When Miaoyun started a live stream, all the ancients were completely taken aback.

Chapter 24: Nighttime Cruise on the Qinhuai River, a Woman of the Night Bears the Spirit of the Late

After leaving the Nanjing Massacre Memorial Hall, the canopy was closed, seemingly to give everyone time to calm down.

However, at this moment, the anger of the Chinese nation towards the Japanese pirates had reached its peak.

With the issuance of the "Blood Edict of Jinling" by emperors of successive dynasties, the massive machine of China's millennia-long history began to rumble and turn, determined to wipe out the Japanese pirates of each dynasty and vent their hatred!

Time passed slowly, and when the sky brightened again, the city lights were already on.

Liu Yan took Xu Miaoyun's hand and boarded a painted boat.

The boat was not large, but it was very exquisite, with mahogany carved railings and silk curtains. A glass lamp hung at the bow, and its reflection was cast on the water, shattering into a flowing golden light with the ripples.

The boatman gently pushed off with his pole, and the painted boat slowly left the shore, sailing into the center of the Qinhuai River.

As night falls, the lights on both banks of the Qinhuai River gradually illuminate.

The breeze is coming, and the water waves are not happy.

At this moment, Nanjing seemed to have shed the sorrow of the day and regained the splendor of the Six Dynasties.

Xu Miaoyun leaned against the railing of the boat, her hands supporting her chin, gazing at the lights on both banks.

At this moment, her eyes reflected the light of the river, those lights twinkling like stars that had been rekindled in her eyes.

The heaviness and sorrow that accumulated during the day at the memorial hall gradually melted and dissipated amidst the sounds of oars and the flickering lights.

"So beautiful."

Xu Miaoyun's voice drifted over on the gentle breeze from the river.

Liu Yan sat beside her with a smile on his lips; his languidness at this moment outweighed all the extravagance of the world.

Liu Yan asked, seemingly in a teasing tone.

How does the Qinhuai River here compare to what it was six hundred years ago?

Upon hearing this, Xu Miaoyun actually fell into thought. After resting her chin on her hand and thinking for a while, she finally spoke.

"Back then, the Qinhuai River was a grain transport channel during the day, and the boatmen's chants were deafening."

"It's pitch black at night, and even the few pleasure boats that come by don't have this many lights."

As she spoke, Xu Miaoyun looked at the endless rows of lights and buildings on both sides of the river and said seriously.

"The Qinhuai River is even better now than Nanjing City."

Inside the Fengtian Hall during the Hongwu reign.

As Zhu Yuanzhang gazed at the shimmering Qinhuai River against the sky, he couldn't help but sigh in admiration.

"Our Qinhuai River has become so beautiful in later generations."

As the painted boat sailed away, the towering buildings, bridges, and lights on both sides were dazzling.

Empress Ma leaned on Zhu Yuanzhang's shoulder. Time had left its mark on the face of this first virtuous empress of all time, but at this moment, her eyes still shone with the radiance of a young girl.

"Yes, the lights are on all night and it's so lively that we can't sleep. It's even more lively than our Lantern Festival."

Zhu Yuanzhang nodded, saying nothing more, but simply grasped Empress Ma's hand and gazed at the ancient capital before him with a complex yet gratified look.

That was his capital, those were his people, that was his kingdom. It was a pity that he had never seen such a magnificent and splendid scene. But fortunately, today, he saw it for him through the eyes of his descendants.

On the painted boat, Xu Miaoyun sat opposite Liu Yan like a curious child, constantly asking questions. The breeze on the river, mixed with the fragrance of Baihua wine, seemed to intoxicate the world at that moment.

As Liu Yan sipped his wine, he explained things to Xu Miaoyun in detail. Towards the end, Liu Yan's tone suddenly changed, taking on a unique, distant quality when telling a story.

"Miaoyun, did you know that along the Qinhuai River, there were not only scholars, emperors, and generals, but also eight women?"

Xu Miaoyun blinked.

"Eight women?"

"Yes, they have a collective name, known to the world as the Eight Beauties of Qinhuai."

Liu Yan picked up his wine glass and looked out at the water ripples outside the window.

"During the late Ming and early Qing dynasties, there were eight famous courtesans on the Qinhuai River. They were all talented and beautiful, and their integrity and moral character made many men who considered themselves 'great men' feel ashamed."

Xu Miaoyun became interested and sat up straight. The history of China spans thousands of years, yet only a handful of people have left their mark.

"What are their names?"

Liu Yan counted them one by one.

"Gu Hengbo, Dong Xiaowan, Bian Yujing, Li Xiangjun, Kou Baimen, Ma Xianglan, Chen Yuanyuan, Liu Rushi."

"All eight women were renowned courtesans of their time."

"Among the Eight Beauties, the one who is universally recognized as the best is Liu Rushi, the Lady of Hedong, who is known for her noble character."

"Liu Rushi? She shares the same surname as her husband."

Liu Yan smiled, but did not pick up on the topic. Instead, he put down his wine glass and continued.

"Of the Eight Beauties of Qinhuai, Liu Ruyi was renowned for her beauty, but she was unparalleled throughout history for her integrity and talent."

As soon as Liu Yan finished speaking, Xu Miaoyun fell silent and listened attentively.

Liu Yan's voice slowly spread out in the deep night.

"This story begins with Liu Rushi's husband, Qian Qianyi, the leader of the Donglin Party at the end of the Ming Dynasty."

"That was the first year of the Hongguang reign of the Southern Ming Dynasty."

"That is, in the second year of the Shunzhi reign of the Qing Dynasty, the Qing army crossed the Yangtze River and besieged Nanjing."

"The Southern Ming Hongguang court collapsed at the first sign of trouble."

"Qian Qianyi, the Minister of Rites at the time, was a leading figure in the literary world at the end of the Ming Dynasty, the leader of the Donglin Party, and a role model that scholars all over the country looked up to."

"As Nanjing was about to fall, Liu Rushi, one of the Eight Beauties of Qinhuai, advised Qian Qianyi: 'You are an important official of the Ming Dynasty and a role model for scholars. You should die for your country and preserve your reputation. I will die with you.'"

Xu Miaoyun held her breath; she hadn't expected a woman to possess such integrity.

Liu Yan's voice continued to come.

"This leader of the Donglin Party publicly agreed, and then grandly announced that he would emulate Qu Yuan and drown himself in the river to die for his country!"

"Afterwards, he took his family and friends by boat to Shanghu Lake in Changshu, intending to drown himself in the lake."

Upon hearing this, Xu Miaoyun's eyes instantly turned cold, and her hands involuntarily clenched the hem of her clothes.

With Yu Qian, a pillar of the Ming Dynasty, as an example, Xu Miaoyun felt that this leader of the Donglin Party would also be a loyal subject of the Ming Dynasty.

Looking into Xu Miaoyun's innocent and sincere eyes, Liu Yan suddenly smiled.

There was no mockery in that smile, only a sense of helplessness and sigh after experiencing the vicissitudes of life.

"From morning till evening."

"Qian Qianyi kept pacing around the lake, but never went into the water."

Xu Miaoyun's smile froze on her face.

Something's wrong! The story is starting to take a very bad turn.

Sure enough, Liu Yan's next words instantly confirmed her guess.

"As evening approached, Qian Qianyi finally reached the water's edge. Instead of jumping in, he squatted down, reached into the lake, and touched the water's temperature."

Then, he stood up, looked back at everyone behind him, and said one sentence.

Liu Yan looked at the camera, then glanced at Xu Miaoyun, and then said.

"The water is too cold, what should I do?"

"After saying this, the leader of the Donglin Academy, a model for scholars throughout the land, withdrew."

"I won't jump! The water's too cold, and I won't die for my country!"

The night breeze on the Qinhuai River suddenly turned a bit cooler.

Xu Miaoyun's smile froze completely on her face, like a lamp blown out by the wind.

Seeing the disappointment on Xu Miaoyun's face, Liu Yan rubbed her head and said.

"Don't forget, the main character of our story hasn't appeared yet."

"Just when this paragon of scholars was losing face for intellectuals and the integrity of the Ming Dynasty."

"Liu Rushi, a woman from a brothel, leaped into the icy lake, determined to die for her country!"

Upon hearing this, Xu Miaoyun covered her mouth, and Liu Yan said.

"Later generations commented: All his learning in his life was no match for the coolness of a river. The shame of a scholar-official was less than that of a prostitute."

"Without Liu Rushi, the Eight Beauties of Qinhuai would have been nothing more than a romantic history, drifting like duckweed in a chaotic world, and would have eventually faded into obscurity."

"Only Liu Rushi elevated the spirit of women from Qinhuai to the level of family, country, integrity, character, and national righteousness."

"Liu Rushi, a famous courtesan of Qinhuai, personally tore apart the hypocrisy and spinelessness of the literati at the end of the Ming Dynasty."

"So that when future generations mention the Qinhuai River, they will not only think of its romantic beauty and rouge, but also of its spirit, backbone, tragedy, and the pain of losing their homeland."

As Liu Yan finished speaking, it seemed as if she had only told a short story.

However, at this moment, this little story has instantly stirred up a huge uproar under the sky of the Chinese nation!