider came from the distance—one of the personal guards from the General's residence.

The guard rode up, dismounted, and said, "General, there's an urgent letter."

Lin Qian took it and saw it was from Ma Chenglie. The letter relayed what the iceman had observed at the Ye household—the details written briefly—while devoting far more space to Grand Secretary Ye's fondness for Lin Qian and his approval of the marriage.

After finishing the letter, Lin Qian tucked it away and asked, "Have any invitations arrived these past two days?"

The guard replied, "Quite a few, and all were declined as you instructed. But there's one invitation from Grand Secretary Ye that I didn't know how to handle. Awaiting your orders, General."

Lin Qian said, "That's right. Write to Ma Chenglie and have him prepare some gifts for me."

With that, Lin Qian prepared to head back.

Xiao Jiu hurriedly said, "Captain, those two new ships are about to leave the dry dock, and they don't have names yet. Would you bestow names upon them?"

Lin Qian thought for a moment, then smiled. "Call them the Zhangzhou and the Chaozhou."

A stick of incense later, Lin Qian had already ridden a fast horse back to his residence and ordered his personal guards to fetch the invitation.

Moments later, a personal guard delivered the invitation.

Lin Qian opened it and saw that the invitation was written in a very solemn manner, reading: "My humble household's young performers have newly rehearsed several acts of *The Phoenix Crying*, and their voice and bearing are now somewhat presentable."

It invited Lin Qian to come to the residence on the tenth day of the eighth month to "jointly appreciate refined music."

The tenth day of the eighth month — that was basically more than a month away.

Lin Qian couldn't quite figure out what Grand Secretary Ye meant by this. It was just going to watch a play — was there really a need to wait over a month? Were they rehearsing it now?

But after a brief moment of thought, Lin Qian suddenly understood.

At present, the struggle between the eunuch faction and the Donglin Faction in the capital was intense, and the situation was unclear. If news of his marriage alliance with the Ye family spread now, it would be enough to exploit the contradiction between the two factions and wait for the best offer — but it would also place him at the very crest of the storm.

Once this matter had settled in the court, and the Donglin Faction had been suppressed by Wei Zhongxian, then spreading news of the marriage alliance would still make both factions come to curry favor for profit — but it would be far safer.

Of course, a man like Ye Xianggao would not care about profiteering. What he was thinking of should be the stability of his family and the happiness of his granddaughter, while at the same time not harming the interests of his future grandson-in-law.

This was indeed a mature and prudent approach.

And Lin Qian, who was thinking of both Chaozhou and Zhangzhou, and also of Jiaozhi and teak wood, had indeed been a bit too hasty in this matter.

It seemed this marriage was the right choice. Lin Qian smiled faintly and put the invitation away.

"Geng Wu," Lin Qian said.

"General."

"Find a theater troupe, and call Second Brother and the other brothers over. Nothing to do today — everyone, let's listen to some opera!"

Half a month later.

The rewards and honors were delivered down to Nan'ao. Just as when Ma Chenglie had been ennobled before, the palace sent eunuchs to proclaim the imperial edict.

Lin Qian was promoted one rank, elevated to Assistant Regional Commander of Nan'ao. At the same time, his loose rank was raised to Xuanwu General of the fourth grade, and his merit rank was conferred as Valiant Cavalry Commandant.

Looking at it, his official position had been elevated, but his actual authority remained unchanged. On Nan'ao Island, there wasn't much difference between Assistant Regional Commander and Assistant Regional Commander anyway.

Clearly, Wei Zhongxian was no fool — he wouldn't casually grant more real power to the forces at Nan'ao.

This was also within Lin Qian's expectations. As long as he could reach the position of Assistant Regional Commander, that was good enough — it would be convenient for later lateral transfers to Zhangzhou and Chaozhou.

After receiving the edict, Lin Qian tipped the eunuch who had come to proclaim it, as was customary. The eunuch was very courteous to Lin Qian, pouring out compliments and thanks without pause, and also spoke of how the Emperor and Wei Zhongxian had praised the Nan'ao naval forces.

This was basically an attitude of going through the motions.

From this, one could see that the two matters of killing Qian Zhong and earning military merit had indeed served as a warning to Wei Zhongxian.

Not long after seeing off the edict-proclaiming eunuch.

The dispute over the commercial tax also had its result. A batch of the Donglin Faction had been executed, a batch demoted — their vitality was severely damaged, and the eunuch faction won a complete victory.

In the blink of an eye it was the end of the seventh month. The two ships, the Chaozhou and the Zhangzhou, were launched.

Lin Qian personally boarded the ships for sea trials, with Bailangzai setting the course and measuring speed.

The results showed these ships had an average sailing speed of six knots, a maximum speed of eight knots, and an estimated full-load displacement of around four hundred tons.

Because they adopted the traditional lateen sail design, their ability to sail against the wind was relatively poor.

But the firepower of twenty twelve-pounder Siren cannons was still far stronger than that of the Changfeng and the Yunfan.

Lin Qian commanded these two ships in sailing for two days and one night, conducting multiple rounds of artillery test firing, and discovered many directions for improvement.

But before improving the ship design, Lin Qian also discovered a serious problem.

That was the shortage of crew.

By the sailing standards of the Ahat-class ships, at full complement, counting artillerymen and sailors, a single ship required a crew of one hundred and fifty men.

Not counting the Chaozhou and the Zhangzhou, the Nan'ao naval forces currently had:

One each of the Tianyuan, Changfeng, and Yunfan, requiring a total crew of six hundred and seventy-eight men.

Four Ahat-class ships, requiring a total of six hundred men.

Twenty Sea Wolf vessels, requiring a total crew of nine hundred men.

If all of the above ships were to set out simultaneously, a total of two thousand one hundred and seventy-eight men would be needed.

But the soldiers registered in the Military Guard Bureau numbered only one thousand five hundred — a manpower shortfall of over six hundred.

The limited forces had all been assigned to escorting merchant convoys and to the flagship Tianyuan.

The Sea Wolf vessels used for patrols in the nearby waters were not at full complement, and there had never been a case of all warships sailing out together.

Now with the Chaozhou and the Zhangzhou about to enter service, the manpower shortfall further expanded to nearly one thousand men.

And among the common people of Nan'ao Island, the Liaodong people who were not skilled in naval combat accounted for one thousand five hundred, while the camp soldiers of Shen'ao Harbor accounted for another one thousand.

So this shortfall of one thousand men could not possibly be filled on Nan'ao Island no matter what.

Increasing the population had become an imperative.

Thanks to the excellent seafaring skills of the Tanka boat people, as well as the Great Ming Dynasty's incorrigible pearl-harvesting policy, Lin Qian decided to go rescue the pearl divers once more.

Coincidentally, Lin Qian needed new military merits to laterally transfer the Assistant Regional Commander's defense zone, and the southeast was far too calm and peaceful.

So, not going to rescue the pearl divers once more would simply be a crime against heaven.

That evening, Lin Qian summoned Bai Qing and Bailangzai to the study of his residence.

"Sit." After the two entered, Lin Qian said casually.

The study of the general's residence was meticulously arranged by Lin Qian. Its exterior was utterly unremarkable, but the interior was completely different from a Chinese-style study.

The bookshelves and cabinets in the room were all placed against the walls, leaving the room very spacious. The office desk was located to the left of the entrance.

Directly facing the door was an arrangement of wooden chairs surrounding a low table. On the right side, diagonally across from the wooden chairs, there was also a large solid-wood gauze screen.

Structurally, it was essentially identical to the CEO offices of later generations.

All the tables, chairs, and furniture were custom-made to order, in a new Chinese style that fused simplicity with clean lines.

The furniture made extensive use of rosewood, with the wood's color and grain highly uniform. The overall theme was "autumn sandalwood reflecting snow," creating a feeling of austere elegance and composed refinement.

The main color tone was the deep brown of the sandalwood furniture, with auxiliary colors of reed yellow and rice paper white for brightening accents, punctuated by antique bronze gold and mineral blue.

This kind of design—whether the Ming people would like it, Lin Qian had no idea, but he himself was quite satisfied.

In the design industry, appearance came first; the design sense of an office was tied to professionalism. Once Lin Qian's professional habits kicked in, he put extra care into the design.

After the Bai siblings took their seats, they carefully looked over the office, their faces full of curiosity.

Bai Qing remarked with emotion: "This room is better than any room I've ever seen—it's like... a palace."

Bailangzai added: "Even the eunuchs' quarters at the island pearl grounds aren't this nice."

Lin Qian smiled and said: "Words that overstep your station must not be spoken carelessly. I called you siblings here because there's a matter to handle."

Since their faction had grown strong, both siblings had each taken charge of their own responsibilities, and there was almost no task that sent them out together.

The two knew this matter was no small thing, and their expressions turned serious as they said: "Please give your orders, Skipper."

Lin Qian said: "In the Hepu sea area of Guangdong, there are seven ancient pearl grounds: Lemin, Wuni, Pingjiang, Qingying,

Duanwang, Bailong, and Baisha. Right now we're short-handed on the island, and since we have plenty of food, this is a good time to recruit another batch of people."

Hearing this, Bai Qing grew somewhat excited, and even Bailangzai was quite moved.

Only pearl divers could understand the suffering of pearl divers—this was also the reason Lin Qian had called the Bai siblings here.

Lin Qian continued: "However, we are after all in the identity of government troops now, so we must act cleanly and decisively. The crew must also be chosen from the people of Naozhou Island—we need to pick those we can trust. The crew of the Tianyuan can also be drawn from."

The Tianyuan was too conspicuous and would not be deployed on this trip. Besides, with just the guards at those pearl grounds, there was no need for the Tianyuan to make an appearance.

Bai Qing asked: "What flag will we sail under on this trip?"

Lin Qian smiled slightly and said: "We'll use the Dutch flag. Don't they like Ming laborers? This can fulfill their wish.

We'll bring all the white captives from Nan'ao Island. That Spaniard Juan can speak Dutch—we can use him as a front.

For ships, we'll use the Zhangzhou and the Chaozhou. These two vessels are exactly the same in form as the Dutch yacht, so they won't arouse suspicion. We'll also take this opportunity to test the two ships' combat capability.

The Tanka boats will be abandoned on the spot, and the pearl divers will be transported directly to Dongning Island on the return trip."

Bai Qing frowned and said: "Defeating the imperial navy with two gunboats is easy, but transporting so many Tanka boat people to Dongning Island is somewhat difficult."

Lin Qian said: "The Tanka are all skilled boat handlers—we can capture imperial navy vessels to use. Additionally, this trip must be kept covert, so we should target the smaller pearl grounds. As for the specific plan of action, you siblings will decide it, and submit the plan to me for review."

The two siblings exchanged a glance, then cupped their fists in acknowledgment.

The next day, the siblings sent eagle boats to reconnoiter the various pearl grounds on site.

Five days later, the two had drafted a plan and came to the General's residence to see Lin Qian.

What surprised him was that their method was even better than what he himself had thought of—it had something of the student surpassing the master about it, which filled Lin Qian with gratification.

After refining a few details, Lin Qian waved his hand grandly: "Proceed with this plan—go ahead and do it."

Then came the tenth day of the eighth month.

Lin Qian arrived at Fuqing by ship.

That day he brought only Geng Wu as a personal attendant, along with ten personal guards dressed as servants, with every two guards carrying a load of gifts on a pole—but it did not look conspicuous.

Lin Qian knew this was a political marriage, and whether it succeeded or not had little to do with how he performed, so he was not particularly nervous.

After Geng Wu presented the visiting card, the gates of the Ye residence opened within moments.

A servant of the Ye residence led the way, bringing Lin Qian to the main hall.

Ye Xianggao was already waiting there.

After Lin Qian exchanged pleasantries with him, they took their seats as host and guest, and servants served tea.

Ye Xianggao smiled and said: "The performers of my humble house are still preparing. Please—ah—General Lin, wait a moment."

Lin Qian smiled and politely declined the courtesy.

A moment later, Ye Xianggao said: "May I ask General Lin's courtesy name?"

Lin Qian immediately understood why Ye Xianggao had paused just now.

In the Ming dynasty, on such private occasions, official titles were rarely used, and calling someone by their given name was even more impolite—scholar-officials addressed each other by their courtesy names.

Ye Xianggao had just wanted to call Lin Qian by his courtesy name, but couldn't recall what it was for a moment, so he had changed to "General Lin" instead.

A courtesy name was hardly something a man of tenant-farmer origins would have, and Lin Qian had no ability to make one up on the spot, so he could only clasp his hands and say: "This junior comes from a poor background and has never taken a courtesy name."

On the island, everyone called each other brothers, without so many formalities—it was only when dealing with literati that such inconvenience arose.

Ye Xianggao stroked his beard and smiled: "I see."

Ye Xianggao himself had also come from hardship. As a child, fleeing from wokou pirates, he wandered everywhere with little to eat, and on the road of escape his mother gave birth to him in a latrine—so his childhood name was "Ce" (Latrine).

Because of their shared background, Ye Xianggao not only bore no ill will toward Lin Qian's answer, but instead felt somewhat closer to him.

Ye Xianggao said: "The General has passed the age of twenty, so you should take a courtesy name, to facilitate addressing each other among colleagues in the future. If you do not object, how about this old man bestows a courtesy name upon the General?"

Lin Qian rose and clasped his hands, smiling: "I trouble the Grand Secretary."

After a moment's deliberation, Ye Xianggao stroked his beard and said: "A courtesy name should match the reality of one's name, have a basis in the classics, and be taken for virtue. Your given name is Qian (shallow), so I shall take the characters Ziyuan.

Yuan means deep water.

The Daodejing says: 'The heart is good at depth.' This means the heart of a gentleman should be like a deep pool—calm and all-embracing.

The Doctrine of the Mean states: 'Broad and deep as a spring, it flows forth at all times.' This likens sage virtue to a deep spring, profound and naturally overflowing.

May you emulate the virtue of Yanzi—thinking with deep insight, learning to the very source, with broad knowledge and deep bearing, words and deeds sincere and diligent, like the source of a spring, ever-flowing without cease, like the stillness of the deep, the heart containing all things.

From now on, complete your virtue through your courtesy name—respect yourself and spur yourself on."

"Many thanks to the Grand Secretary for bestowing the name; this junior will respectfully heed your teachings." Lin Qian clasped his hands and bowed in thanks.

Ye Xianggao smiled and gestured for Lin Qian to sit, then moved on to other topics. In their conversation he did not touch on government affairs or quote the classics—mostly he spoke of amusing anecdotes from Fujian and Guangdong, and also asked Lin Qian to tell of his overseas experiences.

These were all topics Lin Qian excelled at, and the conversation flowed very smoothly.

Lin Qian had originally thought that as a man of letters, Ye Xianggao would surely recite poetry and test him on cultural phrases, so he had even specially prepared several poems from later generations.

Unexpectedly, Ye Xianggao never once mentioned poetry or the classics, but instead chatted about everyday matters like an old man at the village entrance.

Presumably, Ye Xianggao knew Lin Qian had never studied, so he deliberately kept the conversation away from literary elegance, to avoid embarrassing Lin Qian.

Associating with a gentleman truly felt like a spring breeze upon one's face.

Lin Qian did not have a deep understanding of classical scholarship, but he held great admiration for literary masters.

Take the courtesy name "Ziyuan" that Ye Xianggao had chosen for him as an example—Lin Qian only knew that this was the courtesy name of Yan Hui, the Restorer Sage of Confucianism; as for other origins or meanings, he could not say.

As for Ye Xianggao, he quoted the Master and the Book of Songs at every turn, weaving elegant prose as it flowed from his mouth, as if he wished to compose a parallel couplet on the spot—clear proof of his profound learning.

With such a distinguished family tradition, the young miss of the Ye household should also be a talented woman well-versed in poetry and letters.

The praise of Ma Chenglie's wife as a "jade orchid of the Xie courtyard" was surely not without foundation.

As for whether she possessed "clear radiance, bright and pure"——

Lin Qian discreetly sized up Ye Xianggao, noting his fair complexion, clear and open features, spirited eyes, dignified bearing, and slender stature—almost equal to Lin Qian's own height, and likely even taller in his youth.

By the standards of the Great Ming, his appearance was absolutely above average; otherwise, he could not have risen to the Grand Secretariat.

Presumably, the Ye family's granddaughter would not be too far off either.

In this era, propriety was strictly enforced—especially for the young ladies of official families, who could never meet a man before the wedding night, and even their names had to be conveyed through the Six Rites. Thus, the appearance of the Ye family's young miss could only be imagined or learned through others' accounts.

After Lin Qian had chatted with Ye Xianggao for the time it takes to drink two cups of tea, a servant came to announce that the performers were ready.

Ye Xianggao invited Lin Qian to move to the opera stage.

As Lin Qian rose, that servant secretly stole a glance at him, only to meet Lin Qian's gaze directly.

She was a young maidservant of thirteen or fourteen, sweet and lovely in appearance, with clear black-and-white eyes that were quite lively and spirited.

Caught peeking at Lin Qian, she gave a small start, then slipped away in a fluster.

Ye Xianggao shook his head almost imperceptibly, looking rather helpless. Seeing Lin Qian turn toward him, he hastily said, "Please."

The Ye estate was not large in area. Ye Xianggao led the way, and they soon arrived at the opera stage, where the two took their seats as host and guest.

At Ye Xianggao's signal, the stage soon filled with the lilting strains of opera singing.

This play was called *The Tale of the Singing Phoenix*, telling the story of loyal ministers who risked death to impeach the treacherous minister Yan Song during the Jiajing era.

Placed in the Tianqi era, it carried considerable contemporary resonance, which was why it had become extremely popular in Jiangnan over the past two years.

Before coming, Lin Qian had already dragged Scholar Zhou and the others along, patiently watching the entire play once, and had prepared responses in advance for whatever questions Ye Xianggao might ask.

Unexpectedly, Ye Xianggao was entirely absorbed in listening to the opera, asking not a single question.

The play was performed in Kunqu style, all lilting and drawn-out—Lin Qian could not appreciate it at all, but his face betrayed nothing as he pretended to listen intently.

Meanwhile, in the flower hall of the Ye residence, the maidservant Baikou came running over, wearing the smug smile of one who had just pulled off a prank, and said, "Miss, I saw him!"

The one addressed as Miss said, "He——how is he?"

Baikou thought for a long while: "The young master is fine in every way, except his eyes are terribly fierce!"

The young miss said with shy anger, "What 'young master'? Don't wag your tongue so recklessly!"

Baikou giggled for a while, then suddenly panicked: "Miss, where are you going?"

The young miss said, "You're unreliable. I'll take a look myself."

Baikou hastily reminded her: "Miss, be careful—don't let him discover you!"

On the opera stage of the Ye residence, the white-faced Yan Song was just declaiming: "Hah! This wretch is utterly detestable. My nation is unified without exception—so what if I've killed a few commoners and burned a few houses? What great matter is that?"

In the waters northwest of the Leizhou Peninsula, two gunboats flying high the Dutch flag were slowly approaching.

Yahei

Fenyuan

Pen