Hearing the noisy commotion outside, Sun Juanfang was very clear about what was happening—just like in her previous life, Minister Wu of the Ministry of Personnel had arrived with his men.
Her daughter, Ting-jie'er, had also woken up. Hearing the disturbance outside, she was initially a little uneasy, but quickly calmed down upon seeing her mother by her side.
"Mother, what's going on outside? Why is it so noisy?"
"Ting-jie'er, I don't know either. Get dressed first, and we'll go take a look together."
Although her daughter was only four years old, children in ancient times matured early. Sun Juanfang didn't want to reveal that she already knew what was going on.
After speaking, Sun Juanfang helped her daughter into her outer robe, and they walked out of Ting-jie'er's boudoir together.
At that moment, the child's wet nurse came rushing in, her legs giving way as she knelt down in a panic and cried out, "Second Madam, something terrible has happened! Soldiers have surrounded the Qian residence, and a high official has ordered everyone to gather in the front courtyard!"
"All right, I already know. Let's go together."
After speaking, the two took the maids and old servant women outside and headed to the courtyard.
By now, the Qian residence was brightly lit, with the sounds of the servants' whispered gossip filling the air.
When Sun Juanfang arrived, she saw her normally haughty mother-in-law shrinking timidly in a corner, and her usually stern father-in-law looking equally flustered.
As for her nominal husband—he was nowhere to be seen. She figured his current situation must be... quite something.
Meanwhile, A-Yuan, a young servant, had arrived at Concubine Liu's courtyard. Hearing the sounds of flirtation and teasing inside, he felt awkward but still had to deliver the message with a stiff face.
"Second Young Master, bad news! A large group of soldiers has arrived in the front courtyard. Please get up quickly and check what's going on!"
At first, Qian Mingwu was annoyed that a servant had ruined his mood. But upon hearing the second half of the sentence, he immediately dropped any thoughts of punishing A-Yuan.
Concubine Liu, too, had heard the servant's report but didn't think it was serious. The Qian family was such a powerful household—what could possibly happen? She still wanted to cling to him.
"My lord, it's so rare for you to visit my chamber. Can't you stay with me a bit longer?"
As she spoke, she grabbed Qian Mingwu's hand and pouted flirtatiously.
She had carefully calculated that today was her most fertile day, and she was determined to keep her lord here a little longer so she could finally get pregnant and achieve her ambitions.
But the sweet talk that once delighted him now felt entirely inappropriate.
Qian Mingwu's chest rose and fell with rage. He flung off Concubine Liu's hand and scolded coldly, "Ignorant woman! Hurry up and come with me—how dare you delay over something like this!"
Without waiting for her reaction, he got out of bed and ordered the night maid to help him dress.
By the time Qian Mingwu finally arrived in the courtyard, he was the last one to show up.
Thinking about how he had been delayed by a concubine's clinginess, he resolved to freeze out Concubine Liu from now on.
Now that Minister Wu of the Ministry of Personnel saw that everyone had arrived, he gave a cold snort and read aloud the imperial decree:
"By the mandate of Heaven, the Emperor hereby decrees: Qian Shouzheng, Vice Minister of Revenue, is guilty of embezzling military rations meant for the border troops and of dereliction of duty. The Qian household shall be stripped of property and exiled. You are expected to sincerely repent from this day forth. Thus decreed."
Everyone's face turned pale at the reading of the edict, and some staggered unsteadily. Old Madam Qian even fainted on the spot.
Qian Shouzheng himself felt terrible. He hadn't expected his crimes to be exposed so quickly.
He kept telling himself: It'll be fine, everything will be okay. The Second Prince will definitely save me. I've served him loyally for so long...
"Qian Shouzheng, accept the decree! If not for the Emperor's mercy, your crimes would merit execution by a thousand cuts."
Hearing such ruthless condemnation from his former comrade, Qian Shouzheng wished he could faint as well.
But he couldn't. He forced himself to rise and respectfully took the heavy decree in both hands.
Immediately afterward, a group of soldiers stormed into the residence and raided the private vaults.
They didn't even spare the jewelry worn by the women and men of the household. Sun Juanfang, however, obediently removed all her daughter's and her own hairpins and jade rings.
Just look at Concubine Zhao and the eldest sister-in-law across from them—they had refused to hand over their jewelry, and the soldiers violently ripped the earrings from their ears, without a care for the bloody mess left behind.
This was because whatever valuables they seized from the residents would count toward the soldiers' reward, and the officials overseeing them turned a blind eye.
Seeing what happened to those who resisted, everyone else quickly handed over their belongings without protest.
Once everyone was thrown into a cold, damp prison cell, many of the women started wailing and crying—turning the place into a mourning hall.
The noisy clamor soon provoked the anger of a jailer, who lashed out with a whip in the direction of the loudest cries.
"You're no longer nobles here! Shut your mouths, or I'll teach you all a lesson with my whip!"
Even after saying that, he whipped the ground a few more times to vent his anger before swaggering off.
Sun Juanfang had immediately huddled into a corner with her daughter, keeping her distance from everything else.
In the original plot, the original host had been dutifully attending to Old Madam Qian, who had fainted. But what did she get in return?
Disgusting. That old crone had turned all her resentment over the family's downfall on the original host, repaying her kindness with cruelty.
But now that Sun Juanfang had taken over, she decided the cold floor was a perfect place for that shrewish old woman. Let her lie there and cool off! That old hag didn't deserve even the dry straw under her own backside.
By now, everyone else was like clay idols crossing a river—barely able to protect themselves—so no one bothered with the old madam lying on the floor.
All that had just occurred had been witnessed by Qian Lanting, who was terrified and clung tightly to her mother's arm.
Seeing her daughter so scared, Sun Juanfang simply patted her back comfortingly and said nothing more.
After all, at a time like this, she couldn't raise her daughter like a delicate flower in a greenhouse. Some things she'd have to learn to endure herself.
That night, no one slept well—except for Sun Juanfang.
She knew she had a tough battle to fight tomorrow, and if she didn't rest now, she'd only make things harder on herself.