Chapter 618 - Dedication
Lü Yizhong had specifically verified this at the Provincial Administration Commission. It turned out that this Magistrate Wu of Lingao had recently become something of a famous capable official within the province, much beloved by the Provincial Administration Commission. He had submitted several reports of major victories in bandit suppression and had sent many pirate and bandit heads to the prefectural yamen—including quite a few wanted criminals named by the prefecture and province. During the most recent typhoon relief, he hadn't requested money or grain from the prefecture or province but handled the relief himself, without creating refugees—the county's registered population had actually increased. Last year's tax and grain levies had also been submitted in full.
Magistrate Wu had received "outstanding" ratings for two consecutive years. At this rate, promotion to prefect was already expected.
On one hand, the short-haired pirates occupied Bopu; on the other, Lingao's county magistrate had become an unprecedented "capable official"—there had to be official-pirate collusion here. At minimum, they were maintaining some sort of understanding.
Presumably Magistrate Wu had received considerable benefits from the short-haired pirates over these years, Lü Yizhong reasoned. If he came this time, they could have a thorough heart-to-heart discussion with him. If Wu Mingjin proved sensible and understanding, not only could he keep his Lingao magistrate position—he might even rise higher.
While the advisors were devising strategy, Li Xijue asked:
"Why not immediately arrest Guo Yi, Pei Lixiu, and the others? They're at least false short-hairs. A single interrogation would reveal the true short-hairs' internal affairs. If we don't arrest them now, once they hear the news they'll certainly flee, and military secrets will leak."
"That won't do." Lü Yizhong shook his head emphatically. "The Purple-Character establishments are in plain sight of all Guangzhou city. Who knows how many people have their eyes on them. Once sealed, they'd be extremely difficult to handle. Better not to act for now. As for Guo Yi and the others, they're merely fish in a pot. Just have Nanhai County and Guangzhou Prefecture assign more officers to guard the perimeter—with such a large business in Guangzhou, how could he be willing to abandon it and flee?"
Precisely because the three Purple-Character establishments were such fat meat that everyone craved, they couldn't be touched yet. Once Guo Yi and the others were arrested and imprisoned, the establishments would naturally be sealed as rebel property. How to handle them then would become an extraordinarily difficult matter. Without even looking far afield—right here in Guangzhou city, quite a few powerful figures wanted a piece. Some were local gentry, some were well-connected officials, some were eunuchs, meritorious nobles, or imperial relatives who could reach from afar.
When all these people came swarming in, "handling rebel property" would become a hot potato. Thinking of this, Li Xijue couldn't help but admire his colleague's prudence.
"After all, Guo Yi doesn't have 'short-haired pirate' written on his forehead. Not arresting him is reasonable. Arresting him would be effortless." LĂĽ Yizhong already saw Guo Yi and the others as meat on the chopping block.
Guo Yi, at this very moment, was spinning at the center of a conspiracy's vortex. He knew perfectly well that the Guangzhou Station didn't have many days left. No matter how much futile struggle he made, the Guangzhou Station's fate would be decided by the great battle about to unfold on Hainan Island—this was unavoidable.
Though he had contemplated many times that this day would eventually come, he still felt a pang of sadness thinking about what he was about to face. Everything he had built with his own hands.
The storm facing the Guangzhou Station drew ever closer. Even in the secret room on Huifu Street, he could feel the bone-chilling cold approaching. Many hands were reaching toward them: the small fry who had been borrowing the tiger's might had disappeared. Now appeared the true great predators—circling the target, eyeing the fat meat of the three Purple-Character shops, preparing to swallow it whole.
The safe house no longer possessed its former composure. In the fire basin on the floor lay a heap of ashes—remnants of telegram drafts and materials hastily burned before Zhang Yuchen's departure with the radio. He had now retreated to a secret location within Guangzhou city, maintaining contact with Lingao.
In Guo Yi's hand was a telegram from the Colonial Trade Department in Lingao. Though Si Kaide had endorsed the Foreign Intelligence Bureau's approach of "evacuate Guangzhou, protect Leizhou," he still clung to a slim hope of preserving the Guangzhou Station. In the telegram, he again requested that while preparing for retreat, they should strive to find possibilities for continued presence in Guangzhou. The Colonial Trade Department agreed: if there was no other choice, dedication could be considered as a way to preserve property—Gao Ju or Liang Cunhou were both suitable candidates.
"Hmph, it's already too late for that." Guo Yi already knew who had their eyes on the Guangzhou Station—all heavyweight predators. Never mind Liang Cunhou's background; even Eunuch Yang behind Gao Ju probably wouldn't dare provoke them.
He was lost in thought when the bell in the room suddenly rang. He quickly struck a match, lit the telegram draft, and threw it into the fire basin. Only after watching it turn completely black did he open the door and walk out.
The courtyard housing the safe house could only be entered by the most trusted servants—all indigenous workers who had passed strict vetting. Others could only register with the gatekeeper at the moon gate and ring the bell to request an audience.
According to Guangzhou Station discipline, transmigrators couldn't be summoned from the safe house except for urgent matters.
The visitor was Sun Chang—quite unusual. Given Sun Chang's position, he had to handle many matters. He wouldn't suddenly come seeking an audience without good reason.
"What is it?"
"Someone wishes to see you."
"Didn't I say not to receive anyone we don't know?" Guo Yi knew that people coming now were certainly not bringing good news. Meeting them would only lead to complications. Better to refuse.
"The visitor has a very big name." Sun Chang stepped forward and whispered, "He's a family servant of the Tian Imperial Relative."
"What?" Guo Yi didn't quite understand.
"The Tian Imperial Relative—that's Consort Tian's father." Sun Chang knew Guo Yi was an overseas person with limited knowledge of Ming Dynasty figures. "Consort Tian is the Emperor's favored concubine..."
"So he's an Imperial Father-in-law?" Guo Yi immediately thought of the "Imperial Father-in-law" characters from period dramas—generally not good people. Such impressions were usually fairly accurate.
"Yes, he's a qiwan." Sun Chang used the contemporary term—qiwan referred to relatives of the imperial family by marriage. As the current qiwan, Tian Imperial Father-in-law's daughter was presently in favor, so his reputation and power were quite different from others. "Tian Imperial Father-in-law's prestige is second only to the Marquis of Jiading." The Marquis of Jiading was Empress Zhou's father.
"Why would he come to Guangzhou?" Guo Yi found it strange. Shouldn't Tian Imperial Father-in-law be in Beijing? He wouldn't come to Guangzhou without reason.
"It's not him personally. It's one of his servants, specifically here to handle affairs for him." Sun Chang's expression darkened. "I'm afraid this person hasn't come with good intentions."
"Nothing more than coveting our properties." Guo Yi had originally intended to refuse but then reconsidered—it might be better to meet him. Since several parties had now revealed ambitions toward the Purple-Character establishments, letting them check each other might serve as a delaying tactic.
Walking last was a round-faced man about forty years old. He wore a six-panel unity cap, a parrot-green lined silk long robe, and three-layered official shoes—an outfit neither noble nor humble. When he entered the courtyard and saw that Guo Yi hadn't come down the steps to greet him, he planted his legs, put his hands behind his back, and with a sunken expression rotated his small eyes to glare viciously at Sun Chang.
"A mere abacus-pusher, yet dares to be so presumptuous!" He cursed quietly, then ascended the main steps.
Guo Yi exchanged greetings with him and learned the visitor was named Tian Da, a "family servant" of Tian Hongyu's household. According to Ming Dynasty regulations, the spouses of emperors, empresses, consorts, and imperial sons-in-law were all selected from commoner "virtuous families." Such families were generally not great households. So-called "family servants" were basically opportunists who had attached themselves after their masters became wealthy. Among them were quite a few local "villains" who used the imperial relative's power to act maliciously outside, profiting both their masters and themselves.
This Tian Da didn't look like someone born into servitude. He looked more like a local "troublemaker" or "market bully."
"Master Guo," Tian Da began, his gaze on the maid serving tea lingering until she had withdrawn from the room. "You're truly worthy of being Guangzhou's richest man. So prosperous!"
"Not at all. I'm merely an outside merchant who made a fortune selling some foreign goods. To call me the richest man is far from the truth." Guo Yi smiled mildly.
Tian Da didn't hide his purpose. He straightforwardly proposed that the Guangzhou Station dedicate the three Zishi establishments to the Tian family.
According to him, Guo Yi would pay the Imperial Father-in-law forty thousand taels of silver upfront, then six thousand taels annually thereafter.
"...Once it becomes property of the Tian Imperial Father-in-law, no official in all the realm will dare trouble you," Tian Da declared, spittle flying. "And no one will dare call you sea pirates."
This figure made Guo Yi gasp—a lion opening its mouth indeed. Setting aside that he had no such intention; even if he did, agreeing to these terms would get him vilified in Parliament.
"This is a major matter. Please allow me a few days to consider."
"Consider or not, it's up to you. But if you keep considering much longer, you'll be considering from inside a jail cell. How can Master Guo be so uninformed?" Tian Da rudely pointed his fan at Guo Yi's nose. "The court is about to send troops to attack your Australian nest. When that happens, your entire estate will be confiscated and sold. Even the grass under your feet won't bear your name anymore. Dedicate now to my master—a mere hundred thousand taels or so protects both your person and your property. Quite a bargain!"
After finally seeing off this Tian Da, Guo Yi received several more envoys who either explicitly or implicitly wanted him to make dedications. Even Gao Ju sent his chief steward twice, informing him that Little Eunuch Yang was coming to Guangdong to purchase ivory. If he wanted to dedicate to Eunuch Yang, now was a golden opportunity.
"Eunuch Yang is very pleased with the Australian goods you've presented. If you dedicate to his gate this time, Eunuch Yang will certainly look upon you with new eyes."
Guo Yi could only express "let me consider for a few days" to each proposal, playing for time.
Though the Colonial Trade Department had already agreed that "dedication" could be considered in emergencies to preserve property, he was very clear that once this was done, it would certainly cause an uproar in Parliament.
Looking at the bright side, dedicating to Tian Imperial Father-in-law or Eunuch Yang would be a good path—both could provide powerful protection and establish very extensive contacts in court and outside.
However, he was equally clear there was no such thing as a free lunch. How large were the appetites of Eunuch Yang and Tian Imperial Father-in-law? What were their temperaments? All unknowns. They agreed to six thousand taels annually now—what if they wanted to increase it later? What if they wanted to directly interfere with personnel and management of the three Purple-Character establishments? Or worst case: as legal owners, they could throw Guo Yi and the others out at any time and directly seize the three establishments. He had already seen this many times in Guangzhou—how many small and medium shops that had sought refuge with gentry ended up bankrupt and ruined when their dedication masters suddenly turned ruthless.
"This is a matter of principle." He muttered. In his confusion, he suddenly understood: the Guangzhou Station's destruction was unavoidable, and Lingao's cannon fire would also herald the Guangzhou Station's rebirth. Letting it exist under a different identity now would only increase future complications.
Now he saw clearly. Purple Treasure Studio, Zhiming Tower, Purple Treasure Shop—without Australians and Australian goods, they were soulless shells. Whoever wanted them could take them.
He hurried back to the safe house and quickly drafted a telegram reporting his specific plans.
In the telegram, he explicitly opposed dedication. It would only increase complexity when they returned to Guangzhou in the future. Once the establishments belonged to others, recovering them would be extremely difficult; continuing to operate them would create uncontrollable problems.
Guo Yi reported his response plan in the telegram: he was prepared to begin evacuation operations immediately, withdrawing most vetted indigenous workers—not necessarily all the way back to Lingao; they could first disperse to counties under Guangzhou Prefecture. Local employees and craftsmen would be given half a year's severance and temporarily dismissed.
Guo Yi believed the Guangzhou Station would be closed for a few months at most, a year at the outside. As Lingao's military situation clarified, it could reopen. Of this he was quite confident.
Once the policy was set, execution became much easier. Guo Yi immediately convened a secret meeting of Guangzhou Station personnel. They decided that Delong Bank would immediately settle accounts with the Purple-Character establishments—all deposits and debts would be offset and cleared, in case the Purple-Character establishments were sealed and officials came to Delong pursuing deposits.
As for inventory, he had already sent Sun Chang to the Gao family to negotiate—all inventory from Purple Treasure Studio would be sold on credit to the Gao family. The Gao family would certainly accept under present circumstances.
"The May Duanwu collection day has arrived. What they owe us and what we owe them—we need to settle accounts," Zhang Xin said.
"Try to balance the accounts." Guo Yi replied. "Withdraw any surplus silver for ready use."
"Use for what?"
"Handling withdrawals." Many with deposits at the Purple-Character establishments had now heard the rumors and were requesting withdrawals one after another. Many didn't even ask for interest, just wanted their principal back.
This money was actually deposited at Guangzhou's Delong, but for safety now, Guo Yi didn't want any more money dealings with Delong. He decided only to do book offsets with Delong—the Purple-Character establishments would handle deposit repayments directly.
As for other merchants' payments owed to the Guangzhou Station, they were to be collected immediately when due. Zhang Xin had previously considered somehow shipping silver back to Lingao or purchasing goods to ship back. But that was probably impossible now—according to subordinates' reports, many official eyes had recently appeared nearby. Large silver transports and transactions probably couldn't be moved, and even if moved, couldn't be hidden. Guo Yi instructed him to use collected silver entirely to settle accounts.
"What others owe us, no need to press for repayment—they won't dare not repay later. What we owe others, pay in full. Silver left in hand just enriches Guangzhou's corrupt officials." Guo Yi said firmly. "When we leave, we want to leave behind the reputation of Australians keeping their word and honoring promises."
"Understood." Zhang Xin nodded. "I was originally worried about handling the deposit run. With this batch of collected payments, it should be enough."
As for account books, land deeds, property deeds, indentures, promissory notes, receipts... all manner of documents—he had already had people pack everything for transfer. The account books involving Delong had all been secretly destroyed. Most people here didn't know Delong's true identity; it might well survive.
"This is our 'change-of-regime ledger,'" Guo Yi told Zhang Xin. "When we return in the future, this is the proof for recovering our capital."
Zhang Xin asked: "How do we move out these dozens of boxes of account books?"
Guo Yi said: "Transfer them in batches. These books should ideally be shipped back to Lingao. If that can't be done immediately, store them temporarily at secret locations."
As they were talking, a servant came to report: Shen Fan had arrived.
"Show him in." Guo Yi had been meaning to discuss Purple Treasure Shop's handling with Shen Fan.
"Master!" Shen Fan arrived in great haste, even dispensing with his usual courtesies. "Is the government really going to seal Purple Treasure Shop?"
"How can this be!" Shen Fan wiped his sweat anxiously. "Didn't I suggest dedicating to the Liang family?"
"Even if we dedicated to the Liang family now, they wouldn't dare accept." Guo Yi told him about Tian Da's visit.
"What?! Even Tian Imperial Father-in-law is interested..."
"Correct. With his hand reaching in, who else would dare accept?" Guo Yi shook his head. "My mind is made up. I'd rather be shattered jade than a whole tile. Guangzhou city can't accommodate us. We'll simply leave..."
"You're going back to Australia?" Shen Fan said anxiously. He had worked for Guo Yi for over two years. Master and servant had complemented each other well. He had felt quite pleased that in his old age, he could still manage such a prosperous establishment.
Now suddenly hearing the government was going to seal it and Master Guo had to return home, Shen Fan couldn't help thinking: how was it that this Great Ming realm couldn't accommodate people doing honest business and living decent lives?
"I need to go into hiding," Guo Yi said quietly. "If I stay here, I'll probably end up in some inexplicable lawsuit."
"Is it that serious?!"
"Indeed. I also wanted to discuss Purple Treasure Shop's handling with you..."
"Yes..." Shen Fan saw his grave expression and knew it wasn't empty talk. Remembering that this young man had saved his grandson's life and had treated him well, watching this flourishing, prosperous business about to be destroyed, he couldn't help feeling sad and heaved a heavy sigh.
"How much inventory remains at Purple Treasure Shop?"
"Not much." He took out a booklet from his robe. "Here's the inventory record." He quickly added, "These past few days, more people have been coming to the counter to withdraw deposits..."
(End of Chapter)