"Go back and tell the Prince that I really like this phoenix crown!"

Awu agreed, and then told Song Yurong about the Prince of Jing'an's summons to Dengzhou.

Song Yurong breathed a sigh of relief upon hearing this, as she no longer needed to feign politeness despite her injury.

He feigned concern, asking, "What did His Majesty send the Prince to Dengzhou for?"

"I didn't know!"

Even if I knew, I couldn't tell you!

This is what A-Wu was thinking!

Actually, he didn't like this pampered young lady, but the prince did. As his subordinate, he could only obey the prince's orders, except to relay messages to General Guo.

"If Miss Song has nothing else to say, I will take my leave now!"

"Please tell the Prince to be careful while he is away from home. I will be waiting for him in the capital!"

Ah Wu must have left the Song family before his inner sarcasm became apparent.

She spoke eloquently, but I didn't see her prepare anything for the prince. She was nothing like the princess. Although she didn't say anything, she prepared everything for the prince perfectly. She even prepared clothes and shoes for the brothers who went with her.

How could the prince possibly fall for such a fine princess?

Could it be that people's brains really become less sharp as they get older?

Ah Wu arrived at Zhenbaozhai while inwardly grumbling to himself.

Jiang Segu also returned just then, and she told Awu what had happened. Awu immediately understood the situation.

"Don't worry, Miss Jiang, A-Wu will definitely not let anyone deceive the Prince!"

What a great subordinate!

Jiang Segu sighed inwardly, then smiled and said to Awu, "This matter is indeed related to our Treasure Pavilion, so we can't let Brother Awu suffer alone. I've already sent word back to have the maids in the manor who know martial arts come over, hoping they can help Brother Awu share some of the burden!"

Just as A-Wu was about to refuse, Jiang Segu added, "This is also a little selfish of mine. It's not that I don't trust Brother A-Wu, it's just that I'm concerned about this matter. If there's any progress, then Brother A-Wu won't have to run around so much!"

A-Wu was shrewd; he knew that Jiang Segu was afraid he would cover for Miss Song, so he agreed to the matter.

When Qingying arrived, the two of them went together to investigate the Li family...

Jiang Segu returned to the Marquis's residence.

Meanwhile, Grandma Jiang was being reprimanded by Marquis Changping.

"Third son's wife, what can I say to you! Azi is making a fool of himself, and instead of stopping him, you're joining in the foolishness!"

"One hundred thousand books! Are you trying to turn the Marquis's mansion into a bookstore business, or are you trying to drive me crazy?!"

Damn it!

He was worried about the gambling den's debts all day long, while his third son's wife and sixth granddaughter could squander money like this, which really made him furious!

Grandma Jiang had already discussed the countermeasures with Jiang Segu on the way, so there was no trace of panic on her face.

"Father, Ah Zi and I were worried that Lin Ge'er would neglect his studies at home, so we thought of buying him some books to read!"

"Are you trying to fool me?! Do you think I don't know what you mean by using Lin-ge'er as a pawn?! Ten thousand books, do you expect Lin-ge'er to read for several lifetimes?"

“Father, you are mistaken! Buying books is a refined thing. Not only can Lin-ge’er read them, but Yuan-niang and the others can too! Besides, Lin-ge’er can pass them down to his children and grandchildren in the future.”

If Father thinks 100,000 books are too many, I, your daughter-in-law, am willing to follow the example of the Cheng family of Huizhou and offer 10,000 books as part of my dowry when Yuan Niang and the others get married!

The Cheng family of Huizhou was a true family of scholars and intellectuals, whose collection of books was the envy of students from the Northern Wei and Southern Zhou dynasties.

But other people's books are the result of hundreds of years of accumulation, not something bought with money like this!

"You're just imitating Dong Shi and making a fool of yourself! I don't care what method you use, return all these books immediately, or you can forget about ever setting foot in my manor again!"

"Why is Father so angry? I bought the books for the sake of the children at home, not for my own selfish reasons!"

Could it be that Father is reluctant to spend the money? There's no need for that! Firstly, I haven't used any public funds, and secondly, I firmly believe that there's wealth to be found in books, and the returns that I and the Marquis's mansion will receive in the future will definitely be much more valuable than what I'm spending now!

Father, although your daughter-in-law is a girl, she also wants to contribute to the Marquis's mansion!

The daughter-in-law had made up her mind: she would put all the books in the small, unused bamboo house in the front yard. It was a quiet place; the students would surely like it…”

"Wait a moment……"

Marquis Changping interrupted Granny Jiang, asking, "Why are we talking about scholars again? Do you really intend to turn my manor into a bookstore?"

"Father, don't panic, let your daughter-in-law explain it to you in detail!"

The daughter-in-law thought that Lin Ge'er would find it boring to study alone at home, so she thought that after the books were properly placed, they could be opened to the public to attract students from Beijing Middle School.

In this way, the reputation of my Marquis's mansion will surely rise, and those scholars, after passing the imperial examinations, will remember the favor of the Marquis's mansion and might even help my elder brother in officialdom. Isn't this better than having my elder brother spend day and night socializing outside?

That's a reasonable thing to say.

Seeing that Marquis Changping was no longer furious, Granny Jiang felt even more at ease.

She continued, "Didn't Father want to take advantage of Yuan Niang's popularity to find husbands for the young ladies in the manor? I think there's no need to rush things like this."

"If Yuanniang were to conceive a royal heir in the future, wouldn't our Marquis's mansion be even more glorious than it is today! By then, the scholars who come to study will have already taken their autumn imperial examinations. At that time, Father can choose husbands for our daughters from among them. Wouldn't that be better than letting those nobles who judge people by their looks choose the girls from our mansion right now?"

Marquis Changping nodded repeatedly, deeply agreeing with the assessment!

"Third son's wife, when did you become so far-sighted?"

Grandma Jiang was too embarrassed to say that this was Jiang Segu's idea, and that it was only to appease Marquis Changping.

"Actually, I've had this idea for a long time, but I haven't had a good opportunity. Now that Yuan Niang has been favored by the Emperor, I thought it would be better to repay the Emperor's favor. However, I lack the ability, so I came up with this plan to set up special benefits for the students in the capital, hoping that all the students can pass the imperial examination and serve the Emperor wholeheartedly! It can be considered that the Marquis's family has accumulated good karma!"

These words greatly excited the Marquis of Changping!

"That makes sense! Pass down my message: everyone in the manor must obey Third Madam's orders and move the books to the small bamboo house as quickly as possible!"

"Father's profound understanding of righteousness is truly a blessing for the students of Beijing Middle School!"

Marquis Changping, who was overjoyed by what Granny Jiang said, had no idea about the loopholes in this matter.

For example, what is the family background of the students who can come here to read books for free?

For example, what should be done if criminals sneak in amidst the flow of people?

After dealing with Marquis Changping, Granny Jiang directed people to clean the small bamboo house and carry all the books inside.

Jiang Segu returned at this time.

Looking at the busy yet orderly servants, Jiang Segu knew that he had easily passed his grandfather's test!

However, she never expected that her act of buying books would give Marquis Changping wicked ideas...