Rebirth: Making a Fortune in Ancient Times

"Your Highness, has Madam Wang agreed?" Mr. Hua asked again.

“Oh, she said she would write to her family to discuss it. One million taels is too much, and she can’t make the decision herself.” Zhou Ji relayed Madam Wang’s words to Mr. Hua.

"And then? Did the prince agree?" Mr. Hua felt that the prince was acting strangely today.

"Then...then I said that sending a letter to the Xie family would be better than sending one to the Wang family, and then she got angry and left!" Only then did the Prince of Ding'an fully come to his senses. Recalling what he had just imagined, he felt a dryness in his throat.

Hearing the prince's words, Mr. Hua breathed a sigh of relief and advised...

"Your Highness, we cannot let her send someone home herself. It would be best if one of our people took one of the lady's belongings with her."

Zhou Ji thought for a moment and said, "Sir, wouldn't this sound like a form of blackmail?"

“Your Highness, whether it’s a threat or something else, our goal is to get someone to pay us to solve our current difficulties. We don’t have time right now, so let her write a letter home to discuss it. Once her letter arrives, we must guarantee that the other party will pay.”

"But..." Zhou Ji was still hesitating.

"Your Highness, don't hesitate any longer. We've been resting here for almost two months, and we don't have much time left. I received news today that the Prince of Dingbei is ill, and the Prince of Dingbei's heir is currently offering a reward of a thousand taels of gold to anyone who can cure the Prince of Dingbei's illness."

"What does Mr. Hua mean?"

“Your Highness, the heir of the Prince of Dingbei is foolish and incompetent, unable to uphold the legacy left by the Prince of Dingbei. Once the Prince of Dingbei falls seriously ill and passes away, without him keeping watchful over the capital's military forces in the north, the imperial army will launch a major attack on us. At that time, Your Highness, we will be at the mercy of others, with no power to fight back.”

Mr. Hua's words struck Zhou Ji like a heavy blow to the chest, instantly clearing his mind of its wild fantasies. What was he doing? The current wealth and glory were all fleeting; he wouldn't reach that position, and sooner or later he would be dealt with.

“Sir, you are right. I will send someone to invite Madam Wang over. I will have her write two letters immediately, one to the Wang family and one to the Xie family.”

"Your Highness, today is not an option. It would be better to invite him tomorrow in the name of a concubine. However, we must also be wary that she might send a letter out of the city today," Mr. Hua suggested again.

"Alright, let's do as you say, sir!"

Lady Wang returned to the inn with a dark expression. The innkeeper who greeted her at the door trembled at the sight of her grim face. This noble lady had been staying here for so long, and he had never seen her like this before. He couldn't help but wonder what unpleasant thing had happened at the Prince's residence.

However, the dark cloud on her face vanished the moment she entered the room. Looking at Xia Yu, who was sitting at the table playing Dou Dizhu (a card game), she whispered...

“Princess, he asked me to write to the Xie family, asking for one million taels of silver.”

"Tsk tsk, I think he's really desperate. He's just talking nonsense and he wants a million taels of silver. He's got a better mind than anyone else."

"Exactly! He's a rebel, and he expects people to pour their entire fortune into supporting his rebellion? Does he think everyone else is stupid?" Da Niu said casually, holding her cards in her hand.

"The people of Dingcheng have no choice but to join him on this pirate ship. Jinling is far away from here. No matter how far the Prince of Ding'an's influence extends, it can't reach Jinling. If I were a member of the Wang family, I would just marry another wife. I wouldn't do something like confiscating property and exterminating the entire clan," said Twenty-Nine with a cold snort.

Twelve ignored them and only looked at Xia Yu.

"Princess, what do you suggest we do next? I reckon he'll have me write a letter home, but he definitely won't send my people to deliver it."

"Hmm, if I were the Prince of Ding'an, I would definitely do the same. I would put you under house arrest, take your rings, jade pendants, and all your personal belongings, and send them to the Wang and Xie families along with the letter. Pay up, or I'd kill you." Xia Yu analyzed while playing cards.

"Tear up the ticket?"

What is a ransom?

Da Niu and Twenty-Nine both asked Xia Yu at the same time.

"Uh, it means killing the hostages!"

“Yes, that’s right.” The two girls nodded in agreement after hearing Xia Yu’s explanation.

Twelve rolled her eyes in exasperation. She was acting very seriously and immersed in the role, okay? Couldn't these people be a little more serious? Uh, the princess is not included.

After a round of Dou Dizhu ended, Xia Yu's gaze finally turned to Twelve's face. Seeing the helpless expression on her face, she smiled and said...

"Twelve, just you wait and see. It will definitely proceed as I predicted. You've been working hard all day, go back to your room and rest. You might even have to go out for social engagements tomorrow. However, I think news from the capital will arrive soon, so let's be patient for a few more days!"

"Princess, then this servant will take her leave. I don't know what went wrong with that prince today; his eyes were practically glued to me. It was disgusting." As she spoke, she even shuddered, as if trying to shake off the disgusting gaze.

"Huh? What's going on? Tell us quickly!" The group of people who were shuffling the cards immediately became interested when they heard Twelve's words. It's no wonder they were gossipy; they had been staying here for over a month, and apart from occasionally going out with Twelve, who was disguised as Madam Wang, they had basically been staying in this inn all the time, and they were practically getting moldy.

"Nothing much, it's just that Zhou Ji suddenly started staring at me. So what if he stares? I'm pretty, I'm used to being stared at since I was little, but his gaze just made me feel really uncomfortable. It was like a hungry wolf seeing meat. Princess, didn't I hear he's not interested in women? Why is this happening today? Is it because I'm too pretty?" Now that Twelve was familiar with Xia Yu, she wasn't as timid as before, and her true nature was showing in private conversations.

"Ugh..." The others in the room, except for Xia Yu, all pretended to vomit when they heard Twelve's words, which made Twelve want to pinch them. But after all, two fists can't fight four hands, and in the end, she was the one who got tickled by them.

The next day, Consort Lu sent her personal maid to the inn to deliver an invitation to Lady Wang, inviting her to the Prince's mansion to admire the moon that evening.

Madam Wang, who was sitting under the osmanthus tree in the courtyard drinking tea, finished reading the invitation. She looked up at the somewhat gloomy sky and thought to herself that the reason for accepting the invitation was so careless. But she still smiled and accepted the invitation, and at the same time, she didn't forget to reward the maid with a few gold leaves.

"Thank you for making this trip. Take these leaves and buy some flowers to wear."

Looking at the golden leaves, the girl's face flushed with excitement. Although she had served Consort Lu since childhood, she had never received a gold reward before. Now, she had only gone out to deliver a message and received a few gold leaves; how could she not be happy?