Chapter 227 Traitors in Chaotic Times (Part 3): How to Become a Super Strategist...

Song Ce's eyes narrowed; this fellow was clearly trying to extort money from him. He lowered his gaze to hide his emotions and said calmly, "Brother, I am just a poor scholar who has wasted my youth and does not engage in any productive work. I am truly penniless."

"What? You don't have any money to offer as a tribute?"

Upon hearing this, the scarred soldier's face immediately changed. He sneered and said sarcastically, "Since you have no money today, then go home! Come back to Pingzhou County to get medicine for your old mother when you've saved up enough!"

Song Ce stood still, staring at the scarred soldier's fleshy face, and suddenly chuckled softly. The laugh wasn't loud, but it made the soldier who was about to shove him instinctively stop.

"You damn pretty boy, how dare you laugh at me?" The scarred soldier spat and glared at him.

Song Ce shook his head, then looked up with a harmless smile: "Don't be impatient. Although I'm penniless, I've learned a bit about fortune telling."

"Tch, you think you can take me?"

“Yes, just me.” Song Ce smiled, then solemnly calculated with his fingers, and said to the scarred soldier in a slow and steady manner, “Your name is Wang Dashan, from You County. You have two younger brothers and a younger sister, Wang Ershu, Wang Sancao, and Wang Xiaohua. Am I correct?”

Wang Dashan was stunned for a moment, then glared fiercely at Song Ce. "That's it? Go out and ask around. Who in the entire Pingzhou doesn't know my name, Wang Dashan? What kind of skill is it to be able to say all this?"

Song Ce smiled slightly, "You are twenty-four years old this year. Your father broke his leg three years ago and is unable to take care of himself. Your mother was heartbroken and eventually went blind from crying. As a filial son, you took the little money your family had and said you wanted to come to the county to find a famous doctor to treat your parents, is that right?"

"How...how do you know? Who are you?" Wang Dashan's voice tightened, and he unconsciously loosened his grip on the hilt of the knife.

Two soldiers who had been watching the commotion gathered around. One of them, a short, stout, and chubby soldier, shouted, "Brother Dashan, listen to this pretty boy spouting nonsense! In my opinion, he's probably just overheard some gossip!"

"That's right, that's right!"

Song Ce ignored the two of them and stared into Wang Dashan's eyes: "You've been away from home for three years, selfish and self-serving. You took the family's life-saving money and ran away to make a living. All you do is extort money from the villagers and frequent gambling dens. You've really wasted your life!"

"Do you know that your father's leg ailment was not serious to begin with, but because of lack of money, it was delayed for three years, and now he probably can't even get out of bed; your mother waits anxiously at the door every day, still unwilling to believe that you have abandoned this family and secretly run away! And your younger brothers and sisters, they can't even get a bowl of wild vegetable soup every day, and they probably don't have many days left to live."

"Let me ask you, in these past three years, have you slept soundly at night?"

Wang Dashan abruptly took half a step back, his face instantly turning a deep purplish-red. His hand trembled as he pointed at Song Ce, and after a long pause, he gritted his teeth and managed to squeeze out, "You...you're talking nonsense!"

"Whether I'm talking nonsense or not, you know best in your heart."

Song Ce took half a step forward and said loudly, "Wang Dashan, as a son, you abandoned your parents on their sickbeds, which is unfilial; as an elder brother, you abandoned your younger siblings, which is inhumane; as a soldier, you abused your power to bully the weak and extort the people, which is unjust! As a man, you have no sense of responsibility at all. Such behavior is intolerable to heaven and earth! I want to ask the commander of the Meng family army stationed in this city, how much loyalty can such an unfilial, inhumane, and unjust coward have?"

Wang Dashan stammered "you you you" for a long time, but couldn't utter a single word.

Seeing Wang Dashan's demeanor, the two soldiers beside him dared not speak up, fearing that this seemingly innocent but actually formidable young man would expose their true intentions. The chubby soldier scratched his head and quietly pulled his companion aside to whisper, "Luo Zi, do you think Brother Dashan is feeling guilty? Could it be that what this young man... uh, the scholar said is true?"

The companion curled his lip and muttered, "Tsk, it doesn't look fake to me."

At this moment, crowds of onlookers had gathered on both sides of the city gate. Wang Dashan dared not utter any more threats, fearing that the commotion would escalate and be discovered by his superiors. He suppressed his fear and moved aside, making way for the city gate behind him: "You, you can go in."

Song Ce smiled, said nothing more, and turned to walk into the city.

As the commotion at the city gate gradually subsided, in a low-key carriage under the shade of trees, a richly dressed and handsome young man lifted a corner of the carriage curtain with a folding fan and nodded to a burly man in black beside him.

"Tianxi, what do you think? Does what this person is saying seem true?"

The man in black stared expressionlessly at Song Ce's retreating figure and said in a deep voice, "I think it's true, at least 80% believable."

“In that case, this scholar is quite interesting.” The wealthy young man waved his folding fan with great interest. “To be able to know this soldier’s background so clearly, either he was prepared in advance, or… he really has some ability.”

The man in black nodded slightly, then turned and instructed, "Lu Ying, have your men keep a close eye on this person and see what he's up to once he enters the city."

"Alright!" the wealthy young man replied, then asked, "Should we investigate where this person came from?"

"Investigate." The man in black gently closed his eyes, his voice barely audible: "If he is innocent and trustworthy, he might be able to be used by us in the future."

Pingzhou County has always been stagnant, but the sudden appearance of such an interesting figure has certainly piqued their interest.

On the other side, Song Ce seemed unaware that someone was following him and walked straight into a medical clinic called "Huichuntang".

At this moment, the young apprentice at the clinic saw someone enter and quickly greeted him, "Sir, are you here to get medicine or to see a doctor?"

"Get the medicine."

"Please give me the prescription, sir, so I can get the medicine according to the prescription."

Song Ce shook his head and said frankly, "If there's no prescription, I'll tell you; you just need to get the medicine."

Upon hearing this, the apprentice frowned slightly, thinking to himself, "Is this bookworm here to cause trouble? How can he get the medicine without a prescription? What if something goes wrong?" Just as he was about to make up an excuse, he saw his manager, Manager Lin, strolling into the pharmacy, stroking his beard.

"I never expected that the young master is not only proficient in fortune telling, but also has some insights into medical principles."

Song Ce bowed slightly to Manager Lin: "Sir, you flatter me. I only have a superficial understanding."

Shopkeeper Lin waved his hand, "Young sir, there's no need to be so modest. I saw everything that happened at the city gate just now. But I wonder if you could read your prescription to me?"

Song Ce nodded and immediately recited a prescription that could cure his mother's persistent cough.

Shopkeeper Lin was taken aback. "Young sir, this prescription is more effective than the usual throat lozenges. However, you're currently short of funds, and it might not be easy for you to raise the money for the medicine. How about you do a fortune telling for me today, as payment for this consultation?"

Song Ce paused, "Since the manager has this intention, I will naturally comply."

Manager Lin laughed heartily, signaling his apprentice to wait at the entrance of the hall. He then sat down on a wooden chair and said calmly, "I would like to know how long I will live, how my relationship with the Second Madam will be, and what my son's future prospects will be. Please speak frankly, young sir."

Song Ce nodded, gazing at Manager Lin's ruddy face, and said softly, "Firstly, Manager Lin's lifespan is uncertain, but he will eventually return to his roots; secondly, you and the Second Madam will stay together until old age, never leaving each other; thirdly, power is like smoke and clouds, and when the time is right, your son will naturally obtain it."

As soon as he finished speaking, Manager Lin's smiling face immediately darkened.

"Young sir, many people have already witnessed your true skills at the city gate. Why are you trying to appease this old man with these empty words?"

Song Ce smiled gently and said calmly, "Shopkeeper, in my opinion, you are seeking divination because you have doubts. Everyone wants to avoid misfortune and seek good fortune, but the diviner said: fortune and misfortune are interdependent, and good and bad are mutually reinforcing. If there is too much good fortune, it will also be a disaster for you. You are now at the age of knowing your destiny, so there is really no need for fortune telling."

After a long pause, Manager Lin finally looked up at Song Ce: "You young sir, you speak so succinctly. Alright, alright, take this medicine! Your mother's illness still needs proper care. If there are any problems, you can come back to Huichuntang to find me again."

"Thank you very much, shopkeeper. I will definitely repay your kindness in providing this medicine in the future."

Although Manager Lin was somewhat skeptical, he still smiled and agreed. "Well, let's consider this a good deed done today!"

After leaving the pharmacy, Song Ce didn't linger and headed back towards the village. He had only crossed one street when he was stopped by four burly men in brown clothes at a corner.

"Sir, my young master requests your presence."

Song Ce paused, then said calmly, "Your young master? I am but a country bumpkin, and I do not know your young master."

The burly man at the head of the group cupped his hands and said in a deep voice, "My young master said that if politeness fails, then we will have to resort to force. As long as you are willing to come inside the mansion, we will not harm you in the slightest."

"In that case, please lead the way, T."

After walking for about fifteen minutes, the group stopped in front of a vermilion gate. The burly man leading the group stepped forward, pushed open the gate, and gestured for them to enter.

"Sir, please come in."

Song Ce took a deep breath, straightened his back, and stepped inside.

The burly man led him to an exquisite and elegant waterside pavilion. Inside the pavilion was a stone table with a jade chessboard that looked extremely valuable. The wealthy young man named Lu Ying sat facing the two of them. He casually shuffled the chess pieces on the board and began to set up a new layout.

"Young master, the master has arrived."

Upon hearing this, Lu Ying laughed heartily and stood up to greet him, saying, "Please take a seat, sir! My name is Lu Ying. I apologize for inviting you here today!"

Song Ce nodded and sat down on the stone bench opposite Lu Ying, getting straight to the point: "I wonder what brings Young Master Lu here to seek my advice?"

Lu Ying did not answer directly, but instead asked with a smile, "I wouldn't call it a lecture, but there's one thing I don't understand. Just now at the city gate, how did you know the details of that soldier?"

Song Ce: "It's just a calculation."

A flicker of surprise flashed across Lu Ying's eyes: "Fortune telling? Is it really that accurate?"

"A trivial skill, not worth mentioning."

"No, no, no!" Lu Ying leaned forward slightly and said with utmost sincerity, "I was fortunate enough to witness your true skills just now, and I am deeply impressed. The army is currently in dire need of manpower. I wonder if you would be willing to stay and serve my Meng family army?"

Meng Family Army? So... it was them.

Song Ce smiled faintly and shook his head in refusal, saying, "Thank you for your kind offer, Young Master Lu, but my ambitions lie elsewhere."

Upon hearing this, Lu Ying's expression immediately changed.

“Ambition?” Lu Ying paused for a moment, then asked, “What are your ambitions, sir?”

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Author's Note: [Cat emoji]