“Officer, officer—” A woman chased after them, grabbing a Jinlin Guard’s sleeve in the street.

The Jinlin Guard gripped his scabbard, his face full of impatience. “What are you doing? Let go quickly!”

The young girl being held down by two other Jinlin Guards cried out to the woman, “Mother, save me—”

The woman dropped to her knees with a thud and clutched that Jinlin Guard’s leg, pleading, “Officer, you can’t take my daughter away! She’s only sixteen years old, not yet seventeen!”

“Not yet seventeen?” The Jinlin Guard glanced at the struggling girl and sneered coldly. “Just because you say she’s not seventeen means she’s not? If we miss someone because of you, who’ll be responsible? I say she’s seventeen, so she is. Otherwise why would she be so tall?”

The woman hurriedly explained, “My husband is tall, so the child grew tall. I beg you to show mercy and spare my daughter. She really isn’t seventeen years old…”

The man who had chased after them also boldly stepped forward to plead.

“Get lost!” Seeing the crowd of onlookers growing larger, the Jinlin Guard impatiently kicked the woman away and said coldly, “Take her away!”

The kicked woman lunged forward and once again grabbed the Jinlin Guard’s leg, crying out with all her strength, “Officer, you have sisters and daughters too, don’t you? Look at Niuniu, look at her! Think about if your sister or daughter were in this situation—”

“Shut up!” The Jinlin Guard flew into a rage and kicked the woman away, shouting at his subordinates, “Take her!”

Hearing the crying and shouting behind him, he couldn’t help but quicken his pace.

Of course he had a daughter, had a sister. His daughter was still young, but his sister had just turned seventeen…

Thinking of the day his sister was taken away, how Father had grabbed a shoulder pole and beaten him with it, how Mother had sat on the ground weeping.

Because of his cooperation, he had been promoted to squad leader. Since then, he had never returned home.

The cries and shouts behind the Jinlin Guard gradually grew distant to him, but to the neighbors present they fell like thunderclaps upon their ears.

Just as the woman had cried out in her question—whose family didn’t have sisters, didn’t have daughters?

These were all young girls barely in their teens!

When the officers had only been arresting seventeen-year-old women born at the hour of mao on the seventh day of the seventh month, they hadn’t felt much. When the officers began arresting women born on the seventh day of the seventh month who were seventeen, they had still been celebrating that their own daughters weren’t born on that day. When the officers wanted to arrest all seventeen-year-old women, many among them had panicked.

Now it wasn’t just panic, but terror and despair.

The young girl just taken away was truly only sixteen years old!

If they could arrest sixteen-year-olds now, they could arrest fifteen-year-olds, eighteen-year-olds… What about later?

“It’s the end, it’s the end…” someone murmured.

Someone beside them quickly covered that person’s mouth, warning frantically, “Don’t speak carelessly—the officers haven’t gone far!”

More people didn’t dare speak and could only cry together with the woman who had just lost her daughter.

Everyone in the city knew that those girls who had been taken away were dead.

Though no one had told them this, witnessing time and again the fact of those young girls being forcibly taken away undoubtedly proved the truth of the rumors.

In the capital at the beginning of the fourth month, the air should have been floating with the fragrance of flowers, yet now it seemed one could smell the stench of blood.

People grew increasingly fearful. Naturally, the common people leaving the city spread the news even farther.

Such rumors tinged with mystery and horror were undoubtedly the easiest to spread, and they soon traveled farther and farther.

On Grand Commander Luo’s desk, having just led troops to repel the Prince of Henan’s remnant forces, lay just such an intelligence report.

A few days earlier, the eight hundred li emergency dispatch Emperor Yong’an had received stated that General Zhu had died in battle, the Prefect of Heyang had surrendered to the Prince of Henan, and Heyang City had been occupied by the Prince of Henan.

Not even half a month later, Emperor Yong’an received another eight hundred li emergency dispatch, this time also concerning Heyang City: Grand Commander Luo, while fleeing south with over a thousand men and recruiting soldiers along the way, had seen his forces swell to over ten thousand by the time he reached the Heyang region. With these ten-odd thousand ragtag troops and several hundred elite soldiers, he had actually driven away the Prince of Henan and become the new master of Heyang City.

Upon receiving this urgent report, Emperor Yong’an nearly spat out a mouthful of old blood.

As for Emperor Yong’an’s mood, Grand Commander Luo could finally completely disregard it. After finishing reading the letter on his desk, he couldn’t help feeling relieved.

Fortunately he had acted decisively and fled with his family then. His Majesty had gone mad.

“Father.”

Grand Commander Luo raised his eyes to see a young woman walking in from outside the tent.

The young woman wore black military garb, the bright red cloak behind her swaying with her movement, making her cool brows and eyes all the more striking.

The newcomer was precisely Luo Sheng.

Looking at his daughter, Grand Commander Luo softened his expression. “Why hasn’t Sheng’er gone to change clothes yet?”

A girl insisting on going into battle with him to kill enemies was one thing, but she was even too lazy to change her blood-stained clothes.

This meant there was increasingly no hope of marrying her off.

Luo Sheng walked over. “I heard there was news from the capital, so your daughter came to ask.”

“There is news. Have a look, Sheng’er.” Grand Commander Luo passed the letter over.

After reading the letter, Luo Sheng’s face was covered in frost. “Indeed, when Heaven wishes to destroy someone, it first drives them mad.”

Grand Commander Luo was also full of sighs, and revealed a secret. “Actually, those women who disappeared at the beginning didn’t die.”

Luo Sheng looked at Grand Commander Luo in shock.

Grand Commander Luo smiled bitterly. “They were all girls about your age. This father really couldn’t bring himself to do it, so I ordered people to secretly send them out of the capital and settle them elsewhere. However, with things so chaotic now, whether they can live well is hard to say…”

“Father, why didn’t you tell me before?” Luo Sheng felt like crying, but it was from joy.

She had consoled herself countless times that Grand Commander Luo raising his blade against those innocent women was unavoidable, but how could any amount of consolation compare to the happiness of knowing they were still alive?

“This could cost one’s head. This father was afraid that if you knew, you might accidentally let it slip.”

“Father, you’re truly wonderful.” Luo Sheng spoke with heartfelt sincerity.

Grand Commander Luo scratched his head.

Having his daughter praise him so seriously made him feel rather embarrassed.

“What’s wonderful about it? I also haven’t let you live a stable life. Now you have to fight and kill alongside me, bearing the evil reputation of a traitorous subject’s daughter.” Mentioning the battles one after another, Grand Commander Luo wasn’t so optimistic.

The Prince of Henan’s remnant forces were one thing, but what was most formidable was Lei Ming pursuing them all the way with elite troops.

Fortunately, Lei Ming and the Prince of Henan’s side were also in an adversarial relationship, so at least he wasn’t being attacked from both sides.

Luo Sheng tapped that letter. “Father, I think the news coming from the capital can be put to use.”

“How so?” Grand Commander Luo quickly asked.

Without realizing it, he could no longer treat the daughter before him as an ignorant little girl.

He was gratified by her growth and happy to listen to her thoughts.

“It was Father mentioning bearing an evil reputation that reminded me—actually, those who want a legitimate reason for rebellion even more are those feudal princes.” Luo Sheng looked toward the capital’s direction, her tone calm. “The Emperor is without virtue, listening to the slander of evil Daoists and massacring innocent young women, causing the common people untold suffering. The various parties aren’t rebelling—they’re purging the Emperor’s side and eliminating the evil Daoist, restoring clear skies to Great Zhou.”