Chapter 6 Conspiracy

  Collusion

  This Shijia restaurant has been in operation for some years, with a large storefront and upstairs and downstairs areas. The shop has wine jars and vats lined up against the walls, with blue bricks on the floor and white lime walls.

  Yao Feng sat down in the private room and looked around at the all-wooden decorations, which were simple but clean.

  He ordered a table of good dishes and waited with peace of mind, thinking in his mind about how to fawn on Sun Maowen next.

  Before the tea in front of him had cooled down, he heard someone outside the private room say, "It's this place."

  Yao Fan understood that it was the voice of someone from the Sun family.

  Then he heard Sun Maowen's voice: "Sorry to keep you waiting, Mr. Yao."

  Yao Feng immediately stood up from his chair, lifted the curtain and bowed outside the door.

  "Come on, come on, Brother Sun is busy with official duties, we should be waiting for you."

  Sun Maowen was still satisfied with Yao Feng's courtesy, he stopped and cupped his hands, pointing to the two behind him to introduce to Yao Feng: "This is Liu Ziming, a Qingdao Haiguan inspector, and this is Wei Guofu, a Jiaozhou defender."

  Yao Feng saw that the two were both influential figures in Jiaozhou, one from the literary and the other from the martial world, so he imitated the actions of TV dramas to salute them. The two politely raised their hands to return the courtesy, and then the four sat down.

  Sun Maowen sat down at the head of the table, cleared his throat and briefly introduced Yao Feng. Then the restaurant brought out the dishes that Yao Feng had ordered earlier, and the four of them frequently clinked glasses and exchanged cups to warm up their relationship, casually chatting about some trivial matters.

  After three rounds of drinks, the four people's self-introductions were also completed, and they were considered familiar with each other.

  Jiaozhou Shoubao Wei Guofu looked a bit rough, he held his wine cup with both hands and said to Yao Fang: "As the saying goes, 'no fight no acquaintance', Brother Yao is back from overseas to find his ancestors, but was beaten by my underling for no reason. This cup of wine is an apology from me to you. Tomorrow at the martial arts gathering, I will definitely use my military staff to serve those blind fools."

  Yao Feng raised his wine cup and said sincerely: "Wei Da Ren understands the situation, has the hearts of the people in mind, I dare not accept it. The soldier who made the mistake was also doing his job with loyalty, please don't punish him." After finishing speaking, he drank the wine in one gulp.

  Customs Inspector Liu Ziming was a thin middle-aged man with a southern accent, and he blinked his eyes at Yao Fang, saying: "I heard that Brother Yao's family is all over the western countries of Thailand, familiar with foreign affairs, and will do business in our Jiaozhou in the future?"

  Yao Feng replied honestly: "Indeed it is."

  Liu Ziming saw that Yao Fang didn't take the road, so he directly asked: "Brother Yao, are you going to walk through the Yangguan Pass or the Changguan Pass?"

  Yao Weng's eyes widened, he had no idea what was going on at all.

  Sun Maowen put down his chopsticks and shook his head, explaining to Liu Ziming: "The Yao family used to do business among the Western countries and never returned to their home country. This time, they only sent Brother Yao back to seek out their ancestors and visit their clans, and are not aware of the affairs of the Qing Dynasty."

  Liu Ziming nodded, stroking his sparse beard and said: "That's all right, I'll let Brother Yao know. This is how it works: for domestic sea transportation, we go through the Chongguan Customs, pay the ship cargo tax, which includes various taxes such as tonnage dues, harbor fees, and anchorage fees. As for foreign goods, they have to go through the Yangguan Customs, which is managed by the British, Herbert, and has nothing to do with our Qing dynasty's Chongguan Customs."

  Yao Meng woke up and asked: "Which one is cheaper?"

  Liu Ziming glanced at Sun Maowen and Wei Guofu, seeing them smiling and eating, then smiled and said to Yao Fan: "Those foreign customs are strict, with complicated procedures for declaration, inspection, taxation, and verification. However, according to reason, all foreign goods must go through the foreign customs of various treaty ports. Even if they have declared customs at a treaty port and come ashore at Jiaozhou Port, they still need to go through the foreign customs of Jiaozhou Port for taxation."

  Yao Feng smiled and said: "If my ship doesn't declare at one of the major trading ports, but comes directly to Jiaozhou and goes through the Changguan customs, can you do something about it, Lord Liu?"

  Yao Feng opened his horse coat and threw it on a chair aside, wearing a suit and smiling at Liu Ziming.

  Liu Ziming's eyes lit up and he thought that these two devils were indeed clever and could be taught.

  He smiled and said, "In Guangzhou and Jiangsu ports, there are many righteous merchants who resent the harshness of the Maritime Customs. They anchor their large ships at sea and use small boats to enter the inland customs houses. The local customs houses have no way of knowing that these are foreign goods, so they just let them in without any problems. The goods don't need to be stored in the warehouses of the maritime customs waiting for clearance procedures, which saves a lot of trouble. Alas, it's only us inland customs who suffer, not knowing how we'll deal with all this extra work. It's as if we're helping the maritime customs save on expenses, but getting no thanks in return."

  Yao Fengqiang suppressed the laughter in his heart, otherwise he would have really spat the wine from his mouth onto Liu Ziming's face.

  "A naked smuggler, still having the face to speak so politely, it's really ridiculous and amusing."

  Of course, Yao Fan still said politely: "Since that's the case, I also hope that my family's goods can pass through Lord Liu's jurisdiction. However, this would add a lot of trivial matters for you to handle, and I really don't know how to repay your kindness."

  Liu Ziming smiled, his eyes narrowing into a line like an old fox, his palm facing upwards and grasping his fingers: "Where, where, sharing the country's worries, what a burden it is, haha... haha..."

  Yao Fan certainly hopes to smuggle, so there is a good profit.

  Those foreign goods were smuggled into the country, and it's better to pay less tariffs. The customs would not admit that they allowed smuggling goods in. As for the tariffs collected according to domestic sea transportation standards, they would not be counted in the official accounts either, all of which went into the pockets of officials.

  The three men saw Yao Fan's interest and suddenly became enthusiastic, after repeatedly raising their glasses to drink together, they began to ask Yao Fan how many goods he had in a year and what kind of goods.

  "What's there? Fabrics, watches, white sugar, iron pots... all sorts of things. In short, every year there are several tens of thousands of boxes."

  Liu Ziming nodded and said, "If you go through the commercial port, it's 5% of the value of one hundred, although no tax is collected at the various ports and customs afterwards, but 5% of the value of one hundred is already very high."

  Yao Fandao: "But I've heard that at various foreign customs houses, as long as things are smoothed out, for example with raw silk, two packages can be combined into one."

  Liu Ziming shook his head in disapproval and persuaded Yao Fangdao, "It's still more convenient to go through the regular customs. Although there are many names for various taxes and fees, most of them are fixed taxes, calculated per ship. Compared to the value of the goods, it's only about one percent. Adding the regular tax of two percent, it's not more than three percent in total. It's still more cost-effective than the foreign customs which charges five percent."

  Yao Fan nodded and said: "I see, that's how it is. From now on, I'll have to ask you gentlemen for more guidance."

  Since the four of them had already clarified their words, they immediately became intimate and started drinking together. As the excitement grew, Sun Maowen suggested that everyone recite poems to add to the fun, to welcome overseas travelers and experience the prosperous literary style of the Qing dynasty. Liu Ziming nodded in agreement, while Wei Guofu neither agreed nor disagreed, but apparently didn't mind this turn of events either.

  Yao Fangxin said that this is to show off their achievements to Laozi, although their official ranks are low, they have been immersed in the classics for many years, if they can't take them out from time to time, wouldn't it be a waste of reading the sacred books for ten or twenty years?

  Sun Maowen shook his head and came up with a five-character poem first.

  The stone's fertilizer is spring water, clear and bright.

  The wall is long and the summer grass is thin.

  The people of Shu have returned.

  Long live the great Qing dynasty.

  Everyone sang a song of praise, and Yao Feng also looked at Sun Mao Wen with new eyes, "It seems that the literary level of this Qing dynasty official is not bad."

  Liu Ziming continued to shake his head and sway back and forth, followed by a seven-character phrase.

  The Eight Immortals Cross the Sea with Effortless Ease

  The Qilu Museum's galleries are serene and peaceful.

  People don't see each other as they gallop past like viewing flowers from horseback.

  Clouds sweep away the fragrance of Du Kang's wine.

  Then everyone sang in harmony, and Yao Fan thought with admiration, "These officials may be corrupt, but when it comes to literary skills, they are indeed well-founded."

  It was Wei Guofu's turn, he thought for a moment, and also shook his head, reciting a poem.

  Admiral's absence is a joyful occasion.

  Rushing to take office in Penglai.

  Not seeking fame nor fortune

  A thousand miles for an official position is just for wealth.

  After listening to Yao Weng's two poems, I deeply feel that the literati of this era are indeed formidable. After soaking in the piles of old papers for decades, they can produce poetry and prose with ease.

  After hearing Wei Guofu's poem, Yao Fan almost spat out the small dish in his mouth, hastily threw down his chopsticks, and with a purple face, he clapped his hands to cover it up. With great difficulty, he swallowed the stir-fried pork liver in his mouth, and only then did he shout out a loud "Good!" - his voice was so loud that it almost shook the roof off.

  Sun Maowen secretly sighed, deeply disapproving of Wei Guofu's crudeness and lack of culture, but instead spoke in a contrary manner, praising him: "Good! Brother Wei is indeed a general with a straightforward and incisive mind, one sentence revealing the mysteries of officialdom."

  Liu Ziming thought that Sun Maowen was just talking nonsense, and if Wei Guofu, a martial artist, were to recite poetry, wouldn't it be like asking a fat pig to pull a millstone? This time, we've both lost half of our face.

  Liu Ziming's eyes rolled, and he smiled at Yao Fang, saying: "Brother Yao, your family has been doing business in the Western world for a long time. I suppose you have also learned some of our mother country's etiquette and cultural heritage. You must have gained new insights from being immersed in Western culture every day. Don't worry about the rhythm, just try composing a poem here, and I'll be happy to give you some suggestions."

  Sun Maowen stroked his beard, which had wine stains on it, and said slowly: "That's right, Brother Yao is young and has a great future in moral character and literature. In the future, if he can become an official, he will be able to bring glory to his ancestors and communicate with scholars and officials. Therefore, this poetry and book learning must not be neglected in daily life."

  Yao Fan was not good at poetry, with its strict tonal patterns and rhymes. Without a decade or so of immersion, it would be impossible to do well. He thought about it over and over, feeling that if he wanted to avoid losing face, his only option was to plagiarize and modify an existing poem.

  Heavy rain falls on Qi Lu, white waves surge to the sky, fishing boats beat outside Jiaozhou Bay.

  The vast ocean is invisible, who knows where it goes?

  Past events have gone through thousands of years, Wei Wu wielded his whip, facing east at Yishan there is a remaining piece of writing.

  The desolate autumn wind is here again, and the world has changed.

  A poem of Taizu's "Lang Tao Sha - Beidaihe" was changed by Yao Feng into "Lang Tao Sha - Jiaozhou Bay", but the style of this poem cannot be altered with just a few words!

  Wei Guofu listened and first shouted "Good!" and said: "Although I can't write good poems, I can still tell the difference between good and bad. Brother Yao's lyrics are grand and must be excellent."

  Liu Ziming stroked his beard and praised: "Good words, good words, you've described the weather in Jiaozhou perfectly. The heavy rain falls on Qi Lu...the white waves surge to the sky...how wonderful! It's as if I've seen the great sea of Jiaozhou with my own eyes! Brother Yao is indeed well-read and has a deep foundation in poetry."

  Sun Maowen was shocked in his heart, collected his drunken intention, and took the opportunity to raise his cup to scrutinize Yao Fan. He thought: "Wei Wu swung his whip... changed the world... This son has a big tone! If he becomes an official one day, his future will be boundless. If he becomes a scourge... then..."

  Sun Maowen shivered at the thought, and immediately sneered at himself: "This child was born into a merchant family, and all he talks about is profit. Even if his words have grand ambitions, it's just hoping to become rich beyond compare. My thoughts are just excessive worry."

  Having understood this verse, Sun Maowen raised his cup and recited the "Lang Tao Sha" that Yao Fang had just chanted with a calm tone in front of everyone. He drank the wine in one gulp and praised it repeatedly: "Good words! Good words! We are fortunate to know Mr. Yao, such a young talent, it's really refreshing."

  "As you said, brother Yao has such a good foundation, even if he goes to take the imperial examination, it's enough to become a scholar. Wang Zijia once said, 'Within the four seas, those who know me are my friends; though separated by vast distances, we can be as close as neighbors.' Today, I'm glad that brother Yao and you have met, which has fulfilled this saying. My heart is filled with joy, so let's finish this cup of wine!"

  Yao Fan smiled humbly and raised his cup, downing it in one gulp.

  But he lowered his head and thought for a moment, and his heart felt a pang of sorrow.

  "Yao Weng, are you courting death? Why don't you use your brain?! Even Cao Cao has appeared in this story, the legend of Ah Man's rise to power... Who doesn't know about it?"

  In this poem, there is still mention of the divine stele's legacy... desolate autumn wind... surging waves rising... sun, moon, stars and galaxies... what are you trying to do?

  The most brainless is that sentence "replaced the world"…

  "What a risk!... If this were in the Qing dynasty, even with eight heads, it would not be enough to avoid being beheaded for literary inquisition. Fortunately, all of you at this table are 'thousands of miles for officialdom only for wealth', minor officials in a small place in the late Qing dynasty, otherwise, it's really a case of 'live by the sword, die by the sword'!"

  Yao Cong's heart skipped a beat as he secretly wiped the sweat, hastily changing the subject: "I also saw the magnificent scenery of Jiaozhou Bay while traveling by boat. Under the great Qing dynasty, the world is at peace. Moreover, today I, Yao, have finally returned to my hometown after drifting for a hundred years and am fortunate enough to share a feast with you esteemed officials, which makes me feel truly elated! At this moment, I express these feelings, and the three of you gentlemen have praised me excessively."

  "My humble words are no match for the great poems written by my three elder brothers. They're not even worth mentioning! Come, come, let me offer you a toast, elder brothers!"

  The three of them burst out laughing and said that Yao Feng was being overly modest.