Second Chance Chapter 2145

“Back then, when I was smuggling as a maritime merchant, my mother could still somewhat understand, at least I was making a living, and sea trade was once legal, only now forbidden. But after I turned to piracy, whenever my mother saw me, she’d curse me as disloyal, unfilial, worse than a beast, even barring me from the ancestral hall,” Wang Zhi said with a bitter smile to the group.
So that’s how it was, Mao Haifeng and the others realised.
Wang Zhi eagerly opened the letter his mother had dictated, flipping to the end. Seeing her familiar signature, he nodded repeatedly, “My mother can’t write, but she can sign her name. One look, and I know it’s her hand.”
The small golden figurine, this signature, and Mao Haifeng’s eyewitness account left Wang Zhi with no doubts about his mother being alive.
After confirming the signature, Wang Zhi carefully read the letter’s contents. The tone was just like his mother’s, a mix of love and exasperation as she scolded him.
After finishing, Wang Zhi closed his eyes, his mind churning. His mother had mentioned something crucial: Zhu Ping’an wanted to offer him amnesty, and she urged him to accept it.
But amnesty wasn’t so simple. He wasn’t alone anymore, he had tens of thousands of mouths to feed, men expecting wealth and a good life. If he accepted amnesty, he’d need to secure their future. They were his strength, his foundation. With them, he thrived, without them, the court could dispose of him with a single cup of poisoned wine.
Wang Zhi closed his mother’s letter and opened his wife’s.
He first checked the signature. Beneath his wife Wang’s name and handprint was a charmingly drawn orchid.
The petals, though not skillfully drawn, were full of allure. Wang Zhi recognised at once it was his wife’s work.
Years ago, they had many blissful, carefree years together.
Once, after their intimacy, he teased her, saying the orchid’s petals resembled a certain part of her.
When she pressed him to explain and he whispered it, she was so embarrassed and angry she nearly bit his shoulder off.
This was their private secret. At some point, she began drawing an orchid in her replies to him.
Confirming her hand-drawn orchid, he read her letter. Every sentence carried her voice. Like his mother’s, it mentioned Zhu Ping’an’s offer of amnesty, urging him to cooperate. She said she’d never asked him for anything since their marriage, but now she begged him to accept the amnesty. She didn’t care for high rank or wealth post-amnesty, only that their son could live a normal life, not imprisoned or executed because of Wang Zhi’s piracy. If he cooperated, she’d willingly accept being demoted to a concubine or even divorced, as long as their son could live normally.
Wang Zhi closed the letter, shutting his eyes for a long time, recalling his reckless youth, scorned by neighbours, rejected repeatedly by matchmakers, even blacklisted by local mediators.
Then she appeared, like a fairy, not only accepting him but even supplementing his dowry, always saying he was destined for great things, supporting and understanding him. Her gentle care carried him through those tough times, saving his hands and soul…
Though he now had more women, more beautiful ones, she still held a place in his heart.
But, as a woman, she was long on hair and short on insight. Amnesty wasn’t something tears could achieve.
For amnesty, his safety must come first. Only if he was safe could they be truly safe, otherwise, their fate was at the court’s whim. Next, his interests must be secured, which was complex. His strength—his pirates—needed proper安置, and his absolute control over them ensured. Above all, mutual trade was key to his power and wealth.
Lifting the sea ban would be ideal, but if not, the ban could apply to others, not him.
The sea’s wealth was ten times that of the land. If mutual trade was opened to him, he could endlessly tap the sea’s riches.
But lifting the sea ban and enabling mutual trade was difficult. Peaceful attempts had failed, and now he was resorting to force.
It seemed even harder to succeed.
After reading both letters, Wang Zhi looked at Mao Haifeng, “The second piece of great news you mentioned, is it Zhu Ping’an’s offer of amnesty?”
“My king, we can’t accept their amnesty. Historically, amnesty leads to no good end!” Xue Tao immediately objected, citing examples, “Take the Water Margin heroes. After accepting amnesty, what happened? The court used them as cannon fodder against Liao and Fang La, suffering heavy losses, their strength reduced to nothing. Song Jiang was poisoned with a single cup of wine! Of the 108 heroes, how many had a good end? Nearly all perished…”
“No!” Mao Haifeng shook his head.
“Huh?! Not that?!” Wang Zhi looked at Mao Haifeng in surprise, it wasn’t Zhu Ping’an’s amnesty.
“The second piece of great news isn’t Zhu Ping’an offering amnesty. For you, adoptive father, his amnesty is hardly great news. A mere Zhejiang governor like Zhu Ping’an, who is he to offer it?! What qualifies him?!” Mao Haifeng said, clasping his fists.
Wang Zhi nodded noncommittally and asked, “Then what’s the second piece of great news?”
Xue Tao pricked up his ears.
“The second piece of great news is that Zhu Ping’an told me himself, he said…” Mao Haifeng paused.
“What did he say? Spit it out!” Xue Tao urged, eager to counter.
Wang Zhi also prompted Mao Haifeng with his gaze.
“Zhu Ping’an said lifting the sea ban is his aspiration,” Mao Haifeng said, raising his head, enunciating each word.
“What?! He said lifting the sea ban is his aspiration?!” Wang Zhi couldn’t help but stand again from his carriage.
Lifting the sea ban was his core interest. Even if his mother, wife, and child had truly been executed, as long as this interest was met, amnesty or anything else could be negotiated!
“Lifting the sea ban?!” Xue Tao also exclaimed, knowing full well Wang Zhi’s deepest wish.