Chapter 57

Under the dim light, Zhou Chong sat motionless behind the desk, his brows tightly furrowed as he pondered his thoughts. Xie Lingyun had been gone for a long time, and Zhuo'er had come several times to call him for dinner, but Zhou Chong had refused each time. He needed time to digest the information that Xie Lingyun had just told him—the secrets about the Zhou family.

Since the reign of Emperor Xiaozong of the Ming Dynasty, the maritime restrictions had been relaxed, and smuggling had become rampant in the southern coastal regions. Almost every wealthy merchant, to some extent, was involved in smuggling. A prime example was Xie Lingyun's family, who had become one of the most famous tycoons in Songjiang Prefecture by engaging in smuggling.

In addition to the Xie family, most of the wealthy families in Songjiang Prefecture were also involved in smuggling. Zhou Chong's father, Zhou Hai, had frequently participated in smuggling in the past. Eventually, he met with a maritime disaster, resulting in his death and the loss of his cargo. To repay the debt, Zhou Chong had to sell all the family's assets, barely managing to pay it off.

The Zhou family had considerable assets in Songjiang Prefecture. Although their business had been affected in recent years, they still owned over a dozen shops, as well as farmland outside the city and real estate within the city. However, all these assets were eventually sold by Zhou Chong to repay the debt due to Zhou Hai's failed smuggling operation.

Sometimes, Zhou Chong couldn't help but wonder what his father had been smuggling and on what scale. How could such a large family business be lost in one go? He couldn't figure it out. As for Concubine Wang and Manager Xu, they only knew about the family's affairs, but Zhou Hai never allowed them to be involved in the business, so they couldn't provide any answers.

However, Xie Lingyun's visit today finally gave Zhou Chong some insight. According to Xie Lingyun, there were many secret ports along the southern coast outside Songjiang City. Goods were usually loaded onto ships there and then transported south through Hangzhou Bay to the Zhoushan Archipelago.

When Zhu Yuanzhang implemented the maritime restrictions, only the largest island, Zhoushan Island, was allowed to be inhabited by civilians, while the residents of other islands were forcibly relocated inland. However, this brutal relocation did not stop maritime activities. Instead, the lack of residents on the islands provided a significant space for smuggling. The Zhoushan Archipelago became the most concentrated area for smuggling along the coast of the Ming Dynasty.

To the south of Zhoushan Island lies Liuheng Island, the third-largest island in the Zhoushan Archipelago. At the northwest end of Liuheng Island is a small island called Fudao Island. Between these two islands is a well-protected strait known as Shuangyu Port. Both sides of Shuangyu Port have natural, excellent harbors. Due to its proximity to the richest regions in southern China, Shuangyu Port gradually became the largest smuggling base in the Ming Dynasty. Not only did Ming smuggling ships come here, but ships from Japan, Korea, and Ryukyu also gathered here to trade with the Ming smuggling ships.

The name Shuangyu Port may not be well-known to many people today, but it was famous in Ming history, primarily because it was the center of smuggling activities in the Ming Dynasty. In later times, scholars referred to Shuangyu Port as "the Shanghai of the 16th century." Decades later, the first pirate king of the Ming Dynasty, Wang Zhi, dominated the coastal areas of the Ming Dynasty by controlling Shuangyu Port, becoming the undisputed king of the smuggling industry. This highlights the importance of Shuangyu Port.

Songjiang Prefecture is less than a day's sea journey from Shuangyu Port, making it extremely convenient. This is one of the reasons why most of the wealthy merchants in Songjiang Prefecture were involved in smuggling. Almost all the smuggling ships from Songjiang Prefecture would head to Shuangyu Port for trade, and the Xie family and Zhou Chong's father, Zhou Hai, were no exception.

Smugglers were typically bold and fearless, defying the maritime restrictions by privately building merchant ships and sailing to trade with merchants from neighboring countries. In the smuggling process, there were no unified rules, and all actions were not bound by Ming law, leading to a chaotic industry. The distinction between merchants and pirates was minimal. When two fleets met at sea, if their strength was equal, they would coexist. However, if one was stronger, the stronger fleet would often turn into pirates, following the rule of the strong preying on the weak, which applied not only in the water but also on the surface.

Given the chaotic nature of the smuggling industry, the chaos in Shuangyu Port, the main smuggling base, was even more pronounced. It would be several decades before Wang Zhi unified Shuangyu Port. At the time, Shuangyu Port was in a period of multiple competing forces. The port consisted of three harbors, each mixed with numerous large and small forces, totaling over a hundred.

Despite the mixed forces in Shuangyu Port, they did not engage in violent conflicts like modern gangs. After all, they were smugglers primarily focused on making money. Therefore, while conflicts were frequent, they rarely resorted to violence.

When two forces had a conflict of interest, they would sit down to negotiate over tea. If negotiations failed, one party's business would typically be taken over by the other, forcing the weaker party to leave Shuangyu Port. If the losing party was不服气 (unwilling to accept defeat), a violent conflict might occur. However, the conflict could be exploited by a third party, so such conflicts were rare in Shuangyu Port.

This was all the information Zhou Chong had learned from Xie Lingyun about smuggling and Shuangyu Port. Next, he learned about his father, Zhou Hai. Among the various forces in Shuangyu Port, four were the most powerful, and Zhou Hai was the leader of one of these forces. This news surprised Zhou Chong.

At this point, Zhou Chong interrupted to ask Xie Lingyun if the Xie family was also a powerful force in Shuangyu Port. However, Xie Lingyun smiled without answering.

According to Xie Lingyun, Zhou Hai's force controlled one-third of the revenue from one of the ports in Shuangyu Port. He also commanded a considerable fleet that primarily traded with Ryukyu and Luzon, earning tens of thousands of silver each trip, making him one of the top smugglers.

Hearing this, Zhou Chong was puzzled. The Zhou family had indeed been one of the wealthiest in Songjiang Prefecture, but there were many others at the same level. Moreover, the Zhou family had been in decline in recent years, even borrowing money to buy goods. This didn't seem to match the image of a wealthy smuggler. Where had his father's earnings gone?

Xie Lingyun couldn't answer Zhou Chong's question. According to the Xie family's observations, Zhou Hai's smuggling fleet and income in Shuangyu Port were beyond imagination. He hadn't faced any significant difficulties in recent years and should have accumulated a vast fortune. However, the reality didn't match their expectations, which puzzled Xie Lingyun.

Compared to the mysterious disappearance of the vast wealth, Xie Lingyun then revealed something crucial to Zhou Chong. When Zhou Hai set sail with his fleet, he met with a maritime disaster, and none of the ships returned. However, when Zhou Hai left, he left a considerable number of people in Shuangyu Port. Upon hearing of his death, these people fell into chaos and split into three factions, losing their former glory.

Most people in Songjiang Prefecture who had been involved in smuggling knew about Zhou Hai's powerful maritime force, but they kept it a secret. Smuggling was not a respectable business, and few people openly discussed it. Zhou Hai never told his family about his smuggling activities and never allowed them to be involved. Even Manager Xu and Concubine Wang didn't know about his significant influence overseas, let alone Zhou Chong and Zhuo'er.

After explaining all this, Xie Lingyun finally revealed her purpose. She hoped Zhou Chong would abandon his plan to bring the Wang family into the soap business and only collaborate with the Xie family. In return, the Xie family would support Zhou Chong in taking over the remaining forces left by Zhou Hai in Shuangyu Port.

Although these were just remnants and had split into three factions, they still numbered around two to three hundred people, controlling part of the port's revenue and possessing several large ships. Forming a small smuggling fleet would be entirely possible.

Hearing Xie Lingyun's offer, Zhou Chong was greatly moved. He was short of people, but he never expected his father to have left such a legacy. If he could control these people, he wouldn't have to worry about being overshadowed by the Xie family in their collaboration.

However, Zhou Chong was puzzled as to why Zhou Hai's subordinates hadn't come to him. As their young master, they should have sought him out to take charge after Zhou Hai's death. The fact that they hadn't suggested there was an unknown reason, and taking over the two to three hundred people would not be easy. He would need the Xie family's support.

Considering this, Zhou Chong was indecisive. If the Xie family truly supported him in taking over Zhou Hai's remaining forces, he would no longer be alone and would have the confidence to do anything.

However, Zhou Chong was also concerned that Xie Lingyun might be deceiving him. If the information was fabricated or inaccurate, even if there were remaining forces, he might not be able to control them.

After much deliberation, Zhou Chong finally came up with a plan. He opened a piece of paper and wrote to Xie Lingyun: "I will personally go to Shuangyu Port. If what you said is true, Zhou Chong agrees to the conditions you proposed this afternoon!"

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