The pretender emperor Guo Jing had been deposed and thrown into the Heavenly Prison, where he awaited the court's public sentencing and eventual Lingchi execution.
The Jia family had taken part in the rebellion. Jia Zhen, Jia Lian, Jia Rong, and others had died amid the chaos of battle. Consort Jia, who had originally risen again from the Cold Palace, had been granted a white silk cord. The remaining men of Jia Mansion had been stripped of their official ranks and titles. Jia Mansion had been sealed, Grand View Garden confiscated, and further punishment awaited.
Shi Hao of the Shi family had died in battle, while Shi Miyuan had been thrown into the Heavenly Prison. A series of Shi family officials had been dismissed, and the Shi family estate had been confiscated.
Someone had reported that Qin Keqing of the Jia family and Wei Ruolan of the Shi family were both surviving descendants of Chai Rong. This made the rebellion of the two families irrefutable, and they would very likely be punished by the extermination of nine kinship groups.
Meanwhile, the officials of the Xue family had all risen rapidly through the ranks. Rumor had it that the two Xue family daughters, Xue Baochai and Xue Baoqin, were about to marry Prince of Northern Tranquility as secondary consorts.
As this string of news reached the Ge Ridge separate courtyard, Song Qingshu was utterly shocked. Those were truly thunderous measures. Everything had happened far too quickly.
He had been pretending to be dead for some time now. These past days, he had remained hidden in the underground secret chamber of the separate courtyard. Beautiful women accompanied him every day as he made intense arrangements for everything. Whenever he had free time, he made babies for amusement. Life had been rather