Chapter 61: The Empress's Fury

Bandits?

Bandits?!

This place is located in Huguang Province, in the extreme south!

For hundreds of years there has been no military uprising or warfare; the southern lands are rich in produce, and as long as the people have a bite to eat, nobody would ever take to the mountains as bandits—so where have these bandits come from now?!

Du Shanü froze, instinctively pulling out the Primordial Commander Crossbow hung at her side, ready to draw, seeking the bandits' trail and intending to settle this trouble in one go.

However, just as she raised her hand to aim, she saw something even more deadly—

Behind the fleeing crowd, several masked figures suddenly sprang out, wearing ordinary hemp autumn clothes, their faces covered with rags scavenged from who knows where, their whole bodies almost entirely hidden except for pairs of ferocious, blood‑red eyes.

Each masked man held farming tools such as hoes and carrying poles, shouldering large sacks of loot taken from who knows where, and they ran wildly through the crowd of refugees.

A shrewish woman, seemingly born bold, chased after a man who had just looted her home; the sack tore, spilling its golden millet onto the ground.

The masked man frantically covered the tear in the grain sack, seemingly utterly enraged, he swung his farming tool and struck the head of the woman trying to stop and curse him.

【Bang—!】

Despite the flames shooting up to the sky, Du Shanü still heard the sound of a woman collapsing not far away.

The masked man seemed to be doing this for the first time; he watched the woman fall, then looked at the blood on his farming tool, and only then began to tremble all over, stumbling away with the sack in panic.

Before her lay the ruined county town, the displaced populace, and the masked marauders committing evil.

Around her were the crackling of fire, the sound of fleeing footsteps, and the pleas of those being plundered.

Du Shanü's nails dug deep into her palm, yet she could no longer pull the trigger of the Suspended Blade.

What about this scene is still unclear?

The people!

This gang of masked bandits are actually commoners!!!

This group of unknown origin commoners are burning the city and looting!!!

How could this happen?

Hadn't the taxes of Cang Cheng already been reduced because three officials died?!

No.

No.

She seemed to have forgotten something important—

Earlier, Cang Cheng had lowered its taxes precisely because three officials had died!

Then what about those surrounding counties where the magistrate didn't die and taxes weren't lowered?!

Aren't their taxes still one stone per person?!!

Du Shanü's chest rose and fell as the direction of her crossbow bolt tracked the grain‑seizing masked men.

The masked men's backs had already been locked onto by the icy tip of her crossbow bolt, yet Du Shanü's fingers kept trembling slightly, unable to release the Suspended Blade.

But she was not one to waver.

Seeing her own hesitation, she immediately turned around.

Du Shanü simply handed the crossbow bolt to Chinu, who was frowning in thought beside her; Chinu was clearly taken aback as well:

"Give it to me?"

Du Shanü gritted her teeth and said:

"You and I are just talking nonsense! If I say give it to you, you get it—do you think you don't have to protect me when you receive it?"

Chinu: "......"

In his view, Hei Lao Daifu really had misjudged.

Earlier Hei Lao Daifu had said he had a bad temper, but here there's someone who doesn't yield an inch.

Chinu took the Primordial Commander Crossbow, while Du Shanü turned and headed against the flow of fleeing people, lifting the woman whose forehead had a hole, now lying in the mud and groaning.

Du Shanü's frame was petite; carrying a big‑bodied woman was naturally strenuous, so she also didn't notice the look Chinu gave her when he saw her hoist the woman.

Of course, even if she had seen it, she couldn't possibly care about it now.

She only knew the woman was indeed heavy.

But she also truly wanted to spare the woman's life.

This shouldn't be the case.

It really shouldn't be this way.

According to her original plan, although the world is now chaotic, judging by the region she inhabits, everything still isn't that terrible.

She could rely on her various skills to save up, buy land, improve farming, and after a few harvests she would have stockpiled plenty of grain, using a clumsy yet effective slow method to feed many stomachs.

Yes.

Her dream was nothing more than that simple.

Just like the dream of every older generation of Huaxia people—honestly till the land, fill her own belly, then see to it that everyone else is fed as well.

All means of resistance, such as the Primordial Commander Crossbow, were merely tools she wanted to protect herself so she could farm in peace.

As long as the people have food to eat and clothes to wear, they will naturally be willing to let her be emperor.

That was her original idea.

But heaven and earth did not give her that chance.

This morning Cang Cheng was still full of life; within a few hours it was reduced to ashes.

The woman's head rested against her neck; from the wound in her forehead, warm blood kept flowing down, flowing down.

That blood soaked her temples, traced her cheeks, and finally gathered at her chin, dropping heavily onto her chest.

Over the past ten‑odd days she had indeed gathered a great deal of grain.

Yet that grain seemed unable to protect this woman's life.

On the contrary, it has become the source that seizes this life.

No matter how much grain is given to the people, once swords, spears, and firelight appear together, they become fish and meat on others' cutting boards.

As soon as those in power issue a single command, the desperate populace will spawn a malicious intent.

Everything will be consumed in a single blaze.

One stone!

One stone!

How could ordinary folk possibly pay such crushing taxes?!

Isn't that just forcing people to their deaths?!

Du Shanü left a footprint with each step, carrying the woman, advancing opposite to the direction of the fleeing crowd.

Since we know those masked men are just farmers seeking grain, there's nothing to fear.

She aims to take the woman to find a doctor and save a life.

Du Shanü trudged on, bearing the woman, as flames surged through the city, the incessant crackle of fire ringing in her ears, and the populace's wails and pleas for mercy rose.

Chinu walked at her side, constantly tinkering with and adjusting the ballista in his hands.

Just then, a murmur reached Chinu's ears.

Chinu at first thought he had misheard, then asked again:

"What did you say?"

Du Shanü, her heart already filled with rage, gritted her teeth and said, word by word:

"I will kill Yuan Lang."

"I swear that if I fail to kill Yuan Lang, I will be smashed to bits and never enter reincarnation."

The masses are mired; hatred also needs a cause.

She had earlier been unable to fire the suspended blade, for it was clear that the one responsible for this misery was not merely a masked man.

If there truly are immortals in this world, then a man who plunders and harms people has already reaped the consequence.

And the cause is the false dynasty levying heavy taxes on the people, treating them harshly, and instead trying every means to extort them to support the alien tribes of the northern border!!!

What satisfaction is there in eliminating just one harmful masked man?

If those above are not removed, sooner or later there will be a second tax hike, then a third!

How dare Yuan Lang treat her future subjects this way?

How dare Yuan Lang treat her future subjects this way!!!

?? Shasha is really angry this time......