Chapter 2: The Raid

Before anyone could step forward, several palace eunuchs filed into the inner courtyard.

The leader announced, "I am Wang Hong, Chief Superintendent of the Imperial Household. By imperial decree, I have come to confiscate the assets of Cabinet Grand Secretary Su Yuan. I ask the ladies of the house to withdraw; Madam, please take the young mistress inside!"

Su Yunqing was already seething with rage. Seeing this greasy-faced man with shifty eyes blocking her path, she raised both hands and shoved him squarely in the chest.

Wang Hong was caught off guard, never expecting such strength from a delicate young girl. He toppled backward, his backside slamming onto the stone steps as the back of his head struck the doorframe with a loud thud.

"Ouch..."

The young eunuchs rushed forward in a flurry to help him up. Qin Yueniang was panicked—this was a man close to the Emperor!

As Su Yunqing stepped over Wang Hong, intending to head out, she was pulled back by her own maids and nannies.

Qin Yueniang hurriedly knelt on both knees. "Superintendent Wang, please forgive us. My daughter is young and ignorant; she did not mean to offend you." She then urged Su Yunqing, "Qing'er, hurry and apologize to Superintendent Wang!"

Su Yunqing glared at Wang Hong, who was howling while clutching the back of his head with one hand and his backside with the other. She refused to kneel, nor would she utter a word.

The Embroidered Uniform Guard (Jinyiwei) in the outer courtyard heard the commotion. Gao Yinglu sent someone to the inner gate to warn: "Superintendent Wang, the Emperor’s decree was for us to confiscate assets, and he specifically cautioned against harming anyone."

Wang Hong roared, "Who harmed anyone? Who? It is I who am hurt! Search! Don't miss a single corner! Ouch... my backside, my head! You wretched girl, you are bold even at death’s door, you’ve infuriated me!"

A nimble young eunuch quickly brought out a grandmaster chair from the room and placed it behind Wang Hong. "Superintendent, calm your anger, sit down and speak."

Wang Hong, supported by the other eunuchs, tremblingly attempted to sit, but the moment his backside touched the chair, he let out a pig-like shriek.

Su Yunqing sneered, "It seems you cannot sit, Superintendent. You might as well just stay kneeling!"

Wang Hong pointed at her. "You, you, you—you will have your turn to weep soon enough."

Su Yunqing helped Qin Yueniang up from the floor. "Mother, stand up. He is only a eunuch; why must you kneel to him?"

***

Qin Yueniang felt deeply uneasy, terrified of Wang Hong’s retaliation. The Su family had fallen to such a plight that everyone's life hung by a thread. She knew the consequences of a house confiscation—servants would be sold or exiled, and it would be a stroke of luck if the family could keep their lives. If Wang Hong wanted to kill them, it would be an effortless task.

But this girl had never known the meaning of the word "fear."

It was true; she had been showered with love from the moment she was born. Back then, her father was still alive, her grandmother was kind, her mother was gentle, and her grandfather, the Senior Grand Secretary, though strict, was always soft-hearted toward her. She even had two gentle and refined older brothers who let her have her way in everything.

She did not understand what it meant to be afraid.

Qin Yueniang said, "Qing'er, Superintendent Wang is a man of the Emperor, representing His Majesty. You must apologize. The Superintendent is broad-minded and merciful; he will not hold a grudge against a child. Hurry."

Wang Hong, wincing in pain and unable to stand or sit comfortably, gave a cold snort. "Ignorant child. I have always heard that Grand Secretary Su ran his household with rigor, but today I have finally seen it. Is this what passes for a young lady of the Su family?"

Su Yunqing’s eyes widened in fury, and she prepared to argue further. Qin Yueniang gripped her hand tightly and shook her head, tears of anxiety welling in her eyes. "Qing'er, your grandfather is old and in poor health. Do not let him bear the charge of defying an imperial decree. If that happens, our Su family is finished..."

No sooner had she spoken than a violent fit of coughing drifted in from the outer courtyard—it was her grandfather’s voice.

Su Yunqing’s heart tightened. Her grandfather was of such an age, yet he was still kneeling on the damp ground, and the autumn wind was growing ever colder.

Su Yunqing felt a sting in her nose. She called to those rummaging through the rooms, "The house is only so big. Please be quick with your hands and feet; take what you have found and leave my home at once."

After a while, the clattering in the house ceased, and the men began to emerge one by one.

Several chests were carried to the front courtyard. Wang Hong, holding the back of his head and limping, walked over to the chests with a look of disbelief. He glanced at the gloomy-faced Gao Yinglu, who was still sitting nearby, and then back at the chests.

"Just this?"

Aside from a small amount of gold and silver jewelry, the most valuable items in these chests were the original paintings by famous masters collected by Grand Secretary Su, along with a few Dragon Tail inkstones gifted by his students and some rare Huizhou ink sticks.

Gao Yinglu remained silent, offering no response to the question, and prepared to rise and leave.

Grand Secretary Su had served in court for many years with a reputation for integrity. It would have been a miracle to find anything truly illicit in his home.

The new Emperor, having ascended the throne, was purging dissidents and striking back at the officials who had once opposed him. He had found a pretext to convict Grand Secretary Su, but he dared not harm him, hoping to avoid public censure while projecting an image of magnanimity.

***

Gao Yinglu and Wang Hong, each leading their men and carrying the meager spoils, prepared to withdraw.

Suddenly, a man rode a horse at full gallop through the main street and pulled up at the gate. The man dismounted, cast a suspicious look at the Jinyiwei standing with their hands behind their backs at the entrance, and then looked up at the plaque above the door.

"This is the residence of Grand Secretary Su, is it not?"

He stepped forward, cupped his hands to the Jinyiwei, and said, "Greetings, officers. I have come from the Cangzhou Prefecture in the South to deliver the betrothal gifts to the Su family. The boat has already arrived at the dock and is being unloaded. I was sent ahead to deliver the message; please have Grand Secretary Su and Madam Su prepare to welcome the guests."

Wang Hong, who had one leg already stepped out of the gate, saw his eyes light up at these words. He laboriously pulled his leg back and said to Gao Yinglu, "Commander Gao, shall we wait a while longer?"

Gao Yinglu gave no reply, merely stopping in his tracks and looking at him expressionlessly with his hands behind his back.

Su Yunqing’s two brothers, who had been on either side, were preparing to help Grand Secretary Su up. Seeing the men turn back, they stopped and remained kneeling.

Grand Secretary Su thought to himself, *This is bad.* The Cheng family had arrived a day earlier than expected, and he had seen the greed in Wang Hong’s eyes.

"Cough, cough... Superintendent Wang, Commander Gao, my family has important guests arriving. Since your official business is concluded, why don't you withdraw from the estate and return to the palace to report to His Majesty?"

Wang Hong was seething with frustration. He had traveled all the way from the capital to Yizhou, expecting to make a fortune, but he had found the Grand Secretary’s home picked clean. He had even been injured by a little girl, and he could not swallow his pride.

He had long heard that the Cheng family was a prominent clan in the South, and the betrothal gifts they brought would surely be a significant sum...

However, if he waited for the Cheng family to arrive with the gifts, as an imperial envoy, he could never forcibly confiscate them before they were officially entered into the Su family’s inventory. That would be no different from common robbery.

Wang Hong’s shifty eyes rolled, and a plan formed. He stepped across the threshold and shouted, "Commander Gao, let us not delay Grand Secretary Su from receiving his guests. Let us return."

He turned back and gave a meaningful smile to the Grand Secretary. "Grand Secretary Su, we are merely following orders. Please forgive any offense."

Grand Secretary Su stood up, watching the retreating backs of the Jinyiwei and the eunuchs. His expression was slightly dazed as he said to his two grandsons, "Quickly, call the servants to tidy up and prepare to welcome our guests from afar."