Cursed Mountains and Seas

Chapter 66 United in Public and Private Interests, Two Clans Form an Alliance
At this moment, the scarecrow finally uttered a complete sound again:
"Collecting the dragon's energy is a task assigned by a noble person to the local officials governing Wuzhou and Minzhou."

Those big pirates, big merchants, and big ship captains all died directly or indirectly at their hands. They were ruthless and left no trace of trouble.

It wasn't until the capture of the Prince of Jinghai's heir and the scheming Lady Yan that the task was handed over to our gentry faction, and Pu Shouying then assigned it to me.

Well, it turns out this task wasn't subcontracted five times, but six times.

The local officials in the prefecture were the earliest group of cunning and shrewd individuals!
"All I know is that sending them the sea-filling eye was to complete a ritual called 'Nine Dragons Spitting Pearls'."

Use at least nine, and at most no, wild dragons to forge a treasure that will be of great use to a noble person.

If it weren't for the Crown Prince accidentally leaving and the dragon's energy leaking out, we might not have chosen to take action against Lady Yan.

She has a very powerful background.

Unlike the lone-wolf Prince lineage, the Heavenly Consort lineage has a powerful figure in charge, so no one dares to provoke them. There's really no other way.

The noble person gave a strict order: the ritual must be completed before the Dragon Raises Its Head on the second day of the second lunar month this year. If we miss this opportune moment, none of us will escape unscathed.

The gentry faction was eager to take over Yuegang, largely because they wanted to find the Crown Prince and Lady Yan.

Wang Cheng felt very conflicted upon hearing this.

"Those without powerful connections had their entire families beaten to death, while those with powerful connections were all taken away."

That sounds so familiar.

He glanced again at Ah Xiao, the temple keeper of "Lady Yan," and felt a little guilty.

Putting himself in her shoes, Wang Cheng thought, if this Earth Deity from the Heavenly Consort lineage knew his identity, he would probably be tempted to kill him.
Mrs. Yan: I've become a backup option? ???
But when Ah Xiao, the temple priestess of Lady Yan, heard Xie He's words, she did not take her anger out on the escaped crown prince; she merely sighed softly.

"There is no reason for victims to be guilty in this world. As long as there are these bad people, I and my wife will likely become their targets sooner or later."

According to Xie He, as long as they can survive until the second day of the second lunar month without being found, they will have at least a year to buffer the situation, at which point the situation will be very different.

There are only about two weeks left; if we're careful, we might not be found.

The last question, what they retrieved from the South China Sea pearl pool during that grand pearl harvest, is something only Pu Shouying, who was in charge of coordinating the process, knows.

Xie He only knew that the most precious treasures and most of the South Sea pearls certainly did not fall into the hands of Emperor Shaozhi.

His words carried a hint of contempt for the ruler of the state:
"According to custom, the gentlemen keep two million for themselves and give one million to the emperor."

Even so, the emperor still had to thank them with a smile!

Wang Cheng remained silent, forced to admit: governing a country is about governing its officials.

Often, the interests of the supreme ruler and the common people are actually aligned.

They did everything they could to join forces to prevent the ruling class in the middle, whom they called "the people," from hollowing out the country and delaying the arrival of the three-hundred-year dynastic cycle.

Even though he couldn't get any definite information from Xie He, with plenty of indirect intelligence to refer to, Wang Cheng could basically conclude that the things they retrieved from the South China Sea most likely contained the inheritance of the [Dragon's Blood].

They have begun to consider how to use the existing intelligence to counter that [Dragon's Blood].

A-Xiao then continued to question Xie He:
"Do you have anything else to say?"

The scarecrow continues to speak:
"Pu Shouying said that once the ritual of 'Nine Dragons Spitting Pearls' is completed, a noble person will forcibly drain the dragon energy accumulated by the 'Princes' and 'Emperors' in the East Sea Eye."

With the help of that traitor within the Five Peaks Banner, we can take over most of the East China Sea without bloodshed and monopolize the enormous maritime trade profits.

The nobles eat meat, we drink soup, and we all rise to heaven together, like chickens and dogs.

Upon hearing this, Zhang Wu, a die-hard fan of Prince Jinghai, hurriedly asked a question that Wang Cheng was also concerned about:
"Many pirates who lived in the reclaimed sea area committed atrocities, and we don't care whether they live or die."

But what about Prince Jing and his heir, who weren't involved in filling the sea hole? They also possess the aura of a dragon.

Xie paused for a moment before speaking:
"The task of sending the royal ship to fill the sea hole is now halfway done. I don't know what will happen to them, but I doubt they'll escape unscathed and will come to a bad end!"

It took Wang Cheng a while to process all the intelligence, and he frowned deeply.

Starting with the grand harvest of South Sea pearls, the successive deaths of outlaws in the East Sea, the downfall of the Wang family who harvested water, and finally the Nine Dragons Spitting Pearls on the Second Day of the Second Lunar Month, everything is connected.

The conspiracy between that member of the Han family clan, the "Dragon's Blood," and the gentry faction is intricately linked. Moon Harbor, maritime trade, wealth, and territory are all secondary details and superficial appearances; only the divine rituals capable of transforming one's destiny are the sole main thread!
The Dragon Raises Its Head on the Second Day of the Second Lunar Month is not only the countdown to Madam Yan's death, but also very likely the death knell for the Wang family. The life and death of the two are now inextricably linked.

Wang Cheng's next goal is also very clear.

Before the Dragon Boat Festival on the second day of the second lunar month, protecting Yuegang and Madam Yan means protecting myself and my elderly father, and turning the page on this whole ordeal.

If things could turn around and Yinpu Shouying and that influential person who had been hiding behind the scenes could help each other, that would be beyond expectations.

If we could take advantage of the situation where the internal traitor instigated the Five Peaks Banner to invade the coastal areas, we could then take over the area.
The thought flashed through his mind, and he didn't dare to think that far ahead for the time being.

Looking back at A-Xiao, I saw her biting her thin pink lips tightly, her clear, heterochromatic eyes reflecting a cold light.

Clearly, even though the nobleman was very powerful, this pearl diver who had survived the great pearl harvest of the South Sea years ago was not willing to accept her fate and had no intention of abandoning her family and running away.

Instead, we must fight to the very end.

Wang Cheng nodded to himself:

"This temple keeper is a good one. Like me, he has a strong sense of public duty and ownership."

They are inherently suited to the kind of organization where public and private interests are perfectly aligned.

A thought suddenly struck him: since he was planning to recruit soldiers from the Tanka people, why not bring A-Xiao along?
Regardless, he was a capable official.

The personnel configuration on the sailing warship is still too rudimentary. It lacks not only ordinary crew members but also high-level combat personnel. It is necessary to invite officials from various industries to join the fleet.

The officials in Shinto were similar to those who served in the imperial court; they only had the power of the department they were in charge of.

Even though everyone is a specialist, there will always be situations that they are not good at handling. Teamwork is the key.

[White Water Boy], [Star-Tracing Official], [Doctor], [Alchemist], [Escort Ship Master], [Sea Scout], [Pearl Diver], [Treasure Hunter], [Monkey Trainer], etc., all must be included.

We're not very familiar with each other yet, so it wouldn't be appropriate to extend an invitation prematurely. Let's take this opportunity to build a relationship first. As long as we can get through this crisis, there will be opportunities sooner or later.

So he stood up and clasped his hands in greeting:
"Sister Axiao, let's get to know each other formally."

I am Wang Fugui, a native of Yuegang, a scholar who passed the imperial examination in the 38th year of the Shaozhi reign; the bowman of the Qingyi sailing warship; the leader of the Qingyi fishing gang; a disciple of Elder Shen, a senior official of the Shanhaihui; an eighth-rank scholar, who will be ordained this month.
The Mountain and Sea Society shares weal and woe with the Heavenly Princess and will never stand idly by while villains plot to harm Madam Yan.

We, the courtiers, are true to our word and never go back on our promises. Our master here holds the same attitude.

Sister Axiao, are you willing to believe me?

A-Xiao withdrew her gaze from Xie He. From this enemy, she could confirm that "Wang Fugui" had long been mortal enemies with the gentry faction and could be trusted.

In addition, they also trusted the judgment of a senior official and a large group of clansmen.

After meeting Wang Cheng's sincere gaze for a moment, he stood up, clenched his fists, placed his right hand on his left, and gave him a slight bow in the center of his abdomen.

She accepted Wang Cheng's address of "Sister Axiao" and also formally introduced herself:

"Lady Yan is a temple priestess, a seventh-rank pearl digger. You can call me Yunxiao."

"Many thanks to Brother Fugui for his chivalrous help this time. You're very kind."

Snapped!Snapped!Snapped!
Two hands, one large and one small, clapped together three times.

Despite it being only their second meeting, both of them felt a subtle, unspoken understanding.

Ah Xiao really started to feel like an older sister, which was completely different from how she interacted with the younger Tanka people.

Seeing that their relationship had suddenly become as close as that of brothers and sisters, Yunxiao remembered that according to human etiquette, she should praise this "little brother" to be more polite.

However, she had always been a loner and wasn't used to this intimate atmosphere, so after thinking for a moment, she praised him earnestly:
“Fugui, the love songs you sang before were actually quite nice. It would have been even better if you hadn’t sung about longing for your lover to return.”

Wang Cheng:
Lies don't hurt, but honesty is the sharpest weapon.

If you're not good at praising people, there's no need to make things difficult for yourself.

I'm recommending a friend's book, "Five Hundred Years of the Ming Dynasty," a new book by author Wan Ding.

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(End of this chapter)