"A dike exists to prevent disaster before it strikes. It is not something to build after Heaven has sent torrential rains and floods."
When the crowd's attention veered off from the corruption of Tang Bingfu and the confiscation of his property to the matter of whether rebuilding the dike was a waste of funds, Yun Shu stepped forward again to guide the conversation back.
"A dike that never sees use is, in truth, a blessing. It means the capital has remained untouched by floods. But its existence is essential. For if ever the day comes that it is needed, what it protects are the lives of thousands—yours included."
"...That is true enough," muttered the man who had first cried out about dividing the confiscated silver. After a moment's thought, he admitted, "Even if it never sees use in our lifetime, if it saves our children and grandchildren someday, that alone is worth it."
"Hahaha, indeed! Do you think His Majesty and the court officials are less wise than we commoners? If they judged that the dike must be rebuilt, then surely it is because it serves a purpose."
"What are we shouting for, anyway?"
"I was not shouting for silver. I was shouting for that greedy dog Tang to die. Is that not reasonable?"
The conversation had, in the end, looped back to Tang Bingfu. But now, when the people spoke of him, their words brimmed with true indignation—the fury of those whose interests had been trampled.
"Curse him! Had I known earlier, I would have picked up a few more rotten cabbage leaves at the market, even the kind chickens won't touch."
"It's fine. I have spit. I can just hawk it right at him."
Yun Shu stood silent for a beat.
"Fifth Sister, perhaps we should go inside now," Yun Chuhuan said, looking increasingly unsettled. "If someone misses their aim and hits us instead, I might lose my appetite for days."
"Agreed."
For once, Yun Shu wholeheartedly supported his suggestion. They handed their horses off to the guards and stepped through the ruined gates of the Tang residence.
With the outer wall removed, the panic and wailing from inside grew clearer by the step. As Yun Shu entered the inner courtyard, she was greeted by the sight of a small, round-faced child thrashing like a wild beast. He was shouting furiously as he kicked at the Imperial Guards.
"Get out! All of you get out! This is my house! Who let you in? My grandfather will have all of you executed!"
He could not have been more than three or four years old. Because of his age, Ye Yunhu's men had shown restraint, ignoring him at first. But sensing no real threat, the child had wriggled out of his mother's grasp and begun his tantrum with full force.
Anyone with half an eye could see this boy had been utterly spoiled. Despite his tender years, he was already shrieking threats of execution. Sympathy was difficult to summon.
"Does he not remind you of yourself?" Yun Shu asked with a click of her tongue.
"Last year, when you came to my palace for a meal and tripped trying to catch a chicken, you roared that you would have all my attendants executed. You looked just like this."
"...Surely not."
Yun Chuhuan stared at the flailing child with visible distaste, unwilling to believe he had ever behaved so disgracefully. "I was much more charming than this little beast."
"Hmph."
Yun Shu offered only a cold laugh and let him chew on that himself.
"...Are you all blind over there?" Yun Chuhuan refused to reflect, instead turning to the nearest guard with a frown. "Is no one going to handle that brat?"
"Forgive us, Your Highness."
One of the guards, who had been rifling through drawers, took a moment to hoist the screaming child by one arm and toss him back into his mother's embrace with a low, threatening growl.
"If you cannot restrain your son and he dares to offend Their Highnesses again, I will send him straight to the afterlife to wait for you."
"Mercy, please, great sir! He is just a child, he knows no better..."
The young mother was clearly terrified. She clamped her hand over the boy's mouth, weeping quietly as she whispered in his ear.
"Stop this now. If you keep screaming, no one will be able to save you."
"Mmmph mmph!"
The child writhed and fought, but her grip was firm. His cries were reduced to muffled noises, then silence.
Yun Chuhuan stared at him for a moment, then turned away with a scowl.
"Now he cries."
"They've lost everything. Is there anyone here who would not cry?"
Yun Shu forced herself not to look at the women and children sobbing around the courtyard. She approached the chests already dragged into the open, lifting the lids one by one. After inspecting their contents, her brow creased.
"Altogether, is there even two hundred taels in here?"
"Commander Ye was likely right," Yun Chuhuan replied. "They must have hidden it long ago."
Suddenly, his eyes lit up.
"Fifth Sister, shall we wager on who can find the hidden silver first? If I win, you owe me ten thousand taels in silver notes!"
"And if I win?" Yun Shu asked flatly. "You do not even have ten thousand taels to pay me with."
"I don't have that much in notes, no, but I have treasures. A whole collection of things I can't openly sell!"
Yun Chuhuan puffed up with pride.
"You can pick whatever you like from the treasures in Yaohua Palace!"
"You think I'm a fool?"
Choose anything from Yaohua Palace, indeed.
If he had such freedom, why did he not offer those treasures when Imperial Father fined him?
Yun Shu scoffed.
"If you want to search for the silver, go ahead. But I am not wagering with you."
"Stingy."
Yun Chuhuan muttered, then turned to leave. His grand plan to win ten thousand taels and "repay his debt" had died before it began.
"Even if you will not bet, I shall still race you. I bet I will find it before you do!"
So he dares to challenge me?
Yun Shu arched a brow. She seemed to think of something, but made no move to stop him. Instead, she walked slowly toward another part of the estate.
"This Princess has read many storybooks," she mused aloud. "In those tales, corrupt officials always build hidden chambers under their beds or behind walls. They use them to store all manner of illicit items. Has anyone searched the study thoroughly?"
"We've searched it well enough," Ye Yunhu replied, resting one hand on his sword hilt. He glanced her way with a curious tilt of his head.
"Your Highness, what else do those storybooks say? This subordinate has never seen one of these hidden mechanisms myself."
"You have not?"
Now it was Yun Shu's turn to be surprised.
"Not even once? Secret passages, false walls—none of that exists?"
"It's not that they don't exist."
Ye Yunhu shook his head.
"But finding the trigger is troublesome. We usually knock on the walls to listen for hollows. If we hear anything, we break it down directly."
After all, when a residence is already being confiscated, there is little point in being delicate.