Chapter 2683: The Capital (Part 39)

"Is the news reliable?" He still could scarcely believe it.

"Entirely reliable. The Tangbao from Guangdong will arrive within a few days. The official text may contain some embellishments, but the fact that Shorn-hair Thieves have breached the Pearl River and now threaten the city walls—that is something no one would dare conceal."

The intelligence he possessed was first-hand material sent directly from Guangzhou by Liu Sha, far more reliable than any gazette. Whatever the specific details might be, the Shorn-hair Thieves' invasion was now an iron-clad certainty.

With matters having progressed this far, he could only consult with Hearthstone Immortal and discover how his Heavenly Book recorded these events.

He was about to instruct Wang Liang to invite the Hearthstone Daoist when a thought gave him pause. The situation in Guangzhou remained unclear, and this was not simply a matter of asking the man to predict future developments—it was also an opportunity to probe his background. At present, neither the gazette nor the memorial subjects had reached the capital, and news of the Shorn-hair Thieves' invasion had not yet spread. To inform him now would reveal that he maintained private agents in Guangzhou, secretly gathering intelligence. Better to wait.

Thus another five or six days passed. Only after the Guangdong gazette arrived in the capital did Wang Liang receive orders to invite Mr. Zhou.

To avoid prying eyes and wagging tongues, every face-to-face consultation with Hearthstone Immortal followed one of two patterns: either he was carried quietly into the Wang Residence in a small sedan chair under cover of night, or Master Wang himself paid a visit in plain clothes.

Recently, however, Master Wang had seldom come to consult. When Wang Liang arrived with the invitation, Zhou Lezhi noticed that his Teacher's expression was one of considerable surprise—tinged with a trace of displeasure.

The reason for this displeasure was not difficult to discern. The Teacher had recently succeeded in quelling certain domestic conflicts and had intended to engage in some "plowing" that very evening.

Visiting the Wang household meant the consultation would last until at least the third watch. The capital's streets were dangerous at night, so he would need to stay at the Wang residence, departing only at the fifth watch. If the Teacher wished to plow, he would have to wait until darkness fell again.

Zhou Lezhi was young and understood perfectly well that sense of urgency when blood rushes to a man's brain. Observing his Teacher's obvious displeasure, he felt both sympathy and amusement.

Hmph, serves you right for being a well-fed man who cannot understand the hunger of the starving!

Since Master Wang had issued the invitation, there was absolutely no refusing. Although Mr. Zhou relied on his ability to "foresee the future," he also understood that sympathetic patrons were not easily found. In this capital, the distance between Immortal and Demon was but a single step.

Without delay, two sedan chairs carried the Zhou master and apprentice into the Wang Residence.

Wang Liang did not disclose the specific reason for the summons. Mr. Zhou assumed it was merely another routine consultation, but the moment he stepped into the study, he sensed something was amiss. The desk was covered with boxes of various sizes, and the room was inexplicably piled with several iron pipes. While he was still puzzling over this, Wang Yehao came forward to greet him: "Mr. Zhou, something terrible has happened!"

"Oh? What has occurred?"

"There is news of the Australians." Wang Yehao gestured toward the assorted objects on the table and floor. "Please examine these, Teacher. These are Australian artifacts that this Official commissioned people to find."

"Is that not good news?" Mr. Zhou's eyes lit up, his face suffused with excitement. "Where are they? Let us go at once."

Master Wang was indeed correct—this Mr. Zhou is an Australian! Zhou Lezhi thought.

Regarding the matter of Mr. Zhou being an Australian, Master Wang had discussed it with him previously. During their studies together, Mr. Zhou had openly declared that all his learning was "Australian learning." However, he had not said so from the beginning, initially claiming only that it was "overseas secret learning." He had changed his story only after seeing certain Australian glass vessels.

"This matter is rather convoluted; please allow this Official to explain slowly." Wang Yehao gestured for Mr. Zhou to sit, then continued, "Last time we discussed how the Australians had opened shops in Guangzhou to sell treasure vessels. This time, more than five hundred Australian sea bandits have established a stockade in Lingao County, Qiongzhou Prefecture..."

"What did you say?" Mr. Zhou's face filled with disbelief. "Five hundred people?" He muttered under his breath: "Impossible, impossible—the wormhole has mass limits. Last time, just a cart of materials started causing instability..."

Suddenly realizing his slip of the tongue, he clamped his mouth shut.

Although Wang Yehao sat at some distance and could not hear everything clearly, he caught the words "five hundred people," "impossible," and "wormhole." Combined with Mr. Zhou's expression, he immediately grasped that this Immortal Zhou indeed harbored secrets of great significance.

Not only was he an Australian, but he likely understood the Australians' origins intimately!

If he himself were to become an official in Liangguang, this man would prove immensely useful!

Mr. Zhou examined the various objects on the desk with a skeptical eye. These tattered scraps had been gathered by villagers living near the Australian camp after the Australians departed—worthless refuse, really, collected purely out of curiosity. Following Master Wang's instructions, Liu Sha had specially gathered these items and dispatched them to the capital by fast horse.

To anyone else, this was mere garbage. True, there were some broken glass vessels among the pieces, but broken glass held little value beyond use in window panes.

Hearthstone Daoist scrutinized this pile of refuse with care. The longer he looked, the stranger his expression became: now surprised, now disdainful, now confused... In short, he displayed a richness of expressions that Zhou Lezhi had never before witnessed.

"Are these also Australian objects?" Mr. Zhou pointed at a heap of copper and iron piping and castings lying on the floor.

"Proprietor Guo also constructed a pleasure house in Guangzhou Prefecture called 'Purple Ming Pavilion'—Ziminglou—where it is said that magic can be used to harness the power of water and fire. These are the implements of that ritual altar. In the Teacher's estimation, did all of these come from the Qiankun Mirror?"

Mr. Zhou's expression grew grave as he repeatedly examined the pile of metal debris. "It would appear so. Did those five hundred Australians spend their time just tinkering with such things? Hardly seems worth the effort."

"Indeed, glazed glass vessels constitute the majority of their trade. I hear they have recently begun selling granulated sugar and paper as well—nothing of particular note."

"You said just now that they are entrenched in some place called Gao?"

"Lingao County, Qiongzhou Prefecture."

"That would be on Hainan Island. Does this county possess any notable characteristics?"

"Lingao County lies in a remote location, produces nothing of significance, and has a sparse population. It is truly an obscure place."

"They neglect proper business in Guangzhou to take themselves off to such impoverished and isolated soil—for what purpose?"

"Please examine these, Teacher. Here are the relevant memorial subjects and gazettes; I had my private advisor copy them together." Wang Yehao pushed the booklets across the table. "According to the report from Lingao County at the time, the Australian sea thieves arrived aboard great iron ships..."

"Wait a moment!" Before Wang Yehao could finish, Mr. Zhou sensed something was wrong. "How can there be great iron ships as well?"

"Ah, please do not blame me, Teacher. Although this matter strains credulity, numerous memorials corroborate it; it should not be mere rumor. According to the reports, this vessel stands more than ten zhang high, stretches over half a li in length, is completely black throughout, and possesses neither oars nor sails..."

Mr. Zhou listened to Wang Yehao's description, his mouth falling progressively wider open. The astonishment in his heart seemed to have reached its peak.

"Holy crap! They even brought the mobile base over—their ambitions are enormous! Master, I believe we must find these Australians as quickly as possible. Any delay is inadvisable."

"That course of action is probably unwise." Wang Yehao's finger tapped against the booklet. "The Australians used the devastating power of their firearms to occupy Lingao and now scheme to seize all of Qiongzhou. Viceroy Wang marshaled the strength of the entire province to suppress them, yet could accomplish nothing. His army collapsed entirely—and now the Australians have arrived at the walls of Guangzhou City..."

Mr. Zhou could no longer maintain his composure. He snatched up the copy and began reading intently. Zhou Lezhi knew that although his Teacher claimed to possess great learning, his actual skill in reading classical texts was quite poor; most likely he could not comprehend these memorial subjects. He immediately offered: "Teacher, allow me to read it for you."

And so Zhou Lezhi read aloud while explaining in vernacular speech, finally enabling Mr. Zhou to understand what the official documents meant: A man named Wen, claiming to be a remnant of the Song Dynasty, had brought more than five hundred men ashore at Lingao, seized territory to develop infrastructure, and traded materials on the side. The government could not tolerate this and dispatched troops to suppress the bandits—only to find themselves chased in every direction by those five hundred men. Now those same five hundred stood beneath the walls of Guangzhou.

After hearing all this, Mr. Zhou could no longer concern himself with demeanor or etiquette. He paced seven or eight circuits back and forth across the study, then suddenly addressed Wang Yehao: "My Lord, the Qiankun Mirror is definitely in the hands of that man named Wen. Since the government forces failed to suppress the bandits, is there any intention at court to offer amnesty? I am willing to go and persuade them."

"This matter is currently under discussion at court; no conclusion has yet been reached. However, Viceroy Wang previously attempted to recruit them, but the Australian sea bandits showed no inclination to submit."

"If I were to speak with them, perhaps they would be willing. After all, that Qiankun Mirror is mine." Mr. Zhou was unwilling to abandon the idea.

"This Official believes such a course is absolutely impermissible."

"Why not?" Mr. Zhou asked, his face full of confusion.

"Teacher, you are not thinking clearly!" Wang Yehao stamped his foot and struck his wrist, assuming an expression of profound distress. "Have you forgotten Emperors Huizong and Qinzong?"

Mr. Zhou looked utterly bewildered. "Those two captured emperors of the Song Dynasty? What have they to do with this?"

Wang Yehao heaved a long sigh and spoke with patient deliberation: "In former times, Emperors Huizong and Qinzong were held captive by barbarian enemies. Emperor Gaozong not only delayed any rescue but also issued twelve gold medals recalling Yue Wumu to the capital for punishment. What was the purpose of these actions? All for the sake of power and position. Now there exists this bandit named Wen who, bearing the merit of being the first to act, occupies the position of chieftain. He falsely claims descent from the former Song, refuses to submit to the Great Ming's enlightened rule, and clearly harbors intentions of carving out his own domain. That the Qiankun Mirror is the Teacher's possession may be true, but how would such a sea thief ever acknowledge it! If the Teacher goes to them, do you imagine they will treat you as a Retired Emperor?"

Mr. Zhou had to admit that Master Wang spoke with considerable logic. Since this was an armed group, the internal dynamics must be extremely complex. His own position was indeed rather awkward. If he went rashly, he might very well end up with a bullet in his head. However, since that gang had established a base, they were clearly planning for the long term; they would not likely depart anytime soon. Rather than rushing over to present his head as a gift, it would be wiser to make thorough preparations before attempting contact.

Wang Yehao observed the other man's shifting gaze, his lips parting as if to speak before stopping. He knew his rhetoric had taken effect and pressed his advantage: "This Qiankun Mirror is so extraordinary—does the Teacher possess any method to overcome it?"

"That is not easily managed; this Qiankun Mirror is quite formidable to deal with." Having expressed the difficulty, Mr. Zhou's eyes suddenly brightened. "Ah, but wait—is not my Lord assuming the position of Viceroy of Liangguang next year? At that time, we could devise a means to contact the Australians, could we not?"

"What did the Teacher just say?" This time it was Wang Yehao's turn to be startled. Although certain parties at court had discussed this matter, he had firmly blocked all such talk within his own household. Hearthstone Immortal, into whose ears "outside words did not enter," could not possibly have learned of it. For him to speak with such certainty meant it must be recorded in the "Heavenly Book."

(End of Chapter)