Chapter 44: Time Is Running Out

The letter explained the reason for the meeting, using considerable ink, with extremely sincere wording.

But Lin Qian saw through the trick at a glance — nothing more than the old Hongmen banquet routine.

Fearing Lin Qian would not dare to attend, they first arranged the meeting location in Guangzhou.

Then they sent Zheng Zhilong over as a hostage.

But since the letter was kept secret even from Zheng Zhilong, it was clear the councilman did not regard Zheng Zhilong as one of his own.

This so-called hostage carried little weight.

Considering the level of corruption in the Great Ming court, even in Guangzhou, the councilman would have no scruples about making a move.

For him to go rashly would be no different from suicide.

If the councilman killed him, the ship would be leaderless, and he could seize the opportunity to send troops to take over the galleon.

That way he saves the silver, gets the goods, and gains a large ship to boot — killing three birds with one arrow. What a fine calculation.

But seeing through the trick was one thing.

How to respond was another matter entirely.

Any normal person would know he could simply not go.

But with several hundred thousand taels' worth of goods, finding a buyer in a short time would be difficult, and Lin Qian was not a legitimate merchant — he could not sell box by box at retail.

Most critically, it was now early July of the forty-eighth year of Wanli, and historically the Wanli Emperor would die at the end of this very month.

The Taichang Emperor who succeeded him would reign less than a month before also passing away.

In just over a month's time, two emperors dying in succession would deal a heavy blow to the administrative system of the Great Ming Empire, nearly plunging it into paralysis.

And for Lin Qian, this was a once-in-a-thousand-years opportunity.

To use a stock market comparison, it was the kind of rally one would rather miss the college entrance exam than miss.

To catch this supreme rally, Lin Qian had to build up his capital.

He had to take a risk.

Time was running out!

In a flash of lightning, a thousand thoughts turned in Lin Qian's mind, and a plan quietly took shape.

Lin Qian's expression did not change. He finished reading the letter, handed it to Zheng Zhilong, and asked, "It's in Spanish — can you read it?"

Zheng Zhilong's heart gave a thump. He was no fool and had already guessed what it meant that the councilman had written the letter in Spanish.

He forced himself to stay calm, took the letter, read it through, and gave a bitter smile.

Spanish and Portuguese share some words that are extremely similar, much like the Chinese characters that appear in Japanese.

Through those few scattered words he recognized, Zheng Zhilong had already guessed his own fate.

He had been made the councilman's discarded pawn.

He had always prided himself on his cleverness and youthful maturity — at fifteen he taught himself Portuguese, at sixteen he went to Macao and became an interpreter that everyone envied, and through hard work he had step by step won the trust of his Portuguese masters, serving as the councilman's envoy on all manner of occasions.

Yet in the end, he was still nothing but a chess piece.

His Portuguese master had cast him aside like throwing away an unwanted stray dog.

Zheng Zhilong turned to look back and only then noticed that the single-masted boat that had brought him had already sailed back on its own.

Zheng Zhilong could only force a smile and say, "It seems I'll be troubling Brother Lin for the next few days."

Lin Qian waved a hand: "Saying that makes us strangers. Come, Brother Yiguan, let's go smoke a cigar."

Zheng Zhilong followed Lin Qian toward the captain's cabin like a walking corpse.

The last time he had come to this place, he had been full of vigor and high spirits.

Now he only felt his steps grow heavy, and the lavishly decorated captain's cabin now looked like a prison cell to him.

Although Lin Qian showed him no difference in his manner, Zheng Zhilong knew in his heart that this was still for the councilman's sake.

If anything untoward happened when Lin Qian met with the councilman, the first one to be chopped into eight pieces would be him, the hostage.

After smoking a cigar, it was time for lunch.

Lin Qian used arranging matters as an excuse to have Zheng Zhilong go wait in the lower dining hall first.

After Zheng Zhilong left, Lin Qian closed his eyes and ran his plan through his mind once to make sure there were no problems.

Five minutes later, Lin Qian opened his eyes and sent someone to summon Scholar Zhou and Jose.

A moment later, the two pushed open the door and came in, just in time to see Lin Qian bent over his desk writing, his brush flying.

"Helmsman." The two spoke first.

"You're here?" Lin Qian did not even raise his head. "The two of you find a small boat from the fishermen and go to Macao. Help me look into this Councilman Andre..."

Andre was the name of the Portuguese councilman.

Regarding the man's basic circumstances, Jose had once told Lin Qian about him, but the understanding was not deep.

"Including this man's competitors, political enemies, main business operations, the size of his forces, personal character, hobbies, habits, and so on..."

Lin Qian stopped his brush as he finished speaking and handed what he had written to Scholar Zhou.

"The specific matters are all written on the paper. Handle them as you see fit. Time is limited — you must bring me the information before the tenth of early July. I'll be waiting for you at Poshan Wharf; that's the mooring ground of the Tanka boat people on the Pearl River."

Scholar Zhou took the note and read it carefully.

Lin Qian said to Jose, "Macao's defenses are tight. Do you have a way to get in without drawing attention?"

"Getting into Macao isn't a problem..." Jose hesitated a moment. "But may I ask the reason — is there some problem with the business with Councilman Andre?"

Lin Qian's manner was relaxed: "Don't worry, everything is going smoothly. In a few days I'll go negotiate the price with him in person. Before that, having more information can't hurt."

The two set their minds at ease and left the captain's cabin.

Lin Qian then called Lei Sanxiang and Chen Jiao in.

When Chen and Lei entered, Lin Qian was still bent over his desk writing.

Lin Qian did not pause his brush as he spoke: "In the next few days I need to make a trip to Guangzhou, about five days. During that time, there are some matters I need to entrust to you."

Chen Jiao and Lei Sanxiang exchanged a glance, then both clasped their fists and said, "We await the Helmsman's orders."

Lin Qian wrote as he spoke: "After I leave the ship, the galleon will immediately weigh anchor and sail northeast for about six hundred li, where there is a place called Nan'ao Island.

The galleon will anchor in that vicinity for a few days to familiarize itself with the shipping routes and nearby waterways, then return here five days later.

Keep a low profile during the voyage—don't sail close to shore, don't draw attention."

Chen Jiao said, "Nan'ao Island faces Chaoshan across the sea—I know the place."

Lin Qian set down his brush, picked up the paper, blew the ink dry, and handed it to Chen Jiao, saying, "Since you know the route, that makes things easier. I've also written down responses for various situations on this paper."

Chen Jiao unfolded the paper. He recognized a few characters and could barely make out the meaning.

After reading it, Chen Jiao's expression turned somewhat worried: "Helmsman, has something gone wrong with our business with the Franks?"

Lin Qian nodded: "Mm, the councilman wants to meet with me in Guangzhou, five days from now."

"That bastard—is he trying to pull a Hongmen Banquet on us?" Lei Sanxiang said angrily.

Though he couldn't read a single character, Lei Sanxiang knew the allusion of the Hongmen Banquet—such is the wisdom of the Chinese people.

Seeing that Lin Qian had given so many instructions, Chen Jiao understood he was preparing to attend the banquet and urged, "These Frankish barbarians are cunning as can be. The Helmsman need not bother with them—we can simply find another buyer."

"Don't worry, Big Brother. Not only will nothing happen to me on this trip, I'll also squeeze more silver out of those Frankish devils."

Chen Jiao wanted to persuade him further, but Lin Qian spoke up to stop him: "Big Brother, we've known each other this long—you should understand me by now. I don't bet on things I'm not sure of. Rest assured."

Yahei

Fenyuan

Pen