Chapter 74

As the sun was about to set, its last rays still lingered on the horizon, and the bustling giant island gradually calmed down. When the slanting rays of the setting sun fell upon the rippling lake, they reflected a captivating golden hue.

The breeze from the vast waters of the eight-hundred-mile lake brought a touch of coolness to the early summer at Liang'erwa. At this moment, on the spacious ground in front of the book pavilion on the back mountain, about a hundred men were seated on the ground, listening to a middle-aged scholar's casual lecture.

"What is righteousness? Where does righteousness come from? In fact, righteousness comes from our daily lives since childhood. Most of you here were probably born into farming or poor families. Since your birth, apart from the spiritual care from your parents, you have never enjoyed the benefits of your ancestors. Your childhoods were not necessarily better than those of chickens and pigs, because chickens and pigs can be sold for direct profit when they grow up, but whether a son will be successful is still unknown. As you grew up, you helped your parents with various tasks, such as gathering firewood in the mountains, fishing by the river, or selling vegetables in the market..."

"When you were fishing, gathering firewood, or selling vegetables, to prevent attacks from wild animals and bandits, you often traveled in groups. At such times, friends were your comfort in loneliness and your support in life. As you grew up and wandered through the world, the importance of friends increased even more. You value friends and consider righteousness the highest virtue, which is a result of your environment. We often say..."

Seeing the subtle signs, this scholar is truly no ordinary man!

Wang Lun, who was sitting at the back of the crowd, suddenly understood. No wonder the rough men like Mi Fei and Zhang San were always using fancy words, and no wonder Ruan Xiaoqi knew the story of cutting the robe to sever ties; they must have learned it from this scholar.

He then glanced at the back of a large monk sitting at the front, and a smile appeared on his lips. Since being persuaded at the Crossroads Inn, this Master Lu would come to listen to Mr. Wen's lectures every night if he had nothing to do.

Just as everyone was listening intently, a snore suddenly broke the silence. The sound was undulating and rhythmic, piercing the quiet summer night, and immediately triggered a burst of laughter from the men at the front.

The scholar, whose speech was interrupted, did not get angry but smiled and took a sip of tea. Everyone turned around, laughing, to see who was so impolite. When they saw who it was, they were all shocked!

It turned out that the one sleeping soundly was none other than the chief's personal attendant, Jiao Ting. Then they saw the chief, and their smiles froze on their faces. They didn't know whether to laugh or not, feeling quite awkward. At this moment, Wang Lun smiled and waved at them, saying, "Jin'er, are you looking for my Jiao Ting?" The brute suddenly woke up, looking around, but couldn't find the figure he dreamed of.

Seeing Jiao Ting's state, everyone couldn't help but burst into laughter again, startling the birds in the forest. Jiao Ting just chuckled, not caring. In front, Wen Huanzhang and Lu Zhishen saw Wang Lun and stood up to greet him. Wen Huanzhang said, "Since the chief is here, why don't you come up and say a few words?" Lu Zhishen also said, "Brother, your insight is extraordinary; why don't you share it with the brothers?"

Wang Lun couldn't refuse and had to come forward, sitting on the ground facing everyone. He cleared his throat and said, "Thanks to Mr. Wen's presence on Liangshan, not only do the children have the opportunity to read and write, but everyone has gained a lot of knowledge! To show our gratitude, let's give Mr. Wen a round of applause!"

Wang Lun led the applause, and everyone responded enthusiastically. Wen Huanzhang bowed to Wang Lun and the crowd. After a while, everyone looked at Wang Lun, eager to hear what the chief had to say. Some even wondered in their hearts who had more insight, Mr. Wen or the chief. Although they were both educated, seeing how the chief had made the stronghold so prosperous and was both righteous and fair, they thought Mr. Wen, being about ten years older, must have more knowledge.

"Mr. Wen just spoke very well and profoundly! He derived the origin of 'righteousness' from our backgrounds. I see everyone listening so attentively, and I think you must be eager to practice righteousness in your future actions, right?"

"Right!" everyone shouted in response.

Wang Lun lowered his hand and continued, "Good. Since we're talking about 'righteousness,' some of you might be thinking, if being righteous to friends is the peak of morality, then what's next? It's like reaching the top of a mountain and thinking there's nowhere else to climb, so you wonder if you've reached the closest point to heaven!"

Everyone laughed at this. Lu Zhishen then said, "Brother, isn't being righteous the most important thing in life? Why does it feel like your words are scratching the surface but not satisfying?"

Wang Lun laughed and said, "Good. Let's use Lu Tixia's experience as an example. Everyone knows that Lu Tixia escorted Lin Chong for a thousand miles, which is an act of righteousness. Lin Chong is Lu Tixia's brother, so he took the risk of offending Grand Marshal Gao Qiu to protect him, which is righteousness to a friend and a brother! But..."

Wang Lun emphasized, "But when Lu Tixia beat to death Zheng Guanxi and saved the Jin Cuilian father and daughter, it can't be described as righteousness! Why? Because Lu Tixia didn't know the Jin Cuilian father and daughter; they were just strangers. Saving them from their plight isn't an act of righteousness to a friend or a brother!"

"Here, we introduce the concept of 'benevolence.' Lu Tixia's righteousness to friends elevates to benevolence towards all people. Regardless of whether he knew the Jin Cuilian father and daughter, he felt compelled to address the injustice, to stand up for the oppressed. This is the elevation of his love for friends to a love for all people, which is 'benevolence.' So, when you reach the peak of 'righteousness,' you will naturally see another mountain, 'benevolence'!"

Lu Zhishen felt as if a veil had been lifted from his mind, seeing a higher realm. He immediately thought of the four large characters on the banner in front of the assembly hall, 'Acting on Heaven's Behalf,' which is a manifestation of benevolence!

The others were still confused, not fully understanding Wang Lun's words, but they felt they were profound and impressive. They scratched their heads, trying to grasp the meaning.

At this moment, Zhang San ran in, shouting, "Brother, brother, someone is about to give birth, about to give birth!"

Wang Lun glared at him, not knowing who was about to give birth. He suddenly remembered that the midwife had said Xu Ning's wife would give birth in a few days. He asked, "Is it Xu Ning's wife?"

"Exactly, exactly!" Zhang San panted.

Wang Lun hurriedly bowed to the crowd and left with Jiao Ting and Zhang San for the family compound. Lu Zhishen followed. Only Wen Huanzhang, watching Wang Lun's hurried departure, was lost in thought. He marveled at how a bandit leader, unsatisfied with 'righteousness,' was now talking about 'benevolence' for all people. What a grand ambition!

It seems I have never fully understood this young friend's true aspirations!

He had been in the stronghold for over two months. Although he saw that Wang Lun's methods were different from the heroes he had met in his youth, and the plundering and redistribution of wealth had impressed him, he hadn't thought deeply about it. He had assumed Wang Lun was just using clever means to rapidly expand his power to negotiate with the court for a higher position. After all, as the saying goes, "To become an official, one must kill and rob to be pardoned." His old friends had all done this, hadn't they? Xu Jing, who came from the underworld, was now the governor of Shangdang.

But after tonight's lecture on righteousness and benevolence, he had to reassess this young friend. With his current situation, there were so many easier paths to take, why choose the hardest and most dangerous one? Challenging the vast empire, one mistake could mean total failure!

Wen Huanzhang shook his head and said to the audience, "That's all for today. Don't come the next two days; I need to think for a while!" He then got up and hurried to Xu Ning's residence. As he walked along the mountain path, he reflected on Wang Lun's methods, feeling a faint sense of passion. He hadn't felt such a stirring emotion in a long time, making him want to let out a long cry to vent his feelings.

When Wen Huanzhang arrived, Wang Lun was already playing with the baby. The infant's red face was wide awake, looking at the people in front of him, smiling and not crying. Everyone was amazed. Zhang San ran to Xu Ning and said, "Teacher Xu, my brother's prediction was right, wasn't it?"

Xu Ning, overjoyed, couldn't sit still, walking around the room, checking on his wife and then coming out to see his son in Wang Lun's arms. He said, "Right, right! It's really a son, really a son!"

Zhang San laughed, "Of course! If it were a daughter, my brother wouldn't even sit in his chair and would compensate the teacher!"

Du Qian stepped forward, "Brother, my wife is also pregnant. Can you help me predict it too?"

Wang Lun, playing with the baby, said, "I can only predict once in ten years. It has already come true for Xu Sheng's child, so it won't be accurate again."

Everyone laughed, and Du Qian scratched his head, sighing. Wang Lun said, "What's wrong with having a daughter? Who will your sons marry if everyone has sons? If you really want a son, there's a way!"

Du Qian, filled with hope, asked, "What way?"

Wang Lun laughed, "My sister-in-law will have to endure some hardship. She'll have to have more children; one of them will surely be a son!"

Du Qian was enlightened, laughing, "That's right, that's right!"

As everyone was laughing and joking, a subordinate from the mountain's inn brought a woman to find Lin Chong. Standing outside the door, they didn't dare to come in. Everyone came out, and the woman, seeing so many people, didn't know who to approach. She knelt down and said, "Master Lin Chong, please save my brother!"