Chapter 10: The Secret Residence

Xiao Zishan and his companions hurriedly stood up to respond and return the greeting. Their initial suspicion and fear of people from a different time had diminished considerably - they were also living, breathing people. Especially after the several trades, Gao Jǔ's actions made them feel that this person was quite trustworthy and worth continuing to deal with, and would certainly be a great help after the穿越 (time travel).

After some polite conversation, they got down to business. With the help of the newly purchased hydraulic handcart, they dragged over four pallets and more than a hundred boxes of goods.

Xiao Zishan's promotional items were already gone. This time, all the trading goods were wholesale purchases from the market. They bought many mirrors of various sizes and styles, disposable lighters, and various frosted and spray-painted glassware. Wen Desi had researched a lot and found that pearls were very valuable in the late Ming Dynasty, so he also bought many cultured pearls, both large and small.

The steward then led people to unpack the samples and show them to Lord Gao one by one. The Australian sea merchants always brought exotic goods, and Lord Gao was mentally prepared for this, but each new item still surprised him. Especially the disposable lighters, which he found hard to put down. The convenience of this fire-starting device was unmatched by any flint or tinder.

Lord Gao examined the disposable lighter from Wenzhou - the semi-transparent plastic no longer surprised him - and lit it several times, staring at it for a long time before exclaiming, "The method of starting a fire with this is no different from using a flint and steel, but it uses oil instead of tinder, and a wheel to strike the fire. There's nothing rare about the materials, but your craftsmen have combined ingenuity to create such a delicate and convenient item, truly unmatched."

Wen Desi and the others nodded inwardly. Who said the ancients were ignorant? Lord Gao understood the principle of the lighter at first glance. Of course, the gasoline inside was something the ancients couldn't produce, but he realized that the liquid inside was oil.

"However, this lighter cannot be refilled," Wen Desi explained, "it is discarded after use."

"Is that so, what a pity." Lord Gao stopped lighting the lighter, "Why can't it be refilled? Such a delicate and practical item, to discard it would be a waste."

Wen Desi wanted to explain the concept of disposable products. Telling him about their one-time lifestyle in this time period would surely shock him. So he vaguely said that the craftsmen were working on improvements.

After the goods were handed over, they sold for over 30,000 taels of silver. Among them, a few full-length mirrors almost made Lord Gao's eyes pop out. This thing, even if it entered the palace, the emperor would be amazed.

The pearls they brought also won Gao Jǔ's favor. Since the chaos in Liaodong, the pearls from the northeast had been cut off, and the pearls from the South China Sea were also scarce, making the market very short of supply.

Lord Gao knew they liked gold, so he exchanged 1,000 taels of gold and ordered his people to bring out the porcelain from the warehouse, filling the pallets as much as possible and tying them tightly with straw ropes. To be honest, he didn't know how these three people managed to transport more and more goods each time. Although he didn't dare to ask, he suspected that they might have some kind of transportation magic.

Xiao Zishan, seeing the boxes of gold and silver in the hall, felt a bit dizzy. Fortunately, they had bought a hydraulic handcart; otherwise, how would they move nearly a ton of gold and silver... While he was lost in thought, he heard Wen Desi ask about the matter of entrusting them to buy a house.

Gao Jǔ pondered for a moment and said, "This matter is not difficult in itself. However, as foreign merchants, according to the laws of the Ming Dynasty, you are not allowed to buy houses and live in the local area. Although you are all descendants of the Chinese, and your language and appearance are similar to the Chinese, it would not be difficult to live quietly if you changed your clothes. But recently, with the appearance of these exotic goods, I have attracted a lot of attention..."

At this point, they understood that this was a case of attracting too much attention. They imagined that the sudden appearance of so many unprecedented items in Guangzhou must have caught the attention of many eyes and ears.

However, this meant that their original plan to establish a base in Guangzhou was in jeopardy. According to the overall strategic plan for the time travel, Guangzhou would serve as the mainland trade gateway for the Hainan base, exporting modern industrial products and importing various materials and personnel. It would also be a window to observe the Ming Dynasty's movements.

Seeing the disappointed looks on Wen Desi and his companions, Gao Jǔ finally revealed his plan. He had considered this plan for a long time. In Lord Gao's view, the reason the Australian sea merchants wanted to buy a house was that they needed a stable place to store goods and live, similar to how the Portuguese bribed officials to rent Macau, but on a smaller scale.

"However, I have another idea..." Gao Jǔ stroked his sparse beard and looked at them inquiringly.

"Please enlighten us, Lord Gao."

"What you want is a place to stay in the city. I have a residence in the city. If you don't mind, you can use it."

Gao Jǔ then dismissed the maids and called two personal servants to accompany them, leading the way with the key in his sleeve. They passed through a narrow alley and reached the back courtyard. The air was filled with the smell of horse and mule urine, indicating they had reached the stable. Seeing that Lord Gao did not enter, they went around the corner to a small house at the end of the alley. An old servant sitting at the door stood up quickly upon seeing his master.

"Open the door," Gao Jǔ ordered.

The old servant took out a key from his clothes and led them inside. Inside, there was another small iron-clad door on the wall. After unlocking and opening it, they found themselves outside the residence. This was a very quiet stone path along the city wall, with wasteland on one side and the high walls of large households on the other. There was no one around, and the roadside was overgrown with weeds. As they walked, they occasionally saw side alleys.

"The alleys lead to the main road, and there are wooden gates at the entrances, usually locked. Although this path is public, ordinary people cannot enter."

After walking for several hundred meters, they reached a very dilapidated back wall. After unlocking and entering, they found a small courtyard paved with blue stone slabs, with banana plants and flowers, very quiet. Further inside were three small courtyards, very clean, with all the necessary furniture and utensils.

"This is my secondary residence. It is usually unused."

It turned out that this was Lord Gao's secret residence. He had several such residences inside and outside Guangzhou. This one was used as a temporary refuge in case of disaster.

The front door of the residence did not face the street. Instead, there was a general store on the street, which appeared to be an ordinary oil and salt shop, doing business with the large households on the street. In reality, it was arranged by Lord Gao. There was an inconspicuous small door next to the shop, connected to the residence through a narrow alley, making it convenient to enter and exit.

There were also servants in the residence to take care of it. Seeing their master bring people, they quickly boiled water and served tea.

"We who engage in maritime trade must be extremely cautious!" Lord Gao sighed, "It's not an easy business."

In the smuggling trade, they dealt with all kinds of unsavory characters, including pirates, bandits, and robbers, who were all tempted by wealth. Robbery, extortion, and murder were not uncommon in this line of work.

Although they had connections in the provincial and central governments, officials were often tyrannical and would demand bribes. Moreover, the court was suspicious of maritime trade and frequently discussed banning the Portuguese from trading in Guangzhou. Local officials often used this to threaten merchants.

"These are still manageable. The biggest problem is the recent rise of pirates, who have caused great harm to foreign and Chinese ships, making our livelihoods difficult."

Xiao Zishan thought this was a good opportunity to gather information on the current pirate situation along the coasts of Guangdong and Fujian, so he deliberately said:

"On our journey from Australia, the sea was relatively calm."

"This is due to the good fortune of the esteemed guests," Lord Gao smiled bitterly, "but compared to Fujian and Zhejiang, it is still relatively peaceful here. Haicheng has been ravaged."

Since 1622, pirates in the coastal areas of Fujian and Guangdong had formed alliances and declared themselves kings and emperors. Among them, Yang Liu, Cai San, and Zhong Liu were the strongest. In 1626, the Fujian and Guangdong navies jointly suppressed them, pacifying Yang Liu, while Cai San and Zhong Liu fled, slightly curbing the pirates' momentum.

However, soon after, pirates led by Zheng Zhilong, Zhong Lingxiu, and Li Kuiqi began to raid the coasts of Fujian and Zhejiang. The coastal areas of Fujian suffered the most, and the port of Yuegang in Haicheng County, the largest export trade port since the Longqing era, was severely damaged. Ships leaving from there feared pirate attacks and had become much fewer.

"Here in Guangzhou, after the joint suppression by the Fujian and Guangdong navies last year, it has been relatively quiet. The Portuguese, due to their interests in Macau, also patrol the river mouth."

So, during this period, the focus of pirate activities was in the coastal areas of Fujian. This situation greatly boosted their confidence - at least they wouldn't face boss-level characters like Zheng Zhilong and Li Kuiqi at the beginning.

"However, caution is still necessary," Gao Jǔ reminded them. Although there were no major pirates along the coast of Guangdong, there were many small pirate groups. They were unfamiliar with the area and should be especially careful when boarding and disembarking their ships.