Moma Liangshan

Chapter 40 Returning to Liangshan, Heading South to Mingzhou

Inside the Eight Immortals Wine Shop, the statue of Chang'e rested steadily on a pre-built stone platform. Wang Hao approached the eunuch and placed a ten-tael gold ingot into his hand. The eunuch took the ingot, his face full of flattery, and said, "Young master, what is this for? This servant is merely acting on orders. In the future, I will need your help in many ways!" Wang Hao said, "You have traveled hundreds of miles and worked hard for many days. This is just a small token of my appreciation; please do not refuse!" The eunuch put away the gold and said, "This servant is an imperial official and cannot stay away for long. I will return to Dongjing now." Wang Hao said, "Xiao Fanlou in Yuncheng County has exquisite dishes. Would you like to try them, sir?" The eunuch shook his head and said, "Imperial officials have their own rules. I appreciate your kindness, young master, but I will take my leave now!" Wang Hao did not stand on ceremony and said, "Take care, sir!" After saying this, he gestured to Zhu Gui and gave each of the guards a ten-tael silver ingot.

After seeing the eunuch off, Wang Hao said, "Magistrate, Chief Clerk Chao, and Clerk Song, it's been so long since we last met! How about I treat you all to a good drink at Xiao Fan Lou?" Chao Gai replied, "A good drink is nice, but why must we go to the county town? Young Master Wang, Magistrate, Clerk Song, and all my brothers in the yamen, now that you've come to Dongxi Village, it's only right that I, Chao Gai, host you all!" Knowing Chao Gai's hospitality, Wang Hao said, "Chief Clerk Chao's hospitality is too much to refuse. How about we drink to our hearts' content right here in Dongxi Village?" Wang Hao spoke, and the Magistrate... Not daring to refuse, he hurriedly said, "There are more than thirty people in the yamen, most of whom are soldiers. I'm afraid they might be trying to curry favor with the local authorities." Chao Gai laughed and said, "Your Excellency, you may not know, but Commander Lei and Commander Zhu are old acquaintances of mine. We even call each other brothers in private." The magistrate was surprised and asked, "Lei Heng and Zhu Tong, is that so?" At this moment, a man stepped forward. He was eight feet four or five inches tall, with a tiger-like beard one foot and five inches long. His face was like a red date, and his eyes were bright as stars. He resembled Guan Yu. This was Zhu Tong, the cavalry commander of Yuncheng County. Zhu Tong said, "My brothers and I have received Chao Baozheng's great assistance many times in searching for thieves, which is why we have lived up to Your Excellency's expectations!" The magistrate nodded. Another man, seven feet five inches tall, with a purplish-brown face, a fan-shaped beard, and thick limbs, stepped forward and said, "I have also received assistance from Chief Chao many times, which is why I was able to complete the mission on time!" This man was Lei Heng, the infantry captain of Yuncheng County.

Seeing this, the magistrate of Yuncheng County looked at Wang Hao and said, "What do you think, young master?" Wang Hao replied, "Let's have Chao Baozheng host!" The magistrate then looked at Chao Gai and said, "Would the brothers of Yuncheng County stay at Chao Baozheng's estate for a chat?" Chao Gai was very pleased and said, "Thank you all for your hospitality. I will go and make the arrangements immediately." At this moment, Song Jiang said, "Feeding dozens of people is quite a hassle. I will go with Chao Baozheng." The magistrate nodded and said, "That's excellent!" After Song Jiang and Chao Gai left, Wang Hao and the magistrate of Yuncheng County went to the statue of Chang'e to pay their respects. The magistrate said, "I've heard that Young Master Wang will soon be heading south to Laoshan to govern Jiaozhou?" Wang Hao smiled and said, "It's just being the magistrate of a small county; what's this talk of governing?" The magistrate said, "The imperial court has already issued a report stating that Yuncheng County is not under the jurisdiction of the Three Departments and Six Ministries, and will be fully under your authority. You can report directly to the Emperor on all matters." Wang Hao nodded and said, "The court wants to reopen the Jiaozhou Maritime Trade Office and restore maritime affairs in the north, but the national treasury is empty and cannot allocate any extra funds, so this task has been given to me. Laoshan and Jiaozhou Bay are neither strategically important nor have fertile land; to this day, they remain a heavy burden on Mi and Lai prefectures. In this impoverished and rugged land, with its warlike and aggressive people, how can we accomplish the tasks entrusted to us by the Emperor if we don't have the authority to act expediently?" The magistrate suddenly understood and said, "So, Laoshan County is not under the jurisdiction of the Three Departments and Six Ministries..." "Is this the condition you offered yourself, young master?" Wang Hao nodded and said, "That's right, but it's a last resort!" The magistrate of Yuncheng County said with envy, "Although the magistrate of Laoshan County is only a seventh-rank official, you have the authority to guard a region. I admire you!" Wang Hao said, "Magistrate, have you ever considered that I, a mere seventh-rank magistrate, have to fulfill the duties of a third-rank official? If this task were given to you, would you dare to accept it?" The magistrate of Yuncheng County pondered for a moment and said repeatedly, "I dare not! I dare not!" Wang Hao looked at the statue and said, "When I entered Dongjing, the world only saw my imperial favor and boundless glory, but how many people know that I traveled thousands of miles and suffered sleepless nights?" The magistrate of Yuncheng County was speechless and could only flatter him, "Extraordinary people do extraordinary things. We ordinary people cannot understand extraordinary things!" Wang Hao smiled and said nothing more.

At midday, Wang Hao ordered thirty jars of Eight Immortals Wine to be delivered to Chao Gai's manor for a banquet. Chao Gai slaughtered a pig and ten chickens, and also bought an extra thirty catties of beef. Seeing the banquet hall full of guests, he said, "It is an honor for Young Master Wang that you all have come to Dongxi Village as guests! It is a great honor for Chao Gai to be able to entertain you gentlemen and heroes! Let us toast Young Master Wang with this fine Eight Immortals Wine!" Everyone looked at Wang Hao and raised their cups. Wang Hao picked up his cup and said, "We are all officials of the court, all citizens of the Song Dynasty, we drink from the same Yellow River, and we eat from the same bowl. We are colleagues, neighbors, friends, and brothers. Cheers!" Everyone drank it all in one gulp. The magistrate said, "Young Master Wang shares the Emperor's burdens and performs meritorious service for the court, serving as a model for us all! I offer you a cup to express my admiration!" Wang Hao raised his cup and said, "No matter how noble or lowly one's duties, they differ. Your Excellency governs the heartland for the court, while I, Wang Hao, expand the imperial borders. We are interdependent, supporting each other from north to south!" The two drank together. Song Jiang raised his cup, looked at the magistrate, and said, "I, Song Jiang, borrow the position of Magistrate Chao and the wine of Young Master Wang, to toast you two gentlemen and all my brothers!" Chao Gai raised his cup first, followed by Zhu Tong, Lei Heng, and many soldiers. Wang Hao and the magistrate smiled at each other and raised their cups, and dozens of people drank it all in one gulp.

After the banquet, Wang Hao returned to Liangshan Marsh without lingering. In Wang Lun's courtyard, Wang Hao greeted him, "Greetings, Father!" Wang Lun nodded and asked, "Has the matter of Laoshan been settled?" Wang Hao replied, "The remaining matters of Laoshan have been arranged by the court. The Li family of Fanlou has already sent a manager to the winery in Yuncheng County. Within three days, Zhu Gui, the three Ruan brothers, and I intend to take 100,000 strings of cash as birthday gifts south to Mingzhou." Wang Lun said, "The winery is our family's foundation. Is it not prudent to let the Li family of the capital interfere?" Wang Hao shook his head and said, "As an official in the court, I cannot focus solely on running the winery. Although Zhu Gui has business acumen, he is ultimately from a bandit background and cannot be considered a member of a prestigious family. Laoshan has abundant springs and good water, making it an ideal place for brewing wine. Moreover, the Emperor has given us at least fifteen years. At the end of this year, I intend to sell the winery's shares again in Tokyo." Wang Lun was surprised and said, "You can..." "Are you going to abandon our family's livelihood?" Wang Hao replied, "Eight Immortals Wine can become famous in the capital within six months, and even throughout the world within two years. But what about after three years? The core process of Eight Immortals Wine isn't particularly complex; there are many in the world who can see through imitations. If we don't plan ahead and unite with prominent families across the country to monopolize the production, transportation, and sales of distilled spirits, and instead only focus on monopolizing it, we will surely suffer losses and regret it!" Wang Lun pondered for a long time, then slowly said, "I am not like you, only concerned with the pleasures of my small family, incapable of undertaking great undertakings!" Wang Hao said, "Cultivating oneself, managing one's family, governing the state, and bringing peace to the world—without the foundation laid by Father, it is futile for me to have goals but not be able to put them into action." Wang Lun smiled slightly and said, "I am truly getting old; now I need your guidance."

Wang Hao pondered for a moment and asked, "Did you successfully seize all of Liang Zhongshu's birthday gifts?" Wang Lun replied, "All of them. One of Liang Zhongshu's stewards surrendered to us under our coercion and enticement; there's a Baozhu Temple on Erlong Mountain outside Daming Prefecture. The original monks there left the temple and became bandits, causing havoc in the village. They were wiped out by Lu Zhishen and the three Ruan brothers. Now, Lu Zhishen and several dozen of our men have occupied the temple as backup." Wang Hao, as expected, said, "Father's arrangements are meticulous." "My son is admirable!" Wang Lun said, "Of the 100,000 strings of cash for the birthday tribute, there are 1,000 taels of gold, 10,000 taels of silver, 50,000 strings of jewels, 3,000 bolts of silk, 3,000 bolts of fine silk, and several hundred furs. All of it is stored in the silver vault on the mountain." Wang Hao pondered for a moment and said, "The gold, jewels, and cloth will go south to Mingzhou with me, while the 10,000 taels of silver will remain at Liangshan for future use." Wang Lun said, "The 10,000 taels of silver are all official silver ingots of fifty taels each; it's probably not advisable to leave them in the short term." "Circulation around Tokyo City." Wang Hao nodded and said, "Does Liang Zhongshu know about the theft of the birthday gifts?" Wang Lun replied, "According to news from Daming Prefecture, Liang Zhongshu has secretly dispatched many people to investigate in secret. All the soldiers responsible for escorting the gifts have been imprisoned." Wang Hao asked, "Is the steward in Liang Zhongshu's mansion who defected to us among those imprisoned?" Wang Lun said, "Although he is the main culprit, he has not been sent to prison, but is being held in Liang Zhongshu's mansion." Wang Hao frowned slightly and said, "Father, do you know why?" Wang Lun said, "According to Ma Decao's letter, Liang Chun violated the family rules, so Liang Zhongshu personally imprisoned him in the mansion for interrogation." Wang Hao asked, "Does Liang Chun know our background?" Wang Lun replied, "Not at the moment." Wang Hao was relieved and said, "In that case, we should be 70% confident that this matter will be dropped." Wang Lun nodded and said, "I also believe that Liang Zhongshu will ultimately be helpless in this matter!"

Wang Hao said, "My son has already reported his trip to Mingzhou to the Emperor. Even if Cai Jing suspects we are the masterminds, he can't find any evidence. Besides, the 100,000 strings of cash for the birthday gifts are all the people's hard-earned money, so there's no way we can argue with the Emperor." Wang Lun said, "The journey to Mingzhou is long, and you're carrying a huge amount of wealth. You're bound to attract the attention of bandits, so you should take extra precautions!" Wang Hao nodded and said, "Yang Zhi and the three Ruan brothers will come with me, and we'll also send ten martial arts instructors."