Chapter 131: Holding the Decree of Heaven

Under the rundown thatched porridge shed, officials had piled up blue brick stoves, with eight large pots boiling, emitting a faint fragrance of rice.

Wang Dao Sheng patiently explained to the officials, "In a year of great disaster, even if it hasn't reached the point of exchanging children for food, brothels will still be buying young girls. Rest assured, I won't make things difficult for you. Just report my name to Zhang Daren, and that will be fine. He and I are old acquaintances."

Just when Chen Ji thought the officials would still retort, he saw them back down, looking embarrassed. "So it's Wang Daren. This lowly official has eyes but didn't recognize Mount Tai!"

Chen Ji cautiously asked, "County Lord, is Mister Wang very famous?"

Bai Li gave him a surprised glance, then leaned in gently and whispered, "You haven't heard of Mister Wang's name? He was already famous throughout the land in his early years when he placed second in the imperial exams."

Chen Ji said "Hmm." He truly didn't know his new teacher had such a great reputation, that simply reporting his name could make the yamen officials so polite.

At this time, the officials looked at Wang Dao Sheng and said with some difficulty, "Wang Daren, we can go and do the registration and recording, but as you can see, there are only about ten officials here at the porridge shed. We won't be able to handle the porridge distribution later. Perhaps wait until we transfer some more people?"

Wang Dao Sheng glanced at the porridge shed, then at the number of officials. "You all go and do the registration and recording. We will handle the porridge shed."

The officials were startled. "Daren, serving thousands of portions of porridge is labor-intensive work. How can we let you take over?"

Wang Dao Sheng didn't answer him but looked at Chen Ji and the others. "Are you all okay with this?"

Chen Ji replied, "Mister, rest assured, I have no problem!"

Bai Li also smiled and rolled up his sleeves. "Mister, I also have no problem."

Seeing the situation, Zhang Xia immediately tied Zao Zao's reins to the side of the porridge shed, rolled up his sleeves, and walked over. "Mister, we have no problem."

At this point, the Shizi said, "Not enough people."

On the ox cart outside the porridge shed, Chen Wen Zong had been silently watching this scene for a long time without speaking.

When the Shizi's gaze swept over, he immediately wanted to stand up, but Chen Wen Xiao pulled his arm and dragged him back. "Older Brother, what are you doing? We are here for a study tour, not to do manual labor. I've seen those officials distribute porridge. They ladle thousands of ladles, until their arms are swollen. Usually, only the unpopular officials in the yamen are sent to do this hard task in the cold winter."

Chen Wen Zong's expression was solemn. "No need for more words. You and I have been reading the books of the sages for over ten years. How can we not even distinguish this bit of right and wrong clearly? I didn't get off the cart earlier because Chen Ji made a mistake himself, and others didn't need to suffer because of him. But now we are doing things for the common people. How can you and I shrink back? Let go!"

He shook off Chen Wen Xiao's hand, jumped down from the ox cart, and rolled up his sleeves. "Mister, I'll also come and help."

Chen Wen Xiao sat alone on the cart, hesitated for a while, and finally lowered his head and jumped down from the ox cart, standing together with Chen Wen Zong.

Wang Dao Sheng lifted the lid of a pot and saw a cloud of steam rise up.

When the white steam dispersed a bit, everyone frowned. "The rice soup is thin. You can see the rice grains at the bottom of the pot at a glance."

Chen Wen Zong looked at the officials with a serious face. "Why is the porridge so thin? Our dynasty's iron rule for distributing porridge is that chopsticks inserted should not fall. How dare you cook such thin porridge?"

The officials were scared and their faces turned pale. "It's not that we want to cook such thin porridge, it's what Zhang Daren instructed!"

"Zhang Daren?"

"That's right!"

The officials explained, "Zhang Daren said there isn't enough grain. If we want the common people in the west and south of the city to get through the winter, we absolutely cannot cook thick porridge. If we were to truly distribute porridge according to the court's rules, the porridge shed would run out of grain in just fifteen days!"

"Is there no grain left in the Luoyang granary?"

Chen Wen Zong was doubtful. "I remember the autumn grain was just transported to Luoyang last month."

The officials hurried to answer, "Zhang Daren said that the grain in the official granary cannot be moved anymore. If a military order comes to requisition grain and there isn't enough in the granary, that would mean losing our heads."

"Are there really no other ways? Where is Zhang Daren?"

"Zhang Daren said he went to figure out a way."

Zhang Xia asked curiously, "Then what about Chen Daren? I remember Chen Daren is the most principled. He definitely wouldn't just sit by and watch."

The officials hesitated.

Zhang Xia impatiently pressed, "Speak up!"

The officials stammered, "Zhang Daren found a group of litigation tricksters and old bachelors to file a lawsuit at the yamen. They're holding Chen Daren up in the prefect's yamen."

Zhang Xia was startled. "Ah, this..."

Wang Dao Sheng raised his hand to stop the conversation. "The officials should still go and do the registration and recording. We will handle the porridge distribution here."

Saying this, he opened his mouth and spoke to the disaster victims, "Come forward to get porridge. The old, weak, women, and children first."

Only that voice floated outwards. It wasn't a loud voice, but it somehow transmitted hundreds of meters away.

Chen Ji was shocked. He saw the disaster victims slowly stand up, and they actually truly let the old, weak, women, and children walk to the front of the line, one by one.

He had seen porridge distributed outside the west city gate before, and he knew what kind of people disaster victims were.

Everyone was so hungry and emaciated. Who would still care about respecting elders and loving the young?

But Mister Wang's single sentence had such an effect. Could it be that Mister Wang was also an official?

Chen Ji silently looked at the Shizi and Bai Li. "Mister Wang just now..."

Bai Li whispered, "My father said that mister walks the path of the sages, and his words contain heavenly law, capable of educating all beings. But he also said that there are still some things mister hasn't thought through clearly, so he cannot be considered a true sage."

Chen Ji glanced at Mister Wang, then silently picked up the huge wooden ladle and scooped rice porridge, one ladle at a time, for the lined-up disaster victims.

That wooden ladle was too heavy for girls.

Bai Li only swung it a few dozen times before his arm was so sore he could barely lift it. He could only grit his teeth and persevere. "If Cat Brother were here, it would be great. He has endless strength."

And Chen Ji suddenly discovered that as he scooped rice porridge for the disaster victims, ladle by ladle, the color of the twenty-six lamps of furnace fire within his body had actually changed a bit. Although it was very little and very slow, this subtle change was real.

Just like the heat in an inverted flame kiln, at six hundred degrees Celsius it's cherry red, at nine hundred degrees Celsius it's orange-yellow, and above thirteen hundred degrees Celsius it will turn white.

The twenty-six lamps of furnace fire were initially cherry red when they burned. Now, that red was gradually fading.

Along with it came a more majestic vitality.

Chen Ji thought back. When he was in the Green Mountain dream realm initially, there was a moment when all the furnace fire in his entire body burned up. The furnace fire at that time was precisely white.

Strange!

Why did the furnace fire change?

Could it be because he was helping the disaster victims?

But he had also helped disaster victims earlier outside the west city gate, hadn't he?

Wait!

The only difference between that time and this time was that he was masked back then.

Before Chen Ji could think clearly, the sound of wooden wheels creaking rang out from outside the city gate.

He saw dozens of carts dragging bags of grain driving out of the city, followed by an official sedan chair.

The grain on each cart was piled up like a small hill.

Even that official sedan chair was somewhat overshadowed.

The next moment, the sedan bearers placed the sedan chair on the ground, and Zhang Zhuo, wearing a red official robe, stepped out of the sedan chair with a satisfied expression.

He looked at the important people under the porridge shed and said in surprise, "Eh, why are you all here?"

Zhang Xia rushed forward like a gust of wind and hugged his arm. "Dad, where did you find so much grain this time?"

Zhang Zhuo happily stroked his beard. "Your dad here used immortal techniques to conjure it. Impressive, right?"

Zhang Xia gave a thumbs up. "Impressive."

Wang Dao Sheng walked to the side of a cart and casually pinched the sack, then had a number in his heart. "Fresher than official grain, this is autumn grain that merchants just stockpiled this year. They were actually willing to donate it to you. No, you bought it."

Zhang Zhuo laughed. "You led troops for several years and can still tell whether the grain is fresh just by touching the sack? I thought you had become a bookworm from reading so many books!"

Wang Dao Sheng couldn't laugh.

He frowned and looked at Zhang Zhuo. "During your term in Yangzhou, you did some extraordinary things because of this. After leaving office, the impeachment memorials against you flew into the capital like snowflakes. If it weren't for Xu Ge Lao suppressing your matter of buying titles and selling offices, you would probably be in prison by now. But you always do this. Sooner or later, something will happen. At that time, if censors and remonstrating officials investigate and find clues, all it takes is one impeachment in front of the emperor, and all your efforts will be wasted."

Zhang Zhuo's expression was arrogant and his spirits were high. "As long as Xu Ge Lao is still the First Assistant of the Grand Secretariat, no censor or remonstrating official would dare to impeach me."

Wang Dao Sheng sighed. "What if Xu Ge Lao is no longer the First Assistant of the Grand Secretariat?"

Zhang Zhuo said proudly, "At that time, I will be the First Assistant of the Grand Secretariat."

Wang Dao Sheng gently shook his head and said again, "Even a Dynasty Ge Lao finds it very difficult to cover the sky with one hand. Dong Shi wrote to me saying that he has already been promoted to Supervisory Censor and Remonstrating Official, and he is about to inspect your matters during your term in Yangzhou. He and the Xu family have not been harmonious for a long time. If he..."

Zhang Zhuo impatiently waved his robe sleeve.

He saw that there were no officials or disaster victims around and suddenly said angrily, "Although you are a few years older than me, don't always preach to me. I take the money of corrupt officials to do things for the common people. What's wrong with that? If I didn't do this, what would these disaster victims eat and drink? Wait for the court's silver? How long would they have to wait? The disaster victims would have starved to death long ago."

Chen Ji heard these words, suddenly thought of the rumors about Zhang Zhuo and Yuan Zhang Gui's account book, and finally realized where this batch of grain came from.

He then heard Zhang Zhuo continue to say to Wang Dao Sheng, "If you can't stand me, you can certainly report and expose me to Dong Shi. I'll just ask you one sentence. Do you want these disaster victims to survive this winter or not?"

Zhang Zhuo and Wang Dao Sheng stood facing each other. One wore a bright red official robe, with a vivid white crane embroidered on the front of his chest. The other wore a blue cloth scholar's robe, faded from repeated washing.

It was as if people who were originally not meant to walk on the same road in fate had accidentally met and were confronting each other.

Everyone held their breath, as if facing these two imposing mountains, not even daring to breathe.

Finally, they heard Wang Dao Sheng softly say, "I am familiar with Dong Shi. I will write him a letter in a few days after the study tour returns, asking him not to investigate the Yangzhou matters."

Zhang Zhuo laughed heartily and patted Wang Dao Sheng's shoulder. "I knew it. After all these years, you are still different from those rotten scholars. Dong Shi admires your learning and performed disciple rites to you. If you are willing to speak, he will definitely stop. When you return from your study tour, I'll go find you for a drink."

Wang Dao Sheng casually brushed off Zhang Zhuo's hand. "Sooner or later, you will take a big tumble in this matter."

Zhang Zhuo's face changed. "Your mouth cannot speak randomly. Quickly, 'Pah, pah, pah!'"

Wang Dao Sheng was too lazy to argue with him, turned around, and went to the porridge shed, continuing to scoop porridge for the disaster victims. "Rest assured, I'm not that capable."