Chapter 1

The bustling and prosperous divine capital has become a hell on earth. The glory of a thousand years and the brilliance of the dynasty that has lasted for several hundred years were wiped out in a single night.

Blood, flames, and screams, the cries of women who were assaulted and ravaged, from the initial chorus of screams to the uneven wails, to the low moans like those of night owls, rising and falling, and then intermittently disappearing into the night sky dyed red.

The ashes that the wind blew up from the ruins fluttered in the air like snowflakes, like black tears falling from the sky, testifying to the endless cruelty of this world.

The former school flower of the capital, Dugu Wen, who was as proud and radiant as a peacock and had married a junior secretary to become the wife of the prime minister, died a miserable and dirty death under a group of thugs.

After a particularly failed one-night stand, she only managed to do one thing: entrust her daughter to me, one of the many tutors in the prime minister's residence, who was just passing the time under the guise of a family teacher, and I became the last lifeline.

The rebellion of the 800 cadets was just a joke, a scapegoat allowed by all parties to stir up the muddied waters and purge those whose positions were not firm enough. But they almost succeeded, escorting the young emperor out of the clutches of the powerful ministers who controlled the government. They used their young lives and blood to create a fleeting opportunity for a revival and the return of power, but this opportunity was wasted by the hesitation and weakness of the nobles.

The ultimate source of the problem was the timid young emperor, who had become accustomed to playing the role of a puppet under the control of powerful ministers since the time of his grandfather. He did not know how to take charge of his own destiny for the first time.

Then, as he watched the blood of these loyal and righteous people drown him, he would soon "fall ill" and be unable to attend to his duties, handing over the regency to his younger brother, the Prince of Xiang.

The capital's two schools and three affiliated institutions were abolished on charges of harboring and plotting rebellion. From ordinary students, cadets, teachers, to professors and deans, tens of thousands of people were imprisoned, tortured, and executed after enough heads were implicated.

But once the blood started to flow, it was hard to stop. Then came the first backlash, the only one from the silenced nobles in the city. Ironically, after ignoring numerous changes, the indiscriminate slaughter only reached their doorstep, and these nobles, known for their cunning and calculation, only then thought to fight back.

The accumulated power of the nobles, who had been in the capital for over 500 years, burst forth with considerable force, a force that even the powerful ministers directing the slaughter from within the palace felt threatened by.

Unfortunately, no one could unify this power, and no one thought to plan even a little. This force quickly turned into a wave of cruel revenge against the minister's followers, allowing the most important target to escape through the Northern Xuanwu Gate.

Holding the emperor hostage, the minister, as expected, began a full-scale counterattack. After a brief resistance and battle, the streets, already soaked in blood, were once again submerged in a sea of blood.

Since the revival of the Tai Xing era, over 500 years have passed, a time long enough for various social resources, interests, and classes to become so entrenched that they could not be reversed.

The advantages and benefits accumulated by the wise men of each generation, through their tireless efforts to increase resources and improve the system, the wealth and resources brought in from overseas, and the influx of new talent, were gradually devoured by the bloated bureaucracy and interest groups, leading to an unstoppable decline.

Then, the signs of the end of a dynasty began to appear in abundance. Due to the widespread land consolidation and the distortion of the government's social relief and regulation capabilities into tools for the service of the aristocracy, peasant uprisings began to occur, even spreading to the Guanlu region.

The last vestiges of social order and moral values were destroyed, and more people were displaced, voluntarily or involuntarily, joining the blind and violent actions against this cannibalistic chaos and the ruthless heavens.

With land at the core of social resources, a small group of people held and monopolized it, establishing manors and fortresses that became isolated islands in the turbulent times. Various local forces and private armies, under the guise of self-defense, reappeared from the dust of history.

Local forces, using the pretext of suppressing bandits, began to grow into semi-independent military groups.

The glorious reputation of the Tang Dynasty, the universal emperor revered by all nations, was like the green tiles and gold powder on the palace walls, peeling off and washing away with the wind and rain, leaving only the vague memories of old palace women in the abandoned palace gardens, fanning away fireflies with their light silk fans.

The imperial edicts no longer extended beyond the capital, a reality that the emperor, high in his position, had to accept helplessly. The fact that 26 emperors had been enthroned in just over a hundred years spoke of the bitter and tragic helplessness of the nominal supreme ruler after the gradual loss of power.

But at least the existence of the emperor, as the last symbol of righteousness and dignity, was still maintained by the last loyal and righteous ministers. However, now, even this last symbol could no longer be maintained. The powerful minister, who had already occupied most of the Central Plains and the fertile Guanlu region, was eager to discard the titles of regent and prime minister and follow the example of Puliugu Jian.

"Hide, hide everything..." I circled around this place, like a mole trying to preserve its last bit of dignity and territory in the face of an irresistible disaster.

I checked the ice cellar under the once luxurious but now ruined mansion again, ensuring that the collapsed house covered the entrance without blocking the inside.

I left enough food and water for the dozen or so women I had gathered along the way—mature women, young girls, and housewives. Although my motives were not entirely noble, I could not resist a sense of conscience and morality, using the special environment and location of this mansion to save a passerby, and then a whole group of them.

I don't know how I managed to lead them through the chaotic and noisy streets, full of rampaging soldiers and ongoing atrocities, around the maze-like ruins and broken walls, with a sense of fear and trepidation.

I have to thank the wide sewer system left by the rulers when they rebuilt Luoyang hundreds of years ago, even though it was full of the filth and stench accumulated from the city's dark side.

You're a good person, I didn't expect to be given a bunch of "good person cards" when I came to this era. The things I wanted were much more practical than this reality.

I was separated from my companions, and my plan to use some kind of foresight to gain benefits in the chaotic city failed by a large margin. The speed and results of the collapse far exceeded my calculations and expectations.

In these short two days, the ugliness and tragedy I have witnessed are so numerous that they have numbed me. Even if I turned into a man who could eat anything, it wouldn't be enough to provide for this group searching for enough food and basic supplies.