Chapter 3: Wife and Child!!

For these yamen runners, many had vomited while clearing the corpses just moments ago. Such brutal, harrowing scenes of war were something they had never witnessed before.

And now, they had all received the news: the Prince of Yan had rebelled. For these ordinary runners, the uncertainty of their future fate left them deeply anxious.

"I am Zhang Fu, a thousand-man commander of the Prince of Yan’s personal guard," the officer who had previously gathered the runners appeared once more, speaking loudly to them all. "From now on, I am your direct superior."

*Zhang Fu. A hero of the Jingnan Campaign in history. So, it is him,* Zhu Zheng thought to himself, his expression unchanged.

"Today was your first task as the logistical support force. You performed well. You’ve worked hard cleaning up throughout the night. I won't waste words; go home and rest now. Gather in front of the prefectural office at noon tomorrow. If anyone dares not to show up, they will be treated as a deserter and executed on the spot. Of course, you are welcome to try and flee Beiping, if you think you can make it out."

Clad in his commander’s armor, Zhang Fu stood before all the runners, his voice projecting through the flickering light of the surrounding fires. His tone carried a clear, chilling threat.

Having heard him, every runner felt immense trepidation and fear. Zhang Fu’s words had effectively sealed off any path of retreat many had been contemplating. Some had planned to simply not return the following day, but Zhang Fu had preemptively shattered that hope by declaring that absence would be met with execution. It was an undisguised threat.

*It seems Zhu Di is already short on manpower, to the point where he is forcing the city’s yamen runners to serve as his logistics corps,* Zhu Zheng mused internally. *Sigh. The rebellion has only just begun, and the initial casualties will not be light. Compared to being drafted directly into the regular army to clash with the Imperial forces, the logistics corps is safer. Cleaning up corpses isn't so bad; at least I can incrementally improve my attributes. Even if I am eventually forced onto the battlefield, I won't be afraid.*

"All right, go home and rest," Zhang Fu said, finished with his warnings. He waved his hand, dismissing them.

At once, the runners scattered in groups.

"Brother Zheng, what are we going to do?" one of his subordinates whispered, sounding desperate. "Now that the Prince of Yan has rebelled, and we’ve been reorganized, we are nothing but rebel bandits in the eyes of the Imperial court. If the imperial army comes to suppress us, we face the crime of extermination of our entire clan."

"Exactly," another agreed. "What now? Should we really show up at the office tomorrow?"

"But if we don't, that commander said we'd be treated as deserters and beheaded," a third added. "Why are we so unlucky? To be dragged into this mess for no reason... The Prince of Yan is formidable, but the Imperial court has an army of a million. He can't possibly win. What are we to do?"

As they walked further away, Zhu Zheng’s men groaned, filled with helplessness, despair, and pessimism. They felt as though they had been forced onto a sinking ship. For them, working for the government and eating the Imperial grain had been a decent life. But the word "rebellion" changed everything. No matter how noble the excuses Zhu Di might proclaim in the future, a rebellion was still a rebellion. If he lost, everyone under his banner would face the penalty of clan extermination—there was no escaping that. And as a mere regional prince, the disparity in strength between him and the Imperial court was far too vast. Everyone understood this.

"The die is cast; don't dwell on it," Zhu Zheng said, his tone meant to comfort them. "Rebelling is indeed a death sentence. But if we defy the Prince of Yan's orders now, we will die even sooner. Let’s take it one step at a time. If that day ever comes and the Prince of Yan falls, I will lead you all to become outlaws in the mountains."

Having knowledge of history, Zhu Zheng naturally knew who the eventual winner of the Ming Dynasty would be. But he could hardly say it out loud, nor would anyone believe him. Furthermore, now that his "cheat" had awakened, Zhu Zheng had even less reason to fear. In the logistics corps, with so many opportunities to touch corpses and scavenge attributes, he had all the capital he needed to become stronger.

"Brother Zheng, I'll remember your words. If we really do have to become outlaws, don't forget your brothers," his men joked bitterly.

After a while, they all headed home. In a residential courtyard on a street in the outer city of Beiping, the lights had already gone out. Zhu Zheng returned home quietly, opened the gate, and prepared to rest in the side room. He had been in Beiping for many years; this house was the first home he had established after arriving with his grandmother, where he had later married and started a family. Over a decade had slipped by in the blink of an eye.

"Husband?"

A gentle voice drifted from the courtyard as Zhu Zheng returned. A stunning young woman in a plain dress walked toward him, her face full of concern. She was his wife, Guo Yu'er. Two years younger than Zhu Zheng, she was twenty-two this year. They had grown up together as childhood sweethearts after he came to Beiping, and their journey had led them to where they were now.

Truth be told, in terms of wealth and status, Zhu Zheng had "married up." Guo Yu'er’s father was the esteemed Minister of the Beiping Administration Commission, Guo Zi. In terms of power and lineage, she belonged to a top-tier family. When they chose to marry, the Guo family had shown no disdain for his poverty and offered no obstruction. They had been very harmonious. Over the years, they had treated each other with the utmost respect. Zhu Zheng had never relied on his father-in-law’s influence to climb the ranks, and Guo Zi had never interfered in his life.

They had two children: their eldest daughter, Zhu Qi, who was nearly eight, and their second child, a son named Zhu Xi, who was nearly six. For these years, the family of four had lived quite comfortably. Of course, with Zhu Di’s rebellion, all that peace was about to be shattered.

"Yu'er, why aren't you asleep?" Zhu Zheng asked with concern upon hearing her voice.

"The sounds of battle could be heard throughout the city, and you didn't come home all night. I couldn't sleep," she said softly.

"Are Qi'er and the boy sleeping well?"

"Yes, they went to sleep early," she nodded, though she couldn't mask her worry. "What exactly is happening in the city? Many people were shouting that the Prince of Yan has rebelled. It isn't true, is it?"

"It is true," Zhu Zheng nodded solemnly.

"Then what will become of us?" she asked, her face filled with anxiety. "If the Prince of Yan has rebelled, won't Beiping be in turmoil?"

"There is no escaping it," Zhu Zheng replied in a low voice. "Today, all the yamen runners were reorganized by the Prince of Yan’s estate into a logistics corps, including me."