On the tenth day of the twelfth month in the fifteenth year of Wuying, at noon in Beijing, an elderly woman dressed in palace attire sat half-upright, half-reclining on a soft chair. The afternoon sunlight slanted across her aged face, revealing tears streaming down her cheeks. She was clearly heartbroken to the extreme, though what great calamity could have caused her such agonizing pain remained unknown.
A young man rushed up the steps urgently, shouting loudly: “Mother Empress! The Marquis of Wude has killed Imperial Brother! What are we waiting for? Quickly issue the decree to execute his entire family and avenge Imperial Brother!”
At these words, all the civil and military officials below the steps cried out in alarm. One man stepped forward quickly – dressed in golden armor, clearly a renowned general of the court. His face was ashen as he knelt and reported: “Your Majesty Empress Dowager, the Marquis of Wude has rendered great service to the nation. The current battle situation is unclear, and whether His Majesty has truly perished at the front remains unknown. How can we issue a decree to kill a high minister? Please reconsider carefully, Empress Dowager!”
The young man flew into a rage, suddenly kicking the general in the face and roaring: “Liu Angtian! You’ve always been friendly with that traitor, and today you come to plead for him? Do you still acknowledge the Emperor?”
Though the general was tall and sturdy, after receiving this kick, his body remained completely motionless, merely kneeling on both knees with his head lowered, enduring silently.
A minister stepped forward from among the crowd and reported: “Your Majesty Empress Dowager, whether to kill the Marquis of Wude’s entire family is of no importance. In these times of national turmoil, the most urgent matter is to establish a regent heir to prevent treacherous people from taking advantage of the chaos.”
Upon hearing these words, all the civil and military ministers knelt down together and cried out in unison: “The nation cannot go a single day without a ruler! Please, Empress Dowager, issue the decree to establish Prince Min as regent heir!” Their voices carried far, causing echoes to reverberate endlessly throughout the great hall.
Hearing countless ministers’ urgings, the elderly woman’s expression remained hesitant, as if deep in prolonged contemplation. Seeing his mother empress’s demeanor, the young man’s throat moved slightly, appearing quite worried. The ministers, seeing the Empress Dowager’s hesitation, urged even more frantically.
After a very long time, the elderly woman finally bit her lower lip and raised her trembling hand, waving it gently. Seeing this, the ministers were overjoyed and prostrated themselves on the ground, crying loudly: “The Empress Dowager is wise!”
The young man laughed heartily, and without waiting to speak, rushed urgently outside Chengtian Hall, shouting loudly: “Someone come! Summon the loyalist troops to enter the capital! I want to avenge Imperial Brother!”
Hearing these words, the elderly woman’s lips trembled as if she wanted to say something. Several times she tried to rise but seemed powerless. Finally, she sighed deeply and collapsed limply in her chair.
The general wept openly, turning his head to look at the clear blue sky outside Chengtian Hall, saying softly: “Duke Baxian, please don’t blame me. I’ve done my best.”
News spread from Jingfu Palace that the Empress Dowager had issued an edict for martial law in the capital.
The regent heir had been established, with the Imperial Uncle Prince Min temporarily taking charge. The ministers had deliberated and planned to summon seventeen legions of imperial guards from across the realm to protect the capital region.
Among them, seven armies had already reached Beijing: the Longxiang, Baotao, and Xiongfei loyalist armies were stationed in the suburbs, while the Shenwu, Xiongwu, Fengxiang, and Tiancearms had received imperial orders to enter the capital and suppress the rebellious bandits.
The city gates opened, and fifty thousand troops entered the city. Swords, spears, and halberds gleamed coldly in the sky, while the generals’ expressions were grave as if facing a great enemy. In the vast capital city, only the sound of horse hooves could be heard, with everything else eerily quiet. The atmosphere of killing was so intense that common people either hid under their beds or in cellars – not a single person dared to poke their head out to look.
The great army arrived at Prince’s Mansion Alley. The leading general shouted: “Dismount!” Ten thousand troops reined in their horses and dismounted in perfect unison. Everyone looked up to see a magnificent mansion before them, with a plaque above the gate bearing four characters in gold: “Marquis of Wude’s Mansion.”
The general waved his hand and shouted: “Break down the door!” Soldiers on both sides lifted a massive wooden ram and struck it fiercely against the mansion’s gate.
“Bang! Bang! Bang!”
The sound of impacts echoed from the gate – the thunderous noise of heavy objects striking the door.
Inside the Marquis’s mansion, dozens of elderly, weak women and children crowded in the hall, all wearing expressions of terror as they listened to the frightening, bone-chilling thunderous noise. Each impact struck deep into their hearts as if it would shatter their very souls. Several women huddled together, weeping uncontrollably.
A young woman stood proudly in the courtyard. She wore a sable robe and had a beautiful complexion, clearly a refined lady from a noble family. She held a child with her left hand and carried an infant with her right – both her own children.
An elderly man approached and said in a trembling voice: “What… what is happening? Why are soldiers attacking us?”
The young woman shook her head and said: “Yesterday news came from the front that this imperial expedition has ended in complete defeat.”
The elderly man’s body shook as he asked tremblingly: “Then… then why are they arresting us?”
The young woman replied: “Nothing more than villainous slander aimed at causing harm.”
The heavy impacts shook the heavens with their thunderous sound. The elderly man’s face turned ashen as he said: “Are we just going to sit here waiting for death?”
The young woman pressed her lips tightly together and said nothing. The young boy leaned against his mother’s leg, his body trembling slightly.
Suddenly, with a tremendous “bang,” everyone’s heartbeats seemed to stop from the shock of this enormous sound. They all stared at the door latch that was about to break. The elderly man trembled as he mumbled: “They’re coming in… they’re about to come in…” It seemed that with just one more heavy blow, the great door would be shattered.
The young woman called out loudly: “Everyone listen! All idle people retreat into the rooms! Steward Li, bring Master’s life-saving golden plaque!”
Steward Li hurriedly brought a golden plaque and handed it to the young woman. This plaque was made of pure gold and engraved with dragon patterns – it was personally bestowed by the current Emperor. The young woman gripped this palm-sized object tightly, knowing it was the only hope for the survival of the entire household.
The young woman bent down and handed the infant in her arms to her son, saying: “Wen Chang, take your little brother into the room.”
The boy’s face showed terror as he said tremblingly: “Mother… what about you?”
The young woman smiled slightly and said: “Mother needs to reason with them. You go inside first.”
The boy cried loudly: “I don’t want to! I want to stay with Mother!” He hugged his mother’s leg and refused to leave.
The young woman gave the steward a meaningful look. The steward hurried forward and pulled the little boy away.
The little boy looked back in panic, shouting: “Mother! Mother!”
Hearing her son’s cries, the young woman didn’t turn around but stood alone in the courtyard.
With a “rumbling crash” accompanied by one final tremendous sound, the great doors fell to both sides. Through the swirling dust walked a grim-faced man wearing a brocade robe with a curved saber at his waist.
The young woman shouted: “How dare you, intruders! Don’t you know this is a high minister’s residence?”
The man said coldly: “We are here on orders from the Imperial Clan Court to arrest the entire household of the Marquis of Wude.”
The young woman snorted and said: “On what grounds?”
The man took out an official document and shouted: “The Marquis of Wude, Qin Baxian, has committed treason and disturbed the government! His crime warrants the extermination of nine generations of his clan! This bears the great seal of the Ministry of Justice – see for yourself!” He threw the document on the ground. Outside the door came the violent shouts of soldiers, and the sound of footsteps as a large force rushed into the house.
The young woman stretched out her hand to block their path and shouted loudly: “This is a life-saving golden plaque bestowed by the Emperor! If you dare harm anyone in my family, you’ll regret it!” Seeing her hold up the red-gold plaque with such proud and stern bearing, all the officers were momentarily stunned, and none dared to advance.
The man approached the young woman with his large saber and said coldly: “Step aside.”
The young woman said sternly: “My husband is a First Rank official with the title of Marquis! Without a joint trial by the Six Ministries and a personal decree from the Emperor, how dare you harm anyone from the noble Qin family!”
The man said with a sinister tone: “Will you step aside or not?”
The young woman pointed accusingly and cursed: “Shameless traitor! I am the matriarch of the Qin family – how could I be intimidated by your threats?”
The man drew a sharp breath and walked forward several steps, saying: “Don’t blame me for being merciless with my blade.”
Suddenly, a sharp shout was heard from outside, followed by blood spattering into the room. Everyone in the hall screamed loudly as if some terrible tragedy had occurred.
The young boy was short and couldn’t see what was happening outside. He urgently tugged at the steward in alarm, saying: “Where’s Mother? What happened to my mother?”
The steward was already crying like a person made of tears, weeping as he said: “Young Master, your… your mother she…”
Before he could finish speaking, someone in the distance shouted: “Listen, all members of the Qin household! Anyone who dares resist arrest will be executed immediately! This woman is an example!” Instantly, a large group of officers surged into the house, all carrying weapons with fierce expressions.
The military officer at the door sheathed his bloodied saber after the killing. Several family members screamed and immediately fell in pools of blood. The little boy was terrified out of his wits. He hugged his little brother tightly and cried out: “Uncle! Where’s my mother? Where’s my mother?”
Steward Li pushed him forcefully and shouted: “Go quickly! Take your little brother and go!”
The little boy said through gritted teeth: “I won’t go anywhere until I see my mother!”
Steward Li shouted: “Hurry up and leave!”
The little boy was still being stubborn when suddenly an arrow flew over, striking the steward in the back. The steward’s face immediately turned deathly pale, and his body slowly collapsed.
The little boy cried out in alarm: “Uncle Li, what… what’s wrong with you?”
Steward Li grabbed the boy’s shoulder and gasped: “Young Master… you… you must quickly crawl through the dog hole! Whatever you do, don’t look back!”
The little boy was about to say more when the steward summoned his last bit of strength and pushed hard on the boy’s back, shouting: “Run!”
The little boy was pushed by this great force and stumbled as he ran. He wanted to look back when suddenly he heard a sharp scream of “Ah!” from the distance. The boy recognized this as his aunt’s voice. His heart suddenly filled with terror, and he too let out a frightened cry, frantically hugging his little brother as he fled toward the back kitchen.
As he ran, a voice behind him roared: “Bold little brat! Still trying to escape!” The person came very quickly, raising his saber to strike from behind. The little boy screamed and ducked down, crawling under a table. The saber missed and only split the wooden table.
The little boy rolled outside and rushed toward the back courtyard. The infant in his arms couldn’t withstand the violent shaking and suddenly began crying loudly. The little boy, both frightened and scared, half-rolled and half-crawled into the back courtyard.
“Little friend, where are you going?”
Hearing these words, even though the little boy was so young, he knew despair had arrived. He looked up and saw a grand chair placed in the back courtyard with a sinister man sitting in it. Behind him stood numerous soldiers, all wearing cold smiles.
The man smiled coldly and said: “Little friend, you can’t run around carelessly!”
Looking at the man before him, the little boy felt only fear. At that moment, soldiers on both sides suddenly charged forward, reaching out to grab him.
In his shock and terror, the little boy knew that once caught, it would certainly mean death. He hugged his little brother and rushed straight toward the back wall. At the base of the wall was the dog hole Uncle Li had mentioned – a place where he was normally strictly forbidden to play, but in this moment of life and death, the dog hole became the only path to survival.
Like a frightened puppy, the boy rolled and crawled toward the dog hole. Hearing the soldiers shouting behind him, he held his little brother with one hand and lifted the bamboo basket covering the hole with the other, crying and screaming as he squeezed into the dog hole.
Seeing the boy crawl into the hole, several people behind him shouted: “Damn it! The little brat escaped!” Immediately, someone began crawling toward the dog hole.
The boy held his little brother and crawled urgently on all fours, hurriedly sliding toward the outside of the hole. Just as he was about to poke his head out, he suddenly saw two trouser legs blocking his view. He stealthily looked outside and saw the street in front of the hole was full of soldiers, each holding gleaming steel sabers. The boy knew there were also soldiers outside the dog hole, and if he went out now, it would certainly mean death.
In his panic and terror, he heard someone curse: “That little brat sure can run.”
The boy looked back to see another fierce-looking man crawling into the hole behind him. The little boy wanted to crawl outside, but it was even more dangerous out there. At this moment of certain death, being so young, he finally began to wail loudly.
Suddenly, with a thunderous crash, the high wall above slowly toppled forward, crushing the soldiers in the courtyard. Instantly, dazzling sunlight shone on the little boy’s face. The little boy looked up in amazement and saw a man standing on the wall. This person wore a cloak and carried a long sword, looking down disdainfully at the soldiers below.
Several military officers shouted: “The rebel is here! Everyone attack!”
Bowstrings rang continuously as countless soldiers crouched on the ground and shot arrows at the wall without pause. The man suddenly jumped down from the wall, swept his cloak to deflect the flying arrows, roared like a tiger, and charged into the crowd with his raised sword. One officer raised his saber to block, but with a clang, both the officer and his weapon were cleaved in two. The other officers, shocked, began to retreat step by step.
The man picked up the little boy and said in a deep voice: “I am Fang Zijing, a good friend of your father, Grand Commander Qin. Where is your mother?”
The little boy’s eyes filled with tears as he said tremblingly: “My mother, she… she…”
The man exclaimed in alarm: “Has your mother been killed?”
The little boy didn’t know how to answer and immediately began crying loudly.
At that moment, a tremendous bang echoed, and the little boy felt sharp pain in his waist. He looked down and saw blood flowing like a spring from his waist – there was a large hole.
Fang Zijing was greatly shocked and said tremblingly: “This… this is a firearm!”
The little boy opened his mouth wide. The gunshot wound was agonizingly painful, and tears kept rolling down.
Fang Zijing roared in fury: “He’s just a small child, yet you could bring yourselves to harm him!” He glared angrily at the gunner behind them, swept his sword, and the fierce sword wind cut down. Instantly, heads flew everywhere in the sky. A black shadow in the courtyard darted left and right, and wherever the long sword struck, none could withstand it. All the officers dared not resist further and fled in all directions.
The leading military officer shouted: “All troops find cover! Spearmen advance!” A black banner was raised, and a hundred spearmen charged out from the house. Everyone raised their long spears and thrust them fiercely at Fang Zijing.
Fang Zijing roared wildly, pushed off with his foot, and leaped over countless spears. With a mid-air somersault, his long sword struck down and cut the military officer in half at the waist.
Seeing his incredible prowess, all the officers were terrified and quickly retreated. The sinister man who had been sitting in the grand chair jumped up and shouted: “Gunners, quickly fire! Don’t let the rebel escape!” The gunners immediately raised their weapons and stood ready. A hundred guns fired simultaneously.
Hearing the continuous thunderous sounds, Fang Zijing quickly threw himself to the ground. The bullets struck the wall, creating holes like a honeycomb.
Unwilling to entangle further with the government troops, he pushed off with his foot and leaped over the wall to escape.
Just as he left the wall, he suddenly heard countless shouts: “The rebel has come out! Everyone attack!” Immediately, flashing blades appeared as countless Imperial Guards rushed forward.
Fang Zijing drew golden darts from his chest and threw them forward. The golden darts had tremendous force, and those hit were pierced through their bodies. In moments, more than ten soldiers had fallen. The troops hurriedly retreated and then continuously shot arrows. Fang Zijing waved his cloak to protect himself and the boy.
Fighting to this point, despite Fang Zijing’s incredibly high martial arts skills, his left shoulder had been shot and his right armpit had an arrow lodged in it. He charged left and right like thunder and lightning, killing dozens more, but his own body was also covered in blood, and the situation became extremely dangerous.
At this moment, the boy in his arms could no longer bear the pain. He trembled and fell from Fang Zijing’s embrace. Fang Zijing reached out to catch him and shouted: “Little friend! Hold on!”
The little boy’s tears fell like rain as he handed the baby to Fang Zijing, choking out: “Uncle Fang… I… I beg you to take my little brother… take him to find Father…”
Seeing that the boy was at death’s door, Fang Zijing felt heavy-hearted. He reached out to take the infant and nodded.
The little boy smiled slightly as if he had returned to his mother’s side, and slowly closed his eyes…