Chapter 89: Dog Training

A short while later, Han San returned with a man and a woman.

The man was tall and lean, with prominent cheekbones and a face that looked as if it had been carved by a knife, giving one the immediate impression that he was unruly and defiant.

The woman, however, was born delicate and lovely, with a small, round face like a duck egg, a fair, smooth neck, and breasts the size of melons.

Most importantly, there was a slight bulge at her lower abdomen.

Although it was only a little, it was clear she was already pregnant.

At this moment, the woman was full of panic, kowtowing repeatedly and begging for mercy: "Please, I beg you, please let me and my husband go. I beg you great lords, let us go."

"Wife, wife, you don't need to beg them!" The man twisted his body, struggling wildly.

"Yo, a tough nut, are we?" Han San chuckled, kicked him in the back, and the man stumbled forward and fell. Han San stepped forward, pressed the man's head onto the deck, and barked coldly with a ferocious face: "Since you have such backbone, why did you have to be a thief?"

"Not only did you sneak onto our ship, but you also dared to steal and eat my things, damn you."

"Pah! I paid money; I didn't sneak onto the ship!" The man's face flushed red as he stretched his neck and shouted.

"Heh, and you paid for your meal too? Who did you pay? In any case, I didn't receive your money." Han San gave a cold laugh, a cold glint suddenly flashing in his eyes as he threatened, "If you dare to bicker again, do you believe I'll throw you both into the sea to feed the fish?"

The lean man's eyes widened in anger, and just as he was about to retort, the woman hurriedly crawled forward on her knees, covered the man's mouth with her hand, and shook her head with red-rimmed eyes, saying: "We dare not, we dare not. We beg the great lord to spare our lives."

"Alright, alright, it's just some food; it would be wasted if not eaten anyway, so let's just consider it a good deed." Zhang Yunxiu, standing to the side, had figured out the sequence of events by now and, feeling no anger, said dismissively.

"Yes." Han San smiled obsequiously, then turned his head to glare at the pair and said: "Alright, it's because our young master is kind-hearted this time that we're letting you off. If there is a next time, I will never show mercy."

"Thank you, great lord." The woman nodded and forced a smile.

The man raised his chin and looked at Zhang Yunxiu.

Judging by the attitude of these people, this young man must be the leader of the group. To be able to command such a massive fleet at such a young age, his status and position must be quite high.

"Young Master, this lowly one did not steal the food on purpose; it is because my wife is carrying a child and cannot go hungry."

The man said this with a sorrowful face. Zhang Yunxiu sneered inwardly and retorted: "Oh, so just because your pot is empty, you can go steal? What kind of logic is that?"

"If I were to follow your logic, there are many people in the world who don't have enough to eat; must I take care of every single one of them?"

I can magnanimously forgive your theft, but for you to be so righteous about it, that is unreasonable.

Han San observed the situation and chimed in with a sneer: "Exactly. It's bad enough you have no ability yourself, but you also drag your wife down to suffer with you. And you, a Joseon person, why aren't you staying put in Joseon instead of following us onto the ship?"

The man did not speak; he reached into his bosom, took out two silver ingots, and slapped them onto the table.

"Yo, I couldn't tell you had some goods on you, dressed in rags as you are." Han San grinned, asking with a hint of mockery, "Living well in Joseon, why run out? Could it be you committed some crime in Joseon and want to run to our Great Ming to avoid disaster?"

"You don't have Great Ming household registration; wherever you go, you'll end up in jail."

"Ah?!" The woman gasped in shock, then looked timidly at her husband.

The man nodded to his wife to reassure her, then ignored Han San, his knees softening as he knelt before Zhang Yunxiu: "This lowly one knows you are a noble person. If you are willing to save this lowly one this time, I will surely serve you like an ox or a horse in the future and repay your great kindness."

As he spoke, under the gaze of everyone, he unbuckled his belt and took out a small pouch from inside.

Opening it, there were seven or eight golden, gleaming gold bars. The blood-red sunset spilled over them, and the gold bars emitted an extremely eerie light.

Zhang Yunxiu beckoned, and a personal attendant stepped forward, ordered someone to take the gold bars, weighed them in his hand, and laughed: "Quite heavy. With this much gold, where would you not be comfortable?"

Having said this, Zhang Yunxiu slammed the gold bars onto the table with a 'clatter' and, crossing his legs, asked: "Tell me, what crime did you commit in Joseon?"

The man's expression shifted uncertainly; he was hesitant.

Seeing him remain silent, Han San's face turned ferocious, and he shouted coldly: "The young master is asking you a question, are you deaf? If you don't speak now, I'll throw you two into the sea to feed the fish right now."

Frightened by this, the man gritted his teeth and explained the whole story to Zhang Yunxiu in detail.

After listening.

Zhang Yunxiu and Han San wore strange expressions; it turned out they were the ones who had brought him along.

According to the man's account, his name was Li Ergou, and the woman was his wife, Li Min'er.

The two had previously made quite a bit of money by hoarding salt, but unfortunately, the price of salt plummeted later, and the two suffered heavy losses.

Finally, before the salt price completely collapsed, Li Ergou barely managed to cut his losses and get out.

However, having grown accustomed to a life of luxury, he could not bring himself to return to a life of plain tea and simple rice.

And so, he decided to go all the way; he gritted his teeth, took the silver that everyone had pooled together, and boarded the Ming Army's ship with his wife.

He had originally thought that as long as he had money, he would be a master anywhere. He never expected to be caught the moment he got on the ship.

"Li Ergou." Zhang Yunxiu called out tentatively.

Li Ergou hurriedly crawled forward on his knees: "This lowly one is here."

"I have accepted this money; from now on, you will work under me. However, I don't much like people who betray their friends. I can overlook the past, but if you dare to offend again in the future, you know the consequences."

"I know... I know."

"Get up." Zhang Yunxiu beckoned for him to rise, then pointed to the food on the table and said, "We've already eaten our fill, and it would be a waste not to eat it, so let your wife have it."

"Many thanks, my lord." Li Ergou hurriedly supported his knees to stand up, then led Min'er forward to sit down.

Zhang Yunxiu shook his head and walked to the other side of the deck. Han San followed closely behind and solemnly reminded him: "Young Master, this man betrayed his friends and has a rebellious nature; he doesn't look like a good sort. If you take him in, he will be a disaster sooner or later."

Without answering directly, Zhang Yunxiu rambled on to Han San: "I remember when I was a child, playing on the street, a large dog suddenly lunged at me."

"Fortunately, my servant was loyal and stood his ground against the dog's biting, shielding me behind him, which is how I kept my life."

"Later, that servant of mine had people hang the dog up, beat it several times, and starved it for several more. That dog, whenever it saw me, would be completely submissive and wag its tail every time."

Han San smiled knowingly, bowed, and said: "Young Master, rest assured, I guarantee I will train this dog well for you."

(End of chapter)