Chapter 8, Get Out

This day was undoubtedly a bountiful one for the dockworkers controlled by the Twin Sabers Society, as not only were all fees waived, but they also received an additional ten coins in wages. Furthermore, they monopolized the loading and unloading operations of eleven large ocean-going vessels. Although there were also five large cargo ships flying the Qing dragon flag that docked, it so happened that four of these ships were owned by compradors who relied on foreign merchants for their livelihood. Therefore, when the foreign priest boarded the ship to request assistance, the business of these four vessels was entirely seized by the Twin Dragons Society workers, who were able to recite the Bible, leaving only the last cargo ship's business to be taken by dockworkers from other gangs.

Liu Lichuan answered truthfully, then pleaded, "Uncle Shuang, all the gangs in Shanghai are hunting down the brothers of the Shuangdao Society. You must quickly find a way to resolve this matter, otherwise the Shuangdao Society will be finished! Also, you need to find a way to rescue my brothers who have been captured. They are all my close brothers and fellow countrymen from Guangdong. If they are ruined in prison, it would mean that the Shuangdao Society has been severely weakened!"

I know," Wu Chaoyue said with a mournful expression. "But there is nothing I can do. So many foreign priests forcibly dragged me there; I cannot fight them off or drive them away. What can I do?

"What about my grandfather? He didn't come forward?" Wu Chaoyue hurriedly asked

Realizing the situation was dire, Wu Chaoyue did not dare to say much and quickly took his leave from the twenty or so foreign priests and Liu Lichuan to return home. After Liu Lichuan arranged for his capable subordinates to oversee the cleanup work, he personally led many of his reliable enforcers to escort Wu Chaoyue home. Fortunately, nothing happened on the way, and Wu Chaoyue and his group entered the city smoothly. Meanwhile, Liu Lichuan naturally took the opportunity to quietly inform Wu Chaoyue about the current situation during the journey. The Shuangdao Society had already been isolated by other Shanghai gangs, and a violent conflict was likely to occur next. Wu Chaoyue, who had already sensed that something was amiss, could not help but feel a bit anxious upon hearing this—if this matter escalated, it could potentially incite a popular uprising, and once a popular uprising broke out, the situation would undoubtedly become even more difficult to manage.

"Of course, there was intervention," Wu Dasa replied truthfully. "But young master, you also know that the master only has control over the Green Camp, the militia, and customs duties. He cannot manage the security at the docks. Yuan Wuba is stubbornly refusing to release anyone, and the master has no choice but to go to the county office to seek out Yuan Zude again"

Wu Chaoyue certainly noticed that something was amiss. Several times he attempted to have a private conversation with Liu Lichuan, but each time he was intercepted by those exuberant foreign priests, being forced to act as a translator, teaching the new workers to recite the Bible and draw the cross. It was not until the sky began to darken and the city gates were about to close that Wu Chaoyue finally managed to escape and return home. While reluctantly agreeing to come back the next day to help, he hurriedly approached Liu Lichuan and whispered, "Uncle Liu, what happened? Why are most of the dock workers not moving? Don't they want to earn a living?"

Liu Lichuan reluctantly agreed with a frown, allowing his subordinates to carry the gifts prepared by Wu Jianzhang as he set out to personally visit each of the gang leaders. After Liu Lichuan left, Wu Jianzhang immediately dragged his precious grandson to the ancestral tablet, forcing Wu Chaoyue to kneel down. He raised the ruler and shouted, "Speak! What on earth happened? You little rascal, why did you get involved with the foreigners' missionary work?"

"Three brothers have died, and twelve have been injured," Liu Lichuan replied hoarsely. "Moreover, nine have been captured by the county office, and according to inside information, they are suffering greatly in prison. The eight houses of the Double Knife Society outside the city have also been burned down"

"It is nothing, just fulfill the courtesy first; whether they accept it or not is up to them. If they refuse, we will discuss their refusal later." Wu Jianzhang replied with a face as dark as water, and added, "Also, tell your people to be more cautious these days, and report your losses from today; I will double the compensation for you!"

Having said that, Wu Jianzhang slammed the ruler onto the ground and stormed out in anger, leaving Wu Chaoyue alone in front of the ancestral tablet, rubbing his backside. At the same time, Wu Chaoyue could not help but feel even more anxious, secretly thinking: "This is troublesome; it seems this matter has truly escalated. Yuan Zude and our Wu family have had grievances in the past, and if he insists on pursuing this, both Old Wu and I are likely to face misfortune"

"It is still because of the terrible ideas you come up with!" Wu Jianzhang rarely showed genuine anger towards his precious grandson, striking faster and harder with the ruler, roaring, "If you don't give the foreigners bad ideas, would they come to pressure you? You little beast, don't you feel uncomfortable all over if you don't cause trouble for three days? Little beast, one day I will surely be driven to my death by you, one day I will surely be driven to my death!"

Knowing that he had made a mistake this time, Wu Chaoyue did not dare to plead innocence or beg for mercy, and obediently endured the punishment. Wu Jianzhang, on the other hand, thoroughly punished his precious grandson with twenty to thirty strikes of the ruler before finally stopping. After panting heavily for a long time, he then shouted, "Go back to sleep! From now on, unless I give my nod, you are not allowed to step out of the door!"

After returning home with a sense of trepidation, it was quite rare that Wu Jianzhang did not greet Wu Chaoyue with a ruler upon their first meeting. Instead, he immediately instructed his servants to bring out some gift boxes to hand over to Liu Lichuan, commanding, "We will discuss other matters later. For now, according to the names on the gift boxes, deliver them one by one. Inform the other gang members that today’s events were entirely due to those foreigners. You did not intend to monopolize the situation. If their workers wish to recite the Bible with the foreign priest tomorrow, the distribution will still follow the old rules."

......

There was no other way; Wu Chaoyue could only recount the events truthfully. As a result, upon hearing this, Wu Jianzhang groaned in despair. The ruler fell upon Wu Chaoyue's backside like a rain of blows, accompanied by continuous shouts of anger, "Are you crazy or foolish? Do you not realize how much scorn and resentment this will attract? Assisting foreign devils in spreading their teachings and inciting them to control the loading and unloading business at the docks—do you have any idea how many people you will offend? How much trouble you will bring upon me? You know that both your Uncle Ayuan and I are from Guangdong. In Shanghai, a strong dragon cannot suppress a local snake; we cannot afford to provoke so many Shanghai gangs, let alone all the gangs in Shanghai!"

Wu Chaoyue quickly agreed, but Wu Jianzhang shouted again, demanding that the butler immediately prepare the carriage and horses for his journey, as well as a substantial gift. Wu Chaoyue, upon hearing this, couldn't help but feel puzzled and hurriedly rubbed his backside, asking, "Grandfather, it's so late, where are you going?"

Seeing the comprador grandfather truly lose his temper, and witnessing the furious expressions of Liu Lichuan and other members of the Shuangdao Society, Wu Chaoyue's face turned pale as he realized he had caused a great disaster. He quickly slipped out of the backyard, leaving the comprador grandfather and Liu Lichuan to continue their secret discussion. Fortunately, the subsequent events had nothing to do with Wu Chaoyue, and Wu Jianzhang did not come to reprimand him. Thus, despite being on edge for an entire night, Wu Chaoyue managed to get through this difficult night unscathed

"Go see Yuan Zude! Go wipe the bottom of this little ancestor!" Wu Jianzhang shouted, his face filled with frustration at the lack of progress, roaring, "If you are slow, he might have already sent the memorial to impeach me to Governor Yang Wending! You, this little ancestor, helping the foreigners spread their religion, not only provided him with grounds to impeach me, but also snatched away the business of the Bird Party docks that he secretly controlled. How could he not impeach me? How could he not take the opportunity to deal with me? How could I not hurry to say a few good words and wipe this bottom for you?"

Surviving a night does not mean it is over. Wu Chaoyue soon realized that for him, it seemed to have just begun—because on the morning of the third day, while he was still drowsy after two sleepless nights, his lackey Wu Dasai rushed up to him and whispered, "Young Master Sun, there’s been another incident. Those foreign priests are looking for you again, wanting to know why the dockworkers who learned the Bible a couple of days ago have all disappeared. They want you to meet with them immediately"

Liu Lichuan became anxious upon hearing this and quickly reiterated the importance of his close brothers. Wu Chaoyue could not help but interject, saying: "Grandfather..."

Wu Jianzhang's expression was unusually grim as he quickly asked, "What is the current extent of the losses?"

Due to worry and guilt, Wu Chaoyue did not dare to return to his room that night to tease the beautiful maidservant, instead waiting in the room for Wu Jianzhang to return and provide updates. However, Wu Jianzhang did not come back all night. It was not until the morning that Wu Dasai, who had gone out to gather news for Wu Chaoyue, rushed back. Upon meeting, he said, "Young Master Sun, it has become lively over at the dock. Those foreign priests are not only forcing the workers of the Double Knife Society to continue studying the Bible, but they are also dragging the drivers and porters of the Double Knife Society to study the Bible as well. Otherwise, they won't give them the opportunity to transport foreign goods. Now, all the foreign ships docked at the port are being assisted by those foreign priests, refusing to give any business opportunities to other workers."

The small Fujian gang led by that person has also taken action, and the people from the Kingdom of Chu have intervened. The number of people from the Kingdom of Chu is already much greater than ours, and with the underhanded tactics of the small Fujian gang, we are outnumbered and can only passively endure the attacks

Upon hearing this response, Wu Jianzhang's expression darkened further, and he asked, "Who took the lead? Did the people from Wang Guochu take action?"

"Young Master, who would dare to stop the foreigners?" Wu Dasei said with a bitter smile, "I heard that Brother Ayuan did step in once, trying to prevent those workers and carters from causing trouble, but those foreigners refused to comply, insisting on proceeding as they wished. They even said they would come looking for you again. Brother Ayuan was left with no choice but to go to the customs office to discuss the matter with the master."

The leader of the Shuangdao Society, Liu Lichuan, who is not the most powerful among the gang forces in Shanghai, experiences both pain and joy. The joy comes from the fact that the dock workers he controls benefit immensely, expressing their gratitude towards him. Additionally, countless workers not under the control of any gang are eager to join the Shuangdao Society, willingly offering Liu Lichuan a share of their earnings for exploitation, significantly enhancing the overall strength of the Shuangdao Society. The pain, however, is felt by the dock workers controlled by other gangs, whose eyes are filled with rage and murderous intent. Even when Liu Lichuan actively sends people to invite these workers to take on jobs, none of the dock workers, who have previously received warnings from their gangs, dare to accept; they all lower their heads in silence. The enforcers from other gangs monitoring them wear increasingly grim expressions, their gazes filled with resentment and malice.

Liu Lichuan's injuries are quite severe; he has a deep cut on his forehead, exposing white bone. Upon seeing Wu Jianzhang and Wu Chaoyue, the grandfather and grandson, he screamed in despair, "Uncle Shuang, this time we are in big trouble. All the gangs in Shanghai are attacking us! Our Double Knife Society's main hall has been burned down! If I hadn't run fast just now, I would have lost my life out there"

"Let's talk about it when we get back," Liu Lichuan said with a worried expression. "Your grandfather has already sent someone to ask me to bring you back for a discussion, and he also instructed me to pay attention to your safety. Little ancestor, you really went too far this time"

Liu Lichuan nodded in agreement, but with some concern asked, "But Uncle Shuang (Wu Jianzhang, nicknamed Wu A-Shuang), what if they refuse? It would be one thing for others, but Wang Guochu and Xiao Fujian are not so easy to deal with, especially that Xiao Fujian, raised by a dog mother."

"Why won't they just stop?" Wu Chaoyue lamented, cursing, "These foreign devils really want to drive me to my death!"

Upon hearing this, Wu Chaoyue could only let Wu Dasai send more people to inquire about the news at the dock and understand the specific situation. However, by evening, Wu Dasai brought even worse news. As soon as he entered, he cried out, "Young Master Sun, something terrible has happened! There was a fight at the dock; workers from other gangs are attacking the workers of the Shuangdao Society, and it's a bloody scene everywhere! Yuan Wubai, that son of a dog, has also brought the constables and is specifically targeting our Shuangdao Society members, deliberately shielding the other gangs. Our Shuangdao Society has already suffered significant losses!"

"Shut up!" Wu Jianzhang suddenly shouted, for the first time in his life truly angry at his only precious grandson, roaring, "Get out! You have no place to speak here!"

Wu Jianzhang's expression was so dark that it seemed to drip with water, and he said in a low voice: "I have no authority to interfere in local affairs. Yuan Zude, that son of a dog, is not giving any face and is deliberately arresting your people. Trying to save them will likely be very troublesome"

"So no one stopped it?" Wu Chaoyue was taken aback upon hearing this

Upon hearing this, Wu Chaoyue, besides rubbing his still slightly swollen backside in distress, truly found himself at a complete loss. However, what left Wu Chaoyue feeling terrified was yet to come. After waiting for the sky to turn completely dark, when Wu Jianzhang finally returned home, before the two of them could exchange a single word, Liu Lichuan, injured and accompanied by several bloodied members of the Shuangdao Society, entered the Wu residence through the back door. Wu Jianzhang was alarmed upon receiving the report and, disregarding the need to reprimand his grandson, hurried to the backyard to assess the situation. Knowing that this was undoubtedly caused by his own misdeeds, Wu Chaoyue felt utterly helpless and could only hasten to the backyard to understand the situation firsthand.