"What? You're saying... Qin Xuan is dead?!"

The princess slumped back into her chair, staring blankly into the distance as she recalled what had happened that night.

Yes, when she first learned that her mansion had been robbed, she was furious and wanted to go to the palace to see His Majesty. It was at that time that Qin Xuan tried to dissuade her, but she yelled at him and ordered him to be dragged away.

But……

But I spoil him so much, how could anyone really dare to beat him to death with sticks...?

She's a womanizer; she'll grab any handsome man she sees and make him her own. But Qin Xuan is one of the few people she truly cares about.

He stayed by her side when she was very young, always protecting her. Their bond was something that no other man could compare to.

How could he have died like that...?

The people kneeling below dared not breathe, nor did they dare to leave at this moment; they could only remain kneeling there motionless.

It wasn't until the princess came to her senses and waved for them to leave that they hurriedly fled as if their lives depended on it.

Because the eldest princess finally realized that normally no one would dare to beat Qin Xuan to death with sticks, but that was after she gave the order...

In the entire princess's residence, who would dare disobey her orders?

Therefore, Qin Xuan is truly dead.

The princess sat there motionless for a long time, silently processing the painful news.

The loss of all the treasures in the warehouse was already distressing enough for her, but after several days, just when she had finally accepted the outcome, even worse news awaited her.

But in reality, because Qin Xuan was always protecting others, he would secretly have people reduce the punishment whenever the princess was about to punish someone.

So this time, he was the one being protected.

Those people disobeyed the princess's orders and let him go, saying that since such a big thing had happened, the princess would definitely not have time to ask about him. When she remembered him, they could simply say that his body had been thrown into a mass grave and that wild dogs had eaten his bones.

So Qin Xuan bid farewell to his brothers, took nothing with him, and left the capital city alone, a place that left him with no regrets.

Now, several days have passed, and even if the princess wanted to look for her, there's nowhere to go. She can only feign her grief alone.

*

Knowing that she could go into the city to buy things the next day, Shen Xingmian began to plan in her mind. She had inquired and found out that at this time, a few "sensible" prisoners would usually be selected to go into the city with the officials.

As for what constitutes being "sensible," Shen Xingmian certainly knew.

She had to blend into the purchasing team.

I searched through the space and found only boxes of silver ingots; there were no loose silver pieces at all.

Ah, this...

Wait a minute, think about it again. She even plundered the backyard, how could she not have some loose change? Even in her own home, the storeroom was full of chests, but everyone has their own little stash, right?

It's impossible that there were only large silver ingots.

Although she has a lot of money, giving away even a single ingot for free is like cutting off her flesh!

it hurts!

Shen Xingmian bid farewell to the NPC-like government official and returned to her family. Dinner was ready, so she ate while using her consciousness to search through her spatial dimension.

Then, in the packages the steward had packed, they finally found a pile of loose silver coins, and of course, many silver notes.

The steward was indeed very capable. Those silver notes didn't look thick, but they were all large denominations, with several even being a thousand taels.

It may not sound like much, but for the General's Mansion, which has always been financially strapped, it was a considerable sum of money.

This also shows that his grandfather truly trusted him.

Shen Xingmian carefully picked out a few pieces of silver, barely managing to scrape together five taels, and put them separately into a purse, planning to go over later to try and find a way in.

To be honest, I was a little nervous about giving a bribe for the first time.

I don't know if five taels is enough. Although she has a lot, as a professional miser, it's too painful to spend money.

And looking at these prisoners, none of them seem to be spending big money; five taels... that seems about right.

She had looked into the prices here. Although the silver she took was in boxes, in reality, for ordinary people, five taels was enough to feed a whole family for a year.

Therefore, those who buried large sums of silver underground were all the more despicable. Thinking of this, she was so angry that she didn't even want to give the officials the five taels of silver.

However……

When you're under someone's roof, you have to bow your head.

After silently bidding farewell to her five-tael purse, Shen Xingmian went to find the head constable. Before setting off, she also spoke with the three people who knew the secret.

I won't act on my own.

She first greeted the officials who were having lunch together, and after learning the location of the head official, she went to the carriage.

Shen Xingmian said politely, "Officer, I wonder if I could be counted in as one of the people going into the city to make purchases tomorrow? I have prepared some small gifts as a token of my appreciation."

She had just learned these polite, ancient phrases from her grandfather, and she wasn't sure if she remembered them correctly or if there were any omissions.

A hand reached out directly from the carriage, without any politeness.

Shen Xingmian quickly placed the small purse in that hand, and saw the person weigh it in their hand, saying with a hint of disdain, "You're that little girl from the Shen family who knows a bit about medicine, right? I'll take you along since you're somewhat useful."

Shen Xingmian was inwardly annoyed by what he said, but she still smiled and thanked him warmly: "Thank you very much, Officer. I'll go tell my family the good news right away. I won't disturb your rest any longer!"

After saying that, he quickly ran away.

On her way back, she was still thinking that it was true that tangible showing off could be quite deadly. Luckily, she knew that this person was just an official. If she didn't know, she would have thought he was some kind of nobleman.

They certainly put on quite a show.

She was almost embarrassed.

When she returned, she caught up with the group setting off again. Shen Xingmian was stunned and wondered why she had run back. Couldn't she have just waited ahead?

How silly of me, I walked the same path twice.

What an enormous waste!

But seeing the eager looks in her father's and mother's eyes, she felt that it was worth running back, after all, so many people cared about her.

I told my family the results, asked them what they wanted to buy, discussed it, and then summarized it. I'll give it to her tomorrow.

After giving her instructions, she went to the donkey cart, figuring that her grandfather and the child would probably need a lot too. Then, she saw the three people silently inside the donkey cart.

Well, the atmosphere seems a bit awkward.

Adding another person to a relationship, especially someone you don't know very well, might put pressure on someone with social anxiety.