Pushing open the door and lighting a candle, she saw thick mahogany chests everywhere in the light, each with a lock. Jin Shu casually removed one lock and opened it, revealing rows of dazzling gold ingots neatly arranged inside.
Open another box, which is filled with all sorts of rare and exotic treasures.
Pearls larger than a cow's eyeball are piled up inside, while a jade Guanyin statue the size of an adult's palm is barely noticeable.
Looking at the room full of silks, satins, gold and silver jewelry, Jin Shu thought for a moment.
"Arno, I still haven't received the reward for successfully completing the mission in the last world."
"Tell me, what do you want this time?"
"space."
"It's possible, but we can't let it get discovered like before. After all, this is a peaceful and prosperous era. If we get discovered, it will be very troublesome for you."
Jin Shu naturally understood this, and Arno didn't say much. She had done a good job and deserved some reward, so he returned her previous ring to her.
"I'm letting you in advance because the ring has limited space."
"It's fine, it's enough."
The next second, the familiar wooden ring reappeared on Jin Shu's finger. She checked it with her consciousness and found that, as Arno had said, the space was indeed limited, no bigger than a courtyard, but it was enough for the time being.
Having gained access to the space, Jin Shu immediately moved everything from the entire vault inside.
This treasury was originally a reward from the late emperor to the original owner. Jin Shu was not satisfied with taking back what was rightfully hers. Since she had already come all this way, how could she leave so easily? So she crossed the courtyard and came to the residence of the Marquis and his wife.
Next to it was the storeroom, where each department came to withdraw their monthly wages.
After prying open the lock, Jin Shu, as usual, took everything without leaving anything behind.
The Lady Hou's room also contained a lot of ancestral jewelry and jade. She had promised the original owner that she would leave them all to her as dowry when she got married. Since she had made the promise, she could not go back on her word. Therefore, Jin Shu took all these treasures with her without any guilt.
Back then, the Marquis almost accidentally killed a prince for the sake of a courtesan. That prince was the late emperor's most beloved younger brother. Seeing his brother wounded and on the verge of death, the late emperor was furious and almost beheaded the Marquis. In the end, it was only after the original owner knelt in front of the Golden Palace for a day and a night that the late emperor rescinded his order and spared the Marquis's life.
Over the years, the original owner had gone to great lengths to protect the Marquis's family in front of the late emperor, but what did she get in return? As soon as they heard that she was an imposter, the Marquis and his wife couldn't wait to sever ties with her and wished they could throw her to the northern frontier that very day.
Perhaps from the moment the Imperial Advisor uttered those words, the original owner was no longer seen as a daughter in their hearts, but rather as a tool to safeguard the wealth and honor of the Marquis's mansion.
Now that the tools are no longer useful, they are discarded without hesitation.
The original owner eventually fell ill, which wasn't actually an incurable disease, but she was already heartbroken. Perhaps the abandonment by her parents made her feel even more desperate than Huangfu Rong's betrayal.
Jin Shu could sense the last trace of the original owner's breath that night, and could vaguely feel the despair and desolation of being wrapped in straw and abandoned in the wilderness.
This time, she wanted to ensure her comfort and safety on her journey to northern Xinjiang, and gold and silver jewelry would be indispensable.
She also considered escaping during the exile, but if she did that, everyone traveling to the northern frontier would be implicated.
Those people treated the original owner well; although they weren't exactly enthusiastic, they were kind in every way.
Especially the merchant couple, who thought Jin Shu was their biological daughter, and saved every penny they could to give her the best.
However, the original owner was beyond saving due to damage to her heart and lungs. After her death, the merchant couple were heartbroken and died of depression not long after arriving in the northern frontier.
In the original owner's eyes, the merchant couple were her own parents, and not being able to fulfill her filial duties was one of her regrets.
So, to make up for her regret, Jin Shu gave up the idea of leaving the team halfway and decided to take it one step at a time and see how things go.
After making her plans, Jin Shu continued her raids on the Marquis's residence.
Whether it belonged to the original owner or to the Marquis and his wife, since they have become enemies, there is no need to be polite. Take them all away.
If it weren't for the fact that the space had other uses, Jin Shu would have loved to carry the expensive artificial mountain from the backyard with her.
Overnight, Jin Shu had prepared everything she could possibly need: money, clothes, dry food, water bottles, medicine, and so on.
She spent the rest of the time going back and getting a good night's sleep.
The next morning, the soldiers who came to escort her were already waiting outside the Marquis's mansion. Jin Shu left, and no one came to see her off.
In the front hall, the Marquis and his wife sat on a soft couch, with Liang Qingqing sitting next to them.
"Now that girl is gone, she won't be a burden to us anymore, right?"
"Now that Qingqing has been made empress, what is there to be afraid of? Our daughter is still the current empress, and I will still be the emperor's brother-in-law. What is there to be afraid of?"
"We've been treating a fake like a treasure for so many years! What a waste of all our money! Luckily, I put away all the valuables in her house long ago! Otherwise, they would have been taken advantage of by a lowly merchant's daughter!"
Liang Qingqing whispered from the side.
“It’s my fault that Jin Shu is in this situation. If it weren’t for me, she wouldn’t have ended up like this.”
Lady Hou immediately retorted upon hearing this.
"The real is the real, and the fake is the fake! You are our biological daughter! That imposter enjoyed a good life for you for more than ten years, and now this is retribution!"
Qingqing, don't be so kind. The world is going to the dogs! Just thinking about how we've been deceived for so many years makes my heart ache!
Liang Qingqing quickly stepped forward to gently press the chest of the Lady Hou.
"Mother, we're not a family anymore, so let's not dwell on the past."
"Yes, Qingqing is right. She truly deserves to be the future empress. Even after being raised in the deep palace for so many years, her dignified bearing is still undeniable!"
Hearing the couple's praise, Liang Qingqing gave a cold smile.
What heartless parents they are! Well, this is for the best, it saves her a lot of effort. She originally thought it would take a lot of work just to get rid of Jin Shu.
At this moment, Jin Shu was about to be shackled when she went out. Just as the soldiers approached, she stretched out her hand and opened her palm, revealing a gleaming gold ingot inside.
The soldiers, who had been fierce and menacing, immediately changed their expressions upon seeing the gold ingot. They eagerly grabbed the gold, bit it, and their expressions softened slightly the next second.
"You can take off your shackles and just follow the group obediently!"
"Yes, sir."
The group being escorted to the northern frontier numbered several dozen, many of whom were court officials who had been dealt with after the new emperor's ascension to the throne. These people were originally part of the other princes' faction, so how could Huangfu Rong possibly keep them in the court now? (End of Chapter)
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