Chapter 102

In 907 AD, Zhu Wen ultimately could not suppress his ambition, which had already swollen to the extreme; he forced the seventeen-year-old Tang Emperor Ai, Li Zhu, to abdicate, himself ascended the throne as emperor, changed the state name to Liang, historically known as the Later Liang.

After establishing the state, Zhu Wen, on various pretexts, either killed or demoted the veteran generals who had followed him in his southern and northern campaigns, and extensively promoted his own confidants and those incompetent sycophants who knew only flattery.

The entire north once again fell into a miasma of corruption and gloom.

Meanwhile, the Wang Family Fort far to the south of the river was like a pure land in this chaotic age, still maintaining its unique order and tranquility.

Wang Po (Wang Xiu) did not rush to act against Xuan Prefecture.

He knew that food must be eaten bite by bite, and a road must be walked step by step; without absolute confidence and thorough preparation, any rash advance could bring the Wang Family irreparable loss.

He continued the strategy of his father Wang Jing and his granduncle Wang Zong, building high walls and stockpiling grain widely.

On one hand, he ordered the workshops to accelerate the production of new-style weapons. More 'Iron Control Pagoda' heavy-armored cavalry units were formed, and the first batch of primitive firearms also began to be issued in small numbers to the specialized 'Divine Machine Battalion'.

On the other hand, he continued to implement an enlightened population policy. For those refugees fleeing from the north, the Wang Family turned none away and settled them properly.

For a time, the Wang Family's reputation for benevolence and righteousness spread throughout the world. Countless northern commoners, scholars, and artisans who could no longer bear Zhu Wen's tyranny regarded the Wang Family in the south of the river as their last hope, traveling thousands of miles to seek refuge.

The Wang Family's population and strength grew rapidly in a snowballing manner.

That day, Wang Po (Wang Xiu) was in the study, listening to the report from the head of the Intelligence Department, Wang Tian.

Wang Tian was precisely that Wang Family descendant who, years ago, went alone to the rebel Huang Chao's camp, and with a generous gift and eloquent words, drove back hundreds of thousands of troops.

Now, he is over fifty, his demeanor increasingly refined and steady, becoming Wang Po's most capable left and right hand, specifically responsible for the Wang Family's vast intelligence network and diplomatic affairs.

"Head of Family, this is the latest secret report from our agent planted in Bian Liang." Wang Tian handed over a secret letter written with special chemicals.

Wang Po (Wang Xiu) received the letter, developed it with the special chemical, and examined it carefully.

As he read, his brows furrowed tightly.

Even though he possessed memories from later ages and had seen all sorts of bizarre emperors, the contents of the letter left him speechless; he had always thought such accounts were merely the historians' spring-and-autumn brushwork.

"Simply beastly!" Wang Po (Wang Xiu) slammed the letter onto the table, his face full of disgust and contempt.

"Head of Family, what makes you so angry?" Wang Tian asked.

"Have a look yourself." Wang Po (Wang Xiu) handed the letter to him.

Wang Tian took it and looked; his expression turned strange, moving from initial astonishment to disbelief, and finally to deep disgust.

The contents of the letter were precisely about the Later Liang Emperor Zhu Wen and his licentious, lawless misdeeds.

Zhu Wen, by nature lustful, became even more excessive after ascending the throne; the concubines in his harem could no longer satisfy his perverted desires. He actually… actually set his sights on his own daughter-in-law!

He had seven sons; aside from his biological son Zhu Youyu, who died early, most of the others were adopted sons he had taken in.

He often used the pretext of 'attending to illness' to summon these daughters-in-law one by one into the palace, nominally to serve, but in fact to indulge in licentiousness.

What is even more shocking is that his sons, far from being ashamed, actually took pride in this!

They even turned whether their wives could receive the emperor's favor, and how often, into a political capital, comparing and attacking each other in the court.

"The wife of the eldest son spent the night in the palace yesterday!"

"Hmph, what's so special about that? My lady accompanied the emperor for three straight days last month!"

"Stop arguing, the father emperor still favors the third brother's wife most. I've heard he intends to make the third brother crown prince!"

Such conversations were practically an open secret in the Later Liang court.

And Zhu Wen indeed directly tied the matter of naming an heir to the beauty and 'service level' of his daughters-in-law.

His adopted son, Prince Bo Zhu Youwen's wife, Lady Wang, being the most beautiful and most skilled at winning Zhu Wen's favor, was deeply beloved by him. Consequently, Zhu Wen, loving the house and thus the crow, repeatedly declared in public that he wished to make Zhu Youwen the crown prince.

This aroused the strong dissatisfaction and jealousy of his second son, Prince Ying Zhu Yougui.

Zhu Yougui's mother was originally a low-ranking camp follower of Zhu Wen; Zhu Yougui himself, being ugly in appearance, had never been favored by Zhu Wen, so he harbored deep resentment toward Zhu Wen.

He felt, 'I am also Zhu Wen's biological son—why should I be despised merely because my mother's background is low and I am ugly? Why should Zhu Youwen, who relies on his wife to rise, be made crown prince?'

The seed of resentment took root and sprouted wildly in his heart.

"Uncle Tian," Wang Po (Wang Xiu) put down the letter, rubbed his temples, and asked, "What do you think Zhu Yougui will do?"

Wang Tian pondered for a moment and said, "Head of Family, forgive my frankness. The Zhu Wen clan has long lost all sense of humanity—father and son slaughtering each other, brothers fighting over the throne, it is only a matter of time. Zhu Yougui is narrow-minded and cruel; now driven to this point, he may well commit some heinous act."

"Heinous?" Wang Po (Wang Xiu) snorted coldly, "Regicide and usurpation?"

Wang Tian was startled by the words, dared not respond—such remarks could only be uttered by the Head of Family.

"Keep watching Bian Liang." Wang Po (Wang Xiu)'s eyes flashed with a cold light, "Especially that Zhu Yougui—I need to know his every move."

"I have a feeling that the first great drama of the Later Liang is about to begin."

Wang Tian bowed and accepted the order: "Yes, Head of Family."

"Furthermore," Wang Po (Wang Xiu) called him back, "have the Intelligence Department devise ways to turn Zhu Wen's scandalous deeds into ballads, folk songs, and storytelling, and spread them throughout the south of the river and indeed the whole world."

"I want everyone under heaven to know what sort of wretch this emperor now sitting on their heads is!"

"I want the four characters 'Filthy Emperor' to become an indelible label for Zhu Wen!"

Wang Tian's eyes lit up suddenly.

He understood the Head of Family's meaning.

This is a plan to strike at the heart!

Since ancient times, those who gain the realm stress legitimacy. Zhu Wen originally usurped the Tang and founded his own regime, his position illegitimate. Now, with this scandal of licentiousness exposed, his reputation among the people will surely plummet, becoming utterly a laughingstock under heaven.

Then, the heroes of the world will rise together to attack him, and thus it will become legitimate.

"Head of Family, you are brilliant!" Wang Tian exclaimed sincerely.

"Go ahead." Wang Po (Wang Xiu) waved his hand.

After Wang Tian withdrew, Wang Po (Wang Xiu) walked alone to the window.

He looked out at the land governed by the Wang Family in orderly fashion, where the people dwelled in peace and prosperity, yet his heart was filled with icy cold.

He knew that Zhu Wen's death would not make the world any better.

Because the heroes about to take the stage are each more ruthless than the last, each more worthless than the last.

The Five Dynasties and Ten Kingdoms, the darkest and most chaotic period in Chinese history, has only just begun.

What he wants to do is not merely to watch them slaughter each other.

He wants to, on this wasteland, guarantee the livelihood of the Huaxia people, guarantee they live in peace and contentment.

This goal is very distant, and also very arduous.

But he, and the entire Wang Family, have already prepared a great deal for this.

"Wait..." he murmured.

"When you are all exhausted and crippled, then it will be my Wang Family's turn to clean up this mess."

His gaze seemed to pierce through time and space, seeing that future of golden halberd Iron Control horse, with warlords vying for supremacy.

And he will be the sole chess player who laughs last.