Chapter 205: Killing the King (II)

Zheng Zhilong stayed at the Grand Coordinator's Office far longer than anyone expected today — Fujian Governor Xiong Wencan had truly given him full face this time.

Later that evening, the Zheng Clan party returned to Hengguangkang with joy written all over their faces. And by this point, since the news had not been deliberately suppressed, an undercurrent of bandwagoning was naturally stirring through Fuzhou City.

The first to call was Vice Prefect Lin Shudi. As the main force who had tirelessly helped the Zheng Clan build influence all along, with victory now in sight, he naturally had to come and claim a share of the credit from Brother Zhilong.

Vice Prefect Lin was not disappointed. When he left Hengguangkang, he not only received a gift list, but also a promise: from now on, the Vice Prefect family's cargo ships would receive their recognition flags from the Zheng family free of charge, for life...

Several major Sea Merchants who had long been prepared also came by one after another to offer their congratulations.

It must be understood that on this trip to Fuzhou, even traveling in what the Zheng Clan called "light carriage and simple retinue," they still had a minimum of five blessing ships.

These five ships carried no fewer than 800 of the Zheng family's direct-line elite troops — Zheng Zhilong's core personal guard.

With this force ashore, it was impossible for the figures of the Three Mountains and Five Peaks not to take notice. Even though Zheng Zhilong had ordered a low profile before entering the city, it was perfectly normal for the brothers to go into Fuzhou City for a drink and some fun. Through all this coming and going, more and more people learned that the great ringleader Zheng Yiguan had entered the city for recruitment and amnesty.

Of course, none of this mattered now. As long as the recruitment and amnesty could be completed smoothly, every Sea Merchant in all of Fujian would henceforth have to act according to the Zheng Clan's expression. This little scene before them was merely the warm-up.

The next day at exactly si hour, the familiar time, the familiar office. The place where Old Xiong received the Zheng Clan today seemed even more intimate: Da Shufang.

Among those participating, there was also one more person — Advisor Huang, folding fan in hand, smiling the entire time. And the Fierce General Zheng Zhihu, whom Zheng Zhilong had brought along, paid his first respects to the Grand Coordinator.

The familiar scene, the familiar mutual display of acting skills, the familiar impassioned fervor.

And so, after the Grand Coordinator listened to the Zheng Clan pirate brothers' Jinghai Plan for sweeping away the other pirate brethren, the Old Man was also quite stirred: he had finally found the man to whom he could entrust this ten-thousand-ton burden! The earnest expectations His Majesty held before leaving the capital — this old servant now finally had hope of fulfilling them!

When a man gets stirred up, he becomes easy to fool.

Old Xiong was clearly fooled by the Zheng Clan brothers at that moment, and so, in his delight, the old man brought out a treasure — an item that had trickled out of the palace in small numbers.

This treasure was a pocket watch. A pocket watch with a distinctly Chinese-style cloisonné outer case, a transparent inner case, a dial in Chinese characters, and mechanical hands ticking away ceaselessly.

Historically, the pocket watch was not invented until the late 19th century, so the Zheng brothers had certainly never seen such a thing... According to Advisor Huang, who was on hand to explain, this Silver Sundial was crafted by master artisans of the Inner Palace, kept time with precision, and was extremely rare; only Dayuan of the Second Rank and above could manage to have half a piece or so "trickle out" from the hands of the Director of Palace Eunuchs.

Brother Zhilong was a man who had seen the great world, so he recognized at a glance the object's exquisite and extraordinary craftsmanship, knowing in his heart that it must have been made by a Grand Inner Expert artisan, and he hurriedly rose to express his thanks.

"When this old servant left the capital back then, I brought this along simply because the object carried such an auspicious sentiment." Old Xiong now fully assumed the manner of an amiable elder, stroking his beard and smiling: "Since this trinket's virtue is keeping precise time, it serves no great purpose left here in the Grand Coordinator's Office. Better to pass it on to the younger generation. Zhilong, in the days to come, as you sail by day and night, serving the court, having this object by your side will give you one more thing to rely on than others."

To tell the truth, after Old Xiong finished this speech, Handsome Zheng was, for that moment, genuinely somewhat moved. Gently stroking the ring of inscription on the outer rim of the case — "Pacify the seas, calm the waves, muah muah da" — although Zheng Zhilong could not grasp the full meaning of the sentence, the first four characters alone were enough to stir gratitude deep in his heart.

"Zhilong shall take this object as a warning, shall not fail the trust you have placed in me, shall pacify the Southeast, and shall repay the court's profound kindness!" In this moment, Handsome Zheng bowed in sincere submission before Old Xiong, utterly unaware of the waves of sinister energy radiating from the pocket watch in his hand.

That afternoon, surrounded by a large crowd of his subordinates, Zheng Zhilong left through Fuzhou South Gate and returned to his flagship, the "Tong'an."

The reason for such haste was that before leaving the Fuzhou Governor's Office, the Zheng side had already reached an agreement with Xiong Wencan: early the next morning, Xiong Da would personally leave the city to see the Zheng Clan off with a ceremony.

Since a grand farewell scene was to be staged on the docks tomorrow, the Zheng side naturally had to make preparations in advance: recalling all manpower, sorting out internal affairs, tidying the decks... They must ensure that when Xiong Da arrived tomorrow, what he saw was a mighty force, a pristine force.

As for Zheng Zhilong himself, that went without saying. He had to be on board, all preparations for the leadership inspection complete, before the city gates opened in the early morning and Old Xiong came out with his large retinue. Therefore, he had to leave the city this very afternoon.

With Zheng Zhilong's departure, Fuzhou City, which had been faintly stirring these past few days, soon returned to its usual slow rhythm. In truth, in the medieval era, the vast majority of mediocre, muddling common folk could sense no special atmosphere; without the aid of smartphones, events capable of influencing the course of history could hardly raise a ripple in an ancient city.

Xiong Qi was precisely such a mediocre man.

After sending Zheng Zhilong off in the morning, to be honest, Old Xiong privately let out a huge sigh of relief — Xiong Wencan appeared to occupy a high position, radiating authority in all directions, but only he himself knew just how much personal risk he had shouldered through this series of choices.

And Xiong Qi, as the sole trusted family servant who understood the reasons behind it all, naturally relaxed along with him — nothing embodied the meaning of "harmed together" better than the personal dependency of ancient times.

After sending Zheng Zhilong off in the morning, he accompanied the Master in the afternoon to meet with the Central Army Assistant Regional Commander of the Governor's Standard Battalion Battalion, and after assigning the tasks for leaving the city the next morning, the Master retired early today to rest. As for Comrade Xiong Qi, after attending to his own master, with a shake of his body, he transformed into Great Lord Xiong... the old man needed to relax too!

Where to go to relax? Sanfu Pavilion.

Sanfu Pavilion was located at West Flower Market Head, a renowned spot for pleasure in Fuzhou City. Since it was a fine spot, then Xiong Qi, Great Lord Xiong — a man in the prime of life at 35, still considered a sturdy fellow — was certainly destined to be connected with the place.

Theoretically speaking, a figure like Seventh Master, when seeking amusement on ordinary days, should properly go outside West Gate, to Music Lane Street by Fuzhou West Lake, to drift in a boat and admire the moon, lingering through the night. However, because Seventh Master had duties and often had to attend to his master before dawn the next day, going outside West Gate was out of the question: the city gates wouldn't be open yet, and he wouldn't make it back in time.

Therefore, Sanfu Pavilion, located inside the city and not too far from the Fuzhou Governor's Office, had now become Seventh Master's designated consumption spot.

As the saying goes, a servant at a chancellor's gate is worth a Seventh Rank official. And a personal Chang Sui like Xiong Qi, serving a Feudal Official, in fact wielded power over the common people that was excessive without being inferior: the ordinarily inconspicuous Seventh Master could walk sideways, at least in a pleasure district like Sanfu Pavilion.

And so, as the lanterns were first lit, Seventh Master was already sitting in the cool pavilion of his favorite, the Sanfu Pavilion courtesan Shui Xiuer, drinking wine.

Shui Xiuer was 20 years old, slender and graceful, soft and alluringly beautiful — precisely in the finest years of a prostitute's life. And at this moment, her cheeks flushed, her brows and eyes glancing about, she was staring intently at several sparkling, glittering red and blue gemstones in her hand, unable to stop looking.

The next moment, Shui Xiuer raised her head and looked at Xiong Qi with a teasing smile: "My lord, what's made you so generous lately? Could it be the Great Master has raised your monthly allowance?"

"What a sharp-tongued little thing — not only taking advantage, but daring to mock your patron!" Xiong Qi, who had already downed at least three or five cups of Guyue Plum wine, was now equally flushed in the cheeks, his eyes bleary. He spoke while grinning and reaching out his hand to pinch Shui Xiuer's cheek.

"Smack" — Master Xiong received a light swat on the back of his hand from a delicate hand.

"You, of all people, never have a serious moment — someone's asking you a question!" The beauty at this moment feigned anger, her coquettish glare and eye-rolls flying together, leaving Old Xiong Qi utterly bewitched.

"Hehe, my family's master draws a proper annual salary of just 700 dan of grain — enough to feed whom?" Xiong Qi withdrew his hand, sniffed it lightly at his nose, and then told Shui Xiuer with a beaming smile: "These few Zhu Gemstones were a gift from some bumpkins who came from Zhangzhou. Take them and have a few hairpins made, so you won't go around later flapping your lips saying I don't care for you."

"From Zhangzhou? No wonder!" Shui Xiuer seemed considerably more excited upon hearing this word: "These past few days the house has received quite a few wealthy guests from Zhangzhou, every one of them spending freely, making Mama so happy her eyebrows bloomed with smiles."

Xiong Qi laughed heartily at this, grabbed a peanut from the plate and tossed it into his mouth: "That plague-stricken mama of yours has gotten happy for nothing this time. That bunch is leaving tomorrow."

"Hehehe..." At these words, Shui Xiuer covered her cherry mouth and let out a string of silvery laughter: "If that's indeed the case, Mama will be leaning against the pillar staring at the door tomorrow."

After the man and woman shared a burst of gleeful, shared-hatred laughter in the cool pavilion, Shui Xiuer leisurely put away her smile and sighed, as if inadvertently: "Come to think of it, Mama Bao has it pretty hard too, managing such a big establishment. Ah, those Zhangzhou sea travelers — who knows, they might come again before long."

Xiong Qi had just finished a cup of wine at that moment and sneered at her words: "Come again? Hmph, don't keep dreaming."

Shui Xiuer's eyes brightened: "Why couldn't they come?"

"Oh..." Although Seventh Master had drunk a few cups by now, he had not, after all, drunk too much. Having spoken to this point, he stopped and would not discuss it further, changing the subject instead to romance and beauty.

Seeing her patron change his tune, Shui Xiuer naturally could not press the question further. The next moment, the beauty raised her orchid fingers, arched her willow-leaf brows, and lifted the silver wine pot from the table: "Come, my troublesome darling, let your servant pour you another cup."

Not long after, Seventh Master had reached his limit. Dizzy and reeling, muttering nonsense under his breath, he followed Shui Xiuer into the bedroom. The bed-making maid had long since prepared the bed, and so Seventh Master and the beauty tumbled between the sheets.

Over two hours later, under Shui Xiuer's deliberate ministrations, Seventh Master had passed through clouds and rain several times, long since utterly drained and too weary to rise. And Shui Xiuer, after waiting until Seventh Master was snoring heavily in sleep, first got up and lit a stick of calming incense in the room, and only after this hurriedly draped a large red soft-gauze robe over herself and walked out the door.