Chapter 285: Smuggling on Official Vessels

The Embroidered Uniform Guard stationed at the Huai'an customs house was a squad led by Platoon Leader Wu Shanghu, comprising fifty officers and guards in total. After receiving orders from above a few days ago, Wu Shanghu took most of his men to Linqing on official business, leaving only a few officers on duty at the main customs house.

Xu San found a thatched shed by the river, where two Embroidered Uniform Guard officers sat on stools beside a square table, idly sipping tea and chatting while surveying the scene on the river.

This thatched shed had once been built specifically for the customs clerks and their hangers-on to rest in while awaiting duty, but ever since the Embroidered Uniform Guard had moved in, it had become the exclusive territory of the officers—no one else dared come near.

Xu San approached the shed with a face full of smiles, and standing outside, he cupped his hands and bowed to the two officers: "Master Sun, Young Master Zhang, busy at work, are you? This humble one has come with a matter to report—apologies for disturbing your leisure!"

The two officers had long since spotted Xu San walking over, but neither had paid him any mind. After hearing what Xu San had to say, the older officer, Sun Zhong, crossed his legs and spoke: "Xu San, never mind all that—let me ask you, how much silver have you collected these past few days? I've heard tell that you, though merely a hanger-on, are far wealthier than us imperial guardsmen! Not to mention that Master Zhao of yours—he must be skimming plenty of oil! Let me tell you, when you go back, find a moment to remind your Master Zhao not to treat imperial guardsmen like dry rations—one of these days he might just find himself in the Imperial Prison! Hmph!"

The other young officer, named Zhang Tao, said nothing, only watching Xu San with a grin.

"This humble one is wrongly accused! With Master Sun's piercing eyes watching over me, even if I had the heart of a thief, I wouldn't have the guts! But since Master Sun has spoken, this humble one is no blockhead—after my duties end at noon, I'll lay out a feast at the Juying Wine House in Banzha Town, and I hope both masters will do me the honor of attending; I also have modest gifts to offer! But right now I truly have an important matter to report—do the two masters have the nerve to hear it? I reckon this might just be an opportunity for the two masters to earn merit!"

Xu San replied with a sly, ingratiating grin.

How could a slick market-town operator like him fail to catch the extortion hidden in Sun Zhong's words? As a commoner, he could use this chance to build good relations with the Embroidered Uniform Guard—who knew when it might come in handy.

Since the Embroidered Uniform Guard had taken up residence, Xu San had quickly gotten on familiar terms with most of the squad through his local knowledge and talent for kowtowing, and he would regularly treat everyone to drinks in town. So apart from Platoon Leader Wu Shanghu, most of the officers would generally do Xu San a favor when matters arose.

"Oh? Let's hear it then! I tell you, Xu San, aside from His Majesty's own family, there's no one under heaven our Embroidered Uniform Guard fears! Speak—surely no one dares resist the tax, do they?"

Sun Zhong sprang to his feet, his tone full of pride and contempt.

"Master Sun, don't be hasty, don't be hasty! Though the merchants curse openly or covertly when paying their taxes, there truly are none who refuse to pay—without the tax receipt, they simply won't let you pass on the canal! This time it's a big matter—it's official vessels smuggling private goods!"

Aboard the official vessel flying the banner of the Yangzhou Prefect, Liu Xingwen, dressed in a blue merchant's robe with a six-in-one cap on his head, sat leisurely in the second-deck cabin savoring fine tea as he awaited the vessel's clearance.

Liu Xingwen, past fifty, was a distant cousin of Liu Zuo, the Yangzhou Prefect, and also Liu Zuo's proxy in business affairs. Liu Xingwen was only the nominal owner of the Liu Family Trading House—the true owner was Liu Zuo, and the lion's share of the trading house's profits went to Liu Zuo.

The Liu Family Trading House had fixed business partners in the capital. Every year it organized vast quantities of goods—tea, silk, cloth, salt, porcelain, paper, gold and silver ornaments, and so on—shipped from Jiangnan up the canal to the capital for sale, and on the return trip carried northern goods such as coal, livestock, furs, felt, cotton, wheat and beans, peanuts, and more down to the Jiangnan region for disposal. The value of goods moving back and forth was incalculable.

With the Yangzhou Prefect's face behind them, in past years when plying between north and south, the Liu Family Trading House only needed to pay a certain fee at Chongwen Gate—as for the customs barriers along the canal, they passed through unimpeded. In this way, the Liu Family Trading House brought generous profits to Liu Zuo's family every year.

But starting in the latter half of last year, the Embroidered Uniform Guard had swept up all the original customs officials, clerks, and hangers-on in one net, and begun levying taxes at a rate of one-thirtieth, which made a big operation like the Liu Family Trading House feel real pain.

Take the goods loaded on this official vessel, for instance—silk, gold and silver ornaments, cotton cloth, and the like totaled nearly twenty thousand taels in value. Previously, only a few dozen taels of silver were needed to reach the capital; now they had to pay over six hundred taels. That was tantamount to having several hundred taels snatched straight from the Liu family's pockets. And this was just once—if calculated by the number of times the Liu Family Trading House's fleet plied the canal, the Liu family alone would have to hand over several thousand or even ten thousand taels in commercial tax to the court each year. That was very hard for the Liu family to accept.

Flying the Prefect's banner as before no longer worked—the court had decreed that aside from official vessels and grain-transport tribute boats, all other vessels must pay full tax and obtain a receipt before passing. And the path of bribing the customs inspectors had also become difficult, because the customs house now had Embroidered Uniform Guard and Censors attached, and fleets like the Liu Family Trading House's were all on record—with people watching, who would dare brazenly underreport the value and quantity of goods every single time?

In desperation, Liu Xingwen had hit upon the idea of smuggling private goods on official vessels—since official vessels were broad and spacious, they could carry more cargo, and a round trip could save a considerable amount in tax silver.

Liu Zuo, swayed by his arguments, did the math carefully and ultimately agreed to his request.

Just as Liu Xingwen was growing impatient after waiting half the day, Li Song, the manager of the Liu Family Trading House, came rushing up to the second-deck cabin: "Boss, trouble! Embroidered Uniform Guard men want to come aboard and search!"

Liu Xingwen, who had been perfectly composed until now, immediately panicked. He hurriedly rose and headed out of the cabin, asking anxiously as he walked: "Have the Guard come aboard yet? How many men? Go quickly to my sleeping quarters and fetch some silver—it's in the sandalwood box by the head of the bed!"

Before Li Song could reply, Liu Xingwen had already hurried down the stairs to the bow, where he happened to run into Sun Zhong, Zhang Tao, and a crowd of customs clerks and laborers who had just boarded.

"Masters, you've worked hard, you've worked hard! This humble one is Liu Xingwen, cousin of the Yangzhou Prefect. Commissioned by Prefect Liu, I am carrying a few local products to the capital to visit his examination mentor, fellow students, and other friends and relatives. What luck to encounter you masters here—please, do sit in the guest cabin! Someone, prepare tea and fruit, and attend to the masters' rest properly!"

Liu Xingwen smiled and cupped his hands in greeting to Sun Zhong and Zhang Tao, who stood at the front.

Sun Zhong stopped and looked Liu Xingwen up and down, then said in a lukewarm tone: "This gentleman's warm hospitality—we thank you! But word has it this vessel is suspected of smuggling. Best we conduct our search before discussing anything else! Men, split up and search thoroughly at once!"

"At your command!"

The customs clerks and laborers acknowledged and were about to spread out along both sides of the deck to search, when Manager Li Song hurried down from the second deck to Liu Xingwen's side. Liu Xingwen's face turned cold, and pointing his finger like a halberd, he shouted: "Hold! The valuables in the cabins are all needed by noble personages in the capital—are you lot trying to fish in troubled waters and steal? I'd like to see who dares enter those holds! Does the Yangzhou Prefect have no authority over you? The Huai'an Prefect is also a fellow student and close friend of Prefect Liu—think carefully, all of you!"

Those customs clerks and laborers were all locals of Huai'an. Hearing the threat in Liu Xingwen's words, they immediately stopped in their tracks and dared not move.

The Embroidered Uniform Guard masters might not fear the local authorities, but they themselves had lived in Huai'an for generations—if they truly angered the Yangzhou Prefect, one note from him to the Huai'an Prefect could see their families ruined on some trumped-up charge any day.

Not waiting for Sun Zhong to flare up, Liu Xingwen turned around, put on a smiling face, and cupped his hands to Sun Zhong: "May I ask this master's honored name? Would you step aside for a word? This humble one has a matter on which I wish to consult you!"