chapter 4

General Li Qian had been a revered warrior in ancient China, known for his unwavering

courage and strategic brilliance. His name had faded into the annals of

history, but his burning spirit was far from extinguished.

In the heart of the ancient Han Dynasty, where honor and loyalty were valued

above all, the story of Li Qian and the crown prince unfolded. Growing up

together in the Imperial Palace, their bond was tight, impossible to

break.  Li Qian was a man of unparalleled courage and a symbol of steady

loyalty to his best friend, helping him ultimately win the bloody battle for

the throne.  Newly crowned Emperor Cheng

was a ruler who held the fate of the empire in his hands, bestowing the title

of Grand Commandant on Li Qian. Poets across the land sang General Li’s feats

on the battlefield, and his name became synonymous with honor and valor.

In this landscape, the cold General met a lovely young girl named Jiao

Jiao.  She was a product of the many wars that had ravaged the land and

was making her living as a domestic servant in a small village.  Li Qian

glanced at her tender young figure bent over in the wavering candlelight and

for the first time in his life, felt his heart move.

“Oy, girl, stop dawdling and get over here!”

A dirty rag was flung at the young girl and landed at her feet. The girl

lifted her eyes toward the kitchen, anxiety quickly flaring before she

shuttered her expression. Li Qian followed her glance to see a short, fat man

with greasy hair glaring at the young girl. She looked to be about twelve or

thirteen years old, a little worse for wear, but her beautiful features were a

promise of the woman she would become.

She pitter-patted quickly to the man and said lowly, “Master, I have

completed all the tasks you assigned to me today. The floors have been

scrubbed, the laundry washed, and the kitchen prepared for dinner. Is there

anything else you require?”

She was so small that even this stubby, disgusting man loomed over her.

Without bothering whether the patrons were listening, he leered, “Ah, Jiao

Jiao, there is one thing you could do that would truly please me.”

Her shaking fingers clasped tightly. “Master, please, I am here to serve and

work hard. If you have a specific task in mind, I’ll do my best to fulfill it.”

Li Qian could see that the young girl was terrified, and she cringed as the

greasy man clutched a hand around her arm. Her feet scrambled as he yanked her

deeper into the kitchen and hissed, “Jiao Jiao, all the patrons tonight have

been commenting on your beauty; how lucky I was when you showed up on my

doorstep two years ago.  As my servant,

you deserve to be used.  It’s about time

you properly thank me for taking you in, don’t you think?”

Although he’d forced himself into her room under cover of darkness to steal

touches and tastes before, the man hadn’t yet damaged her completely.  Drool pooled in his mouth at the thought of

finally eating his little peach all the way to the pit.

As he dragged her outside, they took little notice of the shadow that had

followed them through the recesses of the busy kitchen and out into the

courtyard.

Jiao Jiao tried to pull away as they got deeper into the courtyard, her

panic rising and heart thundering. She’d been sleeping in front of the door

these few days, knowing the Matron of the house was visiting her family out of

town, but now it seemed she couldn’t escape this man’s disgusting

intention.  His hideous touch made her

retch, but he was too strong to fend off.

She sobbed, “Master, please spare me; I am a humble servant. I am only here

to serve you with diligence and respect.”

“Oh, you’ll be serving me alright. You’d better serve well, girl, and if you

please me, I’ll think about keeping you.” He threw her down on the straw laid

out in the outbuilding, already reaching for the tie on his pants.

Jiao Jiao scrambled back into the straw, reaching her hands out blindly for

something to help her. ‘I may be an orphan, but I am not helpless,’ she

thought.  Her trembling hands clasped

around a metal bar long abandoned under the hay.

“Don’t come any closer,” she whispered, her spirit weakening like the

dimming fragrance of a flower petal crushed underfoot.

Master slavered after her slim form, already imagining the pleasure he would

wring from her. He scoffed at her shaking hands, stepping forward with his

pants half undone. Suddenly, he felt a cold touch on his neck, and before he

could turn, his throat had been cut clean across. Blood spurted forward and

landed at the feet of the frightened girl. The last thing she saw was the gleam

of a knife before she closed her eyes and fell.

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