Chapter 32: Dark Night

Walking like this until the morning of the fourth day, their sea vessel passed the Miaodao Archipelago off the coast of Dengzhou. Chen Xin knew that to the north lay Lushun. The Later Jin had captured Lushun in the fifth year of Tianqi but withdrew immediately after; at this time Lushun was still under the control of Dongjiangzhen, and the Bohai Sea remained safe. Along the way they occasionally spotted military ships sailing from Dengzhou to Lushun. Their own ship flew an official banner reading "Dengzhou Sea Route" and encountered no inspections whatsoever, but Chen Xin suspected that once they entered the Yellow Sea, they would only need to change the last character — "Dengzhou Sea Bandits" was probably their true banner.

By sunset on the afternoon of the fifth day, the Fujian junk followed the Shandong coast out of the Bohai Sea and entered the waters of the Yellow Sea. Chen Xin stood at the bow gazing at the black coastline under the distant evening glow. According to the sailors, this was the farthest reach of Shandong's land, so it must be Weihaiwei — though of course still far from the famous naval port of later ages. The first time Chen Xin had heard of this place was also from the destruction of the Beiyang Fleet, a battle that not only shattered China's naval dream but also laid bare the weakness of the Manchu Qing dynasty before the entire world.

People of later generations summarized many reasons for the Beiyang Fleet's defeat — rapid-fire guns, speed, training, and so on, each with their own emphasis — but Chen Xin felt there was only one reason: after over two hundred years of enslavement rule by the Manchu Qing, the Chinese people had become utterly devoid of vitality and dignity. With such social soil, how could a modern navy possessing a strong sense of honor and a spirit of adventure be cultivated? Even if they had purchased two Sachsen-class ships, they were merely a hollow shell.

Lu Lvzi sat on the deck to one side, fiddling with a Japanese sword in his hand, a borrowed bamboo smoking pipe in his right hand as he puffed smoke. He was the ship's cook, preparing meals twice a day — though there was really nothing much to cook, just steamed buns and flatbread, plus boiling some water. Thinking of the several dozen taels of silver Proprietor Zhao had promised, Lu Lvzi was still doing a decent enough job.

After these few days on the ship, his initial excitement had faded. The space for movement on board was limited, and he wasn't very familiar with the others; now he felt quite irritable. The other sailors were much the same. After a longer time, all sorts of emotions began to spread. When boredom set in they wanted to drink, and after drinking their tempers grew even worse. Today alone there had already been two fights, the deck erupting into chaos, all over trivial, petty matters.

The sun soon sank beneath the sea's surface, and a sky full of starlight appeared on the horizon. That night Lu Lvzi had the night watch shift on deck, along with Hei Pao and five or six others also on deck. Worried that Han Bin might try some petty trick, Chen Xin stayed on deck as well, carrying a Japanese sword on him. He watched Hei Pao using a qianxing board to measure against the sea horizon — at this time, maritime navigation relied mainly on the compass and the qianxing board. The qianxing board was used at night to maintain course, and there were men on the ship specially assigned to watch the stars at night. This was the origin of the duty star officer position that later navies continued to use.

The cabin ladder creaked softly, and Proprietor Zhao appeared on deck to check if anyone was slacking off. Seeing a few men smoking, he frowned slightly but said nothing. Having sailed the seas for many years, he understood how sailors felt. If restrictions were too many, it would backfire. As long as they didn't smoke inside the cabin, he let them be.

He muttered a few words with Hei Pao, stood with his hands behind his back for a moment, and after instructing Hei Pao to be careful during the night, was about to return below. Turning his head, he discovered Chen Xin was also on deck and asked Hei Pao with some surprise, "Why was Assistant Accountant Chen assigned to the night watch?"

Hei Pao hurriedly said, "Mr. Chen came to keep Brother Lu company."

Chen Xin cupped his fists and said, "Proprietor, you spoke of crossing the river in the same boat. I ought to contribute my share. How could I be so shameless as to let all you brothers keep watch every night?"

Proprietor Zhao nodded and said, "Very good."

Hei Pao added from the side, "Mr. Chen is a man of loyalty. If you ask me, Hei Pao, a scholar like this is what a true scholar should be."

Proprietor Zhao listened, glanced twice at Hei Pao, and suddenly said to Chen Xin, "Accountant Chen, come with me."

The two walked to the bow, near the windlass position. A sailor was sitting there. Proprietor Zhao kicked him with his foot and cursed, "Get lost." The sailor hurriedly scrambled away to the middle of the ship. This Fujian junk was ten zhang long, about thirty-one meters. After driving that man away, there was no one else within ten meters. Proprietor Zhao put his hands behind his back and gazed at the sea ahead. Chen Xin followed his gaze. The view from the bow was extremely broad; the sea shimmered with rippling light, and the boundless ocean and endless starry sky made one feel ever more insignificant...

They waited at the bow for a long while, but the Proprietor still said nothing. Chen Xin had no idea what he wanted to say, but it certainly wasn't to reenact Titanic with him. In his mind he was still wondering whether he should discuss the cargo and other matters with him.

At last, Proprietor Zhao spoke, his voice very low and deep: "Does Accountant Chen know where the first assistant accountant on this ship ended up?"

"I do not know."

"I tied him to this iron anchor and left him in the sun for five days. A man of over a hundred jin was left with less than sixty."

Proprietor Zhao's voice carried not a trace of emotion. Chen Xin's heart suddenly clenched tight; the gentle, quiet night seemed abruptly fraught with danger on all sides. His mind raced back through the experiences of the past few days — aside from firing that one shot, there seemed to be no real mistake. While secretly staying on guard, he watched Proprietor Zhao's hands from the corner of his eye. Seeing they were still behind his back, he relaxed slightly. He replied, "Then it must be that this man did something he ought not to have done."

Proprietor Zhao still did not look at him and continued in the same flat tone: "He took silver from outsiders, which led to my only son being killed. Tell me, did he deserve to die?"

Chen Xin had heard both Lao Cai and Miss Zhao speak of this Young Proprietor, both saying he had been away from home for many years. So he was already dead — no wonder they indulged Miss Zhao so much. He replied, "Since he failed to keep to his proper place, one cannot blame the Proprietor. It is only a pity about the Young Proprietor. He must have been a hero of indomitable spirit, just like the Great Proprietor."

Proprietor Zhao showed no reaction to his flattery and continued narrating in the same indifferent tone: "A physiognomist once told me that I kill and punish too heavily, and calamity would surely befall my descendants. Now it has indeed come true. My only son died young, leaving me only a daughter to serve at my side. But when a daughter comes of age she must marry, and keeping her here is a difficult matter."

Hearing this, Chen Xin began to understand. It must be that after Miss Zhao returned, she had spoken of recruiting him as a son-in-law, which was why Proprietor Zhao was telling him these things. But he did not know the specifics and for a moment did not know how to explain.

Proprietor Zhao said flatly, "Do you want to be my son-in-law?"

Chen Xin's thoughts raced like lightning. Not knowing what the Proprietor really meant, he cautiously replied, "I do not know if the Proprietor has heard something from someone, but since I left Tieling, I have had no fixed abode. Coming to the Proprietor's shop, I sought only three meals and a night's lodging, earning my own keep, with no other intentions."

"Since you come from Tieling, do you know the names of Tieling's four gates?"

Chen Xin was caught off guard: "I, I..."

Proprietor Zhao fixed both eyes directly on Chen Xin. "Did you think that what you said could fool Lao Cai and then fool me? Just by looking at how you hold a brush when keeping accounts, it's not the skill of a Licentiate. Had I not seen that you were fairly honest in money matters, I would not have let you serve as this assistant accountant."

Beads of sweat slowly seeped from Chen Xin's forehead. He was rarely so passive, exposed to his face, and not daring to argue wildly. Proprietor Zhao's voice continued: "I don't care where you come from. I don't know where more than half the men on this ship come from either. But if you want to be my son-in-law, it's not impossible. Wealth and goods — only when given to you are they yours. If I find you engaging in deceit or cunning, I won't mind hanging another man on the iron anchor."

Proprietor Zhao held complete dominance. Chen Xin was utterly unprepared. His everyday unconscious habits would expose many differences between him and this era. Clearly Proprietor Zhao had long been suspicious of him, and he still knew far too little about most of the common knowledge of this time. His background and accent were fatal flaws. If someone truly questioned him to the end, he would eventually be exposed. Moreover, on this ship the Proprietor was an existence that held the power of life and death — he dared not even argue. This was no time for cunning tricks; he had no choice but to use a delaying tactic.

"I have indeed concealed something about my background, but there are certain difficulties. Yet I have never harbored any ill intent toward the Proprietor's family. As for the matter of being a son-in-law, I have even less dared to hope for it."

Proprietor Zhao turned his head to gaze at the sea ahead and cut him off: "That is not up to you. It only depends on whether I am willing. I will not treat you unfairly either. An accountant has an accountant's integrity; a live-in son-in-law has a live-in son-in-law's proper place. If you cannot keep to this proper place, my methods will not be as polite as speaking with you today."

Proprietor Zhao finally looked at Chen Xin's face and said, "Remember, your life is in my hands — and so are the lives of your two so-called cousins."

Under the starlight, the three blurred knife scars on Proprietor Zhao's face looked even more ferocious. With his head under someone else's eaves, Chen Xin dared not contest meaningless face at this moment. He bowed his head and saluted, saying, "Then I shall follow the Proprietor's arrangements in all things."

After Proprietor Zhao turned and left, Chen Xin slowly raised his head and coldly watched Proprietor Zhao's retreating figure. For the first time, someone had threatened him with life and death. After the initial slight panic in his heart, what replaced it was an anger he had never felt before. He could accept being a live-in son-in-law, but he absolutely could not be a man without dignity, still less a man whose very life was decided by someone else. Since when had the life given to him by his own parents become something in the hands of a sea bandit?

Never mind a mere sea bandit chief — even if it were Qin Shi Huang, Han Wudi, Tang Taizong, or Song Taizu, he had never had the mindset of selling his life. As Proprietor Zhao disappeared into the hatchway, a chilling, terrifying cold light slowly emerged in Chen Xin's eyes.