Rebirth: Making a Fortune in Ancient Times

Outside Jialing Pass, Prince Ding'an, upon receiving the message by carrier pigeon, couldn't help but burst into laughter after reading the letter.

"But has some good news arrived? Otherwise, why would His Highness be so happy?" Mr. Hua stroked his beard and asked, looking at the laughing Prince Ding'an.

"Ignorant brat, actually sending a woman to escort grain to Jialing Pass, it's clear there's no one else in the capital," said Ding'an Prince Zhou Ji with a laugh.

Mr. Hua took the note, read its contents, and thought for a while before speaking.

"I feel there is something amiss in this matter!"

"What's wrong with it? Does this Princess Wenfu have three heads and six arms? I've heard of her name, but she only knows a little Russian. She stood out when negotiating with the Russian envoy, which is why my good brother, the Emperor, made her a Lady of the Township. Who knew that that ignorant brat in the capital would actually make her a Princess of the State? Does he think that fighting a war is something that can be resolved by speaking a few words of Russian on the front lines?"

"But I heard that she protected the young emperor all the way, which is why he was able to enter the capital safely. I suppose she must be quite skilled in martial arts," Mr. Hua said after a moment of contemplation.

"Do you think anyone would attempt to assassinate him?" Zhou Ji asked.

"This..." Mr. Hua was speechless for a moment; he really hadn't expected this person.

“We had no idea that such a person existed before he arrived in the capital. Who else do you think would know about this?” Zhou Ji said with a hint of pride.

“Yes, Your Highness makes a good point. If none of us have received any news, who else would know of his existence?” Mr. Hua nodded in agreement with Zhou Ji’s words.

"But if she didn't have these merits, why did the late emperor bestow the title of princess upon her?" Mr. Hua was puzzled. If Princess Wenfu hadn't saved the young emperor, why would the late emperor have elevated her so much?

"This is also something I haven't figured out. Perhaps what you're saying is true, she does have some martial arts skills. The reason she was made a princess wasn't because she saved the young emperor, but so that she could live in the palace and protect him. Even if Shen Ze has a lot of power, he can't stay overnight in the palace, so the young emperor needs someone he can trust to take care of him..." Zhou Ji said as he thought, and he really did get closer to the truth step by step.

"So this person must be someone Shen Ze trusts, someone who can stay overnight in the palace, and a woman. Therefore, Princess Wenfu is the best candidate." Mr. Hua continued his analysis.

“Sir, you’re right. That must be the reason.” Zhou Ji nodded. That made sense.

"But if she was supposed to protect the young emperor, why send her out to escort grain? Isn't it absurd to entrust such a task to a woman?" Mr. Hua continued to ask questions.

Zhou Ji paced back and forth in the tent, considering various reasons, but still felt it didn't make sense.

"Forget it, let's not think about it anymore. We'll capture her and interrogate her to find out. She's just a woman, why should we be afraid of her? Notify the people who intercept us on the road that Princess Wenfu must be brought alive. Tell them to be careful when they make their move, lest they accidentally kill her." The last sentence was spoken to the personal guards outside the tent.

"Yes, Your Highness." The man at the door responded and went to send someone to deliver the message.

Three days after Xia Yu's departure, at the city gate of the capital, Grand Tutor Shen, on behalf of the Emperor, saw off Princess Wenfu, who was escorting grain supplies.

After drinking the farewell wine, Princess Wenfu, wearing a hat, boarded a carriage with the help of palace maids and slowly set off with the grain convoy.

"Sigh, our Great Huai has so many men, how can we let a princess do the job of escorting military supplies? Isn't that ridiculous?" said a bystander.

"Look at that princess, she looks so delicate and delicate, how could she be suitable for a long journey?" Passerby B shook his head and sighed.

"I think Jialing Pass is in grave danger this time!" sighed Passerby C.

"..." The surrounding people were talking about it. Among the onlookers, a few people with very ordinary appearances watched the departing convoy and then quietly withdrew from the crowd.

Xia Yu had already set off from a restaurant in a small town two days' journey from Jialing Pass. Compared to the towns they had passed through before, this town was noticeably more desolate. Almost no shops were open on the street, and every household had its doors tightly shut.

Even the inn where they stayed last night was only opened at the last minute. Luckily, there was a young man inside looking after the place, otherwise they might have had to sleep on the streets last night.

Nineteen gave the young shop assistant a silver ingot and learned a lot of information from him.

"Many wealthy families here have already fled, and our restaurant owner has also run away with his family. If it weren't for my father, who has difficulty moving around, who would want to stay in the shop at this time?" the waiter told them.

"Isn't Jialing Pass still standing? Why are they running away now?" Xia Yu asked the young waiter.

"Young lady, you don't know, although Jialing Pass wasn't breached, some rebel troops had already come here and were hiding before the Prince of Ding'an rebelled. Business in this city was really booming during that time; suddenly, many merchants from other places appeared. We were also puzzled at the time, but those people spent money very generously here, which made everyone a lot of money. But one day, those merchants suddenly transformed into soldiers in armor. They occupied the mansions of wealthy families here, and not only did they eat and take things for free on the streets, but they also demanded money from them, and if they didn't pay, they would beat them." As he spoke, thinking of the chaos of those days, the young shopkeeper sadly wiped away the tears on his face; the money his mother had saved for his wedding had all been stolen.

"Moreover, those people have been entrenched in this town for a while now. They know exactly who has money. They rob this family today and that family tomorrow. They even control the town's exits, so there's no way to escape. But just a few days ago, those rebels suddenly disappeared, seemingly heading towards Jialing Pass. So, taking advantage of this opportunity, all the wealthy people in the town have fled." He sighed again as he spoke to Xia Yu and the others.

"Miss, I'm just a waiter and I can't cook. But there's still rice and flour in the kitchen. If you're hungry, you can cook for yourselves. I can help boil some water."

So, Xia Yu and her companions made their own dinner the night before, as well as the dry rations they carried. However, before setting off, Xia Yu excused herself to get a drink of water and went into the restaurant's kitchen. She placed two ten-tael silver ingots on the counter and added a lot of flour to the flour jar, in case the waiter starved to death because of the small amount of dry rations they had brought.