Su Lizheng turned to the clan elders and then to the gathered villagers, raising his voice: “Honorable elders, fellow villagers! To preserve the peace of Sujia’ao and uphold the clan’s discipline, I propose that Su Yuan’s branch be completely expelled from the Su clan and driven out of Sujia’ao! From this day forward, their lives, honor, and disgrace shall have nothing to do with the Su clan or Sujia’ao! Does anyone object?”
“No objections!” the elders replied in unison. The villagers nodded as well: “Inspector is right! We cannot let them endanger the whole village!” “They should have been expelled long ago; this family is too vicious!”
Su Yuan, Su Changhe, and Su Changhai collapsed to the ground, faces ashen, unable to utter a single plea. They knew that Su Yuan’s branch was finished.
Su Wanxing, hiding in a room, heard everything clearly.
She quietly opened the door and, taking advantage of the chaos, silently left the old Su residence, heading toward her own home. The Su residence had completely collapsed, and no one could threaten her or her younger siblings anymore. As for whether Zhang Mansion would pursue matters further, she didn’t care—Su Yuan’s branch had been expelled, so if Zhang Mansion returned, it would be them alone who faced the consequences, not her.
As for the gourd-shaped pendant engraved with the character “shèng” she would study it later; perhaps it contained some secret.
After Su Lizheng and the elders departed, Su Yuan, Su Changhe, and Su Changhai lay on the ground for a long time before regaining their senses. The despair of being expelled pressed down on them, suffocating. Su Yuan suddenly remembered the silver stored in the bedroom—lifelong savings intended for retirement and Su Baozhu’s dowry, now their only hope for escape.
He staggered to his feet and rushed into the bedroom he shared with Li Cuihua. He saw the clay jar in the corner overturned, completely empty—every last coin gone. He lunged to the wardrobe, pried open the loose brick, only to find the wooden box gone as well, leaving an empty hole in the wall.
“My silver… my silver is gone!” Su Yuan’s vision darkened, almost collapsing, hoarse as he cried out, “It must be that little bitch Su Wanxing! She stole my money!”
Su Changhe and Su Changhai rushed in, saw the empty jar and the void in the wall, their faces turning pitch black—without this money, they couldn’t even afford to flee.
“Father, now is not the time to figure out who stole the silver!” Su Changhe pressed down his panic. “We’ve been expelled from the clan. If we stay in Sujia’ao, Zhang Mansion will find us sooner or later. We have to leave immediately!” Su Changhai added, “Brother’s right! Let’s find Guangzong in town. He’s educated and wise—he’ll know what to do!”
Su Yuan wiped his tears and gritted his teeth: “Fine! Let’s find Guangzong!” He turned to Su Changhe and Su Changhai. “How much private money do you have? Gather it; we’ll need it on the road.” They exchanged a glance and each took out a small pouch of silver, totaling just over thirty taels—barely enough for travel expenses and short-term costs.
Wasting no time, Su Yuan, Su Changhe, Su Changhai, and the children—Da Ya, Er Ya, and San Ya—hastily packed a few tattered clothes, locked the crumbling old residence, and hurried toward the town. Along the way, their faces were grim. No one mentioned redeeming Li Cuihua or Su Baozhu from the brothel; in their minds, these two women were already abandoned.
By the time they reached the town, dusk had fallen. They went straight to the private school where Su Guangzong studied. Seeing his family arrive late at night, with wives and children in tow, Su Guangzong was stunned: “Grandfather, Father, Uncle, what brings you here?”
The accumulated grievances and despair of Su Yuan burst forth. Grabbing Su Guangzong’s hand, he cried: “Guangzong, a great disaster has struck our family!” He then recounted everything in detail: Su Baozhu hired people to kidnap, Su Wanxing was involved, thieves ransacked Zhang Mansion, Master Zhang died, the Su family was expelled from the clan, and the family silver was stolen.
Su Guangzong grew increasingly shocked. The brush in his hand fell to the desk with a “clack,” ink splattering across the table. “W-what? Little Aunt Baozhu actually did this? Master Zhang is dead? We’ve been expelled?” He could hardly believe his ears—how could their once-prosperous home collapse so suddenly?
Su Changhe sighed: “Guangzong, it’s too late to dwell on that now. We’ve been cast out of Sujia’ao, penniless. We’ve come to you for help. You are the only hope our Su family has left. Please, think of a way; what should we do?”
Su Guangzong frowned, thinking deeply. As a poor scholar, he could barely support himself, let alone a large family. Glancing at Da Ya, Er Ya, and San Ya, trembling beside him, his expression shifted, and he spoke slowly: “Grandfather, Father, Uncle, our family is now in decline. Turning things around will be extremely difficult. The immediate priority is survival.”
He paused, his tone becoming more subtle: “The biggest burden in the family is the large number of people. Da Ya and Er Ya are of marriageable age, and San Ya is nearly there. If we can marry them off, not only will it reduce the household burden, but we can also obtain a bride price to help us through this difficult time.”
“Marry… marry off Da Ya and the others?” Su Changhe hesitated, then realized Su Guangzong’s meaning. He looked at Su Changhai, both hesitant—after all, these were their daughters. Yet faced with their desperate situation, marrying them off was indeed the most direct solution.
Su Changhai sighed: “Guangzong is right… at this point, we have no other choice. Finding them a family and exchanging for a bride price will at least ease our burden.” Su Yuan nodded, showing no reluctance: “We’ll follow Guangzong’s plan! Tomorrow, we’ll visit the pawn shops and see if anyone is willing to take them.”
Hearing this, Da Ya, Er Ya, and San Ya trembled violently, tears flowing instantly. Da Ya choked out: “Father, I don’t want to marry…”
“Whether you want to or not, you must!” Su Changhe cut her off sharply. “If it weren’t to support you, we wouldn’t have fallen to this point! Marrying is your blessing!” The three girls dared not speak further, bowing their heads, silently crying.
Meanwhile, in the county town’s Yihong Courtesan House, the place was at its busiest. After being sold there, Su Baozhu, still somewhat attractive, was forced by the madam to entertain clients continuously, even though she was sold at the lowest price, earning less than the lowest-ranking courtesans.
From dawn to dusk, her room’s door never closed. Wave after wave of clients came and went. She was beaten and exhausted, her spirit utterly broken. At first, she cried and resisted, but eventually, her eyes became vacant, a foolish smile lingering on her lips, her mind dull and empty. The madam, fearing she might die and ruin profits, did not torture her excessively, but constantly urged her to serve clients.
Li Cuihua’s fate was even more tragic. Too old to fetch a price, she was useless to the madam. She was dragged to the back courtyard by two eunuchs, her legs broken, then thrown like trash into a dark alley behind the Yihong Courtesan House.
The alley was dark, damp, and full of garbage. Li Cuihua lay on the cold ground, her wounds bleeding, staining the soil beneath her. Trembling in pain, she no longer had the strength to call for help. Blood loss turned her face pale as paper, her breathing growing weaker, her life slipping away.
A flicker of regret crossed her clouded eyes. Had she not favored Su Baozhu or tried to sell Su Wanxing for money, would she have met such a fate? But now it was too late. She could feel her life ebbing away, her eyes finally losing all light, leaving only endless darkness.