Chapter 26: Shi Xiangyun

Beneath the city walls, the Governor of the Capital had been driving the ten thousand commoners who were assisting in the defense. As soon as they heard the commotion coming from atop the ramparts, they could no longer sit still and began returning to their homes in joyful haste. The yamen runners could not hold them back.

The news swept through the capital like a gale, blowing into the Rongguo Mansion and reaching the ears of the pages at the corner gate. Emboldened, they opened the gate and stopped a few of the returning people to ask for confirmation. Once assured it was true, they hurried back into the mansion to relay the news to the matrons at the second gate.

"The Imperial Court is no longer fighting King Qian?!"

Upon hearing this, Ping'er was startled. She rushed to the Grandmother's quarters, where the old lady was chatting happily with the mistresses, daughters-in-law, and young ladies. Seeing her tense expression, they all fell silent and looked at her.

"Ping'er, what has happened now?" Wang Xifeng asked.

"Grandmother, Mistress, Madam!" Ping'er’s voice trembled. "The Imperial Court... has surrendered to King Qian!"

"Ah!"

The women in the room gasped, and a sudden silence descended.

"The Court has surrendered? Speak clearly!" Grandmother, with her graying hair, stood up, her aged face full of anxiety.

"How could they surrender... Just this morning, they said they were going to fight, and the Master even went to court. How could it all be over in less than a day..."

Lady Wang was distraught. Yingchun, Tanchun, and Xichun stood by the old lady’s side. Hearing Ping'er's words, Tanchun could not help but sigh, "In the end, this world has become the property of the Chu family."

Once King Qian, Chu Yan, enters the city, what will become of the Jia family? Days like today, where the sisters kept the old lady company and chatted to lighten her spirits, would be hard to come by again. Tanchun knew that disaster was imminent. She looked around: the Second Sister had her head bowed in silence, Xichun’s young face was expressionless, the eldest sister-in-law looked sorrowful, Lady Wang was beyond tears, and the Eldest Madam looked dazed. Even the usually sharp and decisive Sister Feng sat slumped in her chair, unable to speak for a long while.

"Quickly, send someone to make inquiries!" Grandmother ordered. "See what is being said outside. Tell Lian'er to investigate and ask clearly when King Qian’s army will enter the city!"

The maid Amber hurried out to carry out the order. Wang Xifeng finally regained her composure and smiled at Grandmother. "It is truly the Grandmother who has seen the world. We youngsters are inexperienced and only panic when faced with such events. I was quite terrified just now, but I just remembered what Rong's wife said."

Lady Wang asked her, "Are you talking about her suggestion to surrender to King Qian early to save the family's lives? But now that King Qian is about to enter the city, can we still surrender to him?"

Many in the room felt a flicker of hope. Tanchun, however, sneered, "Madam, it is too late to say anything now. The Imperial Court has lost its momentum, and a new dynasty is about to be established. The princes and ministers of the old order can only await the new sovereign's decree."

Lady Wang sighed, "Had I known the Court would fall so quickly, I would not have let the Master go to court."

"Grandmother, Madam." The youngest of the sisters, Jia Xichun, suddenly stood up and, feigning discomfort, returned to the garden. Yingchun and Tanchun followed her.

"Fourth Sister, are you feeling unwell?" Tanchun asked. Since leaving the old lady’s side, the younger girl had walked with her head down, saying nothing.

Xichun whispered, "If I were like Intelligent, having become a nun at the temple, I would not be implicated in this disaster of having our home ransacked and our clan wiped out."

Knowing she often played with Intelligent from the Mantou Nunnery, Tanchun consoled her. After parting ways, Tanchun went to the Xiaoxiang Pavilion to find Baoyu.

Indeed, laughter from Baoyu, Lin Daiyu, and Shi Xiangyun could be heard from within. As Tanchun entered, Shi Xiangyun stood up to greet her, taking her hand with a smile. "Third Sister, you've come at last! Come and judge for me—do I still lisp when I speak? Sister Lin is teasing me about it again!"

Under normal circumstances, Tanchun would have joined in the jest, but she could not bring herself to smile. Lin Daiyu noticed something was wrong and asked, "What is wrong, Third Sister? Is there news about the rebel king outside the city?"

Tanchun nodded. Looking at Baoyu and the others, she said, "The Court has surrendered. King Qian is about to enter the city."

"Ah!"

Shi Xiangyun was shocked, and Baoyu jumped up, eyes wide. "This rebel king wants to be Emperor?!"

Lin Daiyu was also stunned, and she could not help but glance at Baoyu. Zijuan, who was in the room, guessed what the young lady was thinking. In the past, the young lady and Second Brother Baoyu were deeply attached, though held back by etiquette and lack of support, leaving them to express their feelings in secret, such as the old handkerchief she had accepted from him. Yet, they lived in the same garden and could see each other every day despite their frequent quarrels. Now that King Qian was entering the city, their future was uncertain. If they were reduced to commoners, that might be tolerable, as they could stay together; but if they were to be separated, Zijuan truly did not know how the young lady would suffer.

"I am going to Grandmother's!" Jia Baoyu stood up from his chair and hurried away.

"Baoyu—" Lin Daiyu raised her hand to stop him, but the anxiety brought on a fit of coughing. Her slender, pale hand clutched her chest as she watched him leave. Baoyu did not hear her cough and simply walked away.

"Young Lady, please sit," Zijuan said, helping her. Shi Xiangyun added, "Sister Lin, your health is poor; please do not let the news of the rebels entering the city ruin your constitution."

After a while, Daiyu said in a faint voice, "I do not fret for the rebel king, only for myself..."

Shi Xiangyun knew Daiyu was referring to her own life—losing both parents at a young age and facing such a treacherous fate. And was it not the same for her? Just as she was worrying, a maid called from outside, "Miss Shi, someone from your family has come to take you home!"

"What? At this hour?" Shi Xiangyun was surprised. Why would her family send for her so late?

"My dear sisters, I am going home! I will come to play with you all next time—don't go back to only joking with Second Brother Baoyu and ignoring me!" Shi Xiangyun hurriedly bid farewell to Daiyu and Tanchun. Without even packing her things or saying goodbye to Grandmother, she left the Rongguo Mansion, boarded her sedan chair outside the second gate, and departed the Jia estate.

As the sky outside the city grew dim, the group carrying the sedan chair moved with hurried steps. Shi Xiangyun lifted the curtain to peek outside. It was the first time she had been out so late. She saw many people gathered in the streets and alleys whispering. When they spotted her sedan chair, they turned to look, their eyes like wolves and leopards, as if they wanted to devour her. Panic-stricken, she lowered the curtain, not daring to look again.

Before leaving, the matron had told her the city was in chaos and that the Shi family had sent seven or eight pages to escort her home. As the fall of the city approached, the chaos intensified, and petty thieves took advantage of the situation to loot and plunder.

Upon arriving home, Shi Xiangyun met her aunt, whose words left her frozen.

"Yun'er, would you marry Baoyu tomorrow?" her aunt asked.

Shi Xiangyun was at a loss, her lovely face flushing with shyness. She lowered her head and whispered, "Aunt, why do you say such things so suddenly? Second Brother Baoyu and I are like sisters—he is a sister, and I am a sister—how could I marry him?"

If said to others, they might be surprised at a man being called a sister, but the Shi and Jia families were closely linked, and her aunt understood perfectly. She sighed, "Do not blame your uncle and me for being heartless; we do this for your own good... The Shi family is finished!"

"…Ah!?" Shi Xiangyun looked up at her aunt in disbelief.

Her aunt burst into tears. "This morning, your uncle followed the Emperor's decree to take command of the garrison at the city gate. He fought the King's forces for most of the day, and now, now..."

Shi Xiangyun was struck dumb. After a long while, she wiped away her tears, grabbed her aunt’s hand, and said resolutely, "Aunt, I am a daughter of the Shi family. If I am to die, I will die at home with my uncle and aunt. I will not go to the Jia house to hide from disaster!"

"Child, why are you so foolish..." her aunt wept, revealing another reason. It turned out the Shi family hoped to smuggle a few of their younger sons into the wedding procession to preserve the family line.

Shi Xiangyun’s mind was a mess. After a long time, she could only muster one sentence: "Grandmother may not agree!"

Her aunt wiped her eyes and said, "I will go beg Grandmother first thing tomorrow morning. We will set the betrothal and hold the wedding on the same day! We must send you to the Jia family!"

With her heart in turmoil, Shi Xiangyun returned to her room. She did not sleep well all night, her mind filled with only one thought: Would King Qian ransack her home and wipe out her clan? Could the Shi family survive this catastrophe?