Section Seven (Part One)

Lin Feng groaned inwardly, thinking that some scoundrel must be harassing the citizens again. At that moment, a soldier rushed in and hastily bowed, “Reporting to you, sir, someone has filed a complaint!”

Because Lin Feng feared that the original bailiffs might leak information, he had assigned a squad of soldiers to the yamen to act as monitors. This soldier was one of those stationed there.

“Is it those troublemakers causing problems again?” Lin Feng couldn’t help but lose his temper.

“Sir, this time it’s not the brothers breaking military law…” the soldier replied, his expression oddly curious. “It’s… a group of fishermen bringing pirates to see the magistrate…” Seeing Lin Feng’s bewildered look, he added, “Among the pirates, there’s… there’s a red-haired foreigner…”

Who would have thought that our seventeenth-century citizens possessed such awareness, and that international friends were engaging in such a promising enterprise along China’s coast? This was a matter that deserved investigation.

After questioning the fishermen, Lin Feng learned that the two men had been found on the beach that morning. One, with a face full of beard, turned out to be a notorious local pirate, infamous and well-known to many. His bandit name was “Terror of the Seven Seas.” Even in such dire straits, he remained defiant. When someone hesitantly questioned his identity, he admitted it openly and nonchalantly. Naturally, the fishermen didn’t admire his boldness; they immediately brought him here.

Lin Feng, satisfied, returned to his great chair. He was quite pleased with how he had handled the fishermen; after all, more friends meant more paths forward. Who could foresee what would happen in the future? If the Qing army suddenly attacked and there was no time to surrender, wouldn’t this provide an escape route? At the very least, fleeing by boat would surely be more comfortable than scrambling through mountain passes. This hundred taels of silver was well spent!

He dispersed the crowd, closed the gate, and began the interrogation formally. Following tradition, Lin Feng struck the gavel sharply. “Who stands before this court?”

The foreigner looked at him in bewilderment, while the pirate glared and answered rudely, “Your grandfather is Yang Haisheng, the ‘Terror of the Seven Seas.’ You damned official, what do you want?!” His tone was fierce, but his strength was clearly fading.

Seeing Lin Feng’s posture, the foreigner’s expression was also quite peculiar. He muttered, “Perhaps Europe was dark centuries ago, but now it is the most civilized place in the world!”

Lin Feng didn’t waste words. He took his seat and struck the gavel forcefully, shouting, “Illegal entrant, state your name, nationality, and identity!”

The foreigner was startled. “Rick Laschel, from Sweden… retired military officer!”

A retired officer? Lin Feng looked at him in surprise and immediately grew wary. “Mr. Rick, may I ask why you entered our country without permission? I hope you can explain clearly, or you will face the harshest punishment!”