Chapter One: The Calamity of Prison
t this moment, footsteps came from outside. It turned out to be a middle-aged jailer in a gray uniform who walked in!A middle-aged jailer walked up to the two men's cell and stopped. He took out a few...The 23rd year of the Hongwu era of the Ming Dynasty!
Korean official Lee Seong-chang was implicated in the case of Hu Weiyong, and the imperial court ordered the extermination of his entire clan. Over seventy members of his family were executed at the public market!
Li Shanzhang's eldest son, the駙馬都尉 Li Qi, and Lin'an Princess were exiled to Jiangpu!
Grandniece Li Wan'er was sent to the Bureau of Instruction!
Along with him, officials such as the Marquis of Jian, Lu Zhongheng, the Marquis of Yan'an, Tang Shengzong, the Marquis of Pingliang, Fei Ju, and the Marquis of Rongyang, Zheng Yuchun, and many other prominent figures from Huai Xi were also executed.
The streets of Jinling were filled with cries from men, women and children. Under the shadow of swords, heads rolled like a river. By nightfall, over 30,000 people had been slaughtered, all relatives of those implicated in Hu Weiyong's case!
Blood flowed along the low-lying areas, flowing into the banks of the Huai River and dyeing the entire river red!
……
Department of Criminal Justice Prison!
A dank, humid dungeon reeked of rot, decay, and sourness. Only one ray of sunlight illuminated the youthful face of a boy imprisoned within.
After an unknown amount of time, the boy slowly opened his eyes, covering his throbbing head. He looked at the dark and nauseating environment before him with some difficulty! If you think this website is okay,,, please download free small.:
"Alas, I lived for eight years in this mighty Ming Dynasty, yet death still caught up to me!"
The boy's name was Zhu Ying. He lost his parents at a young age and depended on his lonely grandfather for support!
Later, he chose to enlist in the army. After his discharge, he was battered by society and ultimately decided to return to his hometown to start a business. However, a flood struck his hometown, and Zhu Ying, in her early twenties, heroically rescued three people before succumbing to exhaustion and being swept away by the water. She never returned!
Eight years ago, Zhu Ying traveled to the Ming Dynasty. After waking up, she realized she was an eight-year-old child and being accompanied by a slovenly old Taoist priest!
After that, the slovenly master taught him a set of close-combat boxing techniques over the next five years and then mysteriously disappeared!
Without a household registration, Zhu Ying almost starved on the streets. Lee Wan'er, the granddaughter of Li Shanzhang, the Korean public official, saw him pitifully and gave him a piece of cake. As she left, she also left a handful of copper coins. Zhu Ying instantly fell in love with this kind-hearted girl and actively sold himself to serve in the Li Shanzhang mansion!
Now caught in the crossfire, he's become a captive. What awaits him next is only that chillingly cold executioner's sword!
However, what puzzled Zhu Ying was that her memories before the age of eight were completely blank. No matter how hard she tried, she couldn't remember anything!
"Zhu Ying, are you awake" a voice came from afar, filled with sobs!
Only a young girl with red lips and white teeth, who was once beautiful but now appeared utterly destitute, could be seen hiding in the corner of the cell. She clutched her legs tightly, tears welling up in her eyes, resembling a wounded little rabbit. Upon seeing Zhu Yingsu awaken, she disregarded her own sadness and rushed forward to examine the wound on Zhu Yingsu's head!
She is Zhu Ying's beloved girl, the granddaughter of Li Shanzhang, a public figure in Korea, Li Waner!
Although Li Wan'er is the eldest daughter of a high-ranking official in Korea, she is extremely kind to both her family and servants, showing no airs of privilege whatsoever!
Though Zhu Ying was a servant, she spent three happy years with Li Wan'er in the Korean government office!
Zhu Ying could both fight and write poetry. A year ago, she won Li Wan'er's heart with a poem: "If life were only like the first sight, why would autumn wind make the cicada wings sad!"
Strangely enough, when the Korean official Yi Seonchang learned of this, he did not oppose it. He only restricted Joo Young from leaving the house!
Li Wan'er did not mind Zhu Yingnu's servant status. She often encouraged him with stories of figures like Wei Qing from the Han Dynasty, Xue Rengui from the Tang Dynasty, Xu Da and Chang Yuchun from the present dynasty. These individuals came from humble backgrounds but achieved great things!
Just now, a few jailers tried to bully Li Wan'er. Zhu Ying stood up for her and, relying on the kung fu taught by his slovenly master, knocked down several people in three or five moves. Unexpectedly, this attracted more jailers. A tiger is no match for a pack of wolves, and in the end, he was knocked unconscious by a blow to the head!
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"I'm fine, Wan'er. How are you" Zhu Ying held Li Wan'er's hand and asked with concern!
Li Wan'er said, "After you fainted, a young adult came and scolded the jailers away. I'm fine!"
"That's good to hear!" Zhu Ying comforted.
"Julie, I have a favor to ask of you, okay" Li Wan'er was a little disappointed!
"What's the matter, Wan'er"
After a moment of silence, Li Wan'er finally made up her mind and said in a firm voice: "Kill me, I would rather die than go to the teaching bureau. I have no regrets if I die at your hands!"
The Jiao Fang Si, affiliated with the Ministry of Rites, was simply put, a state-run brothel!
Women sent to the Office of Punishments were typically the wives or daughters of corrupt officials. Within its walls, they had no dignity, subjected to beatings, abuse, humiliation, and ultimately, driven to death.
"Oh..."
Zhu Ying let out a long sigh. Life at the Imperial Entertainment Bureau was definitely worse than death for this young lady from a duke's family!
In this era, women value chastity above all else. Rather than endure an unbearable life, most women would choose death over it!
Zhu Ying stepped forward and took Li Wan'er's hand, softly comforting her: "Wan'er, don't be afraid, I'm here!"
Just at this moment, footsteps came from outside. It turned out to be a middle-aged jailer in a gray uniform who walked in!
A middle-aged jailer walked up to the two men's cell and stopped. He took out a few dishes of side dishes and two bowls of rice from the wooden bucket he carried with him and put them into the cell. He said, "It's time for dinner!"
Zhu Ying and Li Wan'er, one is about to be executed, the other is going to be sent to the Department of Prostitution, where do they have the heart to eat!
The middle-aged jailer, seeing that the two men remained unmoved, continued, “When I was young, I served under a Korean official. Now that he is in great trouble, I am powerless to help. All I can do is offer you a clean meal. After you eat, go to the Ministry of Punishments tomorrow!”
The jailer saw that the two were still motionless and sighed before leaving!
Li Wan'er really had no appetite to eat, while Zhu Ying was already famished!
A dish of greens, a bowl of tofu, a portion of braised offal, and two servings of brown rice. Zhu Ying passed over a serving of rice and urged, "Wan'er, eat first, I'm here! Trust me!"
Li Wan'er worried, "But you're about to be beheaded!"
"Then let's eat first. After we're full, I'll take you out to fight! We'd rather die together!" Zhu Ying had martial arts skills and was confident!
Li Wan'er stared at Zhu Ying, nodded solemnly: "Okay!"
After that, the two picked up their chopsticks and started eating. To be honest, the taste of the dish was really not good, far inferior to the home-cooked dishes of later generations with various seasonings!
Li Wan'er hasn't eaten in two days. The despair of her whole family being slaughtered has left her with no hope of living!
"Wanna, things aren't as serious as you think, just eat your meal first, and after that I'll tell you a secret!"
Li Wan'er heard this, slowly raised her head, looked at Zhu Ying innocently, and asked in confusion, "What secret"
"Please eat first!"
Zhu Ying thoughtfully clipped a few vegetables for Li Wan'er, who didn't refuse. She slowly picked up her rice bowl and ate in small bites!
"The water isn't processed well, it smells fishy!" Zhu Ying cursed after finishing her meal, looking at the plate of almost-finished braised beef tripe. She instantly looked disgusted!
Li Wan'er hardly ate any vegetables, but she finished the whole bowl of brown rice!
Zhu Ying threw her chopsticks aside, patted her stomach, sat beside Li Wan'er, leaned against the back wall, and slowly said, "Actually, I didn't grow up in Yantian Prefecture!"
Li Wan'er still sat in the corner, hugging her legs, and raising her head, asked: "Then where are you from"
Zhu Ying smiled: "My hometown is in a very distant place. There are no wars or famines there, the people live and work in peace and contentment, enjoying a happy life. People our age are all enjoying the sunshine and a happy school life!"
"Is there really such a place in the Ming Dynasty" Li Wan'er's eyes were full of curiosity. "What's its name"
"It's not Da Ming!" Zhu Ying explained. "His name is Huaxia!"
"Hua Xia... I seem to have heard my great-grandfather mention it!" Li Wan'er seemed to have forgotten the hardships that lay ahead: "Is Hua Xia very far from the Ming Dynasty"
Zhu Ying fell silent for a moment, then continued, “Though far apart geographically, we are near in spirit!”
"Wan'er, if I have another chance, I will take you to that wonderful world!"
In the dim and oppressive cell, Zhu Ying told Li Wan'er about the good life in modern times. Unbeknownst to her, Li Wan'er fell asleep leaning against Zhu Ying's shoulder, a faint smile still playing on her lips!
The next morning, the shackles in the dungeon were opened, and two jailers strode in, shouting loudly, “Don’t sleep! Get up!”
Zhu Ying was startled awake and, feeling irritable, shouted at the two jailers: “What the hell are you yelling for so early in the morning!”
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