Li Shanchang had once been nothing more than a minor clerk. He had never studied under any famous master, nor did he come from a scholarly family.
Back when Zhu Yuanzhang was still serving under Guo Zixing and constantly caught in the middle of power struggles, when the Red Turbans were still widely regarded as mere bandits, Li Shanchang had knocked on the gates of Zhu Yuanzhang’s camp alone and pledged himself specifically to Zhu Yuanzhang. A man with such courage naturally wasn’t lacking in fighting ability either.
At the beginning, Zhu Yuanzhang’s forces were weak and had no stable base. Li Shanchang followed him everywhere, transporting grain for the army. Whenever manpower was short, he had to pitch in himself.
In those early days, whenever Zhu Yuanzhang went to battle, he threw every soldier under his command into the fight. Whenever Li Shanchang was left behind to guard the rear, he had to defend cities with only a pitiful handful of troops.
Only later, when Zhu Yuanzhang gradually gained enough men and every campaign was preceded by a whole group of strategists serving as his think tank, did Li Shanchang’s talents become less conspicuous, leaving him to remain at headquarters most of the time.
But from the time Zhu Yuanzhang first became a leader until the founding of the Ming, there hadn’t actually been many years when manpower was plentiful.
After years of being worked to the bone by Zhu Yuanzhang, Li Shanchang looked like a refined scholar whose robes fluttered gracefully in the breeze, delicate enough to collapse at any moment. Strip off those wide-sleeved robes, however, and the muscles underneath were probably no less impressive than those of any general.
At present, among Zhu Yuanzhang’s inner circle, Li Shanchang was the only civil official. Everyone else was a military commander, most of them poor brothers from the same county, the same village, even the same street as Zhu Yuanzhang—men who had once been completely illiterate.
To communicate harmoniously with that bunch, Li Shanchang had long since mastered a simple philosophy: if words failed, persuade them physically first, then reason with them afterward.
Chang Yuchun had only joined Zhu Yuanzhang in the fifteenth year of Zhizheng—the same year Chen Biao was born. By then, Li Shanchang’s temper had mellowed considerably, and the two had never really worked together before.
So this was the first time Chang Yuchun had received one of Mr. Li’s legendary beatings.
The generals who had arrived alongside Li Shanchang bent over to help him pick up the scattered books while whispering among themselves.
“Oh my, it’s been a long time since we last saw Mr. Li beat someone up.”
“Mr. Li’s still as strong as ever.”
“Of course. Back when I was defending the city with him, he could carry a whole sandbag on each shoulder.”
“I heard Mr. Li can spar with the Marshal without losing.”
“That’s definitely a rumor. Mr. Li’s got plenty of strength, but his moves are all for show. If we fought seriously, he couldn’t beat us.”
“Huh? You’d actually fight Mr. Li seriously? Aren’t you supposed to stand there and let him hit you?”
Chen Biao slowly pushed his dropped jaw back into place with his own hand.
So… so Mr. Li was actually this formidable?
Only after pinning Chang Yuchun to the ground and sitting on top of him long enough to land two solid punches did Li Shanchang lower his sleeves, straighten his robes, and rise.
“You’ve only just returned and you’re already causing trouble. The Marshal specifically told you to rest for a month or two before giving you the chance to earn a great merit by leading an army against Quzhou yourself. With that temper of yours, how can you shoulder such responsibility?” Only after finishing the beating did Li Shanchang begin reasoning with him. “Biao’er, come here. Don’t be afraid.”
Chen Biao shuffled over to Li Shanchang’s side and grabbed the hand that had just beaten Chang Yuchun senseless.
Not scared. Not scared at all. I’m absolutely not scared.
Covered in dust, Chang Yuchun climbed back to his feet, constantly rubbing the enormous lump on his head from smashing into the ground. He bowed repeatedly to Li Shanchang in apology.
Even though he still had no idea what had happened, apologizing first was definitely the right move.
This was Li Shanchang.
Now that Zhu Yuanzhang’s influence had grown considerably, although famous scholars still remained picky about serving him, plenty of people were joining his camp. Every newcomer was first evaluated by Li Shanchang, who examined both character and ability before recommending them to Zhu Yuanzhang.
So even though Chang Yuchun had already become one of Zhu Yuanzhang’s foremost generals, he still wilted before Li Shanchang. After all, he had only joined in the fifteenth year of Zhizheng.
“Biao’er, what happened? Uncle Li will stand up for you.” Li Shanchang patted Chen Biao’s head.
Chang Yuchun felt utterly wronged.
Mr. Li, you didn’t even know what happened before beating me?!
The generals all came over laughing.
“Biao’er, haven’t seen you in months. You’ve gotten even chubbier.”
“Strong and healthy-looking. Just looking at you tells me you’re clever. Hey, while Old Chen isn’t around, let’s eat all the preserved pork he’s been storing.”
“If you want Old Chen to beat you senseless, go right ahead.”
“Hey, isn’t that Wenzheng over there with the bruised face? Biao’er, you actually let Wenzheng take you out? His fighting skills are terrible. He can’t protect you. Next time, come find your uncle instead.”
“Find you? Your fighting isn’t much better.”
The generals accompanying Li Shanchang on military business were obviously all Huaixi commanders who lived on the same street as Chen Biao—the poor brothers Zhu Yuanzhang had recruited after Guo Zixing stripped him of his troops and he returned home to gather old acquaintances.
Though they weren’t as close to “Chen Guorui” as Tang He or Xu Da, who dropped by the Chen residence for free meals whenever they pleased, they still interacted with Chen Biao quite often.
After greeting each of his uncles in turn, Chen Biao deliberately acted cute by speaking in short childish sentences while clearly explaining exactly what had happened.
“My brothers and I stood up for justice. We beat the younger one… then the older one showed up.”
Li Shanchang squeezed the other Huaixi generals aside, picked Chen Biao up, and rubbed him affectionately.
Oh, my precious little immortal child, Young Master Biao’er. So clever, so obedient, so kind. How could anyone not adore you?
Holding Chen Biao in his arms, Li Shanchang barked at Chang Yuchun, “Have you no shame?”
Chang Yuchun said helplessly, “I was just passing by. Really, I was only passing by. I had no intention of backing Xiao Yu.”
Anyone with half a brain knew that if Lan Yu was fighting someone, the other fellow had to be another junior officer under the Marshal. Why would he stick his nose into it? At most, if Lan Yu lost, he’d simply drill him afterward until he won the next time.
Chen Biao tilted his head.
“Xiao Yu?”
One of the Huaixi generals, Zheng Yuchun, smiled and explained, “This is General Chang Yuchun—the famous commander who happens to share the same given name as your Uncle Zheng. The youngster Wenzheng beat up is named Lan Yu. He’s General Chang’s wife’s younger brother.”
Chen Biao curiously examined Chang Yuchun.
Chang Yuchun was one of the very few famous early Ming figures Chen Biao actually remembered. Naturally, after transmigrating, he had secretly inquired about him.
To his surprise, Chang Yuchun wasn’t even Marshal Zhu’s fellow villager. He had only been a former bandit who surrendered to Marshal Zhu in the fifteenth year of Zhizheng—the very year Chen Biao was born.
Wasn’t Chang Yuchun supposed to become the Marshal’s in-law?
Chen Biao was thoroughly confused.
Could it be that Chang Yuchun became so outstanding later that he eventually married into the Marshal’s family?
Chen Biao was still young and had only begun venturing outside this year, wandering around Xuanwu Lake. Everything he knew about the people under Marshal Zhu came secondhand.
Today was the first time he had met one of the few famous historical figures from the early Ming that he actually remembered, so he couldn’t help staring a little longer.
As Chen Biao observed Chang Yuchun, Chang Yuchun was also studying Chen Biao.
He knew Zhu Yuanzhang had a mysterious subordinate named Chen Guorui.
Chen Guorui rarely led troops into battle and seldom even appeared in public. His primary duty was conducting business to raise money and grain for the Marshal.
Now that military provisions had become increasingly abundant and the territories under the Marshal’s rule were growing more prosperous, everyone said Chen Guorui deserved much of the credit. That mysterious commander was clearly one of the Marshal’s most trusted confidants.
Chang Yuchun himself had also become one of the Marshal’s trusted men, yet he had never once met Chen Guorui.
The existence of Chen Guorui had always remained a thorn in Chang Yuchun’s heart.
Not because he envied Chen Guorui, but because the fact that he had never even met him proved his standing in the Marshal’s eyes wasn’t quite as high as outsiders believed.
Now he had finally come into contact with the mysterious Chen family.
Those Huaixi generals whose military ability was inferior to his surrounded Chen Biao, obviously all very familiar with the Chen family.
Only I’m not.
I’m even supposed to become the Marshal’s in-law through an arranged marriage, yet I’m the only one who’s unfamiliar with them.
The more Chang Yuchun thought about it, the more aggrieved he felt. He couldn’t help glaring at Chen Biao.
Chen Biao: “…”
What’s wrong with this guy? Why’s he glaring at a little kid? Surely he can’t still resent me for calling Uncle Li over and getting him a giant lump on his head?
Chen Biao tugged on Uncle Li’s collar and complained righteously.
“Uncle Li! He’s glaring at me! He looks so fierce!”
Li Shanchang slowly turned to look at Chang Yuchun.
Chang Yuchun hurriedly defended himself. “I wasn’t! My eyes just naturally look fierce!”
Li Shanchang snorted, pressing Chen Biao’s head against his chest.
“He wasn’t glaring at you. He just looks scary. Be good. Don’t look at him, or you’ll have nightmares tonight.”
Chang Yuchun: “…”
That’s Chen Guorui’s son, not your son, Li Shanchang! Aren’t you overreacting a little?!
Chen Biao said softly, “I’m not scared.”
He poked his head out from beneath Li Shanchang’s protective arm and looked toward the side of the street.
Chen Wenzheng was reckless by nature, so Li Bao’er had never felt comfortable letting him take Chen Biao out alone. Every day, he accompanied them.
When Chen Wenzheng started fighting, Li Bao’er and several Chen family servants had protected the father and daughter Lan Yu had been bullying. Now they stood there coldly watching both Lan Yu and Chang Yuchun.
Chang Yuchun swept his gaze over the trembling commoners before looking at Lan Yu.
Lan Yu’s eyes shifted away guiltily.
Then, thinking of his elder sister, he boldly glared back.
Chang Yuchun: “…”
Li Bao’er cupped his hands toward Chang Yuchun.
“General Chang, the Marshal has already been condemned by the scholars as an ignorant brute who leaves the people under his rule in misery simply because he seeks to abolish outdated customs. The Marshal once said, ‘Even if we don’t get the steamed bun, we still have to fight for our dignity. We poor folk understand poor folk best. Even without those so-called moral paragons, we can govern our territory well.'”
Chang Yuchun replied, “I’ll hand Lan Yu over to military law.”
Lan Yu’s eyes flew wide open in shock. Just as he was about to speak, Chang Yuchun’s soldiers forced him to the ground, stuffed one of the red scarves from their arms into his mouth as a gag, and tied him up tightly.
Chen Biao raised his tiny arms in salute, looking irresistibly adorable.
“Thank you, General Chang. You’re a good man who listens to reason.”
Everyone present looked at Chang Yuchun with amused expressions.
The reason Chang Yuchun had his men tie Lan Yu up so quickly was obviously because he wanted to deal with him personally. Otherwise, under the Marshal’s current military regulations, several dozen strokes of the military staff would leave Lan Yu half dead.
Chang Yuchun looked at the soft, chubby little child thanking him in that sweet, childish voice while all his colleagues watched him with amusement.
He couldn’t help feeling both embarrassed and annoyed.
He glared at Lan Yu again.
Chang Yuchun respected his wife, Lady Lan, tremendously. Lady Lan doted on her younger brother, and Chang Yuchun had spoiled Lan Yu as well, which was what had produced Lan Yu’s arrogant temperament.
Chang Yuchun himself had always possessed a violent disposition, so Lan Yu’s arrogance had never seemed like a serious flaw to him. Lan Yu was also exceptionally talented at commanding troops, which made Chang Yuchun value him highly, recommending him to Zhu Yuanzhang multiple times.
But now, because Lan Yu had tried to steal another man’s woman, Chang Yuchun had completely lost face.
For the first time, he decided that when he got home, he would have a serious talk with his wife and make sure Lan Yu’s temperament was properly tempered.
After “dealing with” Lan Yu, Chang Yuchun still had to comfort the frightened civilians.
He took out a silver ingot.
But the young woman who had nearly been abducted didn’t accept it. Instead, she crawled before Chen Wenzheng and kowtowed several times before crawling over to Chen Biao and doing the same.
Chen Biao sighed.
Even if he always claimed to be a refined egoist, he couldn’t bear to ignore this.
He patted Li Shanchang’s arm.
Li Shanchang set him down.
Looking up at the young woman, Chen Biao said, “The Chen family has opened a weaving workshop on the east side of Yingtian. They’re hiring female workers. Tell them my cousin… no, tell them my name instead. Say Young Master Chen Biao of the Chen family sent you. The manager will advance you three months’ wages. Use it to buy medicine for your father.”
The young woman’s eyes widened in astonishment.
Then tears burst from them.
She hastily wiped them away before kowtowing to Chen Biao several more times.
Her elderly father, who had been kicked repeatedly by Lan Yu, also struggled over and kowtowed to Chen Biao.
Chen Biao hurried to help the old man up.
He… couldn’t lift him.
The young woman laughed through her tears and helped her father to his feet.
After bidding Chen Biao farewell, the father and daughter walked straight toward eastern Yingtian without looking back.
Only after they had gone did Li Shanchang ask, “They were street performers?”
Chen Biao nodded.
“They’re already too poor to survive, yet they still want to protect what little dignity they have left. Rich families probably think people like them are laughable, but I’m sure all you uncles understand.”
Zheng Yuchun smiled.
“Of course we do. We’ve all suffered before. Biao’er, Big… Brother Chen has raised you well.”
In front of all his uncles, Chen Biao rolled his eyes dramatically.
Raised me, my foot.
The Huaixi generals immediately understood that eye roll was directed at their Marshal and burst into laughter.
Chang Yuchun looked down at the silver in his hand.
For some reason, it suddenly felt scorching hot.
Before becoming a bandit, he too had been an old farmer scratching a living from the fields.
Who among them hadn’t suffered?
Seeing Chang Yuchun’s awkward expression, Chen Biao remembered the man’s status in Marshal Zhu’s army.
Not wanting his father to make another enemy, he walked over and tugged at the hem of Chang Yuchun’s robe.
“Gen… General Chang. The silver, the silver.”
Chang Yuchun still hadn’t snapped out of his daze.
Helplessly, Chen Biao stood on tiptoe and grabbed the tightly clenched silver ingot from Chang Yuchun’s hand.
“The doctor’s fees and the three months’ advance wages can all come from General Chang’s silver. Then General Chang won’t feel guilty anymore.”
Chang Yuchun still stood there blankly.
Li Shanchang frowned and coughed.
“Chang Yuchun, why are you gripping that silver so tightly? Let go.”
Chang Yuchun immediately released it.
Speechless, Chen Biao glanced at him before tucking the silver into his own robes.
This already-famous undefeated general, Chang Shiwan…
Why did he seem so dense?
Someone was practically handing him a graceful way out, and he still needed Uncle Li to remind him to take it.
Patting the silver hidden inside his robe, Chen Biao added, “I’ll tell Father and Mother to keep careful accounts of every expense and send the bill to General Chang. The Chen family would never keep General Chang’s money.”
Strange smiles appeared on Li Shanchang’s face and on those of the informed Huaixi generals.
Have the Marshal and the Marshal’s wife keep the accounts… and send them to Chang Yuchun?
Wonderful.
Absolutely wonderful.
Although they had already accepted Chang Yuchun as a powerful general who had joined them later, even brothers who had grown up wearing the same pair of trousers enjoyed watching each other get into trouble.
How much more entertaining was it when the unlucky fellow was someone who had joined halfway?
Watching a brother suffer before laughing uproariously—that was the very symbol of their brotherhood.
Chen Wenzheng walked over, rubbing the bruises on his face while baring his teeth.
“That kid Lan Yu isn’t half bad. Why doesn’t he use those skills for something worthwhile?”
Li Shanchang checked the list of meritorious officers Chang Yuchun had submitted.
“Lan Yu really is excellent on the battlefield. He’s already earned quite a few merits. He probably got too idle after returning. Sigh… I suggested to the Marshal that we establish an academy in Yingtian for the sons of our generals, to teach them reading and proper conduct. Unfortunately, we can’t find a suitable teacher.”
Thinking about all the scholars who had left, Li Shanchang felt another pang in his heart.
Chen Wenzheng grinned mischievously, picked Chen Biao up, and held him high overhead.
“A teacher? Look over here! Cousin Biao can do it!”
Chen Biao’s large eyes narrowed into expressionless slits as he stomped hard on Chen Wenzheng’s face.
Can do my foot!
Chen Biao had assumed someone as mature and sensible as Li Shanchang would immediately scold Chen Wenzheng for fooling around.
To his astonishment, Li Shanchang actually looked thoughtful.
Even more astonishing, all the Huaixi generals behind him immediately joined in.
“Great! Let Biao’er teach them!”
“Biao’er teaching those brats of ours? That’s settled! Isn’t he far better than the fellow in my household who isn’t even a licentiate?”
“Why didn’t I think of that?”
“Brother Chen definitely won’t agree to tire Biao’er out.”
“Then while Old Chen isn’t here, we can… hmm? Hehehe.”
“If you lot are conspiring here now, be careful Old Chen doesn’t come back and beat your butts black and blue!”
“But if Mr. Li agrees, then Old Chen probably…”
Several pairs of eager eyes turned toward Li Shanchang.
Stroking his elegant beard, Li Shanchang actually nodded slightly.
“If it’s only basic literacy and introductory reading, Biao’er’s learning is indeed more than sufficient.”
Chen Biao shrieked, “Are you kidding?! I’m only five years old!”
Li Shanchang sighed.
“Biao’er, you’ve seen it yourself. Your uncles and the Marshal are constantly away fighting. The boys at home have no one to teach them and keep causing trouble. If we wait until the realm is pacified before educating them, it’ll be too late. Teach them a little sense first so they don’t idle away their time. Uncle Li will continue searching for a proper teacher outside. As soon as I find one, they’ll take over.”
Chen Wenzheng, whose face was still being stepped on by Chen Biao, shouted, “Exactly!”
Standing on Chen Wenzheng’s face, Chen Biao broke into a furious stomping dance, his voice climbing to the shrill pitch of one of those squealing rubber chicken toys from the future.
“Exactly my foot! I’m only five!”
…
When Chang Yuchun and Li Shanchang arrived, most of the commoners who had gathered to watch the fight had already dispersed, afraid of getting themselves into trouble.
Only a small number remained hidden inside the restaurants and teahouses on either side of the street, secretly watching.
Among them, three scholars sat inside one restaurant, while another four occupied a teahouse.
After witnessing the entire farce, all seven wore thoughtful expressions.