Back in the city, Zhao Shu and Prince Yong returned to the Prince's residence, while the Empress Dowager returned to the palace.

After returning to the manor, Xiao Zhu Zi had already come back and was waiting in Qionghua Courtyard.

Upon seeing Zhao Shu, he immediately stepped forward and bowed, saying, "Princess, this servant has failed in his duty. Please punish me, Princess."

"What happened?" She sat down wearily, took a deep breath, and felt quite out of place going back to the era of horse-drawn carriages after being used to modern life with cars.

The main problem was the bumpy ride, especially the long journey; it felt like her bones were about to fall apart.

"Upon receiving the princess's message, this servant carefully collected the evidence and prepared to bring it back. Unexpectedly, it was intercepted on the way, and all the evidence is gone." Xiao Zhuzi knelt at Zhao Shu's feet with his head down, quietly awaiting his punishment.

Zhao Shu frowned, not continuing the topic, "Are the identities of the Fei Chi brothers true?"

"It's true. The Fei family was a prominent family in Qingzhou. However, a few years ago, both the heads of the Fei family died. The eldest daughter of the Fei family was beautiful, and the prefect of Qingzhou had long coveted her beauty. However, the eldest daughter of the Fei family resisted to the death and committed suicide. The prefect was furious and found a pretext to confiscate the Fei family's property. He also stripped the Fei brothers of their academic titles. The Fei brothers buried their deceased sister and went to the capital to seek refuge with relatives. They went to Shi Changxing's place. I learned that Shi Changxing had already passed away."

He briefly explained the main information to Zhao Shu.

"What do you mean by 'most of those in the same brothel'?" she continued.

Xiao Zhuzi lowered his head and slowly recounted what he had found out: "This servant has discovered that in Qingzhou, the prefect eliminates dissidents, and poor students have no way to survive. Those who cannot afford to pay tribute, even if they manage to obtain a recommendation letter to participate in the imperial examinations, will mostly fail. Cheating is the way to permanently disqualify them from taking the imperial examinations."

So that's how it is. If they dare to play the game of "the emperor is far away and they can control everything" in Qingzhou, what about places even further away? Zhao Shu couldn't imagine what Dayong would become if left unchecked.

"You mean you were kidnapped?" she changed the subject, returning to the initial question.

"Yes, that person must have known that I was the princess's man, so he didn't kill me. I was drugged at the time." He still felt lingering fear when he recalled the perilous situation.

Zhao Shushuang frowned even more deeply. "Who could it be?"

"This servant is incompetent and no match for that person. I did not know his identity. Please punish me, Your Highness." Xiao Zhuzi lowered his head, full of self-reproach.

Zhao Shu glanced down at him, raised an eyebrow, and said, "It's nothing. We've made it clear that we won't get involved in this matter, and that person wouldn't dare to offend me easily. Get up and go rest. You've had a tough few days."

"But..." He wanted to say something more, but when he looked up and met Zhao Shu's obviously unhappy eyes, he finally shut up.

After Xiao Zhuzi left, Xiao Guozi and Luluo waited quietly to the side, neither daring to speak.

After a quarter of an hour, they heard soft breathing and realized that Zhao Shu had fallen asleep on the chaise lounge.

It was hot, so Green Ivy picked up a feather fan and gently fanned herself.

When she woke up, it was already evening. After washing up, Green Ivy said, "Princess, Uncle Fu has been waiting outside for quite a while."

"Please come in."

Two servants followed Uncle Fu in, and Zhao Shu's gaze fell on the thick ledgers in their hands.

“Princess, there are too many account books, so I have sorted them out these past few days. Would you like to look at them here or in the study?” Uncle Fu asked, pointing to the account books the servant was holding.

He was relieved that the princess was going to have to look at the accounts. Since the establishment of the mansion, when the princess was still alive, there was a master to manage things. But after the princess passed away, the prince became even more outrageous. The princess was still young, without a mistress, and no one taught the princess how to manage the household.

He was very worried about this matter; the huge palace seemed to be without an owner.

"Put it in the small study. Thank you for your hard work, Uncle Fu. The Empress Dowager has returned to the palace, and it's time to select a new commander and centurions for the guards in the manor. You can arrange this. I'll start working on it around the day after tomorrow." During this time, Wei Tingsi had made almost all the arrangements. With the final step completed, this important matter on his mind would be settled.

"Alas." At this moment, Uncle Fu desperately hoped that Zhao Shu was a boy, because if she were a boy, the Prince's Mansion would have an heir.

Thinking of the time when Zhao Shu was born, the smile of relief on his face slowly faded, replaced by melancholy. Alas, if that hadn't happened, the Prince's Mansion would definitely be a different place. How could such good people in the Prince's Mansion have such bitter lives?

Having lived most of his life, he felt melancholy, but he still readily instructed the servant to carry all the account books to the small study.

Upon arriving at the small study, the servants put down the account books and left, leaving only Uncle Fu, Green Ivy, and Xiao Guozi behind.

Zhao Shu flipped through the pages, frowning. Lately, she had been frowning more and more often, and every time she frowned, Green Ivy and Little Guo knew that the princess was not in a good mood.

“Princess, account books are not like music, chess, calligraphy and painting. Account books are easy to understand. Would you like to find a tutor to come and explain them to you, or should this old servant teach you? Granny Zhuang should also know how to read them. Should I call her over?” Seeing Zhao Shu frowning, Uncle Fu thought she couldn’t understand them, so he hurriedly offered a suggestion. He couldn’t say that account books were difficult to understand, otherwise what would happen if the princess abandoned her?

Zhao Shu suddenly realized that at the age of nine, she had indeed never managed a household, let alone kept accounts.

He chuckled and said, "Just have Granny Zhuang come over and explain it to me. It shouldn't be that difficult."

In modern times, she often did part-time jobs. Because she studied traditional Chinese medicine, it was not easy to find a decent part-time job with a higher salary. So, she took an accounting qualification exam during her university years. Although it was just a professional qualification, she was still able to do simple tasks such as payroll, helping to prepare reports for small businesses and calculating costs.

"Yes, this old servant will send someone to fetch Granny Zhuang right away." Uncle Fu hurriedly sent someone to fetch Granny Zhuang.

He was so excited that his chubby face was flushed.

Uncle Fu was meticulous and careful in his work. The account books he gave Zhao Shu were mostly written neatly with few corrections. With the guidance of Granny Zhuang, Zhao Shu quickly "learned" how to read the account books.

She spent two days reviewing the account books. She trusted Uncle Fu, but since there was no master managing the household, the money sent from the fiefdom was indeed suspicious.

However, this matter is no longer her concern, and she believes that Emperor Mingde will make these people return every penny they owe.

After calculating the amount of money she still had at her disposal, Zhao Shu sighed, feeling a strange sense of returning to the pre-liberation era.

After having a general idea of ​​what was going on, he had someone summon Fei Peng.

Fei Peng seems to have lost a lot of weight recently. His once handsome face has become much darker, and he has severe dark circles under his eyes.

"Greetings, Princess."

"No need for formalities, please sit down." She gestured to Fei Peng to sit opposite her.

Fei Peng hesitated, unsure whether he should sit down. His gaze fell on Green Ivy and Little Guozi beside Zhao Shu, hoping to get some hints.

With his brother not around, he was completely lost and confused.

"Feipeng, if the princess invites you to sit, then sit. The princess is an extremely kind person and would never make things difficult for you," Xiao Guozi whispered a reminder.