In the Name of Divine Abilities

The old Daoist asked again, "Wasn't Yan Song one?"

"..."

Lu Zhao's mouth fell slightly open. Then he thought it over.

If his teacher had asked who benefited the realm and treated the people well, the answer would undoubtedly have been Hai Rui.

But the qualifying phrase was "a loyal minister of the Great Ming," so he needed to consider it from the Great Ming's perspective, or even Jiajing's.

He said, "From Jiajing's perspective, Yan Song counted as a loyal minister."

"But not from the Great Ming's?"

"The Great Ming wasn't founded by one man, and Jiajing didn't hold up its bureaucracy alone, so no. If you really want to put it that way, the faults of Jiajing's reign were Jiajing's, but that doesn't mean Hai Rui and Yan Song bore no responsibility."

Lu Zhao spoke his mind freely. "If you ask me, Jiajing was the greatest pest in the Great Ming dynasty."

"..."

The old Daoist tilted his head slightly and glanced sidelong at Lu Zhao, then swung his ruler straight at him.

Smack!

"Teacher, did I say something wrong?"

"I can hit you whether you're right or wrong. That is a teacher's prerogative."

Chapter 60: Command the Martial Marquises of the Realm

"Since you think Hai Rui was a loyal minister, could you be him if you were asked to?"

Lu Zhao shook his head.

He couldn't be as selfless as Hai Rui, showing no regard for personal ties whatsoever.

"Then what if you were asked to be Yan Song?"

Lu Zhao shook his head again.

He likewise couldn't stop at nothing in pursuit of power, as Yan Song had.

The corners of the old Daoist's mouth rose. "You can't be Hai Rui, and you're unwilling to be Yan Song. That's the knot in your heart."

"Most people in the world are like that. They can neither be wholly good nor wholly evil, and they spend their lives accomplishing nothing."

Lu Zhao didn't deny it.

He truly couldn't be Hai Rui, nor could he be Yan Song.

The old Daoist changed tack. "But you're different. You have another path. You shouldn't become Hai Rui, nor should you become Yan Song."

"Those are paths for ministers. You are to be a ruler. How could a ruler be so narrow-minded?"

Thoughts flashed through Lu Zhao's mind. "Do you mean I should combine the two?"

"You don't need to learn from them. You should learn from the Jiajing Emperor instead."

The old Daoist shook his head and explained, "The Yangtze River's water is clear, and the Yellow River's water is muddy. Yet no one has ever refused to drink from the Yellow River because its water is muddy. Nor has anyone ever drunk only from the Yangtze River because its water is clear."

"You can't conspire with the Chen Family, because they abuse their power. When a river overflows, it will be brought under control sooner or later."

"You can work with the Lin Family, but you can't become dependent on them. How could the waters of great rivers flow together? It's like the Jiajing Emperor entering or leaving the capital. Ultimately, it was all about succeeding to the throne, but which gate he used mattered greatly."

"During the Three Kingdoms period, Marquis Zhongwu (Zhuge Liang) and Sima Yi both served rulers, yet their reputations were worlds apart."

"Right and wrong, merit and fault, depend on what you achieve in the future. If you reach the summit, everything will be completely different."

Lu Zhao's eyes grew brighter. He had already made up his mind.

He really had been too fixated.

Why should he concern himself with the struggle between the Lin and Chen families? Why should he agonize over whether to help Lin Zhiyan?

If Lin Zhiyan wanted him to act, she should get all the procedures in order. Otherwise, that meant she lacked the ability and wasn't suited to working with him.

Seeing that Lu Zhao seemed to have worked it out, the old Daoist asked, "If the Chen Family produced a lawful and compliant transfer order and told you to deal with the special task force, what would you do?"

"I would follow procedure, but warn the special task force," Lu Zhao answered.

"Good."

The old Daoist nodded and smiled. "Actually, your best option right now is to be Gao Huan. I think the Lin Family's fortune looks quite good."

Lu Zhao knew his history, and with his powerful memory to draw on, he knew who Gao Huan was.

An impoverished military household member had caught the eye of a great family's young mistress because of his good looks, and from then on had risen to prominence.

He said, "Teacher, do you want me to marry into her family?"

"No. Gao Huan didn't marry into her family; it was a marriage to a great clan for wealth."

The old Daoist shook his head and explained to Lu Zhao, a modern man, "In the past, besides marriages between prominent families and noble clans, there were also cases of legitimate daughters marrying men of ability beneath their station. Many of their pampered descendants were incompetent, so it wasn't uncommon for families to be left without a worthy successor."

"If, in the future, the Lin Family were to pledge their fortune to bind a hero to them and help you achieve a great undertaking, do you think you could accept it?"

Lu Zhao couldn't answer immediately.

His teacher was good at finding different ways to make people listen. If he called it marrying into her family, Lu Zhao certainly wouldn't listen, but if he called it cooperation, Lu Zhao wasn't as resistant.

And unlike Zhang Like, his teacher wasn't asking him to curry favor with Lin Zhiyan.

Go with the flow, exchange benefits.

Understanding dawned on Lu Zhao. He had vaguely grasped the reasoning behind his teacher's way of handling matters.

The old Daoist laughed and stroked his beard. "There's no need to agonize over it. Just let things take their natural course. I merely divined that you have some romantic affinity with that young woman of the Lin Family, so I gave you a pointer."

"You can divine that too?" Lu Zhao asked.

The old Daoist smiled. "I also divined that you have many more romantic ties. With looks as handsome as Pan An's, you're bound to incur plenty of debts of love."

"My ambitions lie elsewhere."

Lu Zhao shook his head, unconcerned. "The Federation is in turmoil, and society is in chaos. How could I concern myself with romance?"

"Good ambition. That's how a man should be."

The old Daoist changed tack, a hint of a smile on his face.

"But when a hero falls for a beauty, it isn't because his ambitions are too small, nor because she stands in his way. You'll understand in the future."

With that, the old Daoist checked again. "What do you plan to do next?"

Lu Zhao answered, "I can favor the Lin Family, but it must be within procedure. If Lin Zhiyan can't even complete the procedures, there's no need to help."

The old Daoist nodded in satisfaction. His student was a little stubborn, but he was very intelligent.

He said, "A skilled commander seeks victory through the circumstances, not by placing demands on his men. Thus he can select his men and make use of the circumstances."

"I'll remember that."

Countless thoughts ran through Lu Zhao's mind, and he couldn't sort them out at once.

But one idea was already settled, perfectly clear.

"Once you've borrowed the Lin Family's influence, extend your reach into the city. Strike a snake at its weak point. Find a way to turn the Foreign District upside down. The bigger the uproar, the better. Create opportunities for the Chen Family's opponents."

The old Daoist departed from his usual unruffled manner. Whether out of concern for Lu Zhao or some particular fondness of his own, no one knew.

He began laying out plans for Lu Zhao at length.

"Local county offices like this are often where great families and powerful clans fight most fiercely. There are only so many posts, and everyone wants to put their own people in them."

"And once Fang City's county magistrate starts losing ground, you can turn to him and have him grant you more benefits. That will also keep him from lashing out in desperation."

"The bigger the uproar, the safer you'll be."

He explained matters of power and influence in great detail and with remarkable clarity, displaying an exceptional shrewdness. Even after several hundred years, the old Daoist could still see the essence of things at a glance.

Lu Zhao committed everything he said to memory.

The old Daoist seemed to have enjoyed himself. Stroking his beard, he asked, "Have you understood?"

"I have."

"What have you understood?"

"Though I lack talent, allow me to borrow Taizong's words."

Lu Zhao's gaze was calm and resolute.

"Command the Martial Marquises of the realm, and safeguard peace in our Divine Land."

The old Daoist froze. He had only been speaking of strategy, yet his student was speaking of the realm.

Alone, yet daring to speak of the realm.

Memories from his youth welled up, of his teacher telling him what the emperors of past dynasties had been like in their youth.

One sentence in particular, the old Daoist still remembered.

The bearing of a dragon and phoenix, a countenance like the sun in heaven. Before he reaches twenty, he will surely bring order to the world and peace to its people.

The old Daoist regained his composure. His tone was somewhat cold as he said, "Hold out your hand."

Not understanding why, Lu Zhao extended his hand, and the old Daoist traced something on it.

"Those who have accomplished great undertakings throughout history have all borne great fortune. Among the wise rulers of past dynasties, your origins are only a little better than those of our Great Ming's founding emperor."

With that, the old Daoist let go. Lu Zhao saw the character [three] imprinted on his right palm.

"I'll make up for the fortune you lack. These are three chances to save your life. Be sure to use them sparingly."

The old Daoist's face showed neither joy nor sorrow.

In his eyes, calm as still water, a handsome face was reflected.

Without casting a divination, the pattern of fate had already revealed itself.

Bones of sun and moon, dragon and tiger; the Purple Star bathed in blood. Dragon or fiend, only nine deaths would tell.

A countenance of supreme nobility and supreme ill fortune. Three of the nine deaths were gone, leaving six.

Fate is governed by the numbers of heaven and earth, yet within those bounds, there is also freedom.