Chapter 67

Xie Lingyun and Zhou Chong got off the carriage, then looked up at the Nanyang Chamber of Commerce in front of them. Uncle Hei, the carriage driver, had already presented Xie Lingyun’s visiting card to the guards, who immediately reported inside. Soon, hurried footsteps were heard, and the main gate opened, revealing two men and a woman.

"Miss Xie, it’s a great honor to have you visit. I apologize for not welcoming you from afar. I hope you can forgive me!" Third Lady said with a radiant smile, bowing to Xie Lingyun. She had just been discussing with Uncle Tu how to deal with the threats from the three major chambers of commerce, but she never expected that the young lady of the Xie family, who dominated South Harbor, would visit in person. This was truly unexpected.

"I have long heard of the great name of Third Lady of the Nanyang Chamber of Commerce. I am a bit presumptuous to visit today, but I hope you won’t hold it against me!" Xie Lingyun, accustomed to dealing with people from a young age, was very warm to Third Lady. Third Lady was also a very shrewd person, and soon the two women were exchanging compliments.

However, Third Lady didn’t forget her manners and quickly introduced Uncle Tu and Sun Tong to Xie Lingyun. At this moment, she also noticed Zhou Chong standing beside Xie Lingyun. Unfortunately, she and the other two had never met Zhou Chong and didn’t know that he was the young master of the Nanyang Chamber of Commerce. Xie Lingyun didn’t rush to introduce Zhou Chong, and Third Lady and the others didn’t want to press the matter, so they could only invite them into the main hall of the chamber.

Once inside the hall, everyone took their seats. Xie Lingyun exchanged a few pleasantries with Third Lady, then looked around the hall before suddenly speaking, "Third Lady, I have come today to discuss a highly confidential matter with your chamber. Is this place suitable?"

Hearing Xie Lingyun’s words, Third Lady, Uncle Tu, and Sun Tong exchanged puzzled glances, unsure what kind of confidential matter Xie Lingyun wanted to discuss. However, Third Lady finally spoke, "Miss Xie, please speak freely. This hall is designed very ingeniously, and people outside cannot hear the conversations inside. Additionally, no one dares to approach without our orders, so it is absolutely secure."

Xie Lingyun glanced at Zhou Chong beside her, and with his nod of approval, she stood up and introduced him, "Seniors, the young man beside me is the young master of your chamber, Zhou Chong!"

"What?" Hearing Zhou Chong’s identity, Third Lady, Uncle Tu, and Sun Tong all stood up in shock, their eyes filled with disbelief. In their view, Zhou Chong had no prior knowledge of the Nanyang Chamber of Commerce and was a promising scholar. Even if he knew about the chamber, he probably wouldn’t care, as it would be a disgrace for a scholar to be involved in smuggling. However, they never expected Zhou Chong to come to Shuangyu Harbor in person, and even more surprisingly, with the young lady of the Xie family, which left them utterly shocked.

"Third Lady, Uncle Tu, Uncle Sun, I am Zhou Chong, a newcomer. I hope you will help me!" Zhou Chong also stood up and bowed deeply to the three, calling himself a junior, which was a great show of respect.

"Are... are you really Zhou Chong?" Third Lady was so shocked that she stuttered, doubting the authenticity of Zhou Chong’s identity. What if he was an impostor sent by the Xie family to deceive them and take over the chamber? It wasn’t impossible.

Seeing Third Lady’s disbelief, Zhou Chong smiled and took out a document from his chest, opening it, "Third Lady, this is the identity certificate I received when I passed the examination for the title of xiucai. It lists my lineage and age, issued by the Songjiang Prefecture School. This should prove my identity, right?"

Every xiucai had an identity certificate issued by the county or prefecture school, starting with the words "Certificate." This was indeed a certificate, but not a business license as in modern times, rather an identity certificate for xiucai. This document was important, as it granted xiucai certain privileges, such as not needing travel permits and not having to kneel in court.

Seeing Zhou Chong produce the xiucai certificate, Third Lady and the others were mostly convinced, but the experienced Uncle Tu suddenly said, "No, the Japanese can forge national documents to impersonate envoys, so how can we be sure that a simple xiucai certificate proves you are the young master?"

Hearing Uncle Tu’s words, Third Lady and Sun Tong also found them reasonable and nodded, their eyes now filled with suspicion. Apart from Third Lady, Sun Tong and Uncle Tu both hoped Zhou Chong would come to manage the chamber, but now that he was here, they doubted his identity, a true testament to human nature’s contradictions.

Zhou Chong, seeing their caution, couldn’t help but laugh and put away the certificate, "How can I prove my identity to you? Why don’t you send someone to Songjiang to verify? It shouldn’t take more than two days."

"No need, I have someone who knows the young master. I’ll have them come and identify you!" Sun Tong suddenly slapped his forehead and quickly went to the door to instruct the guards to bring someone.

Zhou Chong was also surprised. He didn’t know many people in Songjiang, and those he did know were all of some status. How could someone be here in Shuangyu Harbor as a smuggler?

Just as Zhou Chong was guessing who it could be, two guards ran into the hall, intending to greet Sun Tong, but they suddenly saw Zhou Chong and froze, then quickly ran forward and bowed, "Young Master, why are you in Shuangyu Harbor? How is the family? Have the debts been paid?"

Looking at the two men, Zhou Chong was puzzled. They were extremely ugly, with upturned noses, toad-like mouths, and beady eyes that were cross-eyed. These weren’t the main issues; the most striking was their dark skin. If not for their Asian features, Zhou Chong might have thought they were Africans.

"Who are you?" Zhou Chong was a bit embarrassed. These two had such distinctive features, but he only had a vague memory of them, feeling he had seen them before but couldn’t recall where or their names, which was unfair to their unique appearance.

"Young Master, we are Wangcai and Fugui. You can’t have forgotten us, can you?" The two dark-skinned young men looked aggrieved, their cross-eyed gaze particularly striking.

"Oh, you’re Wangcai and Fugui! I’m so forgetful, I almost forgot about you two!" Zhou Chong slapped his forehead when he heard their names, finally remembering. They were servants from the Zhou family. When he was teasing Duor, he had named two white balls Wangcai and Fugui, which made the little girl unhappy, saying the family already had Wangcai and Fugui, who were very dark-skinned. Today, he saw they lived up to their reputation!

Seeing Zhou Chong finally remember them, Wangcai and Fugui were so moved that they started crying, eagerly asking about the Zhou family and the health of Lady Wang and Manager Xu. Zhou Chong answered all their questions.

"So, you really are the young master!" Uncle Tu, seeing this, finally confirmed Zhou Chong’s identity, and he was so excited that he quickly walked forward. Sun Tong was also very excited. Only Third Lady’s face showed a complex expression. She didn’t want Zhou Chong to follow in his father’s footsteps, but now that he was here with the young lady of the Xie family, even a fool could guess his intentions, and she was powerless to stop him.

Seeing Uncle Tu and Sun Tong step forward, Wangcai and Fugui immediately stood to the side. Zhou Chong was very warm, exchanging a few more pleasantries with Uncle Tu and Sun Tong before getting to the point, "Everyone, I heard from Miss Xie that the chamber is facing great difficulties. I came here despite the hardships, but I’m not sure what the current situation is."

Hearing Zhou Chong ask about the chamber’s situation, Uncle Tu and Sun Tong exchanged glances. Finally, Third Lady recounted the chamber’s difficulties, including the incident last night when the three major chambers of commerce surrounded them and the Jeolla Chamber of Commerce from Korea killed two people as a threat, which she didn’t hide.

"Damn Koreans! If I don’t avenge this, I’ll never be a man!" Zhou Chong slammed the table, rising in anger. He had no good feelings toward the Korean people from his past life, and he was surprised that even as a vassal state of the Ming Dynasty, the Koreans dared to kill people on Ming soil, no wonder they would later become ungrateful traitors.

Seeing the usually refined Zhou Chong suddenly burst into profanity and vow revenge, Uncle Tu and Sun Tong were shocked, then very excited, "The young master truly has the spirit of the old master! Our Nanyang Chamber of Commerce is not to be trifled with. With the young master leading us, we will show them what we’re made of!"

Uncle Tu and Sun Tong’s words indicated their willingness to follow Zhou Chong. Although Third Lady didn’t want Zhou Chong to follow the path of smuggling, with Xie Lingyun present, she couldn’t dissuade him and could only tacitly agree.

Thus, the remaining forces of the Nanyang Chamber of Commerce initially recognized Zhou Chong as the young master. However, while recognition was one thing, for Zhou Chong to fully control the Nanyang Chamber of Commerce and integrate the forces of Third Lady, Uncle Tu, and Sun Tong, he still had a long way to go.

For example, there was one crucial task that Zhou Chong needed to accomplish: resolving the crisis facing the Nanyang Chamber of Commerce and using this to establish his authority. However, dealing with the threats from the three major chambers of commerce was no easy task.