Rebirth: Making a Fortune in Ancient Times

Xia Yu had just stepped out of the main hall and taken only a few dozen steps when she heard Shen Jingheng's voice behind her.

"Princess, please wait!"

Xia Yu turned around and saw Shen Jingheng striding towards her. He was dressed in a purple robe and gold belt, and had a handsome appearance. Several palace servants next to him blushed secretly.

"Is there anything else, Grand Tutor?" Xia Yu asked Shen Jingheng as he approached.

"Princess, may I speak to you in private?" Shen Jingheng asked the woman before him, who had grown considerably taller, with utmost respect.

Xia Yu nodded in agreement. She had some idea of ​​what he was going to say.

The two walked towards the palace gate one after the other, while the palace servants serving Xia Yu stood with their heads bowed and waited.

"Princess..." Shen Jingheng suddenly stopped and called out.

"Ok?"

"..." Xia Yu waited for him to continue, but after waiting for a long time, she did not hear anything more and looked up at him in confusion.

But when she looked up, she saw the struggle and entanglement in his eyes. In an instant, without him saying anything more, Xia Yu understood what he wanted to tell her.

However, Xia Yu had no intention of being a kind and understanding girl, simply standing there waiting for her to speak. If this matter were exposed, the most dangerous people would be herself and her family. There was no doubt that some heartless person might even kidnap her family members to threaten her. She was equally conflicted at the moment, unable to be understanding and alleviate others' troubles.

After another long silence, just when Xia Yu thought he wouldn't say anything more, she heard a soft sigh.

"The whereabouts of 50,000 troops of the Prince of Ding'an are unknown. In addition, there are two other vassal kings who are not peaceful and are also restless. Everyone knows that they are watching and waiting. Once the court and the Prince of Ding'an fight to the point of mutual exhaustion, they will suddenly come out like venomous snakes and bite. Therefore, the troops stationed in various places cannot be mobilized on a large scale at present."

Xia Yu wanted to hear her continue, but then he fell silent again.

"Um, and then? What are you trying to say?"

"Ahem..." Shen Jingheng unconsciously clenched his fist and coughed lightly.

"The biggest problem at Jialing Pass right now is the lack of food, so I would like to ask you to go there to relieve the predicament of Jialing."

“If I do as you say, my family will be in danger. I am not worth dying for myself; I would be willing to die for Da Huai. But I have a family, and I do not want them to lose their lives because of me. I do not want to kill Bo Ren, but Bo Ren dies because of me.”

After speaking, Xia Yu looked at Shen Jingheng and asked softly.

"Does my lord understand what I mean?"

“Your Majesty, please rest assured. I guarantee with my life that I will protect your family. If anything happens to them, I will pay with my life.”

"You flatter me, sir. It was just that I, as a woman, had some extra considerations. Since you are willing to protect my family, I naturally trust you."

"But besides Ding Chengxin, are there any other people you can arrange for, sir?"

"Yes, don't worry. I've also sent thirty guards to watch over your house," Shen Jingheng said in a low voice.

"Alright, I'm relieved to have them here. But I still want ten girls like Nineteen." Looking at the palace servants standing in the distance, Xia Yu made her request.

"That's no problem. I'll go back and choose one for the princess later. It will be delivered to the princess's Zhaohua Palace tonight."

"Thank you very much. I'll leave Zhangjia Village in your care, sir. And don't forget about my fourth uncle either."

"Your Highness is too kind. This is all I should do."

After parting ways with Shen Jingheng, Xia Yu went to find Zhou Luo and told him about her trip to Jialing Pass.

"Sister Xiaxia, this won't do. Even if you know martial arts, this is too dangerous. Besides, suppressing the rebellion is a matter for the soldiers on the battlefield. How can we let a woman like you go to the battlefield to kill the enemy?"

"I'm not going to kill the enemy, I'm going to deliver food to them." Xia Yu felt a surge of warmth in her heart as she looked at the anxious expression on Zhou Luo's face.

“Sending grain is even less feasible. The Prince of Ding’an’s men are waiting there; who knows where he might ambush us? I’ve already decided to have General Shen Jingxun take men to handle this matter. Sister, you just need to stay here in the palace and keep me company.”

Xia Yu glanced around and saw that the hall was empty. She then waved her hand across the table in front of Zhou Luo. The writing brush, ink, paper, and inkstone on the table, as well as the book on governance that Zhou Luo had just been reading, all vanished.

Zhou Luo stared dumbfounded at the empty tabletop. Xia Yu found his expression somewhat amusing. With another wave of her hand, the object that had vanished reappeared on the table. Zhou Luo's mouth gaped even wider, and after a long while, he finally murmured...

"Sister, is this a magic trick?"

Hearing his words, Xia Yu chuckled twice. Apart from her parents and brother, she hadn't seen anyone look so surprised in a long time.

"This is not..." Xia Yu wanted to say that this was not some kind of magic trick, but in a flash, she suddenly thought of a good excuse.

"This is not some kind of magic trick; it is called divine magic."

"Immortal magic?"

"Yes, it's magic. Look." As she spoke, Xia Yu waved her hand again, and a pile of corn appeared in the hall.

Seeing the scene before him, Zhou Luo was so surprised he couldn't speak. Pointing at the pile of corn on the ground, he stammered...

"Sister, what is this?"

"You don't even recognize corn?" Xia Yu asked Zhou Luo with a smile.

"Of course I recognize corn, but how did it end up here?"

"This is what my sister conjured with her magic. I once dreamed about an old immortal, and I've told you about it before. He told me that this kind of magic can only be used when the court is in trouble. I thought, isn't this the time of crisis for the court? So I tried it, and it really worked." Xia Yu began to bluff with a straight face.

"Sister, is this how you plan to conjure up food for the soldiers at Jialing Pass?"

"Yes, is that the method? But this method is extremely mentally taxing, and the amount of food that can be produced each day is limited. I don't know if it will be enough for the soldiers and civilians in the city." Xia Yu thought that there was only so much land in the space, and even if they planted non-stop all day long, the output would still be limited.

Hearing Xia Yu's words, Zhou Luo asked her with some concern.

"Will this damage my sister's body?"

Seeing the other person's furrowed brows again, Xia Yu smiled gently and comforted them.

"There may be some damage, but it won't be life-threatening. I'll probably need rare medicinal herbs to take good care of her. Luo'er, you must be a good emperor in the future. My sister's later life depends on you. Otherwise, I won't have enough money to buy medicine."

"Sister, Luo'er will definitely listen to you and be a good emperor. I will ensure your lifelong peace and prosperity. If I break my vow, then let me..." Zhou Luo was heartbroken to hear that this method would harm Xia Yu's body. He wanted to tell his sister not to go, but he also knew that this was the best way for the time being. He made up his mind that after this crisis was resolved, he would definitely give his sister a lifetime of peace and tranquility.

Xia Yu had only meant to tease him, but she hadn't expected him to take it so seriously. She quickly covered his mouth to stop him from uttering his vow, and playfully scolded him.

"Sister was just kidding. You can't just make vows like that."

Zhou Luo pulled away the hand covering her face and continued with her vow.

"I, Zhou Luo, will definitely be a good emperor, govern the country well, and protect Sister Xia Yu's lifelong peace and wealth. If I break my oath, may I have no successor and the country change hands."

Zhou Luo's words made Xia Yu's heart tremble; this vow was far too cruel.

"Sister, I mean every word I say. I will govern this country well and make it prosperous and strong, and I will never let you be in any danger again." Zhou Luo said this with a very serious expression.

Zhou Luo's sincere words touched Xia Yu deeply, and her eyes, which were unusually moist, welled up with tears. She took Zhou Luo's hand and nodded repeatedly.

"Sister knows, sister believes in Luo'er."

Before the palace gates were closed, Shen Jingheng led several more people into the palace. During this period, the Jiang and Shen families had sent many people to the palace, all to protect the Emperor. The palace staff were already used to Shen Jingheng sending people to Princess Wenfu. They simply registered the arrivals, issued them palace tokens proving their identities, and then allowed Shen Jingheng to lead them inside.

After leaving Zhaohua Palace, Shen Jingheng went to Mingde Palace where Zhou Luo was. The two closed the palace doors and talked about something inside. Shen Jingheng soon left the palace.