This is actually a story about the mantis catching the cicada, unaware of the oriole behind.
The Eldest Prince, Prince Liang, rebelled and killed the Crown Prince, forcing the old Emperor to write a decree of abdication. Unexpectedly, the Second Prince, Prince Rong, who had always kept a low profile, first raided Prince Liang's Mansion, killed Princess Liang and Prince Liang's heirs, and then, under the banner of purging the court, stormed into the Imperial Palace and beheaded Prince Liang.
The old Emperor was already in poor health, and this turmoil sent him straight to heaven. On his deathbed, he pointed at Prince Rong, unable to finish his words, when the Chief Eunuch directly declared, "By the late Emperor's command, Prince Rong shall succeed to the throne."
In reality, there was no one else to speak for, since the old Emperor had favored Princess Consort Zhenzhen for forty years, keeping her as his favorite throughout thirty years as if just yesterday. The harem of three thousand beauties barely produced three sons and two Princesses, and now two sons were dead, leaving only this one sole offspring; it must be acknowledged, Prince Rong was indeed shrewd.
Victory goes to the king, defeat to the bandit, and so after daybreak, even before the new Emperor ascended the throne, the first imperial edict had already arrived at Duke Li's Mansion.
All sons of the Ruan Family over the age of fifteen were to be beheaded and displayed, while boys under fifteen were exiled to the Northwest; except for Qin, the former Duchess who had signed the divorce papers, all other women were to be made official slaves, and Qin exchanged a large dowry she brought into marriage for her own daughter's freedom.
Old Madam at Duke Li's Mansion, disgraced before her ancestors, hanged herself in shame, and the mansion echoed with cries.
Under the surveillance of the Imperial Guard, all the women had to remove their hairpin rings and pockets, leaving only their clothing, before being locked up in the women's prison, where only the path of sale awaited them. As official slaves, unless extraordinary merit is achieved, it is nearly impossible to shed their slave status.
Every official slave is registered with the government, and once someone becomes an official slave, it means that for generations, they remain as slaves, unable to redeem themselves, even their home-born children cannot compare.
Initially, people would wail and cry, but after being locked up for two days, receiving only one bowl of water and a black flour bun per person each day, they had no energy left to cry and make a fuss.
Ruan Susu secretly gave the pastries she had saved to her second sister-in-law's two-year-old niece; she is not a saint, but she could not bear to watch such a small child die of hunger.
The women's prison was dark and sunless, the only convenience was a single chamber pot, and there was only some damp straw on the ground. The daily water supply was inadequate, let alone enough for washing faces or rinsing mouths.
Ruan Susu always hid in the corner watching the protagonist, seeing her transition from despair and loss to calm within half a day, daring to ask for fire starters from the prison head, lighting the straw to dry other wet straw.
Afterwards, weak with hunger, Susu could only lean against the corner of the wall, secretly taking out a piece of dried meat to chew on slowly.
Five days later, the women, weakened from hunger, were dragged out of the women's prison, facing several matchmakers, two or three of them frequent visitors to Duke Mansion.
In the past, the madams would choose the girls and wives brought by the matchmakers, but now the matchmakers were choosy with them; truly, fortunes have turned.
The maids were not locked up with their masters, presumably they had been sold off early.
The servants of Duke Mansion still had a market, but the women from the mansion did not fare well in the Capital. Most of the madams were acquaintances, buying them would be awkward.
Even among matchmakers there were hierarchical rankings; those managed by the government were valued more highly than private matchmakers, and those dealing with officials and wealthy families ranked higher than those serving merchants and landowners, with the lowest being those interacting with brothels.
The sturdy female prison head laughed, "You are considered lucky. Mrs. Qin made it clear that though being slaves or maids is the consequence of your ancestors' actions, she cannot do much about it, but Seven Lady absolutely forbids anyone from being sold to dirty places."
Upon hearing this, the women burst into tears. Though it was for Seven Lady, they knew how much pressure Mrs. Qin must have endured to say this, after all, the new Emperor loathed Duke Li's Mansion with all his teeth; it would be hard for him to dispel the hatred in his heart if he didn't kill them all!
The first to choose was a matchmaker in her thirties, dressed meticulously; Ruan Susu quietly shrank back.
She knew the protagonist was the first batch to be chosen, indeed all the girls over ten were selected by her, and she seemed to want more, but a seemingly gentle matchmaker around forty smiled, "Sister is rather quick, it seems we won't even get the soup?"
Susu recognized this matchmaker - it was Mrs. Zhao who often visited Duke Mansion.
Feeling a bit embarrassed, the first matchmaker nonetheless said, "Don't say that, Sister, with me these young ladies won't be shortchanged." But she relented in the end.
Mrs. Zhao, knowing the other's background, did not say more when she backed off, selecting only three, namely the remaining girls around seven or eight — Eleventh Lady, Twelfth Lady, and Susu. Afterwards, the women were parted, led away by different matchmakers without time for farewells; who knows when they would meet again.