Chapter 51

After seeing off Li Bai, Wang Hui (Wang Xiu)'s life seemed to have returned to its original track.

Every day, on time, he went to the Secretariat to clock in, sorted the dusty piles of old documents, drank tea and chatted with colleagues, then after his shift ended he returned to the mansion to review his children's lessons, or went to the Yi Shui Manor to inspect the estate.

In everyone's eyes, Wang Hui remained the modest, low-key, law-abiding Head of Family of the Wang family—a standard gentleman-official living off his father's lingering influence.

Under the invisible protection of Gao Lishi and the tremendous prestige brought by Li Bai, the Wang family's business flourished. The glazed ware produced at Yi Shui Manor had become a luxury item coveted by the upper society of the Tang Dynasty, its price rising repeatedly yet still demand outstripping supply. The Wang family's wealth was accumulating at an astonishing speed.

Everything appeared peaceful and beautiful.

But only Wang Xiu herself knew what kind of turbulent undercurrents were surging beneath the surface of this prosperous age.

In the dead of night, Wang Xiu would take off his gaming helmet and return to his tiny rented apartment. The first thing he did was turn on his computer and frantically search for a name—An Lushan.

The An-Shi Rebellion.

These four words were like a heavy mountain pressing on Wang Xiu's heart.

He understood the impending catastrophe more clearly than anyone of his time, and how cruel it would be. It was not an ordinary frontier rebellion, but a catastrophe that swept across the entire north, causing the glorious Tang Dynasty to collapse utterly and turning the lands of China into a hell on earth where civilians suffered.

"White bones lie exposed in the fields, for a thousand miles no rooster crows."

Those few cold lines in the history books conceal tens of millions of living lives.

Wang Xiu's goal was to establish a millennium-old clan; he could not allow the Wang Family to be smashed to pieces in this raging flood.

He must make flawless preparations.

On the computer screen, he opened one by one the various papers, historical materials, and analytical articles about the An-Shi Rebellion.

An Lushan's rise to power, his political struggles with Li Linfu and Yang Guozhong, his delicate relationship with Emperor Xuanzong and Yang Guifei, the troop deployments of the three garrisons of Fanyang, Pinglu, and Hedong, the spark that ignited the rebellion, the fall of Tongguan, Emperor Xuanzong's escape route…

Every detail, every key figure, every important location was firmly etched in his memory.

His gaze finally settled on the map of the Tang Dynasty's territory.

Luoyang, Chang'an.

These two most prosperous cities of the Tang Dynasty would also suffer the worst devastation in the future wars.

"Don't put all your eggs in one basket."

Wang Jin's dying instruction and Wang Xiu's later-life understanding coincided perfectly at this moment.

He had already begun laying out plans in Jiangnan earlier; now it seems that decision was extraordinarily wise. But merely a commercial layout is far from enough.

He needed to gradually and silently shift the entire family's focus to that land of fish and rice untouched by war.

This was not merely a transfer of wealth, but also a transfer of talent, and a transfer of the family's foundation.

He put the helmet back on, and his consciousness sank into Wang Hui's body.

In the study, Wang Hui (Wang Xiu) spread out a huge sheet of xuan paper, picked up his brush, and wrote a few characters.

"Wang You, Wang Ce, Wang Qian."

These are the names of his three sons.

The eldest son, Wang You, under his planning and the boost of the 【Upright and Harmonious】 talent, grew ever more steady in character. He studied diligently, was well-rounded, and had already entered the Imperial College to study; both teachers and peers thought highly of him.

The second son, Wang Ce, was completely the opposite extreme. He had no innate fondness for literature, but he loved wielding spears and staves. With the 【Martial Arts Expert】 talent boosting him, at not yet ten years old his agility already surpassed many of the manor's guards. Wang Hui (Wang Xiu) even dared not let him touch real weapons, fearing he might hurt himself or others.

The third son, Wang Qian, was a quiet handsome youth. He inherited the 【Literary Talent Abundant】 and 【Investigating Things to Extend Knowledge】 talents, enabling him to write poems that left his tutors praising without cease, while he spent all day immersed in the kiln workshops and fields of Yi Shui Manor, his fascination with those bottles, jars, and farm tools and machinery far exceeding the Four Books and Five Classics.

Three sons, three utterly different characters and futures.

Wang Xiu's plan also had to be tailored to their individual traits.

He picked up his brush and wrote beneath Wang You's name the four characters "Enter officialdom, preserve the legacy." Wang You's future lay in the court—but not the court of Luoyang; in the future he would need a secure official position to shelter the family that would migrate south.

Beneath Wang Ce's name he wrote "Join the army, protect the family." This son was the family's military force. He needed a private armed unit absolutely loyal to the Wang Family to safeguard the family's safety in turbulent times, and Wang Ce would hone his skills in that unit to lay foundations for the future. The problem, however, was how to let him grow up safely.

Beneath Wang Qian's name he wrote "Investigate things to promote enterprise." Wang Qian, while accumulating prestige through the Wen Zong, is also the family's future moneybag and technical reserve. The knowledge in his mind that surpasses the era must be turned, through his hands, into tangible wealth and productivity.

Having planned his sons' futures, Wang Hui (Wang Xiu) began to consider the layout in Jiangnan again.

Just one Lu Wen is not enough.

He needed more talent, more pieces.

He summoned the steward Fu Bo and the chief manager of the firm, Qian Botong.

"Fu Bo, starting today, from among the clan and the manor's servants, select a group of orphans around ten years old who are smart and quick-witted. Establish a separate school, not teaching the classics but only arithmetic and law. I want you to personally oversee them; I want them to become the future stewards and managers of the Wang Family."

"Manager Qian, the southern trade routes must be further expanded. I don't care about profit; I want the channels!"

"Furthermore, in the name of the firm, purchase large amounts of land and manors in places like Yangzhou, Suzhou, and Jinling—the more the better. Don't fear spending money; what we lack most right now is money!"

Fu Bo and Qian Botong were shocked to the core.

They did not understand why the Head of Family would suddenly rush so urgently, sparing no expense, to expand into Jiangnan. The Wang Family's foundation in Luoyang was already as stable as Mount Tai; why go to an unfamiliar south and take such a great risk?

But they dared not ask; they could only accept the order and leave.

Because they saw in the eyes of this young Head of Family an unquestionable determination.

Time passed, a few more years slipping by in this calm yet undercurrent-surge planning.

The era name of the Tang Dynasty had quietly become the third year of Tianbao.

The once wise and mighty Emperor Li Longji, in prolonged peace and pleasure, gradually lost his ambition. At court, the honey‑mouthed, sword‑bellied Li Linfu grew ever more powerful, wielding unilateral control.

The shadow of the prosperous age grew ever thicker.

That day, Wang Hui (Wang Xiu) was idly flipping through an ancient text in the government office when a young eunuch suddenly came forward to deliver an imperial decree.

"By the Mandate of Heaven, the Emperor decrees: This year the winds are favorable and rains timely, the four seas are at peace, and my heart is greatly comforted. Therefore, three days hence, a banquet will be held at Huaqing Palace to rejoice with all the people. Proclaim: Secretary‑General Wang Hui of the Secretariat shall attend. So ordered."

Huaqing Palace?

Wang Hui (Wang Xiu)'s heart stirred.

He knew that person should also appear at the banquet.