Chapter 147: A New Journey

At daybreak, Qian Liang was groggily awakened by a burst of hurried footsteps.

As soon as he opened his eyes, he rubbed his bleary vision and focused his gaze.

Four or five junior officers in black boots were already standing outside the door, staring at him with cold, grim expressions.

Qian Liang was just feeling puzzled when one of the officers took the lead and smiled: "Steward Qian, it is time to hit the road."

"Oh, that Han San, why did he wait until now to let us go? I haven't been able to sleep or eat well these past few days. Come, come, come, take me out quickly. I still have to hurry back to help the Wuqing Marquis with his errands." Qian Liang did not catch the implication in the words; he stood up and walked out with a relaxed expression.

Several Brocade Guard Li let out strange laughs, took out a black hood, and placed it over Qian Liang.

"Hey, hey... what are you doing? Where are you taking me? Han San, Han San!!" Qian Liang grew anxious, twisting his body and shouting loudly. One of the officers found him annoying, picked up a piece of rag, and stuffed it directly into his mouth.

"Mmph, mmph, mmph."

Qian Liang's shouting suddenly became muffled and unclear.

In a daze, he suddenly felt the surrounding air become fresh and crisp, and the sounds grew noisy.

He realized he had left the prison of the Brocade Guard.

The Marquis is indeed thorough in his dealings, the Marquis is indeed thorough, even thinking to cover me up. This time I was thoroughly sabotaged by Sun Xiang; once I get out, I must have it out with him!

Qian Liang still assumed it was the Wuqing Marquis Li Wei who had maneuvered to get him out.

At the same time, to avoid prying eyes, he had specifically had a black hood placed over him.

Thinking of this, Qian Liang instantly set his mind at ease, neither making noise nor causing trouble, and followed the few black-clad officers forward. Only, the further he walked, the more he felt something was wrong, but since his mouth was blocked, he could not speak even if he wanted to.

Suddenly, he heard a burst of crying and shouting from outside.

"I am wronged, Officer, I am wronged."

"Spare my life, Officer, I won't dare do it again, I really won't dare again."

"Wuu wuu wuu, I don't want to die, I don't want to die, spare my life, Officer..."

This is an execution ground?! Qian Liang's heart skipped a beat; he twisted his body, desperately trying to peek outside.

Several Brocade Guard Li held him down; he could not struggle free, and suddenly feeling a pain in his lower leg, he cried out "Ouch" and fell to his knees on the ground.

At this moment, his hood was also pulled off in the process.

Looking around, he saw he was surrounded by prisoners wearing prison garb, kneeling on the ground.

On the high platform in front, an official wearing green official robes sat at a desk, with a row of executioners holding large blades lined up in front of him.

On the periphery, the onlookers were chattering, pointing and gesturing at the prisoners inside.

"Serves them right! Daring to do things that cost them their heads, they really aren't afraid of death."

"Indeed, it is said that quite a few nobles were also arrested this time. I've lived for over forty years and this is the first time I've seen such a spectacle."

"Bah, the imperial court is just fooling you commoners. Look inside, which one of them is a noble? The ones making the money are them, and in the end, it's these scapegoats who suffer."

"That's still better than doing nothing at all!"

"..."

The crowd's discussion was transmitted into the execution ground without reservation; Qian Liang's body was already shaking like a sieve.

He understood that he had been sold out by the Wuqing Marquis.

He had become the scapegoat for this old Marquis, bearing all the blame.

In an instant, Qian Liang felt a surge of hot blood rush to his head, his whole body burning.

He clutched his throat, his face as red as a boiled shrimp, and with his neck arched, he spat out a mouthful of blood with a "Pfft" and collapsed to the ground, twitching incessantly.

The scene was already in chaos; there were those laughing maniacally, those begging for mercy, and those cursing loudly.

In the sky, dark clouds gathered, and the cold wind whipped snow particles about, scattering them down.

The official in charge of the execution stretched his neck and glanced at the sky, cursing the weather for ruining things.

However, the execution had to proceed; he straightened his official attire, sat back in his original position, picked up a command arrow from the bamboo tube, threw it out, and shouted: "The time has arrived, execute!"

"Yes!" In an instant, the executioners raised their large blades and stepped forward. As hands rose and blades fell, heads rolled onto the ground like melons, blood streaming from the severed necks and staining the bluestone floor bright red.

Over a hundred heads fell at once, and a thick, bloody stench surged forth.

It even dyed the clouds in the sky red.

Those who were timid turned their heads away, and with a "Wah," they nearly vomited their bile out.

"Collect the bodies!"

The official in green robes seemed long accustomed to this; with a wave of his hand, he stepped away.

Qianqing Palace.

The Wanli Emperor, having just finished his midday meal, paced toward the East Warm Pavilion, with Wei Qing following closely behind.

The two walked into the study, and the Wanli Emperor plopped down into the main seat, taking the opportunity to dismiss the eunuchs on duty, leaving only Wei Qing to attend to him.

"Wei Qing, does that casting of Silver Dollars really carry such a great crime?" The Wanli Emperor rubbed his palms and looked at Wei Qing, asking.

"It does." Wei Qing nodded and added, "Your Majesty, think about it: those Silver Dollars are underweight, relying entirely on the word 'credit'. If everyone were to privately cast Silver Dollars, where would that word 'credit' be?"

"Does the word 'credit' really have such an effect?"

"Of course. Even common folk in the marketplace value the word 'integrity' when doing business. If one plays clever tricks or acts deceitfully, one might naturally earn some money, but it will not last."

Wei Qing replied with a chuckle, glanced at the Emperor's expression, and seeing him hanging his head in silence, took the opportunity to continue, "The ancients said, 'A hundred taels of gold is not worth a single promise from Ji Bu.' This is what the word 'credit' means."

"Very well, I understand." The Wanli Emperor nodded dejectedly, then suddenly thought of something and asked, "By the way, where is Zhang Yunxiu? Why haven't I seen him these past few days?"

"Oh, Minister Zhang has gone to the Tianjin Guard to oversee the construction of large ships and, incidentally, to inspect the navy in preparation for a trip to the Wa islands next year," Wei Qing replied respectfully.

"The Wa islands that have those silver mountains?"

"Yes, I hear that this island is only a tiny place, and they are currently fighting each other to the death there."

"Good!" The Wanli Emperor sat up from his chair, paced back and forth twice, and then stared at Wei Qing, smiling: "Tell him to train quickly and strike at the home base of these Wa people. I want to tell the world! The Great Ming is not to be bullied so easily."

"There is still one problem in between." Wei Qing shook his head and lowered his voice.

"What problem?"

"The Grand Secretariat will most likely disagree with sending troops. After all, in their view, fighting a war requires spending silver; they spend their days thinking about scraping silver together from everywhere, so how could they be willing to spend it?"

"I don't care, I want to fight regardless!" The Wanli Emperor knit his brows and said quite domineeringly, "Not only do I want to fight, I also want to appoint Qi Jiguang as the commanding general and have him lead the Qi Family Army."

"Your Majesty, you must not!" Wei Qing hurriedly advised.

"Why?"

"Jizhou is the northern barrier of Jingshi. We are as stable as Mount Tai here precisely because Great Marshal Qi is stationed in this place. If he were to leave rashly, those petty scoundrels in the north would surely become restless again."

"That is indeed a problem."

The Wanli Emperor rested his chin on his palm and muttered to himself. Wei Qing, standing to the side, seized the opportunity, stepped forward with a smile, and cupped his hands: "Your Majesty, both Great Marshal Qi and Great Marshal Li are advanced in years. As the saying goes, a tiger father has no dog for a son; why not let Great Marshal Qi's son, Qi Guozuo, and Great Marshal Li's son, Li Rusong, lead the troops as young generals?"

"Are they capable?" The Wanli Emperor wore a look of worry.

"A tiger father has no dog for a son. Besides, why use a butcher's knife to kill a chicken? With these two generals setting out, they will surely make the Japanese pirates tremble with fear." Wei Qing held his head high and chest out, answering with great self-satisfaction.

"Good, when the expedition begins next year, I shall appoint those two as generals."

"Your Majesty, what about the Grand Secretariat?"

The Wanli Emperor shook his head, a flash of cunning suddenly crossing his pitch-black eyes: "I have already issued an Imperial Edict to Zhang Yunxiu anyway; if he doesn't do it, that is defying the Imperial Edict. As for how to get it passed by the Grand Secretariat or how to persuade the Grand Secretariat, that is his own business."

Wei Qing grinned and gave the Emperor a thumbs-up: "Your Majesty plans with strategic brilliance and shows true skill within the square inch; this servant admires you."

"Enough, you sycophant." The Wanli Emperor shook his head with a smile and was just about to continue speaking when someone suddenly came to report that Feng Bao requested an audience.

Restraining his smile, the Wanli Emperor straightened his robes and composed his expression before instructing the eunuch: "Go and call my trusted companion in."

(End of this chapter)