[{"data":1,"prerenderedAt":-1},["ShallowReactive",2],{"origin-overthrowing-han":3,"chapter-overthrowing-han-overthrowing-han-chapter-18":6},{"origin":4,"title":5},"chinese","Overthrowing Han",{"chapter":7,"nextChapterSlug":19,"prevChapterSlug":20,"totalChapters":21,"novelImage":22},{"id":8,"novel_id":9,"title":10,"slug":11,"index":12,"content":13,"wordcount":14,"created_at":15,"updated_at":15,"volume":16,"translator":17,"content_hash":18},1222777,1620,"Chapter 18: Tiger, Sheep, Wolf (6k Chapter)","overthrowing-han-chapter-18",18,"\u003Cp>Barely half a quarter-hour later, Jia Chao, who moments before had been brimming with excitement, was now utterly dazed and despondent.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>No wonder the prison gate guard had asked him the moment he saw him whether he had received a letter; no wonder his elder brother had sighed at how quickly he had come the instant he heard his voice; no wonder his sister-in-law had thought of money the moment she heard he was back... As it turned out, his widowed mother had not survived this winter — while he was fighting for his life at Lulong Fortress, the old woman had already breathed her last!\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>And what was more, to pay for his mother's treatment and burial, the family had last year gone through the village head to borrow money from Old Master Ma, a wealthy household in the neighboring Sanmali hamlet — yes, the classic kind of usury — and had even put up their family's only thirty mu of land as collateral!\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>His elder brother had written letters asking him to come back, not only hoping he would return to mourn their mother, but even more hoping he could bring money back to settle the debt, or at the very least preserve the family's ancestral fertile fields... As a simple, honest farmer, he had had no other choice.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>\"It was my fault too,\" his elder brother Jia Ping finally spoke first after a long silence, exhaling a puff of cold air. \"Actually, before the winter solstice, Mother had a slight ailment. It just so happened that a Daoist master from the Taiping Sect came to our hamlet to preach. I sincerely begged and obtained a dose of talisman water. She drank one bowl, rested the night, and was better, so I paid it no mind. But when the winter chill truly set in and Mother fell ill again, I must have lost my head and listened to someone's nonsense — I borrowed money to seek physicians and medicine! In truth, I should have gone that very day to the township to find the Taiping Sect master and knelt to beg him to bestow another dose of talisman water. Later, the master did come again, but by then I had already sought the physicians first. I reckon the Yellow Heaven deemed my heart insincere, so the talisman water was useless... It's all my unfilial fault!\"\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>\"Elder Brother, your words truly make me wish I could sink into the ground.\" Gripping the hilt of the blade at his waist, Jia Chao, having regained his senses, was overcome with shame. \"When Mother was gravely ill, you and Sister-in-law tended her day and night, and on top of that, you sought both medicine and talisman water. If all that still counts as unfilial, then what am I?\"\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>At this point, Jia Chao forced some strength back into his tone: \"Since things have come to this, there's no need to say more. And Elder Brother, Elder Sister-in-law, now that I'm back, you needn't worry about the Ma family's pressure any longer. This time at Lulong Fortress, I earned merit and received rewards, and I also met a noble patron who looked after me, so I've brought back sufficient wealth. It's merely a few thousand coins. This afternoon, let us first go pay our respects to our parents. Tomorrow morning, we'll find the village head to act as a middleman and return the money to him.\"\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>\"That's good, that's good.\" His elder brother Jia Ping nodded repeatedly, his face gaining a bit more color. \"I truly never imagined that you, Second Brother, going off to soldiering would bring such success — not only bringing back so much money, but also two bolts of such smooth silk, and even a horse... Rest assured, since our mother has passed, by custom we should divide the household. Once the debt is repaid, all this money is still yours...\"\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>\"Ahem!\" Jia Chao's sister-in-law, seated at the table, suddenly coughed, then rose and picked up the earthenware pot beside her. \"This soup has gone cold. I'll go heat it up again.\"\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>\"No need.\" At a moment like this, how could Jia Chao have the heart to quibble over such things? \"Sister-in-law, if you would trouble yourself, just heat the meat and cook some dry rice. I'll take it to offer at Mother's grave.\"\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>The brother and his wife naturally had no objection, and the three of them immediately busied themselves, preparing to let Jia Chao go weep and pay his respects at his late mother's grave while the burial mound's earth was still fresh. Yet, for all their bustling, it was the bustling of the poor. A poor household, not one of those gentry clans — where would so many formalities come from? It was nothing more than boiling a bit of dried meat and dry rice... Had Jia Chao not brought dried meat back, they likely could only have boiled dry rice... Then the three of them roughly tore some old hemp cloth and considered themselves in mourning garb.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>However, just as the three had finished their preparations and were about to lock the main gate to go weep at the grave, unwelcome guests suddenly arrived at the door.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>\"Jia Chao, I hear you've struck it rich and come back?!\" An old fat man — a truly rare sight in these times — in his forties or fifties, with small eyes and a short, squat build, twirling his beard and squinting, strode straight in from outside the gate. Behind him followed five or six armed retainers bearing blades, and the village head of Dasangli trailed behind him, looking utterly obsequious.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Indeed, this man was none other than the sole local tyrant in the surrounding hamlets — Old Master Ma of the neighboring Sanmali hamlet, the very one who had lent money to the Jia family, known to all the nearby hamlets as Old Master Ma... The man claimed descent from the Ma clan of Hongnong and went by the name Ma Fei, but everyone knew full well that the scoundrel was a local, purely a nouveau riche tyrant whose family had risen no more than three generations ago.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>\"Old Master Ma, it has been a long time!\" Jia Chao, seeing this, hurriedly set down the things in his hands and stepped forward to bow. No matter what, the man was a fellow villager and an elder.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>As for Jia Ping and his wife, they had long since retreated several steps in alarm, too timid to utter a word.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>\"So you really have struck it rich.\" Old Master Ma paid no heed whatsoever to the other's bow, instead directing his gaze straight at the northern steed in the courtyard. \"A truly fine horse. Did you bring it from Youzhou?\"\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>\"Yes,\" Jia Chao answered, holding his temper.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>\"Did you borrow it from the army, or is it your own horse?\"\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>\"To answer you, my lord, when I was returning from the army, a comrade with a bright future ahead gave it to me as a parting gift. I had no idea he would be so generous and grand.\"\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>\"So that's how it is.\" Old Master Ma rolled his eyes. \"I've always known those wandering swordsmen in Youzhou are foolishly generous. I never imagined you'd have such luck.\"\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>\"It was indeed luck.\"\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>\"Do you know why I've come to your house? Your brother and sister-in-law must have told you... While you were away, your mother first fell ill, then was buried...\"\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>\"Yes, I already know,\" Jia Chao answered hastily. \"Please set your mind at ease, Old Master Ma. I returned this time because I earned military merit in Liaoxi and received rewards. I've brought enough silver and coin. Please go home and rest first. After I've gone to weep at the grave, tomorrow morning I will personally bring the money to your esteemed home to settle the account and repay the debt...\"\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>\"Fellow villagers, all of us, why go to such trouble, and why wait until tomorrow?\" Old Master Ma walked half a circle around the fine steed, which stood taller than his own head. \"Let's do it this way. I've already brought the debt contract, so I'll settle it with you now. I'll just lead this horse away, and we'll call it even. How about that? See, Old Master Ma leading a horse — isn't that amusing?\"\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Even as he spoke, two of the retainers behind Old Master Ma stepped forward directly to untie the reins.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Jia Chao was both shocked and furious. He knew full well — his elder brother had just calculated it clearly for him — that even with usury, principal and interest combined, they now owed the man only a little over five thousand coins. Yet a northern steed like this, in its prime, would cost at least ten thousand coins even before the Wuhuan encampments in Liaoxi. Transported all the way to Jizhou, its price would increase by at least five thousand, making it worth no less than fifteen thousand coins!\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Besides, he had kept this horse precisely to seek a post as a mounted patrolman in the ting district, to make a living... If he truly wanted to sell it for money, he could right now ride swiftly and catch up with the carriage convoy of that young lord of the Gongsun family, following them all the way to Henei south of the Yellow River, where such a fine steed would be worth at least twenty thousand coins!\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>In short, how could such a fine horse be taken to settle a debt contract of just over five thousand coins, and be considered even? Just because your surname is Ma? This was bullying beyond all reason!\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Not to mention Jia Chao, even Jia Ping and his wife understood the stakes here, and they hurried forward to block the two Ma family retainers.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Jia Chao also hastily gritted his teeth and knelt in the courtyard: \"Old Master Ma, do not be hasty. I am not afraid of trouble. Going to weep at the grave can wait until tomorrow. The money is right inside the house. I will fetch it now and settle accounts with you clearly, and it will certainly not be a single coin short.\"\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>As mentioned earlier, it was now the agricultural off-season and also the first month of the year. Many people had originally been idly chatting outside in spots sheltered from the wind and facing the sun. Now, hearing the commotion, quite a few had curiously gathered at the gate to peer in.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>The village head of Dasangli also hurried over to mediate, saying that since there was ready cash and the debt contract was present, they might as well settle the matter then and there.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Old Master Ma glanced outside the gate, his eyes shifting, and then shook his head repeatedly: \"Forget it, forget it. Though we're not from the same hamlet, we're still fellow villagers. I wouldn't want anyone thinking I'm coveting your horse. Very well then, I won't take the horse, and I won't stop you from fulfilling your filial duties. The matter of the money isn't so urgent... Hmm, let me reckon... these next three days — no, four days! I have matters to attend to for the next four days, so don't come looking for me. On the fifth day, keep track of the time yourself, and don't forget to bring the money to my house to settle the account. That's settled then. I have other debts to collect!\"\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>With that, Old Master Ma did not linger. Twirling his beard, he strode out on his short little legs, off to wreak havoc on who knew which other family.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>The three members of the Jia household, still alarmed and uncertain, hurriedly pulled the horse into the house and tethered it in front of their own stove before daring to set out to mourn their late mother. After all that turmoil, when they returned to the hamlet in the evening, they spotted that Old Master Ma from a distance, deliberately made a wide detour to avoid him, and only then dared to return home.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Now, Jia Chao had, after all, been out roaming for several years. In the army, with so many brothers, one was bound to pick up all sorts of knowledge, so his mind was more given to calculation. Thus, the moment he got home, he could not help but ask: \"I remember when I left, this Old Master Ma was merely a local bully. In just a few years, how has he become so overbearing? Today, if not for the many fellow villagers of our Dasangli gathered around, he might well have resorted to outright robbery... Does he have some backing?\"\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>\"Brother, you're right. This Old Master Ma truly has become more and more shameless lately. We here have it relatively easy — over in Sanmali, quite a few families have been ruined and wiped out by him... As for his backing you asked about, there is indeed something to that.\" After a moment's thought, Jia Ping recounted an incident that had occurred while his younger brother was away, involving this Old Master Ma.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>It turned out that in this southern part of Jizhou, there was one family that absolutely could not be provoked. Not the Zhang clan of the Great Virtuous Teacher Zhang Jiao, but the Zhao clan of Zhao Zhong... Indeed, it was that very Zhao Zhong, the leading figure among the Ten Regular Attendants, whom the reigning Son of Heaven addressed as \"Mother.\"\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>This man's power dominated the court. Counting from the slaying of Grand General Liang Ji, he had held sway for sixteen or seventeen years already.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>So, after all this time, although the common folk in the countryside had no clear idea what a eunuch or the Ten Regular Attendants were, they certainly knew the overbearing might of this family. Any local strongman who could connect himself to the household of Regular Attendant Zhao Zhong became untouchable by anyone.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Of course, Old Master Ma, a mere village tyrant and wealthy householder, could never reach the true members of the Zhao family. But he could reach the Zhao family's dogs... A collateral branch descendant of the Zhao family had built a manor east of the Dalu Marsh and had also seized a large swath of fertile land and households. This man surnamed Zhao naturally did not bother with managing affairs himself, spending all his days in revelry in Yecheng. The person in charge of the manor was a trusted confidant of his, surnamed Liu, whom people across several counties called Steward Liu.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>And Old Master Ma had managed to connect himself with a nephew of this Steward Liu.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>\"Second Brother, do you still remember that there was a particularly poor family within Old Master Ma's clan? During the great plague, almost the entire family died off, leaving only a daughter. She was technically Old Master Ma's niece, and since Old Master Ma was the clan head and couldn't shirk the duty, he had no choice but to take her in and raise her... Actually, he just raised her as a servant girl... But she grew up fair-skinned and very pretty. Come to think of it, before you left back then, Mother was even thinking of asking for her hand to be your wife!\"\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>\"Of course I remember.\" Jia Chao's expression grew distant, as if recalling some past memory.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>\"That's the one,\" Jia Ping said, shaking his head. \"Two years ago, that nephew of the steward came to Old Master Ma's place as a guest... According to the gossip among the villagers of Sanmali... this steward's nephew had probably just glanced at the girl an extra time along the way. As a result, that very night, Old Master Ma stripped his own niece naked and delivered her to the bed of that Steward Han's nephew, giving her to him as a concubine. Then he told everyone in the hamlet that she was his own daughter, and that anyone who dared talk nonsense would be beaten to death... Ever since then, whether in the village, the ting district, or even among some of the county's dignitaries, no one dared meddle in Old Master Ma's affairs anymore. And quite a few of them, it seems, even go out of their way to curry favor with Old Master Ma. Who knows what those dignitaries are thinking?\"\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>\"How could they not curry favor?\" Jia Chao replied with a bitter smile upon hearing this. \"That's the Zhao family. With a single word, they can ruin a noble house and wipe out a clan. Even if it's only a roundabout connection to a mere servant of the Zhao family, if you don't show respect, you'd best stay far away.\"\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>\"I don't understand these things,\" Jia Ping said, shaking his head repeatedly. \"But Second Brother, it's truly wonderful that you could come back... You have no idea — in just these two years, Old Master Ma has, by hook or by crook, bought up no less than twenty percent of the fertile land across seven or eight hamlets in our township. If you hadn't returned, our family's thirty mu of good land would likely have been lost too.\"\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>\"Perhaps,\" Jia Chao said with a forced smile. \"Let's not speak of this anymore. Sister-in-law, please hurry and prepare the meal. While there's still light, let's settle down early tonight.\"\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>\"Yes, yes,\" the simple and honest Jia Ping also nodded repeatedly. \"Brother, you've just returned. You must be exhausted from the journey. Quickly eat and rest. Whatever needs to be said can wait until tomorrow.\"\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>And so, the three members of the Zhang household finished their meal. Jia Chao first had his elder brother and sister-in-law take the main room, and claiming he needed to look after the horse, he settled early into a side room together with the steed. Poor folk in these times had no money for candles or oil lamps, so naturally they rose with the sun and rested with its setting.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Thus, very soon, the entire Dasangli was pitch black. Only in one spot in the Sanmali opposite was there bright lamplight — clearly the home of that Old Master Ma.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>And at that very moment, Jia Chao, the cavalryman returned from Lulong Fortress, suddenly turned over and sat up in bed... his eyes gleaming brightly in the darkness.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Having spent so long in the border army, he suffered from no night blindness!\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Indeed, Jia Chao had felt all along that Old Master Ma had let go of his warhorse far too readily, and had insisted he wait several days before repaying the money. There had to be something fishy going on!\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>It was not that he hadn't considered the possibility that the man had simply been wary and thus backed off. But after hearing his elder brother's account, he realized the man had such formidable backing. How could Jia Chao dare to assume the best?\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>With this thought, he resolved to put his skills to use and scout out Old Master Ma's house that very night, so he could prepare early.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>He strapped on his waist saber, bound his puttees, and changed into the black clothing from his bundle... all tricks he had learned out in Liaoxi. Once ready, Jia Chao did not hesitate and headed straight for his target.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Jizhou had been at peace for a long time, and Old Master Ma's household was the sole local tyrant in all the surrounding hamlets — where would there be any precautions whatsoever? Thus, Jia Chao easily reached Sanmali, scaled the wall into Old Master Ma's compound, and quite casually located his objective for the night: several of Old Master Ma's guests and retainers, gathered around a fire pit in the gatehouse of the second gate, drinking and keeping watch while warming themselves.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Jia Chao made no sound, nor did he infiltrate any deeper. He simply crouched in a blind spot where no light fell, enduring the bitter cold and silently listening to these men prattle on.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>These several men started by discussing the outstanding young ladies from various households in the village, then moved on to the county’s prostitutes, with bawdy talk flying everywhere. When they finally got to some proper matters, it was news that had passed through who knows how many hands — who could say if it was still believable. But at last, the topic inevitably turned to this afternoon’s incident…\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“That Jia Ping and Jia Chao are in for trouble. The husband took a fancy to his horse — he should have just offered it up directly, yet he actually dared to block it?” A hoarse voice rang out; from the earlier conversation, this man seemed to be the leader here. “In a few days, once everything’s prepared, his fields and horses, and that money Jia Chao brought, will probably all be gone. Who knows whose hands Jia Ping’s wife will end up in… Back then, she was a well-known young beauty in our Dahuang village, and even I never got my hands on her!”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“If you’ve taken a fancy to her, elder brother, once this matter is settled, just ask the husband to grant her to you — what’s the problem?”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“I do want her!” The leader’s hoarse voice seemed to be deliberately stirring things up. “But this time we’re inviting those local tyrants from the ting and county offices to help. That bunch — each one fierce as a goat — how could they leave any spoils for us?”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“Elder brother, what does ‘fierce as a goat’ mean?” another man spoke up. “What’s so fierce about a goat?”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“You wandering swordsman from the county really have no experience,” the hoarse voice laughed. “The saying goes: fierce as a tiger, ruthless as a goat, greedy as a wolf… it’s all about how they eat. A tiger pounces on its prey — motionless for ages, then one strike kills. Isn’t that fierce? When wolves scramble for food, they don’t even chew, just swallow it straight down. Isn’t that greedy?”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>The crowd all chimed in agreement.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“And ‘ruthless as a goat’ — haven’t you seen in the village that goats are always tethered? Why? Because when goats eat grass, they eat even the roots; when they gnaw leaves, they gnaw even the bark; they can even gnaw a chunk off the wall of a thatched hut… Any farmer knows how ruthless goats are when they eat.”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>The crowd suddenly understood and said one after another: “That saying is fitting. Those people from the county and ting offices — aren’t they exactly ruthless as goats? They’ll probably even tear down those few thatched houses of the Zhang family and sell the materials.”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“You lot!” The hoarse voice laughed again. “Don’t just think about them… Our host here — he took a fancy to the man’s horses and fields, but held back and waited quietly for an opportunity. Doesn’t that resemble a tiger pouncing on its prey?”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>The crowd agreed again.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“That’s right. Our host is fierce as a tiger; the men from the government offices are ruthless as goats. If we want to snatch some food, we can only be greedy as wolves… When the time comes, strike fast, grab whatever you can. Understood?”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>The crowd roared their assent, and one quick-witted man even spelled out the leader’s intent: “Don’t worry, elder brother. In a few days, when Jia Chao and Jia Ping walk right into the trap, we won’t wait for the county men. We’ll use our status as fellow villagers to trick our way in and deceive Jia Ping’s wife, strike first and carry her off — we’ll certainly give you a fine time, elder brother…”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>The hoarse voice immediately burst into loud laughter: “I’ll just enjoy myself a bit, that’s all. She’s only a married woman. If she serves well, why not send her back? Only after she returns, with the family ruined and Jia Ping so honest, she won’t escape falling into the hands of those officials again… You don’t know, the ting chief of our ting, Du Ju, is notoriously lecherous. I’m just trying to get ahead of him.”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>At this point, the hoarse voice added: “Pity about Jia Chao… From the look of him today, he’s made something of himself in the north — he seems capable and tough. But a common man without crime — having money, horses, and fields is crime enough… In three or five days, once he’s thrown into the ting jail, this vast world will have no place left for him to ride his horses.”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Over there, that pack of scoundrels drank and made merry, while Jia Chao, hiding to one side, was both shocked and furious… Though the words came in fragments, he had grasped the gist — so that husband Ma, having failed to seize the horse, was now disregarding all village ties and directly colluding with the county and ting men to pin a charge on him and have him arrested, then slowly bleed his whole family dry. And what was even more hateful, this gang of scoundrels who hung around husband Ma had set their sights on his sister-in-law and were plotting to deceive and violate her!\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Shocked and furious, Jia Chao began racking his brains, yet no matter how he thought, he could see no way out — husband Ma, though short and stumpy, a fellow he could lift with one hand, had backing and played dirty; he was indeed a fierce tiger in the village. And the officials from the county and ting, though he had never met them, since they were willing to follow husband Ma’s orders, they must truly be the sort ruthless as goats. As for these three or five scoundrels from the village right before him, just listening to their talk, they were certainly genuine greedy wolves!\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>So, what that wretch had said in his drunkenness was not the slightest bit off! And he himself truly had no road left to walk!\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Just at that moment, one drunken scoundrel staggered to his feet and, while loosening his clothes, began heading his way — clearly about to relieve himself. And Jia Chao, almost by a soldier’s instinct, actually reached for the hilt of the blade at his waist!\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>In the next instant, it dawned on him — yes, this was his family’s one and only way out!\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“Fierce as a tiger, ruthless as a goat, greedy as a wolf — those too strong to be commanded: all shall be beheaded.” — Records of the Grand Historian, Annals of Xiang Yu\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Applause… Horse Otaku husband Ma makes his entrance.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>And then begging for bookmarks… a new book’s bookmarks… my heart is so empty\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>(End of Chapter)\u003C\u002Fp>",4471,"2026-06-04T19:42:03.441Z",1,"Novelzhen Translator","057f0445488aa64278d6f000eb15ec04ccb01f06a5cec8ee0f083e97c0c44e1a","overthrowing-han-chapter-19","overthrowing-han-chapter-17",548,"https:\u002F\u002Fnovelzhen.com\u002Fimages\u002Fcovers\u002Foverthrowing-han-cover.jpg"]