Volume 2: Eagle vs. Dragon Chapter 67: Bank Run
Several Manchu soldiers from the Supervisory Office ran out from behind Hubuta and rushed over to block the warehouse door.
Hutabu said: "The affairs of the Thirteen Hongs have always been the responsibility of the Guangdong Customs. When did it become the turn of the Guangzhou government to make decisions?"
Ou Jiafu and others felt relieved when they saw several Manchu soldiers standing in front of them.
Seeing this situation, the Guangzhou prefecture's official took two steps back, thinking, "This is really not an easy job. Both sides are tough, and I can't afford to offend either one!"
Unlike Zhou Yijin, Hutabu did not try to gain the upper hand by talking. He simply had someone bring a chair and put it at the door of the warehouse. Then he slumped down on it like a rogue. A servant brought a plate of melon seeds and a bowl of herbal tea, and Hutabu started to eat the melon seeds and drink a sip or two of herbal tea in public to relieve his heat.
No one from Guangzhou Prefecture or Panyu County dared to go up.
Cai Qinghua glanced at Zhou Yijin. At this time, the cold tea on Zhou Yijin's face had dried, but his face had turned yellow due to the solidification of the tea. Wu Xiaojiu came forward with a wet towel. Zhou Yijin took it and wiped it gently, and his face immediately became as bright as a jade again.
Cai Qinghua smiled softly and said, "Master Zhou, is this the limit of your skills?" Then he took out a piece of paper from his pocket.
When Zhou Yijin saw his action, he knew that his master was well prepared. He was slightly startled and quickly winked at Wu Xiaojiu. Wu Xiaojiu quickly stepped back and greeted a waiter, who then hurriedly rode his horse to the Guangdong Customs Supervisory Office.
Cai Qinghua then read to the paper, "I have heard that there is a merchant named Wu from Nanhai County, Guangzhou Prefecture, who is disloyal, unfilial, shameless and immoral. He stole the treasures of the emperor and sold the royal family's belongings. His evil deeds are rare in the world and his crimes are intolerable under the law..."
Before he finished reading, everyone around him was shocked. Just now, when the police came and said they wanted to confiscate the contraband items of Yihehang, everyone thought that Yihehang’s warehouse was mixed with gunpowder, ironware and other items that were banned from export by the court. So they all thought that Cai Shiwen was being unreasonable and the Governor's Office was making a fuss out of nothing. But they didn't expect that what Cai Shiwen reported was actually this!
If convicted of selling stolen goods from the imperial palace, it would be a capital crime!
Upon hearing this, many experienced people would quietly step back, fearing that they would get into trouble.
Among them, Ou Jiafu was the most anxious and fearful. He knew a lot more than others. Thinking of that "hot commodity" that Hao Guan took so seriously and his attitude was so mysterious, he was afraid... he was afraid that the thing inside really came from the palace!
Then Cai Qinghua said coldly: "… Specially order Guangzhou Prefecture to investigate this matter strictly and quickly. Any civilians who obstruct will be treated as accomplices. If there is collusion between Manchu and Han officials, they will be arrested together. Han officials will be dismissed on the spot and investigated, and Manchu officials will be taken to Guangzhou General's Office for detention."
Cai Qinghua held up the official document in public again. This time, the document faced outward and turned half a circle so that people who were closer could see it clearly: on the left side of the document was Zhu Gui's personal signature and a large scarlet seal.
Hutabu only listened to half of the conversation before he could no longer crack the melon seeds and his hands began to tremble.
Zhou Yijin was even more shocked. Zhu Gui's order was so tough. As a Han governor, he dared to order to capture both Manchus and Han people. This was a huge political risk for a Han official. However, thinking about the current situation, he felt that Zhu Gui had the confidence to be so tough - now he was no longer the weak governor last year. He, Master Zhu, was now the teacher of the new emperor!
Then Zhou Yijin thought of something else: "I'm confused! I never understood why Master was so slow to act. Now I think what he was waiting for was not 'something', but 'momentum'!"
Although the news of Emperor Jiaqing's ascension to the throne had already been heard, the momentum still needed time to ferment. After these few months, I am afraid that Zhu Gui has already used the power of the new emperor to secretly intimidate many officials in Guangdong and Guangxi - as can be seen from the fact that the Guangzhou prefect was so cooperative in this matter.
Cai Qinghua held up the document and said to Hutabu, "Manager Hu, are you still going to continue to obstruct us?"
Hutabu was already sweating profusely at this time. No matter what the rank comparison was, the Manchus always had a psychological advantage over the Han officials. However, he also heard the determination of Governor Zhu from this official document. Although Governor Zhu Gui was a Han Chinese, he had a very special identity - he was the teacher of his master, the Emperor of the Qing Dynasty, who was the common master of all Manchus.
Hubuta dared to use his power to bully other Han officials because the Han were distant and the Manchus were close in the Qing court. But when it came to Zhu Gui, although he was a Han official, he could speak directly to the long-lived master. As a servant of the Jishan family, what qualifications did he have to confront the master's teacher? To put it bluntly, Zhu Gui might beat him to death without any reason, and nothing would happen to him afterwards!
At that moment, he was trembling all over, but he didn't dare to retreat - not to protect the Wu family, but because since he was ordered by Jishan to block the enemy, he could not retreat no matter what. If he retreated, he would suffer the consequences.
Seeing that Hutabu dared not move but was unwilling to retreat, Cai Qinghua waved to the two guards of the Governor's Mansion and asked them to move Hutabu away.
Zhou Yijin knew that as long as Hutabu was moved away, the constables and runners of Nanhai County would not dare to resist anymore. By then, the guys of Yihehang would not be able to resist either. Once they resisted, Zhu Gui could use this charge to put Wu Chengjian in jail without waiting to find out whether there was anything stolen from the palace!
Just as Cai Qinghua had just signaled and the guards of the Governor's Office had not yet taken action, Zhou Yijin had already rushed over, pointing at Hutabu and shouting, "Quickly retreat! Do not obstruct the work of the Governor's Office! Do not rely on your Manchu identity to act like a spoiled brat. Do you think Master Jishan will come to you to make a decision?"
His words were incomprehensible and did not fit his position and identity, but Hutabu understood them all at once. He fell to the ground with a wow, tears and snot streaming down his face as he cried out, "Master, Your Highness, we bannermen have been bullied! We bannermen have been bullied! Is Guangzhou still the Guangzhou of the Qing Dynasty? Is the world still the world of us bannermen? Master, Your Highness! We bannermen have been bullied! We have been bullied in Guangzhou!"
He started crying so hard that the four or five Manchu servants who came with him also rolled over on the ground and cried loudly. They kept saying that the Bannermen were bullied by the Han people and that it was totally unreasonable. But they all lay on the ground like scoundrels and refused to get up.
Zhou Yijin had already stepped aside and whispered a few words to the "onlookers" nearby. Then more than a dozen people rushed over and urged loudly: "In this world, Manchus and Han people are one family. No one will bully you. Don't think too much."
In name they were trying to comfort people, but in reality they were trying to cause trouble. More than a dozen people were pushing and shoving, turning the scene into a mess.
The soldiers in the Governor's Office wanted to capture someone, but they didn't know where to start.
Cai Qinghua was so angry that his lips trembled. He looked at Zhou Yijin, but saw Zhou Yijin pointing at Hutabu and others with the folding fan in his hand and cursing: "What are you doing! This is the entrance of our Yihe Bank. You are so polite to do this, so polite!"
Cai Qinghua was furious and thought to himself, "Yi Jin has been a very elegant and graceful person since he was young. Where did he learn such a scoundrelly method? Yes, it must be that Wu Chengjian who led Yi Jin astray!"
He suppressed his anger and shouted, "Catch all of them!"
Around Hutabu were several Manchu servants, who were "watching the fun". The soldiers caught a few of them, and then a few more came up to watch the fun. The commotion lasted for quite a while. Cai Qinghua shouted, "Use your knives!"
After two choking sounds, two guards from the Governor's Office drew their swords and stepped forward. Those who were watching the excitement dared not resist any longer and scattered like birds and beasts. Several Manchu servants froze there, not moving or resisting, and allowed themselves to be carried away.
Finally, only Hutab was left. The soldiers from the Governor's Office were about to move him away when they heard a sinister voice saying, "Who dares to touch my people from Jishan?"
When Hutab heard this, he suddenly came to life, jumped up from the ground, rushed over and hugged Jishan's thighs, shouting: "Master, master! I am almost being tortured to death. Come and save me!"
Jishan, wearing a full set of official robes and with his braids combed sleekly, kicked Hutab away and sat directly on the chair at the door. Hutab immediately struggled and stood beside him, hunched over like a dog.
Jishan looked around and said coldly, "What's going on? How did it get to this point?" He pointed at Cai Qinghua and said, "Who are you? You don't even bow to me when you see me!"
Cai Qinghua had no choice but to kneel down and salute.
Jishan accepted his greeting calmly, and then said, "This Thirteen Hongs in Guangzhou was issued by the Emperor Emeritus in the 22nd year of Emperor Qianlong's reign. It was ordered by the Emperor Emeritus to open trade to foreign ports. All matters, big or small, are managed by the Guangdong Customs. The Guangdong Customs was handed over to me by the Emperor Emeritus. There have been no mistakes over the years, and the Ministry of Internal Affairs has praised it. But I don't know who is going to ignore the regulations set by the Emperor Emeritus and the edict of the 22nd year of Emperor Qianlong's reign just a few months after the Emperor Emeritus abdicated. Whose influence is this person relying on?"
After hearing this, Cai Qinghua's mouth twitched.
Jishan's words were too exaggerated, and he raised the matter to the level of "disrespect for the emperor". It was just a case of theft of imperial property, but he made it look like this. If one is not careful, it will become a dispute between the two emperors. At a time when the old Emperor Qianlong had just abdicated and the young Emperor Jiaqing had just ascended the throne, this was a crime that no one could afford to bear!
Cai Qinghua cupped his hands and said loudly: "Master Supervisor, the emperor governs the world with filial piety. Although the emperor has abdicated, the imperial edict is still the imperial edict. How dare we disobey it? Coming here today..."
Before he could finish, Ji Shan interrupted him, "If you don't want to disobey the edict of the retired emperor , then what's the matter with the edict in your hand? You also said that regardless of whether they are Manchus or Han people, we should investigate and punish them all. You are not only disrespecting the retired emperor, but also bullying the Manchus with Han people! Are you going to use the power of the Governor's Office to bully our Eight Banners? Are you trying to change the world? You are just a small strategist, how many heads do you have? Can you handle this!"
Cai Qinghua was not inferior in eloquence, but in power! He was accused of many things by Jishan, and he couldn't help but tremble all over.
Suddenly, someone said, "He can't handle this matter, so I will do it!"
