Chapter 11 – Emptying the Palace, The Imperial Edict of Confiscation

Just then, Nanny Fang hurriedly entered, her expression tinged with anxiety.
“The palace has summoned the young master and second young master again,” she announced.

Yun Ruoxi and Mu Ruxue, who had just been chatting animatedly, instantly exchanged a glance. All their gossip vanished into thin air.

They knew something serious was happening. Without delay, they both got up and rushed to find their respective husbands to get to the bottom of it.

When Yun Ruoxi returned to her room, she found Xiao Jingrui already fully dressed in splendid robes, making his already handsome appearance even more striking.

Nervous, she walked quickly to him, her voice carrying a hint of urgency.
“Why are you going into the palace again?”

Xiao Jingrui noticed the concern in her eyes, and his tone softened as he gently reassured her,
“This time, His Majesty is determined not to spare the Marquis of Wu’an’s household. But we’ve already done all we can.”

He stepped closer, lowering his voice so that only the two of them could hear:
“I know my lady has a special identity and abilities unlike ordinary people. These are the keys to all the storage rooms in the estate, as well as the key to the secret chamber hidden in the rockery of the garden. From this point on, I must entrust the matters of the household to you.”

Yun Ruoxi’s eyes widened in surprise, her heart full of questions.
What did he mean by that?
Did he already know their true identities?

As if reading her thoughts, Xiao Jingrui added,
“There’s no need to panic, Xixi. A wandering Taoist once foretold this calamity for the Marquis of Wu’an’s household, and he also divined that only ‘souls from another world’ could save us. You and Mu Ruxue are the ones who can turn the tide.”

Meanwhile, on the other side, Mu Ruxue heard similar words from Xiao Jingxuan.

She stared at him in shock and asked,
“So… I didn’t trap you into this?”

Xiao Jingxuan shook his head gently, his gaze soft as he explained,
“I merely played along with the circumstances. Had it been anyone else, I wouldn’t have agreed.”

With that, many of the mysteries clouding Mu Ruxue’s mind began to clear. Everything started to make sense.

Once all the men of the Wu’an Marquis Household entered the palace, only the women were left behind.

In the front courtyard, the Marchioness Zhao stood with a solemn expression, looking at Yun Ruoxi and Mu Ruxue. She spoke slowly,
“I suppose Jingrui and Jingxuan have already given you the keys. I have no other expectations of you—just do your best to keep everyone in the household alive.”

Yun Ruoxi nodded firmly and replied with utmost seriousness,
“Mother, don’t worry. We will do everything we can.”

Knowing that the entire household was now aware of their special identities, Yun Ruoxi actually felt relieved. From now on, she wouldn’t need to act so cautiously. It felt liberating.

Madam Zhao quickly summoned all the household servants, preparing to return their deeds of sale and dismiss them.

For many servants, regaining their freedom was a lifelong dream. As such, the vast majority chose to redeem themselves and leave. Only a small number remained out of loyalty and sentiment.

However, upon hearing rumors that the household might be raided and exiled, even that small group hesitated—then ultimately chose to leave as well.

Yun Ruoxi and Mu Ruxue were not upset. In fact, it made things easier. With fewer eyes and mouths in the estate, they could finally act freely.

In just one morning, the once-bustling estate of the Marquis of Wu’an was empty and silent. For the two women, it was the perfect opportunity.

Without hesitation, they began transferring all valuable items from the estate directly into their respective storage spaces.

If it weren’t for the fact that doors and windows were too difficult to carry, they might’ve taken those too—including the doorframes.

After wrapping up all the matters in the estate, Yun Ruoxi and Mu Ruxue left the manor and headed straight for the warehouse that Yun Ruoyang had previously arranged.

The warehouse was stacked high with stockpiled supplies—mostly preserved food and various items that might be useful on the road to exile.

Yun Ruoxi didn’t even bother inspecting the goods. She simply swept everything into her storage space, thinking: as long as it’s useful, that’s good enough.

Through all of this, Yun Ruoxi also managed to get a thorough understanding of the Wu’an Marquis Household’s family structure.

The Marquis himself—Xiao Jing, was their father-in-law.
The Marchioness—Madam Zhao, was their mother-in-law.
The couple had two sons: Xiao Jingrui and Xiao Jingxuan.

There was also the Old Madam Xiao, who usually stayed in Ronghui Hall and rarely appeared in public.

Then there was Xiao Bin, a son born of a concubine. He had long since moved out and lived separately with his branch family.

Back when the old marquis was still alive, everyone lived under one roof. But after his death, the main heir—Xiao Jing—took over the title, and the second branch moved out.

Although Xiao Bin’s branch was of concubine lineage, they were still part of the Xiao family. If the household were to be raided and exiled, they wouldn’t be spared either.

That said, Yun Ruoxi and Mu Ruxue were currently focused only on the main household—they had no time to worry about others.

Yun Ruoxi even sent a letter back to her family, asking them to spread rumors in the capital:
The Wu’an Marquis Household had been robbed. All valuables stolen. Not even chopsticks were left behind.

Upon receiving the report, the Chief Magistrate of Jingzhao Prefecture quickly dispatched people to investigate. But after a thorough search, they found nothing—no clues whatsoever.

To be cautious, the magistrate, under the name of imperial authority, placed all the women of the Wu’an Marquis Household under house arrest.

Everyone understood that if this were just a routine investigation, placing the entire Marquis of Wu’an’s residence under watch would make no sense. Clearly, this was an order from the Emperor himself.

As night fell and all was silent,
Yun Ruoxi and Mu Ruxue stuck on their invisibility talismans and, like two shadows, slipped silently toward the imperial palace.

According to the plot of the original novel, the imperial decree to confiscate the household would be issued tomorrow. The two knew they couldn’t sit around and wait for doom—they decided to strike first and sneak into the palace under the cover of night.

Since the Emperor had clearly made up his mind to destroy the Marquis of Wu’an’s household, they wouldn’t be polite either. Their plan? Loot the national treasury.

If the imperial court could confiscate families, so could they!

The imperial palace was vast, and to save time, the two decided to split up, agreeing to meet at the palace gates afterward.

Yun Ruoxi’s first stop was the national treasury. The moment she stepped inside, she was greeted with a mountain of gold and silver ingots. Her eyes went wide, gleaming green with excitement as she exclaimed, “Good heavens! So much! It’s several times more than the treasure trove I looted from the previous dynasty!”

She didn’t waste a moment. Muttering, “Mine, mine, all mine,” she quickly began sweeping the gold and silver into her storage space.

As she moved through the palace, she lost track of how many walls she passed through and how many places she visited—warehouses, kitchens, bedrooms, even the Cold Palace.

Wherever she could get to, she left nothing behind.

After all that looting, Yun Ruoxi and Mu Ruxue were exhausted—backs sore, waists aching, barely able to stand straight.

Still, they forced themselves to keep going, emptying out all the shops under the names of the Crown Prince, the General of Cavalry, and the Prime Minister.

By the time everything was done, they dragged their weary bodies back to the Marquis of Wu’an’s residence, collapsed into bed, and fell into a deep sleep.

They were only awakened later by Madam Zhao’s voice.

“Xixi, Xiao Xue, someone from the palace is here.”

There was a hint of urgency in her tone.

The two sat bolt upright in bed and said in unison, “That fast?!”

A glance at the time showed it was already early evening.

The Marquis of Wu’an’s residence was now eerily quiet. Only four women remained, gathered in one place.

The officials who came to deliver the decree looked around at the sparse group and sneered inwardly. In the courtyard stood a man in dark red eunuch robes, holding a bright yellow imperial edict, his expression solemn.

Once everyone was present, he slowly unrolled the decree and began reading in a loud voice:

“By the Mandate of Heaven, the Emperor decrees: Marquis of Wu’an, Xiao Jing, bore the heavy duty of supervision. In the matter of the disaster relief grain, although the true culprit was not found, his failure to supervise properly led to suffering among the people and chaos in governance. The responsibility is grave and inescapable. However, in light of Marquis Xiao’s past diligence and numerous military achievements in service of the court, it is hereby decreed: Xiao Jing is stripped of his title, demoted to commoner, his household is to be confiscated, and he is to be exiled. Punishment by cangue is waived. All property and land of the Marquis’s residence are to be confiscated and turned over to the state. Thus decreed.”

As the eunuch’s long-winded declaration continued, Yun Ruoxi grasped the gist—Marquis Xiao was punished for dereliction of duty. Although he avoided harsher penalties, the household was still to be confiscated and exiled.

She cursed silently—that damned Emperor was clearly shielding the Crown Prince.

If it hadn’t been for the Duke of England presenting key evidence, the Marquis of Wu’an would’ve ended up shouldering the blame entirely.

Still, this outcome was already better than what happened in the novel. With her and Mu Ruxue there—and the Duke of England helping behind the scenes—this exile wouldn’t be too bitter.

After all, the missing disaster relief funds had been the Crown Prince’s doing.

If the silver hadn’t gone missing, the Prince might have remained untouched. But now that it had disappeared, he had been placed under house arrest in the Eastern Palace.

As for Su Lingling, she was just a noblewoman. Without the Crown Prince’s protection, bribing the officials during the exile would be nearly impossible.

What’s more, the Duke of England’s people were watching her closely—Su Lingling now had little room to maneuver.

“Madam Marquis, receive the decree,” the eunuch intoned.

“Thank His Majesty for his grace. Long live the Emperor,” Zhao Shi responded.

Though she said the formal words, Yun Ruoxi could clearly sense that her mother-in-law harbored no reverence for the so-called imperial grace.

Eunuch Wang, who had delivered the decree, stood there for a while, waiting, but Zhao Shi made no move to offer him a tip or reward. His face darkened and he said coldly, “Very well, I shall return to report to the palace.”

“Thank you for your trouble, Eunuch Wang,” Zhao Shi replied calmly, her expression unmoved from beginning to end, as though the matter had nothing to do with her.

Seeing this, Eunuch Wang left in a huff, flinging his sleeve as he turned away.