After saving the Empress, I became the top scholar in the imperial examination.

When Yu Yantan turned twenty, his second brother returned alive. His father gritted his teeth, sold two more acres of land, and helped his second brother get married. With the addition of a sister-in-law and soon a nephew, things got a little better.

Although he sold five mu of land to Master Xu, Dad continued to rent it, only now he rented fifteen mu instead of ten.

In the past, when the emperor didn't do these things, they could register the land under the name of Master Xu, who had achieved official rank, and not pay land tax. It would be considered that Master Xu had rented the land to their family, but the rent would be much less, much less than the land tax.

Now that the emperor is doing this, Master Xu is no longer showing mercy and can only helplessly spread his hands and say:

"I have no choice. If you want to sell the land, I might hold back for the sake of my descendants. But if I don't sell, we're not saints. It would mean I'd be paying your land taxes and household contributions every year. How could that be acceptable?"

This is how the old man opened his heart to them.

Father had no choice but to sell the property first and then rent it out.

intermediate.

Ning Nan frowned and asked, "How did you become a member of the cult?"

Veins bulged on Yu Yantan's neck, and his eyes instantly reddened.

"It's not me who converted to a religion. It's them who said our family has converted!"

Yu Yantan said bitterly:

"We don't know, maybe Father offended the tax collector that year, or something. The government was arresting people from the Heavenly Principle Sect everywhere, regardless of whether you were a member or not. Once the head constable entered the house, he wouldn't leave until he had emptied it out!"

"They arrested my fifth brother, saying he had burned incense and was a member of the Tianli Sect. They threw him in jail... An uncle from the village came to our door and said that we were clueless. We're all neighbors. Whether you're a member of the Tianli Sect or not, you have to bribe people first. If we didn't bribe people, we'd be made a fool of to intimidate others."

"My uncle set a price for the constable, but the family had no money and couldn't afford it. They also wanted to sell land. My father felt he had let down his ancestors, so he hanged himself that night."

"My second brother sold the land and rescued my fifth brother."

Yu Yantan wiped his eyes:

"I'm young, I eat a lot, I don't eat at home, I come out to work long hours."

He pointed in that direction, to a corpse, and said:

"When I was working as a farmhand, I met Brother Zhao. He often shared his food with me, and when the master cursed at people, Brother Zhao would always smile and appease them. Last month, Brother Zhao told me, to be honest, that he was a member of the Heavenly Principles Sect and the leader of our county's incense offering. He was going north to pay homage to the new leader and then overthrow that damned Tartar court!"

"Brother Zhao told me to work hard in the master's house, and after he overthrew the Tartar court, he would take us out to eat meat."

Ning Nan turned his head and looked at the corpse over there.

He remembered seeing this man wielding a spear before, saving Yu Yantan, but his spear skills were naturally inferior to Qian Sijin's, and he was killed by the Tartars in just a few blows.

Yu Yantan said bitterly:

"After hearing that, I said I wanted to burn incense too! I wanted to join the religion! Didn't they say I was a member of the Heavenly Principle Sect? So I did as they wanted!"

The young man's eyes turned red, and his voice choked with emotion.

After arriving near Beijing, Yu Yantan and his group settled in the area west of Miaofeng Mountain, where they were quite familiar with the terrain.

He told Ning Nan about some terrain he was familiar with.

Ning Nan gripped the branch, her fingers unconsciously tightening their grip.

After a moment of silence, he continued to gently draw his mark in the mud.

This only gave him a general idea of ​​the terrain, and he didn't push it too hard.

About fifteen minutes later, Ning Nan said in a hoarse voice:

"Who are the members of the Heavenly Principle Sect this time? How many of them are on the mountain?"

Xu Xiyin said:

"Almost all the altars have come; even if the altar masters haven't come, the incense masters from each altar have."

She gathered her thoughts and continued:

"Sun Deji of the North Xunfeng Altar, Lü Changfan of the North Genshan Altar, Chen Tianxuan, the new altar master of the North Kundi Altar, Gan Heng, the new altar master of the South Xunfeng Altar, Peng Liangang of the South Zhenlei Altar, Zheng Baoju of the North Zhenlei Altar, Shen Shou of the South Duize Altar..."

"As for the North Kan Water Altar, South Li Fire Altar, and South Gen Mountain Altar, these altars are missing their altar masters. Several of the altar's capable incense masters have been summoned here, and the sect leader will appoint new altar masters for these altars."

The North Water Altar... Ning Nan narrowed his eyes. The altar master of this altar seems to be Xiao Chun?

He nodded slightly.

Xu Xiyin added:

"In addition to the leaders of each altar, the four generals of our sect have also come."

"The Four Generals?" Ning Nan asked in return.

At this moment, before Xu Xiyin could explain, Yu Yantan suddenly spoke up, interrupting:

"Protector Xu, um... and this young master,"

He clasped his hands in a fist salute and solemnly said:

"The Four Generals did not come."

"Um?"

A fierce glint flashed in Xu Xiyin's eyes. Her heart skipped a beat, and she frowned, exclaiming in surprise:

"Didn't come?"

Yu Yantan looked somewhat embarrassed, and his voice was a little uncertain, but since Brother Zhao had heard this news from Master Zheng, he felt that this news was still very important, so he told the truth:

"This is what Master Zheng said yesterday. After the Tartars besieged the mountain, Master Zheng and the others met urgently. Because the left and right protectors were not present, and Uncle Peng was old, he took the lead first."

Zhen Susu asked in surprise, "My father became the leader?"

Her mother was a follower of the Heavenly Principle Sect, and Peng Liangang was her mother's sworn brother. Back then, when Li Wei wanted to kill her mother and her and throw them into a well, it was Peng Liangang who saved them.

Yu Yantan was stunned for a moment, seemingly trying to figure out the relationship between this girl, who was even more beautiful than in the painting, and that Master Peng.

Xu Xiyin asked, "And then?"

"It is precisely because Master Peng took the lead that we are left leaderless and vulnerable to being defeated one by one by the government troops."

Yu Yantan snapped out of his daze and quickly said:

"After Master Zheng returned to where we were hiding, he summoned several incense masters. He told us that the Four Generals were all sons of bitches, and not a single one of them came."

Xu Xiyin felt a chill run down her spine and said with a hint of anger:

"Impossible. Even if Xiang Qi didn't come, why wouldn't Su Lang?"

Xu Xiyin's tone was stern, and Yu Yantan was so frightened that his face turned pale, his mouth went dry, and he stammered:

"Or perhaps I misheard..."

Ning Nan raised his hand and first asked the Four Generals what they meant.

Su Su stood aside and explained that these four generals were the four most knowledgeable about military affairs within the sect, all of whom had led the sect's uprisings and defeated the Green Standard Army or the Tartar army.

"Xiang Qi launched an uprising of several thousand people in the Shaanxi-Gansu area and defeated three thousand Green Standard Army soldiers in Gansu. However, when Nian Gengyao sent troops again, we could not hold our ground and had to give up. But we still made a name for ourselves and attracted many people to join us..."

…………

It is about 150 li northwest of Miaofeng Mountain.

There is a county called Zhuolu County.

The city wall of Zhuolu County is 35 feet high, with a base that is also 35 feet thick and a top that is 30 feet thick.

Standing at the bottom of the city and looking up, the thick and tall city walls are like an iron wall, blocking any powerful enemy that dares to challenge its might.

Zhuolu County has three gates: the East Gate "Yingxu", the North Gate "Jingheng", and the South Gate "Laixun".

The city was also surrounded by moats on the east, west, and north sides, which were more than two zhang deep.

A man in his early thirties stood in a bamboo grove, about a hundred feet away, across the moat to the east, gazing at the East Gate, "Welcoming the Sunrise".

A few rays of dawn appeared on the sky.

The man silently inhaled, then slowly exhaled, turned his head, and shouted loudly to the group of about 150 people behind him:

"Brothers."

He raised the spear in his hand.

"Our new leader, Ning Jiexiao, descended from the heavens with divine might the day before yesterday and stormed the Forbidden City!"

"And today!"

He raised his sword-like eyebrows, pointing his spear at "Welcoming the Rising Sun".

"We will storm Zhuolu County! Kill the corrupt officials! Welcome our leader! Destroy the Tartars! And see the Lotus-Radiant Sun!"

at the same time.

Fires began to flicker within the city.

The crowd roared at the top of their lungs:

"Kill the corrupt officials! Welcome the leader! Destroy the Tartars! See the lotus-lit white sun!"