diymy Chapter 50 Golden Minutes
Chapter 50 Golden Minutes
The following afternoon, Andrew Gage abandoned his own carriage and rode alone to the destination.
When he entered Li Wei's study, he even carried a touch of the languidness of someone strolling in the countryside.
"Li, the wine you brought is very good, my uncle likes it very much." Andrew casually tossed the riding crop next to the sofa, then sat down on it, sinking into it.
Li Wei poured him a cup of Oriental Refreshing Tea and sat down on the sofa just as casually.
"Oh? This time it's not that strong liquor like 'Jade Dew'?" Andrew yawned, covering his mouth with the back of his hand, but there was no trace of sleepiness in his blue eyes.
"In business, sometimes you need strong liquor to break the deadlock, and sometimes you need tea to clear your head."
"But your note is much stronger than the taste of wine."
"So, does that mean besides selling tea, I can also sell notepads from now on?"
"Li, this idea was mine, so you'd better give me a share of the profits!"
"Alright! Andrew! I've heard some rumors about the shipping market lately. Apparently, there's a shipment that might disrupt the current supply and demand balance. This disruption will be a disaster for some, but a rare opportunity for others who are prepared."
Andrew lowered his hand and sat up straighter. He understood the hidden message behind Levi's set of business jargon.
"What opportunity?"
"An opportunity for the Governor's Office to demonstrate its resolve to maintain order. An opportunity for certain diligent officials to receive praise commensurate with their abilities," Li Wei said calmly.
"Through my... let's call it business channels, I've discovered that there might be an officer using imperial assets to run his own private business. But I'm just a businessman; I have no evidence, only some unsubstantiated rumors."
Andrew didn't speak, but looked at Levi with great interest, waiting for him to continue.
"It's said that the Sea Serpent will arrive in Boston Harbor tonight. And my sources tell me that a less-than-honorable deal may take place in the second warehouse of the third pier."
"I heard there's a tavern called 'Mermaid's Kiss' near the North Wharf, where sailors always cause trouble. If the city patrol happens to be there dealing with a fight at 8 p.m. tonight, they might stumble upon something even more interesting on the way."
"For example, some goods and people that shouldn't have been there were found near the second warehouse at the third pier."
Livy made no mention of Marcus's name, nor of the smoothbore musket.
He simply provided a time and place, and a perfect excuse.
For a decadent nobleman like Andrew, what he needed was not money or status, but the thrill of escaping boredom.
"A fight..." Andrew savored the word, a sickly blush rising on his pale face, but his eyes grew even clearer.
"I happen to know a few captains who like to drink at 'Mermaid's Kiss.' I think they'll be happy to 'happily' pass by the third pier tonight."
He stood up, picked up his riding whip, gently patted the dust off his riding boots, and drank the refreshing tea on the table in one gulp.
"Li, your friend is more interesting than any poker game in Boston."
Li Wei knew that with those words, Andrew was already on his side.
……
As for his contact with the "Sons of Liberty," Livy used a more covert method.
After Andrew left, Li Wei quietly finished his slightly cooled cup of Oriental Refreshing Tea before walking to the window and looking at the "Sea Serpent" slowly entering the harbor in the distance.
For some reason, he suddenly felt that everything that was about to happen that night had a touch of dark humor.
"Sea Serpent, Sea Dragon, the dragon has the snake in its grasp, how interesting!"
Levi had one of Finn's inconspicuous dockworkers throw a crumpled roll of hemp rope next to a trash can in the back alley of the Green Dragon Tavern.
Soon, Samuel's men, upon seeing the black kite beneath the clock tower of the Old South Conference Hall, indeed retrieved the rope at the agreed time.
After untying the hemp rope, a piece of paper wrapped in oiled paper was found inside the rope core.
The handwriting on the note was messy, and the information was incomplete.
"British traitor, Sea Serpent. Tonight at 8 PM, Third Pier, Second Warehouse. Black market transaction, goods unknown."
The signature is a simple "L".
The news caused a huge uproar among the core members of the "Sons of Liberty".
They gathered in the basement of a printing shop, the atmosphere heavy.
One of the radical leaders, silversmith Paul Revel, slammed his fist on the table. "That orientalist just got a bribe from the governor's mansion, and now he's sending us intelligence? He wants to lure us out so the lobster soldiers can wipe us out!"
"But what if it's true? We know very well what the 'Sea Serpent' is carrying. If there really are traitors selling weapons, we must get our hands on them. This batch of guns can arm another company of militia!"
"Moreover, the intelligence from last time did indeed save our printing press and more than a dozen comrades. Some of his intelligence was true and some was false, but the true intelligence was of great value. We cannot give up just because there are risks."
The blacksmith Silas's rebuttals were equally fierce.
Samuel stood in the middle of the crowd, feeling immense pressure.
Li Wei is like a double-edged sword without a hilt; every time he uses it, he may hurt himself.
"By the way, gentlemen, the note Levi handed over also said that he only wants 20% of the 'transaction amount' as payment after the deal is done," Samuel added.
This condition, ironically, made some people lower their guard.
A pure idealist is terrifying because you don't know what he wants.
But a speculator who sets clear prices is actually easier to deal with.
"Twenty percent? He's got quite the appetite!" Paul Revere scoffed.
"If the deal involves a batch of new smoothbore muskets, then we can afford that 20%. We can't delay any longer; our soldiers can't keep fighting lobster soldiers with just shotguns," Silas declared decisively.
Samuel watched the argument gradually subside, but he felt no relief whatsoever.
Once again, he staked the fate of the organization on the schemes of that Eastern businessman.
As night slowly falls on Boston, an invisible net, centered on Oak Bay Estate, quietly covers the entire city.
Finn did not appear at the dock, but instead appeared at the foot of the bell tower of the Old North Church.
He found the old man, Abel, who was responsible for ringing the bell every day.
Abel's granddaughter has a lung disease and needs medication, requiring five shillings a month.
Finn didn't say much, but simply stuffed a money bag containing ten shillings into the old man's calloused hands.
"Abel, you had a few too many drinks tonight, so your hands weren't strong enough to strike the eight o'clock bell, and you were ten minutes late. Do you understand?"
The old man squeezed the thickness of the money bag, a struggle flashing in his cloudy eyes. He wanted to ask why, but in the end he nodded.
"Finn, tonight my clock will be the most accurate in all of Boston. It will strike at 8:10 sharp."
These ten minutes are the golden time that Livy left for the "Sons of Liberty".