Moma Liangshan

Chapter 63 Planning Ahead, Lady Ruan Takes Her Leave

Eunuch Chen chuckled and said, "Marriage has always been arranged by parents and matchmakers. What does it have to do with the parties involved?" Wang Hao was speechless and said, "If that's the case, why choose an underage princess? What's the deeper meaning behind this?" Eunuch Chen's smile faded, and he said, "Although His Majesty has many children, you have no background and are quite controversial in the capital. Given your current situation, it's still difficult for His Majesty to decide to betroth a princess to you. To be on the safe side, I suggested that His Majesty choose an underage princess to be engaged to you first. If you achieve great things in the future, the marriage will proceed as planned; if you falter and stagnate, the engagement can be canceled at any time." Wang Hao stopped dwelling on it and said, "Do you know why Sister Li suggested to the Emperor that I be his consort?" Eunuch Chen unconsciously looked around and, seeing no one else, said, "You were favored by the Emperor entirely because of Miss Li's recommendation, wasn't that right?" Wang Hao recalled... After a moment, he said, "Indeed." Eunuch Chen continued, "Do you know that Miss Li always addresses you as 'younger brother' in front of the Emperor?" Wang Hao pondered for a moment and said, "I know!" Eunuch Chen then asked, "Do you know how Miss Li addresses the Emperor?" Wang Hao suddenly realized and said, "Sister Li always addresses the Emperor as 'older brother'!" Eunuch Chen nodded and said, "You and the Emperor are merely ruler and subject, yet one of you is addressed as 'younger brother' by Miss Li, and the other as 'older brother.' What will the Emperor think? Does he really intend to treat you as brothers?" Wang Hao quickly replied, "Wang Hao would never dare to have such a rebellious thought!" Eunuch Chen said earnestly, "You and Miss Li are too intimate, and the relationship between Miss Li and the Emperor is not something to be discussed openly, but you must know this. Li Shishi suggested that the Emperor make you his consort. Firstly, this would help you consolidate your relationship with the Emperor, and secondly, it would also show the Emperor that there is no romantic relationship between you two."

Knowing the die was cast, Wang Hao asked, "In your opinion, Eunuch Chen, what should I do now?" Eunuch Chen replied, "The royal family values ​​a clean background above all else when choosing a son-in-law. May I ask where your father is now and what he does for a living?" Wang Hao pondered for a long time before saying, "To be honest, my father has always been at Liangshan Marsh outside Yuncheng County." Eunuch Chen continued, "What does he do for a living?" Wang Hao remained silent again, then said after a moment, "Before I went to Tokyo, I had dozens of followers and did some low-risk business." After the Eight Immortals Wine became famous throughout the land, many rumors circulated about Wang Hao's identity. Seeing Wang Hao's frankness, Eunuch Chen asked, "What happened after you entered Dongjing?" Wang Hao replied, "Half of the men in the stronghold worked in the winery, and the other half joined the cavalry to transport wine." Eunuch Chen pondered for a few moments and asked, "Is your father registered with the government?" Wang Hao said, "My father was originally a scholar, but due to the hardships of the world, he settled in Liangshan with the help of Master Chai. Therefore, he has always been restrained and has not done anything rash." Eunuch Chen said, "Indeed, that's fortunate!" He then asked, "Is Liangshan under the jurisdiction of Yuncheng County?" Wang Hao replied, "Indeed!" The eunuch said, "Although the magistrate of Yuncheng County is only a minor official of the seventh rank, he must become our ally. Otherwise, if someone uses this past event at Liangshan Marsh as an excuse, we may face unexpected trouble." Wang Hao agreed with the eunuch's view and asked, "In your opinion, how should we win over the magistrate of Yuncheng County?" The eunuch said, "The area east of the capital is wealthy, and the Eight Immortals Winery is under its jurisdiction. In my opinion, you could give him half a percent of the shares." The shares and profits of the Eight Immortals Winery were practically Wang Hao's only source of income at the moment. According to Wang Hao's calculations, this half percent of the shares was worth at least 200,000 strings of cash. After weighing the options for a long time, Wang Hao said, "In your opinion, I will give the magistrate of Yuncheng County half a percent of the shares." The eunuch was very satisfied and said, "Young master, you have a keen eye for opportunity; your future achievements are limitless!"

After a moment of silence, Eunuch Chen asked again, "I have a question, young master, and I would appreciate your guidance!" Wang Hao replied, "What is it?" Eunuch Chen said, "The Eight Immortals Winery's equity auction is planned to be divided into eight rounds, with half a share auctioned each time. The starting price for the first auction is 75,000 strings of cash, and the starting price for each subsequent auction will be based on the previous auction's closing price, is that correct?" Wang Hao nodded and said, "Exactly." Eunuch Chen said, "The price of the equity auction will only increase, but the wealth of the participants will remain unchanged. The winner of the first auction should be the person who can afford to pay the most among the participants." In other words, if the rest of the people can't even afford the price of the first auction, how can they afford a higher price? Wang Hao smiled casually and said, "The participants in the auction will be divided into eight groups according to their place of origin: Tokyo, Luoyang, Chang'an, Daming, Jinan, Suzhou, Hangzhou, and Mingzhou. Tokyo, being the capital, should be ranked first, and the order of the other seven groups will be determined by drawing lots. Each auction will only allow competition within the group; others are not allowed to participate." Eunuch Chen understood and said, "Young Master is truly a genius! I will take my leave now!" Wang Hao saw Eunuch Chen to the door and then took his carriage to the Palace Guard.

Upon arriving at the Palace Guard, Wang Hao found Liu Hong and said, "It's been a long time, Lord Liu, how have you been?" Liu Hong greeted Wang Hao with a smile and asked, "Young Master Wang, how did your journey to Mingzhou go?" Wang Hao nodded and replied, "The affairs in Mingzhou went very smoothly, but now I need to trouble Lord Liu with some matters." Liu Hong invited Wang Hao to a side room and asked, "What is it?" Wang Hao said, "I need you to post notices in eight cities: Tokyo, Luoyang, Chang'an, Daming, Jinan, Suzhou, Hangzhou, and Mingzhou, stating that twenty days after the Double Ninth Festival, Fanlou in Tokyo will auction off the shares of the Eight Immortals Winery. I have already written down the specific arrangements." Liu Hong was one of the first to join Wang Hao's faction; the initial success in finding Yang Zhi was entirely due to Liu Hong's strategy. Knowing he couldn't refuse, Liu Hong said, "The eight cities are thousands of miles apart, and the cost will be enormous. Please understand, sir." Wang Hao replied, "I understand. Please state the price!" Liu Hong pondered for a moment and said, "Eight thousand strings of cash." Without hesitation, Wang Hao took out eight silver notes from his pocket and handed them to Liu Hong, saying, "Each note is worth one thousand strings of cash, eight in total." After a pause, he took out another silver note and said, "This one thousand strings of cash is for tea!" Liu Hong didn't immediately pay and said, "To be honest, sir, this eight thousand strings of cash actually includes the cost of tea." Wang Hao was surprised by Liu Hong's frankness and said, "We're all family, no need to be so formal." After saying this, he stuffed the silver note into Liu Hong's sleeve.

Five days after leaving the Palace Guard, Wang Hao returned to Liangshan Marsh, accompanied by Yang Zhi and the three Ruan brothers. Upon learning of his son's return, Wang Lun personally greeted him at Jinsha Beach and ordered pigs and sheep to be slaughtered in preparation for a feast. At the banquet, the three Ruan brothers were quite reserved. Seeing this, Wang Lun asked, "Brothers Ruan, have you been away from home for many days, missing your wives and children?" Ruan Xiao'er hesitated for a long time, then looked at his two brothers. They understood and rose, approaching Wang Lun and his son, saying, "We three brothers have been favored by the chieftain and the young master, and have had the opportunity to travel all over the country, achieving some success. However, the court has too many rules, and we three brothers are from a life of water. Without the rivers and lakes, our skills have no place to be used. Therefore, we take this opportunity at today's banquet to humbly request the chieftain and the young master's permission for us three brothers to retire and return to our hometown to take care of our parents, wives, and children!" Wang Hao and Wang Lun exchanged a glance and also rose, saying, "Are these words from the bottom of your hearts, brothers?" Ruan Xiao'er said, "Every word comes from the heart!" Wang Hao nodded and said, "Liangshan Marsh's current state is inseparable from the contributions of the three brothers. Wang Hao toasts the three brothers!" The three Ruan brothers raised their cups and drank together. Seeing this, the henchmen quickly poured more wine. Wang Hao, holding a cup, said, “To outsiders, the Eight Immortals Wine Shop may seem to make a fortune, but my three brothers should know how strapped for cash I am right now. The foundation of Liangshan originally belonged to my three brothers, and now that you are leaving, I should have given you ten thousand strings of cash. Unfortunately, Jiaozhou Bay is in dire need of rebuilding, and there are expenses everywhere. I can only allocate three thousand taels of silver for your travel expenses.” At this moment, Wang Lun also stood up and said, “Although I am the leader of Liangshan, my son manages all the affairs, big and small. My three brothers have helped my son a great deal, and I have no way to repay them. Therefore, I, Wang Lun, offer a cup to my three brothers!” The Wang family father and sons were truly grateful, while the three Ruan brothers felt quite guilty. Ruan Xiao Wu said, “After my brothers joined Liangshan, our family has accumulated at least nine thousand strings of cash, if not ten thousand. We are already ashamed to bid farewell to the leader and young master today; how could we have the face to accept your silver? My three brothers offer a cup to the leader and young master!”

After drinking together, Ruan Xiaoqi said, "My brothers and I were once destitute. If it weren't for you, young master, how would we know of the prosperity of Tokyo? You have great ambitions and are favored by the Emperor; you are destined for greatness. Now that things are starting to look promising in Jiaozhou, huge sums of money are needed everywhere. Although my brothers and I are simple, we are not ignorant of the bigger picture. We hope that you, the chieftain and young master, will not mention the gold and silver again! Let's drink to the chieftain and young master!" Seeing their resolute attitude, Wang Hao said, "A true hero doesn't love gold and silver, but he cannot resist fine wine. You three brothers have refused the gold and silver, but you must accept the fine wine. I will give you a hundred jars of fine wine; please do not refuse!" The three brothers exchanged glances, raised their cups at the same time, and said, "We will never forget your kindness, young master. Let's drink to the chieftain and young master!"

The departure of the three Ruan brothers was both unexpected and inevitable for Wang Hao. The three Ruan brothers were like giants in Dongping Lake and Liangshan Marsh; once a giant leaves the waters, it can hardly retain even half of its power. Any hero would find it hard to accept having their skills unused, so their departure was perfectly reasonable. However, the urgency with which the three Ruan brothers left was something Wang Hao hadn't anticipated!