The rise of the poor

Chapter 2312 Proton

About an hour after Wang San left, Luo Longwen heard a knock on the gate of the cliffside villa. Then he saw Wang San walking in with a beaming smile, holding an exquisite jade box in his hand.

His belt wasn't fastened properly, there were several lipstick marks on his face, and a scratch on his forehead.

"Brother Luo, you've finally lived up to expectations. Although we got a little slapped when we first got the raw materials, we were able to get them to cooperate by paying more money." Wang San handed the jade box to Luo Longwen, savoring the moment.

At first, Wang San didn't offer any extra money and just went ahead to get the raw materials. The raw material suppliers, feeling extremely ashamed, scratched his face until it was covered in welts. Later, Wang San learned his lesson and started throwing money around to get them to cooperate properly.

Luo Longwen opened it and saw that it was full of raw materials, tied in strands with different thicknesses and curves, arranged neatly.

"Great! I'll make a brush right away." Luo Longwen was very satisfied after seeing it and said happily.

"Brother Luo can also make calligraphy brushes?" Wang San asked curiously.

Luo Longwen said with a smug look, "Hehe, let me put it this way, everyone knows that I am an expert in ink making, but few people know that I am an expert in brush making."

You're an expert in ink making?! And everyone knows it?! How come I didn't know? Never mind, it's fine as long as you can make calligraphy brushes. Otherwise, it would be really difficult for me to find a craftsman who can make calligraphy brushes. There are plenty of murderers and arsonists on this island, but to find a craftsman who can make calligraphy brushes on this island where 99% of the people are illiterate is basically like looking for a nun in a monastery—impossible.

Soon, Luo Longwen began making calligraphy brushes. His movements were skillful. He sorted the hairs according to color, length, thickness, and hardness, then soaked them in water to soften and stretch them. He then selected the longest and hardest hairs to place on the outer layer, filled the middle layer with slightly shorter and softer hairs, and finally laid the core of the brush with extremely fine and soft down. Each layer was also divided into different color sections. Then he cut and shaped the brush. It was incredibly meticulous.

During a break from making the calligraphy brushes, Luo Longwen remembered something and asked, "Oh, right, Third Master, we haven't finished yet. What's the second condition?"

Mao San slowly said, "The second condition Your Majesty mentioned is that we will not cooperate with Zhu Ping'an, but we will also not attack Zhu Ping'an's territory."

"What?!" Upon hearing this, Luo Longwen dropped the half-finished calligraphy brush he was making with a clatter to the ground, panicking as he exclaimed, "No, Third Master, if you want to cooperate with my master, you have to prove your sincerity! Didn't I say before that your sending troops to attack Zhu Ping'an was proof of your sincerity?!"

If you don't attack Zhu Ping'an, how can we take advantage of his misfortune?

It's no secret that Zhu Ping'an has granted amnesty to your king. Although Zhu Ping'an submitted the memorial in secret, Grand Secretary Yan is the chief minister of the cabinet. After receiving the memorial, the emperor consulted with the cabinet. Everyone in the cabinet knew about it, and the news spread like wildfire.

Furthermore, the fact that Zhu Ping'an had granted amnesty to Wang Zhi was no longer a top secret in Jiangnan; Zhang Jing, Zhao Wenhua, and others all knew about it.

If Wang Zhi sends troops to attack Zhu Ping'an, then Zhu Ping'an's attempt to be granted amnesty by Wang Zhi will become a joke. Instead of being granted amnesty, he will be attacked and manipulated by the Japanese pirates. Zhu Ping'an will then be guilty of a serious crime. At that time, we will take advantage of his misfortune and make sure that Zhu Ping'an will suffer a terrible fate and never be able to recover!

However, Wang Zhi disagrees with attacking Zhu Ping'an. How are we supposed to deal with Zhu Ping'an then?

“Brother Luo, our king is different from you. Our king has to oversee the overall situation, consider all factors, and take into account the feelings of all the brothers. Although the vast majority of the brothers support cooperating with your master, a small number of brothers support cooperating with Zhu Ping'an. Our king also has to consider the feelings of these brothers. Even though we are cooperating with your master and not with Zhu Ping'an, we can't just launch a counterattack, otherwise it will hurt the harmony among the brothers. Anyway, there are other ways to show sincerity besides attacking Zhu Ping'an!”

Wang San gently patted Luo Longwen's shoulder and said slowly.

"When you came, my master instructed you to send troops to attack Zhu Ping'an to demonstrate your sincerity."

Luo Longwen insisted.

Wang San looked at Luo Longwen, shook his head, and said, "Tsk, Brother Luo, can a living person be killed by holding in their pee?! Didn't I just say that there are more ways to show sincerity than attacking Zhu Ping'an?"

"But how can I explain this to my master?!" Luo Longwen couldn't accept it.

Wang San reminded him, "Brother Luo, you need to understand that we have already reached a cooperation agreement with Zhu Ping'an. If your master does not agree to the cooperation, then we will continue to cooperate with Zhu Ping'an."

Luo Longwen hurriedly replied, "Uh, well, cooperation? We definitely want to cooperate. You can't cooperate with Zhu Ping'an; you have to cooperate with us. But how can you demonstrate your sincerity?"

If we can reach a complete cooperation agreement, at least half the mission is accomplished. If we can't even reach a cooperation agreement, then we'll lose everything. Let's finalize the cooperation first, and then figure out how to deal with Zhu Ping'an later.

“There are other ways to show sincerity than attacking Zhu Ping’an. Brother Luo, do you know how to show sincerity when making an alliance in ancient times?” Wang San asked.

How did ancient people demonstrate sincerity when forming alliances?

Luo Longwen shook his head; he really didn't know how people in ancient times showed sincerity.

“Simple, exchange hostages. Didn’t Qin Shi Huang’s father serve as a hostage?!” Wang San said slowly.

“A hostage?! But my master doesn’t have a son yet, so how can we send a hostage?” Luo Longwen shook his head vigorously.

Wang San twitched the corner of his mouth and explained, "A hostage is just a general term, not a specific one. Both sides simply send important people to the other as hostages."

"Whom have you sent as a hostage?" Luo Longwen asked.

“My king is preparing to send Mao Haifeng as a hostage,” Wang San replied.

Upon hearing Mao Haifeng's name, Luo Longwen shook his head. "Huh? How could it be him?! Isn't Mao Haifeng against cooperating with our master and in favor of cooperating with Zhu Ping'an? As a hostage, won't he sabotage our master's cooperation?!"

Wang San shook his head. "Brother Luo, you don't know, Mao Haifeng is our king's adopted son and also the captain of the ship. No one is more suitable as a hostage than him. Besides, don't worry, Mao Haifeng is extremely loyal to our king. Whatever decision our king makes, Mao Haifeng will fully support it and will never go against it."

"I need to go back and consult my master to see if he agrees, and if so, who should be sent as a hostage," Luo Longwen said.

"There's no need to ask who should be sent as a hostage. My king said you will stay as a hostage," Wang San said. (End of Chapter)