Chapter 56: Li Kui and Li Gui, Part One

Nan Wang understood the intricacies perfectly. After agonizing over it all day, he ultimately couldn't bear to part with his own child. So he hardened his heart, immediately found an excuse to resign from Master Wu's household, and at the same time ordered Liu Niang to dismiss the Household Staff and pack up the valuables.

He did this to avoid drawing attention.

Nan Wang knew that before long, Master Wu would return to the old family residence in Yangzhou to handle Salt affairs and would only come back to Hangzhou about half a year later. This window was just right for the couple to fly far away. In his Early Years, he had befriended a rich second-generation Xiucai whose ancestral home was in Guangnan. Both Sides had exchanged occasional letters over the years. Now, he could only steel himself and go seek refuge there first, then take things One Step at a time.

Everything went according to plan. Master Wu had barely set foot back in Yangzhou when the Wu household promptly lost a mistress. Yet, for all his meticulous calculations, the one thing he never accounted for was pirates on the open sea. The couple had barely left Guangnan—they hadn't even made it out of Zhenan—before they were nearly butchered and fed to the fish.

Having recounted up to this point, Nan Wang stammered hesitantly, begging his saviors not to breathe a word. Once he and his wife returned and made some preparations, they still Intending to flee.

Hearing this, Liu Zhe and the others couldn't help but break into a Hehe Smile: such affairs truly are the same across all ages. This Mister Nan was quite a capable man; in Later Generations, he would definitely have the Capability to be an agent.

"Very well, very well. It seems we were fated to meet Mister Nan today. Once we return, you two may stay temporarily at my humble estate. We brothers will certainly not gossip about this matter; Mister Nan, please rest assured."

At this, Nan Wang was naturally overwhelmed with gratitude. He himself was actually not afraid of returning to Hangzhou; he still had his old house in the city, and the Wu family might not necessarily connect his and Liu Niang's disappearance at this point. As long as Liu Niang was well hidden, he could swagger about openly in public while privately arranging their escape south.

Just as Licentiate Nan and Liu Ke's group were sailing back, no one on the boat could have imagined that at this very moment, in the Company headquarters at Tangzhuang, a debate that would determine the future fate of Licentiate Nan was underway.

Buoyed by the successful annexation of the Beggar Sect, the group from the Human Resources Department, Led by Feng Jun, was brimming with confidence and surging momentum. In the past few days, they had once again tabled the previously discussed "Li Kui Operation" proposal, clamoring for its execution.

Fortunately, this plan required few "Import Goods" and was merely troublesome in its operation, so the Opposition was small and the Onlookers were many. With Chairman Cao also present today, Feng Jun's group quickly dragged all the Transmigrators who were home into holding a hearing, Intending to settle the matter with One decisive stroke and finalize the proposal.

Having developed to the Current Age, the Transmigration Company had gradually honed a unique set of procedural rules: for minor matters—meaning matters not involving "Import Goods"—Xia Xianze and the head of the relevant department could often settle it in a few words. People from other departments couldn't be bothered to worry about it, only gathering to discuss when their own involvement was needed.

However, once a proposal involved the later-generation goods brought by Cao Chuan, it became far more troublesome. First, the head of the proposing department had to expound the plan. Next, this person had to face questioning from a multitude of people. Only after satisfactorily answering everything, and if the Opposition was not too strong, could the plan be executed.

This was the one advantage of a small Power Base: with only a few dozen people in total, there wasn't much room for bureaucratic wrangling. At least so far, this set of deliberative methods had been operating fairly smoothly.

The "Li Kui Operation" could actually be summed up in One Sentence: find a Transmigrator with the scholarly level of a Provincial Graduate, use a bait-and-switch to impersonate a certain Native Xiucai, participate in the upcoming Autumn Provincial Examination, and earn a legitimate Provincial Graduate degree.

The plan sounded simple at first glance, but it involved many details and a great deal of luck. Thus, at this moment, Feng Jun—Bald Ass Feng—was undergoing questioning from the Onlookers, fine beads of sweat glistening on his shiny bald pate.

The following is a summary of the meeting:

Onlooker: "Going through all this trouble to get a 'Li Gui,' are you sure he can pass the Provincial Examination?"

Feng Jun: "As of now, the historical facts of this plane show no discrepancies with the data we possess. Therefore, in the 'Li Kui Plan,' we are operating on the preset assumption that we know the Hangzhou Provincial Examination questions for August 1627. If the questions are changed when the time comes, it will prove that the historical facts of the two planes do not overlap. This point is crucial for all our future operations; it's essentially a test. Whether the questions change or not, we gain something. I personally tend to believe the questions will not change."

Onlooker: "Even if the questions don't change, are you sure the 'Li Gui' can pass the Provincial Examination among all those ancients? Have the ghostwritten essays been prepared? Are they of high enough quality?"

Feng Jun: "There's no need to prepare ghostwritten essays. Not only do we know the exam questions, but we also have a grasp of some of the names and selected contemporary essays of those who passed this Historically specific examination. These are available on used-book websites; Chief Executive Dong can find out as soon as he goes back and checks. On the eve of the exam, a certain talented scholar who Historically passed will 'Be Scheduled To fall ill.' Then Comrade Li Gui simply needs to memorize this talented scholar's winning essays in advance and can go take the exam."

Onlooker: "How vicious. Couldn't we just use the same method to prop up a down-and-out local Xiucai and be done with it? Why go through all this Trouble?"

Feng Jun: "Please note, the primary function of 'Comrade Li Gui' is actually to serve as the Station Chief of the Jiangnan intelligence station, concurrently the Old Chief of the Jiangnan Trading Company, and the future chairman of the Jiangnan Preservation Association. He is a nail driven into the headquarters of the reactionary Gentry. These tasks can only be completed by a Transmigrator, not a Native."

Onlooker: "Fine, what about the specific operation?"

Feng Jun: "First, we'll select a few candidates from among the tens of thousands of Xiucai taking the exam in Hangzhou. The only requirement is that they are destitute, have been away from home studying for many years, and have little contact with relatives or classmates. Next, we take photographs. After This, Chief Executive Dong needs to step in, go back to the later generations, and screen for a Li Gui with matching appearance and literary talent to send over. Once that hurdle is cleared, it's simple: control or eliminate the Native Xiucai, train the Li Gui, and then take the exam under the false identity."

"Sounds very iffy."

"It does require some element of luck, but this plan offers huge returns on investment. It just means Chief Executive Dong will have to work a bit harder when he goes back."

Saying this, Feng Jun looked toward Cao Chuan, who was Sitting In off to the side.

"Get me the candidate's digital photos, height, weight, and that sort of data as quickly as possible. I'll use a computer to match them when I go back. Since there are requirements for appearance, accent, education level, and social connections, I can only do my best. Time is also a bit tight; don't blame me if I can't find anyone." Cao Chuan said after thinking it over.

"If the appearance is about seventy to eighty percent similar, that's enough. The ancients didn't have photos on their resumes." Feng Jun said with a Hehe Smile.

In the end, Nan Wang and his wife were arranged to stay in a certain side room in the "Er Nai Qu" of Tangzhuang.

Currently, over ten concubines had gradually moved into the area, all Selected personally by certain individuals from human traffickers in their spare time between killing and arson. Given the current state of the struggle, these concubines all moved in with just their luggage, living quietly and peacefully, without any grand ceremonies.