The eighth year of Hongzhi (1495), May, Ming Dynasty, Ningbo Port.
The morning mist dissipated at the port, and in the once bustling Ningbo Port with a thousand sails competing, over forty patrol ships and hundreds of inspection boats gathered at sea, presenting an unprecedented sense of severity. A document from the Ningbo Prefect's yamen was issued with unparalleled efficiency, delivered ten days earlier. Most merchant and civilian ships in Ningbo Port were forcibly ordered to leave the port and dock at nearby small ports and fishing villages.
However, at this moment, the "Great Merchants" of Ningbo sat in the city's highest tea house in elegant seating, sending their subordinates to the port to observe while drinking tea and laughing. Although everyone's faces were composed, their voices still betrayed an unmistakable excitement.
