Moma Liangshan

Chapter 23 Osmanthus Tree at the Top of the Slope High School, Wang Hao Returns to Tokyo City

Wang Hao was slightly surprised and asked, "Master Xu, you also understand the principles of Feng Shui?" Old Man Xu replied, "I've loved brewing wine all my life, and I've dabbled in everything related to it." Wang Hao then asked, "Are there any classic texts on brewing that combine the strengths of many schools of thought?" Old Man Xu answered, "The *Beishan Wine Classic*." Curious, Wang Hao asked, "Who wrote it, and when?" Old Man Xu said, "It was written by the Great Hermit of our dynasty, the exact date is unknown. Legend has it that he was initially a doctor in the Imperial Medical Academy, but was later demoted to Dazhou for spreading Su Shi's articles, and from then on called himself 'The Great Hermit'." Wang Hao asked, "Is this book for sale?" Old Man Xu replied, "It's sold in some bookstores. If you'd like, young master, I have a copy that you can borrow to copy." Wang Hao nodded and said, "That would be excellent." "Old Xu looked at the sparse trees on the hillside and said, "I have a suggestion, but I don't know if I should say it?" Wang Hao smiled and said, "Speak freely." Old Xu said, "I want to plant a cassia tree on the hillside." Wang Hao was puzzled and asked, "What do you mean?" Old Xu said, "The cassia tree can connect to the Moon Palace, drawing in the essence of the bright moon at night, adding a magical charm to the winery." Wang Hao smiled casually and said, "In the Moon Palace, there is Chang'e dancing at night, the Jade Rabbit pounding medicine, and Wu Gang chopping down the cassia tree. If Master Xu wants to plant a cassia tree on the mountain, why not place a stone statue of Chang'e at the foot of the mountain and raise a few white rabbits in the grass?" Old Xu stared blankly at Wang Hao, then suddenly clapped his hands and exclaimed, "Young master is wise!" After a moment, he added, "The Chang'e statue would be best made of white marble."

Wang Hao, surprised by Old Man Xu's enthusiasm, quickly said, "White marble is too expensive; the winery doesn't have enough money or grain." Old Man Xu, however, refused to give up, saying, "A white marble statue would only cost a hundred strings of cash." Wang Hao smiled at Old Man Xu and said, "You make it sound so easy. A hundred strings of cash would require me to sell fifty jars of Eight Immortals Wine. No way!" Old Man Xu persisted, saying, "Young master, you must believe in fate. With this fairy statue, our winery will surely rise to prominence." Wang Hao thought to himself, "Everyone knows Chang'e is extremely beautiful, but who truly knows what she looks like?" He unconsciously looked towards Tokyo and then thought, "The Emperor used the tribute of flowers and stones to build a paradise on earth, and Li Shishi proclaimed herself a fairy in that paradise. Why don't I find a skilled stonemason to carve a white marble statue in Li Shishi's likeness? This way, I can fulfill Old Man Xu's wish and also win a smile from Li Shishi." He said, "Granted!" Old Man Xu shouted loudly, "Young master is wise!"

Wang Hao stayed at Liangshanbo for a month, purchasing a large tract of land around Hulupo, compensating all the villagers for their losses, and signing all the necessary contracts. One morning, a镖师 (bodyguard/escort) from Erlibao brought a letter from a minor official of the Palace Guard, informing Wang Hao that Yang Zhi had arrived in Dongjing (Kaifeng) and was currently imprisoned in the Palace Guard's jail. Wang Hao dared not delay, entrusting the matters concerning the newly built winery to Zhu Gui and Old Man Xu, before bidding farewell to Wang Lun and returning to Dongjing.

Four days later, Wang Hao arrived in Tokyo and went straight to the Palace Guard. Seeing Wang Hao's travel-worn appearance, the Palace Guard clerk asked, "Why do you look like this, Lord Wang?" Wang Hao replied, "Your letter mentioned that Yang Zhi had arrived in Tokyo, so I immediately finished my business, bid farewell to my father, and rushed here." The clerk was surprised and said, "Whether Yang Zhi's crimes can be pardoned depends entirely on you, Lord Wang. The Emperor hasn't set a deadline for the retrieval of the precious stones; there's no need for you to be in such a hurry." Realizing his overreaction, Wang Hao said, "The Emperor hasn't set a deadline because he has the world in his heart and treats his subjects with kindness, but we cannot be ungrateful and disregard imperial orders!" The Palace Guard clerk quickly bowed and said, "Hearing Lord Wang's words is worth more than ten years of study." Wang Hao smiled knowingly and said, "Please take me to see Yang Zhi, sir." The Palace Guard clerk said, "This way, young master!"

Passing through the side hall, the two arrived at a gloomy courtyard. A burly man at the gate saw them approaching and said, "Please, gentlemen, show yourselves!" The two men took out their identification tokens and showed them to the man. After verifying their identities, Wang Hao asked, "Is Yang Zhi here?" The burly man replied, "Are you referring to Yang Zhi, the one with the large blue birthmark on his face?" Wang Hao said, "That's right." The burly man said, "Please wait a moment, gentlemen, I'll go and fetch him." A moment later, the burly gatekeeper and a man about seven feet five or six inches tall returned together. Upon seeing Wang Hao, the man immediately knelt on one knee and cried out, "This sinner, Yang Zhi, greets Lord Wang." Wang Hao helped Yang Zhi up and said, "You are Yang Zhi, nicknamed 'Blue-Faced Beast'?" Yang Zhi thought to himself, "This lord doesn't ask about the Flower and Stone Tribute first, but instead asks about my nickname. How strange!" Although puzzled, he dared not be negligent and said, "It is indeed I." Wang Hao looked at the clerk of the Palace Guard and asked, "Is Yang Zhi being tortured and imprisoned here?" The clerk replied, "The Palace Guard is only temporarily imprisoning him. We will wait for Lord Wang's return before making any further decisions." Wang Hao was unsure and asked, "My decision?" The clerk said, "That's right. Whether Yang Zhi continues to be imprisoned or redeems himself through meritorious service depends entirely on Lord Wang's word." Wang Hao understood and looked at Yang Zhi, saying, "The Emperor has granted me the position of Commander-in-Chief, but hasn't assigned me any men. I have a security escort agency outside the city with more than ten escorts. I will temporarily give you the position of squad leader to be the head of those escorts. Are you willing?"

Yang Zhi, surprised by Wang Hao's high regard for him, quickly said, "Young master, you don't mind my criminal record and use me as you please. I am deeply grateful and have no way to repay you." Wang Hao was pleased and said, "If we work together in the future, we will surely achieve great things." The clerk thought to himself, "Although Wang Hao rose to power through flattery, his character doesn't seem bad." He said, "Could you count me in?" Wang Hao said, "Sir, you are a ninth-rank official in the court, not a commoner?" The clerk said, "May I form a faction with Lord Wang?" Wang Hao smiled curiously and said, "You are a ninth-rank official, and I am a sixth-rank official?" The clerk said, "Sir, you have won the Emperor's favor..." "It's someone with connections and influence, regardless of rank." Wang Hao, feeling confident in his reasoning, asked, "Having worked with you for so many days, I still don't know your name?" The clerk replied, "My surname is Liu, and my given name is Hong." Wang Hao said, "Then we shall help each other from now on, advancing and retreating together!" Liu Hong said, "If the court issues any orders concerning you, Lord Wang, I will certainly report them immediately." Wang Hao was quite satisfied and said, "If you need to bribe your superiors, Lord Wang, please don't hesitate to ask." Unexpectedly, Liu Hong said, "Money is secondary; a word of praise from the Emperor is worth more than a fortune." Wang Hao nodded and said, "I understand. Please await good news, Lord Liu."

Half an hour later, Wang Hao led Yang Zhi away from the Palace Guard and headed straight for Erlibao. Upon entering the fort, they saw Instructor Zhang and Lu Zhishen training more than ten bodyguards. The men were surprised to see Wang Hao return and said, "Greetings, Young Master." Wang Hao greeted them one by one, then looked at Lu Zhishen and asked, "Master, did your secret escort of Instructor Lin go smoothly?" Lu Zhishen replied, "Please don't call me Master anymore, just call me Monk!" Wang Hao laughed heartily and said, "My mistake, Great Monk!" Lu Zhishen was very satisfied, then suddenly exclaimed angrily, "Gao Qiu is a despicable scoundrel! He secretly bribed the officials to assassinate Lin Chong, but thankfully I rescued him in time." Wang Hao then asked, "What happened next?" "Lu Zhishen continued, "I followed them all the way to Cangzhou and stayed at Chai Da Guanren's manor for three days. Lin Chong was worried about his family and told me to return to Dongjing first, so that someone could look after them." Wang Hao nodded in agreement, and seeing that Lu Zhishen wasn't wearing monk's robes, asked, "Monk, you're still bald, so why aren't you wearing monk's robes?" Lu Zhishen replied, "The two constables returned and told Gao Qiu the truth, and Gao Qiu immediately used his methods to drive me out of Xiangguo Temple. I heard he even sent people to Weizhou to investigate my background. I had nowhere to go for the time being, so I hid in your Erlibao."

Wang Hao pondered for a moment and said, "Erlibao can't escape Gao Qiu's eyes and ears. Do you know of Liangshan, the eight-hundred-mile-long marshland in Yuncheng County?" Lu Zhishen replied, "I've heard of it. There's a stronghold on the mountain, led by the white-robed scholar Wang Lun." Wang Hao suddenly said, "Wang Lun is my father." Lu Zhishen was very surprised and asked, "Isn't your ancestral home Penglai, sir?" Wang Hao said, "My ancestral home is indeed Penglai, but unfortunately, due to natural disasters and man-made calamities, my father had no choice but to join Liangshan with the help of Master Chai." Lu Zhishen said, "Does sir intend for me to go and seek refuge with your father?" Wang Hao nodded and said, "No matter how powerful Gao Qiu is, he can't reach Liangshan. Even in Yuncheng County, if Gao Qiu dares to extend his reach, we'll chop him up." Lu Zhishen laughed heartily and said, "It's truly refreshing to hear Young Master Wang speak."

At this moment, Lu Zhishen looked at Yang Zhi and asked, "Is this strong man one of the young master's newly recruited men?" Wang Hao looked at Yang Zhi and said, "This man is Yang Zhi, the grandson of Yang Linggong, one of the Five Marquises, a descendant of three generations of generals." Lu Zhishen said, "A descendant of three generations of generals, he must possess excellent martial arts skills?" Wang Hao said, "I plan to make him the head of the escort team." Lu Zhishen said, "The martial arts instructors recruited by Instructor Zhang are all skilled fighters. If Strong Man Yang doesn't demonstrate some abilities, he might not be able to convince the crowd!" Wang Hao looked at Yang Zhi and said, "Yang Zhi, show everyone what you've got!" Yang Zhi nodded and said, "Yes, sir." After speaking, he picked up a bow from the weapon rack, drew the string to its full length, and a sharp arrow flew out, hitting the bullseye sixty paces away. Before the crowd could cheer, two more sharp arrows followed, the last one piercing the target. A cheer erupted from the crowd. At this moment, Lu Zhishen said again, "Brother Yang, your archery skills are first-rate. I wonder what kind of weapon you have?" Yang Zhi said, "I am willing to give it a try." Lu Zhishen took out his monk's staff and said, "Brother Yang, please bring your weapon!" Yang Zhi went to the weapon rack and took a steel spear.