Qiu Yizi's face darkened and he said, "What is the old master thinking? How could His Highness do such a dirty thing? If that's the case, please don't mention it again in the future."
After hearing this, Li Zhi was extremely frightened and apologized repeatedly.
But Qiu Yizhi said, "What I mean is that the Japanese pirates are rampant now, and have invaded the coastal ports of the Han Dynasty. Since the old ship owner is familiar with Japanese affairs, and his fleet and crew are strong, why not let the old ship owner come forward to help the court to eliminate the Japanese pirates. Then, the next letter of recommendation will be submitted to His Majesty, or directly to the emperor, and the young ship owner will have a bright future, right?"
Qiu Yizi originally thought that Li Zhi would agree to what he said, but he didn't expect that Li Zhi would hesitate for a while and said with difficulty: "Master Qiu really pointed out a clear way for me and the Li family. Unfortunately, Japan is the foundation of the Li family. If we help the court to encircle and suppress the Japanese, we will offend several great rulers of Japan..."
Before Li Zhi finished speaking, he heard Lin Shuhan burst into laughter: "Hahaha! The old captain is wrong!"
The Li family is one of the largest merchant families in the East China Sea. Li Zhi is the founder of the Li family. His words are always law in the East China Sea, and no one dares to criticize him in front of him.
Therefore, when Li Zhi heard Lin Shuhan criticize him in person, he naturally felt unhappy. However, he was a worldly-wise man after all, and his face did not show any anger. However, his tone was stiff as he said, "Mr. Lin is well-read. Since you said that I was wrong, then I must have done something wrong. I hope you can enlighten me."
Lin Shuhan smiled faintly and said, "The old ship owner is an expert in sailing. He knows best how to sail with the wind and tide. How could he not know that the general trend of the world is just like this vast ocean. Although it looks calm on the surface, it is actually surging with undercurrents. Those who follow it will prosper, and those who go against it will perish?"
Lin Shuhan likes to use metaphors when he speaks, and these few sentences of his happen to start with the things that Li Zhi is most familiar with, which makes Li Zhi admire him.
But Lin Shuhan continued, "Take the old ship owner for example. He is afraid of offending the Japanese kings because his business and that of the Li family all rely on Japan. Although he is a little... hehe... short-sighted, it is understandable."
When Li Zhi heard Lin Shuhan's harsh words, a cloud of gloom suddenly covered his face.
Lin Shuhan was also a man who was good at observing people's expressions. He had already seen that Li Zhi was a little indignant about his words, but he did not apologize. He continued, "However, the old ship owner is a Han citizen after all. Submitting himself to the Japanese is just a temporary measure. If the old ship owner can help Lord Qiu, His Highness, and the court, then the old ship owner will be a meritorious official of the Han Dynasty. With Lord Qiu as a guarantor, the old ship owner will be a legitimate and upright sea merchant of the Han Dynasty. Why should he care about the Japanese?"
Hearing this, Li Zhi's face showed joy.
Qiu Yizhi, who was standing by, also clapped his hands and said in applause: "Mr. Lin's words are very insightful. By the way, there is a wealthy businessman named Zhou Cijing. I wonder if the old ship owner knows him?"
Li Zhi's eyes lit up when he heard this: "Master Zhou, how could I not know him? Master Zhou started his business in Guangyang, and his teahouses and wine shops are all over the country. Now he has been appointed as an official. He is a well-known scholar-merchant and a role model for us businessmen!"
Qiu Yizi smiled and nodded, "That's it. Mr. Zhou has such power now, isn't it because he did things for the current emperor in the campaign against rebellion? I have a close relationship with Mr. Zhou. I think the old ship owner and Mr. Zhou's business can complement each other. It seems that they can introduce each other and talk very well..."
After hearing this, Li Zhi was deeply moved by the beautiful picture painted by Qiu Yizi and Lin Shuhan. If he followed what they said, not only could all his previous charges of smuggling be written off, but he could also get in touch with the Crown Prince. By then, it was possible that he could be on equal footing with Zhou Cijing, the top-notch imperial merchant of the Han Dynasty.
But Li Zhi was a shrewd man after all. He was so enthusiastic about Qiu Yizhi because he heard that this Lord Qiu in Shanyin County had a close relationship with His Highness Zheng Xin. He wanted to use his relationship to at least get a few customs documents and earn a few more taels of silver. However, he didn't expect Qiu Yizhi, a seventh-rank official who was less than 30 years old, to speak so arrogantly. He was inevitably suspicious, so he said carefully:
"What Lord Qiu said really pointed out a clear path for me, my son, and even my entire Li family. However, to be frank, all of this is dependent on the grace of the eldest prince. Just relying on Lord Qiu's empty words..."
Qiu Yizi's heart tightened when he heard this. He looked up at Li Zhi, whose face was full of kindness but whose tone was full of suspicion. He was just thinking of a few words to convince this stubborn old man, but heard Li Shengjie say across from him, "Dad, I think what Lord Qiu said should be believed."
Li Zhi said angrily: "We adults are talking, you little kid shouldn't interrupt us."
Li Shengjie pursed his lips and showed a look of dissatisfaction on his face.
Seeing this, Qiu Yizi laughed and said, "Old Captain, what you said is not true. I was just rescued from the Japanese pirates by the young captain. If he is still a child, then I am not even as good as a child. I can go back and drink milk now!"
After he finished speaking, everyone smiled and the gradually tense atmosphere at the table suddenly dissipated.
Li Shengjie also smiled after hearing this and said, "Master Qiu is right. I was just looking at the Japanese from the top of the mast. I saw that Master Qiu led less than ten people and had to protect the women and scholars in the team, but he killed the Japanese pirates as if there was no one in the world. I admired him very much. I also saw that after Master Qiu broke through the siege of the Japanese pirates, he actually re-entered the enemy camp to rescue his companions. How could such a loyal person be those villains who don't keep their promises? It was because of Master Qiu's loyalty that I stepped forward to help Master Qiu break through the siege. Although I am young, I can still judge people accurately. Dad, just listen to me!"
Li Zhi was speechless for a while, and then he sighed for a long time and said, "Alas! After all, I am old, and the family business will always be handed over to the younger generation..."
Qiu Yizi heard his tone softened, and was about to say something, but she heard hurried footsteps outside the door, and then the wooden door was knocked again, and an old but deep voice came from outside: "Captain, it's me."
Qiu Yizhi remembered that this voice belonged to the capable old man who had just greeted Li Shengjie under the boat.
Li Zhi listened to the urgent voice but remained calm and said, "Well, come in and talk."
It was indeed the shirtless dark-skinned old man, who bowed to everyone and said, "Report to the ship owner, a group of Japanese people have come down from the ship, saying they want to ask for someone. They want this Lord Qiu."
Li Zhi's face darkened. "Old Cai, you are also an old sailor who has done a lot of things. How come you can't handle this kind of thing? Just say that I don't have Lord Qiu here and send the Japanese away, isn't that enough?"
The old man surnamed Cai looked embarrassed and said, "It's my fault that I didn't hide Master Qiu's horses well. When the Japanese saw them, they insisted that Master Qiu was on the boat..."
"All horses in the world look the same. Who says these horses must be Lord Qiu's? Do I need to teach you about this?" Li Zhi, who was extremely polite in front of Qiu Yizi, interrupted Old Cai without mercy.
Old Cai seemed to be extremely afraid of his captain, and almost cried anxiously: "Captain, please listen to me. I said the same thing, but there were a few traitors among the Japanese. When they saw me trying to shirk my responsibility, they started to curse me with foul language. It wouldn't have mattered if I had been cursed a few times, but the generals under Lord Qiu had bad tempers, and they couldn't help but curse at them right away... and then... they couldn't hide it anymore..."
Qiu Yizi had heard the whole story by now, so he stood up and said, "This is all my fault. I don't want to cause trouble for the old ship owner, so why don't you get off the ship now?"
But Li Zhi said firmly: "Master Qiu, what are you talking about? You are my honored guest. If the Japanese take you away as they say, who will dare to board my Li family's ship in the future?"
As he spoke, Li Zhi stood up with a bang—his head almost touching the ceiling—and strode out the door, saying as he walked, "Let's go and take a look! I want to see which Japanese guy is so arrogant that he dares to ask me, Li Zhi, for help!"
Li Zhi had been very polite to her just now, nodding and bowing all the time. Qiu Yizhi had never thought that he was so tall. Looking at his burly back, she asked Li Shengjie anxiously, "Young Captain, the Japanese are fierce and fierce. Is it okay for the old captain to go there like this?"
Li Shengjie smiled and said, "It's not a big deal, they are just a few Japanese pirates. This is beside the port of the Han Dynasty. Even in Japan, the rulers have to be polite to my father. If you are worried, why not go to the side and take a look."
Qiu Yizi also wanted to go nearby to inquire about the situation, but was afraid that he, a troublemaker, would be discovered by the Japanese pirates if he acted on his own, so he said, "I'm afraid the Japanese are here with bad intentions, and if they find my whereabouts, it will cause more trouble for you two."
Li Shengjie waved his hand and said, "It's okay, sir, just follow me. I guarantee that the Japanese pirates won't find us."
Li Shengjie was not boasting. The Li family's ship looked very imposing from the outside, and it looked even bigger when walking inside. Qiu Yizi and the others, led by Li Shengjie, walked through the narrow and winding cabin corridor for a long time before stopping.
Li Shengjie personally stepped forward, stretched out his hand and gently pushed open a door to get up, and said softly: "My lord, please look over there."
Qiu Yizi looked through the narrow gap and saw that there were as many as forty or fifty Japanese on board. They were all wearing swords and standing on the deck with their backs to him. They stared intently at the front and did not dare to whisper to each other or look around. As Li Shengjie said, they could not find him no matter what.
Li Zhi was seen sitting in a chair that had been placed on the deck at some point, his eyes sparkling and arrogant, causing Qiu Yizi to exclaim in admiration: "Young Captain, your grandfather has such a majestic aura, he must have been a great hero who roamed the oceans in his time!"
Li Shengjie sighed, "I grew up listening to my father's stories. People always say how smart, brave, and decisive he was when he was young. Now it seems that he is still as smart as ever, but as for whether he is brave and decisive... it's hard to say."
Qiu Yizhi thought to himself: When Li Zhi started from scratch, he could have fought hard, but now that he has a big family, he must be steady and cautious. Take his adoptive father, the emperor, for example. He led the army to conquer the northern frontier and was praised by the world. But now that he has ascended to the throne, he often leads the army in person, so he dares not act rashly. (To be continued)