1.24 Xue Baoqin

Volume 1: 1.24 Xue Baoqin

Two days later, Yangzhou Wharf, night.

An ordinary inland flat-bottomed boat drifted slowly into the berth. Dock workers waiting on the jetty immediately stepped forward, methodically assisting with the mooring. Once the vessel was secured, they lowered the gangplank.

Soon, a man dressed as a steward stepped off the boat, smiling as he slipped a handful of copper coins to the lead worker. With a wave of his hand, he signaled the obsequious man to move along, then walked quickly ahead.

"Greetings, Master Rui!" While still several paces away, he knelt respectfully.

"Steward Luo, you are too formal!" Lin Rui helped him up, smiling as he gestured toward the river boat. "Sister Xue?"

"Who else but our young mistress would enjoy living on a boat?" Uncle Luo wore an indulgent expression. "Master Rui, this old servant has followed your instructions and prepared all the necessary vessels. We are just waiting for your word."

"It shouldn't have been that straightforward, should it?" Lin Rui laughed.

"This old servant will take his leave!" Uncle Luo bowed hurriedly and stepped aside to let him pass.

Lin Rui glanced back before striding toward the boat.

The vessel was small, with a capacity of about a hundred *liao* (fifty tons). Its superstructure consisted of only two levels, with half of the lower level submerged below the deck, requiring only a single step to reach the front cabin of the second floor.

This was the only place on the boat where a light was burning.

"Greetings, Brother Rui!" As soon as he entered the room, a voice like silver bells rang out.

The candlelight seemed to brighten as he stepped inside. A lovely young girl stood gracefully in the center of the room. She was dressed in men's attire, her hair not tied into a bun but held back with a tortoiseshell clip at the nape of her neck, allowing her silken tresses to cascade to her waist—a look of effortless freedom.

Though she was a woman, she greeted him with a traditional cupped-fist salute.

"Sister Qin, it has been a long time!" Lin Rui returned the salute with a complex expression.

The girl before him was, of course, Xue Baoqin, and it was clear she had come alone.

Previously, he had dealt often with the Xue family's second branch, always through the heir, Xue Ke. He had only encountered this young lady in passing, their relationship remaining at the level of mere acquaintances without any real depth.

After all, regardless of her tomboyish nature, she was a woman; how could they interact as man and woman? Should they go out for dinner together for no reason?

Since she had come alone, it was clear that Xue Ke, who had been his original contact, had been sidelined.

"Please do not take offense, Brother Rui!" Sensing his dissatisfaction, Xue Baoqin hurried to explain. "My brother is in Jinling. Since we must take the sea route this time, he had to handle the arrangements there, leaving me to coordinate here in Yangzhou."

"In that case, I have troubled Brother Ke." Lin Rui did not press further.

In these matters, one says something and the other believes it; what actually happened is best left unsaid. Why force the truth? To cause a scene right then and there?

"Because you mentioned in your letter, Brother Rui, that the cargo was not large, I arranged this small boat to avoid drawing attention," Xue Baoqin said, steering the conversation to the matter at hand. "May I ask what exactly it is that requires your personal attention?"

"The cargo is indeed not large, but it is not light," Lin Rui replied with a smile.

This single sentence caused the girl’s expression to shift slightly.

"Yellow goods?" she asked tentatively in a low voice.

"Rest assured, it is truly not much—less than two hundred thousand taels," Lin Rui nodded, pointing to a cargo boat across the jetty. "Come to think of it, this boat was a gift from your Uncle Xue when my small trading firm first opened."

"No wonder someone pointed me toward this spot as soon as I arrived at the wharf," Xue Baoqin said, her expression turning grave. "Rumor has it that when the Lin family moves to the capital, they will be carrying two million taels of silver. It seems they underestimated."

"That is correct. I am indeed carrying two million taels in bank drafts from the Jin merchants, but that money belongs to the Lin family—to Lin Ruhai. While these 'yellow goods' also go by the name Lin, they belong to me, Lin Rui."

"..."

Even with Xue Baoqin's background as a daughter of a great Jiangnan merchant family and "Queen of the Sea Trade," she was deeply shaken. While the Xue family possessed even more wealth—far exceeding two or three million taels—it was a matter of timing. If the Xue family's second branch were asked to produce two million taels of silver and two hundred thousand taels of gold at once, it wouldn't be impossible, but it would take at least half a month to gather.

"Brother Rui, you truly live up to your reputation," she said after a long silence, looking at him with a wistful tone.

"Although I despise those Jiangnan gentry and powerful clans for their shamelessness in amassing wealth, I must admit that this gold was indeed 'saved' during the various house raids I conducted." Lin Rui did not intend to hide it.

In over two years, he had taken down nine salt merchants. Even if eight were mere "small fry" outside the inner circle, no one would believe he had stayed clean. In fact, he had not turned over a single ounce of the gold seized during those raids.

Through all those occasions, combined with what he had exchanged for silver, he had amassed nearly two hundred thousand taels of gold, equivalent to about 2.2 million taels of silver!

The exchange rate between gold, silver, and copper was not fixed but fluctuated with the market. Currently, in the Great Zhou, silver was expensive and copper was cheap; one tael of silver could buy about 1,300 to 1,400 copper coins, and gold was even more expensive, ranging from ten to fourteen taels of silver depending on purity.

To have amassed so much money was indeed corruption, but was he ashamed?

Ha! Even if he had handed it over, it would have been a miracle if thirty percent actually reached the imperial treasury. Since it would be stolen anyway, why shouldn't he be the one to take it?

"How do you intend for me to handle this, Brother Rui?" Xue Baoqin glared at him, annoyed.

"Ahem, what do you mean by 'handle'?" Lin Rui knew the young lady before him was still relatively innocent and would surely find this distasteful. "It doesn't take up much space anyway. Just load it onto the boat, transport it to Jinling, and bring it along when we head north."

Gold is very dense; two hundred thousand taels would actually take up less than 0.4 cubic meters. He had already packed it into small boxes of one thousand taels each. The cargo boat could easily carry it, and by choosing an ordinary vessel, it would go completely unnoticed.

Xue Baoqin rolled her eyes at him, then walked to the door and tugged on a rope. Soon, someone from the lower deck hurried up. After receiving her instructions, they left, and a dozen men quickly boarded the boat opposite them, only to be stopped by the guards.

Lin Rui smiled and cupped his hands in a salute before striding away.

A moment later, the two boats became a hive of activity.

"Brother Rui?" As he watched the workers, a woman's voice came from behind him.

"Qin... ahem, why did you come down yourself?" Lin Rui turned around, realizing his slip of the tongue. Walking up to her, he noticed she had changed into a full set of men's attire, her hair neatly tied up. "This little task will be finished soon."

"Brother Rui, walk with me," Xue Baoqin said, ignoring his comment, and headed toward the wharf.

"Oh?" Lin Rui was puzzled but followed her nonetheless.

The night was as cool as water.

Due to the technological limitations of the era, most people did not move about at night. The wharf was no exception; unless, like him, one had business that could not be conducted during the day, no amount of extra money would entice people to work.

If someone fell into the water, it was hard to say if anyone would even try to save them.

If the cargo hadn't been small and the laborers fast and discreet, it would be impossible to find anything if it were thrown into the river. This was the main reason he had the Xue family handle it—they could run, but they couldn't hide their family business.

That was also why he felt safe entrusting it to the Xue family. Even if they were greedy, it didn't matter; if he leaked the news, there would be plenty of people wanting a piece of two hundred thousand taels of gold. For the Xue family, such a risk was not worth the reward.

Perhaps deep in thought, Xue Baoqin walked over a hundred paces without speaking.

Fortunately, the continuous rainy weather had finally ceased. The sky, however, had not fully cleared, remaining overcast with an occasional fine drizzle, which thankfully spared them the sweltering heat of the fifth month.

"Brother Rui, do you have any plans for your return to the capital?" she asked, suddenly stopping.

"Naturally, I intend to use my family's connections to find a position," Lin Rui said, not grasping the young mistress's intent, but having no desire to hide his plans. "I assume you have heard about Uncle Lin; I can no longer stay in Yangzhou."

There was no need to hide these things; a moment's thought would reveal them.

"Brother Rui, you must understand, I am asking about Magistrate Lin's case," Xue Baoqin said, looking at him sternly. "The Cheng family? Hmph! I know what you have done these past two years; you are not the type to swallow your pride. So, all this silver—"

"Sister Qin, you misunderstand!" Lin Rui interrupted her hurriedly. "I led the troops to take down the Cheng family myself. All of Jiangnan knows they were the ones who took the risk out of reluctance to accept their losses. Now that their entire house has been wiped out, I trust Uncle Lin can rest in peace."

"Is that so?" Xue Baoqin's face showed clear disappointment. "In that case, I have nothing more to say. I only wish you a safe journey, Brother Rui, and a bright and prosperous future in the imperial court."

With that, she turned around and walked quickly back to the boat without looking back.

Lin Rui understood the reason for her dissatisfaction—she must have mistaken him for a coward who feared death. He could only frown, watch her for a moment, and follow.

Everything that followed was calm; the Xue family's men were indeed capable, and the loading was finished quickly.

By the time they said their goodbyes, Xue Baoqin did not say another word beyond business matters.

"Young mistress, were you not being too familiar with a stranger?" the old servant asked, puzzled, as he watched him walk away.

"I merely wanted to see if there was any opportunity," Xue Baoqin sighed helplessly. "Father's health is failing more and more... and my brother is too soft-hearted. Originally, the Lin family was a perfect match. Who could have imagined they would end up like this?"

"Ever since the Master of the First Branch passed away, our family has been declining day by day," Uncle Luo said with a sigh. "Master Rui is indeed a dragon among men, but it is a pity that without Magistrate Lin's support, it is hard to say what his future holds."

"Perhaps I should go see for myself," Xue Baoqin said, suddenly looking toward the north.

"Young mistress?" Uncle Luo's expression shifted. "Will your father agree?"

The young mistress did not say another word and turned back into the cabin.