"Whether she'll secretly help her, I don't know! But she definitely won't just donate this much!" Li Qingluan said with certainty.
Actually, when she was at home, she had heard her father and grandfather say that the emperor was extremely angry about the method the empress had suggested.
What she was worried about was the Emperor. Even if the Emperor didn't have much money, if he wanted to help...
Just then, carriages suddenly came rushing over, and everyone unconsciously moved aside. Several noble ladies' expressions changed: "They were just saying that the Emperor couldn't possibly not help, but now..."
Without even asking, they knew it must belong to the Empress! Damn Emperor, does he really not want them to enter the palace?
"Hey, don't be angry, it's just a little bit, it won't add much!"
After the items were inventoried and stored, the name added was not that of the final Empress.
Instead, it was a woman named Mu Yurou. The noble ladies exchanged bewildered glances.
They watched helplessly as Mu Yurou moved from twelve to eleven.
More carriages came along, continuing to fill the national treasury.
Soon, that name continued to move forward, eventually reaching eighth place. It also pushed Xu Lingyi, who was in tenth place, down the list.
"Damn it, which woman is named Mu Yurou?" Xu Lingyi's face darkened. She was originally ranked tenth, barely making it into the top ten.
But in the blink of an eye, how did it suddenly drop to eleven?
The noble ladies wore inscrutable expressions, while some were secretly pleased and relieved that they weren't in tenth place, otherwise they would have fallen out of the top.
Not far away, Mu Yurou saw her name and realized she had finally made it into the top ten. A long-lost smile appeared on her face.
She doesn't ask for too much; she'd be happy if she could stay in the top ten.
"Who exactly is Mu Yurou!"
Xu Lingyi shouted angrily. As a noble lady, her sudden outburst shocked everyone around her, and they all looked over.
Li Qingluan hesitated for a moment, then whispered:
"Keep your voice down."
"I……"
Xu Lingyi also realized that something was wrong; he had indeed lost his composure just now.
Xu Lingyi was secretly annoyed. If word of what happened today got back home, her grandfather would probably hit her on the head again.
She was just too angry. She didn't know which woman was so blind as to dare to take her place!
No, she had to go home and talk to her grandfather later. Although this donation list was just the threshold for entering the palace, she couldn't be lower than Li Qingluan and the others. Otherwise, she didn't know how they would laugh at her later.
Xu Lingyi had a bit of a headache. She was just about to say goodbye to everyone and go back to discuss it with her grandfather when she suddenly heard a clear, crisp voice.
"Miss Mu, you're amazing! You actually made it into the top ten!"
The woman who spoke had an honest-looking face. She walked up to Mu Yurou, took her hand affectionately, and said excitedly, "I knew your family was the most powerful. They could definitely get you into the top ten. Look, you've already made it!"
Mu Yurou was still hiding, she didn't want to show herself at this time, especially since a young lady from a prominent family had just asked her name.
Suddenly being called out to her, she looked a little embarrassed, her face flushing slightly: "Sister Du, I..."
"So you're Mu Yurou." Xu Lingyi stormed over, stood in front of Mu Yurou, and looked her up and down with disdain: "Just a businesswoman, what are you showing off with a little money!"
Mu Yurou's expression changed. It was true that she was a businesswoman, but in her heart, what she hated most was being called a businesswoman.
I hadn't noticed it when I was in Yancheng, but after coming to the capital, the difference between merchant girls and noble ladies became increasingly apparent.
She had always deliberately concealed her identity, but now...
"I... Sister, my family prepared all of this for me. I didn't know they would suddenly..."
"Hmph, what are you pretending for?" Xu Lingyi snorted coldly. As a young lady from a prominent family, she genuinely disapproved of Mu Yurou's actions. The actions of the concubines in their family were far superior to those of Mu Yurou.
"Sister, I didn't..." Mu Yurou said, looking aggrieved.
Zhou Jie, who had been watching the commotion, couldn't help but frown when she saw this situation.
Han Luoxue surveyed the situation over there. At this moment, she had no intention of showing herself or recognizing Mu Yurou.
"Sister Zhou, have you noticed that they don't think I have a good chance?"
Han Luoxue had been observing for a while now, and it seemed that these people really didn't think highly of her.
"Oh dear, Xue-meimei, you're so mean! Don't you even know what your ranking is now!"
Zhou Jie rolled her eyes at Han Luoxue, thinking, "The Empress is in last place!"
"Hehe, so do you want to make money?"
Upon hearing about another way to make money, Zhou Jie's eyes lit up.
She loved making money, and she was never short of cash. As the eldest daughter of the Zhou family, while she couldn't be described as incredibly wealthy, she was never short of money either.
"Yes, I want to! Tell me quickly how to make money!"
Zhou Jie asked with great interest, and Han Luoxue whispered a few words in her ear. Zhou Jie hurriedly told the maid to go out and get busy.
Soon, another group of people arrived in front of the treasury. It turned out to be a money exchange that had set up a gambling den right there. You could bet on anyone, but the odds would be different.
Of course, those who bet on the Empress to win have the highest odds.
There were already many onlookers in front of the treasury, and when they saw this, they all became excited.
Whether or not someone in the family is involved, the Empress is currently in a very weak position. Even if the Emperor wanted to help her secretly, he couldn't possibly catch up. Is this Laiqian Money House just a sucker? Are they here to give money to everyone?
The crowd in front of the treasury was astonished. Seeing that the staff did not stop them, many people couldn't wait to start placing bets.
It must be said that there are many wealthy people in the capital. In the blink of an eye, hundreds of people had placed bets, and the total amount wagered amounted to tens of thousands of taels of silver.
Seeing that most people had placed their bets, Zhou Jie slowly walked over. She seemed to have just noticed someone placing a bet and that's why she asked.
Upon hearing that the Empress had won the most, Zhou Jie's eyes kept darting between the people with high odds, and she held a silver note in her hand, which was worth ten thousand taels.
"Sigh, well, the Empress is still my cousin-in-law, I'll support her!"
"Miss Zhou, do you think so highly of Her Majesty the Empress?"
Although Zhou Jie said she would offer her support because she was afraid the Emperor would hold her accountable, some people were still uneasy.
Could it be that the Empress has some other trick up her sleeve?
"Of course! She's my cousin's wife! Let me tell you, if I actually bet against someone and win, my grandmother will beat me to death without my cousin even lifting a finger!"
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