Late Ming Dynasty: Starting with the overthrow of the county magistrate, a rebellion was launched to

Time always flies by unnoticed.

The sweltering heat that once stirred restlessness finally began to wane and slowly dissipate...

Shaoyang County is an example of this.

It's almost October, and the long-awaited autumn rains have finally arrived. The torrential rains lasted for several days before finally stopping.

Under a cloudless sky, the sun slanted unobstructed across the county streets, its light reflecting off the bluestone pavement and making Zhou Nianhui appear exceptionally radiant.

Even though she still didn't wear makeup, still hadn't bathed for days, and still wore the same plain-colored cotton dress for days...

At this moment, she was strolling slowly through the streets and alleys, looking at the vendors on both sides with a fresh and carefree gaze.

The peddler, carrying a load on a shoulder pole, displayed bamboo baskets filled with newly harvested millet and sorghum, as well as dried persimmons and water chestnuts that hadn't hardened completely.

In the blacksmith's shop, freshly forged spearheads and iron tips were on the anvil, and the craftsman was attaching them to the wooden handles, the clanging of hammering metal mingling with hurried shouts...

Wu Lian'er looked at these things with curiosity. Actually, she wasn't a royal princess, so she had naturally seen many of these things before. However, due to etiquette, she rarely went out and could never see them to her heart's content.

Now that's all right, she doesn't need to care about the rules of a young lady's household, doesn't care about going bare-faced, and doesn't care about the stares around her—after all, her reputation has been ruined by Zhang Da, so who would have thought that she really has nothing to do with him? Therefore, Wu Lian'er no longer needs to observe those formalities.

To be fair, Zhang Da had indeed treated him quite well. Although he was still being watched by the two peasant women Zhang Da had sent not far behind him, he was generally quite comfortable.

No wonder people gossiped about it.

Wu Lian'er tried to stop thinking about those things and walked aimlessly, feeling only a chill in her heart. She was stopped by a series of clanging and banging sounds when she reached the foot of the west city wall.

The carpenter was an old man in his forties, shirtless, squatting on the ground, busy at work. In front of him were several thick hardwood rollers, each as thick as a man's embrace, already smoothed. Sharp iron spikes were being driven into the wood at half-foot intervals along the sides of the rollers, each spike penetrating three inches into the wood. After each spike was driven in, the old carpenter would swing his sledgehammer and hammer it firmly into place. Then he would take some raw hemp fibers, soak them in tung oil, and stuff them into the gaps between the spikes and the wooden rollers to prevent them from loosening when exposed to moisture…

Wu Lian'er had never seen this before, and her steps involuntarily halted. The woman behind her also stopped, and she asked...

"What is this for?"

The old carpenter glanced at her, noticing that her clothes were not something an ordinary person could afford, but he didn't try to hide it, continuing to hammer in the iron spikes without stopping.

"This is a Yaksha raft, used for city defense. When the government troops used ladders to attack the city, they would hang this thing on the top of the city wall, cut the rope and it would roll down. The iron spikes would stab people and the rolling pillar would hit the ladder, it was very useful."

After learning about the item's violent and bloody purpose, Wu Lian'er nodded without comment, but her expression instantly turned displeased before she turned and left.

After walking just a few dozen steps forward, the scene that greeted them shattered the peace they had just witnessed.

Beneath the rammed earth city wall, dozens of strong men were digging trenches with shovels and hoes, while others were carrying large blocks of bluestone and sharpened hardwood to the edge of the trenches. The bluestone was angular and the sharpened wood gleamed coldly like spearheads.

On the city wall, several men were climbing wooden ladders, laying newly fired blue bricks on the old rammed earth battlements. Others were carrying wet felt and raw cowhides, laying them layer by layer on the battlements. Next to the felt were several water urns filled with water.

On the open ground at the foot of the city wall, there was a pile of boulders like a small mountain. Several women were sitting on the side, soaking hemp cloth in tung oil and tying it into coarse cloth balls, which were called oil balls. On the large stove next to them, several large pots were boiling hot oil, with the oil bubbles bubbling and sizzling.

The blacksmiths were all gathered on the outskirts of the city to polish the barrels and repair the breech of old three-barreled guns salvaged from the armory. Occasionally, they forged iron tips and spearheads, sparks flying onto the ground and burning small black spots...

Seeing all this, Wu Lian'er suddenly felt a sense of urgency.

What should I do if the government troops really come and start fighting?

Just as I was pondering this, a crowd suddenly gathered at the street corner ahead. Someone was standing on a stone bench, holding a red paper notice, and loudly reading it aloud in a hoarse voice. The sound penetrated the crowd and carried far.

"Now the imperial court has ordered the bandits Huang Chaoxuan and Zhou Fengqi to lead government troops to invade Shaoyang, intending to harass our people and seize our land."

The governor of this prefecture is now summoning able-bodied men in the city who are 18 years of age or older but under 45 years of age to join the army and defend the city!

Those who enlist are provided with one liter of rice per day, which is enough to fill their stomachs;

Kill one bandit soldier and you will be rewarded with three taels of silver.

Those who have rendered meritorious service in defending the city will be allocated land and grain after the war, and will be given official positions according to their abilities!

The people on the stone benches read the notices aloud again and again, while others posted them on the walls and trees along the street. The black characters on red paper were particularly eye-catching.

The crowd grew larger and larger, a noisy murmur filling the air. Some people pressed forward, pointing at the words on the notice repeatedly; others whispered amongst themselves. After a long while, a few strong young men gritted their teeth and shouted...

"I have to go! My land was allocated to me by Lord Zhang; if the government troops come, the land will be gone!"

A few echoed the sentiment, but many young and strong hesitated, quietly retreating. Elderly people stood by, sighing, fearing both the government troops' attack and slaughter, and Zhang Da's inability to defend the county. Some even clasped their hands together, praying softly to the heavens for their families' safety. No one openly proclaimed, "Let's bring food and drink to welcome the royal army!"

Standing outside the crowd, Wu Lian'er listened to the loud reading of the proclamation and watched the bustling scene before her, each person harboring their own thoughts. A complex mix of emotions welled up within her.

The first feeling was naturally an overwhelming sense of joy and happiness.

When the government troops arrive, Zhang Da, this rebel, will eventually have to face the imperial army. Soon, he will surely be executed by slow slicing. How can he not be happy to see his father's killer brought to justice and his great revenge achieved?

But after the initial pleasure, a bittersweet feeling, indescribable and inexplicable, followed.

Even one's own family members ultimately abandoned them.

Actually, if you think about it carefully, it should have been even earlier. That day in front of the granary, it was because I heard their implied meaning that I stepped forward and replaced my brother.

From that moment on, she was abandoned.

After the bitterness came the exasperated discomfort.

Looking at the people before her, she saw that not a single one of them longed for the arrival of the government troops, nor did anyone show the joyful demeanor of welcoming the royal army with food and drink.

Is her father really that bad in the eyes of the people of Shaoyang? On the contrary, Zhang Da, this rebel who killed officials and occupied the city, has managed to make the people willing to follow him against the court rather than wait for the arrival of the government army in just over a month by distributing land and grain.

What alarmed her even more was that regardless of whether Zhang Da could hold out, her fate would not be good...

He will not let me off the hook; he will surely humiliate me in every way, making me wish I were dead.

Thinking of this, Wu Lian'er felt exhausted, all her strength drained away, and she had no desire to continue shopping. She turned around and walked towards the magistrate's office. The two women behind her quickly followed.

The magistrate's office remained the same as before, with its vermilion gate and bluestone courtyard, but the servants who used to run around there were no longer there, making it feel rather deserted.

Wu Lian'er walked into her room with her head down, without saying a word, and finally spoke slowly to the two of them.

"Boil some water, I want to take a bath."

This surprised the two farm women who usually watched over and took care of her. This tall but not clean girl was finally willing to take a bath!

So the two women quickly turned around and went to the kitchen to start a fire and boil water.

According to the regulations for the residence of a seventh-rank county magistrate in the Ming Dynasty, the inner quarters did not have a dedicated bathhouse.

So they could only set aside a small area in the corner of Wu Lian'er's room, next to the washroom, to place a cedar bath tub and a simple wooden shelf next to it for clothes and handkerchiefs.

Before long, the hot water was ready. The woman carried the wooden bucket back and forth to the side room, pouring the hot water into the bath tub and adjusting the temperature. Then she retreated to the door of the side room to keep watch, not going far, leaving only a crack in the door.

The enclosed room was soon filled with steaming vapor, blurring the window frame and Wu Lian'er's figure.

She slowly raised her hand and took off her ruqun (a type of traditional Chinese dress). The skirt slipped down and fell to the ground like flower petals, revealing her fair skin.

She was extremely beautiful, with sculpted shoulders, a slender waist, and fair, jade-like skin with a faint blush unique to young girls, like a newly blooming lotus bud, delicate and beautiful yet fragile.

Warm water flowed over her ankles, over her waist and abdomen, and finally enveloped her entire body.

However, the warmth of the water soothed the icy skin, but it couldn't soothe the heart that had already grown cold.

She leaned against the tub wall, her eyes closed, seemingly making a decision.

A moment later, Wu Lian'er's fingers stealthily reached for the wooden shelf next to the bathtub, and from the gap under the shelf, she pulled out a small pair of embroidery scissors.

Wu Lian'er held the embroidery scissors in her hand, her fingertips touching the slightly cool blade. She opened her eyes and looked down at her slender wrist. The skin on her wrist was fair and white, and the blue veins throbbed faintly under her skin.

She took a deep breath, opened the scissors, aimed the blade at her wrist, and slashed down hard.

"Um... um..."

A sharp pain came.

It hurts so much, it hurts so much

It hurt much more than she had imagined. She couldn't help but furrow her brows and look down. Only a string of fine beads of blood seeped from her wrist, sliding down her skin and melting into the warm water, spreading into a small patch of pale red.

After all that effort and pain, I only got a small cut!?

Wu Lian'er wanted to try again, but when the knife landed directly above the blood vessel, a hint of hesitation appeared in her eyes.

boom!

Just then, a loud crash came from outside the mansion, as if someone had slammed their fist on the gate. Immediately following was Zhang Da's furious roar, which could be heard throughout the entire inner courtyard.

"Wu Lian'er! Get out here!"

Two women's panicked voices came from outside the side room.

"Brother, Miss Wu...she's taking a bath."

"Even if she dies, she still has to come and explain the matter of the officials and soldiers to me!"

Since it wasn't Wang Chengzhu who spoke ill of him to his superiors, it could only be the families of the county magistrate and prefect.

Hearing the approaching footsteps, and Zhang's furious roar...

The last trace of hesitation in Wu Lian'er's heart vanished.

I would rather die than suffer humiliation!

Just die and find peace!

After these thoughts came to mind, she finally made up her mind. A resolute look flashed in her eyes. She gripped the embroidery scissors tightly, pressed the blade firmly against her wrist, and slashed it down hard!

Bright red blood gushed out instantly, no longer in tiny droplets, but in a gushing stream, sliding down her pale wrist and dripping into the warm water with a soft sound.

Blood spread in the water, and the water in the cedar bathtub gradually changed from clear and warm to a light pink, and then to a deep crimson. The blood swirled in the water, clinging to her skin, like red spider lilies blooming in the water, beautiful yet desperate.