Wang Er of Baishui led hundreds of desperate peasants in a furious charge toward Chengcheng County.
The two old guards at the city gates froze in terror the moment they saw the blackened faces and crude weapons of the approaching mob.
Under the Ming Dynasty's military farming system, Chengcheng County's actual garrison was not stationed inside the county seat. The soldiers were posted more than ten li away at a guard station, where they spent most of their time tending fields instead of training for war. Reinforcements would never arrive in time.
Two old guards against hundreds of starving rebels? That was not a battle. That was suicide.
Without hesitation, the two men scrambled into a roadside ditch. Years of surviving on the margins had taught them exactly what to do.
They stripped off their uniforms, buried them under the mud, and climbed back out as two frail, harmless old men.
By the time Wang Er and his followers reached the gates, there was no one left to stop them.
The rebels flooded into the county seat like a broken dam.
Panic spread through the streets. Residents slammed their doors shut and hid inside, praying the storm would pass them by.
But Wang Er had no intention of wasting time with ordinary civilians. He led his men straight toward the county yamen.
Only after the mob had swept past did Shan Shi'er crawl out from a narrow alley. He glanced left and right down the empty street, then ran toward the artisan district.
Earlier, after Gao Chuwu had escorted his wife and daughter to safety, Shan Shi'er had been on his way to find a blacksmith when the battle cries erupted outside the city walls.
Wang Er of Baishui had actually rebelled.
He immediately stripped off his long scholar's gown, rummaged through his home for a servant's coarse cloth outfit to put on, and ruffled his hair until it looked like a tangled mess. Looking every bit like a disheveled, filthy middle-aged beggar, he finally stepped outside.
After darting blindly through various alleyways, he watched Wang Er and hundreds of rebels storm past on the main road, reeking of murder as they headed straight for the yamen.
Once they were gone, Shan Shi'er took a few deep breaths to steady his racing heart, slipped out of the alley, and resumed his sprint toward the artisan quarter.
Before long, he reached Blacksmith Street.
It was a dark, narrow alley lined with dilapidated houses where dirty wastewater flowed freely in open gutters. Everyone who lived here belonged to the hereditary artisan class. Blacksmiths, carpenters, and potters alike. And every single one of them was dirt poor.
Shan Shi'er took a deep breath and knocked on the blacksmith's door.
No answer.
He knocked again. Harder.
Inside, Li Da sat pressed against the wall, knees pulled to his chest. His whole body shook. Every few seconds, another scream echoed from somewhere down the street, and he flinched like someone was striking him.
Don't move. Don't breathe. Don't make a sound.
The knocking came again.
His heart slammed against his ribs. He clamped both hands over his mouth.
Then he heard it. A voice. Soft. Familiar.
"Li Da. It's me. Shan Shi'er."
Li Da's eyes darted to the door. Then to the barricade of furniture he had piled against it.
Master Shan?
He stayed where he was.
"It's me," the voice came again. "Hurry. Open up."
Li Da crawled to the door. He pressed his ear against the wood.
"Master Shan? Is that really you?"
"Of course. Who else would it be? Open the door before someone sees me."
Li Da pulled the stool away. Then the bucket. Then the sack of coal. The door creaked open an inch.
Shan Shi'er's face appeared in the gap. Filthy. Wild-haired. Dressed like a beggar.
"Let me in."
Li Da pulled the door open just enough. Shan Shi'er slipped through and shut it behind him, sliding the bolt into place.
Li Da stared at him. "Master Shan? Why are you here? And why are you dressed like this? Did you change profession into beggar?"
Shan Shi'er slipped inside and bolted the door behind him.
"Beggar? Your sister is a beggar. Your whole family are beggars." He huffed. "The rebels are running amok outside. That is why I am dressed like this."
The blacksmith gasped. "Oh heavens, sorry, sorry, Master Shan!"
Shan Shi'er lowered his voice. "Never mind those rebels. Even if they are killing people, it will not reach your doorstep. At worst, they will butcher the magistrate, the assistant magistrate, and the tax recorder, slaughter the petty clerks and bailiffs, and then loot the granaries. They will not have time for our kind just yet."
The blacksmith was baffled. "Then why did you come here?"
Shan Shi'er cut straight to the point. "Li Da, you are the finest blacksmith in Chengcheng County. Yet none of the officials here have ever treated you like a human being. Only I, Shan Shi'er, recognize your true talent. This is what you call a discerning eye for talent."
He genuinely was the best smith in Chengcheng. He had forged numerous high-quality weapons and armor for the county inspector and the garrison troops.
However, the imperial court did not give a damn about artisan households. No matter how good your skills were, you were still an artisan, standing a rung lower than ordinary commoners. The county magistrate would not even deign to glance at an artisan, let alone care about their craft.
Only Shan Shi'er, who had served as the magistrate's advisor, knew what Li Da was truly capable of. In truth, Shan Shi'er was not a bad guy. He often spoke up for the poor, and Li Da had received his help before.
If not for that, Li Da would never have opened his door in the middle of such a chaotic crisis.
With a somewhat awkward expression, Li Da muttered, "That is true... only Master Shan appreciates this humble one's skills."
Shan Shi'er leaned closer and lowered his voice, as if he were about to reveal a world-changing secret.
"Brother Li, let me ask you something. Have you ever wondered why you've worked so hard your entire life, yet you're still poor? Why your ancestors suffered, why you're trapped in the artisan registry, and why even finding a wife seems like an impossible dream?"
Li Da stared at him blankly. "Well... that's just how things are."
"Exactly!" Shan Shi'er slapped his thigh. "And that's the problem! You've been taught to accept your circumstances. You've been told that because you're born an artisan, you'll remain an artisan for the rest of your life. But who decided that? Who says you can't change your destiny?"
Li Da blinked.
Nobody had ever spoken to him like this before.
Shan Shi'er seized the moment.
"Brother Li, I'm offering you an opportunity. An opportunity to break free from generations of poverty and build a better future for yourself and your descendants!"
He paused dramatically, letting the words sink in.
"I know a tremendously wealthy lord. A man with resources beyond your imagination. He's looking for skilled craftsmen, people willing to work hard and prove their worth. Join his household, put your talents to use, and you'll finally have a chance to change your life!"
Li Da's eyes widened. "A tremendously wealthy lord? You mean I could earn enough money to escape the artisan registry?"
"Now you're thinking!" Shan Shi'er exclaimed, pointing at him approvingly. "But don't just think about money. Think about freedom! Think about your future children! Do you want them to suffer under the same restrictions that have held your family back for generations? Or do you want to give them a chance to stand tall and live as free commoners?"
Li Da swallowed hard.
Freedom. Wealth. A future for his descendants.
It sounded almost too good to be true.
Then another concern crept into his mind.
"But I'm bound to the artisan registry. If I simply run away, won't the authorities hunt me down?"
Shan Shi'er waved his hand dismissively.
"Brother Li, you need to look at the bigger picture! The rebels are running wild, slaughtering people and ransacking towns. The government can barely protect its own officials, let alone chase after a missing blacksmith!"
He leaned in again.
"Besides, think about it. If you disappear during this chaos, what will people assume? That the rebels killed you, of course! By the time anyone realizes you're gone, you'll already be working for your new lord."
Li Da's mouth fell open.
"And once you've proven yourself," Shan Shi'er continued, "your lord might help you obtain a new household registration. A clean record! No more artisan status. No more restrictions. You could finally become an ordinary commoner!"
He spread his arms as if presenting an entire world of possibilities.
"One decision, Brother Li. That's all it takes to change the course of your life!"
Li Da's heart began to race.
He had no idea which generation of his ancestors had lost a battle and been forced into servitude, condemning their descendants to the artisan registry. For generations, his family had lived under restrictions that ordinary people could scarcely imagine. Their choices were limited, their prospects bleak, and even finding a wife had proved difficult. At his age, Li Da was still unmarried.
And now, Shan Shi'er was telling him that he could escape it all.
A wealthy patron. A chance to start over. Freedom for himself and perhaps even his descendants.
The more Li Da thought about it, the more appealing the offer became.
Of course, there was one little detail Shan Shi'er had conveniently left out: he had absolutely no guarantee that this mysterious lord would grant Li Da a new household registration, let alone make him rich.
But Li Da didn't know that.
And Shan Shi'er certainly wasn't about to bring it up.
"Can this really give me a better life?" Li Da asked, his voice dropping to a whisper.
Shan Shi'er placed a reassuring hand on his shoulder.
"Brother Li, I wouldn't be telling you all this if I didn't believe in your potential."
He spoke with the confidence of a man who had already imagined himself collecting a generous commission.
"Look at you. You're skilled, hardworking, and capable. All you've been missing is the right opportunity! And now that opportunity has come knocking. Are you really going to turn it away?"
Li Da hesitated.
Shan Shi'er immediately pressed on.
"Listen carefully. The rebels are busy looting the town. The bailiffs are huddled inside the yamen, and the gate guards are too frightened to do their jobs. This is your window of opportunity!"
He tightened his grip on Li Da's shoulder.
"Once the rebellion ends, the authorities will restore order. The gates will be guarded again. The records will be checked. And you'll be right back where you started, trapped in the artisan registry with no way out!"
He lowered his voice to a conspiratorial whisper.
"And what happens then? Your children inherit your status. Their children inherit it too. Generation after generation, your family remains trapped. All because you were too afraid to seize the opportunity when it came!"
Li Da's face paled.
His children. His grandchildren. Generations more condemned to the same miserable existence.
Shan Shi'er watched the realization settle in, then delivered his final pitch.
"So, Brother Li, let me ask you one last time. Do you want to spend the rest of your life complaining about your circumstances, or do you want to take control of your destiny?"
Li Da clenched his fists.
"To hell with it!" he blurted out. "I'm in! Take me to meet this lord!"
Shan Shi'er beamed with inward triumph. Magnificent! The blacksmith is hooked! Relying on my silver tongue, shameless flattery, and throwing away all my dignity, I have finally helped Tianzun hoodwink a blacksmith. Hahaha, with this, my position as Tianzun's loyal lapdog is solid as a rock!
This is miles better than being the magistrate's lackey.
He patted Li Da's shoulder, grabbed his arm, and dragged him out the door.
Battle cries still echoed across the county town. The chaos was mainly concentrated around the yamen and the wealthy residential district. Even from the sound of it, the yamen had already fallen, and the slaughter had spilled into the sprawling courtyards of the rich families. Evidently, their private guards were still desperately fighting off the rebels.
Amidst the din, the shrill cries and weeping of women occasionally pierced the air.
Shan Shi'er did not need to look to know that countless women would suffer unspeakable horrors in this chaos. Especially the young mistresses and maidservants from official and wealthy households, with their delicate skin and pretty faces. Once those fell into the hands of the rebels, their fates would undoubtedly be gruesome.
He could not help letting out a long, heavy sigh. The government was in the wrong for seizing the people's grain. But what crime did these women commit?
The government is no good, and the rebels are just as rotten.
In this entire world, it seems only I, Shan Shi'er, act with a clear and untainted conscience. This is what they call... the whole world is muddy while I alone am pure.
He grabbed Li Da's arm. "Let us go, hurry! Once the rebels finish sacking the wealthy estates, the chaos will spread right over here."
The two men bolted through the alleyways in a mad dash. Ahead of them, the city gates stood wide open, completely abandoned.
The moment Li Da stepped past the threshold of the city gates, his spirit soared into the clouds.
"Hahaha! I, a lowly artisan, have finally escaped the government's clutches!"