Chapter 194: I am the Maitreya, the savior of the world

Dusk, tranquil.

In a large mansion, Qu You vigorously wielded the brush, splashing ink onto the rice paper, inscribing ten large characters: “Kill officials to welcome chaotic times, chaotic times bring Maitreya.” He admired the brushstrokes, nodding in satisfaction.

Two people approached, pulling the rice paper into a banner and displaying it to the crowd.

Qu You, solemn-faced, addressed the people in the courtyard, “Ladies and gentlemen, though the Ming dynasty exists, Maitreya has not appeared. Zhu Yuanzhang is a butcher of thousands; in his presence, darkness shrouds the heavens and earth, and the sun and moon lose their light.”

“Zhu Yuanzhang is a villain, and his descendants are no different! We should turn our hearts towards the lotus, face the tribulations, and with loyal blood, bring about a great change in this world! For brothers, for sisters, for future generations, for countless lives, let us kill the officials and rebel, create chaos, and welcome Maitreya!”

“Create chaos, welcome Maitreya!”

The crowd shouted in hushed tones.

At this moment, Qiu Dalai received a message, approached Qu You, whispered a few words, and after hearing, Qu You solemnly said, “Tell everyone this good news.”

Qiu Dalai looked at the crowd and shouted, “Our people placed in the county office have reported that countless people in the county are starving to death, with only a few able to stand.”

“Haha, see that? The court is incompetent and corrupt, and now, we shall save the world. Let us embrace those on the verge of death, into our ranks! May the sun and moon shine forever, and the lotus blossom for the Buddha!”

“May the sun and moon shine forever, and the lotus blossom for the Buddha!”

The crowd shouted, blood boiling, their voices echoing out of the mansion.

“Now, I command Jiu Yue to lead two hundred men, block the city gates, control Dingyuan City, and not allow anyone to leave or enter! Wu Yuan and Qiu Dalai, each lead one hundred and fifty men, split into two groups, break through the county office gate!”

Qu You looked up at the sky; dusk had passed, and darkness had fallen.

Brightness is born from darkness, and now that darkness has arrived, brightness is not far away.

“Take action!”

Qu You shouted loudly.

The crowd followed orders, surging out in different directions.

Dingyuan County Office.

Tang Buping hurriedly entered the hall and reported to Yu Xin, “My lord, there’s movement in the city.”

Yu Xin squinted his eyes and slowly said, “It’s about time. Open the gates and let them in.”

Tang Buping hesitated and said, “But, my lord, we’re short on manpower. Once they enter the office, the situation may be hard to control.”

Yu Xin raised his hand and said, “Follow the orders.”

Seeing this, Tang Buping had no choice but to withdraw.

Huang Zicheng looked at the empty tea bowl, shook his head helplessly, and said casually, “It seems their intention is not for wealth but for lives. Secretary Yu, whether we can return to the capital alive depends on you.”

“In the over thirty years since the founding of the Ming dynasty, there are still undercurrents beneath the calm surface. I don’t know which force this person belongs to.”

Jing Qing expressed some concern.

“We’ll find out when we meet.”

Yu Xin said slowly.

In the courtyard of the yamen, Li Laosan, Li Jiu, and many others lay on the ground like everyone else.

“Old squad leader, what are these officials thinking? Why do they insist on making us lie down all day? My back can’t take it anymore.”

Li Jiu muttered.

Li Laosan turned his head, glanced at Li Jiu rubbing his nose, and whispered, “You always like to sleep. Now that you can sleep to your heart’s content, aren’t you happy?”

Li Jiu, feeling downcast, said, “I like to sleep with my own wife, but my wife left the city long ago. Should I sleep with you?”

“Get lost! Dare to touch me, and I’ll chop off your hand.”

Li Laosan kicked Li Jiu.

“Did you hear that?”

Li Jiu suddenly became serious.

Shouts of killing came from the distance, getting closer.

Li Laosan took a deep breath and gritted his teeth, “Is this the group that bought up the grain, making us unable to eat? It seems the government’s words were right; some people want to starve us to death.”

Li Jiu felt the stick hidden behind his waist, grinned, and said, “The government is good to us, we can’t let them down. Old squad leader, you fought in wars back in the day, can you still fight?”

Li Laosan gave Li Jiu a disdainful look and said, “Bully me for being old? Believe it or not, I can handle ten of you effortlessly. Back in the day, I faced three thousand enemies alone in the Yuan army, and it was a piece of cake.”

“Yes, you and your eight thousand men went to fight three thousand, but you ran away leaving only one person to face three thousand. Facing three thousand alone, I am well aware… Otherwise, you wouldn’t have had a chance to join the Red Army.”

Li Jiu exposed Li Laosan.

Li Laosan was about to retort when he heard a commotion at the office gate. Soon, people holding torches and weapons rushed in, scanning the motionless refugees on the ground, shouting, “Capture the court officials, create chaos, welcome Maitreya!”

“This slogan?”

Li Laosan frowned, as if he had heard it somewhere before.

Wu Yuan and Qiu Dalai entered the county office hall. In the hall, there was only one seated Grand Secretariat’s secretary, Yu Xin, and a standing security bureau officer, Tang Buping.

After surrounding the two, Wu Yuan and Qiu Dalai walked slowly towards them.

Holding a tea bowl, Yu Xin calmly looked at Wu Yuan and asked, “Is the food you prepared ready?”

Wu Yuan signaled for Qiu Dala to go to the back hall to arrest people, then dropped his crutch, walked steadily, and said, “The demeanor of a Grand Secretaria’s secretary is indeed extraordinary. In such a situation, you can still leisurely drink tea.”

Yu Xin spat out a tea leaf and smiled, “Tea calms the mind and sharpens judgment. I wonder if Elder Wu enjoys tea?”

“Yu Xin, stop pretending to be calm. Let me tell you, Dingyuan City is now in my hands. You are nothing more than a turtle in a jar, and your life and death are in my hands!”

Wu Yuan threatened loudly.

Yu Xin shook his head and said, “A turtle in a jar? Hehe, if Dingyuan City is a jar, you are in the jar too. If this county office is a jar, then you are in the same boat. As for who is the turtle, it’s not certain yet.”

“No one in the back hall.”

Qiu Dalai walked over, glanced at Yu Xin, and said to Wu Yuan, “Let me kill him! Then we can go after other officials!”

Wu Yuan shook his head and said, “He is a high-ranking official of the court. We need to tie him to a pillar in front of the people, use the raging fire to send him to hell! Tie him up!”

“Let’s see who dares!”

Yu Xin stood up and suddenly smashed the tea bowl.

The surrounding people, witnessing Yu Xin’s imposing manner, involuntarily took two steps back.

Long-term authority carries its own power.

Yu Xin looked coldly at the crowd and said sternly, “Now that the people are suffering, instead of releasing grain to help them, you are planning rebellion under the pretext of disaster! I think you all don’t want to live!”

“Haha, we are rebelling against the Ming! What are you waiting for? Tie him up!”

The crowd approached.

Security bureau pacification officer Tang Buping was about to draw his sword, but someone held him at bay with a knife and fork, and shouted, “I am also a high-ranking official of the court.”

“Tie them together. At dawn, light the lotus flower and welcome the light!”

Wu Yuan’s eyes brightened, and he quickly gave the order.

Seeing the two being captured, Qiu Dalai relaxed and kicked both Yu Xin and Tang Buping, saying fiercely, “Want to eat grain? Disgusting! You wicked people don’t deserve to eat the food of Red Sun!”

Tang Buping stared coldly at Qiu Dalai, as if looking at a dead man.

“Elder Wu, Huang Zicheng, Jing Qing, Mao Taiheng, and others are not here. What should we do next?”

Qiu Dalai, after venting his anger, sought guidance.

“Dingyuan City is sealed; they can’t escape. Since the situation is settled, arrange for people to take out the grain. Let us save the world and make these people our brothers and sisters.”

Wu Yuan had a smile on his face.

The situation was even more smooth than imagined, whether they were refugees or officials, none of them had the strength or courage to resist.

The wind in this world carried the laughter of Maitreya.

Qu You received the reports from Wu Yuan and Jiu Yue. Dingyuan City was easily taken, and the county office offered no resistance. Everything went remarkably smoothly.

With Yu Xin captured, that was his biggest gain.

As for Huang Zicheng, Jing Qing, and the others, they must be hiding in fear. Once they gathered this batch of refugees and conducted a thorough search, finding and capturing them would not be difficult.

Now, the overall situation was settled!

Qu You walked out of the courtyard with more than ten guards and arrived outside the county office. He coldly looked at Yu Xin and Tang Buping, who were tied to the pillars, with a pile of firewood stacked nearby.

“Secretary Yu, long time no see,” Qu You said lightly.

Yu Xin raised his head, looked at Qu You, his pupils slightly dilated, and exclaimed in surprise, “You are Master Gu Jin? Qu You, Qu Zongji!”

Qu You laughed heartily, full of satisfaction in his laughter.

Struggling, Yu Xin looked at Qu You, gnashing his teeth in hatred.

Ten years ago, Qu You was just an assistant teacher at the Imperial Academy, but his writing style was too flamboyant and explicit, causing quite a few troubles. In the end, he was beaten by the chancellor, Song Ne, and driven out.

Yu Xin had seen Qu You at the Imperial Academy. Although many years had passed, his appearance remained the same, and Yu Xin recognized him at a glance.

“Master Gu Jin? Haha, I don’t deserve that title. Now that you’re fish on the chopping block, and I hold the knife, I advise you, if you don’t want to die, abandon the darkness and join the light, submit to me.”

Qu You extended an invitation.

Yu Xin laughed heartily, “Abandon the darkness and join the light? I am originally a subject of Ming. Why should I submit to the light? If you want to burn me, it’s easy, but don’t forget, there are many of my guards in Dingyuan City!”

“They’ve already run away.”

Qu You sneered at Yu Xin and said, “The soldiers of Ming are so fragile. At the slightest disturbance, they swarm and flee. With such Ming, not winning the people’s hearts, only those who carry the White Lotus and serve Maitreya can truly enjoy the light and bathe in the Red Sun’s rays.”

“White Lotus, Maitreya?! White Lotus Sect! You’ve joined the White Lotus Sect!”

At this moment, Yu Xin finally understood who his opponent was.

It wasn’t an individual; it was a sect!

Everything made sense now.

“The joy of White Lotus Pond is something you can never understand. Since you don’t submit to us, then be prepared to leave your last words.”

Qu You said coldly.

Yu Xin lowered his head in despair, saying, “No wonder you can control Dingyuan City. I just don’t understand, if you’re not Master Gu Jin, then who is Master Gu Jin?”

“Haha, the real identity of Master Gu Jin is not something scoundrels like you can comprehend. Yu Xin, look carefully. When the first ray of light appears, you will see that the people are all standing behind me, becoming the power of the Red Sun. After killing you, we will seize Chuzhou and march to Nanjing!”

Qu You shouted with a hint of madness.

In the distance, White Lotus Sect disciples brought bags of grain and set up large pots to cook porridge. Some people urged the refugees to stand up and queue, then loudly shouted, “Join the White Lotus, become my brother, help each other, and enjoy a life of abundance…”

Li Laosan and Li Jiu used their sticks as canes, standing in line.

Li Jiu whispered, “Old squad leader, they’ve brought the grain. When do we…”

Li Laosan glared at Li Jiu and said, “Wait until we’re full to settle scores, Can’t you differentiate between first and second?”

“But if we eat, won’t we become followers of the White Lotus Sect?”

“Spit! This is relief grain from the granary. We’re eating the government’s rice. What does it have to do with them?”

“But they still give us white hats?”

“After so many of our people died, isn’t it appropriate to wear a white hat to mourn?”

Li Laosan looked at the big pot, and his stomach growled.

Qu You watched as more and more refugees wore white hats, held bowls of porridge, and their faces showed increasing joy. He turned around and said to Yu Xin, “Zhu Yuanzhang was originally a White Lotus Sect follower, but he betrayed the doctrine and banned the White Lotus. This land is not worthy of the word ‘Ming’!”