It all started because Ma Yan, while drinking at the Tao family’s home, caught a glimpse of Tao Lin’s beautiful wife and was overcome with lust. After Tao Lin sternly rejected his advances, Ma Yan falsely accused the Tao family of colluding with the Xiongnu. That very night, he dispatched six hundred soldiers to arrest the entire family and throw them into prison. When Tao Lin confronted him in court, Ma Yan beat him until he was crippled and on the verge of death. On that same day, Tao Lin’s wife was gang-raped to death by Ma Yan and his men. Only with the cover provided by loyal family retainers was Tao She able to escape the city. A month later, the young man returned, intending to take his crippled father away from this place, but Tao Lin had been unable to hold on and had passed away at the city gate the previous night.
Many of the others were originally farmers from Lincang City. Things were better before Ma Yan arrived; at least they could afford a full meal. But after Ma Yan took over, he expelled these farmers from the city under the guise of "improving the city's appearance," when in reality, he was seizing their homes and property. Furthermore, anyone entering the city now had to pay an entry fee of one tael of silver; otherwise, they were barred from entry. This was the primary reason so many impoverished people could not get into Lincang City.
After seeing Tao She and his group off, Hua Tianxiong detoured to the west gate of Lincang City to avoid attracting att…
Chapter 78