Chapter 698: To Get Rich, Follow the Emperor

Chen Sheng nodded and said, "Xuzhou City is so large, and you've already stationed over a hundred militia regiments here, with jianghu men keeping watch as well. What blind fool would still come looking for trouble? No need to worry."

At that moment, Zhao Jincai sighed and said in a muffled voice, "This situation right now is truly stifling."

Just as they were speaking, a passerby carrying a vegetable basket walked by and casually glanced their way, then froze for a moment. He waved and called out, "Young master, young master, will you be returning home for dinner today?"

Among Zhao Jin's group, only Wang Zhaojing would be addressed that way. They all looked over and saw it was a retainer left behind at the Wang household. Wang Zhaojing smiled, rode over, exchanged a few words, and then turned back.

"Eldest Brother, Second Brother, why not have lunch at my home today? Uncle He has just brought a letter back from the capital." Wang Zhaojing's face held a smile, and within that smile was a hint of relief, as if a burden had been lifted.

That day, when they had been unable to decide and sought advice, Chen Sheng and Wang Zhaojing had given their answers on the spot. Wang Zhaojing had also said he would send a letter to the capital to ask his father's opinion. Correspondence between Xuzhou and the capital, from sending a letter to receiving a reply, should have taken a month at most. Yet nearly three full months had passed without a single letter in return.

At first, Wang Zhaojing had been badly startled, thinking his father had run into some trouble in the capital. He sent a servant to the capital to check on him, only to be told that nothing was wrong, yet there was still no mention of the matter asked about in the letter. This left Wang Zhaojing somewhat embarrassed, and he explained the situation directly to Zhao Jin. Fortunately, Zhao Jin did not mind it.

And by now, with all sides making intense preparations, letters and such had been set aside, so he never expected to run into him by chance today.

When they were eating at home later, Uncle He also looked utterly astonished. It turned out he had traveled so urgently that his horse had died from exhaustion on the road. He had to use silver on the spot to buy another horse and continue the journey. By the time he reached Xuzhou City, he was penniless and had already gone a day without food. He hurried home first to rest, get money, and eat, before going on to He Village.

"What a coincidence indeed. Otherwise, it would have been delayed another two days. The master ordered me to deliver the letter quickly, for fear of holding up matters," Uncle He said, utterly exhausted.

The letter was sealed with wax, a rare sight. After Uncle He handed the letter to Wang Zhaojing, he was too tired to chat and went straight back to his quarters to catch up on sleep.

While the meal was being prepared below, Wang Zhaojing hastily opened the letter. After reading a few lines, he smiled and said, "My father received the letter long ago, but did not know how to reply. He has been pondering this matter all these days. He says he finally thought it through a dozen or so days ago and hurriedly sent Uncle He rushing back with the letter."

"You didn't tell him we were going to rebel, did you?" Chen Sheng suddenly asked.

Wang Zhaojing shook his head, caught between tears and laughter, and said helplessly, "I know how to be discreet. Isn't it true the time for that has not yet come? But I made everything that needed to be said perfectly clear. My father should be able to read between the lines."

Some things, when not yet brought into the open, are understood without a word. Zhao Jin and his companions all understood this principle. Whether outsiders understood it, however, was truly hard to say—even if those outsiders were one's own parents and kin.

"Why is there only one line…" Wang Zhaojing suddenly shook out the second sheet of paper. Both Zhao Jin and Chen Sheng could see that only a few characters were written on it.

Zhao Jin smiled and shook his head, saying lightly, "Uncle Wang truly has the style of a renowned scholar. How interesting."

Whatever Wang Youshan said, it would not influence whether Zhao Jin acted or not. It was merely a reference.

"…To get rich, follow the traveling court and sell wine and vinegar…" Wang Zhaojing murmured as he read.

"What does that mean? I don't quite understand!" Chen Sheng asked.

"In the Song dynasty, wine and vinegar and such were all official government monopolies, just like salt is today. Later, they were also contracted out to the wealthy and powerful for distribution. However, private brewing and private selling yielded enormous profits, and many people took the same risks as those who smuggle salt today." At this point, Wang Zhaojing shook the letter and added, speaking to himself, "This line should be part of a couplet. I remember flipping through it in my father's book collection when I was little. Please wait a moment, my two elder brothers, I will go look it up first."

Wang Zhaojing hurriedly left the table. Once he was out of the room, Chen Sheng shook his head and said, "He clearly has his own mind made up, yet he insists on asking his father. Everyone knows his temperament. Even if his father said no, he would still do it."

"Uncle Wang is a man of great talent. Zhaojing was taught by him since childhood, so naturally he feels it's more prudent to ask," Zhao Jin said with a smile.

Not long after, Wang Zhaojing walked back in holding a scroll, his face beaming, looking extremely happy. As he entered, he said, "I remembered correctly. It's also fortunate that my father didn't take those few notebooks with him to the capital this time. It's from Zhuang Jiyu's 'Chicken Rib Chronicles' of the Song dynasty, which records a common saying from the Jianyan era: 'To get an official post, kill, burn, and accept amnesty; to get rich, follow the traveling court and sell wine and vinegar.'"

"'Kill, burn, and accept amnesty'—this is the line my father wanted to convey," Wang Zhaojing said, his face full of smiles.

"Though we two aren't as learned as you, we can still figure out this key point," Chen Sheng said. When there were few people around, he always liked to trade barbs with Wang Zhaojing.

After he said this, the room fell silent. The three of them sat there without a word, yet the smiles on their faces grew thicker and thicker.

Wang Zhaojing laughed first. Zhao Jin laughed too. Chen Sheng shook his head and laughed. The laughter of the three grew louder and louder, turning into hearty, unrestrained laughter.

The commotion made Niu Jinbao outside and the guards further out all poke their heads in to look. Although Zhao Jin and his friends were young, they were extremely steady and composed; such unrestrained and exuberant behavior was exceedingly rare for them.

After laughing heartily for a while, Zhao Jin rose from his seat and declared in a clear voice, "Kill, burn, and accept amnesty. Kill, burn, and accept amnesty. Uncle Wang has put it perfectly. He resides at the very heart of power, and with his breadth of insight, the conclusion he has drawn is naturally clear."

"This principle, Eldest Brother and Second Brother, you must have already grasped it yourselves. I am not being modest when I say I had also vaguely thought of it, but to what extent we should act, and what the consequences would be—that I did not know how to gauge. This letter from my father, this single line, has suddenly opened my eyes!" Wang Zhaojing said with a smile.

Zhao Jin nodded, looked at Chen Sheng, then at Wang Zhaojing, and said with a smile, "In that case, let us put on a grand performance!"

"A grand performance!" Even the steady Chen Sheng was now brimming with heroic spirit and stood up as well.

Wang Zhaojing stood up with a smile, and the three brothers exchanged smiling glances.

Zhao Jin had brought his men into the city for a walk-around and had originally planned to return to He Village before nightfall. But when it came time to leave, he changed his mind and decided to stay in the city overnight. Although Zhao Zhentang and He Cuihua were in Xiao County and He Village, the old family residence was still there. Zhao Shiyi and Zhao Wan were leading the household guards there, using it as a makeshift barracks. Zhao Jin and his group stayed there, and they also set up several lavish tables at Cloud Mountain Tower, gathering with various people from all circles in the city.

"If we come and then leave immediately, outsiders will see it as a sign of a guilty conscience. Staying one night is fine—who's afraid of whom?" Zhao Jin had thought it through very thoroughly.

Halfway through the banquet, a brigade commander from Vice General Zhou's side arrived with two men. He politely offered a toast to Zhao Jin, saying, "My commander is occupied with military duties and truly cannot come in person. He has entrusted me to offer a toast to Master Jin. He also asks for Master Jin's magnanimous forgiveness regarding the poor discipline of his subordinates."

After drinking the wine, the brigade commander exchanged a few polite words and left. At the table, someone chuckled and exposed the truth, saying that Vice General Zhou had never even left the city; it seemed he was too ashamed to show his face here.

By all logic, Zhao Jin, accused of plotting rebellion, should have been afraid of Vice General Zhou Baolu, and staying within the city should have been walking into a trap. Yet judging by the current situation, it seemed to be Vice General Zhou Baolu who was afraid.

This scene quickly spread throughout Xuzhou City, and everyone understood even more clearly how they should act.

By chance in the prefectural city of Xuzhou, they had run into Uncle He of the Wang household, who was returning with a letter, and so they did not return to He Village that night. Because of this, they missed Liu Yong, who had rushed back overnight. Liu Yong had brought an urgent letter from Nanjing.

The letter said that Ma Chonghao, the Assistant Commander of the Nanjing Embroidered Uniform Guard, had already begun to act openly and brazenly. He was publicly assembling and drilling the household troops and retainers of the noble houses in Nanjing. Moreover, news that someone in Xuzhou was plotting rebellion was being spread everywhere.

"Regarding the household troops and retainers of the nobles in Nanjing, I have heard my second uncle speak of this. He said that the Xu family of the Duke of Wei, along with a few other families, have always maintained elite units of several hundred or several dozen men. In peacetime, they serve as household guards. When they go out to lead armies, these household troops and retainers become the backbone of the force. These men are well-fed with silver, lack neither weapons nor armor, and train all day long; they certainly won't be weak," Zhao Jin said.

Wang Zhaojing mused, "Ma Chonghao's intention is probably to claim that we are going to rebel, and then he will lead troops here to suppress the rebellion. Is his current spreading of rumors meant to provide a justification for military action?"

"He's just a head of the Embroidered Uniform Guard's agents. What authority does he have to mobilize and lead troops?" Chen Sheng countered. Everyone understood this point perfectly well.

Zhao Jin slowly shook his head and said in a deep voice, "I can probably figure out his scheme. Plotting rebellion is the gravest of crimes. Ma Chonghao can claim he is acting out of urgent necessity, leading a hastily assembled cavalry force here to suppress the rebellion and kill the traitors. Afterward, no one will be able to find much fault with him. Furthermore, the crime of plotting rebellion is punishable by execution, confiscation of property, and extermination of one's clan. By pinning this charge on us in advance, he can scare off those whose resolve is unsteady, making us as isolated and weak as possible. Then, when he brings this assembled cavalry here, under the weight of such a grave crime and righteous cause, he expects us to surrender without a fight."

"How many men can he muster in Nanjing?" Chen Sheng asked.

Liu Yong immediately answered, "All told, roughly six hundred cavalry."

Hearing this number, Chen Sheng gave a cold laugh and said disdainfully, "Even if we round it up for him, it's no more than a thousand cavalry. What use would they be? If I deploy a single regiment in formation, his thousand cavalry won't be able to break through!"

"Vice General Zhou Baolu still has four hundred men. The Langshan Vice Brigade General also has a force of nearly five hundred. That makes fifteen or sixteen hundred in total, and all of them are well-fed, elite personal guards and household troops. These men are not the beggars we usually see," Zhao Jin said.

Ji Xiang's face was full of excitement, and he said with extreme confidence, "That's still only fifteen hundred. Eldest Brother, here in Xuzhou, we can field over ten thousand men at any time."

Zhao Jin swept his gaze around and saw that everyone was brimming with confidence. He said solemnly, "Plan for the enemy at his strongest. We must prepare for the worst-case scenario, not assume victory is already in hand!"

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