I fulfilled the female supporting role's wish and I succeeded

Lin Qinshuang's eyes flashed slightly, she stood up and walked to the desk, her slender fingers gently stroking the account books stacked on the table.

"Xue Niang," she said, her voice clear yet filled with unquestionable determination, "Please sort out the accounts of Yu Yan Tang in recent years."

Upon hearing this, Zhou Xuenniang responded immediately, took the abacus and account book with swift movements, and began to calculate carefully.

Yuyantang is a business empire created by Lin Qinshuang, covering multiple fields such as rouge, silk fabrics, jewelry, etc., and it makes a fortune every day.

With this gold nugget, it is not only enough to support the huge expenses of the five welfare homes under her name, but also to generate a considerable surplus.

Lin Qinshuang looked at the snowflakes falling outside the window, her eyes gradually becoming deeper.

She knew in her heart that relying solely on the power of the court would not be enough to cope with the impending storm.

She must plan ahead and make more preparations for Nagasawa and others, as well as for the Song Dynasty.

"Xue Niang," Lin Qinshuang spoke again, her tone calm, "Allow two million taels of silver from Yu Yan Tang's account."

Zhou Xueniang paused slightly while checking the accounts, raised her head, and a hint of surprise flashed in her eyes.

Two million taels is not a small amount, enough to cover the annual tax revenue of the imperial court.

"Princess," Zhou Xueniang asked softly, "this money..."

Lin Qinshuang walked over to her and leaned over to whisper in her ear, "Purchase large quantities of food and herbs in batches, quietly and without making any noise."

"Food needs to be durable. We need rice, wheat, and beans."

"In addition to the commonly used herbs, you should also prepare some wound medicine, hemostatic powder and other external medicines."

She pulled a yellowed piece of paper from her sleeve and handed it to Zhou Xueniang. "This is the recipe for the wound medicine, along with a list of essential supplies for the march and battle. Find someone you trust and get some extra supplies just in case."

Zhou Xuenniang took the paper and it felt slightly cool. She unfolded it and saw that it was densely covered with the names and proportions of medicinal herbs, as well as some supplies such as kerosene and sulfur.

Her heart trembled, and she immediately understood Lin Qinshuang's intention.

"I understand," Zhou Xueniang solemnly put the paper away and said firmly, "Princess, don't worry. I will definitely see to it."

In the next few days, Zhou Xuenniang began to act secretly.

She used the pseudonym "Liu Niang" and disguised herself as an ordinary merchant woman. With a few smart and capable servants, she shuttled between major grain stores and drug stores in the capital.

At first, everything went smoothly.

Zhou Xuenniang was generous and cautious, and did not attract anyone's attention.

However, as she purchased more and more food and medicinal herbs, some subtle anomalies began to gradually emerge.

One day, Zhou Xuenniang came to Fengyu Warehouse, the largest grain store in the south of the city.

As soon as she stepped into the door of the grain store, she keenly noticed something strange.

The grain store was crowded with people, yet unusually quiet.

There was a sense of tension in the air.

Zhou Xuenniang glanced around calmly and found several men in coarse cloth shirts carrying bags of grain stealthily. Their eyes were alert and their manners were rude, completely different from ordinary porters.

She pretended to walk casually to the counter and asked the shopkeeper about the price of grain.

The shopkeeper was a thin, middle-aged man. He squinted his eyes and looked Zhou Xueniang up and down, saying vaguely, "Madam, how much food would you like to buy?"

Zhou Xueniang smiled faintly: "Why, do you still need to ask the quantity when buying food?"

The shopkeeper laughed dryly: "Madam, you are joking. It's just that food is in short supply recently, and the price..."

Zhou Xuenniang's heart sank. Food shortage?

She calmly pulled out a silver ingot from her sleeve and placed it on the counter: "First, give me a hundred dan of rice. If the rice is good and the price is fair, I will buy more."

The shopkeeper's eyes lit up immediately. He rubbed his hands together and said enthusiastically, "Madam, you are very straightforward. The rice is good. I guarantee you will be satisfied."

While Zhou Xuenniang was dealing with the shopkeeper, she was secretly observing the situation inside the grain store.

She discovered that the men who were carrying the grain were not employees of the grain store. They had a faint military aura about them.

Moreover, the direction they transported the grain was not to the granary, but to a hidden corner in the backyard.

Zhou Xuenniang was full of doubts.

After leaving Fengyu Warehouse, she went to several grain stores and drug stores and found similar situations.

She realized that things were not simple.

Some people are also secretly hoarding food and medicinal materials, and the scale is not small.

Zhou Xuenniang returned to the Princess's Mansion and went straight to Lin Qinshuang's study.

"Princess," she said solemnly, "I discovered that there are two other groups of people who are also purchasing large quantities of food and medicinal herbs."

Upon hearing this, Lin Qinshuang put down the scroll in her hand and frowned slightly: "Oh? Tell me in detail."

Zhou Xueniang reported to Lin Qinshuang everything she had seen and heard in several grain stores and drug stores in the city.

"From my observation, one group of people acted quite secretly, like they were members of a strictly trained military. The other group was more flamboyant, and they seemed to be some wealthy merchants in the capital."

After listening to this, Lin Qinshuang fell into deep thought.

Someone in the army? A wealthy businessman in the capital?

These two groups of people seem to be the men of Prince Yong and Prince Yan.

She turned around and her eyes fell on Zhou Xuenniang's face: "Xuenniang, you did very well. From now on, you must be more careful and cautious, and never reveal your identity."

Zhou Xueniang nodded: "I understand."

Night falls and the cold wind howls.

Lin Qinshuang sat in the study, the flickering candlelight illuminating her solemn face.

She thought about it for a long time and decided to tell Lin Changze about this.

"Go, Xueniang, and invite Changze over. I have something important to discuss with him."

Although Lin Qinshuang's voice was soft, it carried unquestionable majesty.

Zhou Xuenniang took the order and quietly retreated.

Lin Changze hurried over and as soon as he entered the study, he felt a depressing atmosphere.

"Aunt, it's so late, why did you ask me to come here? Is there something important?"

Lin Qinshuang motioned him to sit down and spoke slowly, "Changze, I called you here today to tell you that there might be changes in the capital."

She told Lin Changze in detail what Zhou Xuenniang had discovered.

After hearing this, Lin Changze's face suddenly changed.

"Someone is secretly hoarding food and medicinal herbs? This..."

He stood up suddenly, his face ashen, his fists clenched, his knuckles white from the force, his eyes burning with rage, as if he wanted to burn everything to ashes.

"Aunt, this matter is of great importance. If it is really as you say, I am afraid Bianjing is no longer safe! You and Sister Mo'er..."

Lin Changze's voice was low and suppressed, with a barely perceptible tremor.