Chapter 103

At the Miaokou anchorage northeast of Weihai Guard City, over ten seagoing vessels lay quietly at rest, gently rising and falling with the ocean swell. Most were the large transport junks used for shipping tribute grain by sea. The Miaokou anchorage at Weihai and Mazidun were separated by Mount Songding and Mount Diaowo, creating a sheltered haven. At peak times, nearly a hundred ships would take refuge here from wind and waves; in normal times, only a handful would stop to replenish fresh water and provisions.

One Fujian junk and one red-seal ship were mixed in among them. The red-seal ship's fore and aft square sails had already been lowered. The other tribute-transport sailors, unfamiliar with the Yamato-style bow, simply assumed it was some unfamiliar type of Chinese vessel. No one paid any attention to anyone else.

The Fujian junk, like the other transport vessels, lowered a small provisioning boat and began rowing toward the shore.

After Zhou Shifa went ashore, he headed north along the coast toward Mazidun. Chen Xin stood at the bow of the Fujian junk watching until the man disappeared from sight, then said to Song Wenxian beside him, "I'll wager Sun Guozhen has sent men to wait at the beacon fort."

Song Wenxian, looking somewhat worried, replied, "I think the same. But Brother Chen, you did promise to give Sun Guozhen his silver. Why all this secrecy?"

Chen Xin knew he was concerned for his eldest son's safety and explained, "Brother Song, there's no need to worry about your son. The silver will certainly go to Sun Guozhen, but not for nothing. Once Zhou Shifa brings the men back and I've asked about the situation these past two months, we'll see how to extract some advantage."

With his own kin involved, Song Wenxian's mind was not as sharp as usual. He stopped pondering and waited. Two double-hours later, Zhou Shifa and Lu Chuanzong appeared on the shore, boarded the provisioning boat, and came out to the Fujian junk.

Seeing Chen Xin, Lu Chuanzong said cheerfully, "My lord, you're back at last! Your commission promoting you to Assistant Guard Commander has arrived."

Song Wenxian and Chen Xin exchanged a glance at the words "Assistant Regional Commander." They knew the military merit from opening Tongtian Liang had finally been processed. Sun Guozhen had handled the matter with due diligence after all — Chen Xin had jumped straight from Purchased Battalion Commander to Assistant Regional Commander. Qian Yuanke must have played a part as well. Even if it was only a guard-battalion rank, it was still a promotion in grade.

Chen Xin asked Lu Chuanzong, "Was it delivered by someone sent from Lord Sun?"

"Yes, the man is still waiting there. He says he must present it to Lord Chen in person before he can set his mind at ease."

Chen Xin raised a hand to stop Lu Chuanzong from speaking further. He had several personal guards screen off the sailors behind them, then asked Lu Chuanzong in a low voice, "Has any word come back from Zhang Dahui?"

"Yes. When he reached Tianjin, he had Lu You bring word. He says that Circuit Intendant Zhong was impeached by a censor in the fourth month and removed from office in the fifth." Both Song Wenxian and Chen Xin felt a surge of secret delight. They had finally managed to bring someone down.

Song Wenxian could not wait to ask, "Was he imprisoned?"

"No. He was sent home to live in retirement."

Stroking his beard, Song Wenxian's mind suddenly grew nimble again. Chen Xin was also deep in thought, head lowered. Circuit Intendant Zhong had been toppled for attaching himself to the palace eunuchs; there would be no chance of a comeback for him. His silver was certainly not going to be returned. Sun Guozhen, however, was still in office — though the silver must be repaid, how could they wring out a few more advantages?

After a moment, Song Wenxian said to Chen Xin, "Brother Chen, let me go and negotiate with Sun Guozhen's man."

Chen Xin shook his head. "In what capacity would you negotiate with him? You are still counted as Sun Guozhen's private secretary, and your son is in his hands. It will be easier if I go. I only want a few things — I won't swallow his silver. Mr. Song, I guarantee your son will return without a single hair harmed."

Song Wenxian sighed helplessly and nodded his agreement.

Having settled that, Chen Xin turned to Lu Chuanzong and asked, "Has anything else happened around Dengzhou and Laizhou?"

"There is more — also word brought by Lu You. But by now everyone knows it. In the fourth month, the court appointed that former Liaodong Provincial Governor as the Grand Coordinator of Jizhou and Liaodong. It seems Dengzhou and Laizhou also fall under his jurisdiction. The previous Grand Coordinator Wang was dismissed. Also, Yang Guodong, the Regional Commander of Dengzhou and Laizhou, has been transferred to be Regional Commander of Zhejiang."

"Yuan Chonghuan?" Song Wenxian asked, puzzled. The man had been dismissed from office just the previous year, yet this year he had climbed even higher. He searched his memory briefly and said to Chen Xin, "This is strange. Back then, he and Yan Mingtai jointly submitted a memorial to build a living shrine for Wei Zhongxian. Yan Mingtai will hardly escape the purge of the eunuch faction, yet this Yuan Chonghuan has risen so quickly."…

Chen Xin's attitude toward this Yuan Chonghuan was one of indifference. Although the man now had authority over Dengzhou and Laizhou, Yuan Chonghuan had the Liaodong military tax in hand and spent all his days in Liaoxi; he was unlikely to have the inclination to bother with Dengzhou and Laizhou, let alone the even less significant Wendeng. It was best if he took no notice of Chen Xin at all. Chen Xin would not go out of his way to attract his attention either. The man had only a little over a year in this post — no point investing in him. Besides, the charges later laid against him were extremely grave; it was better not to get too entangled.

"Brother Chen, once matters on the ship are settled, shall I make a trip to Shanhai Pass to smooth things over for you?"

Chen Xin shook his head. "No need. We have the Dengzhou-Laizhou Provincial Governor and the Regional Commander above us to take the brunt. He has millions in Liaodong tax revenue. If we send too little, it's useless; if we send too much, it will only arouse his suspicion. The court has given him an enormous territory — the entire defensive perimeter around Liaodong is his. That will keep him busy enough. He should have no time to pay attention to the least important place like ours."

He let out a breath and added, "Keep the silver for the one who actually holds authority over us. The Dengzhou-Laizhou Provincial Governor and the Coastal Defense Circuit are still the most cost-effective. It all depends on who the next Dengzhou-Laizhou Provincial Governor will be."

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The red-seal ship sailed into Mazi Harbor and came to a stop at the wharf. There were only about twenty sailors aboard. The ship's bulwarks were rotted through in many places, and one of the foresails hung in tatters, its lines tangled into knots that could not be loosened.

The people who had rushed over on hearing the news all stared at the ship in astonishment — including that Steward Xu sent by Sun Guozhen. Chen Xin had met him twice before at the Provincial Governor's government office, when delivering silver on both occasions. Their relationship was reasonably cordial. After Chen Xin walked down the gangplank, he asked the man listlessly, "So Steward Xu is here as well."

Steward Xu stared at Chen Xin in dismay and asked, "Lord Chen, wh-what has happened?"

Chen Xin remained silent for a long moment before saying to Steward Xu, "Mr. Xu, let us speak inside that building over there."

The two men walked one after the other into the naval force's office. The moment they entered the room, Chen Xin suddenly dropped to his knees and said in a choked voice, "Mr. Xu, your humble subordinate has failed the trust Lord Sun placed in me. On our return voyage, we encountered a great storm. The ship carrying Lord Sun's cargo was blown off course. We watched from a distance — it seemed to capsize into the sea."

Steward Xu's mouth gaped open as if he had been frozen in place. He knew very well that Sun Guozhen, on account of the eunuch-faction purge, had already sent a great deal of silver to the capital. He might be able to secure a retirement with his person intact. These twenty thousand taels were his sole support for his old age. He had originally hoped to earn another twenty thousand — and now it had been overturned into the sea.

"You… you…" Steward Xu could scarcely imagine how he would explain this to Sun Guozhen upon his return. He pointed at Chen Xin, his finger trembling, nearly unable to speak. Before he could utter any threat, Chen Xin beat him to it and wailed, "Even Mr. Song may have gone down with the ship."

That meant Song Wenxian's eldest son was now of no use. Steward Xu gasped for breath, the words he had been about to say stuck in his throat for the moment.

Chen Xin hurriedly continued, "But rest assured, Mr. Xu — no matter what, I will scrape together Lord Sun's principal and return it to him without fail. That is the duty of a subordinate."

Only then did Steward Xu manage to catch his breath. He took several great gulps of air, reached for the table, and only then realized there was not even any tea brewed. He could not be bothered with that now and quickly said to Chen Xin, "Then give me the silver at once. I have my own ship here — I will take it back now."

Chen Xin looked at him in astonishment and said, "How could you possibly take it away now, sir?"

Steward Xu's heart lurched again. He repeatedly pressed a hand to his chest and asked urgently, "Then what did you mean by what you just said? Is there not still one ship left?"

Seeing that the man seemed somewhat overwrought, Chen Xin opened the door and called a sailor to brew a cup of tea. Only then did he slowly sit down and say to Steward Xu, "I will not deceive you, sir. The one ship that remains now carries my own cargo — all of it Japanese dried seafood, Japanese swords, and the like. You may go aboard and inspect it at once, sir. These goods must be sold off before the silver can be made up to Lord Sun. Alternatively, Mr. Xu, you could take these goods yourself and sell them on your own."…

Steward Xu said anxiously, "With so much cargo, and I know no buyers — how would I dispose of it if I took it? Lord Chen, how long exactly will it take you to sell the goods?"

"Normally, three to five months should suffice."

Steward Xu began rubbing his chest again. Chen Xin hurriedly brought the tea over. Steward Xu took it and drank half the bowl in one gulp. In his agitation, even his beard was flecked with droplets of water.

It was a long while before Steward Xu caught his breath again. His face full of bitterness, he said, "Lord Chen, why would it take so long?"

"Mr. Xu, you may not be aware, but these Japanese dried goods and Japanese swords are items that ordinary people do not use. We must wait for merchants from the capital and from Huaiyang to come and purchase them before they can be sold. Three to five months is actually a conservative estimate."

Steward Xu glanced out the window toward the Fujian junk and asked, "So you are saying that the ship now carries only your own cargo, and not a single tael of silver?"

Chen Xin replied, "There is silver, but it all belongs to Lord Zhong. Here are the cargo manifest and account books — you may examine them, Mr. Xu." As he spoke, Chen Xin produced a forged account book.

Steward Xu did not even reach for it. He leaned his body toward Chen Xin and asked, "How much silver does Lord Zhong have?"

Chen Xin thought for a moment and said, "Lord Zhong's principal plus his profit comes to twenty thousand taels in total — all in ready silver."

Steward Xu clapped his hands together excitedly. "Then simply give that ship's silver to Lord Sun — it is the same thing!"

Chen Xin said with a troubled expression, "The two ships traveled together, but this ship's cargo belongs to Lord Zhong. The manifests and account books are all perfectly clear. Lord Zhong also inspected the ship himself. If I give it to Lord Sun, I will have no way to account to Lord Zhong."

Steward Xu leaned in close and said in a low voice, "Lord Chen, you have just returned. This Circuit Intendant Zhong attached himself to the palace eunuchs and fawned upon the eunuch faction. He has already been dismissed from office. Therefore, you need not account to him for anything."

Chen Xin stared at Steward Xu in astonishment. After a long pause, he said, "How could I do such a thing — burn the bridge after crossing the river? Even if Lord Zhong has been dismissed, he was still a former superior. If I did such a thing, my conscience would truly not allow it."

With ready silver now in the picture, Steward Xu had calmed down somewhat. His eyes shifted as he said to Chen Xin, "It is good that Lord Chen remembers old ties, but one must not be too pedantic. Lord Sun's silver is silver too. Which ship returned — how would that Lord Zhong ever know?"

"This…"

Steward Xu waved a hand and declared, "Lord Chen need not trouble yourself. If that Lord Zhong ever comes asking, just say that I took it. If even then Lord Chen does not agree, I shall begin to doubt your true intentions."

Chen Xin's brow furrowed deeply, as if he were engaged in a painful internal struggle. After a long moment, he still shook his head. Steward Xu stood up in anger and shouted at Chen Xin, "Lord Chen, do you have eyes only for Lord Zhong? Can it be that Provincial Governor Sun is not worth more than a mere Coastal Defense Circuit intendant? What exactly did Lord Zhong promise you?"

Chen Xin rose and said with a flustered, apologetic smile, "Calm yourself, Mr. Xu. I will be honest — it is simply that Lord Zhong once promised your humble subordinate some weapons. I have been looking forward to obtaining them for my men upon my return, and now this has happened."

Steward Xu stared at Chen Xin for a moment, then asked coldly, "What weapons?"

"Mr. Xu, Lord Zhong promised me five hundred sets of iron-scale armor. I also know that the armory still holds some gunpowder, saltpeter, sulfur, and the like. Furthermore, Lord Zhong also promised to help promote me to Vice Guard Commander and have me transferred to be a Picket Officer in the Wendeng Battalion."

Steward Xu stroked the whiskers on his chin. A set of iron scale armor cost at least fifty taels; five hundred sets would be over twenty thousand. He snorted. "So that's it. Zhong Baishi had a fine scheme, and you, Lord Chen, have a fine scheme too. Now that Zhong Baishi has been dismissed, Lord Sun happens to be overseeing the armory as well, but I fear it won't be easy to account for."

Chen Xin thought of the iron armor. It was something Song Wenxian had found in the Dengzhou registers, but Circuit Intendant Zhong had never promised it to him. He had coveted it for a long time. Hearing Steward Xu's tone waver, he said quietly, "Didn't you just say, Mr. Xu, that Lord Zhong has been dismissed? I'm afraid this iron armor may have gone missing while Lord Zhong was still in office…"

Steward Xu looked at Chen Xin darkly, slowly sat down, and picked up his tea. This time he was composed and unhurried. After taking a sip, he asked lightly, "Originally, with what Lord Sun added to the profit, it should be forty thousand taels? Now there are only twenty thousand taels on the ship."

"Originally, with the profit added, Lord Sun should have thirty-eight thousand taels. If I can get my hands on these weapons, then after I sell the goods, what if I make up the full thirty-eight thousand taels for Lord Sun? That way, Lord Sun gets his full amount of silver, and I, your humble subordinate, won't come away empty-handed. After all, the things in the imperial court's armory will eventually be given out to someone. It would be convenient for both Lord Sun and myself."

Steward Xu remained noncommittal. Chen Xin added another line: "Mr. Xu, you've been traveling back and forth. I, your humble subordinate, also have a token of regard for you here. It will be no less than one thousand taels."

Steward Xu began to be tempted. He also knew that Sun Guozhen's situation was precarious. While still in office, one should earn what one could. But he still had to clarify the large sum first. "Then, regarding Lord Sun's share, how much can I take away this time?"

"Since there's no urgency on Lord Zhong's side, this time Mr. Xu can take away the full twenty thousand taels in ready silver. I'll have it delivered to your ship immediately." As he spoke, Chen Xin took out a five-hundred-tael silver note from Dengzhou, told Steward Xu the secret code, and said, "This is a token of regard for you, Mr. Xu. As for Lord Sun, I hope you will help explain things to him. Also, Mr. Song met with misfortune on the road. I plan to set up a mourning hall in Weihai. I hope that for the sake of your former colleague, you will allow the eldest son of the Song family to come to Weihai to pay his respects."

Steward Xu accepted the silver note. Being able to bring back twenty thousand taels of principal this time meant he could give an account of himself. As long as he could get the iron armor and weapons out, he could still collect the rest. This outcome was not entirely smooth, but at least there was still hope. Although he had some suspicions about Chen Xin, with Sun Guozhen at a sensitive moment, he was unwilling to use rough methods against this highly renowned Assistant Administration Commissioner. In any case, he had half the money, and Chen Xin's family was still there; he still held cards. Having made up his mind, he said to Chen Xin, "I can agree to the matter of the Song family. When can Brother Chen make up the full thirty-eight thousand? Could you give me a deadline?"

Chen Xin had deliberately left the eight-thousand-tael tail, fearing that Sun Guozhen would deal with him once he had the money. He needed to string him along. But he himself was a hero who had opposed the eunuch faction; if Sun Guozhen didn't want trouble, he probably wouldn't act that way. He explained to Steward Xu, "I plan to sell the Japanese dried seafood at a low price. Within a month, I can certainly raise ten thousand taels. As for the remaining eight thousand taels, I will do my utmost to gather them and will certainly make up the full amount within a few months."

At this point, Steward Xu understood that Chen Xin was waiting for the Picket Officer appointment to come through before giving the eight thousand taels. He stood up. "Then these matters are settled. Write me a list of the weapons. After I deliver them, I will collect another ten thousand taels. As for the remaining eight thousand taels, I hope Lord Chen will be prompt. Before I came, your lady also asked me to inquire on her behalf when she might come to Weihai."

Hearing the words "your lady," Chen Xin recalled the appearance of the Xiao family flower, and his heart gave a shudder. On his face, he wore an expression of respectful attention.

Steward Xu continued on his own: "You were just promoted to Assistant Administration Commissioner this year, and now you want to be promoted to Vice Prefect and serve as Picket Officer. Without credible military merits to speak of, it's impossible. If the merits are fabricated, the Ministry of War will still need to verify them. It's not entirely up to my master."

Chen Xin wore a professional smile on his face and said calmly to Steward Xu, "It so happens that I do have military merits. Some time ago, a band of Japanese pirates entrenched themselves deep in the mountains of Wendeng, plotting to plunder Wendeng County. I annihilated them in a single battle, taking four genuine Japanese heads and over two hundred heads of their followers, all verifiable. I will personally handle the arrangements with the Ministry of War. Mr. Xu need only manage the merit-reporting documents for Dengzhou and Laizhou. If I can be promoted to Picket Officer, I will make up the full forty thousand taels for Lord Sun, and for you, Mr. Xu, there will be another sum for your trouble."

Steward Xu looked at the obsequiously smiling Chen Xin for a long time. Japanese pirate heads were no ordinary bandit heads; although they couldn't compare to Jianzhou Bandit heads, the military merit was still very high. Steward Xu finally broke into a smile himself and said, "Lord Chen, your future is surely boundless."