Chapter 43: The Hostage

"Bullshit!" a boatman couldn't help but curse. "I was right next to you at the time, and I heard that woman begging for mercy with my own ears—her voice was hoarse from screaming."

Iron Palm Zhou shot back: "You're the one full of shit. If your conscience is so clean and you really heard it, why didn't you come over and stop it?"

"I..." The boatman was momentarily at a loss for words and fell silent.

It seemed the golden wound medicine was indeed effective—Iron Palm Zhou had been half-dead moments ago, but after applying the medicine he could already trade insults.

The boatman was currently applying medicine to Drunken Cat Lü.

Lei Sanxiang said to him: "Don't blame me for being harsh. If I let you off today, tomorrow I'd have to let him off, and then people's hearts would scatter."

Drunken Cat Lü was in the middle of getting his medicine applied, his face flushed red with pain, sweat pouring down his forehead like rain. At the words, he squeezed out from his throat: "This time... it was my fault... I accept the punishment."

Some boatmen couldn't bear to see it, so they told the story of how Drunken Cat Lü had been plied with liquor by the girls.

Lei Sanxiang listened and burst into loud laughter.

"Hahahaha... I said it, didn't I? No matter how much you love your drink, going to a place like that—how could you just drink and not get down to business? So that's how it was! This time, you can only blame yourself for being too green. Next time we go to one of those establishments, I'll take you there myself, and I guarantee you'll get back everything you suffered today, paid back in full on those girls!"

Drunken Cat Lü was young after all, and hearing words like an elder brother's, his eyes actually reddened and tears fell. The shame of having left the flower boat still a virgin, the grievance of being whipped, the pain in his body, the bitterness in his heart—all of it came pouring out in sobs.

Once he started crying, there was no stopping it—the louder he wept, the louder he got.

Lei Sanxiang snapped: "You little brat, stop crying! Crying over something this small—what kind of man of the sea are you?"

"Yes." Drunken Cat Lü acknowledged and quickly shut his mouth, but his body kept heaving, and he couldn't stop his hiccupping sobs no matter what.

With Drunken Cat Lü crying like that, the boatmen suddenly felt much more favorably toward Lei Sanxiang.

After the medicine was applied, Drunken Cat Lü visibly recovered his spirits and quickly said: "Brother Lei, thank you for bringing the medicine."

Lei Sanxiang smiled: "At least you've got some conscience, boy. But don't thank me—the medicine came from the helmsman. If you want to thank anyone, thank the helmsman."

Hearing this, Drunken Cat Lü added: "Thank you, Helmsman."

"Mm." Lei Sanxiang acknowledged, then shifted his gaze to Iron Palm Zhou.

Catching Lei Sanxiang's look, he quickly said as well: "Thank you, Chief Lei, thank you, Helmsman."

"If you've nothing else, get some rest early. Until the two of you recover from your wounds, you can do less work—taking care of your bodies comes first."

Having said this, Lei Sanxiang turned and walked toward the stern deck, heading back to his own cabin.

Iron Palm Zhou's gaze followed Lei Sanxiang's retreating back with venomous resentment, his thoughts unknown.

That night, using the excuse of taking a piss, Lei Sanxiang called out several crewmen who knew Iron Palm Zhou well, and while relieving himself, casually asked a few questions about Iron Palm Zhou without leaving a trace.

The crewmen were drowsy and had no guard up against Lei Sanxiang, so they all spoke their true thoughts.

After finishing, Lei Sanxiang returned to the cabin with them, yawning and chatting about women, as if it had all been mere idle talk.

In the following days of roll call, not a single person was late.

In fact, many people came to the deck to wait while the sky was barely light.

The boatmen also gained more reverence for the officers—no longer calling each other brothers in easy camaraderie like pirates as before.

After all this commotion, the boatmen had truly internalized obeying superiors and following orders without question.

Combined with the divine daily supply of meat, eggs, vegetables, and rice, the boatmen also abandoned any thoughts of jumping ship.

At the very least, the crew wouldn't fall apart for the next few months.

And the realization of Lin Qian's three major plans was expected to take only two months.

If everything went smoothly, in two months he would have silver, manpower, and territory all in place—a solid foundation laid for his future enterprise.

Of course, to accomplish all of this, the first priority was silver.

With the meager surplus in the official accounts, casting cannons, building ships, recruiting soldiers and horses, and developing Nan'ao—everywhere he turned, funds fell short.

So the crux of the problem once again fell upon José's "councilman friend."

Five or six days had passed since Zheng Zhilong last came aboard.

Still no reply.

Everyone on the ship, especially José, was growing anxious.

He repeatedly proposed to Lin Qian that they write a letter to inquire about the situation.

But Lin Qian remained quite composed. He knew the councilman's move was simply that he still thought the price too high and wanted to drag things out, forcing Lin Qian to lower it.

The moment they wrote to inquire, they'd show their hand, letting the other side know they were eager to sell, and thus drive an even harder bargain.

The ship carried several hundred thousand taels' worth of goods—there was no way that Macao councilman wasn't at least a little anxious. It was simply a matter of who would crack first.

That morning, roll call had just ended on the ship.

The lookout reported a single-masted small boat appearing on the northern horizon.

From the boat's design, it appeared to be the same one Zheng Zhilong had come on before.

Seeing this, José and the others on board grew excited.

Lin Qian put away his telescope and said: "Notify the whole ship. Prepare to set sail."

Everyone had grown accustomed to following Lin Qian's orders—even if they didn't understand why, they carried them out to the letter.

The first mate, Chen Jiao, shouted: "Prepare to weigh anchor! Everyone move!"

Lei Sanxiang took the stairs three at a time down to the gun deck and bellowed the order: "All hands on deck, prepare to weigh anchor!"

The boatmen swarmed up to the deck, each rushing to their post.

Soon more than twenty men had gathered at the capstan on the galleon's foredeck. Shouting work songs in unison, they turned the capstan together as the anchor chain slowly tightened.

When Zheng Zhilong boarded the ship, this was the bustling scene of feverish activity he saw.

Lin Qian came to greet him with only Bailangzai in tow.

After they exchanged greetings.

Zheng Zhilong looked at the deck and said: "Brother Lin is preparing to set sail?"

"Indeed."

Zheng Zhilong was surprised inwardly but kept his face calm: "Is Brother Lin no longer doing business with the councilman?"

Lin Qian feigned surprise: "Whatever do you mean by that? Didn't the Councilman take a liking to this deal?"

Zheng Zhilong said urgently: "That's not it at all! I've come today precisely to deliver a letter. Please, Brother Lin, hold off on setting sail and read the letter first."

Lin Qian sighed, resting a hand on his forehead: "Ah, my fault, my fault! I waited a long time and never saw a reply, so I assumed the deal had fallen through and had no choice but to strike a bargain with a merchant surnamed Li up north. Today happens to be the day I'm set to deliver the goods. What an enormous misunderstanding this has turned out to be."

Lin Qian's gaze was full of sincerity: "I too am a man of my word. Since I've already reached an agreement with someone, it wouldn't be right to go back on it now. Brother Yiguan, please take your leave."

Zheng Zhilong kept glancing at the windlass, his look growing increasingly anxious, and could only say: "Brother Lin, let's stop the windlass first before we talk. Won't you take a look at the Councilman's reply?"

How could Zheng Zhilong know that for a vessel of this size, the windlass had to turn for nearly an hour before the anchor could be fully raised? It had only been turning for a few minutes now — there was still plenty of time before departure.

Lin Qian laughed inwardly, but outwardly he still pretended to hesitate for a good long while before telling his men: "Tell the anchor crew to pause for a bit."

"Stop!" Lei Sanxiang had been watching the commotion closely all along, and upon hearing this he immediately had the anchor crew halt, and the windlass ceased turning.

Zheng Zhilong was visibly relieved, then clasped his hands to Lin Qian: "Thank you, Brother Lin."

He dared not delay, and immediately drew a letter from his breast and handed it to Lin Qian.

"This is the Councilman's own handwriting. Please take a look, Brother Lin."

Lin Qian took the letter, checked that the wax seal on the envelope was intact, then opened it. A single glance left him rather taken aback — the letter was written in Spanish.

Though Portuguese and Spanish share similarities, they are not the same language.

In writing to Lin Qian, this Councilman could have chosen Chinese, which Lin Qian could read, or Portuguese, which Zheng Zhilong could translate.

Yet he had written it in Spanish instead — as if guarding against Zheng Zhilong, the very man delivering it.

Lin Qian read on, and sure enough.

In the letter, the Councilman proposed a meeting with Lin Qian, the location chosen as the Moon Sea Pavilion in Guangzhou, the time set for the tenth day of the seventh month — five days from now.

To show he bore no ill intent, the Councilman had even thoughtfully sent Zheng Zhilong over as a hostage to Lin Qian.

Pink Round

Pen