Love Lock

Chapter 349 That Scarface
"Open the door! Open the door now! Open the door now!"

The thunderous pounding on the door, each pound more urgent than the last, shattered the fragile tranquility of dawn.

"Bang bang bang! Bang bang bang!"

The door knocker struck violently, causing dust to fall from the lintel.

Princess Chang Le, sitting in the sedan chair, was startled by the sudden commotion and frowned, her already anxious mood becoming even more irritated.

"Stop the sedan chair!" She lifted the curtain with displeasure and looked at Mingyue: "Go and see who is making such a racket outside? How can they be so impolite!"

Before Mingyue could even check, she saw the gatekeeper tumbling and crawling from the gatehouse, his face as pale as a freshly painted wall.

The servant was out of breath and could barely speak: "Princess...it's...it's Manager Zhang from our rice shop...He...he said it's extremely urgent and he must see you immediately!"

"Manager Zhang? So early?" Princess Chang Le's heart skipped a beat for no reason, and an ominous premonition gripped her.

The Su Family Rice Shop is one of the most important businesses of the Su family today. Manager Zhang is always composed and would never lose his composure like this unless something extremely serious happens.

She composed herself, waved her hand, and the gemstone set in her ring shimmered in the dim light. "Let him in."

Soon, Manager Zhang came running over. His hat was askew, barely covering his disheveled hair. His silk robe was wrinkled and covered in dust, clearly indicating that he had fallen while running.

His face was covered in cold sweat, which mixed with the dust on his face, leaving several messy marks.

Upon entering the front courtyard, before he could even see the princess's direction, he collapsed to his knees with a thud, his voice trembling like fallen leaves in the autumn wind.

"Princess! Something terrible has happened! His Majesty has decreed... to confiscate the property of the three great families of Sun, Su, and Wei, and to put it all... into the Ministry of Revenue!"

"Buzz!"

Princess Chang Le felt a chill rush from the soles of her feet to the top of her head, followed by a deafening roar and blackouts, as if the whole world had turned upside down at that moment.

She stared wide-eyed in disbelief, stood up to get out of the sedan chair, but forgot that she had an injury on her leg. She lost her balance and almost tumbled off the soft cushions.

Fortunately, the two maids standing beside her were quick-witted and nimble, supporting her almost limp body from both sides.

"You...what did you say?" She gripped the maid's arm tightly, her nails digging into the maid's flesh. "Say it again?!"

"It's absolutely true, Princess!" Manager Zhang kowtowed, tears streaming down his face. "I heard that His Majesty issued an imperial decree during the day! In order to catch the noble families off guard, the soldiers acted overnight! Just now... just now a large contingent of soldiers arrived at all of our Su family's properties and are confiscating our assets! Rice shops, inns, gambling dens, silk shops... they've all been surrounded by soldiers! I risked my life to run out and deliver this message to you in the chaos!"

Upon hearing this, Princess Chang Le trembled violently and uncontrollably. She tried to steady her breathing but found her chest empty and she could hardly breathe in any air.

"This is impossible..." she murmured to herself, her eyes vacant. "Zhao Zun... How could Zhao Zun dare to..."

The Su family, ever since the Marquis of Champion's family and the former Empress were wiped out in that earth-shattering explosion, has long been outwardly strong but inwardly weak.

Her former glory and power have vanished like flowing water. She has only managed to maintain the last vestiges of dignity of her aristocratic family by relying on her businesses and industries scattered throughout the capital and even the whole country. This has also allowed her, Princess Chang Le, to continue living a life of luxury and extravagance.

These industries were the last lifeline of the Su family and the foundation upon which she lived.

But now, is Zhao Zun going to take away even this last bit of support without any mercy? Why is the man she has always loved treating her like this?

Princess Chang Le's thoughts were in turmoil, and countless ideas flashed through her mind in an instant.

Even if Zhao Zun ascends the throne, and a new official takes office with his first three acts of reform, and wants to establish his authority by targeting the powerful families, according to convention, it will only be a lot of noise but little action. He will simply seize a few insignificant handles and make an example of them to deter others.

The three prominent families of Sun, Su, and Wei were extensive and deeply intertwined, with their disciples and former officials spread throughout the court and the country, supporting almost half of the government.

Throughout history, emperors have generally treated powerful families with appeasement and pacification, both to utilize their strength and to guard against their potential backlash.

Zhao Zun, a military general who had long lived on the frontier and was surrounded by iron cavalry in the desert, had no idea about the intricate and complex relationships in the court. Why did he take such drastic and radical actions that were almost like overthrowing the court?
Besides... in their carefree youth at the Imperial Academy, they saw each other every day. She still remembered that tall, handsome boy practicing martial arts alone in the corner of the garden, his forehead damp with sweat, glistening in the sunlight.

She often secretly hid behind the rugged artificial hill, watching his figure sweating profusely, her heart pounding like a deer, yet also filled with a sweet shyness.

She would carefully prepare some delicate snacks and, blushing, hand them to him during his breaks.

Once, he suddenly turned around and saw her. She was so embarrassed that she wanted to disappear into the ground, but he only paused for a moment, then a faint smile appeared on his lips. He reached out and took the food box with gold-painted phoenix decoration from her hand, and said in a low voice, "Thank you!"

Those youthful and hazy memories, those unspoken emotions that lingered endlessly in her heart...

Was all of this just a dream?

She and Zhao Zun had some dealings, and she had been deeply in love with him all these years, determined to marry no one else. For both public and private reasons, Zhao Zun should have shown leniency towards the Su family and towards her! Why was he so ruthless towards the Su family as well?
Princess Chang Le felt as if her heart was being gripped tightly by an invisible, cold hand, and a dull pain spread throughout her body, making it almost impossible for her to breathe.

Little did she know that ever since she and Wei Chengchao, the eldest son of the Wei family, joined forces to plan the kidnapping of Han Lei, the Wei and Su families had already become the focus of Zhao Zun and Han Lei's attention.

Furthermore, because of her obsessive love for Zhao Zun and her unrequited love, her father, Champion Hou, secretly sent assassins to kill Zhao Zun, which completely enraged Han Lei, who seemed charming and sweet but was actually fiercely protective of her own.

Enraged, Han Lei personally went to the capital and dealt a swift and decisive blow to the Marquis of Champion's mansion, leading to a series of dramatic changes.

The powerful families committed all sorts of evil deeds and acted selfishly, which even the Song family, who were also powerful families, could not tolerate.

These old and new grudges, layered upon each other, had long since planted in Zhao Zun's heart the determination to completely eradicate these malignant families.

Moreover, given Zhao Zun and Han Lei's governing philosophy, which differs from that of previous emperors, they intend to return resources and wealth to the people. Therefore, eliminating these powerful families that have been entrenched in the lifeline of the court, constantly draining its resources and becoming too powerful to control, is only a matter of time and an inevitable move.

Zhao Zun was no longer the naive boy who would smile and thank you for a box of pastries in the Imperial College garden; he was now an emperor who held the reins of power and looked down upon all living beings.

Princess Chang Le is no longer the noble lady with girlish feelings; she is merely one of the stumbling blocks that must be removed to hinder Zhao Zun from realizing his grand ambitions.

The shopkeeper was stating the facts, but as these thoughts flashed through her mind, Princess Chang Le still couldn't believe it.

"Get out of the sedan chair! I want to see for myself!" Princess Chang Le forced down the metallic taste in her throat, trying to make her voice sound calm and dignified, but the tremor at the end of her voice betrayed her inner panic.

She sat down again, and the sedan chair bearers dared not slack off. They lifted the sedan chair and hurried towards the street where the Su family's businesses were most concentrated.

The closer you get to the city center, the more shocking the scenes on the streets become.

The streets, which should have gradually become bustling, were now filled with unusual noise and chaos.

Squads of soldiers, their helmets gleaming and their expressions stern, escorted vehicles laden with all sorts of goods and crates, their wheels rumbling heavily over the cobblestone road, the sound of their wheels sending shivers down one's spine.

More and more people gathered along the roadside, whispering and pointing, their faces a mixture of shock, curiosity, and... a kind of indescribable excitement and elation that startled Princess Chang Le. They even spread the word far and wide, letting more people know that the wealth of noble families was being confiscated.

When Princess Chang Le's sedan chair finally made its way through the crowd and arrived at the entrance of the largest store in the Su family, "Fengtai Rice Shop," the scene before her eyes made her blood seem to freeze instantly.

The rice shop was completely surrounded by a dense mass of soldiers, their gleaming swords and spears reflecting a chilling light in the bright morning sun.

An official dressed in the robes of the Ministry of Revenue stood on the high steps, holding an account book, and directed the laborers in a loud but emotionless voice to rush inside and carry out the items inside.

Bags of plump, polished rice were roughly dragged out and carelessly tossed onto carts. Some bags were even ripped open, spilling the white rice along the way. This attracted a crowd of beggars who wanted to rush forward and grab the rice, but they were stopped by soldiers standing around with knives and guns.

Boxes of sealed silver were carried out, their lids open, revealing dazzling array of silver ingots. Stacks of account books recording the Su family's years of business were piled haphazardly, like scraps of paper…

The familiar shop assistants and managers in the rice shop were driven to a corner by the soldiers with scabbards, huddled together, all pale and trembling, looking like lambs to the slaughter.

"Stop! Stop it all!"

Princess Chang Le could no longer remain calm. Like a maddened mother beast, she suddenly jumped off the sedan chair on one foot and rushed forward recklessly.

She cried out, "This is my Su family's property! How dare you do this? Is there no law anymore?!"

A junior officer leading the group rudely shoved her aside with such force that she fell to the side, only to be caught by Mingyue.

"By imperial decree, we are conducting a raid! Anyone who obstructs will be punished the same as a traitor!" The junior officer's voice was cold and firm, leaving no room for negotiation.

Princess Chang Le steadied herself, panting as she looked around, her heart sinking deeper and deeper into an icy abyss.

Not only the Fengtai Rice Shop in front of her, but also the Su Family Inn across the street was surrounded by soldiers like an iron barrel. The guests inside were driven out one after another, and tables and chairs were thrown onto the street.

"Ah, no... don't do this..." Princess Chang Le was powerless, tears welled up in her eyes, and she covered her mouth helplessly, murmuring.

She turned to look into the distance, and found that all the shops on the once bustling street that bore the names of the Su, Wei, and Sun families had fallen into the same misfortune.

The seals, like white banners summoning the dead, were conspicuously affixed to every once-glorious doorway.

What pained her even more was that the crowds of onlookers, drawn by the commotion, were filled with barely suppressed joy and excitement. Some even raised their arms and shouted, "Long live the Emperor! His Majesty is wise!"

They were talking excitedly, their voices reaching her ears without any restraint:

"Heaven has eyes! This day has finally come! These powerful and wealthy families have been running rampant for so many years, sucking our blood and eating our flesh. They should have fallen long ago!"

"I heard that all the confiscated property will be put into the national treasury and used to reduce our taxes and build water conservancy projects!"

"Your Majesty is truly wise and enlightened! He is a truly benevolent ruler who stands up for the people! He has rid us of these scourges!"

"That's right! The Su family's rice shop hoarded rice and drove up prices every year, making it impossible for many families to afford rice! And the Wei family's gambling den swindled countless people out of their fortunes and lives! The Sun family's usury forced countless families to ruin and die! Retribution! This is all retribution!"

……

Princess Chang Le stood there dumbfounded, feeling like a rat in the street, hated by everyone.

She never imagined that in the eyes of these "lowly people" whom she usually looked down upon, the Su family, and those aristocratic families who had formed alliances through marriage, would be such heinous beings.

She had always taken it for granted that the Su family, who supported tens of thousands of employees, craftsmen, and tenants throughout the capital, was a powerful and influential family that had contributed to the court, the people, and the nation!
"No...it's not like that..." she murmured to herself, her vision blurring as the colors of the world faded rapidly, leaving only gray and white.

Just then, she saw several soldiers roughly dragging the old manager of the rice shop.

"Let him go!" Princess Chang Le seemed to have found strength from nowhere, and pushed away Mingyue who was supporting her, jumping forward two steps.

"Princess? Ha!" The leading soldier sneered impatiently. "Wake up! What are you doing putting on airs now? These are all traitorous property! They're all confiscated! Everyone involved will be investigated! You'd be better off spending your time making a scene here thinking about how to explain to His Majesty what 'good deeds' your Su family has been up to all these years!"

Upon hearing this, Princess Chang Le was so angry she almost fell backward.

Just then, a commotion arose from the other end of the street, and a group of soldiers escorted several people who were tightly bound with hemp ropes from the direction of the gambling den.

Princess Chang Le took a closer look, and her heart sank even further. Those being escorted were none other than several arrogant young masters from the Sun family who spent their days in gambling dens.

They were all disheveled, their hair was loose, and their expressions were fearful and terrified, like stray dogs, completely lacking their former imposing and powerful demeanor.

Perhaps even those scions of noble families didn't anticipate that one day the world would undergo a major reshuffle. These centuries-old families, which even the imperial court dared not easily sway, are now being moved at will by a mere whim.

Princess Chang Le stood on one leg like a golden rooster, staring blankly at everything.

She felt the ground beneath her feet cracking inch by inch, and the entire world she knew and depended on was collapsing at an irreversible speed.

She watched helplessly as the wealth accumulated by the Su family over generations was hauled away, truckload after truckload; she watched as familiar shops, once bustling with customers and raking in money every day, were sealed off with cold, official seals; she watched as scions of powerful families and relatives who once roamed the capital with impunity were now being led, dejectedly, along with their leashes like pigs and dogs, towards an unknown and dark fate…

She suddenly remembered the proud look on her father, the Champion Marquis, when he inspected the family businesses when she was very young.

Pointing to the bustling, golden signboard, her father said to her, "Look closely, these, these, and these are the foundation of our Su family. With them, our Su family can stand tall in this capital city forever, and live and die with the nation!"

Now, these "foundations" that were considered the lifeblood of the family are being ruthlessly uprooted by the powerful imperial authority right before her eyes!
"No...this shouldn't be happening..." Her legs gave way, and she could no longer support her weight, collapsing onto the cold street with a thud. Tears streamed down her face like a burst dam, instantly blurring the cruel scene before her eyes. "Zhao Zun...how could you...how could you be so cruel..."

She recalled again the boy practicing martial arts in the Imperial College garden, the fleeting gentle smile on his face when he accepted the food box, and the bright, unwavering light in his eyes when he occasionally looked into the distance.

Those tender, fragmented moments she treasured deep in her heart, those vague, ambiguous feelings that she pondered and speculated about for countless days and nights…

Could it be that all those memories and feelings were just her own illusions, all of them false?

"Princess! Princess!" Mingyue knelt down in a panic, forcefully supporting the body that had collapsed to the ground, her voice trembling with tears, "Please don't do this, please don't do this! We...we'll go back to the manor first, and then we'll think about it further. There...there'll always be a way..."

Before Mingyue could finish speaking, the steward of the Su family came running from the end of the street, tumbling and crawling, shouting in a hoarse voice filled with despair.

"Princess! Something terrible has happened! The Marquis of Champion's mansion... the Marquis of Champion's mansion has also been ransacked by government troops! They... they have an imperial edict, saying that if there is any resistance, they will be killed on sight or the entire clan will be exiled! We... we dare not stop them, and we cannot stop them!"

"boom--!"

The last pillar in Princess Chang Le's heart also collapsed completely.

Princess Chang Le felt dizzy and disoriented. The last thing she saw was the horrified faces of her maids and stewards, and the blurry, swaying figures of the soldiers and civilians around her.

The boundless darkness surged in like a tidal wave, instantly engulfing all her consciousness. Her body swayed, and she completely fainted.

……

After an unknown amount of time, when Princess Chang Le regained consciousness, she felt a splitting headache and her whole body was sore and weak.

She struggled to open her heavy eyelids, and what came into view was a low, cobweb-covered roof beam, and the air was filled with a mixture of musty smell and cheap incense.

She lay on a hard wooden bed, the blanket covering her rough and uncomfortable.

"Princess, you're finally awake!" Mingyue, who was guarding the bedside, rushed forward with red eyes upon seeing her wake up, her face filled with worry and lingering fear.

Several other anxious but familiar faces also gathered around—the butler and two other servants who had managed to follow along.

Princess Chang Le struggled to support her limp body with her arms, her mind still foggy.

Looking around the small, simple, and bare room in a daze: "Where...where is this? How...how did we get here?"

The butler stepped forward, his expression filled with sorrow, as if he had aged ten years overnight.

He sighed heavily and said in a low voice, "Your Highness... this is a small inn in the south of the city, the cheapest kind. The Marquis of Champion's mansion has been sealed off, and all our residences and villas have been... all confiscated by the government. His Majesty is determined not to give us noble families any chance to rise again!"

Princess Chang Le stared at him blankly, her lips trembling slightly. For a moment, she couldn't process this cruel news: "All...gone? Not a single...piece left?"

The steward nodded heavily. "Besides the valuables and gold we had on us, and the little emergency jewelry that this old servant cleverly hid on his person beforehand... we couldn't bring anything else out. The soldiers moved too quickly, giving us no chance to pack up our valuables or move our property!"

Princess Chang Le subconsciously glanced around the small, dilapidated room again. The walls were faded and yellowed, the old tables and chairs creaked and groaned, and outside the window came the noisy cries of street vendors and the smell of cheap cooking oil…

All of this formed an extremely sharp and ironic contrast with the magnificent, gilded, and servant-filled mansion of the Marquis of Champion in her memory, with her boudoir, which was incense-scented, exquisitely decorated, and filled with rare and exotic objects, and with the priceless antiques, paintings, jewelry, and jade artifacts in the mansion.

Everything... is truly gone. Wealth, luxury, lavish meals, constant entourage, and a high and mighty status... all vanished in the blink of an eye, like a mirage.

"Heh, ha, hahaha..."

She suddenly burst into hysterical laughter, laughing so hard she was doubled over, tears streaming down her face. Her laughter was filled with endless sorrow, resentment, and despair.

"Well done! Well done, Zhao Zun! Well done, Your Majesty! Truly... truly ruthless, leaving no way out! You've done it so thoroughly! So ruthless indeed!"

The housekeeper and maids looked at each other, but none of them dared to speak. They could only wait for her to vent her out-of-control emotions.

After a long while, Princess Chang Le finally stopped her chilling laughter, staring blankly into the void, as if all her soul had been taken away.

Seeing that she had calmed down a bit, the steward cautiously stepped forward again and said in a low voice, "Princess, things have come to this point, and being sad and angry is useless. The only thing we can do now is to find a way to leave the capital as soon as possible and go to other prefectures and counties that have not yet been affected, to seek refuge with... to seek refuge with some distant relatives. Perhaps... they can take us in for a while out of consideration for our past relationship."

Princess Chang Le remained silent, like a clay or wooden sculpture.

After a long while, she nodded with great difficulty and slowness.

Now, besides abandoning all her dignity and pride to seek refuge with distant relatives she might have previously looked down upon, begging for a pitiful bit of protection, she truly has no other choice.

However, just as they finished packing their meager belongings, which barely filled a small bundle, and were preparing to quietly leave the suffocating inn, they suddenly heard hurried and heavy footsteps outside, along with the innkeeper's panicked cries of obstruction and pleas.

"Sirs! Sirs! What's going on? These are all honest business people in our shop..."

"Get out of the way! We need to check if this area is owned by the three great families! His Majesty has decreed that not a single property can be overlooked. Anyone who obstructs us will be punished!"

The butler's expression changed drastically. He rushed to the window and cautiously pushed open a crack to peek outside.

He glanced at it only once, and his face instantly turned deathly pale, devoid of any color. He turned to Princess Chang Le and cried out, "It's terrible! Soldiers have come to investigate! They... they're trying to wipe us out completely!"

Princess Chang Le's heart clenched, almost leaping out of her chest. She rushed to the window and looked down, following the steward's gaze.

The inn's small courtyard and the narrow street in front of it were completely surrounded by at least twenty or thirty menacing soldiers, making it impossible to move! The character "苍" was written on the front of their armor.

The officer leading the group was a young man with a cold and stern face. As if sensing Princess Chang Le's gaze, the officer suddenly raised his head and his sharp eyes were precisely aimed at the window where she was!

Their eyes met suddenly in mid-air!
At that moment, Princess Chang Le gasped, as if the blood in her body had instantly frozen.

Thank you Runmu for the reward, and thank you all for the votes. I love you all so much!