Zhu Changle, who had been drinking since early morning, dared not appear before her mother. After some thought, an idea came to her. She whistled to call Little Tail over, saying, "Let's go for a stroll by the sea and check out those destroyed docks Dingding mentioned."
Qiuli remained noncommittal, not even bothering to call his horse. He watched unsurprised as the newly named horse trotted over alongside Little Tail.
"Haha, you two boys are so close! Little One, it's such a pity you're not a mare!" Zhu Changle laughed.
Qiuli was also disappointed that Little Tail wasn't a mare. He pushed away Little One's approaching head with a look of disdain. How undignified.
Meanwhile, Zhu Changle cuddled with Little Tail for a while before mounting him. She didn't forget to call out to Qiuli, "Come on, let's go see the sea!"
The two riders galloped through the streets like a gust of wind.
Of the two horses, Little Tail was pure black without a single stray hair, while Little One was dazzlingly white.
Of the two people, one wore bright red and laughed heartily, while the other was dressed in white and exuded unparalleled handsomeness. This was a vibrancy and color Yunbei hadn't seen in years. Many people walked out onto the streets and silently watched the pair ride away, remaining motionless even after their shadows had disappeared.
Soon, Zhu Changle saw the damaged docks Dingding had mentioned. Only upon seeing them in person did she realize how much effort the locals had put into resisting the sea raiders.
The wide expanse was already an enormous undertaking to enclose with intertwined bamboo. They had even woven bamboo strips into the structure for reinforcement. This required constant maintenance, replacement, and vigilance.
People nearby kept glancing in their direction. Zhu Changle suppressed the urge to go down for a closer look and instead focused on the oddly-shaped rocks visible in the nearby sea.
This must be their man-made second line of defense. If the bamboo wall failed to hold back intruders, these rocks would prevent the sea bandits' ships from reaching shore. By then, the people on land should have organized a counterattack. Even throwing stones could force the raiders to retreat. People who lived by the sea were often good swimmers; diving down to sabotage the ships was also a good strategy.
Looking closer to shore, although the docks were badly damaged, their remaining structure suggested they must have once been quite large. One could imagine that when Yunbei was prosperous, this would have been a bustling port with people coming and going in an endless stream.
After visiting the other three docks, which were similarly destroyed, Zhu Changle asked, "Hey Qiuli, does the county chronicle mention when the docks were destroyed?"
"Nineteen years ago," Qiuli replied.
Zhu Changle was somewhat surprised. "Only that long ago?"
Seeing that she hadn't made the connection, Qiuli added, "After Luo Ding became the deputy magistrate."
"Whoa!" Zhu Changle reined in her horse and looked at Qiuli for confirmation.
Qiuli nodded slightly, giving a light kick to Little One, who had automatically stopped alongside Little Tail without needing his command.
"How is it that all the changes in Yunbei seem to be connected to him? Wait, don't tell me that all the households running out of food also started after he became deputy magistrate?"
As the two exchanged glances, Zhu Changle was about to risk her mother's scolding to go home and ask her eldest brother for answers when she noticed several people running past them, carrying shoulder poles, hoes, and other implements. Although they said nothing, Zhu Changle's rich experience told her at a glance that they were going to fight.
"Come on, let's go watch the excitement!" Zhu Changle leaned over in her saddle and whispered gleefully to Qiuli, looking as excited as if she had discovered some treasure.
Naturally, without Qiuli's prompting, Little One started running alongside Little Tail.
More people joined along the way, all heading towards the city gate. Zhu Changle slowed Little Tail down to follow the crowd.
As they passed through the city gate, Zhu Changle frowned. Why weren't there any guards? But as they emerged from the gate and saw the distant commotion, she forgot about this concern and urged her horse forward.
The fight had already begun.
With her keen eyesight, Zhu Changle immediately recognized the people at the forefront as those who had threatened to eat Little Tail when she first arrived in Yunbei. Two of them were already bleeding from head wounds but refused to back down. Looking to the side, she saw a man wearing only a tattered undershirt and wielding a spear – clearly one of the guards. A piece of his uniform was visible, stuffed into his shirt, while he wielded his spear with remarkable skill, always striking when his opponents were at their weakest, inflicting injuries.
Their opponents were tall and sturdy, with the tallest towering a head above the locals. He held a sword, looking like an adult bullying children.
"I heard Yunbei has a new county magistrate. Why don't you run and tattle, tell him we folks from Gu'an are bullying you? Let's see how impressive your new master is, eh, boys?"
The tall man laughed arrogantly, tapping the flat of his blade against his shoulder in a clear threat as he looked at the crowd. His gaze then turned to the two approaching riders, lingering on their horses with a hint of caution.
"And who might you two be?"
Zhu Changle sat cross-legged on her horse, smiling sweetly. "Didn't you want to meet the new magistrate? He's too busy to deal with you, so he sent me to broaden my horizons."
The locals who recognized Zhu Changle brightened up. They hadn't been counting on the magistrate, but they knew the magistrate's daughter was skilled in martial arts!
"You're a woman. What relation are you to the magistrate?" The man's smile grew lecherous. "Surely not his... oomph!"
The man covered his mouth, but blood still seeped through his fingers. He opened his hand to find two large front teeth in his palm. Without his hand to stem the flow, blood gushed freely, quickly staining his chest red.
"You son of a b*tch! Kill them! Kill them all!"
The man's crude words were hard on the ears. Zhu Changle picked at her ear and patted her hands, turning to Qiuli with a coy smile. "Your strike was just a tiny bit faster than mine!"
By now, the opposing group had charged forward. Up close, the twenty-odd men seemed quite intimidating.
Zhu Changle noticed the Yunbei locals take a step back before firmly planting their feet again. She smiled, leaping down from her horse and snatching a shoulder pole from the last man in line. Her grin now even more arrogant than their opponents' had been earlier, she declared, "Come on then! Let your aunty show you what real fighting looks like. Pay attention and learn something!"
With that, Zhu Changle gleefully plunged into the enemy crowd. She swung the pole, striking here and there, sometimes hitting two at once. Her movements were as graceful as a dance, yet so effective that her opponents could neither dodge nor fight back. They resorted to cursing.
This only made things worse. The pole changed direction, aiming for their mouths. One by one, they all lost teeth.
"I'm tired," Zhu Changle suddenly stopped, pretending to rub her shoulders. She looked at the stunned crowd with wide eyes. "If I'm tired, why aren't you helping me beat them up?"
Help? They'd be more than happy to help!
Never having felt so emboldened before, the locals charged forward with renewed vigor, engaging in the most satisfying brawl of their lives.
