Chapter 173: Wang Xiu

Wang Xiu lies on the sofa, sipping cola, watching everything happening on the game screen, and suddenly feels a hint of unexpected delight!

Era Name Official Prompt Not bad, not bad, indeed once one ascends that 95‑supreme throne, one truly becomes a solitary ruler, but who will ultimately benefit from his actions remains unknown.

After Guo Rong ascended the throne, his "Clear Reduction" maneuver toward Wang Hao completely surprised Wang Xiu, yet it was exactly the outcome he most wanted to see.

When the birds have flown away, the fine bow is hidden; when the sly rabbit dies, the running hound is cooked.

This is the unrivaled method of imperial scheming throughout the ages. Guo Rong, having just taken the throne, naturally employed this tactic, living up to the historical records that hail him as an enlightened ruler.

It is only regrettable that the lifespan of this enlightened ruler might be altered by the emergence of the Wang Family, since he fell ill from overexertion during campaigns and died in melancholy.

Moreover, Wang Hao's response also left Wang Xiu very satisfied.

Neither servile nor overbearing, he acted in accordance with the circumstances. He did not act irrationally for not attaining his expected position; instead he was fully aware of his own standing, a kind of graceful retreat, though somewhat passive.

"Now it's settled," Wang Xiu stretched lazily, "Wang Hao has been transferred to oversee the Si Nong Temple, far from the military‑political core. When Zhao Dalang later stages the Chen Qiao mutiny, this fire won't reach his head."

He certainly does not want the Wang Family's offspring, after toiling to help the Guo family secure the realm, to end up being purged by the New Dynasty.

During the Five Dynasties and Ten Kingdoms, emperors changed more frequently than clothes. Picking sides is risky; investments must be prudent. The Wang Family's core strategy is always "forge many good ties, avoid core affairs, diversify bets, ensure survival."

As long as the Wang Family can safely get through this most chaotic period, when the era of "ruling the world together with the scholar‑officials" arrives, it will be hard for them not to become the foremost clan, given their wealth and technology.

"Now, the game in Zhongyuan has temporarily stabilized. Next, we should see how my hundred 'New Han' tool people are performing."

Wang Xiu tapped his finger lightly, switching the game view from Kaifeng to Yangzhou, a thousand miles away.

At Yangzhou Port, the dock was bustling with voices.

Three jet‑black Wang Family fortune ships slowly docked. From them descended a hundred young men dressed in identical teal short jackets, hair cropped short, eyes blazing with fervor.

They are the "first‑class" graduates that Wang Meng hand‑picked from the Wa Kingdom and sent to the Yangzhou Science Academy.

Leading them is Lu Bian Yitian.

When his feet stepped onto the soil of Yangzhou, he trembled with excitement.

This is… the ancestral land?

The air seemed to be suffused with a sacred yet friendly fragrance.

He breathed greedily, watching the comings and goings on the dock—fellow countrymen speaking standard Mandarin, clad in luxurious Silk, their eyes full of reverence and yearning.

In his view, every person here was ten thousand times more noble than the so‑called "high officials" of the Wa Kingdom.

"Everyone, line up!" Lu Bian Yitian shouted in standard Mandarin.

His ninety‑nine companions behind him instantly, like a reflex, formed a neat square formation. Each stood perfectly upright, eyes forward, like a row of javelins awaiting inspection.

Their actions naturally drew the sideways glances of many on the dock.

"Where did these monks come from? They look like they came out of a barracks."

"They don't have a killing aura. They look more like scholars, but which scholar would dare to shave his hair?"

"Look at the insignia on their clothes; it's a Wang Family ship! Probably new recruits that the Wang Family hired from overseas."

While the crowd was murmuring, a squad of house servants dressed in Wang Family guard uniforms pushed through the crowd and approached. Leading them was a senior steward of the Wang Family.

"Which one is Captain Lu Bian Yitian?" the steward asked.

"I am the humble servant!" Lu Bian Yitian hurried forward a step and bowed.

"By the Head of Family's command, I have come to welcome you all." The steward nodded, smiling, "You have traveled hard. The Head of Family has prepared a banquet at the fort to receive you."

Hearing the words "Head of Family," Lu Bian Yitian and his companions' breathing quickened.

The great Head of Family would personally host a welcoming feast for these humble overseas subjects?

This… what an honor!

Lu Bian Yitian was so moved he almost knelt on the spot. He restrained his ecstatic joy and bowed deeply to the steward, "Please excuse me, Sir Steward. We do not dare to accept such honor."

"No need for formalities; we all serve the Wang Family." The steward waved his hand, "Come with me."

A hundred Wa Kingdom newcomers, escorted by Wang Family house servants, passed through the bustling Yangzhou city and arrived at the legendary Wang Family fort.

When they saw the fort, towering and solid like a city, they were once again profoundly stunned.

Zhen Dong City had already seemed like a paradise on earth, but compared with the fort before them, Zhen Dong City was merely a provincial landlord's courtyard.

Inside the fort were pavilions, towers, and halls with carved beams and painted rafters; exotic flowers and strange herbs covered the ground. Neatly dressed servants moved about, each with confidence and composure on their faces.

Lu Bian Yitian felt like Liu Laolao entering the Grand View Garden; his eyes could not take it all in.

In the spacious, bright banquet hall, they finally saw the figure they revered as a deity—the Wang Family Head of Family, Wang Zhen.

Wang Zhen wore a simple Confucian robe, his face gentle, appearing as a well‑read scholar, lacking the decisive, domineering aura they had imagined.

Yet when his gaze swept over the crowd, Lu Bian Yitian realized he could not meet his eyes, for a natural authority radiated from one long accustomed to the top.

"Salutations, Head of Family!" Lu Bian Yitian led, and the hundred men knelt together, performing the most solemn full‑body prostration.

"Rise," Wang Zhen's voice was gentle, "Welcome you back to your homeland."

Back to the homeland…

Those four words instantly reddened Lu Bian Yitian's and his companions' eyes.

Though they were born and raised in the Wa Kingdom, their education taught them that their roots lie in Huaxia, within the Wang Family. The Wa Kingdom was merely a temporary, untamed dwelling.

Now, they have finally returned to their own home.

"I know that while in the Wa Kingdom, you have rendered great service to the Wang Family," Wang Zhen said, smiling approvingly, "Your actions have proven your loyalty to the Wang Family."

"To serve the Head of Family, we would die a thousand deaths without hesitation!" the crowd shouted in unison, their voices brimming with fervor.

"Very good." Wang Zhen nodded, "Now, the Wang Family has a more important and more glorious mission to entrust to you."

He stood up and walked to the front of the crowd.

"Do you know why our Wang Family can stand firm in this chaotic world, even growing stronger?"

The crowd shook their heads.

"It is not money, nor the army," Wang Zhen's voice rose, "It is knowledge! It is technology! It is those unique things that let us stay ahead of this era!"

And now we have a new direction forward!