The guards gasped for breath. “We searched the entire residence—not even a single copper coin to be found. It’s completely empty. Even the chickens and ducks in the back courtyard are gone.”
“All gone?!” Lord Xu glared fiercely at Old Duke and Duan Chong, his voice harsh. “Fine, fine. You actually dared to hide away your family wealth before the confiscation. You’ve got quite the nerve—aren’t you afraid of having your entire household executed?”
That group of them knelt in the snow, staring with wide ox-like eyes, still not understanding what had happened.
“What’s empty?!”
Duan Qingyang was the first to react. He turned to Old Duke and Duan Chong and said, “Grandfather, Father, when we got up this morning, we found the rooms completely empty—not even a single cup or bowl left behind. Could thieves have broken in during the night?!”
Old Duke and Duan Chong listened, their eyes growing wide one after another. “Empty? How is that possible? Our Duke’s Residence is vast with great wealth—how could it all vanish overnight?”
“Lord Xu, we truly don’t know! We suspect thieves must have gotten in!” Duan Chong stepped forward and said to Lord Xu.
Lord Xu paced back and forth in fury. If he came to confiscate property and found nothing, the Emperor would surely blame him as well. He exhaled a puff of mist and said, “Stop putting on this act for me. Tell me quickly—where have you hidden everything?!”
Old Duke led the entire main branch of the family, all of them at a complete loss.
How could they know? They had simply gone to sleep, and their family fortune had vanished.
Lord Xu, enraged, berated Old Duke harshly: “Duke, since you refuse to confess honestly, don’t blame me for being impolite.”
“Men, beat them for me—beat them until their mouths are pried open!”
At his command, the soldiers surged forward and pressed down everyone in their undergarments kneeling in the snow, striking them with boards.
The boards came down, and backsides split open.
Thud, thud, thud!
Madam Zhou and Duan Chong’s concubines—all of whom had lived lives of ease and luxury—had never endured such suffering. One by one, they screamed in agony and burst into loud wailing.
Duan Chong had long since lost the bearing of the former First Master of Chongguo Fu. He howled in pain, “Ouch! Ouch! My backside!”
His son, at least, had some backbone, still maintaining his young master’s temper. Even as he was beaten, he cursed at Lord Xu.
But after only a couple of curses, his eyes turned red, and snot and tears streamed down his face.
Beside him, Lin Wanwan struggled, crawling toward Duan Yanzhou, but the soldiers dragged her back and dealt her several more blows.
Lord Xu was truly furious, watching the soldiers strike with deadly force.
Soon, the entire main branch of Chongguo Fu was engulfed in a chorus of bitter wailing and weeping.
Seeing this, Lin Shutang couldn’t help but shiver.
Yesterday, Chongguo Fu had still been hosting a lavish wedding banquet, toasting with guests. Today, it had fallen to such a state.
Truly, as the saying goes: “Watch him build his tower high, watch him feast his guests, watch his tower collapse.”
The Chongguo Fu, which had enjoyed wealth and honor for the better part of a lifetime, was finished just like that.
But she felt not a shred of pity. Last night, Duan Yanzhou had told her much about the grudges between the two branches of the family.
Old Duke Duan Chengyuan, in his youth, had taken liberties with the daughter of his own tutor, Madam Hai.
Madam Hai had already had a beloved in her heart—the two had long since pledged themselves to each other in secret—but Old Duke forcibly seized her and brought her into the Duke’s Residence as a noble concubine.
Later, Madam Hai died in difficult labor while giving birth to Second Master Duan Feng.
As a concubine-born son, Duan Feng had nearly been thrown into the well by the Duchess that very night. In the end, it was Old Duke’s mother, Old Madam Zhang, who took pity on him and raised him to adulthood.
Old Duke had always been convinced that Duan Feng was the offspring of Madam Hai and her lover, and so he harbored no fondness for him. Over the years, it was only for the sake of his own reputation that he publicly acknowledged them as the second branch of Chongguo Fu.
Duan Feng, for his part, had proven himself capable. He placed first in the imperial examinations and earned the favor of the late emperor, rising from an obscure concubine-born son to a second-rank official at court. Had the current emperor not been so inept, he would have long since ascended to the position of prime minister.
He and Madam Jiang had long wished to split from the household and establish their own estate, but Old Duke refused, unwilling to see them prosper. He kept them in check by invoking the authority of the Empress Dowager.
In the year Madam Jiang first entered the household, Old Duke even attempted to force himself upon his daughter-in-law. Fortunately, Duan Feng discovered it in time and beat Old Duke soundly, knocking out two of his teeth.
When the scandal came to light, Old Madam Zhang died of rage and grief, and the Duchess Consort, in a fit of fury, threatened to hang herself—only to slip and die as well.
The two families have been at odds ever since.
Later, when Madam Jiang was giving birth to her eldest son, Duan Chong and Madam Zhou secretly sent away the midwife. Fortunately, Madam Jiang was blessed with luck and delivered the child safely.
Then, when Duan Yanzhou was five years old, Duan Chong secretly brought him to Eunuch Li’s residence.
Everyone knew that Eunuch Li had a particular fondness for young boys. Fortunately, Duan Yanzhou was quick-witted and managed to escape, but he had been unwell ever since.
When the third child, a daughter, was born, Madam Zhou made a great racket proclaiming that their family had produced a “money-losing good-for-nothing,” nearly causing Madam Jiang to hemorrhage from sheer fury.
The last incident was with the fourth child—that one was lost, and it left Madam Jiang with a chronic ailment.
That time, Duan Feng was truly enraged. Unable to split the household, he set fire to Madam Zhou’s bedchamber. To this day, a scar remains on her neck.
The fire that night was fierce, burning down three or four rooms of the eldest branch’s quarters.
Only after that did the eldest branch finally quiet down—until this exchange of brides.
Duan Yanzhou said to the distracted Lin Shutang, “Let’s go. We should be on our way as well.”
Lin Shutang turned and smiled at him with a nod. “Mm, while the snowstorm hasn’t picked up yet, let’s leave the city first.”
Duan Yanzhou helped her along, stepping through the thick snow back into the courtyard.
By now, the Second Master and Madam Jiang had already arranged all matters within the household. They stood by the carriage, gazing blankly at the neighboring estate, as if it were all a dream.
The third sister, Duan Qinzhou, hugged her sword and laughed. “Heaven truly has eyes. That family deserved their comeuppance long ago.”
Sister-in-law Chen Wanrou gently brushed the snow from her shoulder. “But we’ve been dragged down by them too, forced to go to Qinan.”
Duan Qinzhou, however, looked into the distance and said cheerfully, “Sister-in-law, going to Qinan this time might not be a bad thing. Perhaps it’s the start of something new.”
And she was right.
Lin Shutang slowly turned her gaze toward Duan Yanzhou beside her. It wasn’t just a beginning—it was also the chance for their entire family to rise again.
With the Jihan Bingzai lasting a full year, it remained to be seen who would survive to the very end.