Water Margin: From a White-Robed Scholar to Donning the Yellow Robe

Chapter 35 Ximen the Great

When Wang Lun heard the phrase "Master Ximen," he couldn't help but laugh.

Yanggu County is truly a magical place. Wu Dalang, Wu Erlang, Ximen Qing, and Pan Jinlian are all major characters in "Water Margin" that many people either love or hate.

From a fair perspective, Ximen Qing was indeed a handsome man, and in the small Yanggu County, he could be considered outstanding.

After following for a while, they saw Ximen Qing arrive at a small teahouse. An old woman was sitting at the entrance of the teahouse. Her face was full of wrinkles, but she wore a hairpin with a small red flower on her head, which was very eye-catching.

Wang Lun narrowed his eyes slightly. "Oh my, this is Granny Wang."

Ximen Qing and Wang Po were already quite familiar with each other, so they didn't say much. They only exchanged a glance before Ximen Qing went inside.

Wang Lun smiled slightly, strode over, and gave Wang Po a Taoist salute from afar, saying with a smile, "This must be the famous Wang Po Teahouse, right? Are you Wang Po?"

Granny Wang seemed to have no interest in doing business. She looked Wang Lun and Gongsun Sheng up and down with her eyes and said, "We're not doing business today. Go somewhere else."

Wang Lun quickly said, "But I'm afraid we won't pay for the tea. Granny Wang's tea is delicious; everyone in the surrounding area knows it. Please don't turn us away."

Granny Wang's face darkened, and she said, "Go somewhere else. This old woman isn't doing business today."

Just then, a person behind them timidly asked, "Godmother, are we having guests?"

Wang Lun turned around and saw a young woman walking towards him, dressed in a light brown dress. Her eyebrows were long and thin like willow leaves, her face was delicate and fair with a rosy glow, her cheeks were pink and rosy, and her waist was slender. She walked with a graceful gait, showing the gentleness of a woman.

Even Wang Lun, who comes from the 21st century and has seen many beautiful women, was immediately struck by her beauty and couldn't take his eyes off her.

He knew that this must be Pan Jinlian without a doubt.

Previously, when reading books, I couldn't imagine what kind of beauty Pan Jinlian was through the words alone.

Now that I'm standing right in front of her, I truly understand the allure of Pan Jinlian.

He couldn't help but sigh, "Master Ximen is so lucky! Who wouldn't love a woman like that?"

Pan Jinlian noticed that Wang Lun was staring intently at her, so she also looked up at him and saw that he was also a handsome man with a face like jade and an extraordinary demeanor. She couldn't help but take another look at him.

Noticing the longing in their eyes, Granny Wang immediately came out, glared at Wang Lun, and said, "Yes, I don't know where this Taoist priest came from, insisting on having tea here."

Pan Jinlian nodded slightly to Wang Lun and walked inside, saying, "I have some questions about the needlework I learned from my godmother a few days ago, so I've come to bother her again."

Granny Wang glared at Wang Lun again and said, "Did you hear that? I really have something to do, so I'm not opening for business today."

She and Pan Jinlian entered the teahouse and then immediately closed the door.

Wang Lun looked at the closed teahouse and sighed.

Gongsun Sheng said, "Brother, do you like that young lady? I'll call Yang Zhi and Zhao Si to capture her and bring her to warm your bed."

Wang Lun feigned anger and said, "Foolish! That's Wu Erlang's sister-in-law. Do you think I, Wang Lun, am that kind of person?"

He and Gongsun Sheng walked at a distance and hid behind a tree.

Gongsun Sheng scratched his head: "Brother, why are we hiding here?"

Wang Lun shook his head and said, "Catch them in the act. But I don't know how to do it. I need to think about it some more. But it's always good to observe for a while first."

He wanted to save Wu Dalang, win over Wu Song, and get rid of the tyrant Ximen Qing for Yangguxia.

But if Wu Dalang hadn't died, Wu Song wouldn't have killed Ximen Qing.

Should I find a pretext to kill Ximen Qing myself?

After thinking for a while, Wang Lun had a vague idea in his mind. Just then, he saw a boy carrying a basket of pears walking over, his eyes darting around Wang Po's teahouse with a sly look.

Yun Ge.

He had long discovered Pan Jinlian's affair with Ximen Qing, and coupled with his father's illness, he wanted to extort money from Ximen Qing, but ended up getting beaten up by Ximen Qing instead.

Wang Lun then gave Gongsun Sheng a wink, and Gongsun Sheng stepped forward and pulled Yun Ge over.

Upon seeing that it was the kind-hearted Wang Lun, Yun Ge immediately knelt down and kowtowed.

Wang Lun pulled him up abruptly, his face grim: "What are you doing here?"

Yun Ge's eyes darted around: "I...I sell pears."

Wang Lun snorted coldly and said, "The money I gave you is enough for your medical treatment. Hurry up and go buy medicine for your father."

Yun Ge hesitated.

Wang Lun continued, "You don't need to concern yourself with Wu Dalang's family affairs anymore. Just leave it to me. All you need to do is be my witness when the time comes."

Yun Ge was taken aback: "You know about this too?"

Wang Lun smiled and said, "I am an enlightened immortal, knowing the past five hundred years and the future five hundred years. Go ahead, don't interfere in this matter, but..."

He thought for a moment and said, "However, tomorrow you will go to sell pears with Wu Da. At 11:45 AM, tell Wu Da about this and bring him to catch the adulterer in the act."

Yun Ge carefully noted it down, nodded, bowed to Wang Lun, and turned to leave.

Wang Lun smiled. This child was clever. If he wanted, he could bring him to Liangshan.

After thinking for a moment, Wang Lun left with Gongsun Sheng. It seemed that staying here wasn't a good idea; Ximen Qing was currently enjoying his time with Pan Jinlian, and he and Gongsun Sheng were hiding in the distance, almost like keeping watch for them.

Back at the inn, Wang Lun summoned Zhao Si and Yang Zhi to discuss countermeasures in detail.

After discussing it for a while, everyone went out to do their jobs according to Wang Lun's instructions.

It wasn't until almost noon that Wang Lun saw Ximen Qing walking away from the inn's window. Just as Yang Zhi had said, his steps were already unsteady, and now they were even more unsteady.

Wang Lun chuckled inwardly. Judging from Ximen Qing's situation, one could imagine how formidable Pan Jinlian was.

Ximen Qing was famous for having all five of the most desirable qualities: handsome, wealthy, handsome young, and leisurely.

He felt sorry for Wu Dalang. Such a fine young man, Wu Dalang, was only a little ugly, yet he had to bear such a huge green hat for no reason.

Pan Jinlian, indeed a notorious harlot in the Four Great Classical Novels.

Wang Lun then led Gongsun Sheng to follow Ximen Qing from a distance. They saw Ximen Qing enter a pharmacy with the sign "Ximen" and then slowly leave a moment later carrying a box of medicine.

Gongsun Sheng smiled and said, "Needless to say, this is definitely an aphrodisiac."

Wang Lun laughed and said, "Ximen Qing also has one wife and two concubines at home, and he also comes to frolic with Pan Jinlian during the day. How can his body handle it? Of course he needs to replenish his energy."

"So where do we go now, or are we still following?"

Wang Lun thought for a moment and said, "Let me see where he lives."

They followed Ximen Qing through the most bustling streets of Yanggu County, only to discover that Ximen Qing indeed owned many pharmacies, proving that he was indeed very wealthy.

Wang Lun, feeling a surge of excitement, asked, "How about we rob him?"

Gongsun Sheng asked in confusion, "Who are you robbing? Ximen Qing?"

Wang Lun nodded: "It is indeed to kidnap Ximen Qing!"

"There are only four of us. How can we possibly abduct Ximen Qing? Brother, we can't cause trouble like we did in Jizhou. Yanggu is quite far from Liangshan Marsh. If something happens, it will be difficult for us to escape, and there will be no one to help us."

Wang Lun thought for a moment and said, "Gongsun, there's no need to worry. I have a brilliant plan. I'm determined to abduct Ximen Qing."