Chaos of Ming 1628

Jiahe County.

Cries, wails, pleas for mercy, and curses mingled together.

After leaving the Su family's house, Sun Qing understood why the Su family's gates were tightly closed. It turned out that in this Jiaohe County, no mountain bandits had entered the city, but the thieves had done it even worse.

The county government office door was kicked open. Zhou Ji was beaten black and blue on the ground. A man stood in front of Gao Ma, holding a warrant and barging in.

"Magistrate Zhou, the Imperial Censor paid his respects and instructed you to govern Jiahe County properly. Is this how you govern?"

Zhou Ji huddled on the ground like a quail, not daring to utter a sound. He covered his head with his hands, afraid that if he said anything, he would be beaten again.

"Tell me, who was the mastermind that day? Who was involved?"

The Imperial Guards, disregarding the day of the week, instead inquired of the city's inhabitants.

The people remained silent, but the official, instead of being angry, laughed and said, "Then search every house and every one you see, arrest them all."

"If you hand over the leader and Sun Qing, we'll give you a way out."

The Imperial Guards would forcibly break into people's homes, taking whatever valuables they saw, regardless of whether they arrested anyone. Anyone who resisted was beaten.

The people from the post station were all taken to Botou, and Lao Yu was even thrown upside down from a tree. Looking at the two whip marks on his face, his skin was torn and bleeding.

He was still drunk, his face flushed and veins bulging. He was licking his lips and muttering with a grin, "Good wine, good wine, boss, can I borrow another gourd?"

When I went to the Su residence, the atmosphere in the city was tense. How long had it been? When I came out, the city was in such chaos.

"The eunuch faction is bullying us!" Shen Junru gripped her long sword tightly, her eyes bloodshot, staring at the hanging Lao Yu, and said furiously, "I'll kill them."

Sun Qing grabbed Shen Junru, lowered his head, and pulled her to a secluded spot: "Don't go, just bear with it for now."

Shen Junru stared at him in surprise, her lips trembling, and she was furious: "All those people outside are helping you, trying to save you. You coward, hiding away like that?"

"If we go out now, all our efforts will be in vain. No one is dead yet, so don't make a sound and hide." Sun Qing spat out each word through gritted teeth.

He has lived for over fifty years, and although his body is still sixteen years old, he no longer has the impulsiveness and passion that belong to that age.

"Coward, you are not worthy to be a member of the Sun family," Shen Junru cursed.

He didn't offer much explanation; the situation was urgent, and the quickest way was to calm Shen Junru down: "Your order is to protect me. Only those who disobey orders are unworthy to be associated with the Sun family."

Shen Junru was not convinced.

Sun Qing hit the nail on the head: "The reason there are no women in the army is because they act on emotion and are not up to the task."

"You can't even do the little things to protect me? A woman's only purpose is to get married and have children."

"Slap!" Shen Junru slapped Sun Qing across the face, her eyes misting over, her fingertips trembling uncontrollably: "I've been practicing martial arts since I was three, so I could fight on the battlefield. I have such martial arts skills, yet I'm only protecting a coward like you. My ancestors died with their eyes wide open in disbelief."

Her chest heaved violently as she gritted her teeth and angrily retorted, "You can say that I, Shen Junru, am uneducated, but you cannot belittle a woman like this."

"I am a soldier, and I obey orders!"

She raised her head, held back the tears in her eyes, turned around abruptly, planted her longsword on the ground, and used her body to guard the narrow dead end.

Sun Qing lowered his eyes, sighed softly, and gave a bitter smile.

He slowly raised his hand and gently wiped away the blood that had seeped from the corner of his mouth.

He hesitated for a moment, then stepped forward and, ignoring Shen Junru's ashen face, shamelessly said, "Find me a secluded place so I can lay low for a while."

Shen Junru's eyes widened like copper bells, filled with humiliation. She had no choice but to comply.

For several days, Sun Qing continued to hide and refused to show his face. Bai Xiang was already suffering terribly, and the county government office had been repeatedly ransacked, with all the antiques and paintings in Zhou Ji's residence confiscated.

Shen Junru sharpened his sword every day, and even the thought of looking at Sun Qing annoyed him. He would throw the steamed buns on the ground every day and let them die on their own.

Until September 1st of the seventh year of the Tianqi reign.

The atmosphere in Jiahe County was gloomy and desolate, and the people were filled with fear and anxiety, with no smiles on their faces.

The streets were deserted, and none of the vendors were out hawking their wares. Even the restaurants and taverns were empty. Merchants and travelers still came and went as usual, but the longevity tablets in front of the taverns were lifeless.

Old Yu was now kneeling and bound in front of the longevity tablet, having been hung upside down. He had sobered up by then and was crying and shouting that he was innocent.

The liveliness in Botou doesn't come from the hustle and bustle of people, but from the endless stream of people kneeling there.

There were officials who refused to yield, and also spirited commoners and impoverished scholars. The commoners stood not far away, carrying baskets in their hands, their eyes filled with heartache and hatred. They stood guard over these heroes.

People come and go, come and go, and Botou has always been a gathering place for tens of thousands of people.

Shen Junru came to check on him every day, and when she looked back at Sun Qing, who was peeling the skin off his steamed buns, she was filled with resentment.

Sun Qing finally opened the window and looked at the flocks of birds flying in the sky. Suddenly, he turned around and called out, "Miss Shen."

The two hadn't spoken for several days. Annoyed by the conversation, Shen Junru snapped, "What do you want now?"

"Eating steamed buns every day has really made me lose my appetite. I really miss the braised pork knuckle at Xiangmanlou." Sun Qing said politely, "Thank you for making the trip, miss."

Shen Junru found it unbelievable. She wished he were dead, yet he still wanted to eat meat?

"Ridiculous, pathetic, and hateful!" Shen Junru shouted these six words before leaving without looking back.

Such a useless person, how dare he leave this place, and why should he need protection?

After Shen Junru left, Sun Qing gave a bitter smile, carefully straightened his clothes, smoothed his messy hair, and walked outside with his head held high.

Botou.

Old Yu had run out of strength to shout; his eyes were half-closed, and he was feeling dizzy and disoriented.

Hundreds more were bound and kneeling around him; those captured first had dry mouths and cracked lips. Those captured later were still able to curse and refused to submit.

The dockworkers, their backs hunched, were carrying box after box of loot plundered by the eunuch faction onto the cargo ship.

Inside the pavilion, Zhou Ji was bustling about respectfully before someone. The swelling on his face, which had been bruised from the previous beating, had subsided considerably, making his features more recognizable.

The man had two black tassels on his head, his blue robe was adorned with mournful animal patches, an ivory waist badge hung from his waist, and he was also wearing armor. From a distance, judging by his attire, he was clearly a member of the Imperial Guard ordered to arrest someone.

Sun Qing straightened his clothes again, stepped out of the crowd, and walked towards Botou.

"Who goes there? Stop right there!" A member of the Imperial Guard stepped forward and shouted.

Sun Qing did not stop, and the Imperial Guards swarmed forward and immediately surrounded him.

The commotion went unnoticed by those in the pavilion; this scene played out every day, only with one more person added to the list of kneeling people at the riverbank.

Surrounded by onlookers, Sun Qing's gaze was drawn to him. He calmly removed his hood, placed one hand behind his back, stood tall and proud, and proclaimed, "I am Sun Qing of the Gaoyang Sun clan!"

The officer slammed his teacup on the table, stood up abruptly, and glared at Sun Qing, growling, "Good lad, you've finally shown up."

"What are you all standing there for? Seize him!"