Chapter 232: You Were Once a Beautiful Lady—Why Did You Join the Thieves?

Tang Sair had been living in Yong’an Village, Yidu County, for several months. After losing her husband a few years earlier, she became disheartened and took refuge as a nun. Yet, what should have been a peaceful place for monks and nuns turned out to be no such thing. Just a few days after becoming a nun, several local ruffians forced their way into the temple to burn incense and harassed the nuns. Had she not accidentally obtained the White Lotus Heavenly Book and trained in martial arts since childhood, it would have been impossible for her to preserve her purity. Faced with such experiences, she gave up the idea of living a peaceful life and instead declared herself the Buddha Mother, operating in the countryside. Thanks to her miraculous medical skills and illusions, her reputation gradually spread.

Most people outside called her the Buddha Mother, while true followers referred to her as the Sect Leader. The White Lotus Sect has endured to this day, and the position of Sect Leader is meant for those with ability. She used the White Lotus Heavenly Book as a symbol and redefined the sect’s teachings, attracting anyone associated with the name “White Lotus” to join her. Since many of these people were originally local strongmen, she couldn’t control them all, so she allowed them to recruit followers under her banner. As a result, from Jinan Prefecture to Qingzhou Prefecture, her followers numbered in the tens of thousands.

Yet, the number of people she could truly control was small. Those who claimed to be leaders of the White Lotus Sect openly said they followed her orders, but in reality, most of them only pretended. Aside from her cousin and a few close relatives, as well as people from a dozen villages near Putai and Yidu County, few others were truly under her control. Even so, if not for Yue Changtian’s strategies and efforts to gather followers, she, as the so-called Sect Leader, might not have been able to avoid certain tactics and would have long been manipulated like a puppet.

The place where Tang Sair currently lived belonged to Cui Sanjie, a wealthy man famous in Yidu County. Originally, sect members and the wealthy had nothing to do with each other, but she had saved several members of the Cui family during an epidemic and helped them out in a complicated lawsuit later on. Thus, the entire Cui family became her loyal followers.

It was daytime, but due to poor lighting, lamps were still lit in the hall. Holding the White Lotus Heavenly Book that set her apart, she gradually began to smile bitterly.

The alchemy techniques described in the book allowed her to create strangely effective potions, and her illusion skills were flawless in front of those who didn’t understand them. However, she couldn’t use those miraculous spells like summoning soldiers from beans or controlling wind and rain. But that wasn’t surprising—if such powerful spells truly existed, why would the imperial court have banned the White Lotus Sect?

“Third Sister! Those people are just pretending to obey while secretly defying orders. Why do you still ask Brother Yue to deliver a message saying we won’t restrain their actions anymore? You’re the sect leader!”
She looked up and saw a young girl dressed in a cloud-patterned jacket rushing in through the curtain—it was her cousin Tang Qingshuang. She smiled slightly before saying calmly, “So what if I’m the sect leader? Could I control them just by having the authority to restrain them before? All they want is the prestige associated with my status as the Buddha Mother, so they can gain the trust of the people. When they need me to preach, they treat me with great respect; when they don’t, they wish me dead! For now, we should focus on those we can control. Why worry about the rest? The government is doing its best to comfort the people now. Their petty tactics show how foolish they are!”
Although Tang Qingshuang could read a little, she was still young and didn’t understand much. She asked naively, “If those officials are trying to win people’s hearts, isn’t now the perfect time to expose their true colors?”
“It’s easier said than done. How do we expose them? Xiao Si, how did we gain the support of the people? It was through practicing medicine, distributing medicine, asking people for donations, and preaching the teachings of our sect. Now the government is promoting reclamation, providing food rations, loans for seeds and oxen, and encouraging cooperation. If they really can carry this through, what do we have to criticize them for? Let Bin Hong and Zhao Wan do their thing; we’ll do ours.”
Though still not fully understanding, Tang Qingshuang didn’t ask further. She added, “I sent people to count, and we already have over eight hundred various weapons stored up. Brother Yue is really capable—these are far better than those made in the blacksmith shops! By the way, your master was taken away in the middle of the night half a month ago. I inquired quietly and found out it was the Meng family! You learned medicine from him and also went there to refine elixirs. Could he reveal anything?”
Hearing this, Tang Sair quickly asked more questions and frowned after learning the details. The government’s surveillance was getting stricter. It was said that high-ranking officials from the Jinyiwei were stationed in Qingzhou Prefecture to suppress the White Lotus Sect. Fortunately, with so many people in Qingzhou Prefecture, they couldn’t check everyone. Besides, she often wore a mask while practicing medicine, so not many people recognized her. Although she was sure Feng Yuanming was probably just called to treat someone and that the government hadn’t discovered anything else, she still decided to go there eventually.
After all, compared to the Heavenly Book, she had years of master-disciple bonds with him.

In the evening, as she sat in meditation, she suddenly heard some noise outside. Looking up, she just happened to see the sturdy figure stepping through the threshold. Seeing Yue Changtian bowing, she nodded in return and asked, “Brother Yue, you went to Gaoshan Tun to gather food—why did you return so late?”
“The two villages almost fought over the irrigation canal, and it just so happened that officials were there as well, so it naturally took a bit longer,” Yue Changtian said. He sat down on the mat in front of Tang Sair and recounted in detail everything that had happened that day, not omitting even his own little tactics. “It just so happened that Bin Hong was planning to cause trouble near Le’an County. I couldn’t let that little County Magistrate Zhang ruin things, so I stirred things up a bit. Since that girl had already developed feelings, I had to give her what she wanted.”
Since Yue Changtian was around, Tang Sair hardly had to worry about matters outside. He never had improper intentions toward her like other leaders did, nor did he keep secrets from her; he always explained everything clearly to her. The only thing she disliked was his reckless methods, but Yue Changtian always acted in accordance with people’s nature. She could at most scold him a bit but still couldn’t change his independent streak.
At that moment, she frowned and sighed, “What a poor girl…”
“I just said a few words. How she acts is entirely up to her. Why should the leader worry about a shallow country girl? If it weren’t for worrying that Bin Hong might go too far—and since that little Lord Zhang has a pretty good reputation—I wouldn’t bother at all. Bin Hong is also acting for the sake of those dozen or so brothers in the hands of the Han King. Who would have thought that the emperor would send people to reduce the guards, yet the Han King would still dare to use extrajudicial punishment!”
After learning more, Tang Sair gasped in shock. After a long while, she sighed, “This time, Bin Hong has a large number of people with him. Besides, it’s said that the Tiance Guards under the Han King are being mobilized to prepare for withdrawal. By playing it carefully, they’re likely to succeed. But if it provokes that prince to fury, it’s hard to say. Forget it. Let’s just wait and see what happens.”
Since Zhang Jue arrived in Le’an, an atmosphere of unease had spread among the Tiance Guards. Although the Han King was cruel and violent, any slight disobedience would result in severe punishment, but rewards during festivals were extremely generous. If they were sent back to the capital, though they would become part of the imperial guards, their regular pay would be minuscule compared to what they got in Le’an.

However, these sergeants’ opinions meant little to some people. Zhang Jue had been dragged here for over ten days. Despite being surrounded by luxury and beautiful women, he really didn’t want to become like Liu Adou, who forgot his homeland in pleasure. When he arrived, the Han King’s attitude was extremely cold—something he had expected. Having all his military power taken away would upset anyone. Thus, it was the Han King’s heir, Zhu Zhan Tan, who had been taking care of him these days.

Who would have thought that this heir, rumored to be sickly and unpopular with the Han King, would turn out to be so troublesome!

Zhang Jue despised his elder brother Zhang Fu’s caution and disapproved of his second brother Zhang Fu’s recklessness. Proud that he was only a few years younger and thus not eligible for the duke title, he refused to let any opportunity slip by—just as with his voluntary offer this time. Sitting there, seeing Zhu Zhan Tan smiling at him, he could only lower his head to glance at the fine wine in his cup before finally gritting his teeth and drinking it all in one gulp.

As long as he could get away from this hellish place, he would never touch alcohol again!

“Although acting impulsively after drinking is common, I believe Lord Zhang wouldn’t make the same mistake over and over. Rest assured, I silenced all those who saw what happened, and of course, I won’t reveal it. It’s a shame we didn’t meet before I got married. If Lord Zhang hadn’t married and my cousin hadn’t been betrothed, it could have been a good match.”

Hearing Zhu Zhan Tan’s words, Zhang Jue’s teeth trembled. The hot wine should have warmed him, but instead, it made his insides feel icy cold. Though he was just a distant relative of the Han King’s family, could he really defy Zhu Zhan Tan’s control over right and wrong? If this matter became public, not to mention his future, everything about him would be ruined!

“Your Highness, what exactly do you want me to do? Reducing the Han King’s Tiance guards was an imperial order. I’m merely acting on orders. Even if I wanted to help, I’m powerless. If there’s anything else you need me to do, I’ll do my best.”

“Why would Lord Zhang say that? I just think since no deadline was set in the imperial order, I’ll keep you here a few more days. I’ve already ordered Commander Wang to organize the troops. Once everything is in order, the last group will leave Le’an today, so you can give an explanation to the Emperor. Since you’re so eager to leave, fine, I won’t hold you back today. Goodbye, Lord Zhang.”

For the first time in over ten days, he stepped out of the Han Prince’s Mansion. At the entrance, he saw a row of more than a dozen men wearing wooden collars and shackles on their feet. Zhang Jue glanced at them briefly and paid them little attention. He really wanted to take a deep breath, but his self-assured intelligence failed to help him understand why Zhu Zhan Tan suddenly softened his stance. Moreover, the document with his fingerprint was still in Zhu Zhan Tan’s hands, like a hand tightly gripping his throat.

As dusk approached, his mind in chaos, he dared not rush back to Qingzhou Prefecture in the darkness. So he sent someone back to inform his son Zhang Jin, then set off with his entourage for the post station in Le’an County.

Yet, just as he settled in the main room of the post station and dinner was laid out on the table but he hadn’t even started eating, the post master rushed in like the wind, gasping for breath and shouting, “Lord Zhang, someone is openlyrobbinging prisoners at the entrance of the prince’s mansion! More than a dozen of the mansion’s servants have been injured, and it is said that one steward has even been killed!”