Chapter 322: Grip the Hammer in Your Hand and Smash Their Skulls

Wang Menglin, personally cultivated by Wan Shihe, plus Wang Qian, the second-most wealthy playboy in the capital, formed a corruption group to corrupt Shang Jiu, the king from a small place. Their main style was to cheat and swindle.

This Wang Qian was a strange person. When he bribed someone, he absolutely tailored his approach to the person, rather than just throwing silver at them. Solving their urgent needs was Wang Qian's principle for bribery. Some people needed material things, while others needed spiritual satisfaction. For the King of Ryukyu, Shang Jiu, he indeed came from a poor and remote place. As a king, his material enjoyment was indeed lacking compared to the powerful and wealthy of Great Ming, but he lacked spiritual enjoyment.

The tunes that ordinary courtesans in the capital of Great Ming could play were not something the top courtesans of Ryukyu could sing. The sincerity of Great Ming's Imperial Academy of Sciences, the sound of reading in the Great Ming Imperial Academy, the various newspapers, some fresh things, and some experiences were all spiritual wealth that the current Kingdom of Ryukyu did not possess. And spiritual corruption had to be both vulgar and elegant; it had to be like a fine stream flowing long, and it had to be subtle, eventually achieving the effect of "happy here, not thinking of Ryukyu."

Wang Qian took Shang Jiu on a cultural tour of Great Ming.

While Wang Qian and Wang Menglin were busy corrupting Shang Jiu, taking him to appreciate the style of Great Ming's superstructure, the figure of the Great Ming Emperor appeared at the Northern Secret Service yamen. He had come here to see Zhao Laoqi, the Zhao Laoqi who, in a fit of rage, hammered the guards and litigators of the "Good Man Sun" to death.

The plaque of the Northern Secret Service was already somewhat peeling, and the two stone lions were weathered and mottled. The heads of the stone lions had been rubbed until they were round and smooth. Because the Emperor was coming, the threshold of the Northern Secret Service's main gate had been completely removed, so the Great Ming Emperor could walk on flat ground.

The Northern Secret Service had lost its former chill. After all, the Great Ming Emperor often came here. Where the sun shines, it will appear bright.

Mainly to welcome the imperial carriage, the Northern Secret Service yamen was cleaned inside and out, and even the cracks in the floor tiles were cleaned very seriously. All the blood-stained torture instruments were put away, and even the trees in the courtyard were pruned. The bright and clean Northern Secret Service yamen couldn't feel cold at all, and even the prisoners held there were taught to be spirited.

A Great Ming Emperor who liked to visit the Northern Secret Service.

Zhu Yijun stood in front of the Northern Secret Service gate, looking at the Dissection Institute with some regret. He had always wanted to go inside to see, but Zhang Juzheng always felt that the master of men should not tread on inauspicious ground. He bestowed a few scalpels, and Zhang Juzheng almost killed Feng Bao with his eyes.

Zhu Yijun came to see Zhao Laoqi. Zhao Laoqi had already bathed and changed clothes, but when Zhu Yijun summoned Zhao Laoqi in the main hall, he could still see his slightly hunched figure.

"Commoner pays respects to Your Majesty. Long live, long live, long live Your Majesty." Zhao Laoqi had also been given crash-course training in etiquette; otherwise, the grand ceremony of five bows and three kowtows would have been a trouble.

"Exempt from etiquette." Zhu Yijun sized up Zhao Laoqi, who stood up. A typical farmer, his hands were all chapped, and his fingernails were full of yellow soil—the color that had stained the bottom of his fingernails. His figure was not short, but he looked somewhat thin and weak. His face was tanned dark by the sun, and he appeared extremely dull. His eyes were filled with fear and unease. Clearly, seeing the Emperor made Zhao Laoqi very uncomfortable.

"You were willing to report to the officials, and you were willing to trust the yamen, so I cannot let you down. Sun Zhicheng will be exiled to Yingchang with you." Zhu Yijun didn't talk much nonsense and announced the punishment for Zhao Laoqi. He had solidly killed two people in the street, which were two human lives. And when Zhao Laoqi went to the Sun mansion, he carried a weapon. Whether it was premeditated or a temporary impulse, even with Zhu Yijun's leniency, he could only choose to exile him for military service.

If it had been a death in a brawl, and if the weapon hadn't been hidden in his bosom, Zhu Yijun could have sentenced him more lightly, such as characterizing it as accidental.

"Is Master Sun also going?" Zhao Laoqi's eyes clearly brightened, and then dimmed. He wasn't afraid of being harmed by Sun Zhicheng after arriving in Yingchang. Over there, without his running dogs, Zhao Laoqi could beat seven of Sun Zhicheng. It was just that he knew killing people was wrong.

Zhao Laoqi, if he had even a little bit of a way out, would never have chosen to let anger rise from his heart and evil toward his gall, taking out a hammer.

Zhao Laoqi even chose to report to the officials!

Zhang Juzheng had once very concisely described the current situation in Great Ming: "The nation has lost its great trust, and people have started to doubt."

In the long river of Great Ming's two-hundred-year reign, the credibility of the Great Ming court had slowly flowed away and been exhausted. From the Emperor down to the lowly status, everyone had doubts about the Great Ming Dynasty. When a dynasty is no longer recognized by the majority of people, its time is up.

"When will this day perish? I and you shall all perish."

Before Zhao Laoqi and the eleven households sent vegetables to the Sun mansion, they were also looking forward to clinging to a noble person, hoping for a good life in the future. As a result, they suddenly owed so much money. Zhao Laoqi went to ask for it several times, but returned without success. In a desperate situation, he chose to report to the officials, rather than directly taking out a hammer. This was a kind of trust!

Zhao Laoqi was still willing to trust the court.

And the Miyun County Hall did not let down Zhao Laoqi's expectation of being willing to report to the officials. In the end, it ruled that the Sun mansion must pay back the money, but in the end, it still caused a homicide case.

"Sun Zhicheng is also going to be exiled there. Do you still want to kill him?" Zhu Yijun asked calmly.

Zhao Laoqi waved his hands repeatedly, very anxiously saying, "No, no, no, I, I, I..."

He was already very nervous. When the Emperor asked him if he still wanted to kill, he became even more flustered, flustered to the point of losing his speech.

"Why did you kill?" Zhu Yijun asked again.

Zhao Laoqi's hands were trembling with nervousness. He said tremblingly, "They beat me before, so I carried a hammer for self-defense. Then, that guard pushed me, and that litigator cursed me so horribly, so I was angry, I, I, I..."

It was just that under emotional agitation, he made an excessive move.

Was it Zhao Laoqi's fault for being so agitated?

Sending vegetables for a year, not getting silver, being delayed again and again, asking repeatedly but not getting it, the county magistrate in the county hall ruled that the Sun mansion must pay, the yamen runners went several times, but the Sun mansion just wouldn't pay, putting on an attitude of "what can you do to me?" And Zhao Laoqi was beaten when he went to ask for it. Carrying a hammer for self-defense was very reasonable. The guard pushed, the litigator cursed, Zhao Laoqi's head got hot, and he stopped caring about anything.

If they had done even one thing less, even just one thing less, the guard and the litigator would not have died.

Zhao Laoqi didn't want to kill; he just wanted to get the money that belonged to him.

Zhao Laoqi wouldn't kill Sun Zhicheng, because he didn't want to kill in the first place. Even now, Zhao Laoqi still called Sun Zhicheng "Master Sun."

Zhu Yijun signaled for Zhang Hong to move a seat for Zhao Laoqi to sit down, and gave him a large bowl of herbal tea to let Zhao Laoqi calm his emotions.

Zhu Yijun looked at Zhao Laoqi and said very calmly, "They were waiting for you to fight back. They are the Sun family west of the capital. They are the running dogs and teeth of the Sun family, guards and litigators, and even include the county yamen. They were waiting for you to fight back. Once you fought back, they would seize the opportunity of you making a mistake and rake you over the coals. The guards and litigators would lie on the ground and blackmail you, never stopping until they bankrupted you. That litigator was deliberately provoking you."

"But the county magistrate, the county magistrate said to let the Sun mansion pay back the money..." Zhao Laoqi was confused, looking at the Great Ming Emperor and asking blankly.

Zhu Yijun immediately asked back, "The county magistrate's three classes of yamen runners, he raised so many of them. If he really wanted to force the Sun mansion to pay, would he need to let you go and ask for it? They are in the same gang, do you understand?"

"This..." Zhao Laoqi's eyes widened suddenly. The good person in his eyes, the "Venerable Qingtian" magistrate—when there was a conflict between the small folk and the master, the "Venerable Qingtian" magistrate chose that the master was right.

After His Majesty said this, the "Venerable Qingtian" magistrate didn't seem like a good person.

Zhu Yijun looked at Zhao Laoqi and said, "Did the county magistrate arrest anyone? Sun Zhicheng has sons and daughters, has brothers, and has mistresses and concubines. If he really wanted to forcibly execute his ruling, why didn't he let the yamen runners in the county hall go and arrest people? Why let you, a commoner, go and ask for it?"

"Do you understand now? They are in the same gang."

"Commoner, commoner, doesn't understand." Zhao Laoqi really couldn't understand why His Majesty would tell him these things, but what His Majesty said seemed to make sense.

Zhang Hong and Feng Bao were full of anxiety. Of course they understood what His Majesty was saying, but how could His Majesty say these things? Wasn't this fanning the flames in Zhao Laoqi's heart? If this fire really spread and burned, His Majesty would also suffer.

Zhu Yijun sat up straight and said, "The Sun family owed your family 130 taels of silver. They owed nearly 3,000 taels of silver to the small folk in their mansion. Last year, their family built a pavilion, four stories high, on three *fen* of land, costing a total of 4,500 taels. They only paid 2,000 taels. They didn't pay for the earth, wood, bricks, stones, or labor."

"They didn't pay you back because once they opened this door, they would have to pay everyone back."

The Sun family's deficit was not just the eleven households in the Vegetable Household Camp; there were other debts. If Sun Zhicheng paid back the eleven households in the Vegetable Household Camp, he would have to pay back all the other money.

"Commoner understands." Zhao Laoqi understood this time why the Sun family clearly had money but wouldn't pay.

If he paid back the eleven households in the Vegetable Household Camp, he would have to pay back other money, but Sun Zhicheng really had no money, so he chose not to pay.

Zhu Yijun said very firmly, "When you get to Yingchang, do your work well. I have written a letter to Wang Rulong, asking him to look after you. Wang Rulong is a direct subordinate of General Qi, and I am General Qi's student. This face, Commander Wang will still give. You perform well and earn some military merit. If you earn military merit, I will erect a monument for you, right in the Western Earth City, to let those wealthy households who migrated to the capital know how powerful you are."

"I need your hammer, and Great Ming needs your hammer."

"You don't understand now, it doesn't matter. Grip the hammer in your hand and smash their skulls. Is this clear?"

"This is clear! I can do it!" Zhao Laoqi understood completely by now. He didn't quite understand the principles His Majesty said, but His Majesty told him to use a hammer to hit the Northern Barbarians and Eastern Barbarians, to earn merit in a dignified way—he understood that!

"Come forward." Zhu Yijun was slightly curious. Everyone said Zhao Laoqi had great strength, so he wanted to test if he really had strength.

Zhang Hong and Feng Bao were anxious. How could they let a homicide suspect get within three *zhang* of the Emperor? At this time, the imperial decree and their duties conflicted. Zhang Hong and Feng Bao, in their anxiety, directly blocked the Emperor.

Zhu Yijun didn't get angry with Zhang Hong and Feng Bao. He stood up, bypassed the two, walked over, stretched out his hand, and wanted to test his strength against Zhao Laoqi.

Zhao Laoqi stretched out his hand, full of confusion. Zhu Yijun grabbed it and began to exert force. The first expert of the youth group began to exert force. Zhao Laoqi subconsciously began to exert force. The test of strength began.

Zhu Yijun kept adding force, and Zhao Laoqi also kept adding force. He didn't understand what His Majesty was doing at all, just subconsciously gripped back.

"Very good, great strength. When you get to Yingchang, don't waste this strength. How old are you this year?" Zhu Yijun stood with his hands behind his back, his expression unchanged, and asked calmly.

In the eyes of Feng Bao and Zhang Hong, the Emperor stood with his hands behind his back, but one hand was shaking rapidly, and that hand was somewhat red. That red mark looked very painful, but in front of so many people, Zhu Yijun, the Emperor, couldn't lose his composure, so he could only endure the pain!

This Zhao Laoqi's strength was truly great!

"Fifteen." Zhao Laoqi answered truthfully.

"How old?" Zhu Yijun's eyes widened in surprise and he asked.

Zhao Laoqi didn't know what mistake he had made at all. He knelt on the ground and kowtowed repeatedly, saying, "Reporting to Your Majesty, commoner is fifteen."

Zhu Yijun was sixteen, with delicate skin and tender flesh, like a child. Zhao Laoqi was fifteen, not yet married, sallow and thin, like an old farmer. Zhu Yijun never expected that this Zhao Laoqi was actually younger than him, because he looked like he had experienced all the vicissitudes of life.

Zhu Yijun patted Zhao Laoqi on the shoulder and said, "When you get to Yingchang, hammer those Northern Barbarians and Eastern Barbarians well. Also, you are not my match!"

"Commoner obeys the decree." Zhao Laoqi kowtowed again. It seemed His Majesty didn't blame him for his disrespect.

After Zhao Laoqi was taken away, Zhu Yijun emphasized to Feng Bao and Zhang Hong again, "He is not my match. His strength is almost on par with mine, but he hasn't practiced martial arts, so he can't beat me. He is really not my match."

"Your Majesty's martial arts are superb!" Feng Bao immediately flattered him.

"Tell Wang Rulong to cultivate him well. This guy, if cultivated well, will be a fierce general." Zhu Yijun shook his hand. He was telling the truth. In a real fight, Zhao Laoqi's brute force would definitely not beat Zhu Yijun, who had practiced martial arts for many years. But if Wang Rulong really cultivated him well, this Zhao Laoqi might challenge the status of the first expert of the youth group.

Born with divine strength and extraordinary talent is a gift from heaven.

"How can this guy have so much strength!" Zhu Yijun shook his head again and shook his hand. Zhao Laoqi's strength was indeed beyond Zhu Yijun's expectations. Zhu Yijun ate fine grain, while Zhao Laoqi ate coarse grain. Practicing martial arts was a very expensive thing, and the nutrition from fish and meat was much better than Zhao Laoqi's!

Zhu Yijun summoned another suspect, Sun Zhicheng.

Sun Zhicheng kowtowed violently as soon as he entered the door, shouting loudly, "Your Majesty, commoner is wronged! My family was harmed, my relatives were killed, how did I end up with my house confiscated? I beg Your Majesty to make the decision for commoner!"

Sun Zhicheng probably couldn't understand why he owed money and didn't pay, yet ended up with his whole family in the Heavenly Prison, his family fortune confiscated, and even all his farmland taken by Great Ming as official land for settlement. The land he had accumulated for generations all went to those "cunning folk." Clearly, it was the cunning folk who harmed his family and relatives.

That litigator was a good friend of Sun Zhicheng, not anyone else.

Sun Zhicheng knew this was his last chance in this life. To shout grievances before the Emperor, to let the Emperor withdraw his order, and to let him continue to be a local gentry and act recklessly in the countryside.

Zhu Yijun stared straight at Sun Zhicheng and said calmly, "Everything you said, I know. I am not wronging you; it's just that you happened to bump into it. Recently, there have been many 'wealthy households' in the Great Ming capital. These wealthy households came from the Southern Yamen. They have just arrived and are still very honest. I need to let them know what can be done and what cannot be done."

On the north bank of the Wei River, north of Chang'an, there was a flat plain with higher terrain called Xianyang Plain. Nine emperors of the Western Han Dynasty were buried in Xianyang Plain. Before Wu Di of Han, the Great Han had been executing the migration of wealthy households to guard the tombs here, which continued for five generations.

Emperor Gaozu's Changling, Emperor Hui's Anling, Emperor Jing's Yangling, Wu Di's Maoling, and Emperor Zhao's Pingling were collectively known as the Five Tombs. More and more people came, and finally, a county was established called Maoling County, and the wealthy young masters here were called the "Five Tombs Playboy."

"The Five Tombs youths compete for the ribbons; a song of red silk is beyond counting."

And Maoling County became a place that all Great Han officials feared. It was really hard to manage. How arrogant were these wealthy households who migrated near the Five Tombs?

During the reign of Emperor Zhao of Han, these Five Tombs youths even stole burial items from Wu Di of Han's tomb and sold them everywhere!

At that time, Huo Guang, as Grand General, Grand Tan Sima, and Marquis of Bolu, was in charge of the court. Hearing that someone in Ye County was selling a jade cup from Wu Di of Han's tomb, Huo Guang personally found that official in the market to question him. The official described the appearance of the person selling the jade cup, and Huo Guang was shocked. It turned out that he looked exactly like Wu Di of Han.

"Someone in Ye County was selling a jade cup in the market. The official suspected it was imperial property and wanted to arrest him, but he suddenly disappeared. The county was confused about the vessel and questioned him, and it was indeed an object from Maoling. Huo Guang called the official to ask him, and he said the person in the market looked like the former Emperor. Huo Guang then remained silent." — *Taiping Yulan*

This official was naturally lying, just to remind Huo Guang of the difficulty of handling this matter. If you, Huo Guang, can handle it, continue to investigate; if you feel it's hard to handle, then push it off like this, saying it was Wu Di of Han manifesting, so everyone can save face.

Huo Guang chose the method of Wu Di of Han manifesting, because at that time he was fighting for the power of regency with Shangguan Jie and Sang Hongyang, so he couldn't drive those wealthy and powerful people of Maoling to the opposite side.

The Five Tombs disciples, after migrating to the capital, gradually mastered a portion of power and formed their own influence on the court situation, and the influence was far-reaching.

Sun Zhicheng's case was neither big nor small, just right to be used to "kill the chicken to warn the monkey" and set the rules, telling the wealthy households who migrated to the capital what could be done and what could not be done.

Sun Zhicheng secretly thought he was unlucky. He thought about it and knelt on the ground, kowtowing repeatedly, saying, "Your Majesty, commoner is wronged! But since things have come to this, commoner begs to head to Luzon, and not to Yingchang. That Zhao Laoqi is so fierce and rebellious, commoner fears he will meet with misfortune. Your Majesty, send commoner and his family to Ryukyu or Luzon, far away from that fierce and rebellious person."

When the Emperor said the words "wealthy households in the West City," Sun Zhicheng knew that the imperial will could not be violated. The Emperor had already decided, and the Three Judicial Offices had already ruled. He, Sun Zhicheng, could only swallow this breath. He didn't argue anymore, but asked the Emperor to exile him to a better place, instead of going to Yingchang to eat sand, where the wind was too strong and the snow too thick.

"You're even picking and choosing! If you make any more noise, do you believe I'll send you to Gule Village in Liaodong to face the Eastern Barbarians?" Zhu Yijun was amused. He was actually bargaining. The Emperor sat on the moon platform, pondered for a moment, and said, "I thought you would argue with me a few more times."

"If I argue a few more times, commoner fears his head will not be preserved." Sun Zhicheng said very directly. The Emperor had already spoken the truth; if he argued any further, it would be impolite.

Sun Zhicheng was a wealthy household. He could kill those below him, so the Great Ming Emperor could also kill him, Sun Zhicheng. When the Emperor gave face, it was best to choose to be decent, because the Emperor liked to flip old accounts. If he really flipped over those dog-fart things his Sun family had done in the past to judge his crimes, he feared there would be only one dead end.

Other places were not clear, but the commoners in the Great Ming capital region still heard a little about the affairs of the capital, knowing that the Emperor liked to supervise executions at the city gate tower. The reason Zhao Laoqi still had fantasies about the court, rather than becoming a bandit, was just because he still had fantasies about the Great Ming Emperor.

"Send him to Luzon." Zhu Yijun stood up and changed the place of exile for Sun Zhicheng, sending him to work under the hands of the National Duke Zheng Ma, where Han people were needed.

The reason Zhu Yijun agreed was not because he saw Sun Zhicheng as pitiful, but because Zhao Laoqi had no intention to kill Sun Zhicheng, but this Sun Zhicheng was afraid of harboring resentment. When he arrived in Yingchang, Zhu Yijun was afraid Zhao Laoqi would suffer.

In this era, the mosquitoes in Luzon were not a bit more gentle than the wind and snow on the grasslands.

Zhu Yijun stood in front of the Northern Secret Service gate for a long time, looking at the palace buildings, looking at the "Grand Tan Sima, Grand Minister of Justice, Grand Minister of Works, Grand Minister of Personnel, Minister of Rites, and Censor-in-Chief all given flying fish patterns."

"The teacher, General Qi, and General Yu use python patterns."

"I obey the decree." Feng Bao bowed and accepted the order.

The weather was slowly getting cold, and it was time to issue the great cloaks again. As always, in terms of the specifications of the bestowed clothing, Zhu Yijun's python patterns were still stingy, only for Zhang Juzheng, Qi Jiguang, and Yu Dayou.

Many court officials liked to use this to judge the Emperor's attitude. The day the Emperor didn't bestow python patterns on Zhang Juzheng would be the opportunity the petty Confucians had been thinking about day and night.

The Emperor knew this clearly.

The current situation of Great Ming was not the result of Zhu Yijun's personal efforts, but the scene that only existed because ten thousand men worked as one.

According to the definition of basic national strength in the "Records of Overseas Vassal States" compiled by Grand Minister Wan Shihe, the Spanish Kingdom of the West was a true "Empire on which the sun never sets," and the sun's rays always shone on their territory.

Wan Shihe ranked the Spanish Kingdom first in national strength among overseas vassal states, while Ryukyu, in the known world, was only slightly better than a wilderness.

Even the Li Yashi who came from the West was shocked by the prosperity of Great Ming. The King of Ryukyu, Shang Jiu, was naturally no exception. Arriving in Great Ming, Shang Jiu truly felt what civilization was and what luxury was.

"Brother Shang, what do you think of Great Ming?" Wang Qian, after three rounds of wine and five flavors of dishes, began to call Shang Jiu "brother." This was a common way to narrow the distance between each other.

"Very good, the Heavenly Dynasty!" Shang Jiu said sincerely.

Wang Qian asked puzzledly, "What is good about it?"

"The government is enlightened and the people are harmonious." After Shang Jiu pondered for a long time, he gave an answer.

Wang Qian, Wang Menglin, and Chen Xuehui looked at each other, secretly saying, "It's bad!"

This Shang Jiu, after watching for so long, cared most about the four words "government enlightened and people harmonious." This meant that Shang Jiu actually had some political ambitions. Wanting him and his hereditary succession to stay in Great Ming forever, the difficulty had increased linearly.

If Shang Jiu had no political ambitions, that would be the best.

However, he happened to have them.

Shang Jiu sat upright and said quite solemnly, "His Majesty is like the scorching sun in the sky, shining on every corner of Great Ming. Every commoner of Great Ming is bathed in the imperial grace. His Majesty's imperial decrees are executed in every corner of Great Ming. This is what I have envied most since I arrived in Great Ming."

The meaning of Shang Jiu's words was as if he were saying that before entering Great Ming, he had actually thought about his own end, but he still came. He was certain that Great Ming was a "land of gentlemen" and would not use underhanded tricks to forcibly keep him, and he still had to go back.

After Shang Jiu arrived in Great Ming, the various scenes from Songjiang Prefecture to the capital were all telling Shang Jiu that Great Ming wanted to keep him.

Everyone was not a fool; Shang Jiu naturally knew the purpose of these people.

"Endless fine wine, endless delicious food, endless beauties—these are things everyone wants to get. I also hope my subjects can live and work in peace and contentment like the commoners of Great Ming, without suffering the bitterness of war." Shang Jiu stated his attitude again.

"How fortunate are the subjects of Ryukyu to have a master with such high aspirations like Brother Shang." Wang Qian, after hearing Shang Jiu's words, instead pressed Wang Menglin's hand, smiling and praising Shang Jiu, expressing respect for Shang Jiu's aspirations.

Wang Menglin was slightly puzzled, but soon he understood. Wang Qian still understood the thoughts of these born nobles.

People, the less they have of something, the more they show it off. If Shang Jiu really had the aspirations of a swan, at this time when the people of Ryukyu were suffering from the bitterness of war and the Great Ming navy was repeatedly attacking the Japanese pirates in Ryukyu, why wasn't Shang Jiu with the military and civilians of Ryukyu in Ryukyu, but in the Yanxing Tower of Great Ming? Inspiring Ryukyu in the Yanxing Tower of Great Ming?

Did Shang Jiu really have the aspirations of a swan? The answer was negative.

Don't look at what a person says; look at what a person does. Shang Jiu's behavior from beginning to end did not show a shred of his own aspirations. He was just a thorough hypocrite.

This was easy to handle.

Wang Qian's mouth curled into a smile. He clapped his hands, and a team of beauties slowly walked out of the compartment. Wang Qian, Wang Menglin, and Chen Xuehui quietly left amidst the sound of music.

Walking out of the private room of the Yanxing Tower, Wang Qian said to Wang Menglin, "His Majesty once said, what kind of person is easiest to deal with? Neither ambitious nor resilient, neither caring for the world nor firm and unyielding, doing things without any determination—this kind of person is easiest to deal with."

"Brother Wang's meaning seems to be scolding me." Wang Menglin thought for a moment, pointed at himself, and said somewhat distressed.

Wang Qian waved his hands repeatedly and said, "Brother, this is wrong. If Brother were not ambitious and resilient, how could Grand Minister Wan look at you with favor?"

Wang Menglin was a man of ambition and resilience, eager for public justice. The first time he appeared before the Emperor was in the case of the Xi family woman defrauding the family property of Wang Yin and Wang Laohan. In that case, Wang Yin and Wang Laohan couldn't afford a litigator, but Wang Menglin took ten coins and won the case. This behavior could be interpreted as "fishing for fame," as the Great Ming officialdom needed reputation for promotion.

Helping people fight lawsuits, Wang Menglin actually only charged ten coins, while the litigator for the Xi family woman charged twenty taels of silver at a time!

No matter how much was said, Wang Menglin, with the status of a *juren*, used his familiarity with criminal law clauses to help people fight many lawsuits for ten coins. The "ten-coin litigator" was famous in the capital. Even if it was truly "fishing for fame," Wang Menglin deserved to harvest this reputation.

In comparison, the interaction between Wang Qian and Wang Menglin seemed to be that of a bad person. Wang Qian always relied on his family's wealth, waist wrapped in ten thousand strings of cash, drilling holes everywhere, currying favor with the monarch.

"Will this Shang Jiu really willingly stay?" Wang Menglin asked curiously.

Wang Qian pointed to himself and said, "Bad people are best at dealing with bad people. Three fingers pinching a river snail—it's in the bag."

"Then what should be done?" Wang Menglin was quite surprised that Wang Qian had such confidence.

Wang Qian smiled and said, "Making him say it himself that he wants to stay in Great Ming is quite simple. Just release the Japanese."

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(End of chapter) ===== CHAPTER 323 =====