Chapter 469: The Guide

Hearing his wife’s gentle comfort, Lin Ming felt a little relieved. However, he couldn’t let her know about this—although his wife could be considered capable, she was still just a woman. If she knew the truth, besides worrying along with him, what brilliant plan could she possibly have? Moreover, she was different from the concubines—she also came from a family of hereditary Jinyiwei officers. Knowing this would probably make her even more worried and fearful.

He had to force a smile, “It’s nothing. I’ve been away for a long time and I’m just a little tired. And not being able to find Qianqian has made me feel a little guilty… I’ve thought it through. I can only do my best and leave the rest to fate.”

“It’s good that you think so, husband.” Lin Furen was a meticulous woman. Seeing that although he said he had “gotten over it,” the worry in his brows had not diminished, she knew that her words of comfort had not hit the mark. She was secretly suspicious, but she didn’t know how to bring up the topic again. Just then, she heard Lin Ming suddenly ask:

“Wife, what do you think of the state of the world?”

What a clever woman Lin Furen was. As soon as she heard this, she knew it was not a good topic. She whispered, “Husband, why are you talking about this?! Be careful not to be overheard…”

“This is the inner chamber. Besides her, who else would hear?” Lin Ming smiled wryly, looking at the soundly sleeping Bibo—this girl was truly carefree.

“It doesn’t matter if she hears,” Lin Furen said. “It’s just that there’s no point in talking about this. It’s not something people like us should be gossiping about.”

“Just tell me what you think.”

“The world is not in a good state,” Lin Furen said. “I heard from my family’s letters that the north is full of wailing and refugees, and bandits are everywhere. It’s only here and in Jiangnan that there is still peace.”

“Do you think the world can get better?”

“I don’t know,” Lin Furen sighed. “At least Guangdong is still a peaceful and blessed land. We should just drink tea when we can and not discuss state affairs—talking about it more will only make us more worried.”

From his wife’s words, Lin Ming could tell that she held a pessimistic view of the world. He suddenly decided to test her opinion of the Australians:

“Wife, I’m afraid Guangdong is not a peaceful and blessed land either!” he said with a deliberate sigh.

“What do you mean?” Lin Furen was immediately alarmed.

“Wife, do you remember the Cropped-Hair bandits who rushed into the Pearl River and threatened Guangzhou three years ago?”

“How could I forget? It was terrifying at the time. Martial law was everywhere. Troops and artillery were constantly passing through. They even brought in a group of bandit-like ‘righteous braves.’ Before the Cropped-Hair bandits even arrived, they had already thrown the place into chaos…”

The “Cropped-Hair turmoil” had left the people of Foshan Town with the impression of the government levying grain and money, and the “co-defending” Chaozhou braves and Tanka water braves extorting war funds and taking the opportunity to plunder merchants and civilians. As for what the Cropped-Hair bandits looked like, they had no impression at all. The Cropped-Hair bandits had gone straight to Guangzhou. Although their forces had once approached Foshan, they had not passed through. It was said that in the end, they had extorted a ransom—naturally, such matters did not concern the family of Centurion Lin.

“…But after the Cropped-Hair bandits left, I heard that the area became much quieter. It’s said that the Cropped-Hair bandits killed many bandits. It was a blessing in disguise.”

“I saw many Cropped-Hair bandits and their ships along the way on this trip. Their power is even greater than it was then,” Lin Ming said in a low voice.

“Are you saying…” Lin Furen was from an official’s family, after all, and could read between the lines. “It can’t be. Aren’t they like the Franks, just wanting to do business with the great Ming? Now that their business is so big and they’re making money like water, and the government isn’t interfering, why would they want to fight with the great Ming? A war would cut off their business, wouldn’t it?”

“It’s hard to say!” Lin Ming shook his head. “They are not as content as the Franks…”

“What if they attack? You are an official of the court!” Lin Furen was worried. “Although you won’t be sent to the front lines to fight, what if the Cropped-Hair bandits want to make an example of someone…”

“If it comes to war, we’ll just hide. I’m only a minor centurion. Do you think they would even care about my head?”

“Alas, that’s the only way. At worst, we’ll just give up the official post,” Lin Furen said. “As long as our family is together and safe, that’s all that matters.” She looked at Bibo with a touch of affection. “These children, each one is so lovely. A war would just ruin them…”

Lin Ming felt a little relieved. He now fully understood his wife’s attitude. As long as she didn’t want to be a loyal subject of the great Ming, that was good enough.

“Then, should we buy a house in Guangzhou city first?” Lin Furen asked in a whisper. “I’m not afraid of the Cropped-Hair bandits attacking—I’ve heard that as long as you don’t provoke them, they never harm civilians—I’m just afraid of the rabble taking the opportunity to cause trouble. And Foshan Town has no city walls…”

“Let’s not rush. Let’s see how things go first,” Lin Ming said. “They won’t attack right away.” He looked at the incense clock. “It’s getting late. Let’s go to bed.”

---

Centurion Lin’s leisurely life didn’t last long. One early morning, he went to his usual teahouse as always. He would first have a few sips of tea to wake himself up, then a few plates of dim sum to fill his empty stomach. Then he would go to the yamen to report for duty, and the cycle of the day would officially begin.

His table was, as usual, reserved for him in the teahouse. Without needing to be told, as soon as he sat down, the tea master brought over his personal tea set and slop bowl, which were kept at the teahouse. Lin Ming slowly picked up the teapot and rinsed the tea set and chopsticks one by one. Only then did the tea master bring fresh tea.

Lin Ming poured himself a cup of tea and began to drink slowly. After a few sips, his eyes widened.

On the wall opposite the teahouse was a secret contact sign of the Foreign Intelligence Bureau!

So soon! he thought to himself. After Lin Ming formally surrendered, his file had been transferred to the Foreign Intelligence Bureau. Li Yan was in charge of his specific deployment. Li Yan had spoken with him, and although he had not been formally assigned a mission, he knew that if he were to be used, it would not be for an ordinary matter. With the Australians’ current power, if they wanted to find out anything in the Guangzhou area, they had no need for him. There were plenty of people who would sell out their masters for money.

Now, he had lost all interest in drinking tea. He hastily finished his breakfast, reported for duty at his post, and then followed the pre-arranged method to meet his “instructor” on a flower boat.

Lin Ming had no idea what kind of official an “instructor” was. The man had a slightly plump face, was dressed in a Shandong silk robe, and looked like a not-so-successful small merchant.

“Greetings, sir…” Lin Ming said with the feigned reverence of a surrendered man, so as not to give his “superior” a bad impression. If he were to be reported back, it would be disastrous—he would be neither here nor there.

“Don’t be so polite, Comrade Lin,” the instructor shook his head. “We are all comrades. We don’t follow the ways of the great Ming.”

“Yes, yes, I know,” Lin Ming said with his head bowed. “I wonder what instructions my superior has for me.”

“Ahem,” the instructor was a little uncomfortable. “Comrade Lin, I told you not to be so official. Alright, I’ll be direct.”

“Yes! Please instruct me, sir,” he continued to be respectful.

“You are a native of Foshan and a centurion of the Jinyiwei. You are an old hand in the western part of Guangzhou. So the center has decided to assign this mission to you.”

“Yes. I am honored by the center’s trust. I will go through fire and water and will not hesitate.”

“Alright, alright,” sweat began to bead on the instructor’s face. He was indeed from a small merchant background and had been with the Cropped-Hairs for several years, so he was not used to this official manner. “Don’t be so polite. This mission is of great importance and concerns the fate of our great Song.” He emphasized his tone here. “You must do everything in your power to complete this mission.”

“I understand!” Now it was Lin Ming’s turn to sweat. “Concerns the fate of our great Song”—to say such a thing, it was obviously no small matter. Could it be that he was to open the gates of Guangzhou to welcome the Australian army? That didn’t seem like a job for him. As long as the Australians were willing to pay, there were plenty of people willing to do that. Besides, the Australians had the Ziji establishments in Guangzhou city and the Great World outside. Taking Guangzhou was as easy as taking something out of one’s pocket.

The other party had said he was a “Foshan native” and an “old hand in Guangzhou city,” so this matter was probably related to Foshan.

“In a few days, someone will come from Lingao,” the instructor whispered the mission. “After you make contact with them, you will be under their command. You will obey all their orders.”

“Yes, I understand,” Lin Ming was a little nervous. “I wonder what the specific mission is, so I can make preparations.”

“Your mission is to act as a guide. On the road, you will just follow their orders.”

“A guide?”

“Exactly. The superiors want you to lead them along the West and North Rivers. You have been to these places before. Is there a problem?”

“Being a guide is not difficult,” Lin Ming was secretly alarmed. Although he didn’t know the purpose of the other party wanting him to lead the way, he knew that “Xiang Zhuang’s sword dance was aimed at the Duke of Pei.” The Australians were probably about to make a move on the local area. He quickly reminded himself not to panic. This was a good opportunity for him to render meritorious service. He said, “But this will take many days. I will need to ask for leave from the centurion’s office.”

“You can arrange that yourself. Do you have any opinions you want to express?”

“I have been to the areas along the West and North Rivers before. I am familiar with the routes,” Lin Ming thought for a moment. “It’s just that there are many mountain bandits and water bandits along the river, as well as some lawless local powers. If it’s just me leading them, I’m afraid it will be difficult to ensure their safety on the road. I think it would be best to have an official capacity. Not only can we ask the garrison troops for protection along the way, but we can also get support in the form of laborers, boats, and sedan chairs.”

The instructor pondered for a moment and said, “Your idea is good, but this matter involves the government. I will have to ask my superiors for instructions. If we are to use an official capacity, what capacity do you intend to use?”

Lin Ming smiled, “There are many pretexts. Investigating a case, or conducting a search, in short, it’s just a matter of a word from the centurion’s office. I can get a document. Then it will be convenient to do things on the road, and we’ll have a certain air of authority.”

“That’s a very clever method,” the instructor also smiled. “Alright, you go and prepare. I will report to my superiors and wait for a decision.”