The Ming Dynasty: Starting with the border troops, it was overthrown and the Qing Dynasty was destro

Chapter 58 Burning the Imperial Examination Hall

The "thief" the man was referring to was none other than the brother and sister Yu Chengye and Yu Chenglin.

Because they were close to Jiang Han, many villagers naturally assumed they were Jiang Han's people, and there were even rumors that the two siblings were Jiang Han's long-lost children.

Just as the government troops stormed into the village, the sharp-eyed Yu Chengye, riding a mule, spotted them from afar.

His heart tightened, and without thinking twice, he quickly grabbed his sister and ran all the way to the Ma family's old house, knocking on the door.

The old servant of the Ma family slowly opened the door, glanced at the panting Yu Chengye, and smiled:

"It's you again, kid? What did you bring this time?"

Jiang Han would often bring him food and other necessities, with Yu Chengye running the errands; Yu Chengye would also chat with him from time to time, so the old man had a pretty good impression of Yu Chengye.

Yu Chengye was sweating profusely with anxiety:

"Uncle Ma, the government troops are here! They're slaughtering everyone in the village!"

The old servant of the Ma family was shocked. He had just been sleeping. How could the government troops have suddenly attacked?
He hurriedly asked Yu Chengye:
"Where is your general? Was he defeated? Was he all killed by the government troops?"

Yu Chengye quickly waved his hand:
"No, they went out to fight, leaving my sister and me in the village. Unexpectedly, the government troops took advantage of this opportunity to attack."

"Uncle Ma, let's run! The government troops are killing people from house to house, they'll be here soon!"

The old servant of the Ma family frowned, listening to the shouts of killing and the cries of the villagers rising and falling in the village, and cursed angrily:
"What a terrible thing! These beasts!"

These days, he has witnessed Majia Village gradually improving with Jiang Han's help. Unexpectedly, the government troops suddenly attacked and turned the village into a hell in an instant.

He shook his head, seeing the anxious looks on Yu Chengye and his sister's faces.

"Run? The village is swarming with government troops. If you try to run out, you'll probably be hacked to pieces in no time!"

"Come in, hide inside the house, and you might escape this calamity."

Yu Chengye was so anxious that he stamped his feet:
"No, sir! Those government troops kill without blinking an eye. If they break in, your gate won't be able to stop them at all!"

The old servant of the Ma family looked helpless and pointed to the plaque above his head:
Do either of you recognize these three characters?

Yu Chengye looked up, scratched his head, and asked, "Master Tu. Di?"

The old servant of the Ma family rolled his eyes at him and said irritably:

"You're completely blind!"

"Those characters are pronounced 'Jinshi Di'!"

"The presence of this plaque signifies that this is the residence of a scholar who has passed the imperial examination! Soldiers and officials dare not barge in!"

"Hurry up and come in, find a place to hide!"

Although the two siblings were illiterate, they knew that the scholar was a very important person, so they quickly slipped into the house and found a corner to hide in.

Not long after Yu Chengye and his sister hid, there was a loud banging on the door outside the house.

The old servant of the Ma family, unhurried and leisurely, pushed open the door and calmly looked at the soldiers outside:
"What brings you here, officers?"

One of the burly soldiers shouted at the top of his lungs:

"Old man, we've heard you're harboring bandits! Get out of the way, we need to go in and arrest someone!"

After saying that, he tried to force his way in.

The old servant stood at the door and snorted coldly:
"How dare you! Who do you think you are?!"

"You soldier, open your dog eyes and take a good look at those three big characters above your head. Do you recognize them?"

These lowly soldiers, who couldn't read, acted with an arrogant attitude, thinking, "I'm illiterate, so who am I afraid of?"

"You old bastard, get out of here right now, or I'll chop you up too!"

"Wait, don't be rude!"

Just as the soldiers were about to make their move, Zheng, the leader, stopped them in time.

Although his subordinates were illiterate, he recognized the three large characters "Jinshi Di" and understood that the house in front of him was the residence of a Jinshi (a successful candidate in the highest imperial examinations).

How could a mere centurion like him dare to offend the Ma family?

Commander Zheng put on a smile, stepped forward, and cupped his hands in greeting:
"Old sir, we just received word from the villagers that two thieves are heading your way, so we came to inquire." Upon hearing this, the old servant of the Ma family immediately feigned ignorance.

"What thief? I'm just a gatekeeper in this courtyard, how come I didn't see him?"

"You should go and look around elsewhere."

Seeing that the soldiers at the gate refused to leave, he pointed to the plaque above his head:

"General, please forgive us. The Ma family's courtyard is too small to accommodate you gentlemen. Please come in."

Seeing that the old man was unmoved by either soft or hard tactics, Zheng Baihu had no choice but to lead his men away in a huff.

But he had only taken a few steps when one of his personal guards approached him and offered a sinister suggestion:

"Sir, since this old man won't let us in, why don't we force him out?"

Commander Zheng frowned as he looked at his personal guards:

"What's the big deal? They were perfectly fine staying in their house, why should they come out?"

The guard chuckled: "Set it on fire!"

Zheng Baihu was startled and quickly grabbed him, signaling him to shut up:
"Are you crazy? How dare you burn down the mansion of a scholar who has passed the imperial examination?"
"How many heads do you have to chop off?"

The guards remained calm and composed.

"My lord, please be patient and let me explain in detail."

"We were ordered to suppress the rebels and thieves. After a fierce battle, the thief saw that the situation was not good and, in desperation, jumped over the wall and fled into the Ma family's courtyard."

"The bandits put up a stubborn resistance, and our government troops, fearing to harm the innocent, could only watch helplessly as the bandits burned the Ma family's house to the ground."

"Wouldn't that make sense?"

Zheng Baihu squinted, pondered for a long time, and still hesitated to make a move.

Seeing that he was wavering, the guard pressed his advantage, saying:
"Anyway, there's just an old man guarding the gate inside, and no one from the Ma family is there."

"Besides, the Ma family has been operating in Ansai for many years. Although they have moved to Yan'an Prefecture, there must still be some valuable items in their old house."

Even if some were burned, there will definitely be a lot left over. Why not take it?

These words completely moved Commander Zheng. He gritted his teeth and signaled several of his trusted men to take action themselves, while he himself pretended to lead the other soldiers to retreat to a distance.

The fewer people who know about this kind of thing, the better.

Before long, the Ma family's house caught fire, and the fire spread rapidly, billowing thick smoke.

The old servant of the Ma family inside discovered that the house was on fire and was immediately terrified:
"These beasts really dare to set fire!"

Seeing that the fire was getting bigger and bigger, he quickly led his two siblings to the backyard.

The three arrived at the foot of a courtyard wall. The old servant of the Ma family brought over a ladder and urged the brother and sister to hurry up:

"Quick, climb out through the backyard!"

"Once we get out of here, I'll take you to Yan'an Prefecture to find the master. We'll make those soldiers pay!"

But when Yu Chengye looked out the back window, he saw several of Zheng Baihu's personal guards standing there, clearly having taken precautions in advance, intending to trap them inside.

Yu Chengye quickly stopped him and whispered:

"Sir, no, there are people blocking the way outside!"

Upon hearing this, the old servant of the Ma family panicked for a moment. He never expected that these soldiers would be so ruthless.

Not only did they set fire to the mansion of the scholar who had passed the imperial examination, but they also wanted to exterminate them all and trap them inside!
Yu Chenglin, standing behind him, was so frightened that she turned deathly pale and was speechless.

Looking at the helpless expressions of the old man and the child, Yu Chengye understood that it was time to step forward.

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(End of this chapter)