Gu Fei's heart went cold. In her memory, the Red-clothed Guards were synonymous with terror. With them at the door, it was easy to imagine what would happen next.
Words like "asset seizure," "beheading," and "imprisonment" flashed through her mind. 'This was standard procedure for the Red-clothed Guards.'
"Quick, help me to the Second Miss's room," Gu Fei said in a low voice to the young maid, struggling to get up. 'She just wanted to lie down and recover from her injuries, but it seemed she wouldn't get the chance.'
The young maid helped Gu Fei through a side door and into the Second Miss's room. The Second Miss was still sitting at her vanity, staring blankly at the entrance.
"Close the door!" Gu Fei hissed.
A young maid quickly shut the door.
Only when she saw Gu Fei did the Second Miss snap out of her daze. She hurried over and grabbed Gu Fei's hand. "Jadeite, your wounds haven't healed. Why are you up? What—what's happening outside?"
Gu Fei was about to speak when she glanced at the maids filling the room. Zhenzhu was squeezed in among them, her eyes red and her expression panicked.
The Second Miss immediately understood Gu Fei's signal. She spoke softly to the maids, "All of you, go to the antechamber. I have something to discuss with Jadeite."
One by one, the young maids lowered their heads and quickly filed into the antechamber. With red-rimmed eyes, Zhenzhu shot Gu Fei a venomous glare before reluctantly following them inside.
Only then did Gu Fei lower her voice. "Second Miss, the soldiers of the Red-clothed Guards are here. I'm afraid it's nothing good. You need to prepare for the worst."
The Second Miss was clearly aware of the Red-clothed Guards' reputation. Her face was tense. "Prepare for what? You mean…"
Gu Fei whispered, "I suspect the Marquis has committed some crime. The next step will most likely be the confiscation of our property and exile."
The Second Miss began to tremble. "No… that can't be. Then… then what am I going to do?"
Gu Fei sighed. She didn't know what to do either. If she weren't injured and still had some of her martial prowess, she might have been able to find a chance to escape. But now, she could barely save herself.
'Forget it. I'll just have to do my best.'
Gu Fei thought for a moment. "No matter what situation you're in, you need to eat and drink. And for that, you need money!"
The Second Miss's eyes lit up, and she nodded vigorously. "You're right! I've saved a lot of silver over the years. We have to hide it, quickly! But where?" As she spoke, her eyes darted around the room.
Gu Fei sighed. "Don't bother looking. If they really do confiscate our property, we won't be able to keep this house. We have to hide it on ourselves. Whatever we can carry, we carry."
She moved painfully toward a cabinet, took out a small coffer, and fumbled for a string of keys tied at her waist. She unlocked the coffer and took out several silver notes from inside.
There were four silver notes: two worth five hundred taels of silver, and two worth two hundred.
This was the Second Miss's savings from over the years.
Gu Fei motioned for the Second Miss to hide the silver notes. The Second Miss slipped off one of her embroidered shoes and stuffed two notes into the sole. She was about to put the rest into her other shoe when she suddenly stopped. She handed the remaining notes to Gu Fei. "Jadeite, you hide the rest on you."
Gu Fei was taken aback. The Second Miss looked at her, tears welling in her eyes. "You know I've always thought of you as my own sister. I don't know what's going to happen to the family… Take this money. It will make your life a little easier later on."
Gu Fei started to refuse, but the Second Miss insisted, "I'm not sure I could even keep the silver notes safe if they're with me. If we split them, we also split the risk."
Gu Fei was silent for a few seconds, then nodded and carefully tucked the remaining silver notes away against her body.
Next, the Second Miss turned her attention to the pearl flowers and golden hairpins on her vanity. She had always been a bit of a miser, and now that she'd heard their property was to be confiscated, she naturally didn't want to leave anything behind.
While hiding some of the jewelry on her own person, the Second Miss also tried to stuff more onto Gu Fei.
Meanwhile, in the adjoining antechamber, several young maids were huddled together on the kang bed. Only Zhenzhu stood apart, hunched over by the door, her expression full of malice as she peered through the crack toward the main room.