By evening, the stronger maids and servants of the Marquis’s mansion had been dispatched elsewhere, leaving only the smaller maids, huddled together in fear, comforting one another.
It seems the emperor’s succession is going to be a contest that needs fine-tuning, Shen Ruyi thought, lying wide-eyed in bed. She didn’t know whether she should hope the Marquis’s house would win—or lose.
Either way, tonight would certainly not be peaceful.
Sure enough, even deep in the back garden of the mansion, Shen Ruyi could hear the chaos outside: horses’ hooves clattering, footsteps running, armor scraping, the clash of swords, the screams of combat…
Even though she had studied history and watched dramas, those were only a few lines in books, or one or two episodes of a story.
Experiencing the struggle for imperial power in person—despite the thick layers of the mansion separating her from the street—made her heart pound uncontrollably.
Soon, the main gate was struck with loud thuds. Shen Ruyi couldn’t tell if it was the Marquis’s own people or neighboring households.
After all, the nearby residences all belonged to titled nobles; none could expect a quiet night.
Next, the back and side gates near where the smaller maids lived became chaotic, but calm soon returned.
It seemed the masters of the mansion were capable—though who exactly had coordinated the defenses was unknown. Would they continue to perform this well?
The attacks at the front courtyard continued. It appeared that Wu’an Marquis Mansion had taken a side in the contest for the new emperor. Their posture: no surrender until the gate was broken.
Shen Ruyi bolted upright in bed and opened the door.
“Ruyi, where are you going? Aren’t you scared?” the other maids exclaimed.
“I’m going out to see for myself. You close the doors and protect yourselves,” Shen Ruyi said, leaving the back garden of the maids.
Was she scared? Of course—who wouldn’t want to live? Survival was survival!
So why go out?
Because Shen Ruyi sensed something was off. This time, the Marquis’s house seemed to be on the losing side.
Why? She didn’t know. It was just intuition.
Even if the Marquis was temporarily away in the palace, if Wu’an Marquis Mansion were winning, reinforcements would have arrived to protect it.
But now, the mansion seemed deliberately surrounded. The enemy wasn’t in a hurry to break in—they were playing a long game.
Shen Ruyi went out to confirm her suspicion.
She first went to the side gate nearest the maids’ quarters. Sure enough, the mansion had barely stationed anyone there—but it was still defended.
Had the enemy not expected the weaker side or back defenses? They were focused on the main gate.
Unless it wasn’t about breaking through at all, but about distraction—drawing forces away? Classic strategy: “besiege Wei to rescue Zhao.”
If not, then the enemy commander was incompetent. But could an incompetent person even make it this far? They should have been removed long ago.
Shen Ruyi checked the back gate—similar situation.
Her suspicion confirmed, she didn’t know whether to despair or sigh in relief.
“Who’s there? Stop!” a voice barked in the darkness.
Shen Ruyi reflexively slipped into her space.
Peering out, she saw two men with weapons, carrying lanterns, walking to the spot she had just occupied.
“You must be mistaken, there’s no one here. The strong ones are guarding the gates; the rest are little maids. Who would have the guts to wander around?”
The man behind yawned and leaned close to whisper to the front man:
“I don’t know if the mansion will even survive tomorrow. Do we need to guard so seriously?”
Shen Ruyi, almost face-to-face through her space, heard everything clearly.
“Go back. Our duty is to guard the treasury as long as the mansion stands. Maybe the Marquis’s house will win tomorrow. Until the end, who knows?”
The man in front walked back, whispering to the other.
Shen Ruyi’s ears perked up at the word treasury. Instantly, she followed them through her space.
Once they entered the courtyard, she quickly slipped out of her space and re-entered, finding the yard nearly empty except for the two guards.
The two men at the main gate were diligent, but they didn’t know who they were up against.
Shen Ruyi circled to the side of the yard, teleporting in and out until she reached the treasury.
Did she feel guilty? No.
From what she observed, the new emperor’s ascension meant the mansion would be purged.
Even if she didn’t take these items tonight, the mansion wouldn’t have them in a few days.
As a lowly maid, survival was her priority.
Whether they would be resold or exiled, having the goods in hand eased her mind.
She quickly organized her space.
The food went inside her small house, but previously taken items—Guo Ping and Guo An’s, plus her own small treasury—were stacked in a narrow space between the house and the fields.
She didn’t know how many storerooms the mansion had. This one had more antiques, treasures, fabrics, and jewelry than silver.
She placed her few boxes of silver and gold into her space, then added several boxes of fabric—mostly cotton, though she took some silk and brocade as well. In ancient times, fabric was also hard currency.
The courtyard had three main rooms. The other two contained antiques, some she took. She also grabbed some jewelry.
One room had decorative daggers; some were sharpened—she stored them prominently in her space for emergencies.
Two boxes contained dried ginseng. She couldn’t tell the age, but if the mansion stored it, it must be decent quality. She stored these as well.
Before long, her small space was packed to the brim.
She couldn’t bring herself to remove the ginseng and herbs, or throw away half a room’s sweet potatoes, corn, potatoes, and other food.