Chapter 43 Tantai Mieming is Two People

The night boat drifted slightly with the waves.

Liang Jiajun looked at Gu Zhengchen, who showed no sign of sleepiness, and asked, "What did you talk about with the patrol officer?"

Gu Zhengchen sat down, took a malus apple from the basket, handed it to Liang Jiajun, took another one himself, and bit into it. He couldn't help frowning, "It's still a bit sour and astringent. I asked the patrol officer for some information, and indeed, as you said, horse bandits generally target merchants and commoners, not officials. Brother Liang, I heard that the powers of the patrol office are quite extensive. Is that really true?"

Liang Jiajun tasted the malus apple with considerable enjoyment. "The powers of the patrol office aren't considered all that grand, but down in the localities, they truly wield great prestige. Patrol offices are mostly established at critical mountain passes and vital fortresses, allowing them to intervene in matters on the slightest pretext."

Gu Zhengchen looked at the malus apple in his hand—essentially an apple of later generations, still with its green skin—and thought to himself that it was so sour and astringent; one had to have plenty of leisure to eat it with such composure. "I've certainly witnessed their prestige, but I've yet to see their competence."

Liang Jiajun smiled. "Although the patrol office belongs to the military defense, at the end of the day, these men are simply bowmen drafted from among the farmers, subordinate to prefectures and counties rather than the Chief Military Commission. How much competence could they have? At most, they can deal with thieves, vagrants, and runaway convicts."

Gu Zhengchen nodded slightly, chewing on the apple. "With them patrolling the passes, we can rest much easier. I hope we reach the capital soon so we can settle down."

As the two chatted, the day grew late without them realizing it, and they each retired to rest.

Before dawn, the boatman began tapping and knocking, preparing to set sail.

Gu Zhengchen stepped out of the cabin and looked toward the bow. He saw the monk conversing with the boatman, while the doors of the other cabins remained tightly shut, as if their occupants were still fast asleep.

Sun Shiba yawned, sat down beside Gu Zhengchen, and whispered, "You were right. They boarded the boat again in the middle of the night and are now resting in their cabins. Getting off the boat earlier was just to avoid the patrol office's inspection."

"Did you see the fourth person?"

"No, I didn't. But three merchants arrived successively during the night, bringing six attendants and a fair amount of luggage."

"I understand. Go get some rest."

Gu Zhengchen arranged for Sun Shiba to catch some sleep and then fixed his gaze intently on the monk at the bow.

Did monks not need to sleep? Whenever he opened his eyes, the man seemed to be awake, and in quite high spirits, too.

The boat set off, and the cabin became somewhat lively again.

A scholar in a long Confucian robe had a young woman following closely by his side.

The scholar spoke eloquently, winning an admiring smile from the woman. "During the Spring and Autumn period, there was a student named Tantai who wanted to become a disciple of Confucius. However, because of his ugly appearance, Confucius did not accept him as a student. Later, Tantai traveled south to the Wu region, where he met a man named Muming. He followed Muming to study and ultimately had three hundred disciples..."

"What does this prove? It proves that even without Confucius's appreciation, Tantai could still become Muming's disciple and achieve great things all the same! This time, I am heading to the capital to assume an official post. Although I cannot remain in the capital for service and can only go as a lowly county magistrate, rest assured, Qiaoniang, I am just like Tantai, and I too can accomplish great deeds!"

Gu Zhengchen raised a hand to support his forehead. This fellow was truly something else...

The monk seemed unable to bear it any longer and spoke up, "May I ask this young master, are Tantai and Muming one person, or two?"

The scholar glanced sideways at the monk. "Naturally, two people."

The monk asked again, "Then are Yao and Shun one person or two?"

The scholar chuckled. "Naturally, one person."

Upon seeing this, the monk shook his head, walked back to his original spot, and sat down.

Gu Zhengchen glanced at the scholar and sighed inwardly.

Ancient times were no different from later generations; those with a half-understanding always dared to speak with soaring eloquence. The saddest part was that they believed they understood everything with absolute correctness, even considering themselves experts, while in their eyes, everyone else was a fool.

Unaware of how comical and ridiculous they were, they clamored for attention like barking dogs, though they certainly added plenty of amusement to the journey.

The speed of the boat increased significantly. It stopped for the night at the ferry outside Pi County and resumed the journey before dawn once again. This time, Boatman Wang was clearly devoid of the relaxed demeanor he had maintained for days, and the boatmen no longer took turns resting, but instead formed teams of four at the bow and stern.

Heading south, they had now reached Lake Luoma.

Sixty miles past Lake Luoma lay Suqian.

Gu Zhengchen looked out over the boundless expanse of water, his gaze filled with deep anxiety.

To the east of Lake Luoma lay Mount Maling, and there were long dikes running north and south. The waters here were calm, and not far away lay vast stretches of reed marshes. If someone were to hide boats and men within them, it would truly be difficult to spot them.

The scholar walked out, looked at the distant reed marshes, and pointed them out to the woman following behind. "I heard that in past years, horse bandits hid in the reed marshes and plundered passing boats. If I governed this place, I would set fire to all the reeds and burn them to the ground, leaving the horse bandits with nowhere to hide and restoring peace to these waters!"

The woman looked at the scholar with infatuated eyes. "I always knew my husband was a man of talent."

"Idiot."

Boatman Wang uttered the word softly.

The scholar felt insulted and glared angrily at the boatman. "Who are you calling names? I am a county magistrate selected by the imperial court's recommendation system! For you to be so insolent toward me is equivalent to showing disrespect to the court. Be careful lest I have you punished!"

Boatman Wang ignored him completely. Magistrate of wherever you may be, you boarded the boat in Shandong territory, which clearly means you cannot possibly serve as a local official in Shandong. No matter how much you shout, it's none of my business.

Burning down the reed marshes? Has the imperial court truly run out of talented men to choose from?

To actually select such an idiot!

The common people around Lake Luoma relied heavily on the reeds for their livelihoods. If you set fire to them, even if the horse bandits stopped coming, the common people wouldn't be able to survive either.

Reeds had numerous uses: weaving mats, twisting into ropes, making roof thatch and curtains, producing candlewicks, and even fashioning reed rafts for catching fish.

In addition, reeds were also medicinal ingredients; the stems and roots could clear heat, generate fluids, relieve irritability, and stop vomiting.

As the boat sailed to the center of Lake Luoma, other boats could be seen both ahead and behind, which made Gu Zhengchen feel somewhat more at ease.

Suddenly.

A gust of wind swept across the lake's surface, and Gu Zhengchen felt a chilling sensation.

The door of one of the cabins swung open.

A scarred man rubbed his wrists, followed by two men with severed fingers. The three of them carried three chests into the middle of the cabin and, amidst the startled gazes of everyone present, opened them to reveal blades wrapped in cloth.

The complexions of everyone on board changed drastically, and gasps of alarm rang out continuously.

Sun Shiba pulled Gu Zhengchen back, exchanged a glance with Gu Cheng, and Gu Cheng immediately turned around and hurried back into the cabin.

The scarred man gripped a gleaming saber in his right hand while shaking a bell with his left. Surveying the panicked and trapped crowd, he grinned maliciously, revealing his yellowish teeth. "We brothers are horse bandits; we only want money and do not take lives. But if anyone lacks eyes—well, I wouldn't mind sending them off the boat! Put all your valuables into the chests, quickly!"

Gu Zhengchen looked at this scene, thinking how this differed entirely from what was written in *Water Margin*. Shouldn't you fellows ask something like, "Now that we have reached the center of the river, will you choose to taste the broadsword or the wonton noodles?"

To resort to such barefaced robbery without even inviting people to join your gang—well, you're doomed! If you don't even know the proper routines, how can you ever grow strong, expand your territory, and achieve new glory?