Chapter 90

Yang Xien was laughing heartily, "Great! James and Kō have done a fine job, once again crushing the Wokou fleet of the Raidō family! James, that boy, though French, is indeed precise with his artillery skills, even more accurate than I am! Kō, though Japanese, shows no mercy when dealing with the Wokou! I'd like to see how many more of the Raidō family are willing to come and die!"

Across from him, Lin Qing's heart skipped a beat.

Beauty!

A beauty a hundred times more stunning than in the photos!

"Xiang Fei Hu" Li!

Li Huamei, wearing a purple Suzhou-embroidered long dress, had her smooth, short hair elegantly hanging by her ears. Her eyebrows were like a painting, her eyes like water, and her two crystal-clear earlobes adorned with red diamond earrings. Her sensuous, full red lips were coated with a deep red lipstick, and her delicate nose was exquisitely refined, perfectly complementing her beautiful and elegant face. She had applied light makeup, and though she was only giving a faint smile to Yang Xien, who was like a father to her, she exuded a thousand charms, looking stunningly alluring and captivating.

The purple Suzhou-embroidered long dress made her ivory skin appear even more smooth and tender, and her slender, well-rounded figure was infinitely beautiful. The curved neckline tightly wrapped her swan-like, long, and white neck, making it appear particularly soft and delicate. Her fine, sensual collarbone, smooth and soft shoulders, and smooth, delicate back were all perfectly displayed. The large red flower buttons at the neckline and the red curve that opened the front of the dress were exquisite decorations, adding a gentle and charming charm of ancient ladies.

Lin Qing's heart pounded.

Fortunately, this time, Zhou Zhiruo didn't jump in to give Lin Qing a dissatisfied cough.

After familiarizing himself with the system, Lin Qing chose to block messages, so Zhou Zhiruo couldn't hear the situation here. Especially when there was a beauty like Li Huamei around, Lin Qing wouldn't make himself miserable.

Though Li Huamei was smiling, she was very reserved, showing that she was a woman who controlled her emotions.

A 25-year-old beauty who could control such a large force, navigate between the court, subordinates, and powerful enemies, and excel in military, commercial, and exploration tasks, earning the reputation of "Xiang Fei Hu," how could she be a simple person?

Li Huamei pondered, "It is indeed a cause for celebration that the Li family fleet has once again successfully defeated the Wokou. However, in the commercial sphere, we are being heavily suppressed by the Raidō family, and we can only maintain our influence on the mainland. The situation is already far from optimistic. If we cannot fundamentally reverse this, our occasional victories will not change the overall situation."

At this, she sighed lightly.

This beauty, who commanded thousands of elite troops and the Li family's chamber of commerce, had a frown that exuded countless charms.

Lin Qing's heart pounded uncontrollably.

Yang Xien snorted, "Hmph! I heard that Richard Huisen secretly informed the British, though it didn't cause much damage, it almost leaked to the Wokou and the Raidō family. This guy seems suspicious to me, and you should be more cautious, Huamei!"

Li Huamei pondered, "Though Richard Huisen has some issues, the Li family can navigate in the Ming Dynasty's maritime areas, which are under a sea ban, thanks to his deep relationship with the British. We can't completely deny his value, and we need to get along well with him now."

She paused, not turning her head, and said lightly, "Right, Mr. Richard Huisen?"

Lin Qing was startled.

This "Xiang Fei Hu" was indeed formidable.

Even standing so far away, she could sense him.

Yang Xien's tiger-like eyes glared, and a sense of authority from a tiger general permeated the air as he roared, "Richard Huisen, you were eavesdropping on our conversation?"

Lin Qing strode in, shrugged, and smiled at Li Huamei and Yang Xien, "I had no intention of eavesdropping on anyone's conversation. However, next time, I suggest you close the door if you want to say bad things about others behind their back."

Yang Xien coldly said, "Only despicable people eavesdrop. Hmph!"

Lin Qing looked at Li Huamei, "Miss Admiral, I thought we were closer than allies, but it seems that Deputy Yang Xien doesn't think so."

Li Huamei gave Yang Xien a warning glance, and he coldly snorted, turning his head away, acknowledging the point.

Li Huamei's expression unchanged, she turned to Lin Qing and said lightly, "Mr. Richard, do you have something to say?"

Lin Qing shrugged, "Nothing much. As a special advisor to the Li family chamber of commerce, I want to faithfully perform my duties and see if there's anything I can help with, rather than sitting at home and being a salary thief. I remember that you pay me a substantial advisory fee every month, don't you?"

Li Huamei gazed at Lin Qing, and a trace of barely noticeable disgust flashed in her cold, beautiful eyes. She said lightly, "You have maintained close ties with the court, which has helped our Li family chamber of commerce obtain trade rights. That's enough. I don't think we need you at sea."

Lin Qing shook his head, "Alas, I had good intentions, but the moon shines on the gutter. It seems my enthusiasm is wasted. Well, I'll take my leave. By the way, the message from the Jiangnan governor, Mr. Jiang, I'll just pretend I didn't hear it."

The mention of "Mr. Jiang" made the icy beauty, Li Huamei, pause.

Richard Huisen was responsible for managing the relationship between the Li family chamber of commerce and the court. The governor in charge of Jiangnan trade was precisely this Mr. Jiang.

"What message did Mr. Jiang send?" Li Huamei frowned and asked.

Lin Qing shrugged.

Of course, Mr. Jiang hadn't given him any message.

But as the only link between the upright Li Huamei and the corrupt Ming court, Lin Qing had a natural advantage—his only advantage. He could make things up, and Li Huamei had no other way to verify the information.

"Mr. Jiang's mother is about to celebrate her 80th birthday," Lin Qing smiled, "He sent me this message."

Yang Xien clenched his fists and shouted, "His father just celebrated his 80th birthday, and we sent him 10,000 gold to fill his insatiable appetite. Now his mother's birthday? This is clearly extortion!"

Li Huamei also frowned and said softly, "Our Li family chamber of commerce has already paid 200,000 gold to the court this year. Additionally, we have to increase our sales price by 3% as a special tax for the court. This heavy burden is becoming unbearable..."

Seeing Li Huamei's frown, Lin Qing felt a pang of guilt.

However, with interests at stake, he wouldn't let this opportunity slip.

He had just entered this world and urgently needed to establish his own power!

The only identity he could use was Richard Huisen!

What was Richard Huisen's specialty?

Of course, it was bribing Ming officials!

Though it was unknown whether Mr. Jiang's mother was still alive, this didn't stop Lin Qing from demanding a large sum of money from the Li family chamber of commerce.

He needed funds!

Lin Qing looked troubled but still maintained the etiquette of an English gentleman, bowing and saying, "Then I'll refuse Mr. Jiang. After all, he's insatiable, and I'm thoroughly fed up with him. Let him go to hell. Anyway, he says that recently, there have been many impeachments, and the court's cabinet and grand secretaries are discussing tightening the sea ban, not allowing a single sail to go out to sea."

Lin Qing, of course, didn't know the current court policies. But as a history graduate, he could easily make up such historical events.

Hearing this, Li Huamei's vision went dark, and her delicate hands tightly gripped the table, her long, slender fingers turning white from anger and frustration.

Seeing this, Lin Qing felt a twinge of guilt.

This woman, who shouldered the future of the country, supported a grand cause, and resisted the Wokou and foreign invasions.

In the entire Age of Exploration storyline, there was only one protagonist, who had no personal affairs.

It was Li Huamei.

Even so, she wasn't recognized by the court or her hometown. Even children were afraid of her. Many moralists deemed her a dangerous woman, spreading rumors about her.

Li Huamei was incredibly lonely. Apart from a few close friends like Yang Xien, she had no time to deal with personal issues.

The Wokou, the Raidō family, British powers, and the heavy trade pressures all weighed heavily on her shoulders.

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