Chapter Forty-One: The Deal

Qin Zhen found Chief Constable Chen in a quiet, secluded alley.

With him was the county clerk from the magistrate’s office.

“And you are?” The clerk looked at Qin Zhen, hesitating, unable to place him for a moment.

“Qin Zhen, a humble commoner,” Qin Zhen replied.

“Qin Zhen?” The clerk was still confused.

“Sir, you really do have a lot on your mind to forget so easily. We saw each other just last month! I even brought you a gift of five taels of silver,” Liu Quan said with a smile.

“Oh! You’re Liu Quan, and he’s Qin Zhen! The bear-slaying hero of our county!” Realization finally dawned on the clerk.

“What brings you to me?” The clerk narrowed his eyes.

Qin Zhen invited the clerk and Chief Constable Chen to the finest tavern in the county, reserved a private room, and ordered a lavish spread.

Tempting sea fish drizzled with meat juices sent mouthwatering aromas wafting through the room.

“Please, gentlemen, have some fish!” Qin Zhen offered each of them a piece.

The clerk and Chief Constable exchanged glances, picked up their chopsticks and tasted the fish, their mouths immediately filled with a fresh, sweet flavor.

“How does the fish taste?” Qin Zhen asked with a smile.

“Excellent,” said Chief Constable Chen approvingly, “the flesh is succulent and tender, springy to the bite—a fine sea fish for sure! In these times, sea fish are like gold. It’s no easy thing to eat something like this.”

The clerk, though not as experienced in such matters as Chief Constable Chen, could still tell the fish was of high quality.

“You gentlemen may not know, but this fish was caught in our village,” Liu Quan explained.

“Oh?” Chief Constable Chen raised an eyebrow. “You folks fish as well?”

The clerk was more thoughtful. He glanced at Qin Zhen but remained silent.

Qin Zhen, attentive as ever, served the clerk food and poured him wine, then spoke slowly. “It’s like this: I intend to open a fish shop here in the county, so that the townsfolk can also enjoy fresh sea fish.”

“A fine idea,” said Chief Constable Chen, eating as he spoke. “Are you concerned about the formalities? No need to worry. Just pick your shop, sell honestly, and I can handle the rest.”

In this world, there is no real concept of commercial tax. Ordinary folk wishing to open a shop need only register with the county office and secure a storefront. There are, in truth, no real procedures.

Chief Constable Chen’s words were a gesture of goodwill.

“This fish must fetch a handsome price?” the clerk suddenly asked.

“To be frank, sea fish like this can sell for twenty copper coins a catty. If we could get them to the coastal city, a single fish could sell for a hundred coins or more with ease.”

Qin Zhen’s words left both men stunned.

Chief Constable Chen’s hand shook as he held his chopsticks, suddenly feeling a pang at the sight of the fish before him.

“Is that true?!” The clerk, unable to contain himself, shot to his feet. “That’s a considerable business!”

“That’s why I’m here to report to you, sirs!” Qin Zhen said earnestly, guiding the clerk back to his seat. He came straight to the point: “This business is too large for someone like me, with no backing or support. It leaves me uneasy. I hope you gentlemen will look after it.”

The clerk, now composed, asked in a low voice, “How many fish do you have?”

“It depends on Heaven’s favor. If the weather is fair and the seas are calm, a hundred fish a month is no problem. If the weather’s bad, forty or fifty at best.”

Beside him, Liu Quan could only sigh at Qin Zhen’s cunning.

With the fishing net he’d made, a single haul brought in at least three or four hundred fish! Fishing once every half month, they could easily get seven or eight hundred a month! But now, in Qin Zhen’s telling, bringing in a hundred was already a stretch.

“That’s plenty!” The clerk’s breathing quickened.

A hundred fish at one hundred coins each—that’s ten thousand coins! Ten taels of silver!

His own monthly salary was but five hundred coins!

This one venture could equal twenty months’ wages! Working himself to the bone for a month wasn’t worth five fish!

No, this business had to be kept close at hand!

“My idea is this…” Seeing the clerk’s interest, Qin Zhen cast out his bait: “Let’s first partner up and open a shop in the county, see how the sales go. If they’re good, we can find a way to ship them to the city by the sea…”

“It’s just that the road is long and rough, with many risks along the way. So, I was hoping…”

He trailed off, but the clerk and Chief Constable Chen already understood.

“No need to worry about the road. Protecting the people is our duty!” Chief Constable Chen declared with righteous fervor.

“Just sell your fish honestly. If anyone gives you trouble, I’ll be the first to deal with them!” the clerk added.

“Excellent!” Qin Zhen was overjoyed. “With your support, I’m reassured! And rest easy, sirs—I won’t let your efforts go unrewarded!” He paused, then gritted his teeth and said, “Here’s my offer: of the profits from selling fish, Chief Constable Chen gets ten percent, the clerk ten percent, the bailiffs in the office another ten, and the county magistrate twenty percent. What do you think?”

“You’ve thought this through,” the clerk replied with a subtle smile. “But why only fifty percent? Are you planning to split it evenly with us?”

Chief Constable Chen frowned slightly. He’d expected a larger share.

“You gentlemen don’t know!” Qin Zhen protested loudly, “The other half doesn’t end up in my pocket, either.”

“Chief Constable Chen, you must know—our little fishing village is still dozens of miles from the sea. Every time we go fishing, we have to detour to Golden Sands Beach, and that place is already overrun by a gang of thugs. To fish there, we have to pay a hefty ‘sea fee’!”

Seeing the moment ripe, Liu Quan quickly chimed in, adding fuel to the fire. “Exactly! That cursed Fishhead brat rules the place like a tyrant. Every time we manage a good catch, they force us to sell half the fish to them at a low price. If we don’t, they beat us! Many from our village have been beaten and had their fish stolen! Otherwise, we’d have much more sea fish at hand!”

“Is that so?” The clerk frowned and looked at Chief Constable Chen.

Such things were common enough; the clerk knew well that the rules of the county differed from those of the wilds.

In these chaotic times, bandits and petty tyrants plagued the countryside.

“Golden Sands Beach… that’s Scarred Old Dog’s turf,” Chief Constable Chen said hesitantly. “Rumor is, he’s a hound raised by the bandits of Hat Mountain.”

“Hat Mountain?”

At that name, the clerk’s frown relaxed, replaced by a cold, derisive laugh.

“Can a dog really earn more than we do?”

He turned to Qin Zhen, half-smiling. “If we help you deal with this…”

Qin Zhen responded at once, “The magistrate takes forty percent, the clerk and Chief Constable Chen each take twenty, and I’ll offer another ten percent to the city’s garrison. I’ll keep just ten for myself!”

The clerk gave Qin Zhen a meaningful look, picked up his chopsticks, and placed a piece of fish in his mouth.

“Ten percent is too little. Your fellow villagers need to eat, too! I’ll decide—half of my share will go to your people.”

“Thank you for your generosity, sir!” Qin Zhen said gratefully.