Chapter 716: Getting Things Right

The Maritime Administration Building was located on Wu’an Street in Yaozhou, west of Guangzhou. This place had originally been the office of the Transport Commissioner during the Song Dynasty. When the Maritime Administration was reestablished in the first year of the Yongle era, an imperial eunuch was appointed as supervisor, and the Maritime Administration Building was constructed here. The successive supervisors were either junior eunuchs or assistant supervisors; few high-ranking eunuchs held this position. Nevertheless, even after several such supervisors, the scale of the Maritime Administration Building continued to expand, becoming more than twice as large as the office in Huangpu Town.

To the south of the building lay Qianqiu Temple, and to the north, the Hall of Eight Sages. Situated in a place renowned for its flowers, rocks, lakes, and islets, it naturally had a picturesque scenery. Behind the main entrance of three bays and five columns lay a pathway made of bluestone, leading to the main hall, also five bays wide, named Yongde. Beyond three more ceremonial halls was the rear courtyard where the family members lived. Further behind were five more halls, twenty-two side rooms, and two wing rooms—truly a complex of numerous buildings, resembling a grand mansion.

Normally, Wu’an Street was bustling with traffic and visitors, far more lively than the Maritime Administration office. But now it was deserted and quiet. The main entrance of the Maritime Administration Building was tightly closed, and although everyone carried out their duties, the atmosphere was much quieter. After all, in the past, when an official died, his wife and family would be surrounded by mourners. But if the official died himself, his household would surely fall into desolation. The same was true here—since Qin Huaijin’s fate was uncertain, how long could the others stay in this building?

With the emperor far away and no one in authority, Qin Huaijin, though an eunuch, disdained women from brothels. The Maritime Administration Building actually had a complete household: one wife and two concubines, all from respectable families. Although marrying an eunuch meant suffering, it was still better than marrying an ordinary man. The three women got along fairly well. Now that everything had collapsed, they wept day and night, unable to maintain any composure. So when they heard butler Zhao say that the left governor of the province was coming to see them, they simply stared at each other in confusion.

After thinking for a long time, Qin Huaijin’s wife, Lady Liu, finally shook her head and said, “We’re completely at a loss right now. Just don’t let him in. Tell him to wait until we find our master first.”

Seeing the two maids with red and swollen eyes nod in agreement as well, butler Zhao really wanted to scold these three women with long hair and short sight. Yet since the master’s fate was still unknown, he didn’t dare act too rashly and could only raise his tone slightly: “Madam, my two aunts, this governor is not like those of the past. Even when the master was alive, we didn’t dare offend him, let alone now. He is the emperor’s confidant and the nephew of the Duke of Ying! If we push such a nobleman away now, Madam will regret it too late!”
Lady Liu, who already lacked insight, was startled by butler Zhao’s harsh tone. After struggling for a while, she finally nodded and ordered the two maids to step aside. When butler Zhao respectfully led the visitor in, she couldn’t help but study the newcomer for a long time, surprised by his youth and wary of his intentions. Since she rarely saw outsiders, she was naturally a bit flustered in dealing with him.
Zhang Yue met Xi Er, who came to deliver the news, in his private residence and immediately took his leave to return to the yamen, where he sent someone to call Magistrate Li and Judge Lu. After learning that the broken dragon boat was indeed the work of humans, he instructed Judge Lu to continue the investigation. After keeping Magistrate Li behind, he gave him several instructions before heading straight to the Maritime Office. Seeing Lady Liu fidgeting anxiously while butler Zhao stood by with his hands hanging limply, he realized that although this woman seemed to be the mistress, it was actually the butler who held real power.
“Eunuch Qin is still missing. Our department has already reported this matter to the imperial court together with the military and judicial authorities. I’ve come today to ask a question. I wonder if anyone has disappeared from the Maritime Office since Eunuch Qin went missing?”
Hearing this, not only was Lady Liu confused and stunned, but butler Zhao as well. However, the latter, being more experienced, quickly snapped out of it and, ignoring the master-slave relationship, asked right away, “How could the governor ask such a thing? Could it be that he suspects someone in the household of murdering the master?”
As soon as he spoke, there was a loud crash—the celadon teacup in Lady Liu’s hand shattered on the floor. In shock, she ignored the tea spilled on her clothes and said anxiously, “That’s impossible! Since the master disappeared after falling into the water, no one has left the household. Everything is as usual. Besides, the master was very kind to his servants—who would have the heart to commit such a heinous act?”

Seeing Zhang Yue still sitting calmly, Butler Zhao didn’t dare stop his mistress from behaving so wildly, so he stepped in and said, “Madam is right. Sir, during these days when our master has been missing, there has indeed been no shortage of people in the mansion. If you don’t believe it, you may send someone to check.” Suddenly remembering another matter, he hurriedly added, “However, before the Dragon Boat Festival, Master’s adopted son, Young Master Yi, went out on business. Master gave him four trusted attendants. Aside from them, there really wasn’t a single person missing.”

“Since that’s the case, I understand now.”

Recalling the earlier report, Zhang Yue had all the answers he needed. He immediately stood up to take his leave. Lady Liu was utterly panicked and didn’t know how to respond, so she ordered Butler Zhao to see the guest off. As soon as the guest left, she collapsed at the table and cried bitterly. Meanwhile, Butler Zhao accompanied Zhang Yue down the corridor. Seeing how calm Zhang Yue was, he finally couldn’t hold back.

“Sir, could you please tell me clearly what’s going on with our master now?”

Zhang Yue had come in person this time, surely not just to settle such a trivial matter. Now that the butler had brought it up, he simply said, “A month ago, the new eunuch in charge of the Maritime Administration was appointed—it’s Eunuch Zhang Qian.”

These casual words made Butler Zhao stop in his tracks. Unlike Lady Liu, who knew nothing about worldly affairs, he was well aware of many things regarding Qin Huaijin. Previously, when Qin Huaijin had ordered his men to send half of his wealth to the capital by water, it had been Butler Zhao who personally escorted the ships to the dock. At that moment, he realized clearly that his master must have lost his influence and would likely have no chance of making a comeback even if he returned to the capital. His heart was in turmoil. After much thought, he vaguely inferred another possibility from Zhang Yue’s words, and his face turned deathly pale.

Could it be… that his master knew there would be no good outcome if he returned to the capital, so he pretended to fall into the water and escaped? What about him then? He knew and was involved in many matters. If Zhang Yue decided to investigate further, wouldn’t he become a scapegoat?

At the thought of what might happen to him if he stayed in this Maritime Administration building, he shuddered again. Seeing that Zhang Yue had also stopped, he mustered up the courage and said, “At this point, sir, if you have any questions, just ask directly. I’ll tell you everything I know without hiding a single word.”

“Well then… Before our company left the capital, Eunuch Wang of the Imperial Surveillance Office asked me to bring that private seal out, saying that the items sent by Eunuch Qin were worth no less than 100,000 taels of silver. I just want to ask you—now that Eunuch Qin is gone, are the things he accumulated over the years from overseeing maritime affairs still there?”
If anyone else had asked, Butler Zhao would have assumed they were coveting Qin Huaijin’s wealth. But with Zhang Yue asking this way, he immediately thought of the worst possibility and, in a panic, turned away and ran. Only after running about ten steps did he realize how much time this would take, so he rushed back, knelt down, and kowtowed, saying, “Please wait a moment, sir. I’ll go check right away and report back immediately if there’s anything. It concerns my life—I would never dare delay or deceive you.”
Zhang Yue was never one to trust easily, but this time he had no doubts. After waiting for nearly half an hour in the main hall, Butler Zhao returned with a deathly pale face, saying the warehouse was empty. He then left the Maritime Affairs Office at once. From there, he rushed to several places without pause until sunset before finalizing everything.
Bending down to enter the sedan chair, he let out a long sigh of relief. He had originally planned to have Qin Huaijin dealt with after the new eunuch in charge took office, and he had sent people to keep an eye on things just in case. But in the end, he still had to take action himself. Although he only had the people he brought along, as the rest were untrustworthy outsiders, there were still many willing to follow his orders in times of crisis.
If you can’t tempt them with profit, guide them with achievements. If you can’t guide them with achievements, suppress them with mistakes.
Wufang Street in the south of the city.
A rider rushed into the street entrance at full speed and stopped in front of a moderately sized house. The one who dismounted was a young man with a pockmarked face. He tossed the reins aside without bothering to take care of the horse and went straight up to knock on the door. As soon as the door opened, he rushed in without saying a word. Once he entered the main room at the back, he took off his six-in-one hat, revealing his pockmarked face, and smiled at the middle-aged man sitting at the head of the table, saying, “Father, everything is arranged. We set sail tonight.”
“Have you investigated thoroughly? And is the shipowner a reliable person who didn’t question our origins?”

“Don’t worry. That ship set sail over a year ago and has been to places like Ceylon, Siam, Champa, Vietnam, and so on. The shipowner is from the Jiangnan region and is quite influential. Most of the cargo on the ship was delivered for Jiangnan’s nobles, so although he made a decent profit, not much ended up in his own pocket. I offered him a generous reward, and of course he agreed. I saw with my own eyes him gather the sailors, leaving Little Leopard there to watch. Our goods are right next to the dock, and everyone there is on our side. If we leave the city now and transport the goods onto the ship before dark, we’ll definitely make it in time. Besides, his ship is very large, and if we bring all our best men with us—top-notch fighters—they’ll surely agree to take us to Champa once we’re at sea, through threats or inducements!”

Though the adopted son’s words seemed flawless, Qin Huaijin still moved his prayer beads hesitantly, unsure. But thinking of Zhang Yue’s attitude when he returned Wang Jin’s private seal, he stopped overthinking the consequences and nodded after standing up.

“Good. Go and arrange everything quickly. We must leave the city before sunset. Those fools at the Guangzhou government are still wandering around aimlessly. Zhang Yue probably can’t anticipate this move. The docks in Huangpu Town are all under our control, so we can move quietly. By tomorrow morning, when our ‘corpse’ reappears, they’ll have to believe it, otherwise what will they have to report to their superiors?”

The docks in Huangpu Town were silent at night. Thick clouds covered the half-full moon, and only a few torches illuminated a small area on the vast dock, leaving most of it in darkness. Suddenly, a small cluster of lights appeared in the darkness, flashing on and off three times before going dark again. Shortly after, a spark appeared on a ship in the distance, moving in a circular pattern.

“Father, Little Leopard has sent a message—everything is ready.”

“Good. Don’t delay. Let’s go!”

With heavy footsteps, guided by the faint light of a lantern, a dozen men carrying large boxes approached a large ship in almost synchronized steps. Two torches had already been lit on the ship, and a rope ladder had been lowered. Only a few shadowy figures were visible on board. Seeing this, Qin Huaijin felt greatly relieved and quietly ordered a few trusted men to board first and carry the boxes aboard. But just as five or six people had gone aboard, he suddenly heard several explosions behind him, shocking him greatly.

In an instant, the once pitch-black dock was suddenly illuminated by flames everywhere, the blinding light making it impossible for everyone to keep their eyes open. After a long while, Qin Huaijin, squinting, finally saw that there was a person standing beside each tall wooden post, with torches emitting bright flames on those posts. Seeing that these people were all dressed as officials from the government office, he was filled with rage.

That wretched prefect had always been submissive in front of him, yet now he dared to send people to his territory!

“Eunuch Qin, you really made it hard for this prefect to find you!” Prefect Li stepped forward slowly, smiling and bowing before putting aside his smile and saying, “Your drowning caused chaos throughout Guangzhou City, yet here you are, bringing people here in the middle of the night to transport goods. I can finally breathe a sigh of relief now that I’ve found you.”

Qin Huaijin had dominated Guangzhou for years and had never seen any prefect speak to him in such a tone, so he was furious. Glancing at those dozen or so officials, he sneered, “With just a few officials, do you think you have the upper hand? This dock has always been under the jurisdiction of the Maritime Administration. I’m always fully prepared for anything… Someone!”

At his shout, voices immediately responded from not far away, and many dark figures surrounded them in the night. Prefect Li, who had thought he had everything under control, was terrified, but since he had already spoken too much, he could only hold on bravely. He quickly shouted, “Don’t back down! After this is over, I’ll reward each of you with ten guan!”

“Kill these dogs! I’ll reward a hundred guan!”

With a tenfold difference in rewards, the morale of both sides immediately changed. In the blink of an eye, an arrow flew like a shooting star, hitting Qin Huaijin right in his hair bun. The tremendous force even knocked him to the ground. In an instant, the small ship with just a few torches became brightly lit, with dozens of soldiers armed with powerful bows and arrows on one side of the ship. Qin Huaijin, lying on the ground, was both shocked and enraged. When he recognized those people by the light of the fire, his heart plummeted.

It was none other than Zhang Yue, the Left Minister of Revenue; Li Long, the Commander-in-Chief; Yu Liang, the Inspector General… and Li Wenchang, the head of the Maritime Administration, who he had never taken seriously!