Seeing that things were not going well, Xu's mother had no choice but to lead her daughter and two daughters-in-law and escape through the gaps in the crowd like stray dogs.
Shen Youying looked at the four people's backs and shook her head.
Seeing the Xu family mother and daughter flee in disarray, the surrounding crowd gradually dispersed, the excitement fading. However, a few people curiously observed Shen Youying, showing great interest in this suddenly appearing princess.
Shen Youying noticed the gazes being cast at her from all around, but she didn't pay them any mind and strolled leisurely along the street.
As she passed a pastry shop, she stopped in her tracks, noticing some unusual little pastries she had never seen before: "What are these pastries? I've never seen them before!"
The stall owner was a woman in her thirties, dressed in a neat and practical cloth skirt. Speaking in the Xizhou dialect, she replied, "This is a hundred-flower cake made with the juice of flowers I picked. I made it myself, and everyone who has tried it says it's delicious. Would Your Highness like to try some?"
The flower cakes come in pink, yellow, and green; some are shaped like flowers, while others are shaped like green leaves. They look exquisite and delicious.
Shen Youying nodded and said, "Let's wrap one of each kind."
Bai Luo, standing nearby, took out a purse: "How much silver?"
The stall owner was somewhat surprised to see this, and waved his hands helplessly: "This... doesn't require money. The princess is of noble birth, and it is my blessing that she is willing to eat the pastries I make."
Upon hearing this, Shen Youying frowned slightly. Then she remembered how the Xu mother and daughter had acted arrogantly and domineeringly in the city. These vendors had probably learned their lesson and treated her the same way as the Xu mother and daughter, so naturally they dared not ask for money.
Seeing the stall owner's flustered expression, she spoke softly: "It is said that in business, there must be a seller before there can be a buyer. Since I bought your pastries, how can I not pay? If you take them for free just because you are of high status, wouldn't that be extortion?"
The stall owner was stunned upon hearing this, and stammered, "But Madam Xu and the others never paid before..."
Shen Youying gestured for Bai Luo to pay the money, and said with a smile, "The Xu family disregarded the law and preyed on the people, but they have now been brought to justice. No official in the city will dare to do such a thing again. You are doing business to make a living, and if you continue to do business at a loss, how can you survive?"
The stall owner's eyes reddened upon hearing this.
Her family was indeed short of money. If she hadn't suffered losses at the hands of the Xu family, who would be willing to spend money to do this unprofitable business?
She thanked him as she carefully accepted the silver.
Shen Youying accepted the pastries carefully wrapped in kraft paper and continued walking along the street.
Xizhou City was the most bustling city on the border. Not only the city's residents, but also people from the surrounding villages and towns would carry their goods to the city to sell. The goods sold by these people might not be very exquisite, but they had a rustic charm.
As Shen Youying strolled around, she quickly bought snacks, roast duck, rice wine, and so on. Not only Bai Luo and Liu Yun, but even the two guards were carrying loads of things.
She looked at her overflowing haul, pondered for a moment, and then smiled, "It seems we bought too much. Let's go to the government office and give some to the prince."
After saying that, she got into the carriage and turned to head towards the government office.
Behind her, many people craned their necks to watch. After the carriage had gone far away, someone couldn't contain their joy and said, "This princess seems much gentler and more approachable than Madam Xu. She's kind and generous. We won't be forced to give her things for free anymore, will we?"
The pastry stall owner also peeked over and said loudly, "I heard from the boss that the King of Qin repelled the Northern Rong barbarians. The King is a good official, and the Queen is a good person too."
"Maybe we'll have better days ahead of us in the future."
*
The carriage stopped at the entrance of the government office. As soon as Shen Youying got off the carriage, she saw a familiar-looking young officer rushing into the government office from outside. He was so anxious that he didn't even notice Shen Youying next to him.
Shen Youying paused, and seeing the other person's flustered expression, she had a bad feeling.
Sure enough, as soon as she arrived, Xue Shen said, "Are you sure it's the seal of the Tibetan king?"
The young general said, "It's definitely true. I've inquired, and the leader of the Tibetan tribe who was bribed by Xu Qiao is named Chamu Chi, the brother of a general trusted by the Tibetan king."
Unlike the Northern Rong, Tibet gradually split due to the decline of the Tibetan royal family, and was divided into small tribes in power.
If the Tibetan king did not summon the leaders of these tribes, these tribes would govern themselves independently.
Chamuqi's tribe was located near Xizhou. The Xu family somehow got in touch with him and bribed Chamuqi with 100,000 taels of gold, so that he would pretend to be a remnant of the Northern Rong army and massacre the people of Fangjiazhai.
When Xue Shen arrived at Fangjiazhai, he noticed something suspicious. After tracking, he discovered Chamuqi's army hiding on the border. He immediately crossed the border, annihilated Chamuqi's men, and captured Chamuqi.
Around this time, news of Chamuqi's capture reached Tibet. The Tibetan king sent a letter questioning Xue Shen about his transgression and demanding that Xue Shen release Chamuqi and pay 200,000 taels of gold in compensation.
Xue Shen looked at the letter with a gloomy expression: "He dares to ask for such an exorbitant amount."
Before he could even seek retribution from the Tibetan king for the deaths of the people of Fangjiazhai, the Tibetan king himself delivered himself to his doorstep.
Xue Shen burned the letter and said coldly, "Send over Cha Mu Chi's head."
Upon hearing this, the young general's expression brightened, and he immediately accepted the order and left.
After finishing his business, Xue Shen noticed the figure behind the screen and realized that Shen Youying had come over. He got up and walked closer, noticing that Shen Youying's brows were slightly furrowed, clearly indicating that she had overheard what had just been said.
“Zhao Zhao, there’s no need to worry. Tibet has been much weaker than before. The Tibetan royal family is declining, the tribes are splitting, and the Tibetan king is nearing his end. I may dare to wage war against him, but he may not actually dare to make a move.”
"I'm just worried that if a conflict really breaks out with Tibet, and the Tibetan king sends a memorial to the emperor, it will cause a lot more trouble."
Xue Shen hadn't expected her to think so far ahead. He smiled and pinched her earlobe, saying, "That's quite possible, but the Emperor can't do anything to me now. After all, a general in the field may disobey the Emperor's orders."
Shen Youying chuckled upon hearing this, thinking that they had committed so many "outrageous" acts that this one more wouldn't make a difference: "That's true."
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