Chapter 126: Siege

"When things go wrong, they really go wrong..."

Soon after the confused sounds began, it became clear the problem was at the East Gate. People on the street, including some panicked disaster victims, all looked in that direction, guessing what was happening. Lu Agui scanned his surroundings.

"Princess, Young Prince, please get into the carriage and prepare to return. The city gates might be closing soon... I need to go and check. Li Heng, the carriage will pass by the Su residence, so you should go back with them. When something like this happens, there's always a risk of chaos."

Ning Yi nodded. Lu Agui hurried towards the city gates, while Ning Yi, Zhou Pei, and Zhou Junwu boarded the carriage and started back. Ning Yi sat by the coachman's seat, and Zhou Pei and Zhou Junwu also pulled back the curtains to observe the situation outside. For the past few days, the city had been tense. Now, the disaster victims were becoming somewhat agitated. The streets were filled with the sounds of arguments, curses, and crying children. While government soldiers and bailiffs maintained order, the situation appeared chaotic, though no full-scale unrest had yet erupted.

They arrived home, where the Su residence was already on high alert. The main gates were securely closed, and some people had set up ladders to climb the walls and peer outside. Everyone was somewhat bewildered. Juan'er was waiting for him near the main gate, but he later learned that Chan'er was waiting by the side gate. Su Tan'er and three maids had already returned home, and when the disturbance outside began, she had called for them to wait. Had Ning Yi not returned shortly after, she would likely have organized the house guards to search for him.

Soon after, voices began to echo from the street outside: "The city gates are closed!" The shouts spread from person to person, gradually forming a wave of panicked and bewildered sound. The sunlight in the sky seemed to turn somewhat pallid.

On the afternoon of the thirteenth day of the seventh month, amid waves of unrest, Jiangning City closed all four of its gates.

The reason for this was the approaching Mid-Year Ghost Festival. While the fifteenth day of the seventh month was the main day, the "Ghost Gate" opened on the first, providing various reasons for ancestral worship thereafter. Jiangning City streets were filled with offerings like "yuanbao" ingots and flower candles, while outside the city, there were refugees, many of whom had lost family members. It was no wonder Su Tan'er and Lu Agui had both predicted the city gates would definitely close before the fifteenth.

However, some refugees outside the city also recognized this situation. Those who could enter Jiangning City at that time were naturally better off, but those without various permits or identification were strictly forbidden entry. Once the city gates closed, their lives would likely become even harder. Thus, on the thirteenth, someone at the East Gate incited the refugees to charge inwards. Seeing the escalating chaos, the officials guarding the gate quickly decided to close the city – a decision that had, in any case, already been made.

After the East Gate closed, the other three gates followed suit, shutting one by one.

The widespread panic within the city did not last; order was maintained. However, that evening, Jiangning felt unusually quiet. People silently burned joss paper in their courtyards and on the streets. Occasional carriages and pedestrians passed by, contributing to the desolate atmosphere. Households near the city walls could hear various sounds emanating from beyond the gates.

By the next morning, apart from the absence of people entering and exiting the city gates, everything seemed to return to normal. Peace reigned in the Su family residence, where the usual routine of waking up, washing, eating, reading, practicing calligraphy, and chatting resumed. In the morning, when Xiao Chan entered Ning Yi's room to tidy his bedding and clean, she inquired about Miss Nie. Ning Yi responded briefly but didn't elaborate, as the matter seemed to have lost much of its importance for the time being.

With more people staying within the Su residence and fewer going out, the atmosphere became livelier. Children ran around everywhere, and both familiar and unfamiliar faces moved about, visiting and chatting. The third and fourth days were much the same. People gradually adapted to the fact of the closed city gates. After the Mid-Year Ghost Festival, the business of brothels and entertainment houses became even more bustling. With a rich variety of nightlife, people often went out in groups, calling friends and spending lavishly, enjoying life even more joyously than usual.

On the other hand, the price of grain in the city had risen to an outrageous level. The government had a limited daily supply of grain for sale, while wealthy households hoarded grain and sold it through black market channels. Jiangning had many rich merchants, and as long as no major unrest occurred, the government couldn't truly enforce strict regulations. Instead, they used appropriate methods to pressure these powerful families to make some concessions and help maintain urban order.

With the city gates closed, the impact of the preceding days was still being felt. Su Tan'er seemed to become even busier, especially with the Mid-Year ancestral worship adding to her numerous chores. She continued to go to bed late. One evening, she fell asleep in the middle of her work again. Ning Yi went over to blow out the lamp, but she stirred awake, sniffled as she looked at him, and then smiled, "I'll go to sleep right away..." This time, it didn't take long; moments later, the lamp was truly extinguished, and she rested.

On the evening of the seventeenth of July, the two of them chatted in the second-floor corridor. Su Tan'er ate a pastry Ning Yi had given her. "Hmm, there probably won't be much to do the next couple of days. We'll be going out to provide porridge and food to the disaster victims. Li Heng, will you come?"

"Is that where you set out food and the victims line up to receive it one by one?"

"Yes, we prepare porridge and steamed buns. They line up, and each person gets a small bowl of porridge and one bun – enough for a meal. Children also get a portion. The city was closed a few years ago too, and I went to distribute food then. When you put the food in their hands and hear their thanks, it's quite heartwarming. There were many people back then, but it's only the first few days now, so there shouldn't be too many. Fewer people is a good thing, though." Su Tan'er nibbled on her pastry in small bites.

"Oh, you say you're not patriotic, but you're actually quite sentimental..."

"Well, I'm a woman," Su Tan'er replied casually, tilting her head back with a smile. "I can only focus on the kindness of helping one person right in front of me. With a whole country, who knows who everyone is? But seriously, husband, are you coming tomorrow?"

"Yes, I'll go."

"Good."

The city gates had only been closed for four days; nothing had settled down yet, and many things were still unfamiliar or hadn't even begun. Ning Yi had visited Nie Yunzhu, and things were quiet on her end, but it wasn't a good time to go to Elder Qin's house with her to decline the offer of adopted daughter status. Kang Xian was certainly busy as well. Ning Yi had only left the house once, so he naturally hadn't encountered him. Although Lu Agui mentioned Elder Kang wanted to "debate" with him, it was clearly not possible at the moment.

These were the only matters on his planned agenda. Perhaps in a few stable days, once the children had played enough, Ning Yi would invite them to the courtyard for some lessons. Going out to perform good deeds tomorrow was a simple matter for both him and Su Tan'er. Few people knew then that on the very next day, something would happen—unanticipated, yet seeming like a long-dormant conspiracy that suddenly surfaced.

After four days of city closure, the tension within the city had not significantly increased, and those completely without food were not yet numerous. However, word had spread that the Su family was holding a charity relief effort today, and many disaster victims and beggars gathered at the small square near the Su residence.

The relief distribution method was similar to what Ning Yi had seen on television: people lined up in several queues, receiving a large scoop of watery porridge and a modest steamed bun. Although the hardships were just beginning, many victims already looked pallid and distressed. Some were silent, others offered profuse thanks. Some whispered among themselves, pointing out the Su family's second daughter or the Su family's son-in-law. It was normal for merchants to gain some reputation from such charitable acts.

Su Tan'er naturally understood the aim of gaining a good reputation, but she also genuinely found joy in doing good deeds—a reflection of her kind nature. For Ning Yi, however, it was more complex. While he had witnessed the deepest darkness, the greatest injustices, and the most twisted aspects of human nature, he had also experienced more equitable public discourse and environments. Therefore, deriving a sense of superiority from such acts had become meaningless to him; he simply viewed it as something that needed to be done.

The small square was bustling with noise. Halfway through the food distribution, Su Tan'er leaned over to Ning Yi. "Father is here too."

"Hmm?" Ning Yi turned to look. A carriage parted the crowded people from one side of the square. It was Su Boyong, who had left that morning and was now on his way home. The carriage stopped by the row of tables and chairs where the porridge was being served, and Su Boyong came over to greet Ning Yi and Su Tan'er.

Although they were father and daughter, Su Boyong and Su Tan'er's interactions weren't as warm as those of typical fathers and daughters. Su Tan'er never behaved coquettishly around her father like daughters in ordinary families, and Su Boyong always seemed somewhat unsure how to act around her, torn between showing a benevolent, strict, or professional merchant side.

After exchanging greetings and a brief jest with Ning Yi, Su Boyong looked at Su Tan'er and then simply advised her, "You haven't looked well these past few days. Rest when you can, don't overwork yourself." Su Tan'er nodded. "I know."

Su Boyong then went to a nearby long table and personally began distributing steamed buns. Ning Yi and Su Tan'er remained where they were, coordinating their efforts, one serving porridge and the other distributing buns. Without needing to elaborate on Su Tan'er's relationship with her father, the two chatted desultorily. At one moment, Ning Yi's gaze shifted, catching sight of a small disturbance in one of the queues to the side.

It was the small queue directly in front of Su Boyong. Someone pushed forward, seemingly trying to cut in line, creating a small, rather normal disturbance. The Su family's guards, tasked with maintaining order, didn't react quickly enough. The person had already closed the distance. Su Boyong looked up, a steamed bun in his hand. Ning Yi observed the scene for less than a second as two figures collided. Su Tan'er was also looking in that direction.

Blood sprayed out. The person, holding a knife, stabbed Su Boyong once. Su Boyong stumbled backward, and as he turned, the assailant stabbed him again in the back, then turned and fled.

"Ah!" screams erupted from the crowd, and chaos spread. Ning Yi overturned a table and ran towards the scene. Su Tan'er started almost simultaneously, without crying out or panicking. Her face and eyes were almost devoid of expression. Ning Yi rushed to the side to prevent the encroaching crowd from overwhelming them. Su Tan'er knelt beside her father. She glanced briefly in the direction of the fleeing assailant, then simply and succinctly instructed the surrounding guards: "Catch him." After that, she just lowered her head, pressing down on her father's wounds, no longer paying attention to the assailant. In fact, many guards had already converged on the attacker.

Ning Yi surveyed his surroundings, ensuring that even if there was a second assailant, they wouldn't be able to charge forward again. Only then did he turn back to help Su Tan'er press down on the wounds. Tears were already welling in Su Tan'er's eyes; her lips were tightly sealed, and she remained silent, likely in a state of shock and confusion. Ning Yi, therefore, began issuing commands to those around him: "Find the nearest doctor! Get some clean cloth! Quick, quick, quick, do what you can..."

Both stab wounds were quite deep; though not immediately fatal, the consequences were unpredictable. Su Boyong was conscious and was now holding Su Tan'er's hand, speaking to her. Ning Yi frowned, scanning his surroundings for any clues.

It could have been premeditated, or it might not have been, but among the three branches of the Su family, the First Branch was the weakest. Although Su Tan'er was said to be the most capable person of the third generation and a potential future head of the Su family, she was still in a probationary phase. The First Branch of the Su family had always been controlled by Su Boyong; he was its backbone.

After these two stabbings, what the Su family would become tomorrow was unforeseeable...

(If there are any errors in this chapter, please report them to us.)