novelAbuy Chapter 2 Official Rank 1
Chapter 2 Official Rank 1
"Fifth Brother, didn't we agree that you would be the good guy and I would be the bad guy, and we would cooperate to get our hands on their formula for the powerful pill? Why did you stop?"
You even gave them half of the 300 strings of cash you got from selling that item, that's just too much... They're from out of town, you could kill them and no one would care, why bother?"
But soon after the Wang family father and son returned to their house, a wandering swordsman asked Pan Wulang a question in confusion.
This young swordsman was as thin as a monkey, but he had a hawk tattooed on his neck. He had a clever look on his face. If you didn't see the tattoo, you would think he was a waiter who had picked up a fight at a restaurant.
"You don't know anything. These two are not simple."
Pan Wulang picked up the bronze incense burner from the ground and hugged it to his chest again, saying, "That watch was sold two days ago to an old acquaintance in the army. In just two days, it has somehow ended up in the hands of Grand Commandant Han."
Grand Commandant Han even went so far as to seek us out again and inquire in detail about the situation of the father and son. What does this signify?
"So, Grand Commandant Han really values this thing?"
"This means that Grand Commandant Han has never seen this thing before."
"Oh~"
"Grand Commandant Han is a high-ranking military official, and he holds all military power in and around Kaifeng. We may not have seen this timekeeping device before, so it might just be a valuable item that came from a nobleman's residence. But it's not right that even Grand Commandant Han hasn't seen it."
"In addition, the father and son are both very eloquent. Look how smooth their skin is, their demeanor... I can't quite put my finger on it, but I'm certain that they must have some great background and great abilities."
The skinny monkey said, "I can tell that those two seem to have a great background, but in this world, even the most noble people are easily trampled on in the mud."
A phoenix without feathers is no better than a chicken. Even if someone was once royalty, once they fall into our Tongji Ward, aren't they still at our mercy?
"Since they can produce one watch, they might have a second one, or other valuable items. One watch is worth three hundred strings of cash. If we brothers squeeze them dry, we might make a thousand or two thousand strings of cash."
Pan Wu shook his head and said, "At first I also thought they were just impoverished nobles or royal relatives, but now it seems that they are not that simple. Nobles cannot produce anything that Grand Commandant Han has never seen before."
You didn't see how Grand Commandant Han was back then. He asked me about the situation of the father and son repeatedly, showing great concern. Would ordinary impoverished nobles be worth Grand Commandant Han's attention?
The larger one claimed to be a disciple of Chen Tuan, and he used immortal techniques to refine elixirs. We've all taken those powerful pills; they are indeed effective miraculous medicines.
Moreover, although he never wears Taoist robes, his otherworldly air does indeed make him seem like a hermit. Do you think that thing called a watch could really be something from heaven?
Besides, even if they were just ordinary impoverished nobles, I noticed they were different from other impoverished nobles. Their speech and actions were methodical and orderly.
The key is that they are willing to swallow their pride and sell their goods on the ground. In addition, they are all truly capable. Even if their family fortunes decline, it is only a matter of time before they rise again.
Since we've run into this kind of person, instead of trying to make them feel good and gain their favor, we're going to offend them to the point of squeezing them dry. Isn't that killing the goose that lays the golden eggs?
"Six Monkeys, listen to me, stop plotting. You're smart enough to flatter that father and son; who knows, your whole family might be able to rely on them for food in the future."
The one called Six Monkeys seemed to be deep in thought upon hearing this.
When Wang Lu and his son Wang Jun returned home, they immediately saw the package on the table. Inside were two long silver ingots weighing fifty taels each, resembling two large bricks. They were clearly government-minted silver, undoubtedly from Grand Commandant Han. They were immediately filled with worry.
However, Wang Jun quickly composed himself, carefully wrapped the two silver bars, hid them, and said:
"Stop thinking about these unnecessary things. It's just that Commander Han bought a watch from us nobody. Emperor Taizu of Song isn't a murderous tyrant. He's not going to kill us for something so trivial. Time to make sulfuric acid."
"Let me do it, Dad. You can rest for a while, or practice your sword skills. I heard that our neighbor, Old Wu, was a skilled swordsman in his youth. Why don't you ask him to be your apprentice and learn a move or two?"
"Don't listen to his boasting. The Silver Spear Loyal Army was all killed by Li Siyuan. There are no survivors. I don't need you. With that time, you should read some books and study so that you can take the imperial examination when the Song Dynasty comes."
Wang Lu, however, stood firmly in front of Wang Jun and said sternly, "Dad, are you shirking your responsibility? We agreed that you would hone your martial arts skills and become a military general, while I would study hard and pass the imperial examination."
"You have a much higher chance of becoming a military general and rising to the highest rank than I do as a civil official. Whether we can travel back in time largely depends on you."
"Um."
Wang Jun nodded, then suddenly sighed and squatted down on the ground, saying:
"Are you saying that if one of us, father and son, were to rise to the highest official rank, both of us could return to our former positions after death, and at the same time?"
"Anyway, when I traveled through time, I did hear a voice in the dark say that to me."
"I heard it too."
"If only one person hears it, it might be a hallucination; if two people hear it, it's definitely a mechanism."
"But what's the principle behind this? It's not scientific at all."
"Dad, we've both time-traveled, and you're still trying to talk to me about science? And look at you, you look at most in your thirties, and I look like I'm only in my early teens."
"We've both become twenty years younger! Is that even possible? I'm a thirty-something working-class guy, and I don't find it disgusting to act like a young boy all the time. So why are you so averse to martial arts? Every time I bring it up, you make excuses."
"It's not that I'm against practicing martial arts, it's that I'm against being a soldier. In this chaotic world, being a soldier really means killing people. The battlefield with cold weapons is so dangerous!"
"Son, if we're going to achieve our goal of becoming first-rank officials, why does it have to be me who's a military general? Can't we both be civil officials? We time travelers and civil officials are a perfect match!"
Wang Lu: "Look at you again. It's been less than half a year since the Chenqiao Mutiny. You think you can become an official of the first rank in the Later Zhou Dynasty? Impossible."
"Yes, he definitely wants to become a first-rank official in the Northern Song Dynasty."
"During the entire reign of Emperor Taizu of the Northern Song Dynasty, only three civil officials held the rank of first grade: Fan Zhi, Wei Renpu, and Wang Pu."
"This is not the current Three Ministers of the Later Zhou Dynasty."
"So only those three are first-rank officials. The rest, including Zhao Pu, are at most third-rank officials. Do you think it would be too difficult for us, father and son, to both become civil officials and climb the ranks to surpass Zhao Pu?"
Wang Jun smiled wryly: "It's almost impossible."
Wang Lu: "Military generals are different. Not to mention those who were relieved of their military power over a cup of wine, even those rising stars, as long as they can become military governors or even defense commissioners, will easily be granted titles such as Grand Commandant, Grand Tutor, or Attendant-in-Ordinary. And this is still for living first-rank officials."
"Mid-level military officers, whether they die in battle or from illness, are generally posthumously awarded first-rank official titles such as Grand Tutor to the Crown Prince, Grand Master of the Three Offices, or General of the Cavalry."
"Even junior officers, including several commanders of various prefectures, who died in battle, were commendable for their loyalty and bravery. They were given the posthumous honors of first or second rank without any regard for the cost."
"In Zhao Kuangyin's mind, even the lowly seventh- or eighth-rank military officers who died on the battlefield were more important than the ministers of the Secretariat and the Chancellery. No one could control him. In short, he was willful."
"Dad, with my small arms and legs, there's no chance for me to become a military general. Zhao Kuangyin only lived for sixteen years after he ascended the throne. He couldn't wait for me to grow up. Once Emperor Taizong came to power, the good days for military generals would be over."
So, this glorious yet arduous task can only be entrusted to you. Think of my mother, think of her, do you want to go back?"
"When I think about your mother, I don't want to go back at all."
"When I got home, I told my mom to stop giving you pocket money."
"Hmph, tell her that we traveled through time, spent many years here, and then traveled back, and that time hasn't changed at all. Let's see if she believes us."
"Then think of me. You don't miss your wife, but I do. I just got married, and my son is only five years old. For my sake and for your grandson, okay?"
"It's not like we're asking you to start as a common soldier. According to our plan, you'll first make money, then use that money to network with powerful people, and try to get them to recommend you to someone. Once you get into the army, you'll at least be able to rise to the seventh rank or higher."
"There were many wars of national unification in the early Northern Song Dynasty. If you were brave enough to sacrifice yourself for the country in any of them, we could both go back home."
"Why must we sacrifice ourselves?"
"Isn't it easy to get a posthumous reward for sacrificing your life? So, you just need to fight bravely against the enemy, survive, get promoted, or if you don't survive, you get a posthumous reward, right? Isn't that great? It's just being a soldier, going to the battlefield, killing some people, what's so difficult about that?"
"Didn't you always brag to me that you were a tough guy in the factory when you were young, that even thugs were afraid of you?"
"How can that be the same? I... hey, do you think it's okay for me to pretend to be a charlatan? Right now, my identity as a disciple of Patriarch Chen Tuan seems to hold up pretty well."
"Zhao Kuangyin didn't believe in these things at all."
"And what about Zhao Guangyi?"
"Zhao Guangyi did believe in a Taoist priest."
Wang Jun's eyes lit up.
"Later, Zhao Pu forcibly beheaded him, and Zhao Guangyi couldn't stop him. He received no posthumous honors."
“…………”
"Based on historical patterns, this is practically the only path left for us, father and son. I'll study literature and try my best to transfer to the Privy Council. If you're alive, I'll help you with promotions and transfers; if you're gone, I'll try to get you posthumous honors."
Trust me, I'm a writer of historical online novels, I have all the historical materials in my head, there's absolutely no mistake."
Wang Jun still looked troubled.
"I knew it. You were just bragging to me. You never got into a fight when you were young. You're not the type to fight. Hey, were you bullied when you were young?"
Wang Jun, enraged, retorted: "I'm your father! How dare you talk to your father like that? You have no respect for your elders! Fighting in the factory is not the same as going to war! Whether you become a military general or not is a matter for later. First, you have to make money and befriend the powerful! If you don't make miracle drugs, how will you make money? Do you really want your father to be a common soldier filling in the lines?"
"oh."
Silent all night.
When it was time to sleep at night, Wang Lu slept in the bed, while Wang Jun sat cross-legged by the window, with his sword on his lap as he slept. Ever since he transmigrated, Old Wang had developed the ability to snore while sitting, wake up at the slightest noise, and then continue sleeping.
The next morning, someone knocked on the door, waking the father and son. They cautiously opened the door and saw a middle-aged scholar standing there. He smiled and said, "Gentlemen, are you Wang Jun and Wang Lu, two esteemed gentlemen? I am Han Chong, the steward of Grand Commandant Han's residence. My Grand Commandant invites you."