Chapter 67

The air seemed to freeze.

The hall had never been so quiet, yet Lin Yi seemed to faintly hear the sound of slaps on the face. Time stretched on endlessly; each second of Xie Chengnan's stunned silence felt incredibly long. Lin Yi felt his face must be as pale and unpleasant as the boiled cabbage on the table, a pale greenish-white. Xie Chengnan was certainly willing to cooperate, but what if he didn't bring any money either? Who would attend a palace banquet with a large sum of silver—just for show? Should he just ask Princess Chun'an for help now…?

Fortunately, Xie Chengnan did not remain oblivious to the situation.

He stood up and laughed twice. His laughter was crisp and refreshing, a far cry from his previous languid demeanor. It was the kind of sound that could make a young woman blush and her heart race just by hearing it.

Lin Yi had no time for sentimentality; all she wanted to do was lean close to the man's ear and yell, "Why can't you walk a little faster!"

Xie Chengnan was doing it on purpose, of course. This woman never consulted him before doing anything. It was one thing normally, but with so many eyes watching at the palace banquet, how could he allow her to act so recklessly?

But another voice inside him told him that Qiu Qing wasn't someone who acted recklessly; she must have her reasons and sense of propriety in doing so. However, that didn't stop him from teaching her a lesson.

"What's the rush?" Xie Chengnan finally walked up to her, looking down at her because they were so close.

Xie Chengnan slapped his money pouch into Lin Yi's hand, then leaned down and spoke almost into her ear. Lin Yi could feel his Adam's apple bobbing and the hot breath on her earlobe. "Madam, you're putting on airs. Do you need my help?"

Lin Yi felt like she was being served a different dish, a cold tomato salad. She awkwardly turned away, saying, "No need, you should go back first." She then tugged at his sleeve reassuringly.

Xie Chengnan nodded and said nothing more. Under the watchful eyes of countless people, he slowly walked back to his seat along the same route.

Everyone saw the young Marquis Xie of the Yong'an Marquis's residence leave his seat, but no one believed that he had gone to deliver money to Qiu Qingye at her behest. Instead, they were convinced that he would drag his tantrum-throwing, inappropriate wife back to teach her a lesson, since the palace banquet was about to begin.

Who would have thought that he was actually just giving his pampered wife a money bag?

As soon as Qiu Qingye mentioned it, the young marquis eagerly delivered it—look at that bulging bag, that's a man's secret stash of money! Do you understand what a secret stash of money is? It's the money he saves behind his wife's back for food, to spend on listening to music or picking up girls. Needless to say, Lin Yi's actions have only fueled Qiu Qingye's envy. Many of the wives of officials who came with her will go back and praise the young marquis Xie as "someone else's husband," and they'll try to be as unreasonable as Qiu Qingye.

Lin Yi raised her signature smile and continued her unfinished performance. She took out a silver ingot from her purse, and paused when she saw its size—why was Xie Chengnan carrying such a large denomination of silver? Ten taels! That's ten taels of silver, which in modern times is equivalent to ten thousand yuan in purchasing power! Ten thousand yuan! She prided herself that although she had never been wealthy in her twenty years of life, she was definitely not stingy. However, she didn't know the cost of living until she was in charge of the household. She still had more than a dozen people in her household waiting to be fed and paid. She had to be extremely careful with every copper coin.

Lin Yi took a deep breath—forget it, you can't get the female lead if you're unwilling to spend money.

"I came in a hurry and didn't bring much silver with me, so I'll give this 10 taels of silver to Miss Zhan first. I'm just throwing out an idea—everyone here shouldn't give less than me."

She stuffed the silver into Zhan Xian's hand, and the latter was shocked and furious, not expecting that she would actually dare to humiliate her with silver.

Since returning to Mingzhou, Zhan Xian had avoided verbal sparring, but her constant concessions only emboldened her opponents. She couldn't take it anymore—Zhan Xian stood up, gripping the table, and reached out to knock the silver ingot away. Qiu Qing, however, seemed to have anticipated her move, abruptly withdrawing his hand and tucking the ingot into her waistband. At the same time, he leaned close and whispered in her ear, "A small act of impatience can ruin a great plan. How can you plan to overturn the Zhan family's case without money?"

After Lin Yi finished speaking, he quickly retreated, even clapping his hands in a disdainful manner.

Everyone naturally assumed that Qiu Qing was also making a point of attack right in front of Zhan Xian, and that he was saying something to humiliate her.

The Zhan family is a martial arts family, with three generations of generals. Zhan Xian, in particular, was able to fight on par with the burly men in the army from the age of five. Qiu Qing is probably going to get a beating.

A grand palace banquet, with two women fighting amongst themselves—that would certainly be quite a sight.

This commotion was unprecedented even in the history of Anguo. Everyone was listening intently; even the palace maids and eunuchs were drawn by the noise. Even the Crown Prince, who was attending the banquet, was so captivated that he forgot to announce their arrival. By the time the young eunuch realized what was happening, Gu Shu'an had already stopped him from uttering a cry of surprise. She went to her seat and, looking at the two facing off, frowned deeply.

The two stood locked in a stalemate across a table. Zhan Xian looked at Lin Yi, suppressing the anger and absurdity churning within her... She was actually helping her raise money?

Lin Yi wanted to glance at himself to see if his actions had caused any ripples, but he saw Gu Shuan standing up at the far end of the table, looking at him with a warning in his eyes. Lin Yi had no idea when he had arrived or whether he had even noticed his 'heroic' actions.

Lin Yi silently prayed to himself: "Please, male lead, don't rush to make things difficult. Open your eyes and see clearly that I'm genuinely helping her." This acting is so difficult, and so is the female lead's; just keep going! No, Zhan Xian is too shy; I have to give her another push.

"The Zhan family's past has been judged. Those whose property was confiscated and those who were punished have all met their end. Miss Zhan's sins should be atoned for through the years of suffering she has endured outside. A prodigal son's return is more precious than gold. Now that Miss Zhan wants to rebuild her life in Mingzhou, how can we not give her this opportunity? Although a beggar does not accept charity, in times of crisis, we should not be so calculating. Don't you think so?"

Hearing the earlier parts, some people suspected that Qiu Qing was also trying to speak up for Zhan Xian and bring up the old stories of the Zhan family. But upon hearing the last phrase, "food offered in contempt," they all understood that Qiu Qing was still the same Qiu Qing, never showing mercy to anyone, let alone Zhan Xian, her old rival with whom she had fought for many years. She was clearly intensifying her humiliation, trying to force Zhan Xian to fight back.

Little did Lin Yi know, this explanation was merely a smokescreen for the system to settle accounts with her later. On the other hand, Lin Yi was also certain that Zhan Xian wouldn't act impulsively. Whether in modern times or this world, it's impossible to get by without money, and Zhan Xian, who couldn't even afford a decent place to live, must understand this all too well.

When no one could see them, Lin Yi mouthed to Zhan Xian, "Play the victim! Play the victim and complain!"

Gu Shu'an's expression changed drastically upon hearing this from his superior position. He should have known long ago what kind of person Qiu Qing was; how could she possibly reform? He had even been swayed by her earnest words. He could no longer allow Zhan Xian to be humiliated by her, even if Zhan Xian blamed him for meddling afterward.

But before he could make a decision, Zhan Xian made a move.

She calmly accepted the silver that Qiu Qing had used to 'humiliate' her, and even gave a faint smile. "Miss Qiu's words are piercing, yet they are the truth. All of you gentlemen present are pillars of our dynasty, and you must have heard of my ancestors, who followed the founding emperor in his campaigns, truly deserving the title of 'loyal and virtuous.' Although our family has fallen, I dare not forget our family motto of loyalty to the emperor and serving the country! I only wish to atone for my mistakes. If anyone is willing to contribute money to help my Zhan family rebuild our nation and restore our honor on the battlefield, Zhan Xian will be eternally grateful."

...Is this still the same aloof and unconventional Zhan Xian? It makes one sigh that tragic circumstances can indeed drastically change a person's character. No matter how principled one was in the past, wouldn't one easily bow down for money?

Lin Yi's thoughts differed from others; seeing the 'savvy' female lead, she felt an even greater appreciation for her than before. Zhan Qihong was ostracized and framed precisely because she was too unconventional and out of place. Being too rigid makes one vulnerable; having 'flaws' actually made her easier for people to accept.

Princess Chun'an, who had left her seat at some point, approached Xie Chengnan and asked doubtfully, "Are you really capable of controlling her?"

Xie Chengnan didn't turn around, staring at Qiu Qingye's still figure in the distance. They were too far apart for Lin Yi's expression to be clearly seen, but judging from her tone, she seemed to have a sense of certainty that she was in control. He probably knew her purpose: "It's hard to say... You didn't offend her again afterward, did you?"

"Of course not! But... she doesn't hold grudges, does she?"

"...Shouldn't we record it?"

Chun'an gasped, his tone disdainful: "Aren't you her man? Don't you even know if your own wife holds a grudge?"

Yes, this person seems to be his lawfully wedded wife... right?

Some people, unaware of the situation, scoffed and whispered to those around them, "Isn't the Zhan family guilty of treason? Such a heinous crime, punishable by the extermination of nine generations, is transformed into loyalty to the country in her mouth. And she even claims to be galloping across the battlefield? Who would dare employ her?"

He soon stopped laughing.

Because His Highness the Crown Prince slammed his wine cup on the table with a "bang," and glared at him, warning, "Watch your words!"

Everyone says that Crown Prince Gu Shuan never shows his emotions, but the look he gave him just now was like a sharp, cold blade that could take a life.

The man bowed to him tremblingly: "Your Highness is right... This humble official was too talkative."

Gu Shuan didn't even glance at him, and walked straight to the lower seat, stopping in front of the seats where Lin Yi and Zhan Xian were facing off.

He first glanced at Lin Yi warily, warning her not to try any more tricks. Then he handed a thick stack of silver notes to Zhan Xian, his voice clear and resonant, audible throughout the entire hall, "Miss Zhan is absolutely right. I am willing to contribute three thousand taels of silver to help you restore your family's former glory."

The crown prince's actions caused an uproar among those present.

Lin Yi was so shocked he almost couldn't close his mouth. Three thousand taels—you have to understand that even the Crown Prince of Anguo's annual salary is only one thousand taels. Other princes, marquises, and princesses receive at most eight hundred taels. Gu Shu'an's donation is three years' salary! It just goes to show that the male lead truly lives up to his name, spending a fortune for a smile. With his extravagant spending as a precedent, is there any worry about finding someone to pay for it?

Lin Yi's words were insignificant, and Zhan Xian might not have many old connections left, but with the strong support of the Crown Prince, the course of events was completely different.

Those who support Gu Shu'an naturally had a good opportunity to contribute and show their worth in front of the Crown Prince. Those who remained neutral, out of respect for the Crown Prince, couldn't very well refuse to contribute anything, and even his adversaries couldn't be too obviously aloof.

Compared to that, the 10 taels of silver that Lin Yi took out was the least significant amount.

Lin Yi was still somewhat puzzled. This palace was practically his own home, so why would the Crown Prince carry a stack of silver notes around in his own residence? It was rather surreal, not like he was going out shopping—unless, of course, he intended to use the palace banquet as an opportunity to support Zhan Xian. Even more surreal was that the noble ladies and ministers all brought money, and those who didn't promised to deliver it to Zhan Xian's residence after the banquet.

Zhan Xian accepted all offers and told them her temporary address.

Lin Yi ignored their negotiations and strode back to her seat, accepting the tea that Xie Chengnan had poured for her.

'Mocking the seating order is equivalent to splashing tea; publicly humiliating someone through fundraising is equivalent to humiliating them through a sword dance'—Lin Yi calculated in her mind. In any case, the first two tasks were completed at an equivalent cost. As for the third, Lin Yi looked at His Highness the Crown Prince, whose gaze had never left Zhan Xian… Was this last task really something she had to do?