Chapter 478: The Grunts

He said, “Master Suo, it’s dark out. It’s inconvenient for her to go back, and besides, we should prevent any unexpected trouble.”

This reminded Suo Pu: if they sent her back and the old procuress came looking for trouble, should he intervene or not? He said, “In that case, let’s have her pack her luggage and bring it here first. The rent must also be settled properly, leaving no loose ends.”

Lin Ming readily agreed and went with the escort to handle everything. Suo Pu arranged for a cabin in the stern to be cleared out for her to rest for the night, with further arrangements to be made the next day.

“Keep a close watch tonight,” Suo Pu said in a low voice.

“Yes,” the escort understood.

The next day’s plan was to conduct a staff tour in Zhaoqing. Suo Pu instructed Lin Ming to find a reliable boat for Su Ai and to send a mature and trustworthy escort to take her back to Guangzhou.

However, when the escort went to the wharf to ask around, not a single passing boat was willing to take Su Ai downstream. The escort was surprised and hurried back to report to Lin Ming. As a seasoned man of the world, Lin Ming understood immediately after a moment’s thought: there was someone behind the old procuress, someone with considerable power who was determined to have Su Ai.

Lin Ming was secretly astonished. Who could be so bold? There were very few people in Guangdong who dared to openly oppose the Jinyiwei. Even high-ranking officials like viceroys and councilors treated them with an attitude of “letting things slide,” and would certainly not pick a fight with them over a woman. As for the local riff-raff, they were the most “sensible” of people; it wasn’t their style to stubbornly challenge official “power.”

Surprised as he was, the business at hand still had to be done. Fortunately, he wasn’t the one who had proposed rescuing her, otherwise the evaluation of “troublemaker” would have fallen on his head.

He found Suo Pu and briefly explained the situation.

“…I’ll first go find some acquaintances in the yamen to inquire about the situation,” Lin Ming said. “You two chiefs must be careful.”

Suo Pu nodded. “Go and find out. I don’t think ruffians would dare to act brazenly in broad daylight at the Zhaoqing city wharf. I’ll tell the escorts to be extra cautious.”

Lin Ming left the boat and went ashore, entering the city of Zhaoqing. He had acquaintances in both the prefectural and county yamens, so he decided to go to the county yamen first. The public security of the prefectural capital was generally the responsibility of the attached county. The head of the constables and the legal secretary would surely know of any news.

He went to a teahouse in front of the county yamen and found the head of the constables without much trouble.

“Master Shi, I know about this matter. I was just thinking about whether I should tell you,” said the constable head, a man named He. He was a withered old man in his fifties, but his eyes were sharp. He was leaning back on a rattan couch, holding a teacup. “I’ve long heard that Master Shi is a man of refined tastes, always showing compassion for fair maidens. But this woman, Su, is getting on in years. What’s so good about her that you have to ruin someone’s fun? Debts of passion are the hardest to repay.”

Lin Ming laughed. “I have no such thoughts, nor would I dare! Do you know who this Miss Su is?”

“Who?”

“The concubine of the Guangdong Censor, Gao Shunqin!”

Constable He held his teacup and thought for a moment. “Master Shi, you must be joking. How could the Censor’s concubine end up singing on this wharf? I know her background. She was originally the concubine of the local Master Liu. When did she become Censor Gao’s concubine?”

“You only know one part of the story, not the other.” Lin Ming then explained the whole story, adding a lie, “I owe Master Gao a favor. Although his whereabouts are unknown, he is still a court official. For his concubine to fall into such a state, wouldn’t it be disloyal of me to stand by and do nothing?”

Constable He nodded. “What Master Shi says is not wrong. But I’m afraid you can’t afford to offend this ‘deity’!” He straightened up, and his apprentice quickly helped him.

Lin Ming said, “What kind of deity is this? To dare to stir up trouble on this wharf? This is clearly showing no respect for you, Old He…”

Old He smiled. “Master Shi, don’t try to provoke me. I won’t beat around the bush with you. When you show your Jinyiwei medallion, people fear you and ghosts dread you. Up and down this West River, every kind of hero has to give way to this medallion—even the county magistrate and the prefectural governor don’t want to get entangled with you. But this time is different—” He coughed a few times and spat into the spittoon his apprentice offered. “Someone has asked me to talk terms with you. Since you’re here, it saves me a few steps…”

The other party’s condition was simple: hand over Su Ai immediately.

“…The other party said, as long as you hand over the person, the past will be forgotten, and they will give you three hundred taels of silver to make a friend…”

Lin Ming asked, “And if I don’t hand her over?”

Constable He smiled. “He didn’t say. But I don’t think this will end well…”

“Old He, stop playing games with me. Who is this deity? Give me the bottom line! So I can figure out if I can afford to make this friend.”

Constable He nodded. “As the saying goes, when a scholar meets a soldier, reason is useless. We’ve been friends for years. I’ll be direct with you. It’s a Bazong, Master Cao.”

A mere Bazong (Captain). If it had been ten years earlier in peaceful times, Lin Ming wouldn’t have given a second thought to even regular military officers like Youji or Canjiang—military officials weren’t worth much. But in recent years, with military rebellions everywhere and frequent unrest among the Miao, Yao, and other ethnic groups in Liangguang, the once-lowly army had become an object of fawning and reliance for local officials. They had gradually become arrogant and domineering. Coupled with insufficient pay and supplies, there was no way to enforce military discipline. Since the end of the Tianqi era, incidents of soldiers rioting, beating, and even killing high court officials had become common. The civil officials involved were often severely punished, while the military commanders rarely received harsh reprimands.

Lin Ming knew that if a dispute really broke out, Xiong Wencan would definitely blame him—not to mention their relative closeness, just the charge of “provoking a mutiny” would have dire consequences if it reached the court. Furthermore, if it came to a direct confrontation, the other party was local military. With a single call, he could summon dozens of men. Lin Ming only had a dozen or so people on his side; he was sure to lose.

Seeing the hesitation on his face, Constable He said, “Master Shi, you are a man of honor and a good friend. A true hero. But as the old saying goes: a wise man doesn’t fight when the odds are against him. These grunts are not to be trifled with, and this Cao is a ruthless character. Remember Ding Laoda, who used to run things on the wharf? Wasn’t he fierce? His entire family, more than forty people, were slaughtered in the middle of the night when Cao led his soldiers to storm their house. They died, and that was that. His hundreds of followers didn’t dare to make a peep…”

“And Governor Xiong said nothing?” Lin Ming frowned. “I can’t believe Zhaoqing has become like this!”

“Times have changed. Ever since Master Wang lost all his men on Hainan Island, Governor Xiong has been counting on the remaining troops to fight for him. He’s a scholar, with little grain and incomplete pay. What does he have to win the loyalty of these grunts? If he dares to say two words about ‘military discipline,’ his men will mutiny, and his position as viceroy will be unstable…”

“Let me go back and think about it.” Lin Ming was now in a difficult position. He was not a man of principle. In the past, he would have immediately handed over the person and taken the money. But now, rescuing Su Ai was the Australians’ idea, and he couldn’t make the decision himself. And knowing the Australians’ temperament, they were unlikely to hand Su Ai over. If he portrayed the situation as too dangerous, he feared Suo Pu and the others would suspect him of having ulterior motives and exaggerating.

“Go and think it over,” Constable He said, clearing his throat. “Master Cao said: if that woman is not sent back to the temple before the first watch tonight, he will have to come and get her with his brothers. The city gates will be closed at night, so it won’t trouble the masters in the city…”

Lin Ming returned to the boat and quickly had the escorts find Suo Pu and the others. Unexpectedly, they had gone somewhere, and several escorts searched for them all day without success. By the time they returned, it was already dusk. Lin Ming quickly relayed the news he had gathered:

“…You two chiefs may not know, but these days, the grunts are the most arrogant. We can’t count on the government. We need to make a decision quickly.” He looked at the sky. “There isn’t much time before the first watch.”

Cummins sneered. “Fine, let them come. Let them have a taste of a machine gun…”

“Using a machine gun would be easy, but our staff tour would be over,” Suo Pu said, rubbing his chin with a wry smile. “It seems one can’t just do good deeds casually.”

Cummins’s face flushed, as he was the one who had started this whole affair. “How about I take a gun to meet this Master Cao and just shoot him?”

“I’m afraid it won’t be so easy to meet this Master Cao. Besides, it’s easy for you to shoot him. But if his comrades cause trouble, we’ll still have to clear the way with machine guns, and this trip will be ruined all the same…”

From a cost-benefit perspective, handing over Su Ai was clearly the best option. Not only could the staff tour continue, but they would also get three hundred taels of silver for free. Su Ai was of no use to them: she was neither an important source of intelligence nor a key figure. Her fall into disgrace was pitiful, but there were thousands of women in the world more pitiful than her, and the Senate couldn’t save them all.

But he couldn’t do it that way. It wasn’t just a matter of morality, Suo Pu thought. He was well aware of the Senate’s collective mindset. They could do anything, except lose face. The Senate had a glass heart. If he decided to hand her over now, although the rationalists would see it as the optimal choice for maximizing benefits, he would surely be flamed to a crisp by the “majority.”

But Suo Pu was unwilling to give up the staff tour just like that. As he was struggling with the dilemma, the noise of voices outside grew louder and more clamorous. An escort suddenly poked his head in, his face tense. “Masters, a lot of people have come to the wharf. They don’t look friendly.”

Lin Ming’s heart tightened. He quickly said, “Don’t act rashly. I’ll go out and talk terms with them!”

Facing the crisis, Suo Pu’s mind became clear. “What terms can you talk with them? Hand over Su Ai?” He waved his hand. “Open the crates! Get the machine guns! Machine gunners to the sterncastle, prepare for suppressive fire!”