Cursed Mountains and Seas

Chapter 140 Lao Luo, do you want a wife?

Outside the side gate of Qingxiang Palace, Wang Cheng's three hundred personal guards carried a large amount of wealth out, their faces beaming with joy.

They almost emptied one of the large warehouses, and the goods were worth nearly 100,000 taels, enough to buy more than thirty talents like Zhang Wu, the "Forgetful Destiny".

The agreement stipulated a monthly interest payment of 20%.

Wang Cheng, who was waiting outside the door but hadn't gone in, was also all smiles.

"My older brother is quite generous; it seems he's embezzled quite a bit over the years."

He used fixed deposits to "finance" and then "lent" them out, spending Mao Haifeng's money to buy off his people and incidentally build his own reputation. Mao Haifeng thought he was a fool, killing several birds with one stone.

This "get something for nothing" tactic was played with exceptional cunning.

Both "Golden Evil Master" and "Silver Benevolent Servant" are based on legends from outside China, making them difficult for local officials and fortune tellers to verify.

Ordinary officials are even less likely to discover that there is something wrong with these tainted funds.

As for whether Mao Haifeng would secretly take the money back in the end, that was not Wang Cheng's concern. He didn't need to track the flow of funds of loan customers, since no one could owe him money and not pay it back.

With this skill, given enough time, they can quietly clip the wings of the Black Peak Flag, eventually turning Mao Haifeng into a bald chicken, unable to fly again.

“The way of the divine officials is to gather the masses.”

In particular, the promotion rites of "Hai Na Bai Chuan" for "Bai Shui Lang" and "Chao Feng Lang" rely on power and wealth to support their cultivation. If they fall into poverty, their cultivation may plummet on the spot.

Even a top-tier (or high-ranking) ghost or deity might be no match for a mid-tier (or high-ranking) leader leading a siege.

The longer this drags on, the more authentic the Battle of Xiangji Temple that I've scheduled for you will become.

Regardless of who is the legitimate leader and who is the rebel, the proportion of rebels in your ranks is certainly not low.

Wang Cheng was about to call his personal guards to the water fortress camp where the Black Peak Banner was stationed.

Suddenly, a side gate on the other side of the Qingxiang Palace Garden opened, and a group of people carried a sedan chair out.

[Through the eye in the mind] Through the sedan curtain that was being blown by the wind, I saw a stunningly beautiful woman sitting inside, and I also heard a maid call her "Madam".

"Huh? This is..."

This was the first time Wang Cheng had ever seen his nominal sister-in-law.

She wore a jade-green ruqun (a type of traditional Chinese dress), and her beauty was beyond compare; she was indeed worthy of being kept as a mistress by a man.

Of course, no matter how beautiful she is, it has nothing to do with Wang Cheng.

The crucial issue is that this woman looks exactly like Wang Cuiqiao, the wife of the mission's chief envoy, Luo Wenlong!
During this period, the yang body "Wang Fugui" could see groups of beautiful women in paintings around Luo Wenlong every day, all of whom were modeled after a woman.

The only difference is their clothing and demeanor.

Everyone on the ship felt that this man was obsessed to the core, lovesick to the point of no return, and beyond cure.

Therefore, it is absolutely impossible for Wang Cheng to be mistaken.

"It's no coincidence. My sister-in-law is Wang Cuiqiao, the famous courtesan of Qinhuai, who was lost by Luo Wenlong, Xu Hai, and an unknown wealthy merchant!"
No wonder she disappeared after the great battle between Wufengqi and Xu Hai; it turns out she was secretly hidden by Mao Haifeng.

Only he had the energy and motivation to hide such a great beauty from others.

At the same time, in a fleeting glance, [Rare Goods for Sale] had already taken in all the information about her.

Especially the amazing effect of the "Official Star Peach Blossom Pattern".

"A mid-level official of the third rank has been promoted by half a rank!"

Wang Cheng's back was instantly covered in cold sweat.

Mao Haifeng misjudged his official rank, but didn't he also misjudge Mao Haifeng?
When facing a direct attack at a crucial moment.

He suddenly went from the seventh rank to the sixth rank, while Mao Haifeng, who was already at the peak of the fourth rank, went even further. Which one was more fatal?
It goes without saying.

Wang Cheng finally understood why this famous courtesan from Qinhuai, who married four times in her life, was cherished by every man.

When fortune smiles, heaven and earth lend their strength; when fortune turns, even heroes are powerless.

Compared to one's own fortune and a real official rank, what does it matter to marry a prostitute of humble origins?
Even if someone has left a brothel and has been married four times, for certain special groups, this might actually be a plus.

If I hadn't come to borrow money today, I probably would never have known that my good brother had such a trump card up his sleeve.

No! This sister-in-law can't stay.

Wang Cheng realized that he hadn't swindled enough money, and he wasn't cutting off Mao Haifeng's wings fast enough.

In just a moment, he made up his mind.

The top undercover agent in Wufeng Banner has been re-entered online!
"I want to report this to the authorities!"

Meanwhile, on the other side of the sea, in the embassy fleet still adrift at sea, the yang-bodied "Wang Fugui," who was fishing on the deck as usual, suddenly looked up at Luo Wenlong's room on the stern. The embassy, ​​consisting of a flagship five-masted ship and more than ten large ships of over 500 liters each, did not rashly head towards the Nine Islands, which were mostly occupied by the Donghai Kingdom.

Instead, they went to Shihan Island, which is separated by a narrow strait—the Bungo Channel. This large island is named after the four domains of Awa, Sanuki, Iyo, and Tosa.

Sitting next to Wang Cheng was another fishing buddy, Li Jingjiang, the head of the envoy sent by the General of the Japanese Pirates, a fifth-rank water officer, also known as the "General of the Tower Ship".

"Commander Wang, let me give you a heads-up. This barbarian land beyond the Great Wall is completely different from our Central Plains."

The real power did not belong to the lord of the country, but to the shogun of the shogunate.

I don't really understand why they, who are already remote and uncivilized people deep in the ocean, would have any more barbaric tribes to conquer.

Over the years, when I followed General Yu, the commander-in-chief of the anti-Japanese pirate campaign, I came into contact with many Japanese pirates.

Know that Yingzhou was now under the Muromachi Shogunate, or you can think of it as the Muromachi Dynasty, where the Ashikaga Shogun was in charge of all government affairs.

Under him were the 'Kanrei' (shoguns), who assisted the shogun. These positions were typically held in rotation by the Shiba, Hosokawa, and Hatakeyama clans of the Ashikaga family, and were known as the 'Sankanrei' (three Kanrei).

"However, just like the late dynasties of our Shenzhou, this system has long been unable to control the whole country."

Now, the four islands of Yingzhou are dominated by various daimyo. Not only does the lord of Japan have no power, but even the Shogun of the shogunate is ignored and is just a skeleton in a tomb.

In the second year of the Shaozhi era, the Hosokawa clan, one of the three Kanrei families, and the Ōuchi clan, a daimyo family, competed for tribute, resulting in the deaths and injuries of many soldiers and civilians of our Great Zhao. Your Majesty ordered the severing of trade with Japan, which led to rampant smuggling.

Without the war for tribute, there would have been no opportunity for the Five Peaks Banner and the Prince of Jinghai to rise to power.

Although we are an envoy sent by the Great Zhao Dynasty, it would be pointless to seek out those puppet rulers and generals. If we want to get things done, we have to rely on ourselves.”

Since their previous encounter with the Ghost Master Yunmeng, Li Jingjiang, the captain of the envoy's ship, has moved to the five-masted sealed ship to protect the chief envoy Luo Wenlong.

This person is a fishing enthusiast, but he's terrible at it and has a huge addiction; eight out of ten times he comes away empty-handed.

After witnessing Wang Cheng's incredible fishing skills, I must drag this fishing expert along to fish with me.

Strangely enough, ever since he went fishing with Wang Cheng, the fish have been biting the hook frequently, allowing him to redeem himself and enjoy the experience immensely.

Over time, they developed a very good impression of Wang Cheng, the intelligence officer accompanying the group.

Little did they know that since he began his career in officialdom, Wang Cheng had honed his skills in "catering to people's preferences" to perfection.

It didn't come to the point where he had to dive down to hook fish for Shangguan Yu himself.

It was merely using the technique of "gathering beasts and birds, enlightening all kinds of creatures" to drive the fish to bite Li Jingjiang's hook.

With this skill, he immediately became a lucky charm in the eyes of the other party, who treated him differently.

In fact, apart from Qingliu and Vice Envoy Jiang, whose interests were irreconcilable, most people in the delegation had a very good impression of Wang Cheng.

After all, the martial arts world isn't just about fighting and killing; it's about human relationships and social interactions.

Li Jingjiang was very enthusiastic in sharing his experience with Wang Cheng, so that he could avoid some unnecessary trouble.

"Therefore, the shogunate is unreliable. This time, the envoy Lord Luo directly contacted Tosa Province, with which they had previously had trade relations. The daimyo seems to be Chosokabe Motochika."

I borrowed Shimizu Port, a port at the southern tip of Sifan Island, from him, and the advance team I sent out last night has already arrived.

We'll go ashore and rest for a day before contacting the Five Peaks.
Hmm? What happened?

The two sat side by side on the edge of the boat. Wang Cheng's mere glance up alerted the ever-vigilant Li Jingjiang to something amiss.

Wang Cheng held the trump card of being the "Number One Undercover Agent in Wufeng Banner," and naturally, he had already come up with a reason to tip off others.

"Lord Li, it is my 'Guardian Spirit General' who has sent back a message."

When we approached Yingzhou, I sent them all ahead of time to the Donghai Kingdom on Jiufan Island.

I've just discovered some important intelligence; I must immediately seek an audience with Envoy Luo.

Although Li Jingjiang found it strange that there was some urgent intelligence he couldn't tell him, the chief envoy was the highest-ranking member of the delegation, so he didn't press further and waved for him to leave.

Inside the cabin, Luo Wenlong had been looking rather gloomy ever since his previous failure to obtain the elixir of immortality, the "Liver Flower."

Holding a talismanic brush, he depicted his beloved wife Wang Cuiqiao's appearance and smile on rice paper, and the beauty in the painting unexpectedly matched Wang Cuiqiao's true state of mind at that moment.

Looking at his beautiful wife in the painting, Luo Wenlong became increasingly lost in thought, murmuring to himself:
"Fame, fortune, and power are all good, but if I see Qiao'er again, what is there to regret, even if I have the Grand Secretary's confidant, the Emperor's favor, the elixir of immortality, and all this wealth?"

Fame, fortune, and status are all fleeting to me! I'd give them all up to get my wife back!

"Qiao'er, where did you go?"

Luo Wenlong is clearly on a much higher level than Mao Haifeng, his brother-in-law.

The latter wants everything and is unwilling to give up anything, while the former is willing to give up everything to achieve their goal!
Just then, a sound suddenly came from outside the window:
"Lord Luo, is this true?"

(End of this chapter)