Chapter 41: Stepping into the Spotlight
The living room was so silent that you could hear a pin drop...
For the rough men of the Qingsha Gang, though they couldn’t grasp Liu Shen’s talk of short selling or merchant associations and the ways of commerce, they sensed that this young man had something about him...
Ning Hongwu, meanwhile, furrowed his brows, rapping his fingers against the armrest, lost in thought as if pondering the meaning behind Liu Shen’s words.
After bowing and seating himself, Liu Shen picked up his teacup and took a sip to moisten his throat...
With memories from past lives, he knew that merchants forming associations was inevitable in history; for organizations like the Qingsha Gang, relying solely on the so-called ‘protection tax’ in the name of righteousness was not sustainable. The transformation from underworld to commerce was the trend of the times.
Yet, for people limited by their perspective, such ideas were far ahead of their era, so he only mentioned it in passing, not delving deeply...
“Liu Shen, your words are reasonable.”
Ning Hongwu mused for a moment before saying, “But commerce concerns the very foundation of our Qingsha Gang. It’s not a decision I can make alone; it must be discussed further…”
“That’s only right…”
Liu Shen responded unconcernedly, “I merely spoke offhand, a jest, Chief. There’s no need to take it to heart.”
“……”
Seeing Liu Shen’s attitude, Ning Hongwu nodded thoughtfully and looked around, asking, “Besides Liu Shen, does anyone else have an opinion?”
“……”
The mid-level members of the Qingsha Gang exchanged glances, then shook their heads, indicating there was nothing more to say...
“Very well…”
Ning Hongwu stood and said, “On my way here, I sent someone to summon the merchants and laborers from the dock. They should be arriving soon. Since there are no objections, why don’t we all go and show our faces?”
“Let’s go together…”
The group of mid-level Qingsha Gang members followed Ning Hongwu out the door, chatting along the way about specific plans for the dock merchants and laborers.
Outside the dock hall, hundreds stood in a dense crowd, divided sharply into two groups.
The east side was larger, filled with laborers who made their living at the docks;
The west side was smaller, mostly merchants conducting business there.
Those who knew each other whispered, discussing mostly the recent destruction of the Chishui Gang by the Qingsha Gang, and what changes the new control would bring to their livelihoods...
When they saw the group emerging from the hall, both the chatting laborers and the anxious merchants fell silent.
In the crowd of laborers on the east side, Hu Dahai stared wide-eyed at the group exiting the hall as if he’d seen a ghost.
He quickly nudged Shen Hu with his elbow and whispered, “Huzi, look… look… Brother Shen really joined the Qingsha Gang!”
“……”
Shen Hu, craning his neck, caught sight of Liu Shen and said excitedly, “See, I told you! Everyone’s been saying on the docks that that little lackey of Zhang Shichen got slashed five times by Brother Shen. The Qingsha Gang Chief noticed him and made him a hall master!”
Their conversation was overheard, and those who knew Liu Shen chimed in: “I heard Zhang Shichen’s lackey was slashed eight times by Brother Shen?”
“Nonsense, it was eighteen slashes!”
Someone else immediately retorted and shared his own rumor, “I heard Brother Shen studied the Eighteen Dog Butcher Cuts since childhood, and that night Zhang Shichen stumbled right into his hands, hacked to death on the spot!”
“Stop talking nonsense!”
Another scoffed, “My cousin’s brother-in-law’s friend is in the Qingsha Gang. They said that night, Brother Shen minced Zhang Shichen in front of Zhang Wannian, cursing him as he chopped, and Zhang Wannian was so furious he spat blood.”
“My goodness, who knew Brother Shen was so ruthless.”
“I’ve always heard Brother Shen was the most righteous; now he’s really made it.”
“……”
Among the dock laborers, tales of Liu Shen grew ever more wild and exaggerated, even claiming he was a martial arts prodigy who, after just six months of training, killed Zhang Shichen with a single strike, the force of his blade injuring Zhang Wannian as well—stories so absurd they made people laugh.
Anyone with a discerning ear could tell these were tall tales, but the most isolated, least experienced workers truly believed them.
Martial artists generally had keener senses, and the laborers’ debate was hardly discreet.
Liu Shen’s face flushed, his toes curling in embarrassment, wishing he could leap out and declare he wasn’t nearly as impressive as the rumors claimed.
The Qingsha Gang members looked at Liu Shen with strange expressions, most struggling to suppress their laughter...
“Silence.”
Ning Hongwu’s deep voice cut through the noise. “I am Ning Hongwu, the current Chief of the Qingsha Gang. I’m sure you all know that we are now managing the dock’s affairs.”
“……”
The two crowds outside the hall, previously noisy, shrank back, barely daring to breathe upon hearing it was the Qingsha Gang Chief speaking.
For them, the Chief’s presence was more intimidating than any official.
After all, officials at least followed the law, but underworld gangs usually settled matters with their fists...
Ning Hongwu clearly understood this and gave Liu Shen a meaningful glance.
Liu Shen caught on and stepped forward, addressing the dock merchants: “My name is Liu Shen. I grew up here at the docks. Old Li selling buns over there, Uncle Zhang selling fish, you should all know me. I remember some used to call me Brother Shen, some called me Little Shen…”
“A few years have gone by…”
“The Brother Shen of old, Little Shen too, have grown up. Well, and made something of themselves, favored by Chief Ning, now Vice Hall Master of the Qingsha Gang…”
“I know, while the Chishui Gang controlled the docks, they allowed their men to extort all sorts of taxes from the merchants, squeezing the shops every few days.”
“Worse yet, the same tax might be collected by one person today, then again tomorrow by someone else. Everyone could only grumble in silence!”
“Now, the Chishui Gang is gone!”
---
“Our Qingsha Gang has taken over the dock’s affairs, and our principle is to prosper together and share the wealth!”
“Today, I, Liu Shen, boldly state on behalf of Chief Ning: from now on, merchants and shopkeepers at the dock will only pay two types of taxes—the River Transport Tax and Dock Tax. All the old rules of the Chishui Gang—collecting every three or five days—are abolished, replaced by a single monthly collection!”
“I, Liu Shen, and Hall Master Feng will be stationed at the dock hall. If anyone finds Qingsha Gang members collecting extra taxes, you can come to the hall and report it. Once verified, there will be no leniency!”
“……”
Outside the hall, it was so quiet you could hear a pin drop.
An elderly man selling buns tried to speak, but his children stopped him. In the end, he insisted and stepped out from the crowd, trembling as he asked, “Little Shen, can you really keep your word?”
“No need to worry, Uncle Li.”
Liu Shen smiled reassuringly. “A man without integrity cannot stand, a business without trust cannot flourish. Since I dare to make this promise publicly today, I will honor it!”
Beside him, Ning Hongwu nodded, saying, “Liu Shen is now Vice Hall Master of the dock hall; his words and deeds represent the Qingsha Gang and me, Ning Hongwu!”
He looked around, speaking gravely, “This promise is as binding as black ink on white cloth!”
“Good!!”
“Chief Ning is truly righteous!”
The dock merchants felt as if they were in a dream, and when they came to their senses, they all cheered!
In contrast, the laborers on the east side remained silent, though a glimmer of hope could be seen in their expressions.
Liu Shen looked over and smiled, “I’m sure many here know me, Liu Shen. Let me be clear—I’m just a man with one head and two arms, really not as legendary as the rumors say…”
“Hahaha~”
The dock laborers broke into smiles, their worries easing a little.
Liu Shen continued, “A few years ago, during the flood, the Chishui Gang forced us to sign indenture contracts just to get work from the River Transport Guild.”
“Now that the Chishui Gang is gone, those contracts have ended up with the Qingsha Gang. I know not many can afford thirty taels of silver to redeem their freedom, so most don’t care about the contracts anymore.”
“But Chief Ning is considerate!”
“He’s made it clear to me: in the Qingsha Gang, you only need five taels of silver to redeem your contract and restore your status as a free citizen!”
“Just five taels to regain your freedom!”
“Moreover, dock laborers’ monthly wages will rise by one coin, and the dining hall will serve braised pork three times a month. If the dining hall ever skips a serving, you can come to me at the hall!”
“Damn it, I grew up eating from this communal pot. I’ll say this now: if there’s no pork in the dining hall, I’ll catch it myself for you!”
“Hahahaha…”