Chapter 9

Old Qin stayed behind to guard me, and the two of us were captured and taken to the bandit Mountain Stronghold.

The first two years in the bandit den were rough.

The bandits trained us children to steal in the city.

If you stole something, you got an extra steamed bun at night.

If you didn’t, you got an extra round of whipping.

At first, I held onto my dignity and refused to steal.

But later, Old Qin fell gravely ill, and I had no choice but to steal.

After stealing enough, I got used to it.

After kneeling for so long, pride and integrity no longer mattered.

Those years, I lay in filthy piles of straw, staring at the broken roof, feeling a bit dazed.

If Old Qin hadn’t always stayed by my side, perhaps I would have long forgotten that I was the daughter of the Northwest Grand General.

When I became the best thief in the Mountain Stronghold, the Big Boss hoisted me onto his shoulder.

“See that? Everyone should learn from Yun!

“We should all be proud of her! Proud and honored!”

I sat on the Big Boss’s shoulder, watching everyone cheer for me.

Only Old Qin stood at the back of the noisy crowd, silently shedding tears as he looked at me.

That year, I was ten, already a first-rate habitual thief.

I stole all over Liangzhou, never once failing.

Seeing Old Qin cry made my chest tighten slightly.

Suddenly, I remembered when I was five, my father carried me on his shoulder as he inspected the Northwest military camp.

He laughed heartily, full of pride and joy: “This is my second daughter, Zhao Yunshu. One day she will inherit my war blade and become the bravest warrior in our Northwest camp!”

I carried a small bow and arrow on my back, gripping the little dagger I had crafted myself, my face full of pride.

That same year, I said to the Big Boss, “Godfather, what’s the point of all this petty thievery? The world is in chaos now, merchants are more cautious than ever, and no one carries anything valuable when they travel. The brothers in the Mountain Stronghold haven’t had wine or meat for half a year. If things go on like this, morale will collapse.”

I offered a plan: let the Big Boss join forces with two nearby Mountain Strongholds and rob a County Magistrate under Liangzhou’s jurisdiction.

The County Magistrate had been squeezing the people dry and was filthy rich.

The gold, silver, and jewels we seized that night dazzled everyone’s eyes.

And I took the third seat of leadership in the Mountain Stronghold.

In eight years, I subdued a total of fifteen Mountain Strongholds, large and small, across Liangzhou.

These days, the Mountain Stronghold no longer engages in roadside robbery.

After reorganizing the Mountain Stronghold, on one hand, we did business for wealthy merchants, escorting their caravans.

On the other, we’d go out every now and then to fight, wiping out some black strongholds and ridding the people of harm.

If any reputable Rebel Army needed manpower, as long as they could pay, we’d join in.

The people of Liangzhou jokingly called us the “Broker Army.”

The most interesting thing was when the people of a certain county, driven to desperation by heavy taxes and levies, scraped together a large sum of silver and came to us, asking me to send people to seize their county seat.

These years, the world has been in turmoil-an uprising here today, a battle there tomorrow.

As long as you know your limits, the court can’t be bothered to send troops to suppress bandits.

And so, our “Broker Army” survived in this sneaky, underhanded way.

Last year, I took Old Qin back to Qingzhou, intending to tell my grandfather about the “Broker Army.”

But in the end, I couldn’t bring myself to say it.

In the ten years I was gone, the Northwest Army scattered to the winds, became bandits, and long lost their soldier’s heart.

My grandfather had grown old and lost some of his fighting spirit.

He shrank back in Qingzhou, watching the situation, planning to wait for a Feudal Prince to offer amnesty.

My mother thought I’d spent ten years wandering outside, surviving in a bandit den by selling myself.

That’s why today she spoke so assertively in front of Xie Yun, trying to ruin my reputation and make me give up the marriage to Zhao Mingyue.

But I’m a bit curious-my mother is the type who never does anything without benefit.

Why would she suddenly take a liking to Xie Yun, this fallen Prince Heir?