Chapter 439: This Grudge Must Be Avenged
The immensely learned Liang Shixian immediately activated his deductive mode.
The Heavenly Lord's intentions, the Saintess's thoughts, the situation in Gao Family Village, the intricacies of human nature, and all possible scenarios seemed to branch out endlessly in his mind, like the roots and leaves of the World Tree extending forward.
Then, with a sudden click, it settled on a single conclusion.
The Heavenly Lord was a deity, who would never interfere in the affairs of the mortal world.
It must be the Saintess, fabricating a divine decree! She intended to use the Heavenly Lord's authority to arrange for her childhood friends, the young men from Gao Family Village, to join the imperial army, first to accumulate some military merits, and then later to smoothly secure official positions.
Yes, that had to be it!
Liang Shixian had navigated the official bureaucracy for years; what kind of sordid affairs hadn't he witnessed? The Ming officialdom was rife with schemes, all sorts of unsavory characters engaged in theatrical displays of power, which had long taught him to take such matters in stride.
He had once thought that Gao Family Village would be immune to such things, but now it seemed, alas, human nature, human nature—even the Saintess could not escape its darker aspects.
Liang Shixian sighed deeply. "Very well! I will do as you've instructed."
The Saintess's standing in the Heavenly Lord's eyes was likely akin to Wei Zhongxian's beside Zhu Youxiao; such a person was invincible, and he saw no reason to butt heads with her.
When I next offer incense to the Heavenly Lord, I'll secretly inform him of this matter. But, for such a minor issue, even if I did tell the Heavenly Lord, he wouldn't do anything to the Saintess.
Such is the way of the mortal world.
And the divine realm, too, is likely not much different.
If deities weren't prone to playing favorites, where would all those peculiar monsters in *Journey to the West* have come from?
Liang Shixian composed himself and returned to the yamen, quietly waiting.
That evening, a rider on a swift horse arrived. It was a trusted confidant of Wang Cheng'en, the Grand General of Shaanxi, and his first words were a request to borrow grain.
Liang Shixian was already prepared and remained unperturbed. He merely smiled. "General Wang is an excellent commander. Our Chengcheng County is willing to assist, but... we have a few promising young men in our county who wish to join General Wang's forces to gain battle experience. I wonder if..."
"No problem!" The confidant agreed without a second thought. He understood these worldly customs. If someone helps you solve a major problem, it's only natural for them to try and place a few people under your command to earn military merits. If he didn't agree to that, why would they lend him any grain?
Liang Shixian said, "I will immediately organize civilian laborers to deliver the grain to Han City. I ask General Wang to wait patiently."
The confidant was overjoyed, having not expected to secure the grain loan so quickly. He profusely thanked Liang Shixian, then quickly galloped back to Han City to report.
At the Gao Family Village barracks, Cheng Xu and Wang Er sat across from each other, both masked. They couldn't see each other's faces, though Cheng Xu knew the man opposite was Wang Er, while Wang Er didn't know the other was Cheng Xu.
"The Heavenly Lord said we need to place some of our own people within Wang Cheng'en's army, to gradually, from within, turn the Grand General of Shaanxi into one of ours," Cheng Xu indicated his mask. "I can't go, and you're not really suitable, are you?"
Wang Er nodded. "I can't."
Cheng Xu said, "I've only selected Shi Jian so far. Do you have any good candidates on your side? They need to be brave men who absolutely cannot be corrupted by officialdom. And they must be sharp, eloquent, and capable of inspiring the soldiers with the Heavenly Lord's spirit."
"A riot of colors isn't attractive at all," Wang Er quipped, then lowered his voice. "My subordinate, Bai Mao, could go. He would never be bought off by the officials."
Cheng Xu raised an eyebrow. "Oh? He's been a rebel before, hasn't he? Hasn't he been registered by the authorities?"
Wang Er smiled and shook his head. "Don't worry, he's always been low-key, never did anything noteworthy among the bandit armies, and his real name has always been unknown. Now, leaving from Gao Family Village, no one would know he was once a rebel; they'd only assume he's an upstanding citizen of Gao Family Village."
Cheng Xu declared, "Excellent! Then we'll send Shi Jian and Bai Mao. By the way, what's Bai Mao's real name, exactly?"
Wang Er replied, "Wang Xiaohua."
"*Pfft*!" Cheng Xu choked on his tea. "Such an adorable name? Isn't that a girl's name given to a boy?"
Wang Er spread his hands. "He's quite bothered by it himself, but a name is given by one's parents. You can't exactly defy your parents, can you?"
Li Daoxuan, listening, broke into a cold sweat. Wang Xiaohua! My goodness! That name... thank heavens my parents had normal naming sense.
Hequ County seat, the county yamen.
Oh, no, it should now be called a prince's mansion!
The prince's mansion of Wang Jiayin, the self-proclaimed "Heaven-Defying One-Character King."
Wang Jiayin had just enjoyed a few sips of wine, embracing his wife, Zhang Shi, his eyes glazed over, seemingly on the verge of intimacy.
This Zhang Shi was the sister of Zhang Liwei, who had tried to kill Wang Er earlier.
She was born in Yaomao, the daughter of Zhang Maoxiu, a prominent local gentry.
She had been married to Wang Jiayin for only half a year.
In the sixth month of the third year of Chongzhen, Wang Jiayin led his army to capture Huangfu Fort, pushing his forces into Yaomao. Zhang Maoxiu, facing an overwhelming bandit army, had no choice but to offer his daughter. Zhang Shi was thus forced, against her will, to marry a bandit leader. While the Zhang clan was spared from death, they were all coerced into Wang Jiayin's army.
All of the Zhang family's wealth became Wang Jiayin's military funds. Zhang Shi endured humiliation, using her body to please Wang Jiayin, just to protect her entire family. Her brother, Zhang Liwei, had to feign loyalty and serve as Wang Jiayin's subordinate.
Wang Jiayin, meanwhile, believed his wife deeply admired him.
"My dear consort, I have already proclaimed myself king, and you are now my queen. In a few more years, once I've eliminated that lowly fellow Zhu Youjian and ascended to the throne, you will become the empress."
Zhang Shi could only offer an awkward smile. "Your humble concubine is truly overjoyed."
Wang Jiayin puffed out his chest. "I now command an army of 350,000..."
Just as he was boasting, a confidant rushed in from outside, reporting loudly, "Your Majesty, Bu Zhan Ni requests an audience."
Bu Zhan Ni was a major rebel leader, with a strong and formidable army. Wang Jiayin had to show him some deference, so he waved his hand, saying, "Let him in."
A moment later, Bu Zhan Ni entered, cupped his hands in greeting, and after a few superficial pleasantries, he abruptly shifted the conversation. "Your Majesty, I have come to you today to seek your judgment on a matter."
Wang Jiayin asked, "Oh? What's the trouble?"
Bu Zhan Ni replied, "The Shanxi salt smuggler, Xing Honglang, killed my fifth company commander, Old Zhang Fei. Now that damned salt smuggler is still holed up at the Gudu Ferry. This grudge must be avenged, but according to my subordinates, that fellow has ships, cannons, firearms, and a formidable stronghold, making her quite difficult to deal with. I wish to ask Your Majesty to dispatch a few more companies to help me."
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