Chapter Twenty-Six: Three Mice!
“You three audacious fellows, how dare you steal the glazed vessels meant as tribute for the Emperor! That is an offense against the sovereign, and according to the laws of the Great Tang, you are to be executed by slow slicing, and your entire families exterminated.
Do you know what slow slicing is? You’re bound to a pillar, stripped of your clothes, covered with a fishing net, and then your flesh is cut away, slice by slice—three thousand six hundred and fifty cuts in all. As your flesh is sliced, medicinal powder is applied to staunch the bleeding, so you die slowly and suffer more, until the last cut pierces your heart and sends you to see the King of Hell. That scene—there is no word for how wretched it is!”
As he spoke, Li Zhao watched the “three mice” in secret, noticing that although their faces were pale, they showed no fear, nor did they kneel to beg for mercy. Clearly, these three were quite bold.
It made sense. If they weren’t daring, they wouldn’t have risked stealing from the Wang family’s treasure vault!
Moreover, these three possessed extraordinary skills and were loyal to each other, but unfortunately, they had chosen a crooked path. If only they could turn from evil to good, they would be of great use in the future; it would be a pity to lose such men... After a brief consideration, Li Zhao came to a decision.
“By rights, you three are doomed, but I am merciful and can spare your lives—on one condition: you must abandon your wicked ways and join the Unworthy Men organization. If you agree, all your past crimes will be wiped clean, and I will treat you as trusted aides. From then on, we will share life and death, riches and joy together. Let me introduce myself: I am Li Zhao, currently serving as the Unworthy Commander.”
“You won’t kill us? Are you serious?”
“I never speak empty words!”
The “three mice” never imagined that this young noble would not only spare their lives, but also recruit them. Why?
Could this recruitment be a pretense, with some hidden motive? But they had neither wealth nor treasure, nor beautiful sisters—what could he possibly want from them?
The Burrowing Mouse and River-Turning Mouse shook their bewildered heads, turning their gaze to the Thousand-Faced Mouse, their cleverest brother, for a decision.
“Thank you, young master, for sparing our lives. We three brothers are willing to serve you!”
“Very good. As they say: a prodigal who turns over a new leaf is worth more than gold. As long as you reform and work well, you will have bright futures ahead. But are you truly loyal to me?”
“We are sincere, absolutely sincere. We brothers can swear an oath to heaven: hereafter, we will obey your commands. If we harbor any treachery, may heaven and earth destroy us, may we die miserably, and even the dogs wouldn’t eat our corpses—if they did, they’d get diarrhea, and what comes out would be yellow watery soup…”
As the Thousand-Faced Mouse swore these dire oaths, he was also plotting quietly in his mind. For now, survival meant agreeing. Later, they could find a chance to escape. This young noble was indeed terrifyingly clever, but his experience in the world was lacking—he didn’t understand how treacherous people could be… Swearing oaths was no different from eating cabbage!
The Thousand-Faced Mouse was smug, unaware that Li Zhao, though young, was a seasoned veteran of the world. Such empty words would not fool him!
“Excellent. I accept you, but for safety, you must prove your loyalty. Daylight Mouse, have each of them take a ‘Three Corpses Brain Pill,’ and explain my rules to them.”
“Yes, sir!”
Daylight Mouse had followed Li Zhao for over a year and knew the secret of the “Three Corpses Brain Pill.” He secretly scraped three small clay pellets from his armpit, grinning mischievously as he forced one down the throat of each “mouse.” He then explained the pill’s properties and the three rules Li Zhao had made him swear to, word for word, to the new recruits…
“To tell you the truth, I used to be a thief myself, living a muddled existence, scraping by day to day. Later, I was lucky enough to meet the young master, and turned over a new leaf, becoming an upright man. You may not be willing now, but once you follow the young master for a while, you’ll come to understand. Then, even if someone chased you away with a stick, you wouldn’t leave. If you don’t believe me, just wait and see!”
With this blend of firmness and gentleness, the “three mice” dared not entertain any further rebellious thoughts, and could only obey.
Next, the River-Turning Mouse dove into Dragon-Leaping Pool and retrieved twenty chests of gold and silver jewels, and eighty-one glazed vessels—every piece accounted for after careful counting.
The treasures were recovered, but what if the capital’s magistrate asked about the thieves? They couldn’t hand over the newly recruited “three mice,” could they?
Simple! Send someone to the mass grave outside the city, fetch a few fresh corpses, make some minor alterations, and claim that the thieves resisted arrest and were killed on the spot! After all, the magistrate and the Wang family cared only about recovering the gold, jewels, and vessels. Whether the thieves were real or dead was of no consequence.
Everything settled, it was time to return and report!
…
The lost treasures were recovered, and Wang Yuanbao was overjoyed. He ordered a banquet in his grand hall to entertain Li Zhao and his companions!
When the world’s richest man hosts a feast, it is lavish indeed: beasts of the mountain, swallows of the clouds, cattle and sheep from the plains, delicacies from the depths of the sea, monkey heads, bird’s nests, shark fins, bear paws, dried scallops, deer tails… All manner of rare dishes were served, along with imperial wine—over a dozen jars brought up at once.
Li Zhao and the others did not hold back, eating and drinking with abandon until their bellies were full to bursting.
“Clap!—Clap clap!” After the feast, Wang Yuanbao clapped three times, and servants carried out dozens of large wooden chests filled with gold ingots, pearls, gemstones, jade, emeralds—all valuable items.
The old steward brought out a tray stacked with bundles of house deeds and land titles, totaling thirteen estates, over a thousand acres of fertile land, and tens of thousands of cattle, sheep, mules, and horses!
“Master, what is the meaning of this?”
“I once promised: whoever could recover the eighty-one glazed vessels, I would reward with a tenth of my family’s wealth. Here it is. Please accept it, Master Zhao.”
“Heh, I struggled greatly to recover the glazed vessels. While I wouldn’t claim to have done the Wang family a favor, I have certainly rendered service. Why do you wish to harm me, sir?”
“I am honoring my promise, giving you a tenth of my estate. How is that harm?”
“Heh, as the ancients say: ‘If one possesses immense wealth before wielding great power, disaster will surely follow… Wealth is the root of calamity.’ Need I say more?”
Wang Yuanbao paused his drinking, scrutinizing Li Zhao from head to toe, his gaze full of shock and admiration. What a wise and resolute youth!
These words were utterly true. Wealth was desirable but easily brought disaster, as he well knew from experience. The world called him the richest man alive, living as a god in luxury, but who knew how many eyed his fortune, and how many hidden dangers he had faced… To protect his family and life, he was always cautious, wracking his brains day and night, never daring to err—his life was bitter indeed!
Had he known, he would have preferred to be a silk merchant, eating simple fare three times a day. Though life would be humbler, he would have peace!
“Master Zhao is right. Excessive wealth indeed brings disaster. But a promise must be honored.”
“If you truly wish to reward me, I have a small request.”
“What request? Speak!”
“There are two small businesses. I hope you’ll support them!”
The distilling business had always been confined to Wuan County; the refined salt business had been carried out furtively. The reason they couldn’t expand was twofold: no powerful patron, and no efficient commercial channels.
Wang Yuanbao was the world’s richest man, with shops across the country. If they could cooperate, both problems would be solved.
Then, the profits from distilling and salt refining would surely surpass a tenth of the Wang family’s estate—so Li Zhao thought.
“Interesting. Tell me, what are these businesses?”
“Well…”
Li Zhao glanced around.
Wang Yuanbao understood, waved his hand, and all servants, maids, and guards withdrew from the hall, leaving only the old steward, his most trusted confidant.
With no one left to eavesdrop, Li Zhao explained the distilling and salt refining ventures in detail, proposing joint operation and a fifty-fifty split of profits.
…
“Heh, I didn’t expect it. Master Zhao is not only wise, but also has the Midas touch. Had you been born twenty years earlier, the title of ‘world’s richest man’ would not be mine. But now, you wish to cooperate with me from a position of weakness, like a clever rabbit partnering a fierce tiger. Aren’t you afraid of being swallowed whole?”
“Not at all.”
“Why?”
“Because to you, sir, wealth is meaningless—it’s just a number. Your worry now isn’t having too little, but having too much. As the saying goes: ‘Great wealth, great estates—great disaster for descendants. Why? Rich heirs grow bold, fear nothing, invite calamity and ruin. Small wealth, small estates—small disaster for descendants. Why? Poor heirs grow cautious, preserve their modest inheritance, live frugally and safely.’”
Silence, utter silence.
For the time it takes an incense stick to burn, Wang Yuanbao said nothing, only stared at Li Zhao, as if he had found a rare treasure, or perhaps a kindred spirit.
Then he lowered his head in thought. After a long while, he slapped his thigh as if making an important decision.
“Good, well said! I agree to cooperate, but the division of profits must change. Fifty-fifty is out of the question!”
“Oh? What do you propose?”
“Eighty-twenty split. You take eighty percent, I only want twenty. And here, take this token. With it, you may command any of the Wang family’s shops—if you want goods or money, it will be provided, with no limit!”
As he spoke, Wang Yuanbao produced a black jade token, four inches tall, two inches wide, with waves carved around the edges. In the center were eight characters: ‘Wealth from all directions, halls of gold and jade.’ On the reverse, a statue of the God of Wealth, smiling kindly, holding a gold ingot in his left hand and a jade scepter in his right.
This token was the Wang family’s badge of authority. Wang Yuanbao handed it to the old steward, who presented it to Li Zhao.
To his surprise, Li Zhao did not reach to accept it: “Such generosity, sir, I am deeply grateful. But surely there is another condition attached to this treasure?”
“Haha, dealing with clever people is so much easier! Yes, I do have a request: my grandson Changshou is wild and incorrigible. Could I ask you to guide him for a while? I don’t expect great improvement, just enough for him to stay safe. And, Master Zhao, you are a dragon among men, destined for greatness. If I should leave this world one day, I hope you will look after Changshou, and not let him be bullied by villains.”
Wang Yuanbao’s request was for Li Zhao to mentor his mischievous grandson Changshou. In his words, there was even a hint of entrusting his family, hoping that when Li Zhao attained greatness, he would protect the Wang household.
…
“Very well, I accept. As long as I am here, I guarantee your grandson Changshou a lifetime of peace and prosperity!” After a brief thought, Li Zhao drained his cup and smashed it, then received the black jade token with both hands.
The token was heavy and dangerous to hold—it could even bring mortal peril! Yet, with it, Li Zhao could accomplish much, for the country, for the people, and for himself… A little risk was well worth it!