Li Daoxuan watched the scene before him with a mixture of amusement and exasperation.
The grain from two carts had been looted clean, and Flat Rabbit was being held up by other militiamen.
He probably knew he'd done wrong, his head hanging low. Two other militiamen were looking at him with strange expressions.
Zheng Gouzi gave him a light punch on the shoulder. "You rascal, you've gotten me in trouble too this time."
His tone wasn't fierce, and the punch wasn't hard. He could guess what Flat Rabbit had been thinking.
Teacher Wang and Gao Yiye walked up to him, also looking at him with odd expressions.
Flat Rabbit raised his head. "Teacher Wang, Saintess, this rabbit has made a mistake, disobeyed orders. Punish this rabbit. This rabbit can accept any punishment."
Teacher Wang's expression was complicated, unsure what to say.
Gao Yiye listened to the Tianzun's instructions, then smiled wryly. "Alright, then beheading it is."
Flat Rabbit's face changed drastically. "Ah? That serious?"
Gao Yiye glanced sideways. "Didn't you say you could accept any punishment? Intentionally destroying military provisions is no minor offense."
Sweat poured down Flat Rabbit's face. "This... this... just now... seeing the common folk so desperate... this rabbit really couldn't hold back..."
Gao Yiye sighed softly. "But what use is giving them two carts of grain? How many people can two carts of grain save?"
Flat Rabbit: "..."
"Saving people requires the right method." Gao Yiye said. "These words I'm saying now aren't mine; they're the Tianzun's original words. Right now, the fastest way to save these common folk is to first spread the Tianzun's glorious name far and wide. Only then can the Tianzun conveniently intervene personally, bestow grain upon them. And only that can save all the common folk in this city. It's definitely not something you can accomplish by using a little trick and overturning one or two carts of grain."
Flat Rabbit lowered his head. "This rabbit knows... but... couldn't hold back..."
Teacher Wang shook his head. "When you overturned the cart, the Tianzun had actually already issued an order for us to overturn two carts of grain. But you acted on your own initiative before the order could arrive."
Flat Rabbit: "Huh? Huh-huh-huh?"
Teacher Wang: "The compassionate Tianzun would never disregard the common folk. By acting without waiting for the Tianzun's command, were you implying the Tianzun isn't compassionate, unmoved by these refugees?"
Sweat streamed down Flat Rabbit's face. He thumped to his knees. "I was wrong."
This time, he didn't even use his usual catchphrase "this rabbit," but said "I," showing he wasn't joking around.
Li Daoxuan smiled. Although this guy was always reckless and prone to mischief, listed by Cheng Xu as one of "Gao Village's Three Fools," careful observation revealed he had quite a few redeeming qualities.
Last time, when teaching him military combat techniques, he was unwilling to learn alone, risking not learning at all to call his comrades to learn together. This time, he risked severe punishment, intentionally overturning grain carts just to help the refugees a little.
He was someone willing to sacrifice his own interests to help others.
This quality was precious and rare.
Li Daoxuan spoke: "Let him get up. Dock him half a year's military pay. Also, upon returning, punish him by copying the 'Three Main Rules of Discipline and Eight Points for Attention' one hundred times."
Gao Yiye: "Get up..."
Flat Rabbit got to his feet, head still drooping.
Gao Yiye glanced sideways. "The Tianzun has forgiven you, and you still look so miserable?"
Flat Rabbit: "Docking pay is fine, but copying that thing a hundred times... that's too hard! This rabbit would rather run a hundred laps around Gao Village."
For a semi-illiterate like him, writing was much more exhausting than running.
Teacher Wang scolded with a laugh. "If it weren't hard, would it be a punishment? Obey the decree obediently, or be careful the Tianzun really chops your head off."
Flat Rabbit was startled and didn't dare speak anymore.
After this small incident, the convoy continued forward. In no time, they arrived at the Chengcheng Bookshop. The grain was moved into the backyard and stacked. The picture-books were moved into the front hall and placed on bookshelves.
Just as they finished arranging things and started selling, the old soldier guarding the gate arrived with his old wife, son, daughter-in-law, grandson, plus aunts, uncles, aunts, the neighbor Old Wang, and so on—a huge crowd, coming to buy books.
Before buying, he had to confirm one last time: "Is it true that buying one book gets you two liang of flour?"
"Of course it's true!" Teacher Wang smiled. "Limit one per person, though."
With a whoosh, the old soldier's entire family crowded forward. Even the infant in someone's arms counted as a quota, buying one book.
The group, each holding a book in their left hand and a grain bag in their right, happily headed home. On the way, they couldn't help but flip through the book, curious about what strange book could possibly come with two liang of flour.
"The Tale of the Daoist Mystic Tianzun Vanquishing Demons! Seems to be a story about a deity subduing demons and monsters."
"Have you heard of the Daoist Mystic Tianzun?"
"Nope!"
"Me neither."
"Eh?I've heard of him!" spoke up the poorest relative. "I heard about it some days ago. There's a Daoist Mystic Tianzun giving out medicine to the poor for free, in a side hall of the City God Temple. But no one in our family has been sick lately, so I haven't been."
"Oh,I see."
"Well,this book didn't cost anything anyway, and you don't need to read to understand it, so let's have a good look."
"But wedid pay for this book."
"No,no, the book is free. The money we paid was for the flour."
"Hahaha,this flour was bought really cheap."
The group went home in high spirits. Today they bought grain at a low price; tonight they could finally eat a little fuller than usual.
News of the Chengcheng Bookshop selling grain cheaply—ah, no, selling books—spread like wildfire. Since everyone was limited to one book, people had to drag along relatives and friends to get more of the deal. So, this news spread through the county town like a virus.
Little did they know, Li Daoxuan's tactic was called the "Pin Duo Duo" strategy. Through a mad rush of recruiting others to get more of the deal, the common folk would spontaneously help spread the word.
The first batch of two thousand books sold out in half a day.
Those who didn't get any were extremely disappointed, deeply frustrated at missing out on the deal.
But not many days later, another two thousand books and a large grain convoy arrived. Soon, this second batch of two thousand picture-books also sold out...
This strange picture-book instantly became the year's bestseller.
Although most buyers came for the flour, once they had the book home, they inevitably flipped through it, curious about which generous (or perhaps gullible) patron was giving them grain in such a way.
"You never know until you look, and looking reveals wonders."
The story in this book seemed pretty good!
So they read it.In these disaster years, with farming impossible and commerce withered, the common folk had almost nothing to do. Flipping through a strange book was far better than lying around in a daze.
(Ming Context: The 'Three Main Rules of Discipline and Eight Points for Attention' Flat Rabbit must copy is a direct reference to the famous code of conduct for the Chinese Red Army, established in 1928. Its anachronistic appearance here as 'celestial law' is a classic example of Li Daoxuan injecting modern (to him) organizational principles into the Ming world, shaping Gao Village's militia into a force with stricter, more populist discipline than contemporary Ming troops.)
(Meta: Li Daoxuan's 'Pin Duo Duo' cultural victory is a masterclass in memetic warfare. He's not selling a religion; he's selling a deal too good to refuse. The book is merely the packaging. By the time people realize they've internalized his story, his name will already be woven into the fabric of their daily survival.)