Chapter 51: A vast and pristine expanse of pure white

Morning of the third day after the Prince of Qian entered the city.

"Open the door! Open the door, shopkeeper, hurry up and open for business!"

A crowd gathered outside the rice shop in the west of the city, shouting and pounding on the door until the already awakened proprietor could no longer hide. He ordered his assistant to unbolt the doors and welcome the patrons inside.

"Heh heh, shopkeeper, didn't I tell you so?"

Someone smirked triumphantly at the rice merchant. "I said that once the Prince of Qian took the capital, the situation would stabilize within three days, yet you still argued with me. Well, look at how things stand now! Are you going to sell your rice or not?"

The entire assembly of prospective rice buyers chuckled.

By yesterday, the government had already posted public notices reassuring the residents. By order of the Prince of Qian, all rice, flour, grain, and oil shops in the city were commanded to open for business within the next day. No hoarding of commodities was permitted, nor any excuse to refuse the sale of rice; offenders would be thoroughly investigated and penalized.

Stung by the laughter, the shopkeeper could only stubbornly retort, "According to the Prince of Qian's decree, I am permitted to raise the price of this rice by twenty percent. Today's price is eighty-seven cash per dou!"

With that, he took up a brush, dipped it in ink, and wrote down the prices for polished fragrant rice, aged rice, and brown rice, instructing his assistant to post the board outside.

Compared to the exorbitant price of one tael of silver per dou from previous days, the current rate of under a hundred cash was a drop of more than twentyfold.

Yet, some remained dissatisfied and shouted, "Yesterday, the Prince of Qian had the former emperor send the spirit tablet of the Founding Emperor Shun to the Imperial Ancestral Temple, with all civil and military officials looking on. The Prince of Qian is vested with the Mandate of Heaven; within a few days, the capital will be completely tranquil. To whom will you sell your rice then? You'd better lower the price back to the original; only quick turnover with small profits will ensure success!"

The crowd joined in the jeering.

The shopkeeper sneered, just about to retort, when he suddenly heard the sound of hoofbeats in the distance. He turned his head, and his expression instantly shifted.

The others looked as well, seeing two troops of over three hundred soldiers belonging to the Prince of Qian marching toward them. The dozen men leading the vanguard were on horseback, clad in formidable and majestic armor, carrying long bows, quivers, and lances. The soldiers following behind were fully equipped with sabers, spears, halberds, shields, and crossbows—one could tell at a glance that they were heading into battle!

The crowd shrank back against the walls, not daring to draw a full breath. After the soldiers passed, the shopkeeper forced a smile. "Do you still think the capital can stabilize immediately now?"

Before anyone could reply, another detachment of the Prince of Qian's soldiers marched past. Even the shopkeeper grew apprehensive, lowering his voice so they only spoke in whispers.

"What are the Prince of Qian's troops up to?"

"Judging by the direction, they're heading toward the Prince Wu's Mansion."

"Are they going to execute the imperial clan of the Shun Dynasty?"

Amidst their hushed murmurs, wave after wave of the Prince of Qian's soldiers appeared. Led by mounted officers, they rushed toward the residences of various princes and nobles throughout the city.

Everyone on the street looked on in terror, yet consumed by curiosity, watching from a safe distance.

In front of the Prince Wu's Mansion, the grand gates studded with sixty-three gilded bronze nails were thrown open. A crowd of people rushed out in a panic to greet them, only to be immediately forced to the ground by the Prince of Qian's soldiers. An officer stood before the mansion gates, facing south, and proclaimed the decree:

"By order of the Prince of Qian, the Prince Wu's Mansion is hereby confiscated. The former Prince Wu is stripped of his rank and reduced to a commoner; his direct descendants are sentenced to ten years of imprisonment, his collateral descendants are conscripted into corvée labor, his female dependents are confiscated into the inner court, and the mansion's eunuchs, palace maids, servants, maids, and guards shall be detained for disposition!"

He further commanded: "All guards within the mansion are ordered to surrender within a quarter of an hour, or else face execution without mercy!"

An imperial prince's mansion was unlike any ordinary household; it maintained two to three hundred armed guards who were usually more than enough to serve as thugs for the estate. Yet, before this pack of ferocious, battle-hardened soldiers of the Prince of Qian, they were as docile as sheep.

As the officer's command echoed into the mansion, the guards scrambled out through the gates one after another, lining up obediently against the walls.

The capital commoners watched in sheer amazement.

Before long, the Prince of Qian's soldiers began entering the mansion. Not daring to lower their guard, they entered clad in armor and bearing shields, searching room by room, driving everyone out and ordering all female dependents to assemble in the main hall of the mansion.

The once-infinitely-noble princesses, imperial granddaughters, and titled ladies were now driven by the soldiers to a single location, and the earth-shattering weeping could be heard even by those outside the mansion.

***

In front of the Prince Yi's Mansion:

"By order of the Prince of Qian, the Prince Yi's Mansion is hereby confiscated..."

In front of the Prince Nan'an's Mansion:

"By order of the Prince of Qian, the Prince's Mansion is hereby confiscated..."

"By order of the Prince of Qian, the mansions of Marquis Baoling and Marquis Zhongjing are confiscated. Shi Nai and Shi Ding are stripped of their rank and reduced to commoners, awaiting further assignment!"

"..."

Within the capital, the commoners watched as seventeen imperial prince mansions, twenty-six commandery prince mansions, and thirty-five ducal and marquissial mansions came crashing down. They felt both exhilarated enough to applaud and utterly terrified, dreading that this monstrous disaster might spread to their own homes.

The Jia Family:

Upon hearing the news of the confiscation, Jia Zheng and Jia Lian rushed frantically to the main gates. Jia Lian had not even combed his hair; arriving at the second gate, he saw the corridor already filled with pages and servants peering out toward the distant corner gate, every one of them wearing a look of panic.

The corner gate stood open, yet four of the Prince of Qian's guards still stood watch outside, and none of the household dared to approach.

"Lian'er, you..." Jia Zheng started, his words trailing off.

Jia Lian nodded, straightened his attire, tied back his hair, and then mustered the courage to walk over.

"You needn't ask."

The guards recognized Jia Lian and simply told him, "His Highness has ordered the confiscation of all nobles and princes in the city, and your household is among them. From this moment on, everything in this estate is appropriated by the Prince of Qian's Mansion!"

A soldier nearby laughed, "It should properly be appropriated by the imperial treasury now!"

"This..."

Jia Lian's legs turned to jelly.

Wishing to ask more, the soldiers impatiently drove him back.

Utterly shattered, Jia Lian returned to report to his master.

Upon hearing the news, Jia Zheng shed tears and sighed, "It was fated that our household should suffer this calamity. Such is the will of Heaven, which human strength cannot oppose; my only shame is before our ancestors!"

The cluster of Jia family servants wept along with him.

Jia Lian slowly recovered his wits, suddenly remembering the Prince of Qian, and hurried to say, "Master, we have not yet reached the end of the road. The Prince of Qian has not sent troops to confiscate us yet; our family still has a chance of salvation!"

Hearing this, Jia Zheng was overjoyed, and the servants eagerly chimed in agreement.

The two men hurried back straight to Lady Jia's quarters, arriving just in time to find Lin Daiyu and Shi Xiangyun also there with the old matriarch.

Inside, the entire room full of Jia family members—from Lady Jia down to Wang Xifeng and Li Wan—were wiping away tears. Seeing the two men enter, they checked their weeping and hastily demanded to know what was happening outside.

The room was in utter chaos.

Xue Baochai and Xue Baoqin's family had also arrived. Aunt Xue wept as she said, "Since the Prince of Qian inquired after you, I should have sent you into the palace. Now that the Prince of Qian's wrath has fallen, even my family cannot escape... Ah, it is I who have harmed you."

Xue Baochai merely gripped her mother's hand tightly, remaining silently mute.

The moment she heard of the confiscation, she too had panicked. Like her mother, she assumed the Prince of Qian was flying into a rage.

***

After a moment, Wang Xifeng anxiously spoke, "Logically speaking, people should have entered to carry out the confiscation the moment the decree was issued, so why haven't we seen anyone yet? Could the Prince of Qian truly be showing mercy to our family?"

Unable to guess, the company could only continue waiting.

"The Prince of Qian, the Prince of Qian..."

Shi Xiangyun gazed at the people in the room, everyone speaking of the Prince of Qian, everyone guessing his true intentions.

Yet her thoughts were fixed on her own family. Every ducal and marquissial mansion in the city had been confiscated, and since her uncle had offended the Prince of Qian due to his loyalty to the Shun Dynasty, logically he could not escape either.

"Sister Lin!"

You Shi suddenly looked toward Lin Daiyu and said, "How would it be if we added your name to the palace roster as well?"

The room instantly fell silent.

They had all vaguely discerned that Lin Daiyu and Jia Baoyu shared a deep affection and were inseparable from one another. Furthermore, Baoyu was the apple of the old matriarch's and Lady Wang's eyes—how could they bear to drive Baoyu to madness?

The Jia, Shi, and Xue families had all agreed to send the maidens named by the Prince of Qian into the palace, with the sole exception of Lin Daiyu, whose consent had not been secured.

None of them dared to play the villain, yet You Shi had spoken the words aloud.

"Sister Lin..."

Xue Baoqin sat beside Lin Daiyu on either side of Lady Jia, watching as Sister Lin lowered her head, her slender hands gripping the fabric of her skirt tightly over her knees.

"I won't let Sister Lin enter the palace!"

Jia Baoyu's face flushed crimson with anxiety as he blurted out, "If you force her, you are forcing me! If Sister Lin enters the palace, I won't live either; I'll smash my head against the main gate!"

Everyone was astonished.

Lady Wang hastily scolded, "Baoyu, you are not permitted to talk nonsense before the old matriarch!"

Jia Zheng likewise rebuked him, "Ignorant, wretched creature! How dare you utter such words in the presence of the old matriarch? Unfilial beast, get back to your room at once to reflect on yourself!"

All eyes were upon him. Crestfallen and unable to lift his head under the scolding, Jia Baoyu shuffled away submissively, casting one final, distant glance toward Sister Lin before he left.

"Baoyu..."

Daiyu's heart was deeply stirred at that moment. Yet seeing him driven away in disgrace, she couldn't help wondering: if she were truly forced into the palace, would Baoyu genuinely smash his head against the main gate, or would he become a Buddhist monk? Neither her uncle, her aunt, nor the old matriarch would ever permit him to do such a thing.

If she were forced into the palace, she might not even need to hang herself; she would weep until she died.

Yet before death, her body would inevitably be defiled by that man; coming with purity, it would be difficult to leave with purity.

Baoyu...

Daiyu held tears in her heart, yet could not weep. Her tears seemed already to have run dry.