Top Scholar

Chapter 316 Wang Shouren's Fantastic Journey
One of his subordinates reminded the commander, "Sir, the person Eunuch Liu wants should at least be seen alive or dead."

"He jumped into the Qiantang River, and now he's gone straight to the Dragon Palace of the East Sea!" the commander said irritably. "Then you can stay here and search slowly. You're not allowed to go back until you find him."

"No, no, just ignore what I said." His subordinate knew immediately that the commander was just going through the motions. Whether he sympathized with Wang Shouren or simply wanted to avoid trouble, only heaven knew.

When news of Wang Shouren's death reached Hangzhou, many gentry and common people spontaneously went to the riverbank to mourn him, and even officials from Zhejiang Province secretly sent people to his home to pay their respects.

For a time, rumors circulated throughout Zhejiang that Liu Jin had sent the Embroidered Uniform Guard to hunt down Wang Shouren and force him to commit suicide by drowning.

However, a few days later, the coastal defense officers and soldiers of the Dajin Thousand-Household Garrison of the Fujian Provincial Military Command captured a guy who claimed to be Wang Shouren...

In fact, this guy was Wang Shouren. His act of taking off his clothes and writing his will on the banks of the Qiantang River was just a good show of faking his death to escape.

He traveled down the river with Wang Shouyi in a small boat, but Wang Shouyi disembarked at Songjiang and rushed back to Yuyao to seek help from Xie Gelao.

Xie Qian and Wang Hua were fellow townsmen and close friends, and both were top scholars in the imperial examinations, so their families naturally had a close relationship. Xie Gong's eldest son, Xie Zheng, immediately contacted familiar maritime merchants and arranged for a fast ship to pick them up.

After creating the illusion of drowning, Wang Shouren boarded a fast boat that came to pick him up and sailed into the vast sea.

The merchant originally intended to go all the way and send Wang Shouren directly to Japan, but he refused.

Wang Shouren asked a merchant to take him ashore in Fujian, intending to cross Jiangxi and Huguang provinces to reach Guizhou. However, he was caught red-handed by patrolling soldiers as soon as he landed.

The officers and soldiers found his behavior suspicious and thought he wasn't a local, so they took him to see the centurion.

The centurion ordered him to confess his true identity, or he would be subjected to severe torture.

Wang Yangming couldn't help but sigh inwardly, "It's easier said than done. It seems that it's impossible to hide my identity and travel across half of the Ming Dynasty."

After a moment's thought, he straightened his clothes and said proudly, "To tell you the truth, I am Wang Shouren, the former principal of the Ministry of War. Because I spoke out for justice, I angered Liu Jin and was flogged in court and demoted to the postmaster of Guizhou!"

"Ah, so you are Mr. Wang, who is ranked eighth on the list of heroes!" The centurion immediately showed great respect.

"Indeed, it is I." Wang Shouren never expected that his name would spread to the border outpost in Fujian.

"My apologies!" The centurion quickly invited him to sit down, then asked in confusion, "But since you're going to Guizhou to take up your post, why have you come all the way to Fujian?"

"Well, you might not believe it, but when I was crossing the Yangtze River by boat, I encountered a storm and accidentally fell into the water," Wang Yangming boasted in a serious tone.
"That night the wind was high and the waves were rough, and in the blink of an eye I was submerged. I thought I was going to die, but then a huge bubble enveloped me, and I found that I could actually breathe underwater!"

"Wow..." The officers and soldiers were dumbfounded. "Is it that amazing? Did you encounter a deity?"

"As I was wondering what was going on, I saw a lantern coming from ahead. When I looked closely, I was so scared that I almost screamed. It turned out to be a huge, ugly fish. The lantern was on its head and was actually part of its body. I thought it was going to eat me, but to my surprise, it could speak human language and it was quite polite."

"What did it say?" Baihu and the others hurriedly asked.

“It said, ‘Master Wang, do not be afraid. I am the river patrol envoy. Originally, your death was imminent, but my Dragon King was deeply moved by your loyal and honest advice and decided to save your life. Now, please come with me to the Dragon Palace for a chat.’” Wang Shouren then spoke with great detail.

"That's right, that's what they call 'good deeds are rewarded and evil deeds are punished.' If you had met Mazu, she would have saved you too." The centurion clapped his hands in praise: "And then what happened?"

"The strange fish then carried me into the Dragon Palace to pay homage to the Dragon King. The Dragon King said he saved me to let people know that loyal ministers are protected by the gods, and that righteousness will never be extinguished by Heaven! After saying this, he held a banquet for me, and only after I had eaten and drunk my fill did he have the river patrol messenger escort me out of the water." Worried that everyone on the patrol would see how he came ashore, Wang Shouren added a supplementary note:
"The river patrol envoy, fearing it would cause a disturbance, conjured up a small boat and disguised himself as a boatman to take me ashore. After that, the boat disappeared."

After finishing the story, Wang Shouren deliberately asked, "By the way, is this Yangzhou or Changzhou?"

"Sir, we're almost at Fuzhou!" the centurion exclaimed in shock. "You were taken two thousand miles away by the river patrol envoy."

"Huh? No way?" Wang Yangming exclaimed in shock, "It wasn't even a day and a night from when I fell into the water to when I got ashore..."

Now, the people of the garrison believed his story wholeheartedly. They treated him to the best food and drink while quickly reporting it to the authorities.

When the commander heard about it, he specially sent a sedan chair to pick up Wang Yangming and take him to the commander's office to be entertained.

A few days later, the prefect of Fuzhou also heard about the matter and similarly sent a sedan chair to pick him up and bring him to the prefectural government office, where he was warmly received.

Wang Shouren was already extremely charismatic, and after being flogged in court and receiving recognition on the list of heroes, coupled with his legendary story, he became the most dazzling star in all of Fujian. High-ranking officials and nobles vied to get acquainted with him, and even the Fujian Provincial Governor invited him to Fuzhou as a guest, but Wang Shouren politely declined, citing his duty to guard the border.

He stayed in Fujian for half a month before being reluctantly seen off by local officials and gentry. Meanwhile, officials and gentry in Jiangxi were already eagerly awaiting his departure, taking turns to entertain this distinguished guest.

When the boat reached Guangxin Prefecture, the prefect of Guangxin, Jiang Yao, made a special trip aboard to visit Wang Shouren. The two talked over wine until late into the night, then slept side by side. Wang Shouren even presented Jiang Yao with a poem to commemorate the occasion.

"Lanterns and lights illuminate the east and west of the water; flutes and drums cross the azure sky via a star bridge. Where does this talk of being beyond the mortal world come from? For a hundred years, only this bright moon shines upon us."

Loneliness is a common occurrence on a journey, but seeking companionship from afar reveals the ancient ways.

If you do not hesitate to write new poems after our parting, then even in Hengnan, wild geese will fly south.

Upon leaving Jiangxi and entering Huguang, the officials, gentry, and common people continued to show him great hospitality. When passing through Pingxiang, Wang Shouren, accompanied by the prefect of Yuanzhou, visited the Lianxi Temple, which was built in honor of Zhou Dunyi.

When he arrived in Changsha, the Changsha Prefect Zhao Weifan, along with his old friends Xu Chengzhi and Chen Wenming, not only visited him but also accompanied him on a tour of Yuelu Mountain... This was hardly an exile; it was practically a grand tour!
~~
The news that Wang Yangming had come back to life and appeared thousands of miles away, being adored by officials and commoners in several provinces, reached the capital. This infuriated Liu Jin, who berated Qiu Ju, saying, "Didn't you say you had already killed Wang Shouren? How come he's alive again? And he's jumping around everywhere!"

"Those below really saw him jump into the river. No matter how good a swimmer he was, there was no way he could have swum all the way to Fujian." Qiu Ju said incredulously, "Could it be that a deity really helped him?"

"Help him my ass! This traitorous villain deserves to be punished by both gods and men!" Liu Jin snorted angrily, "It's nothing but a trick to deceive people!"

"But how could a convicted criminal like him have such great abilities?" Qiu Ju wondered.

"Because he's not alone!" Liu Jin slammed his fist on the table and roared, "He's backed by the gentry of the southeast, and he's in cahoots with those guys on the traitorous party list!"

"They conspired to pull this stunt, deliberately letting Wang Shouren parade through the streets, with local officials giving him a grand welcome. This isn't the treatment of a wanted criminal, it's practically the treatment of an imperial envoy!" Liu Jin angrily smashed his teacup, saying, "This is a deliberate slap in the face to the Emperor, a show of force against us!"

"Damn it, utterly damn it!" Gu Dayong said angrily from the side, "Boss, if the Eastern Depot can't handle it, then let the Western Depot do it!"

"Don't!" Qiu Ju panicked as soon as he heard this, patting his chest and shouting, "Brother, my men have been keeping an eye on Wang Shouren for a long time. This time, I guarantee they'll kill him!"

"Then why haven't you made a move yet?" Gu Dayong sneered.

“He’s always surrounded by a large entourage wherever he goes, so the underlings have no chance to make a move,” Qiu Ju said dejectedly.

"I will issue an edict strictly prohibiting officials and civilians along the route from contacting the criminal Wang Shouren. Anyone who violates this order will be punished for great disrespect!" Liu Jin said angrily. "Send more men to arrest anyone who dares to contact him!"

She said through gritted teeth, "If we let him make it safely to Guizhou, where will we put our faces?!"

"Understood." Qiu Ju hurriedly replied in a deep voice, "Don't worry, boss, we'll make our move as soon as he's alone!"

"What if you're never alone?" Gu Dayong asked.

"Just wait until he enters the desolate mountains, then kill them all!" Qiu Jusen said coldly.

~~
Under Liu Jin's strict orders, the local Imperial Guards were mobilized in full force to drive away and arrest the gentry and common people who came to greet and send off Wang Shouren, which finally made Wang Shouren's surroundings quiet.

Despite all precautions, the slippery Wang Shouren still managed to sneak into the territory of the Yongshun Pacification Commissioner's Office in western Hunan.

The territories of the Tusi (chieftains) were traditionally a blind spot for the Embroidered Uniform Guard (Jinyiwei). Aside from the Tusi, no one else's orders carried weight. Even the Jinyiwei had to behave properly to avoid unnecessary trouble. That's why they were in such a hurry to eliminate Wang Shouren before he arrived in Guizhou…

"I've never seen such a cunning fellow!" Commander Zheng was completely bewildered by Wang Yangming. He had thought it would be a simple official mission, and he could easily return to the capital. Who would have thought that half a year had passed, and he had traveled through most of the Ming Dynasty, yet he still hadn't completed his mission...

"Sir, we can't keep letting him lead us by the nose like this," Qian Ning suggested. "We need to find a way to get around him and intercept him!"

"Yes." Commander Zheng nodded and said, "No matter how he goes, he'll eventually end up in Guizhou. We'll wait for him on his inevitable route!"

He then gave the order: "Let's go to Yuanling!"

"What if he doesn't take the Huguang route, but goes through Chongqing to Luzhou, and enters Guizhou from Sichuan?" Qian Ning warned.

"Possibly." Commander Zheng no longer dared to underestimate Wang Shouren and nodded, saying, "Then let's split our forces, each leading a detachment, and block both roads!"

"Yes!" Qian Ning responded and led a team of Imperial Guards westward to Chongqing.

Qian Ning was right. Wang Shouren didn't take the shortcut to Guizhou, but instead planned to go the long way through Sichuan to enter Guizhou...

He concealed his tracks along the way, traveling by day and resting by night, leaving western Hunan, passing through Chongqing, and finally entering the territory of Luzhou!

After much deliberation, Wang Shouren did not seek help from the Zhu family, but continued his journey south alone to Guizhou.

Little did he know that Qian Ning, who had been following him, was very familiar with the geography of Luzhou. He had taken a shortcut through the deep mountains and forests, blocking his only way and setting him up in ambush!
(End of this chapter)