I am a temporary worker in Jinyiwei, how did I become a powerful official?

Chapter 152: Yu Niang repays her gratitude with a trick, and the thief king disappears without a trace after being robbed (-character chapter)

Hu Zongxian left the city. Lin Shisan found Hu Boqi. Hu Boqi's reception was still the same as before, taking him to visit the flower boats on West Lake.

The flower boats on West Lake are a one-stop service, with entertainment, food and drinks. If you come to Hangzhou and don't visit the flower boats on West Lake, it's like going to a mountain of treasures but returning empty-handed.

At night, everyone came to the West Lake.

Hu Boqi said, "Everyone, I'm afraid we can't get on Yu Niang's boat this time. I asked her brothel owner, and her boat has been booked for a large sum of money tonight."

Li Gao asked: "Why, is there anyone in Hangzhou who dares to snatch a woman from the son of the Governor of Zhejiang?"

Hu Boqi said, "If someone else were to snatch the boat girl from me, I would definitely let him know how many eyes the Horse King has."

"What can I do? I can't afford to offend the man on Yu Niang's flower boat tonight."

Hu Boqi had always been arrogant and domineering, otherwise he would not have been beaten up by Hai Rui last year. But this time he gave in.

After he said that, Lin Shisan became interested: "Who can make Mr. Hu retreat?"

Hu Boqi said, "Ahem. That man is Wang Zhi."

"My father worships him like an ancestor. He is afraid that he will turn against us and go back to the sea to continue to oppose the court."

"I dare not spoil my father's business by competing with Mr. Wang for the favor of a boat girl. I'm afraid my father will break all three of my legs."

Lin Shisan frowned: "It's broken!"

Hu Boqi asked, "What's wrong?"

Lin Shisan stamped his feet anxiously: "Yu Niang has a deep hatred for the Japanese pirates! Wang Zhi boarded her flower boat, what if Yu Niang came to avenge her family? Oh no! Take me to Yu Niang!"

Hu Boqi led Lin Shisan and his group hurriedly to Yu Niang's flower boat.

There was a chair on the bank, and sitting on it was a skinny man in his fifties, dressed in white, who looked like a teacher.

Behind him stood a dozen burly men.

Yu Niang's brothel owner stood in front of him and kowtowed: "Boss Wang. I don't know why Yu Niang threw the sampan into the water."

Wang Zhi asked: "Does she dislike the smell of the sea on me?"

Yu Niang stood on the deck and shouted, "I just hate the smell of blood on you! I, Yu Niang, would serve pigs and dogs, but I would never serve pirates!"

Wang Zhi had an adopted son named Mao Haifeng, who was in his twenties and had a hot temper.

He was furious after hearing what Yu Niang said: "Little whore, who are you calling a pirate? Damn it, I can get on a ship even without a sampan! What I do is board ships and rob ships for a living!"

"Look! I'm going to jump onto the boat and skin you alive!"

Wang Zhi said, "Haifeng, shut up. We are here to have fun, not to cause trouble."

He changed the subject: "But a prostitute insulted me out of thin air. I will not forgive her. Those on the boat, you get off the boat immediately, pour me some tea and admit your mistake."

Yu Niang actually pulled out a delicate dagger from her sleeve: "Pour tea for a pirate leader? I'd rather die!"

The men at the West Lake had long been fed up with these wealthy sea worms driving up the prices of pens.

They fanned the flames: "Yuniang, we are the top star in West Lake, born in a pile of rouge. We must not lose face!"

"Yes, be energetic!"

"Well, well done! Let's see what he does."

Lin Shisan thought to himself: That Fujian Governor Ruan E is not as honorable as a prostitute.

Even prostitutes would rather die than serve the pirate leader. However, Ruan E was busy sending gold, silver and warships to the pirates to ask them to withdraw.

Governor Ruan, don't blame me, Lin Shisan, for smiling in front of you and stabbing you in the back. You deserve to die.

Without waiting for Lin Shisan to step forward to stop him, Li Gao rushed out and said, "Wang, who the hell are you?"

Mao Haifeng was quick-witted and quick-handed. He grabbed Li Gao's wrist and kicked his knee, causing Li Gao to kneel down.

The people in Prince Yu's Mansion were bullied by Wang Zhi's men. What would happen if the Qingliu censors took advantage of this matter to make a fuss?

Lin Shisan quickly stepped forward and said, "Boss Wang, calm down. Tell your men to let Mr. Li go."

Wang Zhi looked up at Lin Shisan and said nothing.

Mao Haifeng angrily said, "Which cesspool did you crawl out of to be such a nosy maggot?"

Sun Yue said, "You are blind. This is the nephew of Eunuch Lu, the seal holder of the Imperial Household Department; the sworn brother of the young cabinet minister of the Yan family; the lifesaver of Yang Bo, the Minister of War; the best friend of Hu Zongxian, the Governor of Zhejiang; the stipendiary official of the Yongshou Palace; and Lin Shisan, a centurion of the Northern Pacification Division of the Jinyiwei!"

Even after hearing this series of titles, Mao Haifeng was still unconvinced: "I don't care about you, Lin Shisan or Lin Shisi! That woman insulted my adoptive father, I'll jump on her and chop her up!"

Lin Shisan ignored Mao Haifeng and walked slowly to Wang Zhi: "Boss Wang, I'm Lin Shisan, polite."

Wang Zhi bowed lightly and said, "Are you the Lin Shisan who found the white deer in Mount Putuo? I'm sorry."

Without Lin Shisan's white deer, Hu Zongxian would not have held the post of governor of Zhejiang. Without Hu Zongxian, Wang Zhi would not have had a bright future of being appointed an official and conducting trade.

Not to mention that Lin Shisan has a lot of prominent god-relatives and is also a close minister to the emperor.

Wang Zhi naturally treated him with great respect.

Lin Shisan asked Wang Zhi: "Boss Wang, you are the most successful businessman in Ming Dynasty."

With just one sentence, he elevated Wang Zhi's status from a pirate leader to a "businessman", and even "the most successful in the Ming Dynasty". This was very useful to Wang Zhi.

Wang Zhi smiled and said, "I dare not. I just do a little business on the sea to make a living."

Lin Shisan said, "Please ask Boss Wang, is the flower boat business considered a business?"

Wang Zhi replied: "Sex trade is also business, so count it."

Lin Shisan asked again: "When doing business, the most important thing is that both parties are willing. Otherwise, wouldn't it be a forced sale?"

Wang Zhi nodded slightly: "That makes sense."

Lin Shisan said, "But we must be honest in doing business. It's all the fault of the brothel owner for collecting the boat and lantern fees from you without asking Yu Niang."

"I will pay you three times as much as she charged you."

Wang Zhi stood up and said, "No need. Haifeng, let's go and find some fun somewhere else."

The brothel owner said, "I will return the one thousand taels of silver to you."

Wang Zhi refused: "No need. You can keep the money. I will treat this Lin Chuanfeng to a boat ride tonight. Let the people on the boat serve Lin Chuanfeng well."

After saying this, Wang Zhi floated away.

The madam thanked Lin Shisan profusely: "Mr. Lin, thanks to you, otherwise I really don't know how this night will end."

Lin Shisan rebuked the brothel owner in a low voice: "You are really greedy for money. Don't you know that Yu Niang has a grudge against the Japanese pirates? How dare you accept money from the Japanese pirates?"

After scolding the brothel owner, everyone got on the boat.

Yu Niang ran back from the deck to the third-floor bedroom, crying non-stop. Lin Shisan went into the bedroom to comfort her.

Li Gao, Zhang Bo, Sun Yue and others were waiting in the dining room cabin. They waited for half an hour but Lin Shisan did not come down.

Sun Yue smiled and said, "Yes. Master may have been banging with Yu Niang. We don't have to wait for them, let's eat first. After we finish eating, we can also bang with the girl to help digestion."

Li Gao imitated the way the scholars in Jiangnan did and started to speak in literary style: "Brother, why are you so vulgar? What is a pestle? That's called sharing a bed!" No one knows a master better than his disciple. Lin Shisan did indeed pestle Yu Niang, and their sparring of the Eighteen-Move Spring Kick was very intense. The large flower boat with a draft of four feet actually swayed slightly.

Let’s talk about the office of the Zhejiang Provincial Inspector General to the west of Hangzhou.

It was late at night and everyone was asleep, but the lobby of the government office was brightly lit.

Inspector Wang Bengu, wearing the official uniform of the seventh rank, sat upright in the lobby.

There were hundreds of men in black standing inside and outside the lobby.

These men in black were all experts in handling secret tasks at the Dali Temple in the capital, and the Dali Temple was controlled by Xu's party.

In order to make huge profits from smuggling trade, this group of people are desperate!

If Wang Zhi was successfully recruited and the Japanese invasion was quelled, the biggest source of wealth for the Jiangnan wealthy and gentry in the past hundred years would be cut off.

Moreover, this involves the question of who has the final say, the civil servants or the emperor.

Ah, you, the Emperor Jiajing, want to open up a new source of income, so you recruit the Japanese pirates and open the sea? You wish!

Will our Civil Service Group let you do what you want? No way!
Since ancient times, the imperial power has not extended below the county level. You just need to cultivate your immortality honestly in the palace. Jiangnan? That's our territory.

Even Emperor Wuzong had fallen into trouble in the south of the Yangtze River, let alone a small Japanese pirate leader like Wang Zhi?

A man in black rushed into the hall: "Inspector Wang, Judge Lu. They have already kept a close eye on Wang Zhi."

"He was fooling around with a woman named Zhazhi on a flower boat in West Lake. This group of people had been parading around Hangzhou for more than ten days and had let down their guard."

"There were only three of Wang Zhi's men watching on that flower boat."

"The rest of his men are on other boats, having a good time."

Wang Bengu looked at Lu Pingshi and said, "Brother Lu, it's up to you."

Lu Pingshi stood up and said to the group of men in black: "We are paid by the court, and arresting the leaders of the Japanese pirates is our job."

"Hu Bu Tang lured Wang Zhi ashore, just like he lured Xu Hai to land and then killed him."

"A great achievement is just around the corner, so cheer up tonight."

"Let's go! Catch the Japanese!"

A group of men in black set out under the cover of darkness.

Lin Shisan was busy all night on Yu Niang's flower boat. The next day, he led everyone back to the Governor's Office, half asleep.

Lin Shisan also casually asked the guard at the gate: "Has Mr. Wang, the guest of Hu Butang, returned?"

The guard replied: "They haven't come back yet."

Sun Yue said from the side: "Look at that old man Wang Zhi, he is as skinny as a dried fish, but he is still very playful. We have all returned but he is still not back."

Lin Shisan returned to his bedroom and fell into a deep sleep due to exhaustion.

I slept from early morning till afternoon. Suddenly someone knocked on the door and asked, "Where is Lin Chuanfeng?"

Lin Shisan opened his eyes and got off the bed: "Who is it?"

A civil servant in his thirties pushed open the door and walked in. He had a solemn appearance and a majestic presence without even getting angry. He was wearing the official robes of a fourth-rank official.

He was the Deputy Censor of Zhejiang and Deputy Censor of the Sea Route, Tan Lun and Tan Zili.

Lin Shisan was surprised: "Tan Haixian, what happened?"

Tan Lun cried out in amazement: "Wang Zhi is lost!"

Lin Shisan said with a smile: "How could a living person like him be lost? He is a guest of Hu Butang, who dares to harm him? Besides, he has four or five hundred followers around him."

Tan Lun said, "Last night he stayed on the boat of a woman named Zhazhi in West Lake. This morning, his adopted son Mao Haifeng went to the boat to call him to get up. He found that all three guards on the boat had been shot dead by crossbows! Wang Zhi was nowhere to be seen."

Lin Shisan frowned: "Did he get kidnapped? Did he kidnap the Pirate King?"

Tan Lun said, "I sent people from the Censorate to search everywhere, but they couldn't find any clues after searching for half a day. Don't you Jinyiwei have a secret flag in Hangzhou? Ask them to help search."

"If Wang Zhi is missing, there will be chaos in the southeast!"

Lin Shisan nodded: "How about this, Tan Haixian. You go back to the Censorate first and instruct your subordinates to continue the search. I will go and gather the Jinyi Anqi in Hangzhou City."

Lin Shisan first called Zhang Bo, Li Gao and Sun Yue.

After listening to Lin Shisan's story, Zhang Bo said, "Shisan, who in Hangzhou is brave enough to kidnap Wang Zhi? What's the purpose of kidnapping him?"

Lin Shisan said: "They are definitely not the villains who are after money. They don't have the courage to do that. If they are not after money, then they want to kill you. Oh no, no!"

"Perhaps it was those gentry from the south of the Yangtze River who were engaged in the smuggling trade who took the risk. I have heard that they have assassins on their payroll!"

Zhang Bo reminded: "Thirteen, your mission in the south this time is to recruit a son-in-law and investigate Ruan E. Wang Zhi's affairs have nothing to do with you. Are you sure you want to get involved in this muddy water? The water here is very deep."

Lin Shisan thought for a moment and made up his mind: "Wang Zhi's life and death is related to the safety of tens of millions of people in the southeast. I can't be a coward, otherwise I will be sorry for those loyal heroes who shed blood on the battlefield to fight against the Japanese."

"Sun Yue, you must immediately call the two general flags and ten small flags stationed in Hangzhou by the Northern Division to come here."

When Lin Shisan came to Hangzhou before, he took over from the Dark Banners. Sun Yue had been following them all the time, so it was easy for him to contact them.

Two moments later, the twelve dark flags came in front of Lin Shisan.

Lin Shisan was furious: "You guys brag all day about how great you were in the Northern Pacification Office and the Imperial Prison. Boss Wang, a living person, was lost on the ship. And you don't have any news?"

"Did the warm wind from Hangzhou make your bones crisp? Or did the smell of cosmetics and powder make your brains fumes?"

"Use all your informants immediately to investigate in Hangzhou! I want to know the whereabouts of Boss Wang before nightfall today!"

"If I can't find anyone, I'll tell the chief and deputy chief managers to transfer all of you to the nine frontiers!"

The boss pressed them hard, so the secret flags tried their best to find out. They left the governor's mansion quickly.

In the evening, Yang Jinshui hurriedly found Lin Shisan: "Shisan, I heard that Boss Wang is missing?"

Lin Shisan bowed and said, "Eunuch Yang, I am sending people to search everywhere in the city. Tan Haixian has also sent soldiers from the Haidao Yamen to close all the gates of Hangzhou."

Yang Jinshui said worriedly, "You have to help Tan Lun find Wang Zhi. We have 50,000 rolls of silk in our weaving bureau's warehouse. We are waiting for Wang Zhi to buy them at double the price and sell them to Southeast Asia. This is related to the emperor's private money."

As the two were talking, a Hangzhou secret flag officer walked in quickly, "Master Thirteen, Eunuch Yang, we have found out the whereabouts of Boss Wang. He was abducted by Wang Bengu, the Zhejiang Provincial Governor, and taken to the Provincial Governor's office."

Lin Shisan was stunned: "Wang Bengu? The student of Lord Xu?"

Yang Jinshui said, "Nonsense! There is not a single soldier in the inspector's office. There are only a group of attendants and clerks. How did he tie up Wang Zhi?"

The dark flag replied, "More than a hundred people have been coming in and out of the inspector's office recently. One of our brothers recognized that one of them was a secret detective under the command of the Left Temple of the Dali Temple."

Yang Jinshui was furious: "This is outrageous! How dare a seventh-rank official kidnap a business partner of the Weaving Bureau? Lin Shisan, bring all your people, and I will bring all the officers of the Weaving Bureau, and we will go smash the inspector's office and rescue Wang Zhi!"

Lin Shisan said: "Call the soldiers from the Governor's Office and the Haidao Office. I don't believe Wang Bengu will not release them!"

At dusk that day, nearly two thousand people from various groups surrounded the inspector's office, making it impossible to get in or out.

The door of the government office was closed. Yang Jinshui shouted arrogantly: "Listen! I am Yang Jinshui, the eunuch in charge of the Hangzhou Weaving Bureau and the Zhejiang City Port Bureau. Open the door immediately and let Wang Bengu come out and kneel to greet me!"

(End of this chapter)