Perfect Encounter - Chapter 12.2
PROOFREAD BY AFREANA
Chapter 12.2
What An Zhifu did not know was that Qian Pei actually was able to meet his guests at this time. Currently, he was entertaining Liu Deli, Head of the Department of Commerce and Shipping.
“Master Qian, what you said, I have already done. An Zhifu’s goods have long been cleared for customs purposes with proper clearance documents issued, and were not affected by the Governor’s order. Whenever Master Qian wants it to get the shipments out, just say the word. An Zhifu cannot get the goods and is uneasy. I heard those customers from other counties are quite demanding. I think he is very anxious.”
Qian Pei laughed out loud. He knew those foreign merchants very well. He pushed a bag filled with gold ingots to Liu Deli. Liu Deli opened, looked, and accepted it casually. “What else does Master Qian want?”
“There is nothing more. That An Zhifu will come to me, you wait for my news and then knock knock knock him.” Qian Pei explained so and so and so, and Liu Deli agreed.
Two days later, An Zhifu came again. This time he met Qian Pei without any problems.
After exchanging some courtesies, An Zhifu began to complain. He hoped that Qian Pei would help him. Qian Pei listened seriously and pondered for a long time with a difficult face. “For now, I can’t think of any good strategy for this matter, since it is the order from the Governor and the goods have been sealed by the Department of Commerce. If it was the South Qin side that was unwilling to allow the goods to be sent, I could still find someone to facilitate the shipment, but since it is the Governor’s order, I cannot do anything.”
An Zhifu anxiously said: “Master Qian, I have tried all the people I can find and all the ways I can think of. You are my last hope here. I invested half of my fortune in this jade business, and the money spent is all supported by my other business. If this delivery is not shipped, I have to compensate those merchants double, and they are fussing endlessly. I cannot do other business. This is forcing my family to die, ah!”
Qian Pei lightly frowned at the words, thought, and shook his head. “It’s not that I don’t want to help you. It’s too difficult to do this. I have already arranged for you to take care of this freight matter. Why didn’t you urge the South Qin side? You should have also kept an eye on the customs clearance procedures of the Department of Commerce.”
An Zhifu was choked and almost could not breathe. He did a good job on the South Qin side and treated the jade mine owners and merchants with great joy. What else could he have done? He would still need to have the ability to keep an eye on the Department of Commerce in order to do what Qian Pei said, ah. Moreover, who would have expected there would be a problem in the first place?
“Now that the Governor has given his order, there is an imperial order in place. Who would dare to move the goods through customs in spite of it? That would be equal to a rebellion.” Qian Pei said this, his eyebrows locked. He shook his head and then thought: “I cannot think of any good strategy, I can only evaluate the situation and then help in trying to solve it. But I said in advance, this is a difficult thing to do. You take these things back first. I received your gift. If things cannot be done, I am sorry.”
Qian Pei waved his hand. A servant turned around and brought the valuable tonic An Zhifu had sent two days before. Qian Pei pushed the gift An Zhifu had brought today. The servant put the gifts on the table next to An Zhifu’s hand.
“Master Qian.” An Zhifu’s face was red with anxiety.
Qian Pei waved his hand to stop him from speaking and said, “You can go back first and wait for my news.” After saying that, he made a gesture to send An Zhifu away.
The Qian family servant hurried over and took the gift box for An Zhifu, while Qian Pei’s steward came in and made a gesture of sending the guest off.
In this situation, An Zhifu could not say anything. He reluctantly got up, walked two steps, turned back to Qian Pei with hesitation, and said: “Master Qian, you and I will soon be ……” Saying the word “son-in-law” to Qian Pei would sound quite strange. An Zhifu changed his words and said: ”in-laws.”
“Exactly, exactly.” Qian Pei smiled at An Zhifu: “You and I are family, Master An. Please do not worry.”
Once again, An Zhifu had nothing to say. He bowed and went back.
Back home, An Zhifu frowned. The manager of his restaurant came to the residence to report that several foreign merchants came to the restaurant to dine without paying the bill. And they also shouted that An Zhifu did not pay the penalty for breach of contract. The manager could not report this to the government and asked An Zhifu how to solve this. An Zhifu was immediately on fire. What to do? What could he do? He reprimanded the manager and scolded him away. The more he thought about it, the angrier he became. He couldn’t eat and couldn’t sleep at night. An Zhifu carefully pondered why Qian Pei returned the gifts. So far, Qian Pei has not done anything yet. Even if the matter does not work out in the end, why would he still need to return the gifts? Does that mean he is not capable of interfering on his behalf or does not want to take the trouble?
Several days passed. An Zhifu waited for Qian Pei’s news, to no avail. He asked a friend to find out Qian Pei’s intention, and the friend returned, saying: “Master Qian said he is solving this matter for you. You should not be anxious. In my opinion, he will think of something for you. Wait a little longer.”
An Zhifu had no choice and dared not to rush to the door again. He waited and waited, but instead of Qian Pei, he received a greeting from Liu Deli. Liu Deli, Head of the Department of Commerce and Shipping, summoned An Zhifu and reprimanded him, asking him what he meant. He told him that the Department of Commerce made things difficult for him without bad intentions, as it was the Governor’s order, so they had to follow.
“The state decree has come down. The Xiao Kingdom shall not give in to the provocation of the South Qin and should return the tooth for a tooth to teach them a lesson. Do you still think about your goods? Not having a war is a good thing.”
An Zhifu was startled: “Lord Liu means we have to go to war with South Qin?”
”No, that’s not true. It’s not that easy to go to war. South Qin, how dare they! Great General Long is here!” Liu Deli turned his head. “This is not easy to do. Even if you find Master Qian to help out, I cannot issue this permit . If the Governor knows, my hat will not be safe. You, too, do not quarrel again. Master Qian even went to Governor. Think about it, how important is your matter? Is it more important than the South Qin’s crime in our Xiao Kingdom territory? Although Master Qian is the benefactor of the Governor, the Governor is not likely to save him this much face. When something goes wrong, the Governor won’t be looking for Master Qian to settle the matter, but he will look for you, won’t he? You weigh yourself. Now the South Qin side has sent an envoy over to negotiate. At such a critical moment, you should not fool around and instead wait.”
An Zhifu listened with fear and heartache, both afraid of offending the government and worried about his money. He thanked Liu Deli and went back to inquire about the news.
The impact of closing the border market was not huge at this point, but if the case is not solved, the next step would be to ban all official trade goods such as iron, stone, fruits, vegetables, and seeds, and then it would no longer be as simple as a lack of supplies, it would be an all-out war. The South Qin envoy handed over the paperwork, stating that he wanted to meet with the Emperor of the Xiao Kingdom to present his case for lifting the ban.
Yao Kun, the Governor, called the officials to discuss this matter. It’s been a month since the previous submission to the emperor was made. It is assumed to have reached the Emperor’s hands, but it is still unknown what the emperor’s will is going to be. If they do not handle the South Qin envoy properly, it might be against the holy will.
The officials have been discussing this issue. Chief Jiang Hongqing was most familiar with Yao Kun’s mind. He proposed to refuse the South Qin envoy’s request and wait for the emperor’s holy decree before making a decision. Qian Shixin, the magistrate of Fu’an County said the Emperor had sent General Long here, and the meaning behind this move should be quite clear. The Emperor is alert to the South Qin’s intention to revolt against the current status quo and is ready to resist the enemy invasion. The South Qin burned our horse farms, killed our people, and still expects us to let its envoy go to the capital and face our highest authority? What about the Governor’s face? The Emperor’s face? Who can afford to be blamed by the Emperor for allowing such a thing?
Other officials thought it was reasonable, but some were still worried. Although they suspected that South Qin was responsible for the previous incidents, there was no solid evidence to back this claim. In this light, would it be appropriate to reply to the South Qin envoy this way, annoying the other side and forcing the two countries to fight? If the emperor blamed the war breaking out on the improper reaction of Pingnan County, then the Governor would suffer a lot of injustice.
Yao Kun frowned, either way, he was afraid of the emperor. County Chancellor Xia Zhou said: “Why not invite General Long to come and listen to his ideas?” The General was one level higher than the Governor, if something goes wrong in the end, he would be the one held responsible.
Chief Jiang Hongqing seconded: “Yes, this is a matter of military intelligence. We should ask the General to come so that we can discuss it together.”
Yao Kun was a little reluctant in his heart. Nowadays, many military affairs and local affairs were not properly delineated. The envoy’s visit should be his business to deal with, but the consequences of this visit were related to the war crisis …… Big Long was hiding something from him, which he knew. He had hinted to ask about it, but Big Long refused to give him face, not revealing even half of it, clearly pulling away from the topic. Yao Kun was not insistent on asking, but at the same time he wanted to keep Big Long from interfering in everything, as this would make his official authority as the head of a county practically non-existent.
Yao Kun thought for a moment but finally felt that if this matter were to lead to a conflict, Big Long should be the one responsible.
Big Long already knew about the South Qin envoy’s arrival and was waiting for the news. Since Yao Kun came to invite him, he went. When he arrived at the place, he did make a fuss about Yao Kun’s negligence but sat down in a dignified manner and summoned the South Qin envoy up.
Big Long said: “The purpose of your visit, I and the Governor are clear about it. Our two countries have been entangled with many affairs recently and if it is not resolved clearly, I am afraid you will not be summoned by the Emperor even after you arrive at the capital. How about you hand over the list of spies you have planted in Pingnan County, and then the Governor will immediately lift the ban on trade, report to the Emperor, and send someone to escort you to the capital to meet the Emperor?”
The room was frozen. Handing over the list? Can you even use this trick?