In the original story, this family suffered a truly tragic fate. Six-year-old Erbao was molested on the road to exile, and later, the Second Prince sold her to a pedophile in exchange for weapons.
In this life, Luo Xueyao was determined to protect all her family members. The best way to do this was to disguise Erbao as a boy.
Erbao felt that her aunt and family were acting uncharacteristically obedient today, but as a sensible child, she sensed that something had happened, and that her aunt’s actions were for her own good.
After only a moment of hesitation, Erbao nodded vigorously. "I'll listen to Aunt! From today on, I am a boy!"
Having said that, she turned to Dabao and added, "From now on, I am your younger brother."
Then, poking Sanbao’s chubby cheek, she said, "And you must call me Second Brother from now on—don't you forget!"
Sanbao stuck out his tongue and asked with a grin, "Second Brother, can you share half of your snacks with me?"
With the three children joking around, the gloomy atmosphere in the house seemed to disperse slightly.
Luo Xueyao asked her mother and sisters-in-law to take the children to play. Lin Yue understood that her daughter needed to speak with the men, so she said, "Since everything in the house has been packed away, why don't we go for a stroll in the street and buy something to eat tonight?"
Once only Luo Jingran and his four children remained in the reception hall, Luo Xueyao pulled the map of the capital she had drawn yesterday from her sleeve.
"Father, brothers, I need your help to refine this map... I’m going to play a big game with him!"
...
Just past the hour of the Dog (7:00 PM), the funeral bell for the Empress Dowager rang once again from the imperial palace.
Lin Yue and the other women and children had not yet stepped down from their carriage when they heard the tolling bell, and they hurried into the hall with their provisions.
"Husband... this is..."
Luo Jingran’s expression turned grim. "The Empress Dowager has passed away."
Luo Xueyao was puzzled. "According to the timeline, the Empress Dowager wasn't supposed to pass away until tomorrow morning at court... How could it have happened early?"
Luo Qingshan pondered, "Perhaps because my sister revealed too much of the heavenly secret, it caused some important events to occur sooner or change."
Luo Xueyao frowned slightly. "If that is the case... I fear other events will be accelerated as well. Third Brother, tell Uncle Zhong and the others to leave quickly through the back door. Father, Mother, brothers and sisters-in-law, let’s make time to eat a full meal..."
Lin Yue hurriedly led her daughters-in-law to set the purchased food on the table.Luo Qingchuan had only just stepped outside when he rushed back in, panicked. "Father, Mother! The imperial guards are here!"
Before he could finish, the front gate of the Luo estate was smashed open. Eunuch Wang led a group of guards, swaggering in with a ferocious air.
Just like before, Eunuch Wang held a bright yellow scroll in his hand, but this time, he was even more arrogant, as if the edict he held wasn't just a decree, but the power of life and death over everyone present.
With his sharp, grating voice, he began to read aloud: "By the grace of Heaven, the Emperor decrees:
Luo Xueyao, being disrespectful to the Imperial family and born with a baleful aura, has cursed the Empress Dowager to her death—a crime most heinous!
Prime Minister Luo Jingran, daring and lawless, has colluded with Prince Pingxi and maintained secret dealings with Xirong in a treacherous attempt to revolt; his crimes are intolerable! By law, he should be executed, and his entire clan wiped out!
However, remembering the generations of service the Luo family has rendered to the Imperial Court, I show mercy and commute your death sentences.
I hereby order the stripping of all official ranks and honors from the men of the Luo family, the confiscation of all assets, and the sale of all servants. The remaining members of the Luo family are to be exiled to Ningguta, never to return to the capital! So it is decreed!"
Eunuch Wang shook the decree triumphantly at Luo Jingran. "Luo Jingran, the Emperor’s grace is vast. It is an act of mercy that he didn't sell your womenfolk into official prostitution. Accept the decree!"
Luo Jingran smiled faintly. He did not reach out to take the scroll; instead, he stood up slowly and brushed the dust from his robes.
"If one is determined to incriminate, one will always find a pretext. The Emperor couldn't even wait until his coronation to strike at this old minister. Very well, Eunuch Wang, proceed."
Eunuch Wang sneered, his eyes filled with mockery. "Luo Jingran, do you still think you're a veteran official of three reigns? You are nothing but a prisoner now. Your time is up!"
"Eunuch Wang!" Luo Qingyu stepped in front of his father, his large frame blocking the way, his eyes blazing. "The Emperor himself said our lives are spared; why are you setting a deadline for the Luo family? Is your authority greater than the Emperor’s?"
"You..." Eunuch Wang pointed a trembling finger at Luo Qingyu’s nose, but he didn't dare utter any insults to the fierce general. After all, Luo Qingyu was famous for his explosive temper, and he had beaten eunuchs before—Eunuch Wang had lingering trauma.
"Hmph, I won't lower myself to argue with you! Men, search the place!"
The guards took the order and scattered, holding torches, swarming into every corner of the Luo estate like bandits.
The Luo family had been a noble house for generations, the head of all civil officials. When the new Emperor was still the Fourth Prince, he had always tried to win Luo Jingran over, but Luo Jingran had maintained his neutrality.
Such an attitude had long since angered the new Emperor, which was why he had destroyed Luo Xueyao’s reputation, tried to disgust Prince Pingxi by granting her as a bride, and now sought to ransack the Luo estate—all to kill the chicken to scare the monkey, making it clear to the other ministers where the power lay.
Originally, the new Emperor hadn't intended to act so soon; his plan was set for tomorrow. But something had gone wrong on Prince Pingxi's side, forcing him to let the Empress Dowager die a day early to initiate his plan.
The men of the Luo family stood with the women behind them. The women clutched their children, all of them calm, as if the new Emperor’s actions were well within their expectations. There was not a shred of panic or fear.
Eunuch Wang had come banging gongs and drums, specifically to attract onlookers to watch the Luo family make fools of themselves. But seeing them so calm, he felt dissatisfied.
He sneered, "Cry if you want to! No one will laugh at you. Even if you hold it in today, tomorrow, the day after—there will be plenty of time for you to cry!"
The Luo family ignored him completely. He was merely a dog by the Emperor’s side; people do not talk to dogs.
Before long, the guards in charge of the search returned.
"My lord, the storehouse is empty!"
"My lord, the kitchen is empty too!"
"My lord, the woodshed is empty!"
"My lord, the study is empty!"
"My lord... it’s all empty!"
Eunuch Wang was astonished. "The Luo family has been a prestigious house for generations—how can there be nothing? Did you look carefully?"
One dim-witted guard answered loudly, "Reporting to Eunuch Wang, we even dug up the rat holes—it's all empty! The walls of the Luo house are as thin as paper, and there are no secret rooms or basements. Their house is literally bare!"
Another guard added, "That's not true! The place I searched was full!"
Eunuch Wang glanced at that guard, then looked triumphantly around at the Luo family. "Hmph! Tried to hide it, but you couldn't, could you? Come, tell me, where did you search?"
The guard replied loudly, "Reporting to the Eunuch, I searched the latrine—the night-soil buckets in their house are full!"