I was a conman in the Ming Dynasty.

Chapter 420: Forced into danger

Chapter 420 Forced to Join the Liangshan Rebels

When Wang Wenzhou saw Liu Xiaohua in Liu Rushi's arms, tears welled up in his eyes. That bastard Gao Yingxiang, his heart is truly black.

"Come here, let this old man give you a hug," Gao Yingxiang said with a smile.

The babies, unaware of the reason, thought Wang Wenzhou had brought them over for a family reunion. Liu Rushi handed Liu Xiaohua to Gao Yingxiang, and Chen Yuanyuan also handed Sun Xiaohua, whom she was holding, to Gao Yingxiang.

Holding a small flower in each arm, Gao Yingxiang said happily, "Boxin, I adore your two sons. Which of my grandsons do you plan to have succeed you to the throne in the future?"

Upon hearing this, Liu Rushi frowned and looked at Wang Wenzhou in confusion. "My darling, what's wrong with you now? What throne?"

“Father, I leave the decision entirely to you. Whichever grandson you favor, the throne will naturally be passed on to him,” Wang Wenzhou said with a smile.

Upon hearing this, Liu Rushi's expression changed. Just as she was about to slap Wang Wenzhou, Wang Ying quickly stopped her and whispered, "Sister Liu Rushi, please don't be angry. Your husband is only acting out of expediency."

Liu Rushi suddenly realized that her enemy's children and women were now Gao Yingxiang's hostages. Given his character, he was capable of anything, not just rebellion, but even regicide. What should she do?

"Haha!" Gao Yingxiang laughed loudly, "I like both of these grandsons very much. Lan'er, you have to work harder. You and Boxin have been married for more than a year, why is there still no sign of pregnancy?"

Gao Guilan pouted and said aggrievedly, "How should I know? I've been hoping to have a baby for Uncle every day, but I just can't get pregnant. There's nothing I can do!"

"You all probably haven't eaten yet, let's eat together! Someone, bring another table of dishes," Gao Yingxiang ordered.

The meal was very awkward. Except for Gao Guilan, all the children looked worried and sad. They all understood that they had become hostages.

Although Wang Wenzhou appeared carefree and jovial on the surface, he was inwardly conflicted. In reality, it didn't matter to him who was emperor, especially since Gao Yingxiang was his father-in-law. Logically speaking, if Gao Yingxiang became emperor, he, as the son-in-law, could be even more arrogant and no one would dare to offend him.

However, this month-long trip to Shaanxi, during which he closely observed the lives of the people of Shaanxi, brought a tremendous shock to Wang Wenzhou's soul.

For Wang Wenzhou, who had traveled from the future to the Ming Dynasty and had never experienced hunger, many things were simply unimaginable before he witnessed them firsthand. When people are starving to a certain point, they no longer consider dignity or morality; they are not only willing to sell their bodies but also to exchange children for food.

Starving people will eat grass and even gnaw on tree bark. Driven mad by hunger, they are worse off than cattle and sheep, which don't even gnaw on tree bark.

Now that Zhu Youjian has some money, with his assistance, it's truly possible he won't become a ruler who brings about the downfall of his country. Compared to the Qing Dynasty, Wang Wenzhou still quite likes the Ming Dynasty. At least the Ming Dynasty wouldn't raise its arms and shout: "Better to give to friendly nations than to our slaves!"

Gao Yingxiang also noticed the awkward situation. Apart from his beloved daughter, who was overjoyed, everyone else looked worried. Gao Yingxiang understood, after all, Wang Wenzhou was a nobleman of the Ming Dynasty, and a first-class duke. Moreover, he was deeply trusted by Zhu Youjian. He had no choice but to bring Wang Wenzhou onto the ship.

Although Gao Yingxiang had not yet clashed with Sun Chuanting, their spies had already exchanged blows several times in recent days. Gao Yingxiang's spies had been utterly defeated; any escape unscathed was considered a victory. Gao Yingxiang took Sun Chuanting's Qin soldiers very seriously. After analyzing the advantages and disadvantages, he concluded that only by binding Wang Wenzhou to his chariot could he capture Xi'an. Otherwise, it would likely be as Wang Wenzhou had predicted—that he would be defeated by Sun Chuanting.

"Everyone has eaten their fill, so I'll take my leave. Boxin, you must give me an answer tomorrow regarding the matter we just discussed," Gao Yingxiang said, standing up.

"Father, rest assured, with our combined efforts, Zhu Youjian will only have the chance to be cleaned up and then be stabbed!" Wang Wenzhou said earnestly.

"Haha!" Gao Yingxiang laughed loudly, "Well said! When father and son are of one mind, their strength can break metal! I'll take my leave now!"

"Father, please take care!" Wang Wenzhou respectfully saw Gao Yingxiang off at the door.

When Wang Wen turned around on Monday, he noticed that something was off. Liu Rushi was staring intently at him with a serious expression.

"Ru Ru, don't be angry!" Wang Wenzhou immediately knelt down and hugged Liu Ru Shi's leg tightly.

“Wang Wenzhou, if you want to be a traitor, I won’t stop you. But I don’t want my Liu Xiaohua to be called the son of a traitor!” Liu Rushi said coldly.

“Ruru, since ancient times, the victor is king and the loser is villain. If Gao Yingxiang succeeds in his rebellion, he will pass the throne to me, and of course I will pass it to my Liu Xiaohua!” Wang Wenzhou said with a smile.

"No!" Gao Guilan exclaimed hurriedly, "Uncle, you can't do this! The throne must be passed on to our son, Gao Xiaohua!"

Wang Wenzhou shook his head with a wry smile. "Little Lanlan, what are you doing causing trouble? Your Gao Xiaohua isn't even ready to be born yet!"

"Little Lanlan, be good! When Gao Xiaohua is born, the throne will definitely be passed to him!" Wang Wenzhou said seriously.

"Mmm!" Gao Guilan nodded in satisfaction.

Liu Rushi said coldly, "Wang Wenzhou, do you really want to be emperor?"

“Ruru, don’t you understand me? I wouldn’t even be a god if I could sleep with a pretty girl, so why would I want to be emperor? With great power comes great responsibility. Although I’m not a good person, I can’t bear to see the people living in misery. This is just a temporary measure, isn’t it? That bastard Lao Gao arrested you all and took you hostage. How could I dare to oppose him?” Wang Wenzhou explained.

“Sister Lan, this matter started because of you. If it weren’t for you, my husband wouldn’t have risked his life to come here. Now only you can save him!” Liu Rushi said to Gao Guilan in a serious tone.

“Sister Liu Rushi, what’s wrong with letting your husband join my father in rebellion and become emperor?” Gao Guilan asked in return.

"Sigh..." Liu Rushi shook her head with a bitter smile. She really couldn't say that she was loyal to the emperor and loved her country as the daughter of the bandit leader.

Liu Rushi thought for a moment and then said, "Sister Lan, you've also been to school. Throughout thousands of years of history, only two ordinary people have risen to power through rebellion and seized the throne: Liu Bang, the founder of the Han Dynasty, and Zhu Yuanzhang, the founder of the Ming Dynasty. All the others met a tragic end. My husband is already a Duke, and he has everything he needs for fame and fortune. Why should he risk his life by rebelling?"

"Hmph!" Gao Guilan snorted coldly, saying disdainfully, "You little bitch, how can a sparrow know the ambitions of a swan!"

"Pfft..." Wang Wenzhou was completely dumbfounded. This naive and innocent girl can even use classical allusions!

Liu Rushi glared at Wang Wenzhou, her eyes conveying, "Your woman, you're the one who's fooling yourself!"

Wang Wenzhou nodded, stood up, hugged Gao Guilan and kissed her, saying, "Little Lanlan, the cause of rebellion is too risky! If you want to rebel, you have to go to the battlefield. If I get shot dead by an arrow on the battlefield, you'll become a widow! I'll never be able to seduce you again!"

"Huh?" Gao Guilan stared blankly at Wang Wenzhou with her big eyes. Was it that dangerous?

Wang Wenzhou continued his deception, saying, "Even if I'm lucky enough to survive the battlefield, what if I get castrated? Then I won't be able to seduce you anymore!"

"Is it that dangerous?" Gao Guilan asked.

“Yes! How easy is it to be an emperor? If it were easy, everyone would be an emperor,” Wang Wenzhou said.

"What should we do now?" Gao Guilan asked.

Wang Wenzhou thought for a moment and said, "Fortunately, Jiaojiao is leading the troops outside, so she wasn't tricked into coming in this time. Xiaolanlan, sneak out and tell Jiaojiao to send a special forces battalion to airdrop in and rescue us."

"Okay!" Gao Guilan nodded and said, "I'll take care of it right away."