CH 25

"Old thing, you have already received porridge once today, and yet you dare to come again!"

"Sir, my family's Xiao Huan has not eaten a single grain of rice for three days. Please, I beg you, give him another bowl of this porridge!"

A tattered and elderly man with a worn-out appearance knelt before a wooden table filled with porridge. In his arms, he held a child around six or seven years old, who looked thin and frail. The child gazed eagerly at the scattered grains of rice in the wooden bucket, licking his parched lips cautiously while cowering in the old man's embrace.

"Get lost, you old immortal! How dare you bargain with me? It's already a stroke of luck for you refugees that Lord Zhong has provided food for disaster relief. If you still don't leave, my whip won't spare you!"

老不死的 (lǎo bù sǐ de) - old immortal (an insulting term)

The mocking laughter of the yamen officers resounded wildly. The long whip he brandished in his hand fell to the ground, stirring up a dull thud. The onlookers watched the old man kneeling in front of the yamen officer with an angry expression. Many young men shouted, and they were about to rush forward.

"You yamen officers are so unfair! His Royal Highness the Crown Prince brought food to aid the disaster, yet we still have to eat this rice gruel every day. We want to see His Royal Highness the Crown Prince!"

"Right, Zhong Liwen, this dog official, has embezzled our food. Now that Your Highness has arrived, we want to seek justice and have the Crown Prince restore fairness to us!"

狗官 (gǒuguān): corrupt official (literally "dog official")

……

The citizens' emotions were stirred up, and the dozen or so yamen officers who guarded this place had various expressions, with their faces turning purple. The leading yamen guard glared viciously at the culprit kneeling on the ground, brandishing his whip with a dark expression. "You rebellious commoners, stop spouting nonsense! His Royal Highness, the Crown Prince, didn't bring a single bag of grain into the city. Where would you get your food from? You old fool, it's all because of you stirring up trouble!"

You're reading the translated chapter on the Miho Translation 

Whipping up a fierce and formidable aura, a long whip struck towards an elderly person and a child on the ground. At the critical moment, a long sword swiftly cut through the air and pierced the wrist of the yamen guard, embedding itself into the wooden table.

The yamen officer's expression was filled with shock and terror. He wailed mournfully and collapsed to the ground, dropping the whip from his hand. Fresh blood gushed profusely from his wrist, splattering around.

The crowd breathed a sigh of relief and looked towards the direction from which the long sword had flown. They saw several riders galloping towards them on fast horses, with a woman leading the group. She was dressed in a general's robe and had a solemn and cold expression. Behind her, a hundred riders rushed forward, their waist adorned with wide swords. However, it was unclear why they all carried a heavy package in front of them.

This army appears valiant and mighty, capable of single-handedly facing a hundred opponents. Apart from the Imperial Guards by His Royal Highness's side, no one dares to provoke them. The lower-ranking officials in the government offices tremble in their hearts upon witnessing this imposing scene. As the fierce gaze of the female leader sweeps across, their legs turn weak, and they hurriedly retreat to the side.

Dust flies, fierce horses neigh. This troop of a hundred soldiers stops in frotn of the dispersed common people. Ren Anle pulls the reins and leaps off the horse.

In front of everyone's gaze, she walked towards the direction of the refugees, not glancing sideways and bypassing the yamen officers, and stopped in front of the old man who had collapsed on the ground.

"General... General." Although the old man could tell that Ren Anle was a woman, he still called out to her because of the armor she wore.

"Come, Lao zhang, let me help you up." Ren Anle picked up the child in the old man's arms with one hand and reached out to support the old man with the other.

老丈 (lǎo zhàng): a polite way to address an elder or an older person

"I dare not, I dare not... General, you are a noble person. Please, don't dirty your hands, General." The old man covered his dirty and tattered robe and kept evading. His turbid eyes showed a hint of fear.

Ren Anle paused for a moment, her eyes filled with a hint of bitterness. Gathering her internal strength, she helped the old man up and seated him on a nearby wooden chair. Patting his shoulder, she let out a hearty laugh and said, "No need to be restrained, Lao zhang. I didn't grow up in a wealthy and privileged place. I don't have those delicate and pretentious habits."

She waved to Yuan Shu, who was standing behind her. Yuan Shu untied the bundle in front of her, taking out two steamed buns and handing them to Ren Anle. Ren Anle gave one to the old man and stuffed the other into the trembling arms of the child in her embrace. The child smelled the soft and fragrant steamed bun and began to eat it in small bites.

Ren Anle glanced at the common people surrounding her a few meters away and commanded loudly, "Distribute the steamed buns from the bundle to the elderly and children."

Just now, the agitated crowd of common people calmed down due to Ren Anle's series of actions. Many strong men still looked cautious and hesitant towards the Imperial Guards, who untied the bundles on their chests and walked over with steamed buns in their hands. It was not until several guards unhesitatingly helped up an elderly person emitting a strong stench and tore the steamed buns into pieces to feed them into his mouth that the crowd silently made way.

Three hundred Imperial Guards, their shiny armor covered in mud and dirt, but not a single person halted their steps or furrowed their brows in the refugee camp. 

Ren Anle felt somewhat relieved, seeing that the emotions of the common people had been temporarily appeased. She turned his head and asked softly, "Lao zhang, where are you from?" 

The old man seemed to be extremely anxious due to hunger. After taking two bites of steamed bun, he replied, "General, I am Zhou Hai from Zhou Family Village in Lin County. The river bank collapsed, and our houses were washed away. I managed to escape with fellow villagers to Mu Tian Prefecture." The old man glanced at the child in Ren Anle's arms and his voice choked, "This child has suffered greatly. The moment he was born, he lost his mother, and now his father has been conscripted by the government. If things continue like this, the child won't survive!"

"General, don't listen to this old man's nonsense. We provide grain every day to aid the disaster-stricken people. It's these rebellious commoners who want to demand more grain. General, this person instigated the riot. Zhong daren has said that in order to protect the safety of His Highness the Crown Prince, such rebellious commoners should be killed without mercy. This lowly one just acted a moment ago!"

Zhou Hai, with tears streaming down his face, knelt on the ground in front of Ren Anle. The yamen officer, enduring intense pain, crawled to Ren Anle and shouted loudly.

The elderly person's face turned red, his lips trembled slightly. He was so wrongly accused that he couldn't speak.

"General, he is lying. We only wanted to enter the city to take a look at the food supply, without any intention of disrespecting His Royal Highness, the Crown Prince!"

"General, this person says that His Highness the Crown Prince did not bring any provisions. Is it true or not! "

As soon as these words were spoken, the previously calm people could not hold back anymore and gathered around Ren Anle.

At this moment, most of the Imperial Guards have infiltrated deep into the refugee area, leaving only around ten guards and Yuan Shu by Ren Anle's side. Yuan Shu furrowed her brows, extending her hand towards the large sword she had slung behind her back.

Ren Anle stopped Yuan Shu's actions and comforted Zhou Hai, who was in a panic. She smiled and handed the child over to him, then suddenly stood up with a cold and stern expression. Her gaze toward the yamen was filled with anger. "Disaster relief grain?"

She raised the long sword from the table and swung it backhandedly towards the wooden barrel on the ground. With a resounding clang, the barrel shattered into pieces, and the rice soup inside flowed out, seeping into the ground in an instant. Faintly visible at the bottom of the barrel were grass roots, tree bark, and a few scattered grains of rice. Ren Anle fixed her gaze on the yamen officer and spoke slowly, word by word, "Is this what you call food? Is this the benevolent act of the zhifu of Mu Tian Prefecture that you spoke of?"

The yamen officer's voice faltered, swallowing a mouthful of saliva. He was unable to speak as he looked at the remnants in the wooden barrel.

"Riot?" Ren Anle pointed at the surrounding people and said, "Take a good look at them, which one of them is not emaciated and weak, without a single weapon? The elderly and children can't even stand up straight. To say that they are rioting is simply absurd!"

"Which law in the Great Jing dynasty allows one to deceive the common people to this extent, even maliciously framing and kill at will! As an officer of the yamen, you should know and abide by the law. You deserve to die! Someone, take him back to the Mu Tian yamen, give him fifty strikes with a wooden plank, and hang him in front of the yamen officer to serve as an example for a day."

After the words of Ren Anle settled, a member of the Imperial Guard standing nearby received the order in a deep voice. He pulled up the yamen officer  onto the horse and headed towards the inner city.

"General, spare me, spare me!" With a sudden change, the man didn't have time to react and could only wail a few times while on his horse. The remaining yamen officers beside him turned pale, terrified, and knelt down without daring to speak.

The surrounding commoners cast a slightly more benevolent look at Ren Anle. They had been deceived and suppressed for too long, to the extent that they had long lost trust in the officials of the imperial court.

"General, I just want to know if His Royal Highness the Crown Prince has brought any food with him. I don't need food; I can eat grass roots, it doesn't matter. It's just that if this child continues to starve, he really won't survive, ah!"

A woman in her twenties rushed out holding a baby, continuously kowtowing to Ren Anle, with tears of blood streaming down from the corner of her eyes.

血泪 (xiělèi) is a Chinese idiom that literally translates to "tears of blood." It is used metaphorically to describe extreme sorrow, anguish, or deep emotional pain. It conveys the idea that someone is shedding tears that are so intense and profound that they might as well be tears of blood. 

Ren Anle walked toward the woman and saw her fearful gaze directed at the sword in her hand. Ren Anle threw the sword on the ground and helped the woman up. She looked around at the people watching her, and after a while, she loudly said, "Fellow villagers, I, Ren Anle, have no valuable possessions, and I am alone. There is nothing I can offer as a guarantee. However, if you all trust me, I am willing to stay here with everyone and wait. If the noon provisions do not arrive, I, Ren Anle, will accept whatever decision you make."

"General, are you the Chief of the Anle Fortress in Southern Jin?" a faint voice sounded.

Ren Anle raised her eyebrows and said, "Not bad."

"Hearing that the general has always had a reputation for righteousness in Southern Jin, I am willing to believe in the general."

"Me too!

……

The voices rose and fell, spreading through the crowd. The gathered people gradually dispersed, their eyes reignited with hope upon hearing comforting words.

Ren Anle remained composed, calmly watching as the common people returned to their original places one by one. She then sat back in her wooden chair and poured a glass of water, handing it to Zhou Hai. "Lao Zhang, there are still a few hours before noon. If you don't mind, Anle has experienced some things while wandering in Southern Jin for many years and would like to talk to you."

"The general saved my life. How could I ever abandon her? If the general is willing to speak with me, it would be my old man's blessing." Zhou Hai held his grandson and looked at Ren Anle with deep gratitude.

"The borderlands of Southern Jin are also places of hardship, with scarce rice and grains. When I was young, I followed my father in the rural areas of Southern Jin and saw many people who couldn't eat their fill..."

A clear and cold voice resounded along the wide official road. In Ren Anle's words, there was a calm and profound experience of worldly affairs. The gradually unfolding past made people involuntarily yearn to listen further.

The imperial guards standing by looked at the female general, who was sitting upright on the wooden chair. Their expressions were silent, filled with admiration and respect.

She quietly sat within a square inch of space, letting go of the sword that she rarely took off on the battlefield. In her own way, she protected these ten thousand people with her own body and quelled a riot.

The strongest in the world are not those with martial prowess, but rather the power of the human heart far surpasses them.

Mu Tian Prefecture Government Office Backyard.

Zhong Liwen held a crystal-clear snuff bottle in his hand, squinting his eyes as he reclined in a wooden rocking chair to enjoy the coolness.

"Lord, Lord, something bad has happened!" The panicked voice of steward Wang Shi came from outside the courtyard.

Zhong Liwen looked displeased and opened his eyes. He said, "Why are you speaking like this? What has happened?"

Wang Shi tripped at the entrance of the courtyard and stumbled as he ran to Zhong Liwen's side. "Lord, just now, news came that the top scorer of the imperial examination, Wen Shuo, has also come with the Crown Prince. He is now leading the Imperial Guards to collect grains in various shops!"

"Collecting grain?" Zhong Liwen frowned, "Is the Crown Prince out of his mind? How dare he forcefully collect grain from the wealthy merchants? He doesn't even fear being accused by the court officials. No need to worry, these people value wealth more than their own lives. Moreover, the Crown Prince lacks legitimacy and support, so they won't hand over the grain!"

"Sir, the Crown Prince did not forcefully collect it. However, Wen Shuo carried the rare treasures offered by various mansions last night and went to the grain shop of the merchant gentry, accompanied by loud gongs and drums. Now all the grain from He mansion in the south of the city and Li Mansion in the west of the city has been taken away by the Imperial Guards."

Zhong Liwen abruptly stood up, his expression darkened. "What did you say? They handed over all the grain, that's our grain, How dare they!" Halfway through his words, he remembered the precious treasures presented to Ren Anle at the banquet last night and suddenly realized, "Damn it, they gave all those things to Ren Anle, a bunch of fools! What a crown prince, he actually disregards his reputation and sets up a trap for ben guan and everyone else!"

本官 (běnguān) - Noun, referring to oneself (official)

By offering rare treasures as bribes to high-ranking officials of the court, these individuals, if they do not want to be rightfully subjected to a house raid by the crown prince, have no choice but to surrender their food supply to save their lives.

"Da ren, what should we do? The grain in the granary belongs to us." The steward anxiously whispered.

Zhong Liwen has not yet answered when a yamen rushed in from outside the courtyard, "My lord, something bad has happened, something bad has happened!"

Zhong Liwen's veins popped on his forehead, and he exclaimed, "Speak slowly, what kind of etiquette is this!"

"Lord, Li Tou has been escorted by the Imperial Guards and is kneeling in front of the yamen. General Ren accused him of disregarding the law and mistreating the people. He has been sentenced to fifty heavy bamboo strikes and will be hung in front of the yamen for public display for a day, as a warning to others."

"Peng!" With a crisp sound, Zhong Liwen's snuff bottle shattered in his hand. The steward, sensing that something was wrong, hurriedly held him back and advised, "Lord, the Crown Prince and Ren Anle are waiting for you to get angry. If something were to happen to you as well, our Mu Tian tian Prefecture would be left without a helmsman."

掌舵之人 (zhǎng duò zhī rén): helmsman or person in charge

Zhong Li Wen paused, took a long breath, shook off the attendant, and waved his hand towards the yamen officer, signaling him to step back.

After seeing the yamen officer leave the courtyard, he pondered for a moment before saying, "This official has underestimated the crown prince. Their entry into Mu Tian Prefecture this time is far from being so simple. The matter of the riverbank breach, the Crown prince will definitely investigate thoroughly. Wang Shi, have you kept a close watch on all the river workers and officials?"

"Yes, sir. There are three hundred secret guards stationed at Zhao's Village in the southern part of the city."

"Mu Wang's letter said he wants it dealt with cleanly. I'll give you three days' time. You should know how to handle it."

The steward lost his voice and said, "Sir, those are hundreds of lives..."

"Those who achieve great things do not bother with trivial matters. If something happens, do you think the Crown Prince will spare us?"

"Yes, this humble one will go and handle it." The steward's body trembled, feeling a chill in his heart. After hesitating for a moment, he reluctantly agreed.

"Wang Shi, secretly summon the officials from each government office and yamen to Mu Tian Prefecture. The Crown Prince is difficult to deal with, I want to give them some advice."

"Yes, my lord." Wang Shi acknowledged the order and respectfully withdrew.

"That battle was the toughest one I've led. The South Sea pirates were rampant, ruthless in their methods, killing anyone they saw. If they had charged across the sea, the people of southern Jin would have suffered. Even in our peaceful Anle Fort, we have children who hug me every day, asking for candy. Just the thought of it makes me feel uneasy. I felt that we couldn't let this group of despicable pirates break through. With this determination, I held on with three thousand remaining soldiers for a day until reinforcements arrived. Everyone, tell me, wiping out the pirates is the court's affair. What does it have to do with us bandits? I finally understood; in this lifetime, I am just a toiling soul..."

劳碌命 (láo lù mìng): "toiling soul" or "a life of labor." 

It was close to noon, and the scorching sun made people exhausted. The commoners from the outskirts of the city silently gathered around the female general who was speaking confidently. Despite her face being reddened and her lips parched due to the intense heat, she sat upright with clear eyes and a composed expression, showing no signs of panic. Perhaps her firm and calm demeanor infected the crowd, which is why when the magnificent horse pulling a carriage approached the refugee camp, some people looked towards the main road.

Several dozen carriages laden with grain slowly approached, with the majestic Imperial Guards guarding the sides. The bright yellow banners engulfed the entire procession. Leading the way, a horse paced slowly, carrying a person dressed in a light yellow official robe. He had a handsome and refined appearance, with a gentle and warm countenance.

Han Ye leaped down immediately, looking at the anxious and breathless crowd. He stretched out his arms and waved, saying, "Fellow villagers, Gū have come for you. All the grains here belong to you. Gū promise you that gū will never let a single citizen starve to death on the land of Dajing!"

With the voice of Han Ye falling, the people fell into silence for a moment, and then a deafening cheer erupted, as if reaching the sky.

Han Ye's eyebrows relaxed as he silently watched Ren Anle, who had already risen and turned away. She was dressed in military attire, her face concealed within her armor. Separated by the joyous crowd, her inkstone-like eyes gazed quietly at him and a smile formed at the corner of her mouth.

Anle, will you accompany me in creating a prosperous era like the founding emperor and the head of the Di family back then?

Your Highness, since there is no second Han Zi'an in this world, naturally there will never be a second Di Shengtian!

Ren Anle, I'm starting to understand your meaning. This world no longer needs a second Taizu and Di Shengtian. 

Because we can create our own era.