Moma Liangshan

Chapter 15 Chai Jin Returns to Cangzhou, Lin Chong Enters Prison

Five days later, Chai Jin hosted a banquet at Fanlou for Wang Hao, Lin Chong, and Lu Zhishen. Wang Hao had already moved out of Fanlou and was living in the courtyard he had previously rented. The three men arrived at Fanlou as invited, where Chai Jin had already prepared a feast. After the guests were seated, Chai Jin raised his cup and said, "Having toured Dongjing City and met heroes like Instructor Lin and Senior Brother Lu, what a fortunate occasion! Cheers!" The four men drank together. Chai Jin looked at Wang Hao and said, “My dear nephew, at such a young age, you can move freely between the court and the countryside. I am ashamed of my own abilities. But the Song Dynasty court is now in a state of confusion and corruption, and no one can be trusted. The emperor is obsessed with making elixirs and building gardens, while the civil and military officials only know how to flatter and fawn, and exploit the people. One is influenced by one's company. I hope that you will not become too mired in this and lose your way. I have benefited from the blessings of my ancestors and have thousands of acres of fertile land and vast wealth, but I have accomplished nothing. However, I am sincere to my friends, generous to the people, and treat those who come to me with good wine and meat. Looking back on the past, I have no regrets. I hope you will stay true to your principles and know what to do and what not to do!” Wang Hao raised his cup, stood up and said, “Uncle’s teachings are etched in my mind. I assure you that I will never do anything to harm the people or be an accomplice to evil.”

Upon hearing this, Chai Jin said, "Very well! Cheers!" The four of them drank another cup. Chai Jin continued, "Instructor Lin's spear and staff skills are unparalleled, but my trip to the capital this time was too rushed, and I was unable to witness his prowess, which is truly regrettable. There will be plenty of time in the future, and I will definitely make a special trip to visit you next time! To Instructor Lin!" The four of them raised their cups again. Lin Chong said, "Heroes from all directions, hearing of your reputation, are flocking to Cangzhou to seek refuge. I, Lin Chong, will certainly choose a date to visit your manor and meet with heroes from all over the land!" Chai Jin was delighted and said, "That would be wonderful!" At this moment, Lu Zhishen also said, "I will go with my brother then!" Chai Jin said, "Welcome, welcome!" Wang Hao looked at Lin Chong and said, "There are many powerful men in the world now, and Eight Immortals Wine will surely be sold everywhere. I am thinking of establishing a security escort agency, hiring thirty to fifty guards to escort goods and money. I wonder if Instructor Lin has the time to help me out?" Lin Chong understood that Wang Hao was referring to something and said, "I wonder where your security escort agency will be located, sir. After all, I am paid by the court and cannot neglect my duties." Wang Hao replied, "Two li outside the East Gate." Lin Chong nodded and said, "I will certainly do my best." Wang Hao replied, "Thank you very much, Instructor."

At this moment, Chai Jin said, "Nephew, you are always so devoted to your business, never forgetting to think about it no matter when or where." Wang Hao smiled awkwardly and said, "I was wrong, I'll punish myself with a cup!" After saying that, he picked up the wine cup and drank it all in one gulp. Lu Zhishen patted his belly and suddenly said, "My staff skills are not as good as Lin Chong's, but I am unmatched in strength. The vegetable garden at Xiangguo Temple is quite boring, all I do is eat, drink, relieve myself, and sleep. I wonder if your escort agency supplies Eight Immortals Wine? If it does, I would like to join in the fun." Wang Hao was pleasantly surprised and said, "If you can come, Master, I will fill a jar of Eight Immortals Wine in your room and refill it every day!" Lu Zhishen said, "I am just a half-baked monk, I am not worthy of being called 'Master,' let's all..." "Call me a monk." At this moment, Chai Jin said, "The aroma of Eight Immortals Wine is so strong. If you really put a jar of it in my room, my doors and windows will be in serious trouble. We'll have to be on guard day and night to prevent anyone from stealing it." Lu Zhishen also said, "When drinking ordinary wine, I always use a ladle or a bowl. But this Eight Immortals Wine, if we don't use a cup, it feels like a waste." Lin Chong said, "That's because Eight Immortals Wine is something to be cherished!" Lin Chong's use of the word "cherished" resonated with everyone present.

The next day, Chai Jin returned to Cangzhou. Wang Hao led Zhu Gui to the manor outside the city. The manor covered several acres, but the eaves of the houses were dilapidated, and crows flew around everywhere. Wang Hao walked along the overgrown path and said, "From here, we will rise to prominence. I wonder if Chief Zhu believes me?" Zhu Gui didn't look at the manor, but instead looked at the spirited Wang Hao and said, "I believe you, young master, can lead us to great achievements." Wang Hao nodded and asked, "How much money do you have in the account?" Zhu Gui replied, "Manager Han and Master Li have prepaid for a thousand jars of wine, so we have about six hundred taels of silver in the account." Wang Hao said, "Now that our wine has been named by the emperor, the winery no longer needs to be hidden in Liangshan Marsh. Without entering Tokyo, one cannot know the vastness of the world or the prosperity of the Song Dynasty. With just Liangshan Marsh, the Eight Immortals Wine can't even feed the entire city of Tokyo. Therefore, we must recruit others to join us." Zhu Gui looked worried and said, "You can know a person's face but not their heart. What if our partners steal our skills and then start their own business?" Wang Hao replied, "That's why I established this escort agency."

Zhu Gui, still puzzled, said, "Please enlighten me, young master!" Wang Hao explained, "The distilleries only brew the wine, the escort agencies only deliver it, and we'll find a powerful family in each prefecture to be our partner and handle sales. We'll hold a 10% stake in each distillery. The escort agencies are our sole property; no one else is allowed to interfere. All wine from the distilleries must be transported by our escort agency. All partners must be personally appointed by me and must never have direct contact with the distilleries. The price of the wine leaving the distillery, and ultimately its selling price, must also be set by me." Zhu Gui roughly understood Wang Hao's plan and asked, "Human hearts are unpredictable. With the Eight Immortals Wine being so profitable, it's inevitable that some will break the rules!" Wang Hao smiled coldly and said, "The escort agencies are the open weapon, Liangshan Marsh is the hidden arrow. If anyone breaks the rules, we'll use both open and hidden weapons!" Zhu Gui suddenly remembered his original identity and unconsciously reached for the sheath of the dagger at his waist.

Zhu Gui then asked, "When will we recruit people to join us?" Wang Hao replied, "At the earliest, half a year; at the latest, a year." Zhu Gui was puzzled and asked, "Since you have already considered this, why wait so long?" Wang Hao replied, "Our foundation is too weak. In the court, we are not even one percent as capable as Cai Jing and Gao Qiu; in the countryside, we are not as capable as Chai Jin, Chao Gai, or Song Jiang. A nine-story tower begins with a pile of earth. The foundation must be solid; otherwise, haste makes waste." Zhu Gui looked at the young man before him, his heart filled with sincere admiration. Wang Hao continued, “Within two months, the number of wine cellars on the mountain stronghold will expand to forty. Within three months, another winery of the same size will be built in Yuncheng County. By then, we will own eighty wine cellars, producing over five hundred jars of wine each month. With a net profit of two strings of cash per jar, we will have a monthly income of one thousand strings of cash. At that time, all the private wineries from Yuncheng County to Liangshan Marsh will be far inferior to us.” Zhu Gui finally understood and said, “If we seize the opportunity and lure them with profits, we won’t have to worry about those wine merchants not working for you, young master.” Wang Hao nodded, giving him an approving look, and said, “Finish the repairs here as soon as possible, and build five more tiled houses. The half-mile of potholed road leading from the gate to the official road should be completely leveled. I will soon select six young men from within the stronghold and find six more in the countryside, and invite Instructor Lin and Master Lu to train them. These twelve people will become our earliest martial arts instructors. You will find a cook, a groom, an accountant, and three to five servants.” Zhu Gui agreed.

Several days later, Wang Hao took two jars of Eight Immortals wine and bought three bolts of silk. He then ordered Ma Decao to drive an oxcart to visit Lin Chong. Unexpectedly, upon arriving at Lin Chong's house, only a maidservant opened the door. Wang Hao said, "I am Wang Hao, an old friend of Instructor Lin. I have come to pay my respects today." The maidservant replied, "Please wait a moment, sir. I will go and inform my mistress." The maidservant then turned and ran to the inner courtyard. Ma Decao said, "Reporting to you, young master, I feel that Instructor Lin's family seems to be facing difficulties." Wang Hao replied, "The atmosphere is indeed rather somber." A moment later, a woman came out of the room. Wang Hao greeted her, "Junior Wang Hao greets Madam." The woman said, "I am Zhang, greetings to you, young master." Wang Hao saw that Zhang's eyes were red and there were still tear stains on her face, and asked, "Is Instructor Lin at home?" Upon hearing this question, tears welled up in Zhang's eyes again, and she sobbed, "My husband has been arrested and taken to the Kaifeng Prefecture prison, and there has been no news of him since." Wang Hao thought to himself, "This is bad!" He said, "Madam, please don't worry for now. I have some acquaintances in my official residence. I will go and inquire now." "News." After saying this, he had Ma Decao unload the three rolls of cloth, saying, "Please accept the cloth for now, Madam. These two jars of wine will probably be used to appease the officials from Kaifeng Prefecture." Zhang quickly replied, "My husband is not at home, how could I accept money without permission? You have already done so much for my husband, I could never repay you." Wang Hao said, "Saving lives is the priority. Leave the cloth at Madam's house for now, I will go to Kaifeng Prefecture immediately." Zhang could not refuse any longer, so she bowed and said, "Thank you for your trouble, young master. If you have any news about my husband, please let me know." Wang Hao replied, "I will certainly let you know." After saying this, he got into the oxcart and headed to Kaifeng Prefecture.

The banquet at Fanlou made Wang Hao a household name among almost all the high-ranking officials and nobles in Kaifeng. In front of the Kaifeng Prefecture, Wang Hao introduced himself, saying, "I am Wang Xianmeng, and I request an audience with the Prefect." The yamen runner recognized Wang Hao immediately and, not daring to be negligent, said, "Please wait a moment, young master, I will go and inform him immediately." He then scurried off to the inner hall. A moment later, the runner returned, saying, "Please, young master." Wang Hao took out a small piece of silver and placed it in the runner's hand, saying, "Please treat the brothers to some wine!" The men beamed and flattered him all the way. Upon entering the main hall, the prefect rose to greet him, saying, "I wonder what brings you here, Young Master Wang?" Wang Hao cut to the chase, saying, "I've come on behalf of Lin Chong." The prefect frowned, saying, "Lin Chong, armed with a sharp blade, stormed into the hall; this is a capital offense." Wang Hao said, "There must be more to this than meets the eye. I beg you, Your Excellency, to investigate thoroughly!" The prefect said, "Grand Commandant Gao has both witnesses and evidence; what could be more to it?" Wang Hao replied, "Some things need no explanation; justice resides in the hearts of the people. Your Excellency has adjudicated countless cases and your knowledge and experience far surpass mine. Lin Chong only wishes for Your Excellency to handle this matter impartially!" The prefect's face showed displeasure, saying, "I have always been impartial and have handled all matters fairly. I have no need for a junior like you to remind me!"