Zhao Quan never could have imagined that the White Lotus Sect he had painstakingly built over twenty-plus years, starting from this year’s drought, would be like a snowball rolling down a hill. In less than a year, it grew larger and larger, until the winter famine became like an avalanche – completely unstoppable.
Of the fifty thousand believers, half had been driven away by hunger. There wouldn’t be enough people to clear wasteland and farm next year. The tree hadn’t fallen, but half the monkeys had scattered.
His credibility, reputation, and authority all collapsed in this famine. He sat in his white lotus chair in the great hall, which was completely empty. Not one of his subordinates had come – they had obviously coordinated beforehand to all refuse to contribute grain.
Without realizing it, the mighty sect leader had been rendered powerless.
The middle and upper-level believers who controlled wealth all treated the White Lotus Sect as a tool for accumulating wealth. They ate meat with every meal and never went hungry, so they didn’t really believe in the White Lotus Sect’s teachings. Therefore, when the sect leader asked them to contribute money to sustain the White Lotus Sect at this time, they collectively rebelled against him, even wanting to turn him into a puppet.
So the only ones who could allow Zhao Quan to regain control of the White Lotus Sect were the starving common believers at the bottom. Half had already been seduced by the folk song “Return to homeland, open wasteland, no worries for food and drink with surplus grain, five years tax-free with no tribute grain” into abandoning their faith and returning inside the pass to become law-abiding citizens. If the remaining half of loyal believers still had no grain, they would either starve to death or starve until they doubted their faith.
Zhao Quan had no way out. He took out his keys and opened his private treasury, gritting his teeth as he ordered: “Take it all out to buy grain. Tell our believers that joining the sect avoids calamity – if they have no food, they can come ask me for it. I won’t let any believer starve to death.”
Zhao Quan went all out, taking out his entire fortune, just like over twenty years ago when he established the White Lotus Sect and was hunted by the court, forced to lead believers out of the pass to seek refuge with Khan An Da here.
Burning his boats – either succeed or die trying.
Besides paying out of his own pocket for grain, Zhao Quan had no other options. The forty thousand shi of grain “lent” to Khan An Da was surely like throwing meat buns at a dog – gone without return. If the White Lotus Sect continued to have people starve to death, with White Lotus beggars all over Fengcheng’s streets and alleys, the White Lotus Sect would be finished.
After word spread of Sect Leader Zhao Quan providing relief to believers, Li Zixin again found Ding Wu. “You guessed right – all our property combined is only a fraction of what the sect leader has. He’s clearly so wealthy, yet still wanted us to pay up.”
Ding Wu leisurely drank tea. “He’s the sect leader – plucking one of his leg hairs is thicker than our waists. As long as most believers still trust him, his position can’t be shaken. As long as he sits firmly in the sect leader’s position, scattered gold will return. Next year, most of the profits from Bansheng’s farmland will still flow into his private treasury. We people probably won’t get much.”
Li Zixin worried about future retaliation from the sect leader. “What do we do now? We’ve already offended the sect leader. He’ll probably expel us from the sect.”
Ding Wu said, “Take out some grain from our own stores and join the sect leader in giving charity to believers – let’s bask in the sect leader’s glory too. As I said before, if we don’t contribute, none of us contribute; if we contribute, we all contribute together. This famine was weathered by all White Lotus Sect members together – it’s not the sect leader’s achievement alone. For him to be sect leader, he needs us to carry his sedan chair. We’re still useful to him.”
After hearing this, Li Zixin gave a thumbs up. “Brilliant, truly brilliant.”
And so, all the middle and upper-level White Lotus Sect members joined the sect leader in opening soup kitchens and distributing grain. Zhao Quan was practically livid. He had taken out his nest egg for disaster relief, yet these miserly iron roosters came out halfway to share the credit with him!
When people’s hearts scatter, it’s hard to lead the team. Zhao Quan’s teeth itched with hatred, but he couldn’t break with his subordinates. He thought to himself: wait until I gradually promote new people and squeeze out all you old foxes!
At the main Hongzhuang Cosmetics Shop.
Today brought a rare guest – White Lotus Sect Leader Zhao Quan. Female boss Wang Daxia personally greeted the distinguished guest in the dead of winter, waving a green peacock feather fan.
“Oh, Sect Leader Zhao has come – what an honor! What would the sect leader like to see? Our shop has just received oil specifically for beard care, plus agate combs for grooming beards. Use them consistently for a month, and your beard will become black and shiny, without tangles or split ends.”
Wang Daxia used the feather fan to cover her face, leaning close to Zhao Quan’s ear and whispering, “Beards like this don’t scratch when kissing girls – the ladies won’t mind them. Would the sect leader like to try?”
Zhao Quan was truly amazed. He’d long heard that the Hongzhuang female boss was coquettish to the bone, but hadn’t expected the real person to be more seductive than a fox spirit. Her head was full of jeweled ornaments, wearing a sable coat with exposed fur and a gold-sprinkled Xiang Consort skirt, with a spotless white fox fur stole around her neck – the fur was white as a thick layer of snow.
The fox fur stole’s plump fur set off the female boss’s small, delicate oval face. Her lips were rosy and glossy, and the powder on her face contained mica flakes. Against the light, her entire person sparkled and shone, beautiful in a rather fierce way that made people afraid to look directly at her.
Truly overwhelming with wealth and beauty – indeed an extraordinary woman. No wonder even someone as deep and unfathomable as Ding Wu was captivated by her, running here every few days.
Zhao Quan said, “Wrap up that beard oil and amber comb together – how much for everything?”
Wang Daxia was as enthusiastic as summer. “This is Sect Leader Zhao’s first visit – how could I have the nerve to charge money? It’s a gift. You’re truly a good man – it’s spread all over the marketplace that Sect Leader Zhao spent his entire fortune buying grain everywhere to provide relief to believers.”
At this point, he could only put on a brave face. Zhao Quan said, “This is what I should do, and it’s heaven’s will. When famine strikes, joining our sacred sect avoids calamity. Boss Ximen, I came this time to discuss a business deal with you.”
Wang Daxia smiled, “Cosmetics are nice to look at but not to eat – Sect Leader Zhao has come to the wrong place.”
Zhao Quan said, “I’m not buying cosmetics – I just want to buy a connection. Hongzhuang Cosmetics Shop’s goods all come from the Central Plains. The khan’s court and the Ming court haven’t traded for a long time, yet you arrived and could open up channels, with goods flowing freely. Truly a woman who doesn’t yield to men.”
“You also know I’ve been buying grain everywhere lately to provide relief to believers. Grain prices in Fengcheng have skyrocketed – everyone wants to make money off me. So I plan to buy some cheap grain from inside the pass, but over there I’m a wanted criminal with a thousand tael bounty. No one dares do business with me. If you can buy rouge and powder, you can buy grain. Providing disaster relief is also a meritorious deed. I’d like to ask the boss for help – use your connections to buy some grain back.”
Wang Daxia looked troubled. “To be honest with Sect Leader Zhao, though this business looks prosperous, most of the money earned goes to greasing palms. With the two countries not trading, doing small business requires bribing checkpoints on both sides. On the khan’s court side, Judge Ding helps out. On the Ming border side, I have several old lovers… But the benefits that should be given are never short – everyone has to eat.”
“Moreover, rouge and cosmetics aren’t major goods involving military affairs. Grain is different – and iron tools too. These are strictly prohibited by the Ming Dynasty. The charge of collaborating with the enemy comes up at the drop of a hat. My few lovers don’t dare risk losing their positions to let grain through. Sect Leader Zhao, I’m sorry – I can’t help with this favor.”
Upon hearing this, Zhao Quan thought: what a coquettish female boss – she actually slept her way to creating a trade route! Lovers on both sides.
Zhao Quan wasn’t ready to give up and gave Wang Daxia a box of pearls. “First meeting – these trifling things aren’t worthy of presentation, but please accept them for your amusement, boss. Please consider my request. If successful, there will surely be great rewards.”
This woman loves money – under heavy rewards, there must be brave women.
Wang Daxia thought: free things shouldn’t be refused, so she “reluctantly” accepted them.
After seeing off Zhao Quan, Ding Wu arrived. Wang Daxia showed him Zhao Quan’s gift. “What’s the next step?”
Ding Wu said, “Your image is that of a greedy woman who loves money above all else, so whatever he gives, you accept. When he wants you to handle business, you say your few old lovers at the Ming border are afraid of getting into trouble and won’t budge. Bleed him dry.”
Wang Daxia was overjoyed. “I’ll make a pearl shirt from this box of pearls for Caiwei to wear in summer – so cool and comfortable.”
Ding Wu really couldn’t stand Wang Daxia’s taste anymore. “Banxia doesn’t like flashy jewelry – she prefers simple and natural things.”
“Impossible.” Wang Daxia looked in the mirror. “She really likes my elaborate dress.”
Ding Wu hit the nail on the head. “She just likes you and indulges you in everything.”
These words made Wang Daxia instantly tender as water. “When we break the White Lotus Sect, you and the Ding family are vindicated and return to the capital, I’ll leave the Brocade Guard. Wei Caiwei and I will find a prosperous place to live in seclusion – she’ll open an apothecary, and I’ll open a cosmetics shop across from her. We’ll stay together for life and raise children. In the Brocade Guard there’s always endless work and countless disputes. What does a person live for? I’m busier than livestock, never resting. Marriage is like not being married, husband and wife don’t seem like husband and wife. I always feel I’m letting down her deep feelings for me.”
Ding Wu thought to himself: You indeed don’t seem like husband and wife – you’re more like good sisters! How did my sister become devoted exclusively to you…
Inside the pass, over the past half year, Wei Caiwei had become famous in Datong with her excellent medical skills, still practicing under the name Doctor He, especially skilled in gynecology. Under her care, no pregnant woman had died in childbirth.
This day, another household came seeking help, saying a woman was having difficult labor. Wei Caiwei carried her medicine bag to save lives. From far away, she could hear a woman’s agonized screams from inside the house. Wei Caiwei hurriedly pushed open the door and went in, seeing a woman screaming inside, but her belly was completely flat.
As soon as she entered, someone hiding behind the door immediately pounced and subdued her…
When Wei Caiwei awoke, she found herself lying in a palace hall with carved dragons and painted phoenixes everywhere, as if she’d returned to the Forbidden City, though the dragons and phoenixes here were cruder. She pushed open a window and saw there were indeed nine palace halls, like a miniature Forbidden City.
Someone entered. Wei Caiwei backed against the window, hiding a hairpin in her sleeve, ready to act when the opportunity arose.
It was still the same woman who had imitated the pregnant woman’s screams, but now she wore Mongolian round-necked robes with strings of turquoise necklaces on her head.
Wei Caiwei asked, “This place is… the khan’s court?”
The woman bowed. “I’m sorry – we had no choice but to offend Doctor He. Without the doctor’s consent, we brought you to the khan’s court. Our Khatun is pregnant and will give birth in a few months. The Khan cannot allow any mishaps and ordered us to invite gynecological experts from everywhere to await the birth. When the Khatun delivers the child, there will surely be great rewards and we’ll send Doctor He home. Doctor He is our honored guest. If you need anything, just call for me – you just cannot leave the khan’s court.”
Wei Caiwei said, “I love cleanliness and must take hot baths daily, washing my hair every two days. Go to the cosmetics shop and buy me these things—”
Wei Caiwei picked up a brush and wrote a list. “Give this to the shopkeeper – they’ll prepare everything accordingly.”
The items on the list were only available at Hongzhuang Cosmetics Shop and contained coded messages. The Brocade Guard would surely recognize them and know she’d been kidnapped to the khan’s court.
Author’s Note: The rumored girlfriend and legitimate wife are about to meet – Wang Daxia, aren’t you afraid!
Thanks to the little angels who voted for overlord tickets or irrigated nutrient solution for me during 2020-10-17 19:38:452020-10-18 03:22:44
Thanks to the little angels who threw landmines: Contact 1;
Thanks to the little angels who irrigated nutrient solution: Little Blue 110 bottles; Contact 20 bottles; Xi Xi Qing Xu Yuan 17 bottles; Chu Luo Ci 10 bottles; Hua Shao, Nuan Nuan, Study Hard 1 bottle each;
Thank you very much for everyone’s support, I will continue to work hard!