Chapter Seven: The Rebel King Arrives

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"Archery, you see, is both skillful and unskillful at the same time; it all comes down to talent and hard work. Fourth Brother, you have good conditions—tall, long-armed, strong, and sharp-eyed with quick reflexes. These are all advantages to becoming a master archer..."

Sun Cheng spoke at length, while Gu Zhenhua felt uneasy. After being questioned by Zhu Chuncheng, he was nominally under watch. With nothing better to do, he decided to learn horse archery skills as a last-minute preparation.

When he shared this idea with Sun Cheng, the old man immediately volunteered to teach him archery. Following Sun’s instructions, Gu Zhenhua assumed a horse-riding stance, holding a heavy two-stone bow. Drawing it once was no big deal, but maintaining that posture for fifteen minutes was almost unbearable.

"Big Brother, let’s save the talk for later. How about you teach me how to shoot accurately?"

"Hahaha, it’s easy. To shoot accurately, you must aim accurately. Just focus on the target. When you can see the bullseye as big as a watermelon, then you’re qualified."

"Brother, let’s not joke about that. If the bullseye gets bigger, then it’s my eyesight failing."

"Enough nonsense, trust me—it won’t fail." Sun Cheng said sternly. "Fourth Brother, on the battlefield, you can’t slack off or take chances. A small mistake costs lives. Practice your archery well now. This afternoon, Third Brother will teach you how to tame and ride horses. Tonight, Second Brother will teach you martial arts. Strength alone won’t win battles; you must train."

Upon hearing this, Gu Zhenhua groaned inwardly. He really had made poor friends.

While he was focused on practicing, a sudden sound of footsteps approached rapidly. Lu Yong strode over quickly.

"Fourth Brother, stop training for now. I need your help with something."

Gu Zhenhua felt relieved, immediately relaxing the bowstring and smiling as he approached Lu Yong. "Second Brother, whatever it is, I’m all ears!"

Lu Yong said, "Fourth Brother, this isn’t a joke. The gates of the capital have restricted the opening hours to only one or two hours daily. Moreover..." He lowered his voice and whispered into Gu Zhenhua’s ear, "That bastard Zhu Chuncheng only cares about his wealth. He has no intention of moving our families out. But if he uses carts to blatantly transport treasures, he fears being reported. He’s in a real dilemma now."

Gu Zhenhua frowned deeply. To get these guards to cooperate, their families must be kept safe; otherwise, nothing else matters. But facing Zhu Chuncheng, a ruthless and powerful man, how could they possibly pull off such a grand relocation under his nose?

After much thought, a sudden idea lit up Gu Zhenhua’s face. Smiling, he said, "Second Brother, if living people can’t be moved out, what about the dead?"

"What do you mean, Fourth Brother?"

“Plague!” Gu Zhenhua triumphantly uttered.

...

The mournful music played as monks and Taoists chanted sutras. Accompanied by the funeral carriage, they left the capital.

Once they were five miles out, away from prying eyes in the woods, the mourners stopped crying and stopped making noise. They tore off their mourning clothes and quickly formed ranks. The decorations on the hearse were removed, turning it into an ordinary carriage. Yet, the deep wheel ruts still marked the unusual cargo.

Lu Yong led this funeral procession. Following Gu Zhenhua’s plan, Zhu Chuncheng staged an infection in the household—a death from plague. The plague was different from other things; Beijing had suffered it two years ago, killing many soldiers. Everyone feared it and dared not inspect the cargo. They hid the treasures inside coffins and successfully smuggled them out.

Outside the city, after waiting a while, a squad of horsemen arrived. At their head was Zhu Wang, Zhu Chuncheng’s loyal retainer. This man’s family had served the Duke of Cheng for generations and was fiercely loyal.

"Brother Lu, you’ve worked hard. The rest of the journey is up to me."

"Mm." Lu Yong handed over the goods with a smile, then casually asked, "Brother Zhu, isn’t this route a bit long?"

Zhu Wang sneered coldly, "Brother Lu, we serve the government. Questions that aren’t yours to ask, you shouldn’t ask. These belong to the Duke of Cheng. Even if I die, I won’t reveal a word."

After speaking, Zhu Wang turned his horse and galloped away. Xue Biao, following behind Lu Yong, spat at his back. "Who cares? Acting all high and mighty! Everyone knows these treasures will be stored in Zhu Chuncheng’s estate after reaching Tongzhou and being handed to the Shanxi merchants. Does anyone really believe their trick?"

"Hehe, Fourth Brother said it well: always deceive those above but not those below. For now, we’re happy to play dumb."

After finishing, Lu Yong looked at the group accompanying them. To make the funeral convincing, they had gathered many monks and relatives—these were all Lu Yong’s family members. After returning, they shared the situation, and everyone remained anxious. Only after leaving the capital did they breathe a sigh of relief.

"Damn it, take care of yourself. If you can’t stay in the capital anymore, run fast, don’t be foolish!" Lu Yong’s wife gripped his arm, urging him repeatedly.

"Don’t worry, I’m no fool. Besides, we have Fourth Brother. He’s no pushover."

Xue Biao added to his father, "You should head to Xianghe. Uncle He Liu has an estate there. Our son will catch up within a month to pay respects!"

After all the arrangements, they bid each other a heartfelt farewell. Lu Yong and his group returned to the capital. From that day on, the Duke of Cheng’s estate saw more and more “funerals,” with carts and carriages constantly leaving the city.

"Fourth Brother, I estimate that over the past two days, more than five hundred thousand taels of silver have been moved. Those antiques and jade artifacts are priceless."

Gu Zhenhua sneered, "Having money means nothing if you don’t live to enjoy it. Zhu Chuncheng is just working for us. Second Brother, you better assign someone to secretly follow and find out where they hide the silver. Once the Rebel King breaks into Beijing, all this will be ours."

"Don’t worry, I’ve arranged everything. But what if the Rebel King spares Zhu Chuncheng or that old man surrenders?"

"If he doesn’t kill him, we will." Gu Zhenhua’s face twisted into a fierce grin. Seeing the immense wealth of these men, he was filled with murderous intent.

Chongzhen demanded a million taels from them, but they all cried poverty and watched the nation fall. When Li Zicheng stormed Beijing, over thirty million taels were seized from them, with some records claiming as much as seventy million. Undoubtedly, the fall of the Ming dynasty was intricately linked to these men—their greed and incompetence caused this catastrophe. Gu Zhenhua would not even flinch at their brutal punishment.

"Second Brother, as the saying goes, paper cannot cover fire. If Zhu Chuncheng is doing this, other nobles might too. I think we should leak this news early. The more wealth they move, the more opportunities we have. If we get three to five million taels, we can raise a force. If Li Zicheng could do it, why can’t we?"

Lu Yong initially only wanted to survive, but as things unfolded according to Gu Zhenhua’s plan, he couldn’t help but think bigger.

"Fourth Brother, none of us want to be grandsons forever. Let’s risk everything and fight for it!"

After discussing, Gu Zhenhua escorted Lu Yong out, when suddenly a tall, dark-haired man appeared. This man was even taller than Gu Zhenhua, with a broad, fierce face.

Upon seeing Lu Yong, he immediately reached out and grabbed his chest, sneering, "Lu, what tricks are you playing? Tell me now, or we’re not done."

Before he could finish, a sudden overwhelming force crushed his wrist so powerfully it felt like bones breaking. The dark man couldn’t hold onto Lu Yong’s chest anymore and had to release him. Staggering back two or three steps, he sank into a low squat.

The one who had acted was Gu Zhenhua. The dark man stared at him in disbelief, unable to believe such strength came from a pretty-faced youth.

Lu Yong laughed, "Tiger, you got a taste of your own medicine. If you disrespect me again, Fourth Brother will deal with you."

"Brother Yong, where did you find this guy? Such strength! No way, I want to spar with him too."

Hearing this, Gu Zhenhua smiled wryly, "Second Brother, are you guys really friends?"

"Friends made through fighting. This guy is Luan Hu. We often sparred before. Didn’t expect him to lose to Fourth Brother today." Lu Yong laughed. "Tiger, you didn’t come just to fight, right? Let’s talk business."

"Right, business first. I’ll teach you a lesson later!" Luan Hu shot a glare at Gu Zhenhua.

Back inside, Luan Hu anxiously said, "Brother Yong, my mom said Sister-in-law has quietly left the city. Is there news? I fear nothing, but my mother is old. Nothing must happen to her."

Luan Hu might be rough and a bit slow, but he was devoted to his mother.

Lu Yong glanced at Gu Zhenhua and said, "Tiger, to be honest, the Rebel King may soon attack the capital. The Duke’s estate is in grave danger. We have to move our families out for safety."

Hearing this, Luan Hu fell to his knees, pounding the ground in thanks. "Brother Yong, as long as you get my mother out safely, I’ll obey you for life."

Knowing the boy’s filial piety, Gu Zhenhua pulled him up and smiled, "Don’t worry, I’ll definitely help."

He then smiled at Lu Yong, "Second Brother, the Rebel King could attack any moment. Those guards willing to fight with us must move their families out quickly."

"Fourth Brother, won’t this give us away?"

"Forget that. Lives come first!"

"Mm." Lu Yong nodded. "Alright, I’ll arrange it."

The next few days were busy. Zhu Chuncheng secretly moved wealth, but rumors leaked. Other nobles also acted—General Zhou Kui, Duke Zhang Shize, senior ministers, and high officials of the Six Ministries all hid money under the guise of funerals.

While these powerful men were busy, Gu Zhenhua and the others arranged for the families of over sixty guards to escape. Without exception, these men joined Gu Zhenhua’s cause, and their group grew stronger.

During this tense preparation, suddenly a rider galloped into the capital at full speed.

"The rebels have come! The rebels have come!"