Rebirth: Making a Fortune in Ancient Times

Many officials, having received the news, rushed to the palace, demanding an audience with the Emperor and pleading for him to rescind his decree. Their reasons were twofold: first, Princess Wenfu was unfit to be a grain transport officer; second, her contributions did not warrant the Emperor bestowing upon her the title of Princess Zhenguo.

While they were still on their way to petition the palace, a small group of fifteen people rode fast horses out of the west gate of the capital and sped away.

"I wonder which family that group of people just passed by belonged to. It seemed like they were all women," said the guard at the west gate, watching the departing group.

"Hmm, judging by their figures, they're all women, and they're all wearing hats! I wonder which family they belong to. Don't their parents care? In this chaotic world, they dare to let their way out of the city gates without even bringing any guards," another person added.

"You're worrying unnecessarily. Look at that horse's posture; he's probably skilled in martial arts. You and I might not even be a match for him," another person chimed in.

"I've never heard of any young lady from a wealthy family in the capital who knows kung fu!"

"There's a lot we don't know, so let's not talk nonsense. Let's focus on our own work. Things aren't peaceful right now, so let's not cause any trouble in our class."

"That's right. I heard that Prince Ding'an has been besieging Jialing Pass for several days. His Majesty has decided to send Princess Wenfu to escort the grain there. Isn't it said that His Majesty trusts Princess Wenfu the most? Why send a woman like her to do such a dangerous job at this time?"

"Shut up and stop talking nonsense. Are there some things we can just say?"

Meanwhile, in a small house in the capital, pigeons were cooing in a cage at the foot of the wall. A large hand grabbed one from the cage, stuffed a secret letter into a bamboo tube attached to the pigeon's leg, and then released it into the courtyard. Watching the pigeon disappear into the horizon, he then gave instructions to the servants in the house.

"Take good care of these pigeons. If you have any news, send someone to my residence."

"Yes, sir"

Inside the palace, Zhou Luo stared in the direction Xia Yu had left, unable to come to his senses for a long time.

"Grand Tutor, will my sister be alright?"

"No, she's intelligent, quick-witted, highly skilled in martial arts, and blessed by the gods. She'll definitely reach Jialing Pass safely and resolve the predicament there," Shen Jingheng said firmly to Zhou Luo, also looking in the direction Xia Yu had disappeared. It was unclear whether he was comforting him or himself.

"The late emperor once said that Princess Wenfu is a person of great fortune, and she will surely be able to turn misfortune into good fortune when she encounters danger. Your Majesty should not worry too much."

Empress Dowager Jiang suddenly spoke.

"Yes, Mother. Just as you said, Princess Wenfu is a very fortunate person. With her here at Jialing Pass, we will surely be safe this time."

For a moment, Zhou Luo had forgotten that the Empress Dowager had also come to see Xia Yu off. Upon hearing her voice, he quickly responded, relieved that he hadn't said anything inappropriate.

"Grand Tutor, how is my sister doing lately?"

Empress Dowager Jiang asked Shen Jingheng.

"Your Majesty, the lady is well, but she misses Your Majesty and the princesses very much."

"Yes, her belly is quite big now. She should stay at home and take good care of herself. I've prepared some tonics for her to take back. Tell her that we're all family, so there's no need for her to come to the palace to express her gratitude. Just take good care of herself." The Empress Dowager felt a little guilty towards her younger sister, Jiang Xue, but thinking about her ambition, she felt she should keep her distance. Otherwise, the entire Jiang family would be ruined by her.

"Yes, Your Majesty. On behalf of the Lady, I thank the Empress Dowager for the gift. I will certainly convey to the Lady the Empress Dowager's concern without missing a single word."

Empress Dowager Jiang nodded noncommittally upon hearing his words, then turned to look at Zhou Luo beside her.

"Your Majesty, why don't we have lunch in my palace today? It would be nice for my son and me to have a chat."

"Yes, Mother. I am happy to dine with you, but I am afraid of disturbing your peace." After many days in the palace, Zhou Luo's royal blood seemed to be slowly awakening. He spoke and acted like a completely different person compared to when he first entered the palace.

"I'll have some of your sisters come over to my place later, and we'll have a meal together. You haven't been together since you were little, so you're a bit estranged now, but as time goes on and you spend more time together, you'll naturally become more familiar with each other."

"Yes, I will obey Mother."

Empress Dowager Jiang was very satisfied with his obedience, nodded, and returned to the inner palace first.

Meanwhile, Princess Wenfu, whom they were talking about, was leading her entourage at full speed towards Jialing Pass.

Aside from Nineteen and Daniu, the rest of these women were just sent to her by Shen Jingheng. They were all women Xia Yu had requested, and each one was a skilled woman he had selected.

The group rode tirelessly for several hours.

“Miss, let’s rest for a while after we reach the next town. I’m hungry. And the horse needs some hay and water too,” Da Niu said, riding her horse closer to Xia Yu.

“Okay, when we get to the next town, we’ll stay here tonight. Let everyone hang in there a little longer,” Xia Yu shouted back to Da Niu.

"Okay, I'll tell them right away."

After riding at high speed for about half an hour, a city gate appeared in sight, with the words "Shaxi Town" written on it.

Xia Yu and his group slowed down and rode their horses closer, only to find that there were two guards at the city gate.

Nineteen dismounted and walked towards the two soldiers. When the two soldiers saw Xia Yu and her group, they stood up, holding their swords, and came over.

Nineteen went up to them, first slipping a piece of silver into their hands, before asking...

"Gentlemen, do you know if there is any place to stay and rest in this city? We are passing through your area and, seeing that it is getting late, we plan to stay here for the night."

Upon hearing what Nineteen said, the two men relaxed their guard and spoke to Nineteen with a combination of words and gestures. Nineteen thanked them and then returned to report to Xia Yu.

"Miss, I've found out that there are two inns in the city. The one called Zuixiaolou has good food and clean bedding."

Xia Yu murmured to herself, "Drunken Pavilion." She realized that the Shen family's shops were actually quite extensive.

"Let's go, we'll stay there tonight."

After saying that, he lightly tapped the horse's rump with the whip and followed the direction the man pointed, heading straight to the entrance of Zuixiao Tower.

"Guests, are you here for a meal or to stay overnight?" The waiter standing at the door asked warmly as he saw them dismount, while helping to tie up their horses.

"We'll provide meals and lodging, and we'll take good care of these horses," the young woman said to the waiter.

"Ladies, please rest assured that the horses will be fed only the finest fodder."

As they talked, the group entered the restaurant's main hall. Although the restaurant was located in a town, its size on this ground floor alone was larger than that of the restaurants in Ming'an County.