, ▁X u ▁Y uan qu an , ▁and ▁He ▁Chen ru i ▁( 何 成 <0xE7> <0x9D> <0xBF> ) ▁gave ▁him ▁le ew ay ▁in ▁operating ▁his ▁op ium ▁emp ire . ▁In ▁fact , ▁the ▁authorities ▁uno fficial ly ▁al lied ▁with ▁op ium ▁deal ers ▁as ▁a ▁means ▁of ▁net ting ▁extra ▁re venue ▁and ▁the ▁drug ▁trade ▁was ▁difficult ▁to ▁cl amp ▁down ▁on . ▁By - and - by ▁the ▁op ium - de aling ▁circle ▁grew ▁in ▁size , ▁largely ▁due ▁to ▁an ▁infl ux ▁of ▁salt ▁mer ch ants , ▁and ▁Z eng ▁was ▁granted ▁the ▁right ▁to ▁leg ally ▁ship ▁op ium ▁by ▁his ▁friends ▁in ▁the ▁government ▁who ▁also ▁inv ested ▁in ▁his ▁fir ms . ▁He ▁was ▁appointed ▁chairman ▁of ▁the ▁" Special ▁Business ▁Association " ▁whose ▁members ▁included ▁drug ▁deal ers ▁and ▁sm ug gl ers ▁from ▁all ▁parts ▁of ▁the ▁world . ▁ ▁At ▁the ▁height , ▁Z eng ▁was ▁taking ▁in ▁more ▁than ▁a ▁hundred ▁thousand ▁y uan ▁from ▁dru gs ▁daily . ▁Z eng ▁would ▁be ▁informed ▁of ▁a ▁tax ▁increase ▁coming ▁his ▁way , ▁and ▁he ▁would ▁then ▁prompt ly ▁ar range ▁for ▁a ▁meet up ▁with ▁members ▁of ▁the ▁S ich uan ▁tre as ury , ▁to ▁present ▁them ▁with ▁g ifts ▁and ▁a ▁prom iss ory ▁note . ▁His ▁wealth ▁enabled ▁him ▁to ▁purchase ▁various ▁plots ▁of ▁far ml and ▁in ▁China . ▁In ▁addition ▁to ▁ow ning ▁a ▁m ega ▁to b acco ▁company ,