Once inside the space, Jiang Shuyue put Xue'er down and went to take a bath by herself.

After soaking in the hot spring for a while, I felt much more relaxed.

After taking a bath, he carried Xue'er out of the space.

I slept well all night.

The next day, Su Nan returned to the mansion with Sui Sui, and Jiang Shuyue also gave herself a day off.

Thinking that Xue'er seemed to be showing signs of anxiety lately, Jiang Shuyue decided to have Xue'er sterilized.

Su Nan and Sui Sui saw that Jiang Shuyue had prepared homemade disinfectant, and then asked Qiu Ju to bring a small stove to boil anesthetic powder.

Sui Sui asked, "Mommy, are you going to stay home to treat someone's illness?"

Jiang Shuyue: "..."

How do I explain this to my child?

She had a sudden inspiration and laughed, "No, it's already February, the temperature is starting to warm up, and Xue'er always wants to run outside. I'll give it a little surgery to put an end to its desire to run away."

"Can it be like this? Mother, can people do that too?" Sui Sui asked with eyes full of curiosity.

"Cough cough!"

“Humans are different from cats, so that’s naturally inappropriate.” As Jiang Shuyue said this, she naturally thought of the eunuchs in the palace.

Su Nan went inside to get a book and happened to overhear the conversation between the mother and son.

He quickly stepped forward and took Sui Sui's hand, saying, "Don't look, come with your second uncle to the garden to read."

Jiang Shuyue breathed a sigh of relief after the two left.

What bad timing! This day was so awkward.

A moment later, Qiuju brought back the anesthetic powder. Xue'er seemed to sense something was wrong and climbed up the osmanthus tree in the yard, refusing to come down no matter how much she was called.

"Meow meow meow..."

"Miss, what should we do? It seems to know that we need to cut its...things."

"Cats are intelligent creatures, so it's normal for them to know. Let Cangyun come and help."

Qiuju was worried that the anesthetic would lose its effectiveness if left out for too long, so she lifted her skirt and ran outside.

Seeing this, Lan'er quickly went to the kitchen to get some dried fish.

It took quite a bit of effort to coax Xue'er down.

After administering the anesthetic, Xue'er fell into a deep sleep a moment later, and Jiang Shuyue began to disinfect the area.

Since this was my first time spaying/neutering my cat, I was extremely cautious.

When Qiuju and Lan'er saw that their young lady had pulled Xue'er's tongue to the side, she looked just like a hanged ghost.

Although it was my first attempt, the knife moved swiftly and seemingly in an instant, and the two little fleshy lumps were removed.

Qiuju and Lan'er were dumbfounded.

"Miss, you are amazing! The wound is only the length of a grain of rice. It will probably heal in two days."

Lan'er handed over a sterile cotton cloth, feeling extremely distressed as she looked at Xue'er, who was still unconscious. "My little darling will be in pain in a while, Miss. Could you please give her some more anesthetic powder so she can sleep a little longer?"

"Lan'er, don't talk nonsense. An overdose of anesthetic can be fatal," Qiuju corrected.

She often went to the clinic with Jiang Shuyue, and through this exposure, she learned much more about medicine than Lan'er.

After disinfection, Jiang Shuyue picked up Xue'er with a clean cotton cloth and carried her to the flower hall, then carefully placed her on the soft couch.

"Xue'er, wake up!" Jiang Shuyue called softly.

A moment later, Xue'er slowly opened her eyes. Her round eyes were a little wet, and her expression was like that of a wronged child.

Jiang Shuyue gently stroked its fluffy head, "It won't hurt in a little while. Clearing your mind will reduce your worries."

"Pfft!"

Qiu Ju couldn't help but laugh out loud; Xue'er did look rather pitiful.

Jiang Shuyue sighed, "I've searched everywhere, but I still haven't been able to find it a wife. This is something I had no other choice."

Then he said to Qiuju, "Bring in a bowl of water every two hours. You can only drink water for the next few hours. You can eat in the evening."

"Also, keep the doors and windows of the flower hall closed to prevent it from moving around too much and affecting the wound healing, and don't let Sui Sui come over and bother it."

"Don't worry, Miss, I understand."

Jiang Shuyue stayed with Xue'er for a while until she regained her strength before leaving the flower hall.

Su Jin has been busy these past few days, receiving messages from colleagues from time to time.

The farewell banquets came one after another, all for those who had been transferred to Jiangzhou for official posts.

The major case in Jiangzhou shocked the entire imperial court, while the gold that was escorted back to the capital shocked the people of the capital.

The soldiers marched into the city gate in a grand procession, and the people on the street consciously made way for them.

Tin boxes, red lacquered wooden boxes—the dozens of carriages at the front carried only one box on each.

The sound of the wheels was dull, making it clear that the contents of the box were not delicate items.

Looking at the two horses struggling side by side, someone whispered, "Is there gold inside? They're having a hard time pulling it up."

"One, two, three... Good heavens! Thirty-eight huge boxes! This is outrageous!"

"Yes, this is just gold. There's so much more to come, it's endless. There's silver, jewels, and jade—countless treasures. This is enough to make them richer than a country!"

The people were talking about it, and everyone craned their necks to look at the procession escorting the gold and silver treasures.

The first carriage arrived at the palace gate, while the carriages behind were still at the city gate; the sheer number of carriages was unprecedented.

"Your Majesty is wise. Those greedy bastards should have been beheaded long ago. They have amassed so much and are still not satisfied. They are truly insatiable."

In the crowd, an old man stroked his beard and muttered:

They toil all day for hunger, and once they have a full meal, they think of clothes.

Having satisfied both his basic needs for food and clothing, he now longs for his beautiful and gentle wife.

He married a beautiful wife and then took a concubine, but alas, he had no land and little foundation.

He emptied his pockets to buy thousands of acres of land, but then thought he would have few horses to ride when he went out.

The stable master now has mules and horses, yet laments the lack of official position and the resulting bullying.

With the highest rank in the court in hand, he still wanted to seize the throne and rule the country.

(This is the "Song of Insufficiency," written by Zhu Zaiyu, the son of a Ming Dynasty prince. I have slightly modified it to suit the occasion.)

A scholar immediately chimed in, “That’s right. He was once a scholar himself, but once he attained enlightenment, his entire family benefited from his position. He had no regard for the emperor or the people, and he disgraced the reputation of scholars.”

"That's right. I heard that this person once wanted to become a disciple of Grand Scholar Zhen, but Grand Scholar Zhen refused him. It can be seen that Grand Scholar Zhen is good at judging people and did not let this black sheep tarnish Grand Scholar Zhen's reputation."

The old man reciting the "Song of Insufficiency" was indignant.

Some people exclaimed, "The position of Governor-General of Water Transport was such a lucrative post. I wonder who the Emperor will send to succeed him next."

"Who else could it be? The members of the Xiao family, a collateral branch of the royal family, are all returning to the capital one after another. Such an important task should be undertaken by a prince or a member of the imperial family," an insider speculated.

Opinions varied widely, with everyone having their own version of what to say.

Inside the palace.

Lin Xiangzhi led his colleagues from the Ministry of Revenue to personally count and catalog the gold, silver, and jewels that had been returned.

The inventory was checked six times in a row, and then compared with the returned booklet. Only after confirming that there were no errors was the item sent to the national treasury.

The sheer number exceeded Lin Xiangzhi's imagination.

The eighteen chests of gold found at the Guo residence are just the tip of the iceberg.

A full treasury makes things easier.

Lin Xiangzhi was all smiles, and before he could even greet his colleagues, he grabbed the booklet and hurried toward the Imperial Study.

"Your Majesty, please rescind your order; this is unacceptable."

A familiar voice came from the Imperial Study.