“Heh, Leader Mao, you’ve got quite the imagination! My lord is more likely to recruit Wang Zhi than surrender to him!” Liu Daqiang chuckled at Mao Haifeng’s words. *This pirate leader’s brain must’ve been kicked by a donkey. My lord surrendering to pirates? Look in the mirror—you’re not worthy!*
“What?! Zhu Ping’an really wants to recruit my adoptive father?!” Mao Haifeng’s hair practically stood on end. He let out a furious shout, nearly jumping out of his seat.
He and Daoyou Zhenchuan had speculated that Zhu Ping’an might be trying to recruit Lord Hui, Wang Zhi. But considering Zhu had only ten thousand troops while Wang Zhi commanded a hundred thousand pirates, they thought Zhu, as a top scholar, wouldn’t be so delusional as to overreach. Yet, unbelievably, they’d guessed right.
Zhu Ping’an dared to try recruiting their adoptive father, Wang Zhi! *What kind of strength does he have to even think that?*
How could he dare?
“Are these two letters Zhu Ping’an’s attempt to recruit Lord Hui?! Hmph! He knows one letter won’t do it, so he had two written at once?! Hmph, such treasonous nonsense—I’d rather die under a hail of bullets than deliver these to Lord Hui! Give up on that fantasy!” Mao Haifeng snorted, slamming his hand down, rejecting the idea outright with no room for negotiation.
“Yoshi! Brother Haifeng is absolutely right! You, Zhu Ping’an’s envoy, listen up. Your Ming has a saying: ‘A man’s greed is like a snake trying to swallow an elephant.’ Another says: ‘Those who know the times are wise.’ How many troops does Zhu Ping’an have compared to Lord Hui? Zhu is but a star to Lord Hui’s bright moon. Since ancient times, stars orbit the moon, not the other way around! Don’t humiliate yourselves!” Daoyou Zhenchuan chimed in.
“Zhu Ping’an, that scoundrel, is so insolent he deserves death to serve as a warning! But since you returned our grand banner, I’ll spare your life. Go back and tell Zhu Ping’an to stop dreaming of recruiting Lord Hui! If he doesn’t want to die, he’d better request a transfer elsewhere, or wash his neck and wait for death!” Mao Haifeng glared at Liu Daqiang, his words unyielding.
“Wrong!” Liu Daqiang shook his head.
“What’s wrong?” Mao Haifeng and Daoyou Zhenchuan frowned.
“Those two letters aren’t for recruiting Wang Zhi,” Liu Daqiang said slowly.
“Hm? Not for recruiting Lord Hui?” Mao Haifeng and Daoyou Zhenchuan froze, stunned.
“This is the second gesture of goodwill from our Governor. For you, it’s a great merit,” Liu Daqiang said, reciting Zhu Ping’an’s words to Mao Haifeng and Daoyou Zhenchuan.
“What? A great merit?” Mao Haifeng looked at Liu Daqiang suspiciously, questioning, “Your lord taught you to say this to trick me into delivering recruitment letters to Lord Hui, didn’t he?!”
Daoyou Zhenchuan shared the same skeptical look.
Both suspected this was a trap set by Zhu Ping’an to get them to deliver recruitment letters to Wang Zhi.
*Great merit, my foot!*
*You’re trying to screw us over!* If they delivered letters recruiting Wang Zhi, what would Wang Zhi think?
What would Wang Zhi think of *them*?
*Oh, you’re helping Zhu Ping’an recruit me? What’s that about? Betraying me from within? Have you already joined the court and Zhu Ping’an? Found a better patron? Is my humble temple too small for you now?*
The mere thought sent chills down Mao Haifeng and Daoyou Zhenchuan’s spines. *That scheming dog, Zhu Ping’an, is insidious!*
*Great merit?*
*Great merit for you, maybe!*
It made sense now. Zhu Ping’an’s plan was to sow distrust between them and Wang Zhi, driving a wedge to create chaos, letting Zhu fish in troubled waters and achieve a grand feat.
*Dog thief!*
On the surface, it’s recruitment, but in reality, it’s a ploy to divide us!
So cunning!
If the recruitment succeeds, it’s a great merit for him. If it fails, the division ploy works, and it’s still a great merit!
Well played—win or lose, Zhu Ping’an comes out on top, and we’re the losers!
*Dog thief Zhu Ping’an, truly worthy of his famed scholar status. No scholar can match his cunning!*
“No, don’t slander my lord. To be precise, these two letters are family letters,” Liu Daqiang clarified.
*What?*
*Family letters?*
*What the hell? Zhu Ping’an’s sending family letters to our Lord Hui? Since when were they family?!*
*Is he trying to adopt Lord Hui as his godfather?!* No way. He’s a court official. If he became the adopted son of a pirate, it’d be a national disgrace, lowering the court’s status. The court wouldn’t tolerate it—stripping his titles would be the least of it. Prison or even execution by dismemberment were possible.
Hiding it? Impossible. There’s no such thing as a secret that doesn’t leak. If Zhu Ping’an adopted Wang Zhi as his godfather, the news would spread across the Ming in days, and the court’s wrath would follow.
*Wait! He’s not expecting Lord Hui to adopt him as a godfather, is he?!* No way. The age gap is too big—Wang Zhi’s over thirty years older! No one pushing fifty adopts a twenty-year-old as their godfather!
This isn’t goodwill—it’s an insult!
With a hundred thousand pirates under his command, would Lord Hui tolerate such humiliation? Zhu Ping’an’s brain must’ve been kicked by a donkey to think this.
*Wait!*
There’s another possibility…
Mao Haifeng suddenly whipped his head toward Liu Daqiang, incredulous. “Zhu Ping’an isn’t trying to form a marriage alliance with Lord Hui, is he? I heard his wife bore him a son and daughter, so he had two family letters written to propose a marriage alliance, tying our families together as in-laws?!”
If Zhu Ping’an married into Lord Hui’s family, they’d be kin, and the letters could be called family letters! That must be it! Mao Haifeng thought.
Now it was Liu Daqiang’s turn to be dumbfounded. *What the hell? This pirate leader’s brain has been kicked by a donkey! What kind of nonsense is this?*
No wonder they were crushed by our lord—their intelligence is leagues below his!
Mao Haifeng’s words were so absurd that Liu Daqiang was momentarily too stunned to respond.
“Hmph, don’t waste your schemes. Lord Hui has no children—his only son was executed by your authorities. His mother and family were all killed by your government. Not mentioning it is one thing, but bringing it up stirs a blood feud! With such a vendetta, how could Lord Hui ever negotiate with your authorities?” Mao Haifeng snorted, slamming the table, his voice stern as he addressed Liu Daqiang.
