COMMENT LIKE AND VOTE!!

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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.