Chapter 146: The Foshan Trip, Part Twelve

“No need,” Li Luoyou said. “They both enjoy Chinese cuisine. Have Chef Liao prepare the meal.” Chef Liao had accompanied him from his home in Guangzhou. He was known for several signature dishes, especially his roasted suckling pig and mutton, which were famous in the city. Li Luoyou had brought him along for the convenience of entertaining local clients.

“Yes, sir. I’ll make the arrangements.” Manager Cheng withdrew. Li Luoyou stood up and said to Gu Baocheng, “Come here.”

Gu Baocheng, a boy of fifteen or sixteen, was clearly intimidated by his uncle-in-law and quickly followed.

“Did you do the homework I assigned you on the boat? Is there anything you don’t understand?”

“Yes, Uncle, I have done it,” the boy replied, addressing him as “Master” in the formal manner of their household. “But there are a few geometry problems I couldn’t solve. I need your guidance.”

“Hmm, bring your notebook to my study tonight.”

In the study, everything was clean and tidy. A dozen large cabinets were filled with correspondence and account books. The cabinets containing important documents were locked. Li Luoyou checked the seals on each cabinet, confirmed they were intact, then broke them one by one and sat down.

Gu Baocheng, of course, did not dare to sit and stood respectfully to the side.

“Baocheng! Grind the ink. I need to write a few letters.”

“Yes, sir!” Gu Baocheng was a bit surprised. Writing letters was usually the task of the secretary. For confidential matters, his uncle would write them himself. Why was he being asked to do it? He didn’t dare to question and quickly went to the zitan wood desk, took out a piece of used ink from Cheng Junfang, and began to grind it on a Tang dynasty Duan inkstone.

“Write in small Song-style regular script! You write—” Li Luoyou’s letter was addressed to his agent in Shenyang—the Manchu “Shengjing.” He had more than one such agent; some ran businesses there, while others cultivated relationships with the Later Jin nobility and officials. After the retreat from Guangning, the Li family’s business in Liaodong had been completely destroyed. Having witnessed the tragic plight of the soldiers and civilians there, Li Luoyou had returned to Zhili and, after settling his affairs, began sending people back to Liaodong to rebuild his family’s enterprise. Under the guise of business, he secretly gathered intelligence on the Later Jin. He still harbored a sliver of hope: that one day, when the imperial army returned to reclaim Liaodong, his intelligence network could play a small role—at the very least, they could kill a few Tartars.

The news of the great victory at Ningyuan had given Li Luoyou, who had been deeply disillusioned with the court, a glimmer of hope. The death of the Tianqi Emperor, the ascension of Prince Xin, the fall and execution of the powerful eunuch Wei Zhongxian, and the return of Yuan Chonghuan with his proposal to “reclaim Liaodong in five years”—all of this filled him with an unprecedented sense of optimism. The fortunes of the Ming dynasty were not yet exhausted!

Reports from his agents in Liaodong indicated that since the old Tartar chieftain had died under Yuan Chonghuan’s cannons, the Later Jin regime was in a precarious state, both internally and economically. Li Luoyou felt that the tide might be turning in Liaodong for the first time since the disastrous defeat at Sarhu. His activities in the region had increased in the last two years.

He had Gu Baocheng write a letter of instruction for his agent’s commercial activities in Shenyang. The Liaohai Company’s business in Liaodong was conducted primarily through the channel of Pi Island, from where they transported goods from within the pass to the Later Jin territory and purchased red ginseng, deer antler, and furs, especially high-quality sable. This trade was illegal in the Ming dynasty but welcomed by the Later Jin regime. A regime built on plunder and robbery was inevitably militaristic and aggressive, leading to a decline in agriculture and a severe shortage of all kinds of goods. They were extremely supportive of this kind of smuggling trade with the lands within the pass.

However, Li Luoyou was different from the traitorous merchants of Shanxi. He never transported strategic materials like grain, pig iron, or copperware, which the Later Jin desperately needed. He only sent luxury goods that were useless for farming or war, mainly various kinds of silk and brocade, as well as fine and coarse porcelain. The barbarians, having amassed great wealth through plunder, had developed a huge demand for these products now that they had shed their pigskin clothes. Li Luoyou’s business, which was not originally intended to be profitable, had grown larger and larger. The red ginseng, deer antler, and sable fur had made him a fortune.

“…As for the Beile’s request for us to transport grain, please inform him that due to recent and constant famines, the price of grain is exorbitant, and there is no surplus to be bought…”

Next, he dictated a letter regarding the redemption of several former shop clerks. He instructed his agent to redeem all the former employees of his old business who had been located, along with their families if they could be found. Through his trade, he had found and redeemed many acquaintances, colleagues, and relatives who had been captured and enslaved during the collapse of Liaodong. The redeemed were all sent back within the pass. Those who were brave, resourceful, and harbored a deep-seated hatred for the Manchus were sent back beyond the pass, either to work in his businesses or to settle down as small merchants, lying in wait for the day they could take their revenge.

After he finished dictating a letter about the Dragon Boat Festival gifts for the Later Jin nobility and officials, Gu Baocheng, seeing that he had no further instructions, handed him the letters. Li Luoyou took them and read them carefully. The small, neat regular script was dense and orderly. He nodded in satisfaction and took out a small seal from his personal seal box, stamping each letter.

Trading with the Later Jin was illegal, so Li Luoyou never entrusted such letters to others. He never mentioned names or places, never signed his name, and never added any personal notes, using only a stylized seal as his mark. If a letter was lost, he could simply destroy the seal. Although Li Luoyou placed his hopes in the court, he was well aware of the character of the men who populated it.

The letters were carefully sealed in wax pellets. A trusted and capable man would carry them north to Dengzhou. From Dengzhou, many ships went to Pi Island, making it easy to smuggle them through.

Li Luoyou sealed the wax pellets and placed them in a special jewelry box. Only then did he ask, “Baocheng! Do you know why I had you write these three letters today?”

“Yes, Uncle. It is so I will not forget the enmity of our nation and our family.”

“It is good that you know,” Li Luoyou nodded. “Sit.”

“I dare not, Uncle.”

“Sit. I have something to say to you.” Li Luoyou sighed. “I had another dizzy spell yesterday. This illness has been acting up frequently. I’m afraid the worst may come—”

“Uncle, you are in the prime of your life…”

“It’s nothing. I won’t die just yet,” Li Luoyou said in a low voice. “I have crawled out of a pile of corpses; I see life and death clearly. The Li family is prosperous and has many descendants, but I cannot let go of you—” He stopped Gu Baocheng’s words. “I had hoped to see the court reclaim Liaodong, for us to return to our hometown in glory and help you rebuild your family’s fortune. Now, it seems I may not have that good fortune. So, you must pay close attention to our affairs in Liaodong and help me keep an eye on things.”

“Yes, Uncle. I will heed your teachings.”

“You must also visit the Portuguese in Macao often. I know you are unwilling to convert to Catholicism, and I will not force you. But you can learn much by going there.” Li Luoyou closed his eyes. “The Westerners have their own skills and sciences, no less than our own. The world is vast, far beyond the corner of China…” His words seemed to be a warning to Gu Baocheng, but also a self-muttering. Gu Baocheng did not dare to interrupt and simply stood and listened.

“…You may go. You must be tired from the journey. You should rest well. We have matters to discuss tonight.”

“Yes, sir,” Gu Baocheng replied respectfully. As he was about to leave, he saw that his uncle had no intention of leaving and was continuing to read letters from his various branches. He asked, “Are you not going to rest, Uncle?”

“I’m not tired. I’ll go later.”

“Yes, sir,” Gu Baocheng hesitated. “Nephew is bold to ask, but please forgive Concubine Jiang…”

“Hmph,” Li Luoyou snorted. “You have a soft spot for women.”

“I dare not!” Gu Baocheng fell to his knees in fear. An elder’s woman—this was a matter of principle in ancient society.

“Get up! You’re so easily frightened.” Li Luoyou glanced at him with dissatisfaction. Gu Baocheng resembled his late wife, which made him appear rather delicate. He sighed inwardly, wondering if such a boy could bear the weight of responsibility.

“Concubine Jiang is my elder. She is a woman and cannot bear such hardship…”

“Will kneeling for a while kill her?” Li Luoyou sneered. “I escaped from Liaodong. Of the men, women, and children who failed to escape and were enslaved by the Manchus, who knows how many have been tortured to death. And those who haven’t died—you should see the ones who have been redeemed, hear what kind of lives they lead. She won’t lose a pound of flesh from kneeling for an hour.”

Gu Baocheng kowtowed and argued, “Uncle, I never forget the suffering of the people of Liaodong. But this is a different matter. What has Concubine Jiang done to deserve this? She merely said the wrong thing. A reprimand would have been sufficient. Such a punishment is lacking in benevolence…”

“Nonsense!” Seeing his nephew’s stubbornness, Li Luoyou cursed angrily. Suddenly, a wave of dizziness washed over him. He quickly suppressed his anger and said, “Leave me. Such womanly kindness!”

Li Luoyou took a long moment to compose himself before his head cleared. This symptom was getting worse. He thought he should see a famous doctor in Guangzhou upon his return.

As he was resting with his eyes closed, Saoye tiptoed in and whispered in his ear, “Master, Manager Yang from the Yang Run Kai Tang has sent someone to pay his respects and has brought a four-part gift.”

“He’s not paying his respects to me; he’s paying them to my red ginseng and deer antler,” Li Luoyou said with a faint smile. “Accept the gift and give the messenger a reward. Tell him to invite Manager Yang over for a talk tomorrow.”

“Yes, sir.” Saoye bowed and left.

“Wait,” Li Luoyou stopped him. “Go to the inner residence and tell Concubine Jiang she can get up.”