Chapter Sixty-Two: Song Jiang Reveals Himself

Song Jiang, the most righteous and red-blooded brother in Water Margin, is also the most shameless man in the world. If he hadn’t been so keen on groveling before the rulers of the Northern Song, so many heroes of Liangshan wouldn’t have met their end because of him.

Fate is unpredictable. With Zhao Yu’s sudden crossing over, history has been turned upside down. The heroes of Water Margin still appear, but they are no longer connected to Liangshan, and Song Jiang has lost his chance to climb up the ladder by stepping on the blood of his brothers.

Yet Song Jiang remains who he is; his eagerness to curry favor with the powerful and his ways of handling affairs have never changed.

Wu Yong’s cunning is beyond question. As Zhao Yu foresaw, Song Jiang and Wu Yong have always been secretly looking for an opportunity to eliminate Fang La’s group, hoping to use that as a stepping stone to throw themselves into the arms of the elite.

In fact, the two sides have already clashed more than once, which is why Fang La recognized Song Jiang at a glance. Their strengths are evenly matched; after several encounters, neither has managed to best the other.

After Zhao Yu went south and the strange stone incident, Wu Yong guessed that Fang La would come personally to see Zhao Yu, so he arranged for people to keep watch near Zhao Yu’s residence, leading to today’s ambush.

Though Song Jiang’s party had the advantage in numbers, Fang La and his followers possessed exceptional martial skills, making the fight fierce and evenly matched.

Wang Yin found a moment amidst the chaos and pulled a signal arrow from his chest, launching it skyward.

The Ming Cult was rapidly expanding in Jiangnan, with its followers lurking in every major city—ready to be mobilized in times of crisis.

A single arrow, and an army would assemble.

But such a large-scale battle would attract more than just Ming Cult members. Soon, the authorities in Yangzhou received news of the brawl and dispatched a large force of officers to suppress it.

Although the officials were generally displeased with Zhao Yu, he was, after all, the imperial envoy, and if he were disturbed or harmed, none of them could bear the consequences.

The signal arrow provided a clear direction, and soon all parties rushed toward the scene.

Because the fight broke out not far from Zhao Yu’s residence, his side quickly received word as well.

“Two groups of wanderers are fighting, and it’s said the scale is growing?”

Muttering the report from his guards, Zhao Yu was filled with doubt. Fang La had just left—could it be him fighting someone else?

Zhao Yu knew that Fang La’s subordinates were formidable; ordinary wanderers wouldn’t be able to stop him. If it were soldiers, such news wouldn’t have spread.

“Brother Yi, could you go see what’s going on?”

---

Yan Qing agreed and swiftly departed.

Zhao Yu was unaware that the battle between Song Jiang and Fang La was nearing its end due to the early intervention of the authorities. After all, neither side could afford to be seen.

Fang La’s group fought desperately, broke through the encirclement, and escaped, while Song Jiang’s party quickly dispersed, breaking up and vanishing. When the officers arrived, all they found were pools of blood—there wasn’t even a corpse left behind.

Zhao Yu didn’t pay much attention to the wanderers’ battle; he was focused on handling the local officials’ perfunctory obedience.

“Your Highness, here is the list and location map just delivered.”

Xu Jiang took a report from the outside sentry, glanced over it briefly, and handed it to Zhao Yu.

This list was secretly compiled by Boss Jiang’s men in Jiangnan, containing the locations of nearby quarries and the names of the most stubborn officials and wealthy gentry.

Zhao Yu looked it over, flicked it lightly with his finger, and smiled, “That’s the one. Send for Commander Du, and also summon the leader Boss Jiang stationed here.”

Such matters needn’t be handled by Xu Jiang personally; after giving instructions, he turned back.

“Your Highness, we don’t know much about General Du yet. Might he also pay lip service?”

Xu Jiang’s worry was not unfounded. Du Zhongyu, though a military officer, had served in Yangzhou for years; inevitably, he had tangled relationships.

But Zhao Yu had no one else to use, and he knew clearly that what he was doing was only treating the symptoms, not the root cause. Once he left, things would revert to their old ways.

Even so, Zhao Yu wanted to do his best; at least he would have tried. Whether there would be another chance to govern in the future was tomorrow’s concern.

There was something Zhao Yu hadn’t told Xu Jiang: he sensed that his time in Jiangnan was running out.

Just as he was speaking, Yan Qing strode in from outside.

“Your Highness, I arrived late; both sides had already withdrawn. But from what the officers said, the distress signal was likely sent by Ming Cult members.”

Hearing Yan Qing’s report, Zhao Yu frowned. So Fang La really was in trouble—who could have done it? Could it have been Song Jiang? If he truly had the capability, he couldn’t be underestimated...

He shook his head—let it be. First, he needed to deal with the task at hand.

Some things aren’t about whether you wish to be involved; living in this world, you can’t escape them.

---

Before Du Zhongyu arrived, a guard reported that Mr. Wu, who had once visited Zhao Yu on the boat, had come again.

Zhao Yu was startled, about to ask if he was alone, when Wu Song strode in and whispered, “Your Highness, Brother Gongming is here too.”

That was exactly what Zhao Yu wanted to ask. He nodded, “Invite them in.”

Zhao Yu’s attitude surprised Wu Song, for when he had come previously, His Highness had rushed out, barely dressed, to greet him. Did Zhao Yu have some prejudice against Brother Gongming?

From Wu Song’s expression, Zhao Yu guessed his thoughts but said nothing. Some matters need time to reveal their truth; saying too much would make Wu Song think he was stirring up trouble, though Zhao Yu was indeed tempted to do just that about Song Jiang...

Soon, Wu Song led Wu Yong and a stocky, dark-faced man inside.

“Commoner Song Jiang greets Prince Yi.”

“No need for ceremony, Leader Song. Please, have a seat. Someone bring tea.”

Previously, Zhao Yu hadn’t understood why Song Jiang kept a low profile. Later, when he learned that Wu Yong had appeared at Zhao Kai’s place, it became clearer—this man was likely Zhao Kai’s secret pawn. Had Zhao Yu not exposed him, Song Jiang would probably have continued to lurk.

Zhao Yu’s attitude was lukewarm, which left Song Jiang feeling uneasy. He’d heard that His Highness treated Wu Song with exceptional respect—was he less than Wu Song?

Song Jiang guessed right: in Zhao Yu’s mind, he couldn’t compare to even a single hair of Wu Song.

“You two, your ambush of Fang La was well planned, but letting him escape is rather inexcusable, isn’t it?”

Zhao Yu didn’t give Song Jiang and Wu Yong a chance to explain their purpose, speaking bluntly.

Song Jiang and Wu Yong frowned inwardly; did they need to report their actions to him?

“As the saying goes, blood is thicker than water. The bond between my third royal brother and me is something you couldn’t possibly understand. So, tell me—what brings you here?”

Throwing out this random remark, Zhao Yu instantly disrupted Song Jiang and Wu Yong’s plans...