The Schemes of the Greedy

"The worst option: we have the numbers on our side, and we'd be operating on home turf. We could disguise ourselves as pirates and rob the Griffin Firm's cargo at sea. I've already mapped out their routes on this trip and know exactly where they have to pass!

"The advantage of this option is the enormous profit. All we'd have to put in is manpower, so there'd be almost no cost—at most, we'd have to buy the brothers a few extra rounds of drinks.

"The downside is that if we're exposed, we'll have to fall out with the Griffin Firm and won't even be able to maintain a veneer of civility. Losing men in a fight is one thing, but they could wipe us all out.

"Even if we were lucky enough to preserve some of our strength, we'd never again be able to send workers to the Griffin family's factories in England."

Mr. Ye listened without nodding.

Lu Bolin continued:

"The middle option: we become the Griffin Firm's subordinates. Ideally, I'd become a son-in-law of the Griffin Family. I'd do whatever it takes to marry into the family and wed one of their girls.

"That way, we could use their connections to secure the right to bid on opium at its place of origin.

"The advantage of the middle option is that it's low-risk and easy to pull off.

"The downside is the small profit. Even if we got the right to bid on opium, we wouldn't be able to buy many kilos."

Mr. Ye smiled at him.

"You've already got a promising lead on this middle option, haven't you?"

Lu Bolin grinned sheepishly.

"Master knows me best.

"English girls are at their dewiest and most beautiful around the age of twenty. Your disciple firmly believes that when a flower is ready to be plucked, you should pluck it—don't wait until there are no blossoms left and then pluck a bare branch!

"Of course, Master knows I've never been short of women.

"I'm getting close to the Griffin family for the sake of the gang's future!"

The master and disciple exchanged smiles.

What Mr. Ye appreciated most about Lu Bolin was that his eldest disciple laid his intentions out in full and never hid the slightest thing from his master.

Lu Bolin continued:

"The best option is the hardest to pull off, but if it works, it'll be the most profitable and the safest—

"We find a way to secure the backing of one of the shops in the 38th Shop District, get the Puxi City Militia Corps to escort us, and take warships to the Ganges to bring back opium!"

Mr. Ye raised an eyebrow.

"Bolin, do you know what you're saying?"

Lu Bolin answered earnestly:

"Master! The world may not approve of the opium trade, but right now, the whole world is in on it!

"They sell opium on our land, ruining our people, and take away our silver to build up England!

"If the English devils can make this money, why can't we?!

"Do you know, Master, that the entire opium trade route is protected by English warships!"

Mr. Ye said nothing.

Of course he knew all this.

Warships of the British Royal Navy regularly patrolled places like the Lingding Ocean, where opium hulks were anchored, to ensure the trade went smoothly.

This wasn't "illegal" protection. It was English national policy.

Those damned foreigners were rotten to the core.

Did they really have to keep the whole pot of meat for themselves and let everyone else have nothing but the scraps washed off the pot?

Was that any way to do business?!

They were nothing but a gang of bandits!

Mr. Ye smiled and said to Lu Bolin:

"Bolin, someone's already tried this."

Lu Bolin was taken aback.

Then he immediately realized that, of course, they had. Puxi City was blessed with flourishing fortunes and drew heroes from all over the world. People had explored nearly every way to make money, and a crooked, highly lucrative business like opium was surely one the heroes and outlaws had investigated most thoroughly.

Mr. Ye revealed a startling secret that few knew:

"It wasn't the Militia Corps from one of the thirty-eight shops. It was the warlord in Jiangkou.

"He took three river gunboats out to get a share of the profits. Before they'd even left the South Sea, English warships blew them apart, one shot per boat. Nothing was left."

Lu Bolin wasn't willing to give up.

"Aren't warlords loaded? Couldn't they buy warships? They've got money to burn!

"Taking river gunboats out there... What kind of joke is that!"

He immediately changed his wording:

"That's an absolute joke!"

Mr. Ye laughed too.

"Reality is that absurd."

His smile faded, and a trace of melancholy crept into his heart.

"That's how things are in the courts.

"Much of what happens in the courts can't be settled with money."

Once the courts were involved, the problem was beyond Mr. Ye's reach.

As he spoke, his voice still carried a note of melancholy, and his eyes held a hope that Lu Bolin couldn't quite understand.

"We're only men of the underworld, after all. We can't change what happens in the courts."

"Since we belong to the underworld, we should stick to underworld business."

"Bolin, I think all three of your options are good, but none of them will be easy to carry out."

Mr. Ye gave a deliberately noncommittal answer:

"Now that you're back, we'll take our time and discuss it."

Lu Bolin cupped his fists.

"Yes, Master!"

Lu Bolin didn't dare disobey. Even with all his proposals rejected, he felt not the slightest resentment.

That was because every resource at his disposal came from Mr. Ye.

His standing in the Green Gang had been given to him by Mr. Ye.

Mr. Ye had introduced him to his job at the Griffin Firm.

Mr. Ye had helped him secure the right to bring his countrymen to the English factories and had paved the way for the whole arrangement.

Even his qualifications to study at the East India Company weren't something he could have obtained on his own. Mr. Ye had pulled strings and called in favors to get him in.

The English devils were so arrogant that, as long as he wore this yellow skin, he'd never be accepted into their inner circles.

Lu Bolin's family had some influence too. They were small-time property owners, but even they didn't qualify to work with foreigners.

That was why Lu Bolin admired Mr. Ye.

Mr. Ye hadn't merely forged ties with the foreigners; he'd even managed to make them give up a share of their profits.

In Lu Bolin's eyes, that was truly incredible.

On this long journey, Lu Bolin had traveled from Puxi City to England, then from England to the banks of the Ganges, and from there had returned by sea through Nanyang. His horizons had broadened at every turn.

The more he learned and the more he saw, the deeper his awe of Mr. Ye became.

He understood all too well that in this troubled age, it was no easy thing to reach Mr. Ye's position.

It was even harder to earn Mr. Ye's support. This might well be the greatest opportunity of his life. If he failed to seize it, he might never get any further...

Thinking of this, Lu Bolin turned and picked up a delicate little earthenware cup from the mountain of gifts.

"Master, I made this cup with my own hands at a great temple on the banks of the Ganges, then fired it myself.

"I heard that if you drink tea from a temple-blessed clay pot, you'll receive the protection of the Ganges deities. It'll sharpen your senses and even boost your energy and spirits!

"On this trip, I tried many local customs and experiences, but none of them were as mysterious as this cup."