At night, the inner city was brightly lit, and the architecture along the entire commercial street was highly reminiscent of the Tang Dynasty style. The shops were filled with various goods imported from overseas, including spices such as cloves, cinnamon, and pepper from Southeast Asia, as well as pearls, ivory, rhinoceros horns, conch shells, gold, brassware, rare woods, dried fruits, and seafood. There were also items brought back from even further regions like India, Persia, and the Middle East, including more vibrant but coarsely crafted silk fabrics, rubies and sapphires, gold and silverware, incense, glassware, and luxury perfumes, presenting a dazzling array of exotic goods.
However, one could easily discern that most of the shops along this street were run by the Wa People, the indigenous inhabitants of the outer islands, with only a few displaying the familiar faces of local Yunmeng residents who mainly served as translators or intermediaries for the visiting merchants or sailors from the Southern Sea Asia Nanyang region.
The Wa People bustled about the street, some dressed in magnificent silk robes, adorned with delicate headdresses and elaborate belts, conducting their business in the shops. Others wore long robes made of Indian cotton, wooden clogs on their feet, and held exquisite imported goods to sell along the street. Some carried curved swords as they sought rare commodities in the market or frequented various taverns,Izakaya,and eateries. Everywhere, one could hear them conversing in Wa language with their compatriots or speaking in peculiar tones of Ancient Chinese or the local dialect when trading. If it weren't for the preparedness of individuals like Cheng Mo, one might easily mistake this place for a bustling maritime city where the Wa People had long settled.
Of course, there were still some Yunmeng people adorned in gold and jade. Most of them were busy making purchases, either out of curiosity or as specialized merchants dealing in exotic goods. Along the riverfront, numerous wharves were lined with fishing boats and cargo ships of all sizes, with more vessels visible the closer one got to the sea. It was a bustling scene of people unloading or loading cargo onto ships.
From afar, they could see a massive sailboat moored at the mouth of the river where it met the sea, but Cheng Mo and his companions couldn't get past it. The county yamen of Haifang was located near the sea, and nearly everyone in the vicinity had Wa People's faces. A barrier was set up a hundred meters outside the City government office, and even if one had a pass, Han people were not allowed to approach.
Seeing this, Cheng Mo's group prepared to turn back. Suddenly, there was a loud commotion coming from the direction of the large wooden ship, and everyone looked over. However, what they witnessed nearly made them cough up blood.
An arrogant Wa person was violently assaulting Du Yunhe, who lay sprawled on the ground; two or three officials dressed in Yunmeng official robes stood by, nodding and bowing to the Wa person; a group of young men dressed as roving warriors with long wide curved sword were drinking and laughing uproariously.
Du Yunhe's eldest son had already rushed in under the ship, and when Cheng Mo was about to follow, he was stopped by guards. Just as he was about to charge forward, he was held back by Qiao Ziqiu's hand on his shoulder.
"Don't be impulsive. We outsiders can't go in. It's not safe here. Let's go to the Chamber of Commerce and find some locals to help."
The Cloud Guest Inn on the third floor was where the Haifang City Chamber of Commerce was located, and people were coming and going all the time. Cheng Mo indignantly stormed in and urged everyone to go with them to the inner city to rescue Du Yunhe. Several local merchants stood up first to appease him, instructing their subordinates to go to the scene to assist Du's eldest son. Then, they poured out their grievances to Qiao Ziqiu's group.
Now, there was no need for Cheng Mo and the others to probe any further. The entire Haifang City had no secrets, as the officials in the inner city had long been in cahoots with the Wa people, effectively turning this place into a veritable pirate city. The common people and merchants in the outer city lived every day like slaves, and the existence of the Chamber of Commerce was merely for the Wa people to procure scarce goods from various places in Yunmeng and gather the information they wanted. If anything couldn't be done to their satisfaction, it resulted in physical violence. They had tried many ways to report upwards, but any information that leaked out was filtered by a black network that stretched from the coast all the way to the capital. Those who attempted to send out messages were monitored or even assassinated before they could leave Haifang City. It was as if there were eyes everywhere watching you.
This web, woven for who knows how many years, has ensnared countless people. Invisible and intangible, yet it emits a palpable stench of blood, even deceiving the Lord of Dongbin. Cheng Mo sat silently to the side, listening to everything, his fists clenched tightly, knuckles turning white, teeth almost crushed.
"Duke Du, hurry, Duke Du is back. Help him up, quickly, help him onto the couch." A stack of exclamations came from the doorway as the bruised and battered Du Yunhe was carried in.
"They demand this one moment, and that the next. We're just merchants, not spies. When things don't go their way, they resort to violence. You always shield us from harm, but who knows when it will end?"
"Head Du, you've worked hard. This is all for us. The formulas for biogas and cement are beneficial for the people. I believe they will be published in the North to South Neighborhoods Talk newspaper sooner or later. They're in such a hurry, they won't even listen to our explanations."
The leaders of the Han Businessmen Association continued to self-blame in anguish, gently supporting Du Yunhe as he sat on the couch. Du Yunhe noticed that Qiao Ziqiu and the others were also present, and immediately smiled awkwardly at him, quickly diverting the attention of the association members.
"Thank you all for your concern. I'm fine, just a few external injuries, I'm used to it. It's late now, please go back and rest. As long as we continue to pass on the information, someone will hear us one day." Du Yunhe took a breath and struggled to get up, insisting on seeing off the concerned members of the association.