Smuggling

Chu Qiguang brought out a third sheet of paper. "Calculated by the prices of illicit smuggling along the northern frontier, these goods alone would fetch over two hundred thousand taels a year." Hao Wen took in a breath, startled. "You're saying the Ding family smuggles goods to the north every year?" Chu Qiguang said, "If so, then those tens of thousands of taels of silver they send to the capital each year are payoffs for their protective umbrella in the court. After all, a simple iron pot sold to the local demon race on the grasslands brings a tenfold profit. But if the imperial court opens border trade, how could they possibly make as much as they do now?" Now Wu Wei and Hao Wen understood. No wonder the Ding family had moved against them. The Dings and their protector at court were almost certainly opposed to peace talks and border trade. And the Wu family's Grand Secretary Wu happened to be the primary driving force in the imperial court pushing for peace talks and border trade. Chu Qiguang thought to himself, *Equalizing taxes and corvée, thoroughly investigating the corpse transformation case, hunting down the heretics of Shenxian Dao... they're all just pretexts. The fundamental reason behind their moves is the tenfold profit from annual smuggling—all for glistening silver.* He could also imagine that this frontier smuggling involved far more than just the Ding family. Within Lingzhou—and even across the northern military garrisons—who knew how many people had grown fat and wealthy off smuggling? They would all oppose peace talks and border trade, and they would all oppose Grand Secretary Wu, practically yearning to eat his flesh and drink his blood. Yet Chu Qiguang knew even better that, according to what Qiao Zhi had told him, Grand Secretary Wu was the one who triumphed in the end. He not only became Senior Grand Secretary, but also launched nearly a decade of sweeping reforms. Chu Qiguang thought this was the perfect opportunity to bring down the Ding family, get aboard Grand Secretary Wu's ship, and incidentally amass some political capital for himself. Wu Wei was both shocked and furious. "Damaging a spiritual vein and smuggling to the demon race—the Ding family has tremendous nerve! No wonder they've joined hands to target us; it's all because Father has been tirelessly pushing for peace talks and border trade." Hao Wen said, "Then we should submit memorials at once to the Lingzhou provincial governor, the regional inspector, and Grand Secretary Wu, and have the Ding family arrested." Chu Qiguang replied, "A letter can be sent to Grand Secretary Wu, but let's not alert the court just yet, lest we startle the snake in the grass." Wu Wei nodded in deep agreement. He had calmed down and analyzed, "When the Ding family smuggles, do the frontier garrisons really know nothing about it? If the Nine Frontier Military Garrisons are also implicated... plus the ministers they collude with in the court... and Li Changqing of the Demon Suppression Bureau..." At that thought, both Wu Wei and Hao Wen felt a shiver of dread. The web of involvement was simply too vast; it was no longer something they had the power to decide. Then he sighed again. "What's more, everything right now is still just speculation. Without hard evidence... we ultimately can't touch the Ding family." Chu Qiguang said, "That is why we must not rush. As it happens, there is still a key piece of evidence I haven't secured. Only with that can we deliver the fatal blow to the Ding family." Hearing this, Wu Wei and Hao Wen grew expectant once more. But no matter how they prodded, Chu Qiguang only offered a mysterious smile and told them to wait for the time being. ... After that, Chu Qiguang returned to his small courtyard. The moment he saw Qiao Zhi, he asked, "Master Qiao, are you really planning to go? In truth, what we've done up to this point is already enough. Even if you don't go look for evidence, Grand Secretary Wu should be able to clean up the Ding family anyway." Qiao Zhi held his head high and said with great pride, "Isn't it just a trip to the grasslands? What could possibly happen to a great demon like me on demon turf?" Inwardly, Qiao Zhi thought, *Damn it! Lately I've just been doing odd chores, and my importance is sinking lower and lower. How am I supposed to inherit Chu Qiguang's enterprise later? How am I going to lead the Cat Faction to rise?* Seeing Qiao Zhi's persistence, Chu Qiguang agreed to let him go. "Once you arrive, be sure to make discreet inquiries first. Find out which monsters support peace talks, then go ask them for proof of the Ding family's smuggling. The grasslands have always been bitterly cold, and daily necessities smuggled from the Great Han sell for ten times their price there. There must be those among the demon race pushing hard for peace talks—after all, it takes two hands to clap... "But under no circumstances should you say you're colluding with humans. Just claim you have a grudge against the Ding family and want to take their account books to spread across the Great Han. It shouldn't be too hard to get..." Chu Qiguang nagged and cautioned Qiao Zhi at length, only stopping when Qiao Zhi grew visibly impatient. Qiao Zhi, in turn, reminded Chu Qiguang that while he was away, it would be best for Chu Qiguang to move into the Wu residence, lest the Ding family grow desperate enough to take revenge against him. Chu Qiguang nodded. "Don't worry. I've already spoken with the Wu family about it. I'll be moving in tonight." Qiao Zhi added, "By the way, trouble cropped up at the courtyard Wang Cailiang is renting. The landlady, Grandma Sun, hired some fraud from who knows where to treat her grandson's illness. The quack actually wants to steam her grandson in a food steamer! Isn't that utter nonsense?" Hearing this, Chu Qiguang couldn't help reflecting that even back on modern Earth, people still did idiotic things like pouring boiling water down throats, steaming children, and drinking incense ashes. In a world like the Great Han, something like this was all too common. Under the influence of superstition, there was no limit to the foolishness people were capable of. Chu Qiguang shook his head. "You want me to stop them? With that old woman's superstition, stopping her once won't stop her a second time." Having said that, Chu Qiguang couldn't help thinking of the Heavenly Master Sect... That religion genuinely helped people resist demonification, so it was actually useful. Thinking about it that way, one couldn't entirely blame the common folk for being so superstitious... Chu Qiguang sighed. "Still, if she keeps this up and someone dies, it might draw the Daoist temple or the Demon Suppression Bureau to our neighborhood... It wouldn't be good if they discovered our cats and dogs." At that, Qiao Zhi urged, "Then hurry up and go! The pot over there is about to boil!" When Chu Qiguang reached the courtyard Wang Cailiang rented, he saw an altar, feast offerings, incense candles, and paper effigies set up in the yard. A massive bamboo steamer sat in the center, from which the continuous wails and cries of a child drifted out. To the side, Wang Cailiang wore a hesitant look, appearing as if he wanted to intervene but didn't dare. Chu Qiguang had no such reservations. Striding forward, amid the crowd's gasps, he kicked the steamer open and scooped out the bound child inside. The child's entire body was bright red, clearly scalded by the steam. However, it was just a few blisters and didn't seem severe or life-threatening; he had clearly only been steamed for a short while. Chu Qiguang told Wang Cailiang to draw cold water immediately. The yellow-robed man who had been brandishing a wooden sword before the altar began voicing angry complaints at Chu Qiguang, while Grandma Sun looked on with bitter resentment. Chu Qiguang couldn't be bothered to squabble with them. He had Wang Cailiang pour cold water over the child, walked over to the fraud, and slapped him across the face several times in quick succession. The strikes left the man dazed and disoriented, leaving Grandma Sun utterly dumbfounded. Then Chu Qiguang kicked the swindler down onto his knees, forced him to confess his fraudulent scheme, and made him return the silver to Grandma Sun. "Is that all?" Chu Qiguang asked with a frown. "What about my tea fee, carriage fee, trouble fee, and medical fee?"