Outside, chaos reigned with soldiers and turmoil everywhere. The journey to seek medicine (actually to call for reinforcements) was perilous. Both Wang Daxia and Ding Wu strongly insisted that Lu Ying escort Wei Caiwei out of the city with all the Embroidered Uniform Guards, while the two of them would stay behind to negotiate with Ming Wang in the city. In the end, Wang Daxia employed a "beauty trap" and beheaded Ming Wang.
However, Wei Caiwei remained worried that the two would be isolated and helpless in the city, so she went to persuade Luo Longwen for assistance. His thirty-plus escorts from the Three Links Escort Agency were each capable of taking down at least two genuine Japanese Pirates.
With a resolute expression reminiscent of Jing Ke’s attempt to assassinate the King of Qin, Wei Caiwei began, "That day when Madam Ximen went to serve Ming Wang..." She slammed her fist hard on the table, as if she had been cuckolded by Ming Wang. "That beast Ming Wang, knowing full well she was pregnant, still toyed with her for an entire day."
Luo Longwen, sympathizing with Wei Caiwei over the women they cared for being seized by Japanese Pirates, said, "That’s just how Japanese Pirates are—cold-blooded, cruel, devoid of morality and conscience, disregarding human decency. Fortunately, Madam Ximen is in good health and no lives were lost. Consider it a dog bite. Take good care of her and help her recover. Once we’re out of the city, I will do everything in my power to help you two elope. Forget these unpleasantries and live a good life from now on."
Luo Longwen had no regrets about cooperating with Hu Zongxian to feign surrender and lure Xu Hai into a trap. Japanese Pirates were nothing but Japanese Pirates—there was no reasoning with bandits. If you couldn’t defeat them, pretend to surrender; if you could, crush them mercilessly.
Wei Caiwei revealed, "At this point, I won’t hide the truth from Boss Zhang. Actually, on the day Madam Ximen served Ming Wang, I had her secretly slip a packet of medicine into his wine... Ming Wang is now critically ill with exhaustion-induced symptoms and has even started passing blood in his urine. In his desperation, he’s seeking any cure, even summoning a wandering physician like me. I falsely claimed to have Tianshan snow lotus that can cure all ailments and left the city to 'seek medicine' for him, but in truth, I’m going to call for reinforcements. I’ll inform the imperial troops that Ming Wang is dying, which will surely throw the rebels into disarray and hasten the recapture of Xinghua City. Boss Ximen, unable to bear the humiliation his wife suffered, is willing to lead his men to escort me out of the city to seek reinforcements."
Overjoyed, Luo Longwen asked, "Is Ming Wang really dying?"
"Absolutely true," Wei Caiwei confirmed. "Boss Ximen and I are about to leave the city. Ming Wang is no fool—he fears we might leak this critical information to the imperial troops, so he’s holding Madam Ximen hostage in his camp to threaten us."
Luo Longwen’s joints began to ache with rage. "That beast!"
For the safety of Ding Wu and Wang Daxia, Wei Caiwei did not hesitate and dropped to her knees with a thud. "I know this is a difficult request, Boss Zhang, but I’m unfamiliar with this place and only know you. Boss Ximen and I are determined to reach the Qi Family Army and relay the message. When the battle begins, I beg you to do everything possible to protect Madam Ximen. We no longer dare hope for elopement—all we seek is to kill Ming Wang and avenge the disgrace suffered by Madam Ximen."
Luo Longwen helped Wei Caiwei to her feet. "I never expected a seemingly frail wandering physician like you to possess the courage and cunning of Jing Ke plotting against the King of Qin. I have always loathed Japanese Pirates. Last time, I was outnumbered and had to watch helplessly as Madam Ximen was humiliated. This time, I will not stand idly by. I will fully support you in coordinating from within and without."Wei Caiwei said, "Boss Zhang is also on our side. He's been moving between the shipmaster of the Shunfeng and the dozens of merchant ships trapped in Xinghua City, all of whom will assist in fighting the Japanese Pirates. He should be able to gather several hundred people. If I successfully lead the Qi Family Army to attack Xinghua City, I'll set off a red lotus firework in the sky as the signal to rise up. At that time, Boss Zhang will lead the escorts to the city gate to provide support, shouting 'Ming Wang is dead, the city gates are breached!' The rebel forces will surely collapse."
When the Japanese Pirates first captured Xinghua City, it started with "they're coming" being misheard as "the Japanese are coming," causing the city's defenders to lose all confidence and morale. They fled almost without a fight, handing Xinghua City over to the Japanese Pirates.
An eye for an eye, a tooth for a tooth. This plan sounds pretty good, doesn't it?
Luo Longwen sighed, "I'm old, but you young people still have that fire. While I've been waiting here for reinforcements to break the siege, you've already poisoned the Japanese Pirates' leader Ming Wang. The younger generation surpasses the old. Go ahead and bring reinforcements—better to take a risk than wait for death. I'll support you with all my strength."
Wei Caiwei was not only skilled in using poison but also excellent at united front work, having even won over people from her arch-enemy Yan Shifan to join their cause.
Before leaving the city, Wei Caiwei repeatedly warned Wang Daxia, "Tone it down a bit—don't be too flashy or provocative. Protect yourself."
Wang Daxia, flicking his orchid-shaped fingers and vigorously waving a round fan, urged, "Hurry up and go. Finish this battle quickly. By summer, I'll be dying of heat."
His two cotton chest pads felt heavier every night when removed—soaked with sweat.
Wei Caiwei handed him a packet of prickly heat powder. "I added four times the usual amount of borneol."
Applying the special powder, Wang Daxia immediately felt a cooling breeze under his chest: My wife really cares for me the most, wuwu.
Comfortable now, Wang Daxia served Ming Wang his medicine with a beaming smile, fragrant and fluttering like a butterfly.
Ming Wang, lying in bed, could look but not touch, growing increasingly frustrated. He reached out to grope.
Wang Daxia sidestepped and cooed, "Not now."
Ming Wang said, "That part of me isn't working, but my hands are. Just let me feel a little."
Wang Daxia puffed out his belly. "It's not that Ming Wang can't—it's that this servant can't. This servant is pregnant."
Ming Wang spat out his medicine in shock. "No way, so soon? It's only been over a month. Is it even mine?"
"This servant's husband is injured and has never touched me. Who else could it be but Ming Wang?" Wang Daxia gently stroked his lower abdomen. "Ming Wang was so vigorous that night—one strike hit the mark. This servant grew suspicious when her monthly cycle was late and asked He Daifu to check her pulse. He confirmed the pregnancy."
Ming Wang set down the medicine bowl. "Does your husband know?"
Wang Daxia nodded. "Of course she knows. She was there when He Daifu diagnosed the pregnancy. She said that after the child is born, if it looks like her, everything will continue as usual. But if the child resembles Ming Wang, she'll divorce me and let me and the child go to Ming Wang. Actually, the child isn't hers at all. But since she and He Daifu are going out to seek immortal medicine for Ming Wang, I worried she might hold a grudge, so I didn't tell her the truth."Upon hearing the news, Ming Wang was overjoyed. He had no heirs and had previously thought it unimportant, believing that once he declared himself king in the south, or even marched to the capital to become emperor, he would have any woman he desired. The finest women in the world would bear his children.
But after falling gravely ill, uncertain of whether he would live or die, he feigned composure while inwardly panicking.
Now, suddenly learning he was to become a father, Ming Wang saw it as an auspicious turn of fortune after extreme adversity. He hurriedly asked Wang Daxia to sit down. "Now that you’re with child, you mustn’t do chores like serving tea. Since you’re literate and skilled with numbers, help me manage the sect’s affairs. You carry my flesh and blood, making you the person I trust most. Whether the child is a boy or a girl, they shall be named Tailai, symbolizing the turn from misfortune to blessing. Once He Daifu obtains the elixir I seek, I will surely regain my vigor. Then, I will marry you properly, and you shall become my Ming Wangfei."
Wang Daxia, deeply immersed in his role, replied, "A husband’s honor is his wife’s glory. My future and Tailai’s depend entirely on you, Ming Wang. You must recover soon."
Because Wang Daxia was "pregnant," Ming Wang treated him with newfound respect, no longer manhandling him or viewing him as a plaything. He even entrusted him with the management of his seals.
When Little Iron Bull was in excruciating pain, Ming Wang would lie in bed roaring like an ox, his vision blurred by the agony. All military and financial matters were dictated by Wang Daxia, who would then record Ming Wang’s decisions, affix the grand seal, and issue the orders.
Thus, Wang Daxia became fully aware of Ming Wang’s defensive arrangements within and around Xinghua City, as well as the ships on various sea routes.
Wang Daxia firmly took control of the White Lotus Sect. Meanwhile, Ming Wang’s condition continued to deteriorate: what had swollen from the size of an egg to a large goose egg when Wei Caiwei left had now grown to the size of two purple eggplants.
Even more critically, Little Iron Bull had also swollen, standing erect like an iron rod day and night—unyielding and tireless.
This unwavering firmness was something Ming Wang had always dreamed of, yet he could not use it. The slightest touch, let alone intimacy with a woman, sent searing pain through him as if he were being stabbed with a knife.
In a fit of rage, Ming Wang ordered the physicians to be dragged out and beaten.
Not wanting innocent people to suffer, Wang Daxia grabbed a quilt, went out into the courtyard, and said to the Japanese Pirates overseeing the punishment, "Ming Wang is acting in anger. If the physicians are badly injured, there will be no one left to treat him. He will then blame all of you—can any of you heal him? So, please go easy on them. Just make a show of it. Physicians, play along—cry and wail as if you’re really being beaten."
The Japanese Pirates saw the logic in this and swung their clubs against the quilt, producing dull thuds that mimicked the sound of striking flesh. The physicians wailed and screamed as if they were truly being beaten.
Confined to his bed, Ming Wang didn’t even dare wear pants, his sheer gauze covering stretched taut and immobile. Unable to see what was happening outside, he assumed the beating was real.
Wang Daxia brought over a bowl of medicine. "Your pain has kept you awake all night, Ming Wang, which is why you’re irritable. This medicine contains a sedative. Drink it, and you’ll be able to rest peacefully."
Ming Wang knew that drinking it would render him unconscious, but the relentless, piercing pain was unbearable. He could only combat it with oblivion. Summoning his subordinates, he positioned a screen to conceal everything below his head and declared, "I recently broke my leg in a fall and must rest in bed for a few days. During this time, you are all to obey my wife’s commands without question."The crowd could only see Ming Wang's face, unable to witness the awkwardness below his neck. Though inwardly suspicious, they dared not disobey due to Ming Wang's lingering authority, and all withdrew to await orders.
Wang Daxia, "honored through his child's mother," had strikingly risen to become the leader of the Japanese Pirates.
Upon gaining power, Wang Daxia's first act was to transfer sailors from major merchant ships like the Favorable Wind and escorts from Luo Longwen's Three Links Escort Agency to key positions such as the Japanese Pirates' lair and the city watchtowers, under the pretext of strengthening defenses. All this was in preparation for Wei Caiwei and Lu Ying to bring the Qi Family Army for a coordinated attack from within and without.
Author's Note: Clearly capable of winning by force, yet succeeding through charm instead.
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