I'm really not doing business

Chapter 621: War to the Death

Fan Yingqi, a Ming Dynasty scholar-official, a direct descendant of the Jin Party, a disciple of Ge Shouli, and one of the future substitute members of the Ming Dynasty cabinet, became addicted to opium because of a toothache and later became the umbrella for the Baoding Prefecture to occupy public land. The damage that opium causes to people is both physiological and psychological, and the dependence formed cannot be resisted by the human spiritual will.

In the compulsory detoxification room of the Daming Jieku Hospital, only 7% of the people were able to quit in the end, and the rest did not succeed.

Before Fan Yingqi was transferred to the prison, he asked Zhao Mengyou, the commander of the police, "How long will I stay in the prison? Can I be released as long as I stop taking drugs?"

Zhao Mengyou did not answer for a long time. Because the chief physician of the Jiekuyuan had to treat the emperor, the Imperial Guards conducted all-round and strict surveillance of the Jiekuyuan. Zhao Mengyou knew exactly what the chief physician of the Ming Dynasty was doing. Zhao Mengyou could not answer Fan Yingqi's question because Zhao Mengyou knew clearly that Fan Yingqi could not quit smoking successfully.

7% is a minority, and only a minority with great perseverance can accomplish it.

Zhao Mengyou replied calmly: "No, God knows how long you will stay."

Fan Yingqi struggled hard, and still held on to the hope of getting away with it, asking, "The court has already punished me by depriving me of my official position and honors, so why do they want to lock me up in this hell of Jiekuyuan! Can I stop smoking?"

Zhao Mengyou looked into Fan Yingqi's eyes with a very heavy tone and said forcefully, "No, there won't be a day when you don't want to smoke. Do you naively think that you just need to get rid of your dependence on opium? You are wrong. After you enter the compulsory detoxification room, you will not be addicted to drugs in just three months."

"It sounds wonderful, doesn't it? It only takes three months to physically quit. This is the research result of the chief medical officer of the Jieguan Hospital. You are addicted to drugs. They will lock you up in the small dark room, with your hands, feet and head tied to the iron bed, and your mouth stuffed with sackcloth. You will not have any thoughts about opium, let alone drugs, in the forced detoxification room."

“After three months, I just want to get out.”

"After the 18-month rehabilitation period, you can leave. When you see the sun again, you will feel like you have been reborn from the ashes, you will feel like you have been reborn, you will feel like you are no longer that stupid person."

"Isn't it easy? Is it easy? Just three months of being restrained in a rehabilitation room, eighteen months of rehabilitation, and you've paid the price for your mistakes. Is that really the case?"

"Quite the opposite."

"Why!" Fan Yingqi was confused and puzzled. Of course there would be no opium in the Sky Prison. He also experienced withdrawal reactions. The Ti riders tied him up tightly to prevent him from killing himself due to withdrawal reactions. Fan Yingqi knew that kind of pain very well. Fan Yingqi had experienced it several times in the Sky Prison. He believed that he could survive it.

But according to Zhao Mengyou, withdrawal in the compulsory rehabilitation room is just the beginning of the test.

Zhao Mengyou's voice was still very calm, even with some fear. He whispered, "Because everyone will relapse, no one is an exception. I have never seen anyone who can completely quit. The doctors are very desperate and define this phenomenon as mental addiction. Unless you can kill your past self, you will always be in the nightmare of opium."

"The reason why humans are human beings, and not animals or beasts, is that humans have reason and can control themselves, but addiction makes people irrational and unable to control themselves."

"Even if you can use your willpower to overcome your itch and stay away from any place where opioids may exist, the addiction will still haunt you like a thorn in your side, like a wronged ghost always on your back, constantly whispering in your ear, the urge to smoke is still deeply engraved in your bones."

"Even if you hear the word 'opium', see a few words in a newspaper, or even see the paste, it can send you sliding back into hell."

"People cannot stand the test. Once or twice is lucky, but what about a hundred times, two hundred times, or even a thousand times or ten thousand times?"

“No one can survive this.”

Fan Yingqi had been in the compulsory detoxification room in the prison for three months and had already gone through physical abstinence, but he soon realized that what Zhao Mengyou said was true, mental addiction really existed, and people really could not stand the test. It might be possible once or twice, but no one could withstand the test.

Fan Yingqi chose to spend the rest of his life in the Jiekui Hospital. He knew that only by having someone watching him in the Jiekui Hospital could he avoid sliding into the abyss again.

Zhao Mengyou was a fearless man, and he was even more so after becoming the commander of the gang. However, when faced with opium, Zhao Mengyou was really afraid. Once he got involved with it, it would be a nightmare that would haunt him for the rest of his life, and he could not get rid of it no matter what he did.

Many people were puzzled. The Emperor of the Ming Dynasty clearly knew that the operation might be dangerous. Facts proved that there were indeed risks. An inflammatory storm almost took away the emperor, the leader of the revival of the country. However, His Majesty still refused to use opium for pain relief.

Zhao Mengyou understood, the imperial guards understood, the eunuchs understood, the chief medical officer understood, Zhang Juzheng and Qi Jiguang also understood, because Your Majesty is such a man of integrity who would rather die standing than live on his knees.

Withdrawal is never a three-month physical withdrawal or an eighteen-month forced withdrawal, but a test and torment that you must go through every moment, every minute and every second for the rest of your life, until death.

Therefore, drug detoxification, like drug control, is a war that will last until death.

The imperial surname is Zhengmao. In order to make Luzon maintain its basic position leaning towards the Ming Dynasty, the emperor specially granted the imperial surname. In order to keep Luzon under the control of the Ming Dynasty, the emperor even married the daughter of Concubine Zhou De to the third son of Yin Zhengmao. Yin Zhengmao is a true royal relative.

Concubine Zhou's daughter was also adopted. She was the descendant of a loyal and brave hero and a titled princess of the Ming Dynasty. That means she was the emperor's daughter. This was a relationship established by imperial decree, so Yin Zhengmao was indeed the emperor's relative.

Yin Zhengmao is well aware of the harm of opium, even better than His Majesty. There are very few drug addicts in the heartland of the Ming Dynasty, but in Luzon, drug addicts are very common. In the Founding Islands of the Thousand Islands, countless people grow opium.

Yin Zhengmao and Deng Zilong rushed to the dock in a hurry. Marcus, the envoy from Taixi, rushed there in panic, but was captured on the spot by the guards. Marcus did not resist. He kept asking in Chinese what had happened, why the guards from the Governor's Office surrounded the ship, and why all the sailors on the ship were controlled.

Drug control is a war, and Luzon is the line of defense guarding the Ming Dynasty’s national border.

"Open it!" Yin Zhengmao's powerful voice rang out in the cabin. More than a dozen guards began to pry with crowbars. Soon, one hundred and twenty boxes of opium appeared neatly in front of everyone.

One hundred and twenty boxes of opium were covered with countless straws, and even feces and other things on the straw to cover up the smell of opium, but these anti-smuggling dogs were specially trained, and there were even two pigs, because the medical officers found that pigs had a more sensitive sense of smell than dogs.

A box of opium weighs 14000 kilograms, and there are 2000 kilograms of opium here. If one opium ball is sold for 2880 taels of silver, the opium balls in front of you alone are worth 1.5 million taels of silver. Of course, in the Yuanxun Islands, one opium ball is only two to three taels of silver, and one acre of land can produce kilograms of opium.

"Detain everyone! Take them to court!" Yin Zhengmao took a deep breath, ordered the opium boxes to be sealed, and then began to prepare to interrogate the sailors from the West.

Deng Zilong's wife, Lorian, the red-haired girl from the West, went to the prison to visit her old friend Marcus.

Lorian gave birth to two sons for Deng Zilong. She had completely become a Ming Dynasty citizen. In order to avoid suspicion, she did not use Latin but Chinese to communicate with Marcus. After all, Marcus spoke Chinese very well because of his deep friendship with the Ming Dynasty.

"Lorian, save me! I can swear to God, I really don't know! How could there be opium on the ship! I am well aware of the majesty and solemnity of the imperial edict of the Ming Emperor. Even if I escaped the inspection of the Manila Maritime Customs, I could not escape the search and inspection of Songjiang Prefecture. How could I be so stupid!" Marcus was as anxious as an ant on a hot pan.

"This is the reason. The large sailing ship had to stop in Songjiang Prefecture and the ship had to be thoroughly cleaned and repaired so that it would not be troubled by the plague on its return voyage. Knowing that a thorough inspection would be carried out, it still carried so much opium, which would definitely have to be unloaded on the way. This batch of opium was destined for the Ming Dynasty, so the governor was so angry." Lorian logically and clearly explained the seriousness of the problem.

The large sailing ship needs to be cleaned and repaired in Songjiang Prefecture, so the opium will be exposed anyway, so it will definitely be unloaded on the way and will definitely flow to the Ming Dynasty, not other places. This is why Luzon is the Ming Dynasty's anti-drug war and the reason why Yin Zhengmao is angry.

"Marcus, Taixi has the motive to do this because of the huge trade deficit. Ming does not need any goods from Taixi, only silver. Silver is flowing into Ming. This terrible situation will definitely make Taixi have some crooked ideas, and opium is something that can generate huge profits everywhere." Lorian's child is a Ming person, and her descendants will grow up in Ming.

If the Ming Dynasty became a place full of poisonous insects, would his children still be able to grow up healthily?
Lorien also read the theory of public and private and the theory of contradiction.

"Your Highness, I have no motive! Portugal has no motive!" Marcus said in panic, "Your Highness, Portugal is the distribution center of Ming Dynasty goods. It is true that silver is flowing out, but Portugal earns silver. Why should I do this?"

"Just call me Lorien. I'm not a princess in Manila." Lorien shook her head and said, "I believe you didn't do it. Just tell me everything you know. Don't miss any details. The Governor's Office will be very cautious about such a serious case."

"Okay, okay." Marcus agreed repeatedly. As a well-known swordsman in the Western world, Marcus was a little panicked. He was going there as an envoy. If the Ming Dynasty became disgusted with Portugal because of this matter, it would be a big trouble.

Marcus is a sword master, he is very powerful. The reason why he follows Antonio unswervingly is because Antonio boasted that he wanted Portugal to remain Portugal and let civilians survive.

According to most people, Marcus was stupid, but he was also loyal, loyal to Antonio and loyal to Portugal. If his dereliction of duty brought disgust to the Ming Dynasty and Portugal lost the distribution of Ming Dynasty goods, Marcus would absolutely not accept it.

Marcus tried his best to recall the details, and gradually they became clearer.

There were a total of twelve large sailing ships that came to the Ming Dynasty, five of which were Portuguese ships, and opium was found on the Portuguese ships.

"Damn it, it's Sauron's conspiracy! If this batch of opium can be delivered smoothly, we can get a large amount of silver. If it cannot be delivered smoothly and the opium is found on the Portuguese ship, then the Ming Dynasty will have to re-examine the relationship between the Ming Dynasty and Portugal! Damn round-hatted Sauron!" Marcus' face changed several times and he thought of a possibility.

Spain's infiltration into Portugal was pervasive, so it was normal for someone on a Portuguese ship to be bribed.

"If that's true, the governor wouldn't have wronged you." Lorian nodded and left the Manila prison.

In order to prevent accidents, Yin Zhengmao detained everyone and sent people to the Guangzhou Maritime Customs for help. Yin Zhengmao had to handle the case in a different place, and it only took one day from Luzon to Guangzhou. Soon, the Guangzhou government sent coastal defense inspectors and Maritime Customs judicial officers to investigate the case.

Yin Zhengmao suspected that there was a traitor in the Luzon Governor's Office. Otherwise, he would knowingly commit the crime under such strict inspection, which was simply outrageous. The coastal defense inspectors are also human beings. When faced with the huge amount of silver, they will also have ambitions. It's just that reason suppresses greed. When there is enough silver, reason cannot overcome greed, and they will use the power in their hands to seek economic benefits.

Therefore, Yin Zhengmao chose to handle the case in a different place, and asked the Guangzhou Maritime Customs to send a coastal defense inspector to investigate the case. After a delay of two days, the interrogation began. Three days later, the case was solved, and Marcus was acquitted. It was not Marcus who did it, but Sauron. And just as Yin Zhengmao expected, there were "traitors" among the coastal defense inspectors. There were three coastal defense inspectors in total, and each of them accepted a bribe of 50,000 silver.

Originally, all the links were opened up. When the ship arrived at Tamsui Town, Jilong Island, it would unload the goods in Tamsui Town. The smugglers who had been waiting for a long time would take the opium back to Ming Dynasty, go through Daheigou, and go to the private market. The agreed price was 250 silver per catty. This price was a world of difference from the selling price of 2,000 silver, but the profit and risk were proportional. The risk of marketing opium in Ming Dynasty was too great.

But an accident happened. The three 'traitors' of the coast guard patrol were the coast guard patrol who discovered the opium that day. The three of them took turns to inspect the ship where the drugs were hidden. The three coast guard patrol inspectors carefully searched every corner of the ship and found the hiding place of the opium.

Tolerating and shielding drug trafficking and taking money but not doing anything are completely different crimes. Tolerating and shielding drug trafficking is a capital crime, but taking money but not doing anything is at most bribery. Even according to Hai Rui's anti-corruption efforts, after confiscating the illegal gains, the most he could do is dismissal.

Back then, Fan Yingqi and Wang Jiaping accepted bribes and did not do their jobs in the imperial examinations, but they were not punished. This was because at that time, Hai Rui had not yet started his anti-corruption campaign, and the Ming Dynasty had not yet started its anti-corruption campaign. There was no restoration of administrative power, and there was no performance evaluation system to break the malpractice of tolerance. Talking about eradicating corruption was a false proposition.

"How can this be! You clearly received the money!" Sauron was extremely angry. He was caught on the last day. The investigation started with the sailors who carried the opium on board, and finally the clues led to Sauron step by step.

Solon originally found a Portuguese merchant with a "Far East Trade License" to do this. Everything had nothing to do with Solon. This Portuguese merchant was not on the ship, but in Davao City on Mindanao Island. If he was found, Solon would not be held responsible after the merchant left. However, Solon underestimated the Ming Dynasty's determination to crack down on drugs.

After opium was discovered on the galleon, Yin Zhengmao ordered that no overseas barbarians from Manila, Cebu, or Davao were allowed to leave by ship, and every ship was strictly inspected. The Portuguese merchant was arrested and eventually gave up the identity of Solon.

"After weighing the pros and cons, these three coastal defense inspectors did not make a big mistake." Yin Zhengmao said seriously, "Sauron, you are provoking the Ming Dynasty. The Ming Emperor has issued an order to prohibit any opium trade. If you insist on breaking the law, you can't blame me."

"The Great Ming Code on Maritime Trade states: All trade in opium, opium, and ayahuasca is prohibited. Violators will be executed immediately, even if pardoned."

"I am the special envoy of Tessi and the envoy of King Felipe. You are not qualified to execute me!" Soran's face changed drastically. He actually had a certain sense of luck. Even if he was really discovered, the Ming Dynasty could not do anything to him. He was an envoy of the country. Even when the two countries were at war, they would not kill envoys. What's more, he was the envoy of Spain and he just made a trivial mistake.

"It's not like the Ming Dynasty has never killed envoys. Wasn't the Portuguese envoy Huozhe Yasan beheaded in public in the third year of Jiajing? What gave you the illusion that if an envoy broke the law in the Ming Dynasty, the Ming law would not care? Diplomatic immunity?" Yin Zhengmao looked at Sauron and sneered.

The fireman Yasan was beheaded by Emperor Sejong.

Spain was used to being arrogant in the West, thinking that they were spoiled everywhere and allowed to do whatever they wanted. The Ming Dynasty was the Ming Dynasty, and the Ming Dynasty could take on the entire West.

"I will ask your Majesty for permission. If your Majesty considers the issue that has surprised our friendly countries, you will die in Manila. If your Majesty does not consider it, you will die in Caishikou in the capital." After saying this, Yin Zhengmao stood up and left the prison.

Even if the court disagreed with killing Sauron, Yin Zhengmao would still take action, because Luzon was the main battlefield for drug control, and Yin Zhengmao was a feudal lord with real land, the Marquis of Sishui. The court did not want to surprise its friendly countries, but Yin Zhengmao did not care. Luzon was originally snatched from the Spaniards, and they had been enemies for a long time.

No matter who it is, if they dare to take action, they will be killed if caught, even if it is Yin Zhengmao himself.

There is never a shortage of rules in the world, but no matter how perfect the rules are, they still need people to follow them. What is always lacking is a way to make people follow the rules.

Yin Zhengmao sent a coastal defense inspector to Beijing to inquire about the emperor's will, and Yin Zhengmao was worried.

"Governor, what are you worried about?" Deng Zilong was a little puzzled. Yin Zhengmao, who had been confident all his life, felt a little uneasy at this moment.

"From the perspective of contradiction, the imperial court needs the inflow of silver from the West. It is unwise to make enemies with Spain when the Ming Dynasty is short of money. From our perspective, drug control is the main contradiction, because drug dealers are rampant in Luzon. As long as Solon is not dead, there will be people who will break the law. Drug control in Luzon is meaningless." Yin Zhengmao said helplessly, "I am ashamed of the grace of the emperor."

Sauron was a messenger, so the killing of Sauron naturally had to be reported to the imperial court. This was the contradiction in decision-making between the imperial court and the local authorities because of their different positions, functions, and main contradictions.

There are always such conflicts between the imperial court and local governments. Even if the imperial court is unwilling to kill Yin Zhengmao, he will still take action for the sake of drug control in Luzon.

The Ming Dynasty was an extremely traditional Confucian dynasty. The basic tenet of Confucianism is actually very simple, that is, if everyone cultivates virtue, there will be no chaos. Although this has never been realized, the addiction to opium, which makes people unable to control themselves, is really terrible.

Drug control concerns the collective interests of every class and every individual in the Ming Dynasty.

"That makes sense." Deng Zilong finally understood the contradiction, and his expression changed several times. He became as worried as Yin Zhengmao. From being one person worried, it became two people worried. The two of them sat in the Tide Watching Tower for the whole day, looking at the sea, waiting for the decision from the court.

Five days later, the coastal defense inspector returned to the inspection office and ran to the Tide Watching Tower with the letter box.

After Yin Zhengmao checked the sealing wax, he opened the letter tube. Deng Zilong also came over with a tired face and looked at the red ink.

[Execute him immediately and send him to the capital to be beheaded in public as a warning to others. Sauron is a criminal, not an envoy.]

The imperial edict on the punishment for Sauron was just three words: immediate execution. It was the emperor's handwritten letter. First of all, he was a criminal. When Sauron committed a crime, he was a criminal, not a messenger.

The Ming Emperor's red-letter comment was very long, mainly asking about the three coastal defense inspectors, asking if they had made more serious mistakes? Was it the first time? Had there been any rent-seeking before? How did they become corrupt? It was hoped that the Luzon Governor-General's Office could combine its rich anti-smuggling experience to form a set of regulations to protect the coastal defense inspectors and prevent such things from happening again.

And the three coastal defense inspectors were required to come to Beijing for investigation.

Compared to Sauron, the Emperor of the Ming Dynasty cares more about coastal defense inspections.

"Your Majesty, your word is worth a thousand gold. Since you have made a promise, you will not forgive Sauron." Yin Zhengmao highly recognized the credibility of His Majesty. Since he had made a clear promise, he would not go back on it.

Deng Zilong breathed a sigh of relief. He smiled and said, "Your Majesty is at an age when he hates evil as much as he hates evil. The day before yesterday, my wife, Lorien, knew the Governor's concerns and said that Your Majesty would definitely kill Soran. At an age when you have the greatest malice towards all evil, you won't be as worried as those old men."

"According to Marcus, your wife is a princess of Taixi. Which country is she from?" Yin Zhengmao asked curiously.

The small island of Luzon actually has two princesses. Princess Yingjia Zhu Xuanchang married Yin Zhengmao’s third son Yin Zongxin, and now this Luo Liyan is also a princess, but no one knows what her identity is.

"I didn't ask her, and she didn't want to talk about it, so I didn't ask much. Anyway, she is my wife now." Deng Zilong said carelessly. No matter what kind of princess she is, she is now breastfeeding his child.

Lorien doesn't like to talk about her background, but judging from her knowledge, she is definitely not from a humble family.

Sauron and other prisoners were thrown onto a hydrofoil sailboat and sent to the capital of the Ming Dynasty. When they arrived at the capital of the Ming Dynasty, it was already mid-June, and the excitement of the opening and inspection was entering its final stages. Suzhou Xieji Five-Spice Liquor and Shandong Zhaoji Qiulubai once again entered the finals. In order to compete for the title of "the best liquor in Chengzhong", both sides brought out their best products.

Zhu Yijun really didn't understand wine, and he didn't like to drink it, but he was still happy to do it because he could receive a fee of 50,000 silver coins for writing a piece of calligraphy.

"Last year, Xie Ji was slightly inferior, but this year he took the lead." Feng Bao laid out the paper and ground the ink for Your Majesty, and asked Your Majesty to write an inscription. He also reported the results of this year's opening inspection. One hundred thousand silver is really a lot of money.

The color, taste, aroma and many other aspects have received unanimous praise from the 24 wine connoisseurs.

"Okay." Zhu Yijun picked up the pen and carefully wrote the five words "Chengzhong No. 1 Wine". He smiled and said, "One word is worth 20,000 silver coins, one word is worth 10,000 gold coins."

"Has Sauron been taken to the capital?" Zhu Yijun put down his pen and asked.

"They have been sent to the Northern Pacification Office." Zhao Mengyou replied immediately. The coastal defense inspectors had already handed over the criminals, including the three coastal defense inspectors, but the coastal defense inspectors were not wearing shackles.

"Your Majesty..." Zhao Mengyou said with a very complicated expression: "From my perspective, what these three coastal defense inspectors are doing is just fishing. The money they collect is bait for the opium plantations in Yuanxun Islands and the smugglers in Tamsui Town."

The Ming Dynasty had already started action, arresting a group of smugglers, finding a private market on the coast of Fujian, and destroying a red-haired foreign plantation in the Yuanxu Islands, which was growing opium. These smugglers were also transferred to Beijing, and after investigation, they were all sentenced to death.

No matter how Zhao Mengyou looked at this matter, it seemed like these three coastal defense inspectors were eager to make a contribution and were enforcing the law by fishing.

"No." Zhu Yijun shook his head and said, "From the memorial sent from Luzon, it seems that they seized the opium at the last moment, while they were hesitating. It was not a fishing expedition. They stepped on the planks of the boat and knew that there were more than 10,000 kilograms of opium under the planks, so they finally stopped hesitating. After the incident, they were rewarded with 50,000 taels of silver."

"But fortunately, it is indeed their first time."

The three coastal defense inspectors were not fishing for law enforcement, but were really taking bribes. But in the end, conscience overcame greed. At that moment when 14400 kilograms of opium were right under their feet, they hesitated. How much harm would it cause if it flowed into the Ming Dynasty? And once this channel was formed, the poison would spread endlessly.

"Confiscate the proceeds and transfer them to the engineering corps." Zhu Yijun did not use threatening punishment in the end, because they did not cause any serious harm, so he could deal with them in this way. If he really let the three of them go, they would be sentenced to death, and even their families might be exiled.

Sentencing is completely different.

(End of this chapter)