Chapter 117: Fatty Jin's Sea Vessel

Ding Li and Jin Sanpang stood on the outer corridor of the second floor of the brothel, Ding Li’s eyes narrowed slightly, his pupils occasionally shifting with fleeting flashes of sharp light. Ding Li had already heard the purpose of Jin Sanpang’s visit, and judging by the man’s recent demeanor, he could conclude that what he said was likely close to the truth.

"Brother Li, you must help me out this time!" Seeing that Ding Li had not responded for a long time, but instead seemed preoccupied with the scenery, Jin Sanpang grew anxious. Despite his desire to urge him, his posture remained humble; he bowed repeatedly with cupped hands, his voice dropping to a mosquito-like whine tinged with a sob. "Brother Li, I have elders and children at home; the whole family depends on me alone! If I can’t get past this hurdle, I’ll be completely ruined. Even if I sold my own skin and bones, it wouldn't be enough!"

"Brother Sanpang, don't say that!" Hearing this, Ding Li slowly withdrew his thoughts, sighed, and shook his head, lowering his voice to comfort him. "Actually, you should think clearly. With your family's assets, if you cooperate with the Cao family, ask yourself: can you afford to be cheated by them even once?"

"This... isn't that exactly what I thought in the first place?" At the mention of his two merchant ships being temporarily impounded, Jin Sanpang’s already small eyes were squeezed into mere slits by the rolls of fat on his face. Faced with Ding Li’s words, he irritably waved his arms and spouted a bit of twisted logic: "I just thought my cargo wasn't worth the Cao family’s effort to cheat me, so I cooperated with them! And over these years, there really haven't been any problems!"

As he spoke, Jin Sanpang stole a glance at Ding Li. Seeing that Ding Li seemed completely uninterested in his words, he gritted his teeth, steeled himself, and added, "O-of course, I have received no small share of the benefits over the years... But that was all mine by right!"

"Ha! By right? What is 'by right' and what is not?" Ding Li suddenly sneered. He cast a disdainful glance at Jin Sanpang and continued with a contemptuous, cold tone: "Do you understand the principle of 'casting a long line to catch a big fish'? Do you know why country folk raise pigs? If the Cao family didn't fatten you up first, what use would there be in slaughtering you?"

In truth, Ding Li didn't need to explain this; Jin Sanpang understood it well enough. What made him anxious was that the event had already occurred, and he wanted a solution. After the Port of Guangzhou was closed, internal problems plagued both the Cao and Tian merchant guilds. The Cao guild, in particular, had recently had their established power base in Fuxu Port wiped out by the Nanhai Gang. Now, with the closure of Guangzhou Port, their merchant ships and those of their partners could only dock and unload at Fuxu Port. Even loading for departure had to be done at Fuxu, which was entirely controlled by the Nanhai Gang, significantly increasing their costs.

The Cao family’s original financial strength was inferior to the Zhang merchant guild’s. After this incident, the Zhang guild had already begun moving in the shadows, and many smaller factions that relied on the Cao family as their patron were beginning to defect. In particular, with the Zhang guild having bribed officials within the Shipping Commissioner’s Office, both the Cao and Tian families felt that the situation had spiraled out of their control.

It was precisely at this moment that the Cao guild began to act. However, the Zhang guild had anticipated this, so the Cao family, having no other choice, turned their sights toward their own associates. The best targets were foreigners like Jin Sanpang.

Foreigners in Guangzhou Prefecture enjoyed certain privileges, but this did not include the freedom to act recklessly, especially regarding smuggling. Smuggling was as common as a daily meal in the major ports like Fuxu, and despite repeated bans, it remained rampant. Over time, it had become a mundane affair; the key was whether the scale of smuggling affected the overall market, which determined whether it would be obstructed or interfered with.

Jin Sanpang was one who had exploited this loophole. Of course, he lacked the capability to conduct such long-term smuggling on his own. The only way was to collude with officials, trading benefits for protection. Jin Sanpang had chosen the Cao merchant guild, which held considerable power in Guangzhou.

Now, Jin Sanpang was set to become one of the first sacrifices of the Cao guild. The conditions set by the Cao guild were not yet meant to drive him to total ruin. Impounding the ships was merely a threat; the specific demand was for Jin Sanpang to redeem each ship for three thousand strings of cash, under the guise of "smoothing over" smuggling matters to ensure safer operations for everyone in the future.

Three thousand strings of cash was a large sum, but for any smuggler, it was not enough to cripple them. The others who were among the first to be targeted by the Cao guild had already gathered their respective ransoms. Only Jin Sanpang, let alone the six thousand strings for his two ships, couldn't even scrape together the ransom for half a ship.

It wasn't that Jin Sanpang hadn't earned money over the years; he was simply a profligate spendthrift. From what Saiyigade had previously mentioned, Ding Li knew that Jin Sanpang had eight concubines alone, not counting the women he kept in several external residences in the foreign quarter. Monthly expenses for those women accounted for eighty percent of his income, and the remaining twenty percent was spent on occasional bouts of revelry. Thus, he had accumulated very little wealth over the years.

Jin Sanpang had tried to gather money from those women, but they, who were usually compliant, refused to part with a single coin, all offering the same excuse: why didn't he ask the other concubines instead? They seemed to have conspired beforehand, and Jin Sanpang, unable to offend them, was left to agonize until he finally steeled his heart and pinned his hopes on Ding Li—or rather, on the Nanhai Gang and the Zhang merchant guild.

Ding Li was more than willing to accept Jin Sanpang’s shift in allegiance. However, the current situation was unusual, and the fact that Jin Sanpang had made this decision in such a desperate moment made Ding Li wary. After long consideration, Ding Li turned and leaned against the railing, his narrowed eyes fixed on Jin Sanpang as he sighed in a low, pointed voice, "Sigh! Brother Sanpang, what you’ve said isn't the main issue. The question is, have you truly made up your mind?"

"Of course, I’ve made up my mind!" Jin Sanpang nodded heavily. But when he saw the deep, meaningful look in Ding Li’s dark eyes, his heart skipped a beat. When Ding Li began to shake his head slowly, Jin Sanpang felt even more insecure. His voice dropped lower, and beads of sweat began to form on his forehead, perhaps from the scorching sun above. "B-Brother Li, actually, I... I have one more thing I haven't told you... I just hope Brother Li can believe in my sincerity!"

"Let’s hear it!" Ding Li nodded slightly, though the faint smile on his face left Jin Sanpang feeling uneasy. Still, Jin Sanpang nodded, bowed to Ding Li, wiped his forehead, and whispered, "Brother Li, the truth is... what I said before wasn't entirely accurate... But I still hope you can help me this time!"

As he spoke, Jin Sanpang straightened his back and patted his chest with his fleshy hands, indifferent to the jiggling fat on his body. He was about to offer some kind of guarantee to Ding Li, but Ding Li raised a hand to stop him, his tone brooking no resistance: "If you want someone’s help, you have to provide a reason that convinces them. When your excuses are three parts truth and seven parts lies, how do you expect me to help you?"

With that, Ding Li slid along the railing, leaning against a pillar in an seemingly idle manner. His gaze did not linger on the downcast Jin Sanpang but drifted over the passersby below and those loitering near the brothel.

Perhaps he had already anticipated this outcome, or perhaps he feared Ding Li wouldn't give him much time, but Jin Sanpang’s deliberation did not last long. When he looked up again, his demeanor had shifted, causing Ding Li a moment of genuine surprise.

"Brother Li, I’ve figured it out, and I’ve figured it out very clearly! Only you can help me, and I only have a path forward if I follow you!" Jin Sanpang walked quickly to Ding Li. His tone had changed, and Ding Li was curious as to why.

Jin Sanpang looked Ding Li in the eye for over ten seconds without blinking. Then, he spoke again, his tone far more serious: "Of course, if you and the brothers of the Nanhai Gang help, I cannot let you work in vain! From now on, two tenths of the income from my two ships will go to the brothers of the Nanhai Gang for tea and wine!"

"Five tenths," Ding Li replied expressionlessly.

Jin Sanpang was stunned, failing to react to the speed of Ding Li’s response. He frowned, shook his head, then gritted his teeth and nodded heavily. "Three tenths! Brother Li! This is a long-term business!"

"No! Four tenths!" Ding Li shook his head. Before Jin Sanpang could object, he added, "Even if you gave me both ships, it might not be enough to support half my brothers! But rules are rules; I have to answer to my men. Also, you had best explain everything at once. I don't want to blindly clean up someone else’s mess, even for my own brothers!"

"F-four tenths it is!" Jin Sanpang gritted his teeth and agreed, but his nature as a devious merchant immediately resurfaced. He looked at Ding Li and began to negotiate: "Brother Li, I have one condition! Oh, no—not a condition, a request!"

"Speak!" Ding Li nodded indifferently, his eyes wandering toward the courtesans at the brothel entrance below, a faint, mocking smile on his lips.

"T-this matter is of grave importance, concerning the lives of my entire family. So, I hope, Brother Li, that you will not mention this to anyone for the time being!" Jin Sanpang squeezed the words through his teeth. Ding Li merely nodded, his gaze still fixed on the women below. Though Jin Sanpang was frustrated by Ding Li’s behavior, he dared not show anger. He lowered his voice, "Brother Li, may I speak now?"

"Not yet, wait a moment!" To Jin Sanpang’s surprise, Ding Li refused without turning back. Suddenly, Jin Sanpang felt his foot get nudged. Just as he was about to look down, Ding Li’s low warning reached his ears: "Don't look around, and don't speak! Listen to what I have to say, then leave slowly!"

Jin Sanpang, entirely confused, instinctively wanted to look up, but his foot was suddenly struck with a sharp pain. A jolt went through him, but he suppressed a scream, finally grasping Ding Li’s intent.

"There is a man in a blue shirt and another in a white shirt downstairs. Both are short; the shorter one has a mole near his earlobe. They are tracking you. Go and have your men deal with them. Otherwise, I cannot guarantee that the Cao family won't learn of our meeting!"

Jin Sanpang glanced over cautiously. Ding Li’s expression remained unchanged, his handsome face still wearing that incongruous, mocking smile, his eyes even holding a hint of flirtation as they scanned the courtesans. Aside from a slight movement in his throat, Jin Sanpang couldn't even tell if Ding Li had moved his lips while speaking.