"What a Zhang Mazi!"
Shen Fa had swiftly read through the latest message from Luting County, and in a burst of fury, his palm shattered the commander's desk. He cried out with approval, "What a way to kill the rich to aid the poor!"
Outside the main hall, the guards of the Embroidered Uniform Guard heard the commotion inside and rushed in, swords at the ready.
When Shen Fa looked up and saw their finery, he roared with anger, "Get out!"
The guards immediately backed out of the hall faster than they had entered, bowing their bodies.
Shen Fa stood up, his hands clasped behind his back as he paced back and forth in the hall, still feeling a heroic stirring within him, his thoughts in turmoil.
He was born as the direct second son of the Shen family of Marquis Pingliang, one of the twenty-four founding marquises.
