EBE Chapter 699 The Sage is Not Benevolent
Chapter 699 The Sage is Not Benevolent
Chapter 699 The Sage is Not Benevolent
Fang Hongbo leaned close to his father and whispered, "Father, don't listen to his nonsense. Do you think he's Wang Wenzhou or Wang Qingtian? I think he's probably a wanted criminal. He's likely connected to the bandits. If we hand him over to the authorities, we'll get a reward of one hundred taels of silver, and this year's taxes will be waived."
Fang Yuda said with a wry smile, "Regardless of his identity, firstly, Ming'er is in his hands, so even for Ming'er's sake, we can't use force. Secondly, if he really is related to the bandits, that's fine too; we, the whole village, might as well join the bandits."
"Ah!" Fang Hongbo exclaimed in surprise, "Father, didn't you say that no matter what, we must not become thieves?"
Fang Yuda shook his head and said helplessly, "Times have changed! Heaven and earth are ruthless, treating all things like straw dogs; the sage is ruthless, treating the people like straw dogs. Where are the honest officials in the Ming Dynasty now? Our Sichuan is the land of abundance, yet the people of Sichuan have no food to eat. Why? It's all because of those corrupt officials!"
Fang Yuda bowed to Wang Wenzhou and said, "Lord Wang, I have decided to lead all the villagers to escort you to find Commander Zhang Xianzhong. Do you have any official seal? I will send someone to deliver it to Commander Zhang beforehand."
What? Wang Wenzhou was completely bewildered, unable to understand what Fang Yuda meant. The common people were unwilling to get involved with the bandits, and Wang Wenzhou suspected that Fang Yuda had been fooled into joining the bandits in order to protect the lives of the villagers.
Wang Wenzhou quickly said, "Mr. Fang, you don't need to be afraid. I know you are all kind and honest people, otherwise you wouldn't have saved a stranger like me. In any case, I am not an ungrateful person, and I don't want to cause trouble for my benefactors."
“Hmm…” Wang Wenzhou thought for a moment and continued, “How about this, I will write a letter, and you can send someone to deliver it to Zhang Xianzhong. After he sees the letter, he will definitely send someone to pick me up. I assure you that everything will be done in secret, and no outsider will know that you have any dealings with the rebel army.”
"Alas..." Fang Yuda sighed and said with a wry smile, "Sir, to be frank, we really intend to join the rebels! But we haven't joined the righteous army because we have elderly parents and young children to support in the village, and we're also afraid that too many old and weak people won't be welcomed by the leaders. Now that you've recommended us, we really intend to join the righteous army!"
"Pfft..." Wang Wenzhou was completely dumbfounded. Damn it, had he walked into a den of thieves? He looked at Fang Yuda and the others again and again. These people didn't look like thieves at all. They were just ordinary people. Why would they want to engage in a rebellion?
Wang Wenzhou cupped his hands and quickly advised, "Mr. Fang, don't be afraid. What I said just now was a threat. I was afraid you would send me to the authorities. You saved me, and I should repay you. I'm just wondering, why do you want to join the thieves?"
"Hmph!" Fang Hongbo snorted coldly, saying irritably, "In this world, honest people suffer the most, honest people are all unlucky! Our whole village is really going to die now! We might as well join the rebel army, maybe we can still make a future!"
"Huh?" Wang Wenzhou looked at Fang Yuda and asked, "Sir, what exactly happened?"
Fang Yuda began to tell Wang Wenzhou about his painful experiences.
Actually, the cause of this matter is indeed related to Wang Wenzhou. Back then, Wang Wenzhou's followers called on the public to donate money, and even officials of the Ming Dynasty were forced to donate.
Everyone, regardless of their background, prefers to pocket small amounts of money rather than spend it. As a result, some local officials try every means to make money.
Magistrate Cheng of Gucheng County, where Fang Yuda lived, was also a money-grubber. When his own pockets were full, he started selling land. Of course, Magistrate Cheng wasn't stupid; he was quite adept at making money and invented many exorbitant taxes, which made life miserable for the people of Gucheng County.
"Pfft..." Wang Wenzhou was completely dumbfounded, and asked with a wry smile, "This guy surnamed Cheng even collects a marriage tax?"
Fang Hongbo cursed and said, "It's not just the marriage tax. There's no tax you can think of that he won't collect, and there are taxes you can't even imagine. Even entering the county town requires paying an entry tax. I don't know which bastard came up with this terrible idea!"
"Pfft..." Wang Wenzhou was very embarrassed. This city entry tax was his achievement! The people of Hanshan loved the city entry tax. How could they hate it so much after listening to Fang Hongbo?
Wang Wenzhou said, "Isn't there a tax receipt for the city entry tax? If you don't want to buy a tax receipt, you can try your luck at winning a big prize. What's wrong with that?"
Fang Hongbo grumbled, "I've also heard about the Hanshan city entrance tax, but that guy surnamed Cheng is unwilling to part with any money, and there are no tax receipts, so we can't participate in the lottery!"
“This Cheng fellow truly deserves to die. Rest assured, gentlemen, once I have dealt with Zhang Xianzhong, I will bring this Cheng fellow to justice!” Wang Wenzhou truly could not stand these corrupt officials who were greedy for money and did nothing.
"Haha!" Fang Hongbo sneered, "Alright, stop pretending. If you are Wang Wenzhou, Lord Wang, then I am Wang Wenzhou's father! Do you think I'm stupid? Wang Wenzhou is an important official of the court, yet he could be assassinated? Even the county magistrate is always surrounded by a large group of attendants when he goes out."
"Shut up!" Fang Yuda glared at Fang Hongbo, then cupped his hands to Wang Wenzhou and said with a smile, "Mr. Zhou, please don't be angry. My son has always been like this since he was a child; he can't keep things to himself. Please don't take it to heart, and please don't try to persuade him. If we could just survive, why would we become thieves? The key is that we can't see the poetry and fields in the distance!"
"Pfft..." Wang Wenzhou was quite annoyed. Why can't people trust each other a little? How am I not like Wang Wenzhou? You, bastard, talking about distant places, poetry, and fields? What a joke!
"Please send a letter of divorce, Mr. Zhou. I will immediately send someone to deliver it to Commander Zhang." Fang Yuda looked at Wang Wenzhou.
"Alright!" Wang Wenzhou nodded with a wry smile. He had no way to prove his identity now, and going to Zhang Xianzhong was better than being handed over to the authorities by the villagers. He didn't know who had sent the assassin—the Donglin Party or Zhu Youjian. But Wang Wenzhou felt it didn't seem like Zhu Youjian's doing. Although Zhu Youjian was a pig, he wasn't that stupid.
……
Zhang Xianzhong's camp.
Shen He and Cui Zhe, two dog lovers, were eating dog poop face to face with small spoons.
Shen He scooped up a spoonful, put it in his mouth, and chewed gently. Shen He was so annoyed! Was this the fault of that scoundrel? That scoundrel, always so sharp-tongued, had reminded his wife that the adults had said dogs had a keen sense of smell and should be able to track their owners by scent. Besides, they had trained them beforehand.
But who knew that it snowed heavily that day, and the adults' scent disappeared completely, so Dog Lord Ru Ru couldn't find a single clue.
Cui Zhe took a bite, gagged, and said irritably, "Brother Shen, it's not that I'm criticizing you, but this time it's all your fault!"
Shen He took a bite and said with a wry smile, "Brother Cui, without the Lord, we wouldn't be where we are today. I just wanted to find the Lord as soon as possible, but who knew it would turn out like this? Eat up, you'll feel better after you finish eating!"