Chapter 962 - 801: The Sword Takes an Unorthodox Path

The five three-masted ships unfurled their sails and drifted southward, destined to miss the court document from Jinling.

Standing along the rail were Chen Ji, Old Ears, Yuan Xing, Jiang Chai, Zhou Chang, Yuan Xi, Jin Zhu, Heavenly Horse, and Chen Yu, each holding a fishing rod, eagerly anticipating.

Yuan Xing couldn’t catch any fish for a long time, while Jiang Chai pursed his lips tightly. Yuan Xing glanced at him and chuckled, "First time I’ve seen someone fish using their face’s strength. What, using your face gets more fish, huh? Wasted a whole morning standing here."

Just then, Jiang Chai’s fishing rod bent: "Got one!"

Yuan Xing’s expression fell.

Not far away, Old Ears reminded slowly, "Don’t let go, slowly wear it down. Your bamboo rod isn’t sturdy, be careful it doesn’t break."

Jiang Chai grunted in agreement, but Yuan Xing’s eyes shifted mischievously, bumping into Jiang Chai with his hips, causing Jiang to lean over and fall, breaking his rod.

Jiang Chai got up, rolled up his sleeves, and grappled with Yuan Xing: "You son of a..."

The whole ship was used to the bickering of the Five Tigers. Old Ears leisurely said, "Fishing isn’t something you can rush; as they say, sea fishing isn’t about the rod’s skill, but about waiting for tides, knowing currents, recognizing where fish hide..."

Chen Ji calmly said, "You sound knowledgeable, yet haven’t caught a single one."

Old Ears rolled his eyes, "Still need patience!"

At this time, Chen Yu turned his head, sneakily glancing at Chen Ji from several people away.

With his mask and bamboo hat, Chen Ji’s expression was unreadable, but his hand holding the fishing rod remained still as if he truly was a sea guest out for a fishing adventure.

Chen Yu pondered for a moment, handed his fishing rod to Chen Xu behind him, sidled up to Chen Ji, and leaning against the rail, curiously asked, "Sir, the Xu family will be appointing a new clan leader in four days. Even if you want to fish, finish this business first, otherwise, won’t the Zhang family end up with nothing?

Chen Ji acknowledged with a sound, but didn’t retract his fishing rod.

Chen Yu, unwilling to give up, continued, "If Xu Chuanxi gains control of the Xu family and turns to the Hu Family and the Chen family, not to mention Zhang Zhuo’s promotion to Grand Secretary, even the new policies will be abolished."

Chen Ji glanced at him, rasping, "Isn’t that why you returned to Jinling? If the Xu family sides with your Chen family, wouldn’t that be perfect?"

Chen Yu chuckled and countered, "Not at all, not at all. What I wish for is that the people are not hungry and cold, that the countryside has no harsh governance, that scholars have integrity, and that the world has shame. Official Chen may not care about this, but Zhang Zhuo does, so it’s better for Zhang Zhuo to be the Grand Secretary."

Chen Ji looked him over, "The power of the Chen Family, isn’t it your power? If Official Chen becomes Grand Secretary, won’t you have much more convenience to do what you want?"

Chen Yu grinned brilliantly, "Not at all, not at all. That’s Official Chen’s power, not mine. Official Chen acts in a decisive and arrogant manner, thinking he can listen to you. First, you must beat him. I can’t do that now, only one person in the Chen Family has ever managed that."

Chen Ji casually asked, "You support Lord Zhang’s new policies?"

Chen Yu smiled, "The new policies are good, but there are drawbacks. Signs have already appeared in Lu State."

Chen Ji remained expressionless, "What drawbacks?"

Chen Yu thought for a while, "The national tax only collects silver. The people have grain and cloth but no silver. When it comes time to concentrate taxes, the people are eager to exchange for silver, raising the price of silver while lowering the price of grain; the clear measurement of land has also encountered some issues. Many smallholders have had their traditionally inherited lands forcefully expanded and taxed by county governments, while the true gentry continue to hide land through influence... Ultimately, the Zhang family lacks a solid foundation; there are too few followers truly willing to work for him."

Chen Ji nodded, "That’s not untrue."

Chen Yu shifted the focus, "But being able to measure land clearly now is already a good thing. As for systemic problems, it’s not too late to resolve them once I become the Grand Secretary."

Chen Ji smirked beneath his mask. At this point, his fishing rod moved.

Chen Yu reminded, "You’ve caught a fish."

Chen Ji raised his hand, hooking a small palm-sized fish that flipped onto the deck.

Chen Yu lamented, "Bad luck, only caught a small bream, the meat is fresh but small in size and full of bones."

Yuan Xing released Jiang Chai, scrambled up, and held the bream: "Big or small, it’s the first one the godfather caught, I’ll personally cook it for him tonight."

Yuan Xi sneered, "Can you even cook?"

Jiang Chai got up, dusted himself off, and glanced at five three-masted ships drifting in the distance on the sea: "Merchant ships out of Songjiang Port? Strange, these three-masted ships are all identical, must have come from the same shipyard."

Chen Ji calmly instructed, "Approach them."

The five large ships moved along with the wind towards the other ships, and the merchant vessels couldn’t escape in time with full sails.

As the ships closed in, Yuan Xing grabbed a cable and leaped across the five-zhang distance, landing steadily on the deck, tying the cable to the opposing mast, using it as if it were the General Pillar of the cable ship.

The captain’s voice trembled, "Quick, quick, stop him!"

A few sailors pulled out short knives from the corner and slashed towards him, but Yuan Xing, tying the mooring rope, kicked them away one by one without turning his head, his expression calm and composed: "Behave if you don’t want to die."

The five large ships each found their target; as the ships drew closer, the Red Gate ruffians stormed aboard, firmly controlling everyone on board. Yuan Xi led Jiang Chai into the cabin, skillfully counting the cargo on board.

...

...

On the deck, Yuan Xing grabbed the ship owner’s collar: "Whose ship is this?"

The ship owner quickly replied: "Reporting to you, sir, we are from the Ji Family’s merchant ships, one of the Eight Great Merchants, you can see the double-bamboo flags on the ship, it’s our Ji family’s emblem! Please don’t kill me, we are under the protection of the Five Peaks Ship Master!"

Yuan Xing pondered: "The Five Peaks Ship Master? That Wang Zhi who crowned himself king in Japan?"

At this moment, Chen Ji stepped on the plank and boarded the ship: "Where did this ship come from, and where do you intend to sell the cargo?"

The ship owner, seeing his fearsome tiger-head masked face, answered in a panic: "Ma... Manila, sir, we haven’t collaborated with the Japanese, why are the Anti-Japanese Army capturing us."

Yuan Xing chuckled: "The court has a clear command that not even a plank is allowed to set sail, once you set to sea, you’ve committed a severe crime. As for whether you’ve collaborated with the Japanese, it’s not for you to say, nor for the Five Peaks Ship Master, but for us, the Anti-Japanese Army to judge."

Chen Yu thought aloud: "Surely Songjiang Port is aware of the Anti-Japanese Army’s actions... What about the Xu Family’s merchant ships?"

The ship owner quickly explained: "The Xu Family’s ships have been ordered not to leave the port, they said they have to wait for these few days to pass before talking about it."

Chen Yu sighed, looking at Chen Ji: "We came too late, it seems we can’t catch evidence against Xu Chongyi now, if we came earlier, perhaps we could’ve caught two batches at Songjiang Port... shouldn’t have delayed so long."

But Chen Ji showed no regret, he just looked at Yuan Xi coming out of the cabin: "What kind of cargo are they carrying?"

The sea breeze howled, and Yuan Xi shouted in response: "Three thousand catties of raw silk, two thousand bolts of silk, eight thousand pieces of Jingde Town porcelain, one thousand catties of tea, about two thousand catties of iron pots and nails as ballast."

Having said this, Yuan Xi lowered his head calculating the cargo’s worth: "Raw silk priced at 2,100 taels, silk at 7,000 taels... the total value is around ten thousand six hundred taels."

Chen Ji looked at the ship owner: "How much would this be worth if taken to Manila?"

The ship owner stuttered and refused to speak, Zhou Chang smirked, dragging him into the cabin, and everyone heard a series of wails from inside the cabin, the sailors on deck shivered in fear.

Chen Yu glanced at Chen Ji: "My lord seems very interested in maritime trade, everything interrogated these days, perhaps you plan to take a cut from the two ports as well?"

Chen Ji did not reply.

A moment later, Zhou Chang brought the ship owner back to the deck: "Godfather, this three-masted Fuchuan, if taken to Manila, can sell for double, about twenty thousand taels. After subtracting the bribes to officials and customs clearance, the crew’s monthly salary, the profit is six thousand taels."

Chen Ji asked: "And on the return trip?"

Zhou Chang continued: "Since goods brought back from Manila to the Ning Dynasty don’t sell well, they simply carry foreign silver back, and casually bring some foreign red dyes, as well as spices like cloves, nutmeg, sandalwood, they can earn about four thousand taels more."

Chen Yu exclaimed: "A trip can bring in fourteen thousand taels of profit, no wonder everyone is eager to do business at sea."

The ship owner hurried to add: "Sir, you only see the thief eating meat, but not the thief getting beaten, a ship going to sea risks everything, if a big wave capsizes the ship, it’s a total loss!"

Chen Yu scoffed: "Who are you kidding, nowadays these large ships, on short trips to Japan and Manila, avoiding stormy seasons, might not meet with trouble even once in a hundred trips."

At this time, Chen Ji instructed Yuan Xing and the others: "Assign twenty-five ruffians to control these five Fuchuans, you, Jiang Chai, Zhou Chang, Ah Xi, and Er Tong respectively stay on these five ships, and head back to Dinghai Port together."

"To Dinghai Port?" The ship owner panicked: "Gentlemen, we have nothing to do with the Xu family nor collaborated with the Japanese, the guilty have names and debts have owners, don’t kill the wrong people!"

Chen Ji ignored him and returned to his own ship, standing at the bow.

The ship owner continued to shout: "We did not collaborate with the Japanese! We are under King Hui’s protection, you cannot hijack the ship arbitrarily!"

Chen Yu chased after Chen Ji, puzzled: "What exactly are you doing, is it just for the cargo on these ships? Or in pursuit of maritime trade? Ten Fuchuans, even if sold in Manila can only fetch two hundred thousand taels of silver, even if you come back and earn another forty thousand taels, it’s nothing compared to the Xu family’s wealth, how can you risk big for small?"

Chen Ji turned slightly, glancing at him sideways, rasping: "Who said my target is definitely the Xu family?"

Chen Yu was stunned, it was the first time Chen Ji directly answered his question, but the answer wasn’t what he imagined, off by a hundred thousand miles.

He was suddenly awakened, at this moment, there was a feeling of déjà vu.

Last year, during the dispute over succession of the Chen family’s head house, there was also someone highly skilled in taking unexpected paths.

At that time, he thought gathering all the Chen family’s salt permits was a stupid move, but the other side used a salt permit exchange to catch everyone off guard.

To this day, that salt permit exchange, held by Ritual Supervision, is still continuously generating silver, with silver deposits by salt merchants in the exchange reaching as much as three million taels.