Traveling through time and space

"This girl is here early, Weijian, take a look, this girl said this is called black iron, see if you can make a dagger out of it."

"Dad, just watch, they're busy over there."

"What are you talking about? Dad is so old and has little strength. It looks like this iron is quite strong. It must take some strength. Girl, can we try it first? But are you sure you can leave this in the shop?"

"Of course I'm relieved. I've heard of Uncle Xu's great name. His craftsmanship is impeccable, and his character is impeccable. Besides, you have such a big shop here? Even taking a step back, you will know the benefits of this black iron after using it. I have black iron here, and you don't want to miss out on such a good business, right? In short, I believe in you."

"Don't worry, girl. I'll come back in three days to see if it suits your taste." The old lady was a little excited.

"Can you please let me see that pure iron dagger?"

"Okay, please wait a moment, young lady." The old man quickly brought back a box with four daggers in it. They all looked pretty good. Gu Yuanyuan thought, why not take them all? They are quite small and will fit perfectly in the boots. Fortunately, she also has the habit of carrying silver bills with her. Gu Yuanyuan took out two hundred taels of silver bills.

"Girl, these are for you. We just met by chance, and you trust us so much. Lao Xu is very touched. Consider these as a gift from our store for you to play with."

"No, old man, one thing is another. What I want must be exquisite. Please be careful."

"Okay, don't worry, girl. You will be able to see it in three days." The father and son assured again and again. Gu Yuanyuan walked out of the shop with satisfaction holding the box.

"Princess, you're back." Nanny Shang stepped forward and took the box from Gu Yuanyuan's hand.

"Go straight back home." Gu Yuanyuan got in the car, thinking about what dishes to bring out later to entertain Old Su. As soon as she got off the car, she heard the voices of Butler Chen and others.

"Princess, you're back." Gu Yuanyuan got out of the car and saw a group of people waiting.

"Madam Wu, why are you here too?"

"With Butler Su gone, we are worried. How will the princess take care of us?" Nanny Wu's worried look made Gu Yuanyuan burst out laughing.

"Madame Wu, after this incident, I trust you even more. From now on, Shengmin will temporarily take over the duties of the head steward. He will be responsible for all matters outside the mansion, and you, Madame Wu, will be in charge of the people and matters inside the mansion. Xu Kun and He Hua will have new arrangements in a few days. As for the two shops, you will be in charge for now while I think carefully about how to arrange them."

"Thank you, Princess." Various thanks.

"Lotus, are you pregnant?" Looking at Lotus's slightly bulging belly.

"Yes, Princess, I'm four months old." Very happy, Lotus called her a slave. Gu Yuanyuan was still confused in her heart, had she also signed a contract to sell herself? She really forgot something.

"Congratulations, but don't overwork yourself." Looking at the young couple, their faces filled with joy, it was also a pleasure to watch. "Shengmin, are you married? Do you have a family?" Gu Yuanyuan knew very little about them.

"Princess, I am also a child of the Su family. I never got married and my parents died early."

"So that's how it is, Shengmin. I've made arrangements for your future. When the traffickers come back, you should carefully select a few who are compatible with you and choose a loyal and honest wife. You're old enough to get married. Look at Xu Kun, he's almost a father. Aunt Wu, you're an old woman, so please be more discerning."

"Okay, I will help you with this. Princess, please go back."

"Princess, Captain Li is here." Before entering Yishu Courtyard, Butler Chen came over.

"Let him in." When Gu Yuanyuan simply washed her hands and changed into casual clothes and came out, the man was already sitting down.

"My subordinate has met the princess."

"Captain Li, you're so polite. Please take a seat." Gu Yuanyuan gestured for Dongmei to serve tea. Li Yuming put down the box he was holding and said, "This is..."

"Princess, this is the silver they embezzled. Everything that can be exchanged for silver has been exchanged for silver, and there are only 37,000 taels left. The rest have been squandered by them over the years. As for their future..." Captain Li hesitated to speak.

"This is a matter of business. This princess will not interfere in this matter, but she will have nothing to do with them from now on." Gu Yuanyuan didn't want to see those annoying people again. "Captain Li, thank you for helping us recover so much loss,"

"Princess, thank you for your kind words. This is what the government office and my subordinates should do. I will take my leave." Li Yuming stood up and bowed to take his leave.

"Dongmei, send Captain Li out." After a short rest, he got up and went to the small kitchen to see

Wantong and Wanhe prepared quite a few dishes and ingredients, which looked good. "You guys go out, this princess wants to cook it herself." While Gu Yuanyuan was cooking, she was also thinking about what to do with the money. After the four dishes, fresh flower tofu, fish-flavored pork slices, pepper and salt eight-treasure chicken, and first-class sea cucumber, were ready, she also figured out a solution. She called Wantong and Wanhe over and asked them to cook the rest of the dishes. Gu Yuanyuan returned to the living room and asked someone to call Zheng Shengmin, Xu Kun and others, asking them to go out and inquire about using the money to buy a farm and a shop. It would be useless if they just put it there, and she also had plans for the future, so buying a farm would be just the right thing to do. After she had given these instructions, it was time for Old Su to get married, and Gu Yuanyuan asked someone to invite him in. Unexpectedly, he brought an acquaintance with him, an acquaintance she had met in Liupu, Lord Du Heng.

"Your humble servant greets the legitimate princess," the two entered the room and greeted politely.

"Please rise, my lords. Today is a private meeting, so there's no need for formalities." Gu Yuanyuan stood up. Since they were acquaintances, the atmosphere was quite harmonious. Gu Yuanyuan then recalled something: what had happened to the missing women? Du Heng sighed deeply and explained that Lin Xi had already concluded his investigation: the girls had been sold to prostitution centers, some in Qingyang and some in other countries. The middleman's surname was Qian Zhiwei.

"Who is his backer?" Gu Yuanyuan asked curiously.

"I haven't found out yet. I heard that the person is dead. I only heard that the person behind him is in the capital, but I haven't found out who it is yet."

"Master Du, did you report this result when you were reporting on your work?"

"It's been reported, but it feels like the connection is broken."

"Princess, Prince Wei is here." Rumei whispered back.

"Haven't you taken away second brother's things yet?" Rumei shook her head.

"Yuanyuan, are there guests in the mansion today?" As they were talking in the room, Second Brother Wei appeared at the door.

"Second brother, have you had your meal?" Everyone stood up.

"Greetings, Prince Wei." The two adults stood up and saluted.

"Uncle Du, please stand up." Second brother Wei stepped forward to help Du Heng up. He knew him. "Yuanyuan, this is Wan Cheng's uncle." Second brother introduced him a little embarrassedly.

"Master Du is Madam He's brother?"

"Yes, mother and Lord Du are old acquaintances. Yuanyuan, do you know him too?"

"Yes, second brother, I knew Lord Du when I was in Liupu before, but I didn't expect that we would have such a fate." The second brother's eyes were a little evasive, and it seemed that there was something else. "Yuanyuan, second brother has something to do today, so he has to leave after taking the things."

"Okay, second brother, the detailed instructions are all written on paper. If you have any questions, you can send someone to the princess's mansion to ask Yuanyuan."

The two men stood up and bowed to see the prince off. Alas, this etiquette was too heavy. "Master Du, will you be an official in the capital from now on?"

"Yes, we both stayed in the capital. The court hasn't arranged any specific positions for us yet." It was obvious that the two were in a good mood.

"Well, I didn't know that today is your big day, so I kept you here to talk. You should all go back early and celebrate with your families."

"Well, we'll all go back first. It's been a stressful day. Sorry to bother the princess today."

"Master Du, don't be polite. Your niece is my sister-in-law, so we are relatives. You are all in the capital from now on. Come to the princess's mansion when you have time."

"Thank you, Princess."

"Master Du, I cannot call you uncle according to my status. I'd better just call you Old Du from now on. It's not proper to call you Master."

"Well, the princess and I are old friends."

"Dongmei, see the two adults off." After seeing them off, Gu Yuanyuan returned to her room and sighed deeply.

"Princess, Steward Chen sent a stack of invitations."

"Same as usual, don't worry about it. We don't have time to deal with these things." The people lying down were too lazy to open their eyes. They were really tired after this day.

"Princess, I'm risking my life to say a few words. In the past, no matter if it was a prince or a minister, or a noble lady, you would never accept any of them. But this is not good. You need to have social engagements and have friends of your age that you can talk to."

"Madame Shang, do you think this princess has the time for this?"

"Princess, we can't finish all the work in one day. We have to do it slowly."

"Okay, I'll consider it." She tore through the invitations one by one. There were invitations for Qi Manxue from Prince Qi's mansion, Shan Yitong, the second daughter of the Shan family, Fang Siyu, the legitimate second daughter of the Fang family (Sixth Sister-in-law's younger sister), and even one for the wedding of the eldest daughter of the second branch of the Cai family. Gu Yuanyuan sighed helplessly. The reasons for this were varied, including birthdays, coming-of-age ceremonies, and flower viewing banquets. "Madame Shang, when the eldest daughter of the second branch gets married, you and Dongmei can personally deliver the gifts. Pick out some jewelry that the emperor gave you. It's a gift from the emperor. When someone in the Cai family gets married in the future, an item of equal value will suffice."

"Princess, please tell me approximately how much silver it is. For ordinary families, a simple reward from the princess will be enough."

"Princess, this gift from the emperor cannot be easily leaked to the outside world." The little Maozi hesitated.

"Then Princess, I will find something inconspicuous to avoid being found guilty."

"Okay, let's find something inconspicuous, no more than two hundred taels, and add a piece of cloth given by the palace. Last time, my princess had a few pieces of brightly colored cloth, so you can add them to this. I don't think I will get married for the time being."

"Princess, there are two more letters. Do you want to see them?" the little Russian reminded.

Gu Yuanyuan opened one and looked at it, then stood up from the chair. It turned out to be a visiting card from Prince Yu Chengxiao of Lingyu State and Crown Prince Zheng Yuyan of Kongshu State. This was really interesting. "Princess, it's almost time." Dongmei came in and reminded her.

"So fast." Gu Yuanyuan stood up and packed up briefly. "Madame Shang, Dongmei, follow me into the palace. Remember, when you are at the palace gate, try your best to block the eyes of the guards. That way, I can throw the person into the sedan chair."

"Princess, don't worry. I understand your intentions."

"The background of this man today is no small matter. This princess does not dare to easily explore the secrets. I can only send him to the palace and let the emperor hear it in person."

"Princess, Shuanzi is here." Dongmei came in.

Gu Yuanyuan gestured for him to come in and talk, "I beg the princess to take me into the palace."

"What are you going to do?" Gu Yuanyuan asked curiously.

"I am the witness, the best witness," Shuanzi knelt down as he came in.

"You are still injured. Stand up and speak. Don't forget that you are dead in the palace. If the Qin'an Palace knew you were still alive, you would be killed. This princess doesn't know what secret you know, but it must be very big, otherwise the Qin'an Palace would not kill you. Do you understand?"

"I am willing."

"Well, you are brave, Dongmei. Go get your clothes and jewelry, and let Chunmei come in."

"Princess, I'm here." Chunmei walked into the room and bowed.

"Use all your skills to make him look like Rumei. This princess thinks their figures are similar." She looked at Shuanzi a little hesitantly.

"Shuanzi, the princess is helping you." Nanny Shang suppressed her laughter. "Our Shuanzi will definitely be a beauty after dressing up."

"Madame Shang."

"Madam Shang, go find Yulin yourself and ask him to drive that inconspicuous carriage. It's waiting at the back door."