gnovel Chapter 12 Kunpeng Spreads Its Wings
Chapter 12 Kunpeng Spreads Its Wings
In a rented room in Tongjifang, Wang Jun and his son Wang Lu returned to their old haunt. The morning light was just beginning to break, and the air was filled with the sounds of people, the steam and the smell of cooking smoke mingling together. The father and son both took a deep breath.
Wang Jun sighed, "Tongji Lane is much better. It's much more comfortable and relaxed than the Prime Minister's residence in Han Tong. At least I'm not living under someone else's roof, and I don't feel oppressed."
"You're kidding me. When you lived here before, you never got a good night's sleep. You were always hugging your knife, leaning against the door, and sleeping sitting up. It was nothing like the comfort you felt at Han Tong's mansion."
"Isn't that because we're afraid someone will try to take us away? I'm now the son-in-law of Grand Commandant Han, the current Grand Chancellor. Who would dare to lay a finger on me?"
"Isn't it because of Han Tong's influence that they can live so comfortably?"
"I feel comfortable living outside because of Han Tong's influence. I don't feel comfortable at his house. Once we've made money and established ourselves, we'll have to move out as soon as possible. If we keep living at his house, it will feel like I've really married into his family."
Whether Wang Jun was considered a son-in-law or not was never mentioned by Han Tong, so the matter remained unclear, even though many outsiders believed he was.
This return to the old place had a sense of returning home in glory. The people in the neighborhood were quite surprised to see the father and son, but they still greeted them warmly.
Everyone knew that Wang Jun had become Han Tong's son-in-law, and they were all very curious, but no one dared to come up and try to get close to him.
The fact that a man in his thirties from out of town with a child could marry the young daughter of Han Tong, the prime minister of the time, even if it was through an arranged marriage, proves that this man is no ordinary person.
"Oh, Master Wang, young master, you two are back?"
Even from a distance away from the rented room, a person came up to them enthusiastically, bowing and scraping obsequiously.
The father and son recognized the man; he was Pan Wu's brother, Liu Hou'er, who, in modern terms, was Pan Wu's right-hand man.
"Brother Monkey, what are you doing here?"
The six monkeys waved their hands repeatedly, saying, "No, no, Daoist, just call me Liu'er, or just Monkey, it's fine."
"Ever since the Taoist priest was summoned away by the Grand Commandant that day, nothing in the house has been packed. I was afraid that there might be something valuable inside that I might steal, so I personally led men to guard the house day and night. Rest assured, we only guarded the outside; we absolutely did not dare to go inside."
Wang Jun asked in surprise, "Why did it come to this?"
The six monkeys quickly replied, "Of course, of course. Master Wang, young master Wang, please come inside and see if anything is missing or needed."
Wang Jun and Wang Lu nodded, and then actually went inside to check, while Liu Hou'er stood guard outside. He then hurriedly instructed his underlings to invite Pan Wu over.
These six monkeys, to put it nicely, are wandering knights; to put it bluntly, they are just rascals. Of course, they are not good people at all. In such a chaotic world, how can good people survive? They originally had the idea of bullying the Wang family father and son and stealing the formula for the powerful pill.
However, it was just a thought after all, and it was abandoned before it could be put into practice. The Wang family father and son did not know that after being reminded by Pan Wu, they changed their minds and wanted to befriend them. However, before they could put it into practice, Han Tong invited them to his mansion, and they have not returned for many days.
However, the fact that the people didn't come back didn't stop Liu Hou'er from currying favor with them at all, and look, we've already seen the reward.
Inside the house, the father and son checked and found that, just as Liu Hou'er had said, nothing in the house had been moved or stolen. The money the father and son earned from selling the "power pills" was the silver given to them by Pan Wu.
And most precious of all, the things the father and son brought with them when they came: two cell phones, a sports watch, and two sets of modern clothes, are still there. They are all useless things, but they keep them as a memento.
"This Liu Hou'er is a good guy, clever. He can stay and be a manager after the factory is up and running."
"Well, but Father, are you sure you want to open the factory in Tongjifang? Han Tong clearly said that he would provide manpower and money as needed. During the Five Dynasties and early Song Dynasty, it was quite normal for military commanders to directly order soldiers around, not to mention their families."
"His people are his people, and our people are our people. I've seen that. In the Five Dynasties, it's impossible to do business without a backer, and it's impossible to do without his people. But since this factory belongs to us, we need some of our people, and that's you."
"What's wrong with me?"
"Why did you stop pretending?"
"What are you pretending to be?"
"Acting like a child? Look at how you were this morning, a ten-year-old kid, talking eloquently with Han Tong, a Grand Commandant who holds great military power, analyzing current affairs with great insight. Is that right? What will he think?"
"Oh, I'm not pretending anymore. I'm not pretending with Han Tong anymore. There's no need to pretend anyway. Han Tong has such sharp eyes; he saw through our charade a long time ago."
"Why not just show him some of our real skills? That will only make him suspicious and let him guess whatever he wants. At least we two will maintain a sense of mystery in his eyes."
"Besides, things have come to this point now. On the bright side, although being Han Tong's son-in-law and grandson carries much greater risks, the benefits are also greater."
The Five Dynasties period was ultimately a chaotic era, and the early Song Dynasty, frankly speaking, at least in its very beginning, wasn't much different from the preceding Liang, Tang, Jin, Han, and Zhou dynasties.
"Zhao Kuangyin's brother-in-law would directly abduct women from the streets, not to play with them, but to eat them alive for amusement. After the Song army conquered Later Shu, it became fashionable to cut off the breasts of women after raping and murdering them."
Even within Kaifeng city, soldiers patrolling the streets at night dared to smash the door of the prime minister and extort money. It's hard to say whether this truly constituted a civilized society.
"For two ordinary people from out of town to want to make money, become an official, and even reach the highest rank, is not that easy."
Selling miracle pills, even making a little money requires constant vigilance. Dad, you sleep with a knife in your arms every day, and you still rely on that wandering swordsman Pan Wu for protection. But when we two really amass a fortune, will he still be able to keep us safe?
"Following Han Tong is different. He gives you money when you need it and provides manpower when you need it. You also don't have to worry about others eyeing your profits."
"As long as we can weather the Chenqiao Mutiny six months from now, even if Han Tong finds it difficult to hold office and wield real power in the Northern Song Dynasty, his connections and influence will still remain. It will be much easier for us, father and son, to achieve our goal of becoming first-rank officials by standing on his shoulders."
Wang Jun sighed, "Yeah, that's why we started with building materials, wasn't it to help him? But six months later, tsk, high risk, high reward, ha, that's how it is everywhere."
Both father and son were on a pirate ship, only to find that it wasn't so bad after all. The Chenqiao Mutiny wasn't just a few days away; there were still six months left. They didn't expect Han Tong to defy fate, but clinging to this powerful figure would make it much easier to curry favor with Zhao Kuangyin.
As long as Han Wei doesn't foolishly attempt to assassinate Zhao Kuangyin, and Han Tong doesn't stupidly rebel on the day of the Chenqiao Mutiny, saving his life, and incidentally, the lives of him and his son, seems indeed not impossible.
As the father and son were talking, Pan Wu finally rushed over, holding two plump, red peaches in his hands. Upon seeing them, he quickly handed them over: "Master Wang, young man, it's hot, have a peach to quench your thirst, they're very sweet."
"Thank you, Fifth Master."
"Oh dear, no, no, Master Wang, are you going to blame me? Did I offend you in some way before? Shall I slap myself twice to vent my anger for you?"
"Then, Fifth Brother?"
"Fifth Brother, calling me Fifth Brother is already an honor enough."
"Alright then, Fifth Brother."
"Hey~, Fifth Brother is here, hahaha, that sounds much better! Daoist Master has returned to Tongjifang, is there anything I, Fifth Brother, can do to help? Just tell me what you need, and if it's within my power, I, Fifth Brother, will do it without hesitation."
"We do need your help, fifth brother. My son and I are planning to set aside a piece of land here, somewhere with convenient water and land transportation, to build a large workshop."
If it involves demolition or relocation, we'll give you money in full, no one will be taken advantage of. Don't worry about the official procedures; there's plenty of money. I'd like you, Fifth Brother, to help me with the details.
Furthermore, my son and I don't know anyone in Kaifeng, so we'd like to ask Lao Wu to help us find some reliable and trustworthy people.
Upon hearing this, Pan Wu's eyes lit up, and he suddenly bowed deeply, saying, "From now on, Pan Wu is willing to serve the Daoist Master and my lord at his beck and call."
"Fifth Brother, you're too kind. Don't talk about being at our beck and call. If you trust us, just invest some money and become a shareholder. The amount is up to you, and I'll distribute the shares to you proportionally."