Chapter 6 is Not Simple (Part 2)

  Sitting in the main hall, savoring the fragrance of tea, he flipped through several documents related to the disputes between the Qi people presented by the right servant, and estimated that after more than an hour, he heard footsteps outside, and Chaha Su rushed into the main hall with a furious expression.

  He went up to the hall and didn't even make a move, just clenched his fist and asked: "General! What crime has the Gathering Immortals Pavilion committed? Do you want to issue an order to seal it off?"

  Ye Zhaowen was taken aback, to know that after the Opium War, although the Qing government had turned a blind eye to opium dens, if a banner officer was suspected of running an opium den, he would still be punished according to precedent. If convicted and sentenced heavily, for luring innocent sons into smoking opium, it could be considered as heresy, punishable by hanging.

  Zha Su is quite handsome, with a fair face and slender hands, he would be a standard beauty in the future, but there is no military air about him, however, now his anger is raging, his small white face is twisted and distorted.

  It seems I haven't been wronged after all. Ye Zhao smiled and put down the document, saying: "What's the relationship between Juxian Hall and Xie Ling?"

  Cha Ha Su raised his neck and said, "That's my family relative's business, my sister's husband's business!" He didn't casually say it was his own business, pulling out his brother-in-law to remind Ye Zhao that he also had a sister's husband.

  Ye Zhao smiled: "It seems you're in the know?" His face gradually turned serious, "Then punishing you for harboring and framing someone wouldn't be unjust!" He waved his hand. "Come on, take Chaha Su down for me!"

  The two men glared at each other, their eyes wide with anger. Ye Zhao's face darkened: "Do you want me to take matters into my own hands?"

  "Jingxiang, you dare! Seeing several soldiers rushing up to arrest him, Chaharsuo immediately became hysterical and pointed at Jingxiang, shouting: "You're just a useless prince who failed three exams! You may have been powerful in Beijing, but now you're in Guangzhou! I'm not afraid of you! Are you dissatisfied with the amount of silver I gave you? You're taking advantage of your position for personal gain, and I'll report you to the General's office! Don't think others don't know about your affairs! The God of War is watching, and you secretly married, thinking you can get away with it? That's because His Majesty is not holding you accountable, but if he did, you'd be punished by the Imperial Clan Court!"

  "Take him down!" Ye Zhao slapped the table, and the soldiers no longer dared to hesitate. They rushed up and pinned Chaha Su to the ground by his shoulders. Chaha Su was still struggling and shouting obscenities. Ye Zhao sternly ordered: "Drag him out! Lock him up and wait for sentencing!"

  Several soldiers dragged Chaha'er out, and she was still shouting wildly, even bringing up the achievements of her ancestors, yelling things like "The mountains and rivers of the Great Qing Dynasty were conquered by our ancestors, not left for you to ruin!"

  Ye Zhaoye just listened and coldly laughed.

  ……

  Cha Ha Su was put in a big prison, regardless of human feelings and legal principles. Ye Zhao had to report it to General Mu Te En of Guangzhou. As a third-class military officer, Ye Zhao could not easily punish him. Even if Mu Te En wanted to deal with his younger brother-in-law, he would have to write a memorial to the capital.

  Kacha Ha Su was locked up in prison for a full ten days before Ye Zhao slowly made his way to the General's Mansion to pay respects to Mu Te En. During these ten days, all officials who came to plead on his behalf were refused an audience, and even the clerks from the General's Mansion who came to see Vice Commander-in-Chief were blocked. This left all the officials under Ye Zhao's command stunned, thinking to themselves that it was no wonder he was a prince and used to getting his way in the capital city, not putting Mu Te En in his eyes at all!

  No wonder Ye Zhao saw Mu Tian again, this Guangzhou general blackened his face for the first time.

  Outside the hall, green bamboo is everywhere, and flowers are blooming in purple and red, a beautiful spring scene.

  Ye Zhao, however, was as calm as ever, as if there were no barriers between them. He sighed and said: "I suppose the general already knows about the Chaha'er Su incident. He's really muddled! Let's not mention his opening of a smokehouse for now, but in the main hall of the Duzong government office, he boasted of his ancestors' achievements and scolded us imperial princes and Aro princes for taking credit for heaven's accomplishments, saying we're a bunch of scourges! This remark... didn't even spare the emperor..." He shook his head and sighed.

  Mutern's eyebrows furrowed slightly, and he had been thinking of how to make excuses for Chaha Su since the moment he saw Ye Zhao's visiting card. He was afraid that he never expected Ye Zhao to not mention the matter of the smoke house at all, but instead directly put Chaha Su's nonsense on the spot.

  Ye Zhao sighed and said, "The general also knows that the flag soldiers are difficult to lead. I have a royal mission to train an elite army in Guangzhou. Offending Cha Erge was unavoidable, I just wanted to punish him slightly to set an example, but now I'm not in a position to make decisions!"

  Mu Te's expression gradually eased, and he smiled: "The Grand Commander is worrying too much. Although Chaha Su is a relative by marriage, the law cannot be deceived. His guilt will depend on the Grand Commander's handling of it, and this official will not bend the law for personal reasons!"

  Ye Zhao cursed inwardly at the old fox, seeing that he had taken advantage of the situation, and with a single sentence "But let's follow the usual procedure", he kicked the ball over, knowing that there must be more to come.

  Ye Zhao smiled and said, "Wanting to say a few words of anger is not possible, but shouting in the main hall, the officials and masters cannot help but whisper to each other. After a long time, I'm afraid someone will talk about it behind his back, and when the rumors spread, Cha Er Ge can't avoid being implicated."

  He picked up his teacup and took a sip of tea, then said: "In my humble opinion, Guangzhou is good, but it's not as good as the imperial city. If you're willing to return to Beijing, I'll submit a memorial to recommend you to join the Divine Machine Battalion and become the commander of the infantry headquarters."

  Mutern sipped his tea and smiled slightly after a while: "What Commander said is absolutely right."

  Ye Zhaoming knew that Mutern was helpless and could only let himself be driven away by Chaha Su, but although returning to Beijing City was the dream of many garrison troops, this sweet date was far from making up for the humiliation he had suffered.

  However, there's no other way; if you want to truly control the military and civilians of Chaozhou, you have to put on a show of being the descendant of the second generation, with an attitude that says "I'm not afraid of the Guangzhou general", otherwise, in the future, you'll be restricted in what you can do.

  Especially since the Guangzhou flag soldiers have been stationed for many years, the relationship is intricate and complex. In fact, all the flag cities are similar. You generals and commanders come and go like a revolving lantern, but the lower-ranking officers and soldiers have lived here for generations and have already formed their own order.

  Drive out Chahaer Su, undoubtedly broke the balance of order, can make oneself quickly establish authority in the flag city.

  Weighing the pros and cons, offending the Guangzhou general is also a helpless move. After all, it's impossible for him to spend three or two years smoothing out various relationships now that every second counts and time waits for no one.

  Ye Zhaoye also knew that although Mu Teng was forced to speak by himself, he couldn't grasp himself, but it's unlikely that he would be as calm as he appeared on the surface. Now that he can't save himself, it's hard to guarantee that he won't stab himself in the back in the future.

  Let's just talk about Shen Bao, listening to Ha Su's words, I'm afraid he has also chatted with his younger brother-in-law, and is very clear about Shen Bao's affairs. Of course, having Prince Wang as a protective charm, he wouldn't dare to openly offend himself or the prince without being fully confident. Or perhaps in the future, he will come to seek favor from him. After all, in Mu Tern's heart, he doesn't want to make an enemy out of Shen Bao.

  These are all unknown numbers, now just remember that you have offended someone, and be more careful in the future.

  ……

  After being released from prison, Cha Ha Su became much more honest. Mu Shuai must have scolded him severely. After the Juxian Pavilion was searched, the shop was quickly sold and a locksmith's sign was hung up.

  Ye Zhao was still the same, only going to the government office every three to five days to take a look around. All matters were handled in an orderly manner by the various officials, and the documents that required Vice Commander Ye's seal would be collected by Abu and presented together when the master went to the office. Normally, he wouldn't go disturb his master's leisure time.

  On this day, in the main hall of the Dūtǒng Yāmén's right wing, Jiǎng ān came to pay his respects. Jiǎng ān was over 40 years old, with a robust build and a refined face, seemingly unaffected by opium addiction.

  Ye Zhaoye also heard that the Juxian Hall was raided, which actually benefited the opium dens in Xiguan. However, it's not like that. The Banner City is inside the West Gate, while Xiguan is outside the West Gate. Since there are no more opium dens in the Banner City, those Banner people with opium addiction naturally all rushed to Xiguan.

  "Sir, I, Niu Luji, have taken a new wife, a civilian woman named Xin. The registration has been completed and she has been entered into the banner." Jian An said this with no expression on his face, as if reporting a very normal matter.

  Ye Zhao was taken aback, Shen Bao belonged to Gang An's jurisdiction, but suddenly "reported" a new marriage, which was actually a self-rescue. Looking at Gang An's rough appearance, he didn't expect him to be quite cunning and took the initiative to help himself solve the problem.

  Ye Zhaowu nodded slightly and didn't say much else.

  He then reported a few more official matters, and only after that did he bid farewell in an orderly manner. From start to finish, everything was so natural, without any hint of having just solved a difficult problem for the Commander-in-Chief.

  Ye Zhao couldn't help but sip his tea and smile lightly. This is what they mean by "don't judge a book by its cover". He looks dull and foolish, but he's more cunning than anyone else.

  ……

  Out of the yamen, Ye Zhao returned to the Gongguan and changed into casual clothes. Accompanied by Bakshi, he arrived at his own silver number "Taihe Number" in Xiguan.

  The shop has been renovated, and it looks brand new. A wooden counter has been installed to completely separate the counter from the outside, giving it a somewhat bank-like appearance. Several employees are standing behind the counter, looking busy, but in reality, this silver shop doesn't actually store any silver, and hiring employees is just for show.

  Ye Zhaoyang sauntered in, and Autumn, the shopkeeper, opened the wooden door of the counter with a key to welcome him. Although it was an empty shell, every move was made according to the rules of the money house, which made Ye Zhaoyang nod secretly.

  On the north wall hung a landscape painting of green mountains and water with misty rain, under which was placed a wooden tea table made of sandalwood. On either side were a pair of yellow pear wood chairs, polished to shine. The purple clay teapot and tea cups on the table were elegant and refined.

  Ye Zhao sat down and smiled as he asked Autumn Shopkeeper: "Shopkeeper, when did he arrive?"

  Today I had an appointment with the first "client" and Ye Zhao became the "investment decision maker", so I couldn't help but feel fresh, so I came early.

  The shopkeeper looked at the sun outside and then glanced at the wall clock, smiling: "I reckon it'll be another half an hour or so. Looks like the master is more anxious than him."

  "The customer" was brought by Autumn Shopkeeper, surnamed Zhao, named Li, and nicknamed Han Zhong. He is a Foshan native whose family has been running an ironwork business for generations. However, the business has been struggling in recent years, so Zhao Li plans to sell his ancestral workshop and borrow some capital to trade foreign iron and needles in Hong Kong.

  It can be said that foreign iron has not yet truly occupied the domestic market, but Zhao Li saw this point and is indeed a businessman with unique insight. The praise from Qi Zhanggui towards him is probably not false.

  Savoring the tea slowly, half a cup hadn't gone down yet, when suddenly a middle-aged man rushed into the store, his face pale and beardless, with elegant manners. As soon as he entered the house, he made a fist to Zhuo Zhanggui: "Boss, I'm not late, am I?"

  Ye Zhao knew that this must be Zhao Li and Zhao Han, so he smiled and stood up. Autumn Shopkeeper hurriedly introduced: "Han Zhong, come, this is our Master Ye."

  Ye Shao and Zhao Lihan exchanged a few pleasantries, sizing each other up before sitting down on either side of the tea table. Ye Shao then got straight to the point: "Mr. Han Zhong, why did you think of going into trade with foreign iron and nails?"

  As for Zhao Li, he had prepared the capital and thought of all possible ways. However, his old friends and business partners all shook their heads when they heard that he wanted to trade with foreigners in iron goods, and they advised him earnestly. As for borrowing money? That was out of the question.

  By chance, Zhao Lixi heard Old Acquaintance Qiu saying that the newly opened Taihehao had a rule for lending money. He was moved and hesitated for a while whether to write in the letter of introduction that he borrowed money to trade with foreigners for foreign iron, but finally decided to write it as is, and couldn't let Old Acquaintance Qiu be disappointed.

  But today, seeing this young master, Zhao Li's heart was somewhat apprehensive. Looking at the other person's young age, he didn't know if it was a rich kid who liked to have fun and started this business, or if he really understood business?

  "Master Ye, I once went to Hong Kong and saw the foreign nails and needles produced by foreigners. Their refining is extremely pure, their color is clean, and they are several times stronger than the iron tools produced in Foshan. If we can introduce them, the sales route will be wide." As he spoke, Zhao Li glanced at Ye Zhao, but didn't know if he understood or not.

  Ye Zhaoshu smiled: "You mean foreign iron is more competitive than our native iron."

  Zhao nodded after a brief pause, "Right, competition, competitiveness." He felt that this word was truly apt.

  Ye Zhao picked up his teacup and took a sip, while Zhao Li was like sitting on pins and needles, the life or death of his old shop hanging in the balance of someone else's thoughts.

  "That foreign iron has all come in, what's the benefit for us? According to your words, this foreign iron is so good, won't it squeeze out our own iron industry? You're a descendant of Foshan's ironworks, don't you feel ashamed before your ancestors?" Ye Zhao smiled as he looked at him.

  "Ah...", Zhao Li hesitated for a moment, then said: "Young Master, it's not what you think. Even if I, Zhao Li, don't do it, Western nails and iron will eventually spread here anyway. Our craftsmanship will fall behind, and we'll have to learn from others. I've thought about this before - once I understand the market for Western iron and have enough capital, I'll open my own Western iron store. It's better than them transporting it over mountains and seas, and it'll be more competitive."

  Ye Zhao smiled and nodded, at least the idea was in line with his own thoughts. As for whether he could really learn from others' craftsmanship and open a successful hardware store, Ye estimated that even he himself couldn't make it happen, after all, he was just blindly enthusiastic and having ideas wasn't enough. However, if he had an investor like himself to occasionally supervise and guide him, then it would be different.