At the end of July,
In the prefectural city of Jiaxing.
The Luo family brought the old and the young, along with all the gentlemen in the city, and followed the prefectural magistrate of Jiaxing.
They opened the city gate.
They cried bitterly in front of the volunteer tent.
They recounted how they had been exploited by the dynasty in the past and knelt down to beg the volunteer army to enter the city.
Rakshasa gladly accepted it.
At this point,
The prefectural city and seven counties of Jiaxing had fallen into the hands of the "short-haired ghost."
"Hula!"
The door of the boudoir on the top of the embroidered building was pulled open.
Screams rang out. The young lady and the maid hugged each other.
They curled up in the corner, shivering.
But at the door.
What they saw was not a ferocious man with a sword and short hair.
The delicate young lady called out in a daze, "… sister-in-law?"
Madam Li was wearing a plain long dress.
The gentle and elegant Madam Li in the past.
Now, her expression was cold. She suddenly threw the lock and key in her hand.
She threw them in front of her sister-in-law.
She said, "You can go. From today onwards,
Walk out of the embroidered building. You're free. "
The young lady was shocked.
Then she remembered.
The person in front of her.
It was the maid who had betrayed the entire Luo family. Moreover,
She had long been abandoned by her big brother.
She was no longer her sister-in-law.
Seeing that the young lady was still in a daze and the maid looked like a quail, Madam Li repeated, "Go. From now on, you're free." After saying that, she seemed to have exhausted her patience. She turned around and went down the stairs.
The young lady finally reacted. She fumbled for the key in her hand in confusion. She asked the maid, "Cui'er, what is' freedom '?"
The maid was still in shock. She shook her head and helped the young lady up.
They walked to the window of the boudoir and looked out of the embroidered building.
The summer sun was shining brightly, and the vegetation was still shining. The courtyard, which was originally guarded by the widows of the clan, was long empty. It was extremely quiet.
Looking outside, she saw the outer courtyard where her father, uncle, and brother lived. The night before, there were waves of shouts, screams, and the sound of swords in the house. Today, the servants who usually came and went silently, were nowhere to be seen.
What was wrong with this world? The young lady held the key to the embroidered building and revealed a confused and terrified expression.
Amidst the silence, a faint sound could be heard from the wind.
The maid, Cui 'er, was still looking around. The young miss came back to her senses and suddenly said, "Be quiet and listen!"
It sounded like singing, drums, and firecrackers.
Gongs, drums, and firecrackers were set off.
Jiaxing City seemed to be filled with joy.
When the Revolutionary Army entered the city, these short-haired soldiers, whose clothes were even more tattered than those of ordinary soldiers, behaved exactly as they had promised outside the city: they did not offend anyone.
The commoners were finally relieved. They watched them enter the city from the side of the street. Most of the Revolutionary Army was still stationed outside the city. The first to enter the city were their vanguard troops and generals.
The aristocrats watched this scene from the restaurants and teahouses on both sides. Some of the more experienced ones frowned.
Not a single mistake was made, and the discipline was strict. How was this like the bandits who swarmed into the city just to rob the gold, silver, and jewels? It was obvious that he was plotting something big!
The crowd sized up the troops that had surrounded Jiaxing Prefecture City for more than half a month.
They were surprised to find that there were even quite a number of female soldiers whose hair was only slightly longer than the male soldiers in this troop.
Although they were only burly women with rough appearances, it was obvious that they were used to doing farm work. However, this was enough for people to whisper to each other.
Moreover, the leader, among the generals of this Revolutionary Army, was "Rakshasa". Her nickname was so terrifying, but she only looked like an ordinary woman. She did not have the legendary green face, fangs, and bloody mouth. She was thin and small, with short hair that reached her ears. She looked like a sister-in-law with an oval face. At first glance, she was somewhat beautiful.
The troops that followed were all important figures in the Revolutionary Army. There was also a woman among them. She attracted most of the people's attention. This woman was dressed as a scholar, but she had long hair. Her skin was fair, and she was pitiful and cute. However, she was also carrying a sword.
Bah! Bad luck! Some of the yamen runners who maintained order for the Revolutionary Army thought so. Just these few women forced us to this point?
It was really bad luck to lose to a group of poor people led by a woman!
Obviously, she was not the only one who thought so.
"Since ancient times, no one is immune to death …" A scholar dressed as a scholar suddenly rushed out of the crowd onto the street. He held a sword and rushed toward the leaders of the Revolutionary Army.
None of the Revolutionary Army who entered the city rode a horse. Even the generals were walking with the soldiers on two legs.
Seeing an assassin suddenly rushing out, the generals beside Rakshasa reacted immediately and caught the scholar in an instant. He did look like a scholar who did not have the strength to truss a chicken.
Rakshasa glanced at him and said concisely with a murderous aura, "Kill him. Later. "
A man behind her who was also dressed as a scholar was stunned and said awkwardly, "General, this …"
Rakshasa repeated, "Kill him." She added, "Punish him according to military law."
The scholar had no choice but to ask the soldiers to take the scholar away.
The gentry who were still waiting for others to test for them were silent for a moment.
They only dared to talk after the Revolutionary Army left. It was as if their nest had exploded.
"What's wrong with these short-haired thieves? They don't follow the rules at all! "
The Revolutionary Army had just arrived and managed the huge Jiaxing Prefecture, a prefecture and seven counties. They relied on these scholars for everything from government affairs to collecting taxes and asking for rent in the villages.
It could be said that these gentry and their network of friends from the same hometown, schoolmates, classmates, and relatives formed the foundation of the dynasty's governance.
The Revolutionary Army seemed to be well-behaved outside the city and was much more obedient than the imperial army. Why did they want to kill scholars as soon as they entered the city?
Although the scholar was a fool who had read too many books, he was still a scholar!
The Luo Family who had been forced to join the "thieves" were calm. They had experienced the means of the Revolutionary Army a few days ago, especially the cruelty of the leader, Rakshasa.
Seeing this, Old Master Luo said indifferently, "Let's go. Let's go and properly 'meet' this' member of the main family 'for the first time."
The youngest daughter of Old Master Luo, Luo Liuniang, was helped down the stairs by a maid.
She had a guilty conscience and looked left and right. Maid Cui 'er was also scared. "Miss, will we be punished if we step out of the embroidery tower without permission?"
Hearing this, Luo Liuniang frowned and looked around in fear.
The young ladies of the Luo Family had been raised in the boudoir since they were young and would not step out of the embroidery tower. When she was 15 years old and wanted to go to the courtyard below the embroidery tower, the widow guarding the door had to interrogate her as if she was a thief. She had to report several times before she was allowed to go to the small courtyard to relax.
"We have no choice. Father and brother shouldn't blame us. Let's, let's go find mother and sister-in-law … "Luo Liuniang said without confidence.
They slowly walked out. Not long after, they heard the sound of crying.
One of Old Madame's maids, Little Hong, ran over and cried uncontrollably. "Miss, miss, something bad has happened. Quickly go and see Old Madame!"
Luo Liuniang suddenly felt guilty. Seeing that the maid was crying and did not seem to notice that she and Cui 'er had left the embroidery tower without permission, Luo Liuniang was relieved. She followed Little Hong to the hall where her mother, sister-in-law, and nieces were gathered.
In the hall, none of the men of the Luo Family were there. Only the women were there.
When Luo Liuniang arrived, she saw that the women were crying in panic as if they had lost their backbone.
Her mother, Madame Luo, Madame Zhu, was pounding her chest and crying while gasping for breath, "My son, my heart, my flesh and blood, what a sin! It would be better if we all died!"
Seeing that Luo Liuniang was supported by a maid, Old Madame cried even louder.
Her second sister-in-law was frowning and trying to persuade her mother-in-law. "Mother, don't cry. It's bad for your health."
A few of her nieces, who were weaker than her, were already sobbing weakly as they lay on the chairs.
Luo Liuniang's heart suddenly flashed with a terrible guess. Could it be that something happened to her father and brother?
When she thought of this possibility, she almost fainted.
She only calmed down when she saw that her sisters-in-law were also wiping their tears, but they were not too sad.
The crying became louder and louder. With a bang, the door of the hall was pushed open.
The light shone in. Outside the hall stood a few tall and sturdy women with guns. They were even stronger than men. They glared angrily and were very impatient. "What are you crying for? It's not like we're going to kill you. We're just going to register. It's like we're bullying you! "
Register?
What is this? However, it was good that it was not her father and brother who had an accident. Luo Liuniang was first shocked by these strange and fierce women. Then, she quietly breathed a sigh of relief. She was puzzled by this new word.
When the madams and young ladies in the hall heard their words, they cried even harder. Some of them even fainted.
Old Madame Luo was helped to stand up. She, who had always been noble and generous, actually had to bow to these women while crying, "Female generals, we are all women. I beg you, I beg you, I beg you. I don't care about my old bones, but my daughters and granddaughters are all unmarried and pure daughters. If you ask them to show their faces on the street, it's no different than killing them! If you want to 'register', let me do it! "
Her sisters-in-law quickly cried and persuaded her. "Mother, what are you talking about? If someone wants to go, it should be us! "
What?! Show their faces on the street?! Luo Liuniang jumped in fright. She recalled the rare family banquets during the New Year, where she had heard stories about good girls being sold to bandits to 'vent their desires'.
Although she did not know what "venting their anger" was, and she had only heard one sentence before she and her nieces were driven back. However, this did not prevent her from understanding this "register" as a similar action.
"Hey!" The tall woman who was the leader seemed to be very unhappy. She forced herself not to get angry. "You little old lady, what nonsense are you talking about?! We're just going to register the number of people in each household. Who wants to do anything to your daughter and granddaughter? Moreover, the teachers said that no substitutes are allowed to register. Everyone has to register in person! "
She bit down heavily on these words. "Everyone, personally! You have to go, your daughters-in-law have to go, your daughter and granddaughter have to go, and even your maids and maids can't be missing! "
As she spoke, she no longer cared about the crying women in the Luo Family. She waved at her companions. "Ask them to 'leave'!"
The prefectural magistrate's office had long been occupied by the volunteer army.
Yuan Du looked around and was very satisfied. He smiled and said to Luo Ermei, "General, this place is spacious and beautiful. It can be used for official business."
Luo Ermei was not in the mood to look at the magistrate's office. "It's all built by the people. It's only temporarily used for official business. We won't stay here for long. Let's deal with the matters here and quickly go down south to meet up with the leader. "
She then instructed Yuan Du, "You can read and write. Although those people have already taken care of the registration and other miscellaneous matters," when she said 'those people', she frowned. "However, you still have to keep an eye on them. Also, pay attention to the Luo Family. "
"General, the leader said that you still have to relax. Mr. Bai Quan and the rest have been in contact with us in private since a long time ago. Their entire family has allied with us and is unwaveringly against the dynasty. Mr. Wang and the rest have also joined us a long time ago. If you don't trust people, don't use them. You can relax a little. " Yuan Du comforted her and said with a smile, "Ermei … Look, after conquering Jiaxing, you don't even know how to smile. You're frowning too much. You're getting old. "
Yuan Du was her savior and was valued by the leader. Luo Ermei had always respected him.
However, Luo Ermei had been in the military for many years. She would not be easily swayed by others. "Jokes can wait. You go first."
"Yes, sir!" Yuan Du joked. He did not waste any more time and turned to leave.
Old Master Luo and the rest were politely invited by the soldiers of the Revolutionary Army to "register" the population list so that it could be calculated.
As there were too many people at the registration place, it was done in the open on the spacious official street in front of the yamen.
The men of the Luo Family surrounded Old Master Luo from the front and back, while the servants and servants surrounded the masters and squeezed into the crowd of servants. There were some cart drivers, oar sellers, laborers at the port, and some small shop owners. There were even beggars.
The crowd was noisy and the sun was scorching hot. Everyone was sweating profusely. The stench of sweat was even more intense because of the crowded area.
The old masters and young masters of the Luo Family lived like princes. They had never experienced such a harsh environment. They almost fainted from the stench.
Old Master Luo said angrily to the soldiers who were leading the way, "We are the Luo Family! Can't you set up a separate registration place for my family? There's clearly a new row of empty registration places over there! "
"This …" The soldier was a little troubled. "Many rich families have mentioned this before. It's just that there are too many people. We have limited manpower and are in a hurry. Please bear with it. There's another use for the empty place over there. Old Master Luo, please hurry up. Behind you, there are still many families of scholars to be registered. You'll be treated the same. Also, you're the first aristocrat family. The general says that you are to be registered before the other scholars. This is a sign of respect. "
Luo San was so angry that he fell on his back.
"Alright, Old Master Luo, don't talk nonsense. Quickly tell the servants to reserve a place. " Old Master Luo was old after all. He had seen many things. He was still calm as he ordered his children and grandchildren while wiping his sweat.
Wasn't it just to use the Luo Family's first "registration" to make an example out of the aristocrats? They had already surrendered. They just had to bear with it.
However, he soon lost his composure.
Because in the distance, he saw that the registrars, all women in different kinds of skirts, had come to the vacant register.
Probably because the sun was too bright, he seemed to see them. Moreover, the one leading them was his wife of decades — Madam Zhu. Behind her followed his wife, daughter, granddaughter …
"Father!"
"Grandfather!"
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