Water Margin: The Tale of Li Erlang of Guankou

"Master Gongsun? Master Gongsun is on Mount Duiying!"

Upon hearing Lü Fang mention Gongsun Sheng, Li Hanxiao immediately understood that it was likely Gongsun Sheng who had persuaded "Little Marquis Wen" Lü Fang to join Liangshan Marsh.

“Two days ago, Mr. Gongsun passed by the foot of the mountain and was robbed by me. After he introduced himself, I realized that he was the famous ‘Dragon Entering the Clouds’ Mr. Gongsun in the martial arts world. I invited him to the mountain stronghold and treated him well. We talked about the affairs of the martial arts world. Mr. Gongsun said that my stronghold was in a bad location with little food and few people. He pointed out that I should go and seek refuge with Chief Li of Liangshan Marsh. After staying for a day, I left.”

"Lu Fang said."

Li Han smiled to himself, thinking that Gongsun Sheng, that old Taoist priest, was really efficient; he had persuaded a hero to come to him in such a short time.

This "Little Marquis Wen" Lü Fang may not seem very strong now, probably about the same as "Sai Rengui" Guo Sheng, but his strength grows rapidly later on. By the time of the campaign against Fang La, he was already able to fight for fifty rounds with Shi Bao, the "Marshal of Nanli" under Fang La, showing great potential.

Moreover, he still has men, horses, money, and provisions on Ying Mountain, which is only beneficial to Liangshan and has no disadvantages.

"So, are you willing to come to my Liangshan? Why are you still looting here?"

Li Han asked with a smile.

Upon hearing this, "Little Marquis Wen" Lü Fang was extremely embarrassed and said in a low voice, "Previously, Master Gongsun said that you, brother, are a truly upright hero in the world. I was thinking of going to join you, but there is very little money and provisions on Mount Duiying. If I went to join you, I would not have the proper gifts to offer. Therefore, I thought of robbing some wealth to present to you. Today, seeing these dozens of horses of yours, I..."

Lu Fang was afraid that if he didn't have anything good, he would be looked down upon if he joined the group, so he wanted to get some good stuff as a gift for Li Hanxiao.

Li Hanxiao happened to have dozens of horses with him. These horses were quite valuable at the time, so Lü Fang had the idea of ​​seizing them.

"Haha, brother, what do you take my Liangshan Marsh for? Do you think it's a place for extortion and corruption? Liangshan Marsh is now under my command, unlike the old Wang Lun. Liangshan Marsh is open to heroes from all over the world. As long as you are willing to act on behalf of Heaven and have real talent, you can come and join us in this righteous cause. I will make the best use of everyone's talents. Why would I ask for any kind of advancement ceremony?"

Li Hanxiao helped Lü Fang up. Lü Fang looked ashamed and apologized repeatedly, saying, "Brother, you are indeed noble, just as Mr. Gongsun said. I am just a foolish and ignorant person. Please don't take offense!"

"Ignorance is no excuse, brother. Since you want to join Liangshan, you should quickly gather your men, horses, and provisions, and come with us!"

Upon hearing this, Lü Fang was overjoyed. He immediately ordered his men to return to the mountain stronghold to gather troops, loaded more than ten carts with money and grain, burned down the stronghold, and went with Li Hanxiao to Liangshan Marsh.

Lu Fang hadn't been leading a gang on Duiying Mountain for very long, and he only had a little over two hundred men under his command, not much money or food. No wonder he was afraid of being looked down upon if he went to Liangshan Marsh to seek refuge.

"Brother, let me make this clear: Liangshan Marsh is different from other mountain strongholds. We are here to uphold justice and not to be like other bandits who rob and plunder, harming and exploiting the people. Liangshan Marsh only robs treacherous officials, corrupt bureaucrats, local tyrants, and evil gentry. If anyone dares to harm or exploit the people, I will show no mercy with my blade!"

Li Hanxiao first explained the rules to Lü Fang. Upon hearing this, Lü Fang nodded in approval. "When I heard Mr. Gongsun talk about Brother Liang's righteous deeds of acting on behalf of Heaven and not harming the people on Duiying Mountain, I knew that Brother Liang was different from other mountain strongholds and was a true hero. Brother Liang discovered that I would naturally act on behalf of Heaven after joining Liangshan. I would never harm the people."

"Very well. Throughout history, those who have achieved great things have always put the people first. You and I are both children of the people, how could we not know the hardships of the common people? Brother, remember this: the will of the people is the will of Heaven. If we want to achieve great things, we cannot do without the support of the people!"

As Li Hanxiao spoke with Lü Fang, the group continued on their journey. By dusk, they had arrived at Zhu Gui's tavern at the entrance to Li Family Road, where Zhu Gui hurriedly came out to greet them.

After crossing the marsh, the leaders learned of Li Hanxiao's return and welcomed him in the Hall of Gathering and Dividing the Loot. Li Hanxiao introduced Lü Fang and Wu Song to everyone.

"Brother Wu Song is recuperating at Liangshan. He is a close friend of mine, but he has not joined the Liangshan bandits. You should not make things difficult for him. If he needs anything, you should all be considerate."

Li Hanxiao instructed everyone to respect Wu Song, and then ordered someone to bring a tiger skin. That evening, he asked a tailor from the mountain to take Wu Song's measurements and make him a suit.

Holding the tiger skin, Wu Song listened to Li Hanxiao's arrangements, his eyes tightly closed, feeling increasingly uneasy.

It wasn't that he felt uncomfortable with Li Hanxiao's good feelings towards him, but rather that he felt guilty for not being able to repay Li Hanxiao's kindness.

"By the way, are there any carpenters on the mountain?"

Li Hanxiao suddenly asked.

"Brother, one of my brothers used to be a carpenter. Do you want some furniture made?"

"The Vajra in the Clouds," Song Wan asked.

Li Han smiled and shook his head. "No, no, no, I want to change the plaque of this Juyi Hall."

Everyone was puzzled by Li Hanxiao's actions and looked at him.

Li Hanxiao then looked at Wen Huanzhang and said, "Mr. Wen knows my thoughts best. Could you please answer some questions for everyone?"

Upon hearing this, Wen Huanzhang stepped forward and, with his characteristic air of commanding the world, slowly and deliberately said, "Gentlemen, what our lord means is that if we want to act on behalf of Heaven, we cannot rely solely on righteousness, but must uphold the right path, maintain integrity, and unite the people's hearts in order to accomplish great things."

Li Han smiled and said it was ingenious. "Mr. Wen really knows my heart. I think I should change this plaque to the four characters 'Upright and Bright,' and this place will be renamed the Hall of Upright and Bright.

"Fair and above board?"

Everyone, including Wen Huanzhang, hesitated slightly upon hearing this idiom.

Why? Because they had never heard of this phrase, "upright and honorable," which comes from Zhu Xi's "Collected Works of Zhu Xi, Volume 38, Reply to Zhou Yigong": "As for Fan Gong's heart, it is upright and honorable. He has no grudges, and his earnest righteousness is truly for the country."

Zhu Xi was a man from the Southern Song Dynasty. Now it was the Zhenghe era of the Northern Song Dynasty. Where would they have heard of this?

The plaque inscribed with "Upright and Bright" is familiar to later generations. It is the plaque that hangs high in the main hall of the Qianqing Palace. It was personally written by Emperor Shunzhi of the Qing Dynasty. Due to its special historical significance and the continuous portrayal in film and television works in recent years, it has almost become a major symbol of the Qing Dynasty. Behind this plaque is the "Establishment Box" that determines the fate of the crown prince. It has also appeared in many films and television dramas.

Li Hanxiao didn't like the Qing Dynasty, but he still highly approved of the meaning of the phrase "upright and honorable".

"Excellent, excellent! These four characters, 'upright and honorable,' have profound meaning. The Book of Changes says: 'Greatness is strength.' 'Uprightness and honorability reveal the nature of Heaven and Earth.' This comes from the commentary on the hexagram 'Great Strength' in the Book of Changes. 'Firmness and uprightness, assuming the imperial throne without guilt, are signs of brightness.' This comes from the commentary on the hexagram 'Lü' in the Book of Changes. This means that to achieve great things, one must emulate Heaven and Earth and conform to human nature, implying an open and honest heart and upright conduct. Brilliant!"

When Wen Huanzhang said this, everyone admired him and called Li Hanxiao a genius.

In reality, no one except Wen Huanzhang understood what Li Hanxiao meant, but after Wen Huanzhang's explanation, who could help but admire him?

Even Li Hanxiao was stunned. He didn't understand these allusions and hadn't thought about them at all. It was Wen Huanzhang who was so knowledgeable and had such a good memory that he gave him this high-level explanation, which was actually quite fitting.

"Very well, I hope that all of you brothers will keep these four words, 'upright and honorable,' in mind in your future actions!"

Li Hanxiao dismissed the crowd and led Wu Song to the back mountain. Lin Chong had already arranged for a small courtyard to be prepared next to Lin Chong's house for Wu Song to stay in.

"Brother Wu, you should stay here and rest. I will send some trusted men to take care of you. Just focus on recovering!"

Before Li Han could finish his joke, Lin Chong spoke up, "Chief, there's no need to trouble yourself. I'll have Jin'er come and take care of Brother Wu Song!"

Li Han smiled and nodded repeatedly, "That's right, Jin'er is your servant, sister-in-law. She's skilled in sewing, mending clothes, brewing medicine, and cooking. She's very meticulous. I just don't know about your sister-in-law's..."

"It's alright. We can handle our own affairs. Jin'er has ruined her life by coming up the mountain with us. If..."

Lin Chong leaned close to Li Hanxiao's ear and whispered his thoughts.

Li Hanxiao immediately understood: Lin Chong wanted to play matchmaker!

However, what he said was true. Jin'er had become a criminal after going up the mountain with the couple, and getting married had become a problem. She could only find a better person to marry in the mountains.

And what about Wu Song? He's a god-like figure descended to earth. If, while he's still ill, Jin'er were to come and serve him, showering him with care and concern, and perhaps even play matchmaker, things might actually work out...

"No, no, Instructor Brother, how can this be?"

Wu Song quickly refused, and at that moment, two people walked in from outside.

Li Hanxiao looked closely and saw that it was indeed Li Shishi and Lin Niangzi.

"Shishi, what brings you here?"

When Li Hanxiao saw Li Shishi enter, although the two of them were already engaged, they had not yet officially married, and Li Hanxiao had not spoken much to her.

“Young master, I heard that one of our brothers has contracted malaria and is recuperating on the mountain. My sister-in-law and I have prepared some chicken soup there and are sending some over to help this brother recover.”

As Li Shishi spoke, she placed a food box on the table.

"Brother, this is my wife!"

Lin Chong quickly began to explain.

"Wu Song greets sister-in-law!"

Wu Song quickly bowed, and Madam Lin said, "Uncle, you are too polite. You and my husband are brothers, so naturally you are my brothers. I have heard what my husband said just now, so let Jin'er take care of my brother!"

"Wu Song...thank you, sister-in-law!"

After meeting Lin Niangzi, Wu Song turned his attention to Li Shishi. Even though Wu Song was a god-like figure, he was quite surprised by Li Shishi's charm and his gaze lingered on her for a while longer.

"Second brother, who is this...?"

Wu Song asked.

"This is Miss Li Shishi, she's mine, mine..."

Li Hanxiao momentarily forgot how to describe a fiancée in classical Chinese, but when Wu Song saw Li Shishi standing close to him, he immediately realized what was going on, averted his gaze from Li Shishi, and knelt down prostrate, repeatedly saying, "Sister-in-law, Wu Song is rude! Wu Song is so rude!"

The saying goes, "One should not covet a friend's wife," and Wu Song adhered to the principle of "do not look at what is improper," daring not to glance at Li Shishi again.

Upon hearing Wu Song address her as "sister-in-law," Li Shishi smiled silently, leaned closer to Li Hanxiao, and quickly said, "Uncle, please rise. You flatter me."

"No, no, sister-in-law is truly a fairy from the moon palace. Second brother is so lucky to have such a wife!"

Wu Song maintained a bowing posture throughout, not daring to act presumptuously in the slightest.

"Uncle, you are so polite. I don't know what to do. When I was in the capital, I learned how to make nourishing medicinal cuisine and I know a little about pharmacology. The malaria you have is a disease that depletes your vital energy, so you need to be careful to nourish yourself. I will make some medicinal cuisine for you to try in the future and have Jin'er bring it to you."

"What virtue or ability do I possess? How dare I trouble you two sisters-in-law!"

Li Han smiled and pressed Wu Song down to sit. "Between brothers, let's not talk like strangers. Brother, rest well. We'll leave now and come see you again tomorrow, okay?"

"Respectfully seeing off my two elder brothers and sister-in-law!"

Wu Song saw the four men out, and Lin Chong and his wife went home to tell Jin'er. Li Hanxiao then asked Li Shishi, "You came to see Brother Wu Song, is this to help me..."

Li Shishi smiled gently, "Young master, Shishi is not a heartless or unreasonable person. How could Shishi not know what you are thinking when you treat this Brother Wu Song so kindly?"

"Young Master is destined for great things, and naturally he needs the help of heroes from all over the world. Shishi can't help you much, but she can win people's hearts and maintain relationships. If you can win the hearts of everyone, these brothers will become your trusted advisors in the future, which will greatly benefit your great cause..."

Upon hearing Li Shishi's words, Li Hanxiao knew that Li Shishi wanted to help him win over Wu Song's heart and actively maintain his interpersonal relationships.

This is also very important. For example, Empress Ma, the wife of Zhu Yuanzhang of the Ming Dynasty, was the link between the emperor and his subjects, maintaining the relationship between Zhu Yuanzhang and his subordinates. Whether they were old ministers or adopted sons, they all received meticulous care from Empress Ma, both at home and outside, which objectively made everyone more loyal to her.

Li Hanxiao couldn't help but sigh. Since ancient times, the imperial harem has been filled with either vying for favor, interfering in politics, and fighting for power. How many empresses could truly help the emperor make up for his shortcomings?

Li Shishi genuinely wanted to help him, to mend things that were beyond his capabilities or that were difficult to do in every aspect.

This is simply too rare! She has the demeanor of a virtuous wife.

Li Hanxiao couldn't help but sigh with emotion. He reached out and took Li Shishi's soft hand, saying, "With a wife like this, what more could a husband ask for? I truly feel like Emperor Taizong of Tang had his eldest grandson, or Emperor Hongwu had Lady Ma!"

"Hongwu? Madam Ma? Young master, who is this?"

Li Shishi's question also made Li Hanxiao realize the problem in his words. It was the Song Dynasty, and he was talking about the affairs of Emperor Taizong of Tang and Empress Zhangsun. Li Shishi must know about it.

However, the story of Emperor Hongwu Zhu Yuanzhang and his wife Empress Ma would not happen for several centuries until the Ming Dynasty, which followed the Song Dynasty, so Li Shishi was naturally unaware of it.

"It's nothing...it's nothing...it's cool in the evening on the mountain, I'll take you back to rest..."

"Shishi has also specially prepared a white fungus and lotus seed soup for you, young master. Would you like a bowl?"

"Okay! I'll go right away!"