The Great Rebel at the End of the Ming Dynasty

Chapter 019 Grab the Weapons

It was too late to rescue them that day. Although it would be easier to operate at night under the cover of darkness, don't forget that there is a curfew in place.

Curfews have existed since ancient times, dating back to the Zhou Dynasty, and were further stipulated in law during the Ming Dynasty.

Whether in a prefecture or a county town, the city gates were to be closed at sunset, and a curfew was to be enforced within the city from 3 a.m. to 3 a.m., with the exact time slightly adjusted depending on the length of the days in summer and winter. During the curfew, people were not allowed to wander the streets, and yamen runners and officials would lead patrols throughout the city. Anyone found violating the curfew was to be severely punished.

The most famous example is from the Eastern Han Dynasty, when Cao Cao, serving as the Northern Commandant of Luoyang, imposed a curfew and patrolled the streets. He arrested the uncle of Jian Shuo, a eunuch favored by Emperor Ling of Han. After arresting him, Cao Cao executed him on the spot for violating the curfew, which shows how strict the curfew was.

Furthermore, the city gates close as soon as it gets dark, and all the street intersections are also sealed off, so the kind of nighttime errands depicted in movies and TV dramas are simply impossible in this era. The rescue operation can only be carried out after daybreak.

The moonlight is lovely tonight. Zhou Lun sat on a stone bench in the courtyard, looking up at the crescent moon hanging in the sky, while the faint chirping of insects could be heard in the distance.

On this quiet night, a poem by Li Bai suddenly came to Zhou Lun's mind.

The moon of today is not the moon of old, yet the moon of today once shone on the ancients. The ancients and the moderns are like flowing water, all alike gazing upon the same bright moon…

This poem perfectly captures Zhou Lun's current state of mind. Gazing at the bright moon before him, he couldn't help but think of his original time and space, while he was now living in this era. Fate had played a cruel trick on him, and he couldn't help but feel a sense of melancholy.

"Second brother!"

"Big brother!"

"What are you thinking about? Why aren't you resting?" Li Wanqing had also come to the courtyard at some point. Seeing Zhou Lun sitting there staring blankly at the bright moon, he walked over and asked.

"I'll go rest in a bit." Zhou Lun smiled faintly and asked Li Wanqing, "Are the Zhang brothers and the men here alright? Are they all being kept under control?"

"Don't worry, I have someone watching over him, and he's tied up very securely. He can't escape." Li Wanqing said this casually, and then sat down opposite Zhou Lun.

"Second brother, are you worried about tomorrow?"

"Somewhat." Zhou Lun nodded. "Once the operation begins tomorrow, regardless of whether we rescue anyone or not, it will be a major event. Zhang Xiuguo was right when he said something today: what we're doing this time is different from last time. Last time, although we had no choice but to take action to save my elder brother, we only killed Constable Zhao, and the government has already classified it as a 'vendetta' to cover up the truth. But this time it's different."

"Yes!" Li Wanqing sighed seriously.

How could he not know that this time was completely different from the last? If the last time could barely be associated with a revenge killing, this time it was a completely different matter in essence.

Whether it's robbing the Zhang family's convoy, taking the Zhang Xiuguo and Zhang Xiuren brothers hostage, or rescuing them from the county jail tomorrow, any one of these actions would be a serious crime these days.

In other words, if it were just about rescuing Li Wanqing initially, they would at most be ordinary fugitives. Although there were warrants for their arrest and wanted by the government, as long as they hid for a while and waited for the storm to pass, the problem wouldn't be too serious. By concealing their identities and avoiding direct confrontation with the authorities, they generally wouldn't face any severe consequences.

But now things are completely different. No matter what they do next, it's tantamount to rebellion.

Zhao, the constable who died at Zhou Lun's hands, was merely a minor official. Zhang Xiuguo, on the other hand, was a legitimate official appointed by the imperial court. Even though his rank as a county magistrate was not high, only eighth grade, an official position was still an official position, and the difference between the two was worlds apart.

Furthermore, there were more than twenty of them doing this kind of thing in the county, not just one or two. Whether they succeeded or not, it was no different from a rebellion.

Once this path is embarked upon, there is no turning back. Moreover, such a serious matter cannot be easily concealed. At that point, it won't be as simple as the government apprehending them; the imperial court will undoubtedly use force to suppress the rebellious traitors.

This was precisely what Zhou Lun was worried about, and he was also anxious about his future. Even so, Zhou Lun and Li Wanqing had no choice but to do this. They couldn't stand by and watch the villagers of Liwang Village be implicated by the corrupt official Fan Zhengren because of them, who had so distorted the truth. Moreover, the death of their clan elder, Li Shiyan, was a matter they were determined to avenge!

"Second brother, are you afraid?" Li Wanqing suddenly asked Zhou Lun.

"What about you, brother? Are you scared?" Zhou Lun asked in return.

Li Wanqing laughed heartily, then said, "Ever since I was rescued from prison, I've come to understand something. This world is so unfair; you either become an ant, accept your fate, and let others manipulate you, or in the end, you're nothing more than a handful of dust."

"But how can I accept this? In this world, officials force the people to rebel; where is there any way out? I gave myself the nickname 'Shoot Down the Sky' to ask the heavens why they are like this. What does it matter if I'm afraid? What does it matter if I'm not? Do we have any other choice? Even if there are mountains of knives and seas of fire ahead, we will still brave them!"

Seeing the smile on Li Wanqing's face, Zhou Lun noticed a resolute look between his brows, and Zhou Lun couldn't help but smile as well.

"Since you've said so, brother, I'll gladly serve you faithfully and follow you into this adventure!"

Zhou Lun stood up and solemnly clasped his hands in a fist salute to Li Wanqing. Li Wanqing looked at his brother with satisfaction, praised him three times, and extended his hand to shake hands with Zhou Lun. The two exchanged a smile, their understanding unspoken.

The night passed smoothly, and as dawn broke, the curfew ended, and the county town, which had been asleep all night, finally awoke and ushered in the start of the new day.

Inside Zhang's rice shop, everyone was ready. Li Wanqing and Li Shoutian changed into the clothes of the two yamen runners who had come with Zhang Xiuguo yesterday, and were dressed neatly.

The reason for this arrangement was that Zhou Lun was tall and Wang Tieniu was burly, so it was not appropriate for them to impersonate yamen runners.

Looking around, Li Wanqing and Li Shoutian were the two most suitable in terms of build. Besides, even with Zhang Xiuguo leading the way, it was impossible to send too many people to the county jail. If twenty or so people all rushed to the jail gate, the jailers would immediately notice something was wrong, and not only would they fail to rescue anyone, but they would also give away clues.

So, to rescue Zhang Xiuguo from the county prison, Li Wanqing decided that he and Li Shoutian would pretend to be yamen runners and take Zhang Xiuguo with them.

Zhou Lun had objected to this arrangement, feeling that it was too risky for Li Wanqing, as the leader, to directly intervene. However, Li Wanqing's point was valid; the able-bodied men below were not capable of being trusted, and Zhou Lun and Wang Tieniu didn't look convincing as yamen runners. In terms of physique, he and Li Shoutian were the most suitable.

Furthermore, they needed someone outside to meet Zhang Xiuguo when they took him to the county prison. Zhou Lun was meticulous and decisive; having him lead Wang Tieniu and the others outside would allow them to react to any unexpected events inside the prison. Whether it was providing backup or storming the prison, it served as a backup plan.

Therefore, Zhou Lun had no choice but to agree to Li Wanqing's arrangement. After everyone made preparations and brought Zhang Xiuguo out, they gave him a warning and a reprimand. Then, Li Wanqing and Li Shoutian escorted Zhang Xiuguo to the county prison, one on each side.

After they left, Zhou Lun and Wang Tieniu led the others to bring out the cart they had brought the day before. They continued to pretend to be employees of the Zhang family business and slowly followed behind, heading towards the county prison.

Zhang's rice shop wasn't too far from the county jail, only about three streets away. When Zhou Lun led Zhang Xiuren to the vicinity of the jail, Li Wanqing and his group were nowhere to be seen. This put Zhou Lun slightly at ease, as it seemed Li Wanqing and his men had safely entered the jail.

They continued walking slowly forward, and when they reached the street corner ahead, Zhou Lun stopped. He and his men pretended to tidy up the carriage, but their eyes were fixed on the direction of the county prison across the street.

Time ticked by. Zhou Lun felt that time was passing far too slowly. From the outside, there seemed to be no movement at the county prison, and he wondered how Li Wanqing and the others were doing inside.

However, the lack of movement wasn't necessarily a bad thing; in fact, any movement was not a good thing. Just as Zhou Lun was concentrating and continuing to observe, he suddenly saw a group of people turn out from the intersection to his left and head straight towards the county prison.

Upon seeing this scene, Zhou Lun's gaze went straight in that direction. There were about ten people in the group, several of whom were dressed in the uniforms of yamen runners and constables, but the most eye-catching were the two people in official robes who were being surrounded by others.

Because they were some distance away, the patterns on the official robes were not very clear, but the style of the robes and the official hat were very obvious. Zhou Lun was taken aback. Who were these people who had suddenly appeared? Officials in the county town? And there were two of them?

There weren't many official officials in the entire county. Apart from the county magistrate Fan Zhengren, the county assistant magistrate Zhang Xiuguo, and the clerk Shi Teng, there were only the instructor and the registrar.

These people were all officials; the rest were merely clerks or commoners. In other words, at most, only five people in the entire county were qualified to wear official robes. Zhang Xiuguo and Zhou Lun had met them before, and were now in the county jail with Li Wanqing and the others. So, who were these two officials coming this way?

Fan Zhengren? Shi Teng? Or perhaps the county's instructor and registrar?

Zhou Lun couldn't be sure for a moment, as he had never seen the other party before. Furthermore, what puzzled Zhou Lun even more was why these people were at the county prison. What exactly was going on?

His mind raced, and Zhou Lun frowned deeply. Suddenly, a thought struck him, and his expression instantly changed.

"tractor!"

"Lun Ge?"

"Give everyone a shout, grab your weapons!"

"Ah!" Wang Tieniu was stunned and didn't react for a moment.

Seeing him staring blankly at him, Zhou Lun immediately became anxious and kicked him. Then, without saying a word, he strode to the side of the carriage, reached under the carriage floor, and in the blink of an eye, pulled out a long knife.

"What are you waiting for? Get me!"

Zhou Lun shouted and charged at the group of people who had already reached the entrance of the county prison.

Only then did Wang Tieniu come to his senses. He hurriedly led the other able-bodied men to frantically pull out all the weapons they had brought and chased after them.