Chapter 897: Settling the Heart

Within an hour and a half, word reached the palace. Wei Zhongxian, who had just delivered a wooden piece to the Tianqi Emperor, immediately turned livid. But knowing full well how many eyes in the palace were watching him, he did not erupt on the spot. Instead, he went to a secluded, trusted duty room and listened to a subordinate eunuch's report.

"Old Six Sun of the Eastern Depot knew that Little Zhang had newly entered the service of the Old Ancestor, so he locked down the news. I reported a sudden illness for that Little Zhang. Once Eunuch Kuang from the Rites Office verifies it, he'll be burned directly. Those few others will be burned together with him. Nothing left outside to trace." The eunuch delivering the report had a slight tremor in his voice.

Every eunuch of Wei Zhongxian's faction in the imperial palace knew that one of Eunuch Wei's operations had failed. Ever since the news came back, Eunuch Wei had been sullen and brooding. His trusted aides also knew what it was about. So today, when this Eunuch Zhang met with trouble, everyone was walking on eggshells, terrified of being caught in the blast of Eunuch Wei's fury.

"Who did it? Has anything been found out?" Wei Zhongxian asked in a muffled voice.

Hearing Wei Zhongxian ask this, the replying eunuch's voice began to quaver, but he still stiffened his neck and said, "Couldn't find out who. However, when that gang of thieves left, they tossed a piece of paper inside the carriage. Written on the paper was the character 'Xin'..."

Silence filled the room for a moment. Wei Zhongxian drew a deep breath, grabbed the teacup at his hand, and raised it, ready to smash it down. Then, after a few more heavy breaths, he set the teacup back. But the force was too great—the saucer beneath it was shaken to pieces. The replying eunuch dared not say more, only bending at the waist and lowering his head.

The longer the silence stretched, the greater the pressure became. Wei Zhongxian now controlled the Inner Court, wielding great power. With a flash of joy or anger, he could decide another's wealth, rank, life, or death. Having delivered this bad news, one must absolutely not stumble into any ill fortune.

After a spell of fear and worry, Wei Zhongxian let out a long breath and said, "Summon Little Kuang. You, go arrange a squad for a six-hundred-li express relay to the Southern Metropolitan Region today."

The replying eunuch finally breathed a sigh of relief, yet felt a surge of resentment. When it came to matters of the heart and trusted aides, Eunuch Wei truly would only turn to that Little Kuang.

In Shandong during the twelfth month, only the bustling great cities held any New Year's atmosphere. Even the prefectures and counties in the hinterlands were often desolate and destitute. The Liao levies had already made life unbearable for the common people across the land of Qi and Lu.

Yuncheng County in Yanzhou Prefecture, once a gathering place for the wealthy, powerful, and mighty, had also changed its appearance. Now, those coming and going here were all rough-handed, big-footed, dark-faced common folk—people who looked to have endured much hardship, weathered and seasoned among the peasant households.

Xu Hongru, who in the past had lived in deep seclusion within the great mansion at the main headquarters, was now different as well. Twenty days out of each month, he was at various estates outside the city, preaching the dharma and propagating the Way.

"... All existence is suffering. No matter how one struggles, one cannot escape this sea of bitterness. We who propagate the dharma, the Incense Congregation, must tell the faithful: burn incense and believe in the Buddha, and you shall receive protection. After death, you may go to the True Void of Ultimate Bliss; in the next life, you may be reborn into a wealthy and noble household..."

"... The present age is the Dharma-Ending Age. When the time of peril and utter desperation truly arrives, Maitreya Buddha and the Eternal Venerable Mother will not sit idly by and watch the faithful suffer. Then they shall establish this earthly Buddha Land, the Homeland of Ultimate Bliss. All devout Incense Congregation members may receive blessings in this very life..."

Xu Hongru and his core trusted aides, preaching and transmitting the dharma, had long since shed the cool composure and restraint of former years. Dressed in coarse cloth robes, they preached with faces full of fanaticism. And the congregation of believers below listened with expressions of utter confusion and rapt attention, fearful of missing a single word.

No one would notice that when they preached, incense was always burned on the scene. This fragrance permeated the air, and those who smelled it often grew dim in consciousness, slight illusions appearing before their eyes. For the bottom-rung believers who had experienced little, they would think they had attained the Way, growing ever more fanatical and devout, even disregarding life and death when spreading the faith!

As for those preaching the Way and propagating the dharma, they all stuffed incense pills into their nostrils or held the antidote directly in their mouths. Their minds remained perfectly clear.

"When you all return, you must help the faithful aid and support one another. You must spread the tidings that the gods and buddhas shall descend to save mankind. Your every move and action lies in the hearts of the Buddha and the Eternal Mother. Your future karmic rewards depend on how diligently you labor today..." Xu Hongru exhorted the congregation of believers about to return to their villages.

Now, every part of Shandong was exceptionally destitute. Ordinary farming households struggled bitterly to survive. Never mind lasting until the lean season when the old grain was gone and the new not yet harvested—even getting through this New Year was difficult. These core believers who came to Yuncheng received little. Each day, they ate coarse grain and wild vegetables. The dry rations for their return journey were barely enough, and their travel money was even scarcer. Many had already struggled to come here; the return journey might well be one they could not complete.

Yet it was precisely such hardship that made these believers each exceptionally steadfast. Moreover, seeing Xu Hongru and the other exalted figures of the sect here sharing their food and lodging stirred a different feeling. They felt that all the suffering they endured was worthwhile, that there would be recompense in the future. Those with compassionate and righteous hearts felt even more that they had found the method to save their kin and neighbors.

Seeing Xu Hongru bow with clasped hands, many core believers hurriedly fell to their knees in panic, returning the grand salute. Many, as they rose, could not help but shed tears and choke with emotion.

Everyone saw a scholar walking over from not far away. Everyone knew this man—it was Xie Mingxuan, the trusted aide of the Sect Revered Xu Hongru. He looked just like a village private tutor, utterly plain and simple.

Xie Mingxuan arrived but did not rush forward to speak. He merely stood to one side and waited. He saw the chapping on Xu Hongru's face and hands. For several months, eating and living together with the congregation, enduring such hardship, Xu Hongru looked utterly shabby. Yet this appearance filled Xie Mingxuan with heartfelt admiration. This Xu Hongru was the Xu Hongru who could accomplish great things—the one who had taken a hollow title from the old sect leader Wang Sen and carved out a sphere of influence in Shandong with his own fists and feet: the Incense-Smelling Sect Leader. This was the Xu Hongru of grand ambition, who sent men north to the Liao garrison and south to Xuzhou!

He waited in silence. Only after everyone had been sent off did Xu Hongru sigh and turn back. Xie Mingxuan smiled, bowed in salute, and said, "Your Eminence has toiled. Your Eminence is heroic and full of vigor—this is Heaven's blessing!"

Xu Hongru rubbed his hands together and said with a rueful smile, "In such a wretched state, what talk is there of Heaven's blessing? Are the grain and fodder for relieving the faithful all prepared?"

"In reply to the Sect Revered, everything is fully prepared. All locations are ready and in order, just awaiting the Sect Revered's command."

"Distribute it only when they truly can hold out no longer. Don't let anyone starve to death, but there's no need for them to eat their fill either," Xu Hongru said flatly. Xie Mingxuan nodded with a smile.

Xu Hongru turned and walked toward the house. The several guards scattered around immediately converged. Xie Mingxuan followed behind and reported, "Sect Revered, word has come from Xuzhou. They say that demon Zhao Jin suffered a night raid and assassination attempt. Though he was unharmed, he was frightened. There are also rumors that Liu Yong was injured. The demon chieftain has suffered a setback—this is a prime opportunity for our holy sect. Sect Revered, should our sect..."

"What use would going there be? How many brave warriors can our sect muster? And how could they overcome the tigers and wolves under that traitor Zhao?" Xu Hongru said calmly.

Xie Mingxuan made no sound, simply following behind Xu Hongru. The inland of Shandong in the twelfth month was exceptionally cold. Snowflakes drifted down from the sky. Xu Hongru halted his steps, reached out a hand to catch a snowflake. The tiny flake quickly melted in his palm. Xu Hongru gazed at it for a moment, then asked leisurely, "Mingxuan, here in Shandong we've never had much heavy snow, and when it falls, it never stays on the ground more than a few days. What's it like over in Liaodong?"

"Sect Revered, beyond the passes it is bitterly cold. When winter arrives, snow is commonplace. The snow falls and does not melt, blanketing everything in white. When the snowfall is heavy, it easily brings disaster, trapping people inside their homes, unable to get out. Some snows can even collapse houses." Xie Mingxuan answered with the utmost respect. He knew he had said this many times before, but since the other man brought it up, there must be a purpose behind it.

Xu Hongru nodded with a smile and spoke: "One believer is a single snowflake—it melts the moment it touches the ground, utterly insignificant. But if there are thousands, tens of thousands, hundreds of thousands, then it becomes a snow disaster that can crush houses and besiege cities, an unstoppable, mighty force. A hundred men, a thousand men—we are no match for the local strongmen. Ten thousand men—we are no match for that demon Zhao in Xuzhou. Fifty thousand men—we are no match for the imperial court's army. But if it is a hundred thousand, two hundred thousand, even a million, then that is an irresistible, mighty power."

These words set Xie Mingxuan pondering. When he looked up at Xu Hongru, he was startled. In the eyes of the usually calm and self-possessed Incense-Smelling Sect Leader, there was now a fanaticism identical to that of the believers.

"If you want others to believe, you must first believe it yourself." Xie Mingxuan recalled words Xu Hongru had spoken in years past. But Xie Mingxuan also knew that Xu Hongru had never achieved this.

Xu Hongru continued speaking: "Back then, when we drove the common people toward Xuzhou, there were only a little over forty thousand beneath the city walls. That city of Xuzhou was just a hair's breadth from being breached. Had there been a hundred thousand that day, Xuzhou would have been nothing, and the entire land north of the Yangzi would have fallen entirely to our holy sect. That Zhao Jin would not have been allowed to run rampant as he does now."

As he spoke, Xu Hongru's voice grew somewhat shrill, yet he himself did not notice. Xie Mingxuan glanced at him a few times, then bowed again: "Now, the fortune of this Ming dynasty's Zhu family has run out. They squeeze the common people until life is unbearable. When the time comes to rise, all of Shandong, the entire North, millions upon millions of common folk will enter our holy sect. Once it begins, what a sight that will be."

Nowadays, this martial arts tournament had become a spectacle of Xuzhou. Commoners from Xuzhou's one prefecture and four counties, those with money and leisure, would all go to watch. After all, Xuzhou had enjoyed favorable weather for several years running. Everyone had grown accustomed to days of peace. More people had spare money in their pockets, and quite a few had the inclination to enjoy the excitement.

For the vast majority of ordinary commoners, this martial arts tournament was not much different from a stage play—just a bit of fun to watch. But for the various groups participating in the tournament, its significance was extraordinary.

Some wanted to make a name through the tournament. Some wanted to display their strength. Some wanted to use the tournament to cut down the prestige of the Zhao camp. And quite a few were purely gambling matches between the scions of wealthy and powerful families.

No matter the type, all wished to test themselves against Zhao Jin's side—either to raise their own value, or to make a show of force, or to boast to others. Yet the Zhao camp and Cloud Mountain Trading, as the organizers, aside from maintaining order and running the gambling to collect money, had sent no one at all to participate.

Thanks to the two friends "Yuan Heng Li Zhen" from Chuangshi and "Xiao Jian Hua" from Qidian for their tips. It's the end of the month; you all surely have monthly tickets in hand. Cast them for Great Ming Wufu! There will be another update in the afternoon.