Chapter 1093: Things Escalated
The moment the eunuch uttered those words.
Zhuge Wangchan’s smile grew even more unsettling, a cryptic sneer clearly learned from the Heavenly Lord himself.
The Heavenly Lord’s eerie, almost plastic smile, the kind that evoked an uncanny valley effect, was now a popular imitation among the people of Gao Family Village, specifically reserved for situations just like this.
However, it was genuinely difficult for ordinary human faces to achieve that silicone-like quality. Many practiced diligently to master the art of a cold, insincere smile, often ending up with facial muscle spasms.
Zhuge Wangchan chuckled sardonically, “This tax, it wasn’t just concocted on the spur of the moment, was it?”
The eunuch scoffed, “What nonsense are you spouting? This is a tax item carefully considered and long-established by Prince Rui’s Estate.”
Zhuge Wangchan calmly retorted, “No tax item can be privately instituted. It must be reported to the imperial court, approved by the Ministry of Revenue, and officially sanctioned by officials before it can be collected. Take the Liaodong tax, for example; many officials argued fiercely before that even got approved. I wonder when the Ministry of Revenue approved this ‘goods turnover tax’ for Prince Rui’s Estate? Do you happen to have the official document for me to inspect?”
The eunuch froze instantly.
He hadn’t expected a mere freight carrier to be so well-informed.
The eunuch huffed, “Of course, Prince Rui’s Estate has the official document. But what standing do you have to demand a Ministry of Revenue document? Today, I simply won’t show it to you. You’ll still pay the tax obediently.”
Zhuge Wangchan replied, “If there’s an official document, I’ll pay the tax obediently. If not... then I’m afraid you won’t get a single grain of flour from us.”
The eunuch seethed.
Zhuge Wangchan, however, remained unfazed, simply continuing his sardonic smile.
Nearby, Zhu Cunji and Zhu Yujian exchanged glances, both thinking the same thing: “This Prince Rui is an utter fool. You want to fleece Gao Family Village’s transport team? There has to be a limit to your greed!”
“Now you’re definitely going to get a good thrashing!”
Zhu Cunji muttered, “Should we step in and stop Zhu Changhao?”
Zhu Yujian replied, “We can’t reveal our identities. Without proper standing, how could we stop him?”
Zhu Cunji thought for a moment. “You’re right! If we don’t reveal our identities, Zhu Changhao won’t pay us any mind. But revealing ourselves would be utterly foolish.”
Zhu Yujian shrugged. “Let him be. If that rascal Zhu Changhao wants to court death, let him. Greedy, grasping men like him deserve a good lesson. Let the Heavenly Lord give him a thorough thrashing; we’ll see if he still dares to be so avaricious then.”
Zhu Cunji glanced at the rudimentary train station. “Actually, I’d like to thrash him myself. That fellow is excessively obsessed with money. He’s swimming in cash, yet he can’t even be bothered to properly develop a train station.”
The two stood on the sidelines, watching the spectacle unfold.
They didn’t move, and naturally, the Prince of Qin’s personal guards also remained still, all standing behind the two, observing the show.
Meanwhile, Zhuge Wangchan’s blatant “I’m not paying this tax” stance finally enraged Prince Rui’s eunuch. The eunuch waved his hand and commanded, “Lads, go and seize the goods!”
The moment he gave the order, Zhu Cunji let out an audible snort of laughter.
Zhu Yujian inquired, “What’s so funny?”
Zhu Cunji chuckled, “Back then, when my men tried to seize Gao Family Village’s celestial fertilizer, they acted exactly like this. I lost miserably, paying a whopping fifty thousand taels! Fifty thousand taels was a painful sum even for me, the foremost prince of the realm. For a miser like Prince Rui, wouldn’t losing this be worse than death itself?”
Zhu Yujian countered, “I, however, believe the nature of what you two tried to seize is different.”
Zhu Cunji asked, “How so?”
Zhu Yujian explained, “You were attempting to seize imperial goods brought by Wu Shen and Shi Kefa at the time, which wasn’t entirely malicious in nature. Zhu Changhao, on the other hand, is trying to confiscate relief supplies donated by gentry to the common people. His actions are far more reprehensible than yours. If both matters landed on my desk, you would receive a light punishment. Zhu Changhao, however, would face swift and severe retribution.”
The instant his words faded, Prince Rui’s guards advanced.
The lead guard reached out to shove Zhuge Wangchan.
His shove was casual, born from the certainty that no one had ever dared to resist in such a situation before.
But what had never happened before didn’t mean it never would again.
Zhuge Wangchan’s hands moved with practiced precision. Employing a military grappling technique nicknamed “Ghost-God Boxing,” he snapped a hold onto the guard’s wrist with a sharp *crack*.
The guard blinked.
Before a question could even form in his mind, Zhuge Wangchan twisted, hoisted him up, and, like swinging a large sack, slammed him heavily onto the ground.
The guard, clad in armor weighing dozens of catties – making him nearly two hundred *jin* with his own body weight – was effortlessly swung by Zhuge Wangchan and brought down with a resounding *thud* that echoed throughout the entire train station.
“Whoa! They’re rebelling!” Prince Rui’s guards yelled, their voices rising in alarm. “How dare you!”
A swarm of guards charged forward in unison.
But Zhuge Wangchan wasn’t a lone commander; he’d brought an entire logistics battalion with him. Five hundred men, by sheer numbers, outnumbered Prince Rui’s personal guard units. And those guard units hadn’t even arrived yet; it was just a few dozen of his regular retainers.
They were a rank below the main guards anyway.
The outcome of such a fight was never in doubt.
The logistics soldiers quickly set down the cargo they were moving, rolled up their sleeves, and plunged into the fray.
In an instant, Prince Rui’s guards were thrown to the ground and thoroughly trounced by the logistics soldiers, their bodies practically sliding across the polished floor.
The entire train station erupted into chaos.
The common folk retreated to a safe distance, then settled in to watch the unfolding drama.
This was a train station, a place of high traffic, unlike a typical village where residents seldom ventured beyond ten *li* and were narrow-minded. People here, to some degree, had seen a bit of the world; many had at least made a round trip to Xi’an.
Many knew what Xi’an was, and many also understood what a “militia” meant. The moment they saw Prince Rui clashing with the militia, they knew a great spectacle was at hand and eagerly became the militia’s cheerleaders.
Only a few people from Hanzhong, who hadn’t visited Xi’an, still worried for the militia. Someone whispered, “Fighting Prince Rui’s men feels great, but afterward, they’re surely going to be beheaded! Sigh!”
Prince Rui, surrounded by a cluster of eunuchs, hastily retreated in disarray. “Rebellion! This is utter rebellion! Someone’s revolting! Quick, summon the guards! Fetch the Hanzhong Prefect! Get the Hanzhong Regional Commander!”
Zhuge Wangchan grinned, adding playfully, “And quickly summon the Tathagata Buddha!”
The gathered crowd, never one to shy away from stirring up trouble, enthusiastically echoed, “Quickly summon the Tathagata Buddha!”
“Hahahaha!”
Zhu Cunji mused, “Things have truly escalated! If the Prefect gets involved, this matter will surely reach the imperial court.”
Zhu Yujian, too, furrowed his brow.
In short order, Prince Rui’s people fled the station, their destination unknown.
The logistics soldiers, meanwhile, redoubled their efforts, continuing to unload the grain from the train, basket by basket.
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