Crane Jade Cloud

Over those six years, at least half of the peasantry in the Man Kingdom perished!

In 1084, the Man Kingdom was struck by the most severe drought in centuries. Emperor Zhong the Tyrant oppressed his people, leaving the populace to live in deep misery and scorching heat. With land to till but no grain to eat, what should have been a natural disaster manageable by tightening one's belt became an inescapable shadow that haunted the farmers forever.

Early spring, 1090.

At night, a eunuch in the imperial palace of Man City led a woman toward the imperial bedchamber. The woman was dressed in a simple, plain-colored gown, her figure as slender and supple as a willow branch. With every step she took, she swayed like a willow in the wind, delicate and full of charm.

The eunuch ushered her into the chamber, gave his instructions, and departed, closing the door behind him.

Once he was gone, the woman’s slender, fair hands slowly untied the ribbon at her waist, and her gown began to loosen. First, her soft, fair shoulders were revealed, and then, with a slow step forward, the garment fell completely away. Every part of her body was now exposed—from her rounded shoulders to her slender waist and full hips, undulating like waves. Every feature of her form seemed to embody her shyness.

Yet, her heart hammered against her ribs. She kept telling herself to remain calm; she had looked forward to this day for a long time, and she had planned for it for just as long. If she failed, she would choose death.

The woman wrapped herself in a quilt, which only served to make her more alluring.

Finally, the door was pushed open. It was the current Emperor of the Man Kingdom, Emperor Zhong the Tyrant—the man she had been waiting for.

Closing the door, the woman lowered her head, then slowly unwrapped the quilt to reveal her body.

Emperor Zhong embraced her. How could an emperor resist such a bewitching beauty? Emperor Zhong began to kiss her, and she did not resist; instead, she became even more seductive. She was waiting for a command, for outside the door stood a powerful eunuch and a dozen palace maids.

As time slowly ticked by, Emperor Zhong finally issued a command:

"You may leave!"

The maids and the eunuch outside departed one by one. But just as Emperor Zhong reached to remove his robes, a silver needle struck his pressure point with precision, rendering him instantly immobile!

It was the woman who had launched the needle. She slowly picked up her clothes from the floor and dressed. Her once-smooth hair had been disheveled, but she did not care. Even if she had truly shared the bed, she would have accepted it if this were the outcome.

Suddenly, there was a knock at the door! The woman was startled, fearing she had been exposed. She stepped lightly to the bed, shook it, and let out a series of soft, feigned cries. Once the noise outside subsided, she poked a hole in the window with her finger to confirm no one was there, and only then did she let out a sigh of relief. She smoothed her hair, walked over to Emperor Zhong, and finally spoke:

"Emperor Zhong, as the ruler of this land, for the past seven years, while the Man Kingdom has suffered frequent droughts, you have engaged in rapacious extortion! You have forcibly collected harsh taxes from the people and imposed cruel laws on those who fled to other countries. The farmers had nowhere to turn, and countless took their own lives. How many villages in the Man Kingdom are now left without a single living soul?" She stopped, knowing that to continue would delay her window for escape. She then took out three more silver needles and struck!

A tyrant of his generation fell.

I remember that early spring night; there was a tremendous rain, so heavy, with thunder that shook the heavens and the earth. The downpour washed over the scarred and broken land. That night, farmers emerged to cheer for the rain. But strangely enough, in the spring of the year Emperor Zhong died, the rains in the Man Kingdom became frequent, and the long-dried Lin River overflowed in a single night.

Six years later...

On a summer night, a farmer in a short hemp tunic and an old woman in a cotton robe walked through a deep forest of tall trees. The old woman carried a wooden basin containing a red towel and a pair of rusted scissors.

Their footsteps grew increasingly hurried as they arrived at a house of earth and wood. From within came the miserable cries of a woman. The farmer reached for the door first, but the old woman entered while stopping him from following.

"Wait outside..."

The farmer was overcome with anxiety, but he pulled back. The old woman slowly closed the door.

Time dragged on. The farmer paced back and forth in the courtyard. The cries from inside stopped his footsteps time and again, only to drive them forward once more.

The forest of tall trees at night was quiet yet beautiful, filled with the rhythmic chorus of frogs, the intermittent chirping of crickets, the silver spots of moonlight dappling the ground, and eyes glowing from the branches. Finally, the cry of an infant broke the silence! The great weight in the farmer's heart finally lifted.

The door opened.

"Come and see. It’s a boy."

He reached out to hold him. A long-lost smile appeared on his face. The infant weighed at least three kilograms! The farmer held the child and rocked him gently; the baby stopped crying, and the farmer’s smile grew even brighter.

"Your wife has plenty of milk; raising him will be no problem."

He and his wife had discussed the name long ago. His wife’s surname was "He," and his was "Lin." They decided to call the boy "Lin He."