Chapter 714: Guarantee

"The junior uncle from Mount Sanqing has arrived—I mentioned her to you before. She wants to talk with you."

"What's there to talk about with her? Is she here to join us?"

"No, she's here to offer amnesty."

Song Dalin scratched his ear: "You say she came for what?"

"She's here on behalf of the imperial court to offer amnesty."

Song Dalin rolled his eyes dramatically: "The county office really looks down on us—can't even send an official, just some unrelated little Daoist Priest to offer amnesty?"

Wang Xiaojing's face turned serious: "My junior aunt is very capable."

"No matter how capable she is, can she speak for the county office?"

Wang Xiaojing fell silent for a moment, then insisted: "Anyway, if the county office agrees to our terms, with my junior aunt involved, they won't dare go back on their word."

Song Dalin frowned, half-skeptical: "She's really that powerful? Is she from a wealthy family, or does she hold great influence?"

Wang Xiaojing: "Recently, all the disaster relief funds and grain in Yushan County came from my junior aunt."

Song Dalin paused, then said: "Mount Sanqing… Pan Yun?"

Wang Xiaojing nodded.

Song Dalin's drowsiness vanished completely. He got out of bed, thoughtful: "Fine, I'll go with you to see her."

Song Dalin was a tall man of twenty-seven, born a tenant farmer, who every year tilled land for landlords, every year vowed to save money to marry a wife, yet every year after paying rent, taxes, and levies, what remained wasn't enough to feed himself, let alone sell grain and save.

Finally, in the winter three years ago, he had a sudden awakening—he realized farming offered no future, not even enough to sustain himself, let alone make a fortune or marry a wife—so he waved his hand, quit renting land, abandoned his home, and set out to make a living.

He worked as a porter, served as a errand boy, even went to Suzhou to dye cloth—but saved nothing.

It wasn't that the work was unstable, coming and going day to day—it was that the wages were pitifully low.

Eventually, by accident, he joined a brother in opening a silver mine.

Of course, it was an illegal one.

The employer brought them to the mine site, and over time, more than two hundred men arrived from various places; because he was willing to work hard and obeyed orders, he was quickly promoted to head foreman, overseeing everyone at the mine.

Of course, above him was a Guanshi, and above the Guanshi was a Senior Guanshi, who was said to be the employer's cousin, managing several mines—not just silver, but copper, iron, and tin mines too.

The employer paid well: Song Dalin earned three taels of silver per month; his subordinates earned one tael and two mace each.

The work was grueling, but he wasn't foolish—he knew the mine was the employer's illegal operation—so each time he handed over ore, he secretly hid a little.

The smelting site was near the mountain; he befriended the foreman there and gave him the hidden ore to refine, splitting the refined silver fifty-fifty.

Of course, he didn't keep it all for himself—he shared it equally with his brothers.

The foreman did the same, but he kept more for himself, since he grew rich quickly.

Song Dalin grew rich too, but slowly.

Because they dared not hoard much, and the silver mine was poor, with low refining efficiency.

But once the "side income" was split, their earnings were decent—adding both shares, Song Dalin earned about four taels per month, sometimes up to five.

He stayed at the mine for two years; workers came and went, but he never left, because it was genuinely profitable.

The mine provided food and lodging; he saved at least thirty-five taels per year.

He decided to save a hundred taels, then return home to buy land and marry a wife.

But before he reached his hundred-tael goal, the imperial court's soldiers arrived.

The employer vanished instantly, completely and utterly, leaving only them trapped at the mine—their belongings and money seized, and they were forced to keep mining.

He had hidden his money in separate places; only half was confiscated, so he held back and didn't flee.

He thought: mining for the court meant the court would pay—why not mine for them?

So he decided to stay and save his hundred taels.

But he didn't expect the soldiers to be truly heartless.

Their wages were slashed, and worse—previously they worked five hours a day; now they were forced to work seven, and finally, they even deducted wages…

Though everyone was furious, they endured it—until they realized the soldiers didn't even feed them properly, no one could leave, and letters from home begged for money, saying their families now had to pay silver taxes and additional corvée labor…

Song Dalin burst into tears the moment he saw Pan Yun: "We're truly suffering—otherwise we wouldn't have rebelled. We simply can't survive anymore."

A tall man over six feet, his muscles honed by mining bulged faintly under his thin shirt, yet he hunched on a small stool, weeping to Pan Yun.

Pan Yun thought: if he weren't shedding not a single tear, and his sobbing was so obviously fake, she'd have been willing to cry along with him.

But since he was acting so poorly, she refused to play along—she had dignity too, didn't she?

Pan Yun half-heartedly handed him a handkerchief, then seized the moment he paused to ask: "What are your conditions? Just state them."

Song Dalin put down the handkerchief and looked up: "Can you agree to all of them?"

Pan Yun: "I can relay them."

Song Dalin: "... What's the point of relaying?"

Pan Yun: "Of course, I can also help you deliberate—after all, I'm on your side."

Song Dalin didn't believe her: "The soldiers must call us traitors. You work for them—how can you be on our side?"

Pan Yun said seriously: "I don't work for them. I work for all the people of Yushan County—for you. What's there in the court worth my loyalty? I don't crave power, and they could never give me any."

Song Dalin was half-skeptical.

Pan Yun sighed, then asked him the same question: "Song Dangjia, I know you rebelled because you suffered injustice, because you couldn't bear it any longer—you acted on impulse."

"But time has passed since the rebellion. You should have calmed down by now—especially you."

Pan Yun asked: "As their leader, have you thought about their future?"

Song Dalin fell silent.

Pan Yun: "Do you want to become Emperor? With these men, can you conquer the realm?"

Song Dalin was startled, waving his hands quickly: "I never thought of that."

But now he began to think—each thought grew more tempting.

Pan Yun poured cold water on him: "With the few men you have, no provisions, no military supplies, you really can't take the realm. Since you can't take it, you should think about accepting the imperial pardon. Otherwise, either your men scatter on the spot and flee across the land, or the imperial court comes and wipes you all out."

Song Dalin muttered, "The old Emperor was a beggar once too…"

"That's because Emperor Taizu had an Empress Ma. Empress Ma's adoptive father had troops, money, and horses. At the time the Great Yuan was tyrannical, and the realm had long suffered under the Yuan. What do you have now?"

Song Dalin said, "We also suffer under the Great Ming."

Pan Yun shook her head: "Our Great Ming does have many shortcomings, and these past few years there really have been constant rebellions. But most common folk can still survive, and as long as they can, they won't rebel against the Ming."

"But…" Song Dalin tried to argue further, but Pan Yun cut him off and asked, "Then do you mean to lead them in fighting for the realm?"

Song Dalin looked at his brothers, his gaze sweeping across each sleeping face. He was silent for a moment, then slowly shook his head.

He knew perfectly well that he didn't have that kind of ability.

Pan Yun: "Then do you mean to sit and wait for the imperial court to send a great army to wipe you out?"

Song Dalin shook his head at once. He could hide in the mountains for a while, but not for a lifetime. With so many people, food and drink were already a problem. Today he could rob landlords who grew rich through cruelty, but once those were robbed, who could he rob next time?

He couldn't really take his brothers to rob their own乡亲, could he?

Fellow villagers from the same countryside — he knew most of them. He couldn't bring himself to do it.

Pan Yun: "Then do you mean to disband your men right now?"

Song Dalin: "That won't do. A lot of them are already known to the imperial court, and their families have been thrown in prison. If we just disband like this, wouldn't that be harming them?"

Pan Yun: "So, apart from accepting the imperial pardon, do you have any other, better path?"

Song Dalin clenched his fists: "Don't you people trick me into surrendering, then turn around and kill me and my brothers."

Pan Yun: "I can guarantee that won't happen."

"Then how will you deal with Cai Cheng? That dog official — you're not going to let him stay as magistrate of Yushan County, are you?"

Pan Yun: "He won't be magistrate of Yushan County anymore."

Song Dalin's face was full of suspicion: "How can you agree to everything? Can you really make decisions for the Imperial Envoy?"

Pan Yun: "The first point still needs to be discussed with the Imperial Envoy, but as for the second, even if the imperial court doesn't deal with him, I have my own way to make sure he can't be that magistrate."

It is very, very hard to make a person succeed, but it is very easy to destroy one.

Normal means, abnormal means — she could use them all.

Song Dalin's eyes rolled as he said: "Little Daoist, it's not that I don't trust you, it's just that you agreed too fast — it all sounds too mysterious. Here's the deal: if you want me to believe you, have Cai Cheng release my brother Wang Xiaojing's family. If you can do that, I'll consider surrendering."

Pan Yun thought for a moment, then nodded: "Deal."

Pan Yun rose to leave, glanced back at the wall beside her, and said: "Chief Song Dalin, my Yushan County is blessed and protected by the god of Mount Sanqing. Whether official or commoner, every deed is watched by the mountain god. I warn you — taking property is allowed, but do not harm anyone, and certainly do not take a life. Otherwise, Heaven's justice is clear: evil causes bear evil fruit, and the mountain god will punish the wicked."

Song Dalin was silent for a moment, then nodded.

Pan Yun called out to Miao He: "Let's go."

Song Dalin watched the two of them walk into the distance, then turned around and was met by Wang Xiaojing's teary eyes.

Song Dalin: "…What's wrong with you now?"

Wang Xiaojing wiped his tears: "Big Brother, you're so good to me."

Song Dalin: "This isn't for you… alright, it is for you, but not only for you. I'm doing it to test her ability. If she really can make Cai Cheng release your family, then I'll believe what she said."

Wang Xiaojing nodded again and again, but his tears only flowed harder.

Just like Wang Xiaojing, quietly weeping, were the people in the side room of the landlord's house, separated by only one wall.

They had pressed against the wall and listened to the entire conversation between the two.

The landlord clasped his fists and gazed up at the roof, eyes brimming with tears: "Bless us, Mountain God. My yearly donations to the Mountain God were not in vain. If the Mountain God can protect my whole family through this calamity, this New Year I vow to donate ten taels — no, fifteen taels of incense money!"

The landlord's wife was furious. Having endured in silence for half her life, she finally couldn't hold back and pounded on him: "Go on being stingy! The temple keeper saved our whole family and you still won't donate a few more taels of incense money. If it weren't for your tight-fisted, penny-pinching reputation, would our family have been robbed?"

The husband and wife began arguing in low voices, while the young masters and young ladies nearby huddled together weeping silently, none daring to mediate. (End of chapter)