Reborn and married in a swapped marriage, my aloof husband is too ruthless.

In the dead of night, the Su Jinxin workshop, which should have been quiet, suddenly became noisy.

"Thief! Thief! Someone is stealing!" The shrill cries pierced the night sky, waking the sleeping palace servants.

Flames shot into the sky, illuminating half the heavens; an outsider might have thought the palace was on fire.

This play was meticulously planned by Consort Zhou.

She sent people to sneak into the workshop, not only creating chaos but also framing the timid and cowardly master craftsman Li with some palace property.

Poor old Li, despite his advanced age, was pinned to the ground by several burly guards, trembling and repeatedly shouting "Injustice!"

The next day, the news spread like wildfire throughout the entire palace.

Minister Liu, a seasoned veteran who had received many favors from Consort Zhou, seized the opportunity to run to the Emperor and complain that Master Craftsman Li had embezzled public funds, committing a heinous crime that must be severely punished. He also demanded that the production of materials be immediately suspended and the matter thoroughly investigated.

When Su Jinxin heard this news, she almost spat out a mouthful of blood.

Wow, that was absolutely amazing!

This is clearly an attempt to mess with her mindset!

If the production of supplies is suspended, the delivery date will definitely be delayed. If the emperor blames her, she will be in deep trouble.

Just as Su Jinxin was about to fall into this "carefully arranged" trap, Yan Chengan calmly sipped his tea, a playful smile playing on his lips.

He gently patted Su Jinxin's hand and whispered a few words in her ear.

Su Jinxin's eyes lit up immediately, and her previously furrowed brows relaxed.

“Lord Liu,” Su Jinxin said calmly, “you say that Master Craftsman Li stole something, do you have any evidence?”

Minister Liu looked smug, thinking to himself, "Let's see what you have to say now."

"Caught red-handed, how could it be fake?"

Su Jinxin smiled slightly: "Oh? In that case, let's thoroughly investigate this matter..." She paused, her gaze sharp as she swept over everyone present, "After all..."

"...After all, this batch of supplies is to be offered to the gods. If we wrong an innocent person or offend the gods, we will be punished by heaven!" Su Jinxin's words shocked everyone present.

In this fictional ancient dynasty, from the emperor down to the common people, who didn't have a deep reverence for the gods?

Minister Liu's face turned pale instantly; he hadn't expected Su Jinxin to pull such a stunt.

He stammered, "This...this..."

Su Jinxin didn't care about his use of "this" or not, and directly ordered people to carefully inspect the burned-down workshop.

And you know what? This investigation actually uncovered some things.

In the ruins, Su Jinxin's people found some residual kerosene and some strange footprints. The style and size of these footprints were exactly the same as the boots worn by the guards in Consort Zhou's palace.

Goodness, this is solid evidence!

With the evidence irrefutable, Consort Zhou's guards could not deny it and had no choice but to confess that they had been instructed by Consort Zhou to deliberately frame Master Craftsman Li.

Consort Zhou was dumbfounded.

She never expected that Su Jinxin would find evidence so quickly and turn the tables on her.

The Emperor was furious and severely reprimanded Consort Zhou, and ordered the guards involved in the incident to be severely punished.

Master craftsman Li was exonerated and thanked Su Jinxin profusely.

Su Jinxin smiled slightly: "Master Li, there's no need to be so polite. There are gods watching over us, and a righteous person has nothing to fear. Evil can't prevail over good!" She paused, then gave the pale-faced Consort Zhou a meaningful look. "Some people are too clever for their own good, and end up ruining their own lives!"

With the production of supplies able to continue, Su Jinxin breathed a sigh of relief.

She turned around and found Yan Chengan looking at her with a half-smile.

He approached slowly and said softly, "Madam's move was truly..."

Yan Cheng'an watched Su Jinxin move freely in the palace, his eyes full of admiration.

"Madam's move was truly... brilliant!" He gently stroked Su Jinxin's hair, his tone filled with doting affection.

Su Jinxin leaned against him, enjoying a moment of peace.

This palace is full of traps, and every step is fraught with danger. Only by his side can she let down her guard and be her true self.

"Cheng'an, why is Consort Zhou so... um... stubborn?" Su Jinxin frowned slightly, mimicking modern internet slang, but quickly realized her mistake, coughed lightly, and changed her words, "So obstinate?"

Yan Cheng'an chuckled lightly: "Isn't it just jealousy that you are favored by the Emperor and deeply loved by the people? The women in the harem are all petty."

Su Jinxin pursed her lips in agreement.

Just as she was about to say something more, she saw Eunuch Zhao walk over with a fawning expression. His smile looked...like an old fox!

"Madam Su, we've come to congratulate you again!" Eunuch Zhao's shrill voice rang in Su Jinxin's ears, making her shiver involuntarily.

"Eunuch Zhao, just say what you have to say. I don't like beating around the bush." ​​Su Jinxin looked at him warily, feeling that this old man was up to no good.

“Oh dear, Madam Su is so straightforward! It’s like this, His Majesty is overjoyed and feels that this batch of supplies is of extraordinary significance and must be made even more exquisite.” Eunuch Zhao paused, a glint of light flashing in his eyes, “Therefore, His Majesty specifically ordered that a fragrance called ‘ambergris’ must be added to the production process of these supplies.”

Su Jinxin's heart skipped a beat. Ambergris?

That's an extremely rare spice, priceless!

“Eunuch Zhao, this ambergris is more valuable than gold. Even if we use all the resources in the country, we probably still won’t be able to find it!” Su Jinxin tried to persuade Eunuch Zhao to back down.

Eunuch Zhao smiled mysteriously: "Madam Su, you may not know this, but we do have a little bit of this ambergris..." He deliberately dragged out the last syllable, his eyes full of calculation, "but..."

Su Jinxin instantly understood his meaning; he was trying to take advantage of the situation!

She took a deep breath, suppressing her anger, and said with a forced smile, "Eunuch Zhao, what is your price?"

Eunuch Zhao stretched out his five fingers and rubbed them together.

Su Jinxin's eyelids twitched. "Five hundred thousand taels of silver?!"

Eunuch Zhao shook his head.

“Five hundred…five hundred…” Su Jinxin gasped.

Eunuch Zhao shook his head again, smiling like a cat that had stolen some cream: "Five million taels."

Su Jinxin suddenly stood up and said angrily, "You're asking for the moon!"

Eunuch Zhao slowly took a sip of tea and said calmly, "Madam Su, this ambergris incense was personally selected by the Emperor..." He paused, gave Su Jinxin a meaningful look, and said, "You can decide what to do." After saying that, he put down his teacup, turned and left, leaving Su Jinxin and Yan Chengan looking at each other in bewilderment.

Yan Chengan grasped Su Jinxin's hand and said in a low voice, "It seems we've been... tricked." Su Jinxin's face darkened, a cold glint flashing in her eyes: "Five million taels... Ha, does he think I run a money exchange?"

Su Jinxin sneered, "Five million taels?"

Do you really think she's a spendthrift?

Trying to squeeze money out of her? Don't you even know your own limitations?

"Cheng'an, do you think this old eunuch is obsessed with money?" She gritted her teeth in anger, wishing she could tear Zhao Gonggong's treacherous face to shreds.

Yan Chengan patted her hand reassuringly: "Madam, don't worry. Although ambergris is rare, it is not irreplaceable. I remember reading about a fragrance called 'Ningxianglu' in an ancient book. Its effects are similar to ambergris, but the extraction process is more complicated."

Su Jinxin's eyes lit up: "Really? Then what are we waiting for? Let's go find it!"

Yan Cheng'an smiled and said, "Don't panic, Madam. I've already sent people to look for him." As expected of her husband, he's always so reliable!

Su Jinxin felt a huge weight lifted off her shoulders and began to plan how to retaliate against that cunning old eunuch, Eunuch Zhao.

Not long after, the people sent to find Ningxiang Dew returned, bringing back not only the recipe for Ningxiang Dew, but also a master perfumer.

Su Jinxin immediately arranged for people to start making the Fragrance Dew and add it to the special supplies.

When Eunuch Zhao approached Su Jinxin again, ready to laugh at her, he was stunned by the rich fragrance.

This fragrance is even better than ambergris!

His expression changed, and he asked incredulously, "What...what kind of spice is this?"

Su Jinxin smiled slightly and said mysteriously, "This is a secret recipe, I cannot reveal it." Eunuch Zhao's eyes darted around, inwardly cursing: This little girl, she actually dared to trick me!

But his face was plastered with a fawning smile: "Madam Su is truly intelligent and kind-hearted, these spices are absolutely... amazing!" But his heart was bleeding: Five million taels of silver, gone just like that!

Su Jinxin was secretly pleased, but her face remained calm as she said indifferently, "Eunuch Zhao, you flatter me. This is all for the Emperor and for the greater good."

As Eunuch Zhao left in a huff, Su Jinxin watched his retreating figure, a cold smile playing on her lips.

Want to plot against her?

There are no doors!

However, the story does not end there.

Just when Su Jinxin thought everything was settled, Minister Liu, who was in charge of supervising the production of the supplies, suddenly came to visit... He held a new set of inspection standards in his hand, a meaningful smile on his face: "Madam Su, this batch of supplies... I'm afraid we'll have to wait a little longer..."