Wang Daxia hung King Ming’s head on a Daming banner he had prepared beforehand, then shot three red fireworks into the sky, signaling success.
Seeing the signal, those waiting outside responded by shouting in unison: “King Ming is dead! Xinghua City is liberated!”
Even Luo Longwen, tormented by gout, leaned on his walking stick and shouted through the streets and alleys, setting fire to White Lotus Sect altars large and small everywhere. His old bones seemed to boil with hot blood, as if returning to his youth.
This time, the wokou in the city were like the Xinghua City garrison from last time—hearing news of the city’s fall, they scattered in retreat with no will to fight.
Wang Daxia raised the banner bearing King Ming’s head to the highest point of the arrow tower and lit the great sea lamp below. Under the lamplight, King Ming’s wide-open dead eyes gazed down upon Xinghua City, his bald head gleaming with reflected light in the firelight.
King Ming was dead. The White Lotus Sect’s Iron Bull was dead.
The real wokou had only a temporary cooperative relationship with King Ming. Seeing King Ming dead, they felt no attachment to battle and only sought to break through and escape. But this time, escaping wasn’t so simple. The Qi Family Army and Yu Dayou’s forces pursued relentlessly, surrounding and annihilating them, letting no wokou slip away. Having run into the empire’s twin pillars, none survived.
The White Lotus Sect’s fanatical followers surged toward the arrow tower like moths to flame, coming to seize King Ming’s head. Luo Longwen lent Wang Daxia the escort masters from Santong Escort Agency to fire guns and protect the Daming banner.
However, these cultists brainwashed by the heretical sect feared no death. When one row fell, another row trampled over the corpses to continue forward, treating arrows and bullets like raindrops on their bodies.
The believers charged through the hail of bullets to reach the arrow tower, taking up weapons for close combat with the escort masters. These followers were like wooden puppets—unafraid of pain or death, even knowing their bowels would be pierced and stomachs ripped, they would still rush forward to firmly hold weapons and embrace the escort masters, allowing their companions to stab the escorts to death.
These followers were like human-shaped moths, knowing they would die yet still throwing themselves into the flames without hesitation. After several rows of believers fell, the thirty-odd escort masters guarding the arrow tower also died heroically.
Seeing this scene, Wang Daxia at the very top of the arrow tower was shocked!
Jumping from the building to escape was too late now—falling from such a height would be fatal.
But the believers had already charged up. He might be able to fight ten people, but with over a hundred surging forward, he would be beaten to death.
What to do?
In this critical moment, Wang Daxia had a flash of inspiration and thought of a method. He tore his skirt into strips and bound his own hands and feet, then lay beside the sea lamp, crying for help!
When the believers charged up, Wang Daxia wept with tears and snot, using his chin to point at King Ming’s head: “Don’t worry about me! Save King Ming first!”
What a deeply loving couple (adulterous pair)!
Some believers went to rescue the head, while others pointed at Wang Daxia and cursed: “King Ming’s death is all because of you, this femme fatale! You treated these escort masters as good people, promoting and employing them, yet they beheaded King Ming. Favoring villains and alienating worthy men, King Ming was deceived by you, this slut, becoming estranged from the Japanese and distancing himself from us loyal followers who came with him from north to south to make a living. It’s all your fault!”
When mountains and rivers are shattered, people habitually find a woman to blame for the fallen ruler’s crimes. The emperor is good—it’s all the woman’s fault. Whether Su Daji, Baosi, Zhao Hede, Yang Guifei, or Wang Daxia—all are enchanting sluts who bewitch rulers!
Wang Daxia didn’t argue, crying: “Things have come to this. Beat and scold me as you will—I won’t resist. I should have died for King Ming, but I carry King Ming’s flesh and blood. What does my worthless life matter? I haven’t yet borne King Ming a son! After bearing the child, I’ll go die.”
The believers were both surprised and delighted. No wonder King Ming so favored this married woman—she was pregnant! The mother gains status through her child.
Wang Daxia kowtowed and beat the ground crying. The believers quickly untied the ropes on his hands and feet, helping him up: “Be careful not to disturb the fetal qi. Your life is worthless, but if even the child cannot be preserved, we’ll burn you alive and send you underground to serve King Ming.”
Wang Daxia nodded through tears: “I too was deceived by treacherous people.”
A believer said: “It was this disaster’s husband and that so-called doctor who tricked open the city gates. How do we know this disaster isn’t in league with them, binding herself to deceive us?”
Wang Daxia cried: “Don’t spray blood with your accusations. My husband is naturally jealous. Usually, if I so much as glanced at another man or said a word to one, he might say nothing on the surface, but would beat and starve me afterward—this was common. I suffered greatly until I met King Ming.”
“When King Ming took me, if my husband dared refuse, King Ming could make him die sitting if he dared not die lying down! Seeing me favored by King Ming, my husband burned with jealous rage. Using the excuse of seeking medicine outside, he led government troops here. I’ve cut all ties with him. Now that I carry King Ming’s child, he certainly won’t spare me. How could we possibly be in league?”
Everyone listened and found this reasoning sound, so they protected Wang Daxia in quick retreat, escaping Xinghua City.
These people stuffed Wang Daxia into a carriage and escorted the carriage to break through at the north gate.
To save his life, Wang Daxia could only go with the flow, being treated as the “birth mother” of the little King Ming.
Yu Dayou and Qi Jiguang eliminated wokou while Lu Ying’s target was eliminating the White Lotus Sect—not one could be spared. Seeing from afar the White Lotus believers surrounding Wang Daxia as he boarded the carriage, thinking they were taking Wang Daxia as hostage, she grew anxious and quickly directed her subordinates to intercept, setting up roadblocks at the street’s end to prevent the carriage from passing.
Lu Ying and the believers began intense rainy night street fighting. The rain kept falling, soaking gunpowder and fuses so firearms failed, and wet arrow feathers lost their accuracy. Everyone fought with cold weapons.
Wang Daxia heard the clash of weapons outside the carriage and wished he could rush out to join the battle, but five strong men in the carriage guarded him and the child in his belly closely, forbidding him from leaving.
In such a cramped space, Wang Daxia couldn’t possibly take down five strong men at once—he had to use cunning.
Wang Daxia delicately fanned himself with his hand: “It’s so stuffy in the carriage, I can’t breathe. Two of you go out, or let me out for some air.”
A strong man said contemptuously: “Leaving you this worthless life is already good enough—you dare be picky.”
Ugh! Wang Daxia clutched his throat and began dry heaving: “I can’t take it, I feel terrible, I’m nauseous and want to vomit. Women have morning sickness—I can’t help it even if I want to.”
“Don’t vomit in the carriage,” the strong man said. “If you must vomit, go outside.”
Wang Daxia covered his chest, walked out of the carriage, then closed the door tightly and latched it. Drawing the short knife bound to his calf, he fought with the driver, stabbing him to death with one thrust. Then he cracked the whip and drove the carriage, charging all the way until finally reaching friendly lines.
Seeing Wang Daxia’s triumphant appearance, the believers realized they’d been deceived and rushed forward with weapons to attack.
With Wang Daxia back, Lu Ying had no more concerns. She waved both hands: “Fire the cannons!”
Subordinates pushed forward several wheelbarrows carrying crouching tiger cannons improved and designed by Qi Jiguang. Cannon fire erupted, limbs flew, buildings on both sides of the street collapsed, and believers not killed by explosions were crushed to death.
Truly the perfect combination of timing, terrain, and human harmony—the battle with the White Lotus Sect’s Iron Bull ended so cleanly and decisively.
The first thing Wang Daxia said after escaping death was to ask Lu Ying: “Where’s Wei Caiwei?”
Meanwhile, Wei Caiwei had arrived at the small building where Luo Longwen rented lodging. Luo Longwen was worrying over boxes of gold. All the Santong Escort Agency’s masters had died in battle. The ones who broke through Xinghua City were Yu Dayou and Qi Jiguang—one backed by Grand Secretary Xu Jie, the other a lecturer at Prince Yu’s mansion, meaning Prince Yu’s teacher Zhang Juzheng, who was also Xu Jie’s student.
Only Hu Zongxian belonged to Yan Shifan, like himself belonging to the Yan faction, but the two generals who entered Xinghua City both belonged to Xu Jie’s people. The Xu faction and Yan faction were like fire and water.
What to do now? One person cannot protect five thousand gold taels. The task my employer entrusted me with—I haven’t even reached the destination and have become isolated and without support.
Luo Longwen scratched his white head even shorter. Hearing movement at the door, he immediately raised his gun defensively.
“It’s me.” A familiar voice sounded.
It was the wandering physician. Luo Longwen lowered his gun and opened the door.
It was indeed the dusty Wei Caiwei. Battle sounds still occasionally came from outside. As soon as she entered, she locked the door behind her: “I led the Qi Family Army and General Yu’s forces here. These two most capable generals will surely annihilate the wokou.”
Luo Longwen asked her: “Where’s Madam Ximen? Why haven’t I heard Boss Ximen and his wife return home next door?”
Wei Caiwei said: “Madam Ximen is fine. Boss Ximen is protecting her.”
Luo Longwen handed her a gold bar: “Keep this for your future elopement with Madam Ximen. I’m now barely able to protect myself and cannot arrange your elopement. Fortunately, money can make ghosts turn millstones. Since I can’t contribute effort, I can only contribute money.”
Wei Caiwei looked at the familiar gold bar but refused to take it, asking: “Why? The escort masters have died in battle, but don’t we still exist? We’re going to Hangzhou anyway—let’s go together.”
“You don’t understand,” Luo Longwen said. “Tomorrow morning, follow Boss Ximen’s merchant convoy and immediately board the Shunfeng merchant ship to leave Xinghua City. I can’t go with you—it would harm you.”
Wei Caiwei asked knowingly: “Why? I don’t understand.”
Luo Longwen pointed at two roof beams overhead: “When two roof beams fight and one collapses, it seems only the beam lost, but underneath are ants crushed beneath the beam, dying silently. This is what they mean by ‘when the city gate catches fire, the fish in the moat suffer.’ I’m just driving you all away so you won’t become those fish.”
At this crucial moment, Luo Longwen was still thinking of his own safety, which made Wei Caiwei more determined about the decision she’d secretly made.
She pushed the gold bar back into Luo Longwen’s hands: “No, the one who should take the gold and flee is you, not us. If you don’t run now, it’ll be too late.”
Wei Caiwei said: “How could the Qi Family Army and General Yu possibly believe the one-sided words of a merchant and a wandering doctor? Actually, we’re all Jinyiwei. We’ve been following you all along. You’re not Zhang Shan—you’re called Luo Longwen, a retainer of Yan Shifan. You’re carrying Yan Shifan’s five thousand taels of gold south. We still haven’t figured out your purpose, but that’s no longer important.”
“Xinghua City is wokou territory. Yan Shifan’s five thousand taels of gold appearing in the wokou’s nest, ‘coincidentally’ discovered by General Yu Dayou—Yu Dayou will report this to Grand Secretary Xu Jie. Xu Jie will use this as pretext and certainly pin a charge of collaborating with wokou on Yan Shifan.”
The gold in Luo Longwen’s hands crashed to the floor: “You… no, impossible. How could Minister Yan collaborate with wokou? He makes a fortune selling offices—why would he collaborate with wokou for money? Even if collaborating with wokou could make money through smuggling, in terms of quick money, high profits, and low risk, selling offices is still better. Minister Yan would never do such a thing.”
Wei Caiwei said: “The Yan faction has controlled the court for years, remaining unmoved despite countless impeachments. But no flower blooms for a hundred days. I think this time will succeed. To be honest, my relatives died indirectly because Yan Shifan took bribes and gave bad advice to villains, acting as their accomplice. Their death was so tragic it remains my nightmare. I’ve been watching Yan Shifan for a long time, always looking for a chance to bring him down. I absolutely won’t let this opportunity slip.”
In the previous life, Yan Shifan was indeed brought down by Xu Jie fabricating charges of “collaborating with wokou,” becoming the final straw that broke the camel’s back. The court saw a swift anti-Yan tide that uprooted the Yan faction that had entrenched itself in government for over twenty years.
In this life, through a series of coincidences, Wei Caiwei and others personally created a new opportunity, advancing the “wokou collaboration” charge by about a year.
Luo Longwen said: “This is blatant framing.”
Wei Caiwei laughed coldly: “Yes, Yan Shifan used the same framing methods to ruin my father’s reputation, leaving him to bear infamy even after death, and caused my sister to become a government slave, trampled and bullied by others. An eye for an eye, a tooth for a tooth. It’s Yan Shifan’s turn to taste the bitter fruit of his own making.”
Wei Caiwei picked up the fallen gold bars and pushed them back to him, also handing him a complete set of new household registration documents: “You help me, I help you. Go, find a place to hide under a false name and don’t meddle in court politics, lest the roof beam collapse and crush you, this little ant.”
Author’s Note: This is why Volume Five, though its core plot involves eliminating wokou and the White Lotus Sect, is titled “Bringing Down Yan”—Yan Shifan’s downfall begins now.