Rebirth: Making a Fortune in Ancient Times

Back in the side hall, Jiang Xue didn't utter a sound. She took off her shoes and lay sprawled on the bed. Granny Jiang sighed, watching her thin back. She pulled a thin blanket over her and comforted her.

“Miss, please don’t be angry if I say something. I’ve watched you grow up since you were a child, and I know your temperament. I’ve always been wholeheartedly for the good of the Jiang family. But you are already married. You are not only a daughter of the Jiang family, but also the lady of the scholar’s ​​mansion. Now that you are pregnant, why bother to waste your energy and travel back and forth for the sake of your maternal family?”

After saying this, Granny Jiang looked at her master lying motionless on the bed and continued...

"To put it bluntly, whether the princess ascends the throne or that child does, you are still the Empress Dowager's own sister, and your honor will not diminish." Then, Granny Jiang leaned closer and whispered...

"Moreover, that child was raised by you for a period of time, and on the surface, you treated him extremely well. He was perhaps even more filial to you than a princess. Putting aside your relationship with that child for the moment, just the fact that he was raised in the Shen family for so many years and always called you 'father' shows that the father-son bond cannot be erased simply because their status has suddenly changed. Miss, as the old saying goes, your status in your husband's family is given by your own family. Conversely, your status in your own family is given by your husband's family. Don't be fooled by the fact that the Grand Madam and the two maternal uncles don't value your thoughts now; things might change once that child becomes emperor. After all, for him, the Shen family is his true family, isn't it?"

Looking at the person still motionless on the bed, Granny Jiang wondered if the other person had listened to her heartfelt words. She sighed and left the inner room, wanting the person to be alone and think things through.

Jiang Xue, lying on the bed, was not unmoved by Jiang Mama's words. She thought back to how her family had married Shen Jingheng only to win him over so he would support her sister and the eldest prince's ascension to the throne. If she had known all her plans were in vain, and that Shen Jingheng's secretly raised prince had become emperor, what was the point of abandoning the man she loved to marry him? For a moment, she felt like a joke.

Outsiders only saw Shen Jingheng's gentleness and politeness towards her, but Jiang Xue, who had loved and been loved before, knew that his behavior was merely a formality; he didn't love her. She had tried to love him, but it was no use. Her heart belonged only to that person, even though she might never see him again, her heart would always belong to him.

At this moment, the center of everyone's discussion, the newly minted Crown Prince, was leisurely enjoying hot pot on the boat with his sister Xia Yu and teacher.

Perhaps due to the tense atmosphere, the people on the ship hadn't eaten or drunk well for several days. After catching the gang of robbers, and after being threatened and intimidated by Xia Yu's 'poison,' everyone revealed quite a bit of information.

But those things had nothing to do with them. Some of the robbers even revealed the age at which they last wet the bed. While it sounded funny, it also illustrated one thing: these guys weren't part of any organization. They were just out there to rob people, but not only did they fail to steal a single penny, they also lost many of their men, and even they themselves were poisoned and left to die.

With only one day left before they entered Beijing, Xia Yu and the others relaxed considerably. Shen Luo suddenly suggested they have hot pot. However, besides some preserved vegetables, all that was left on the boat were some cured meat and sausages. Seeing that Shen Luo's face had thinned considerably recently, Xia Yu pulled out a fishing net from somewhere.

"Let's try to catch a few fish with the net. If we do, I'll make you a fish hot pot," Xia Yu said to Shen Luo.

So, not only Shen Luo, but even the dozens of guards who came to pick her up stared expectantly at Xia Yu. These past few days, their mouths had been growling with boredom; they couldn't drink alcohol and ate only vegetables every day, feeling like they were turning into rabbits. Hearing Xia Yu mention fish hotpot, even though they'd never tried it before, their mouths couldn't help but water.

Seeing the eager looks in everyone's eyes, he gave instructions to the guards.

"You all keep a close watch on Luo'er, make sure nothing happens to her. Also, keep an eye on those people who are tied up, make sure the ropes binding them haven't come loose."

"And then?" one of the guards couldn't help but ask.

"And then? Then I'll make you guys fish hot pot."

"Alright, Lord, don't worry. We'll handle all the tasks you asked us to do perfectly. How about we help you net the fish?"

"Okay, fine, I'll leave it to you." With that, Xia Yu tossed the fishing net in her hand to the man, and then dragged Shen Luo and Li Taifu to play cards.

Encouraged by the fish hotpot, everyone became more energetic. The boat, which had been quiet for the past few days, was no longer quiet; everyone chatted and talked, and the atmosphere became much more relaxed.

When Xia Yu was asked to leave the card table, there were more than twenty fish in several large basins. The largest weighed more than ten kilograms, and the smallest weighed five or six kilograms.

Xia Yu looked at the biggest fish and laughed.

"I didn't expect the fish in this river to be so big. Let's have fish hot pot together today... But, do we have that many pots on the boat?" Xia Yu suddenly asked.

"Uh, there seem to be only two large pots in the kitchen," the guard said, scratching his head.

"Then I'll make you boiled fish in chili oil; it's spicy and goes really well with rice. I did bring a small hot pot, but it's only enough for a few people," Xia Yu said.

Hearing their conversation, Da Niu and Shi Jiu were both a little confused. "They didn't seem to have packed a copper pot when they left!" However, they only thought about it to themselves and didn't say it out loud.

Xia Yu picked out a few large ones and had the guards kill them for her. Then she went to the ship's kitchen and rummaged around, surprisingly finding quite a few seasonings. Looking at what she had in her hands, the ship's cook was puzzled; she had no recollection of buying these things.

Actually, Xia Yu had taken all those things out of her spatial storage while rummaging through things, so naturally she couldn't remember them. Even the pot was just taken out of her storage space.

Once the cleaned fish was brought in, Xia Yu separated the fish meat from the bones. She sliced ​​the fish meat thinly on a diagonal and marinated it with cornstarch, then chopped the bones into sections. It was called a fish hot pot, but it was really just boiled fish, something she'd eaten in her previous life. The side dishes included dried bean curd sheets and shredded cabbage. Finally, Xia Yu poured hot oil over the chili powder and dried Sichuan peppercorns on top of the fish. The pungent, overpowering aroma instantly wafted out through the window.

The excitement made the people on the boat swallow hard. Xia Yu cooked two large pots, enough for all thirty people.

As for themselves, Xia Yu only filled a ceramic basin with food. Grand Tutor Li was too old to eat spicy food, so this was enough for the four of them. Besides, they also had a fish hot pot.

The fish slices they ate for hot pot were made by Shijiu, whose knife skills were far superior to Xia Yu's. The slices were as thin as cicada wings, almost transparent, and only needed to be dipped in the boiling broth for a few seconds before eating. Served with Xia Yu's special dipping sauce, the group ate with gusto, their mouths brimming with oil.