Rebirth: Making a Fortune in Ancient Times

Aunt Liu and Zhang Haoran are already married, and today she accompanied her mother-in-law, Madam Gao, to the palace banquet. Her seat was not far from Fu Fen'er, and at first she did not notice Fu Fen'er's abnormality. But in that one glance up, she saw Fu Fen'er staring at Murong Lanzhi's back, and was instantly chilled by the malice in her eyes.

While talking to the lady next to her, Madam Gao noticed her unusual behavior and asked with concern.

"Are you cold? It's close to the palace gate, and the palace servants are constantly coming and going, so it's inevitable that a cold draft will come in. There are some cloaks over there, let me give you one!"

Seeing that her mother-in-law had misunderstood, Liu Xiaocui quickly shook her head and said...

"Mom, I'm not cold. Do you know that little girl across from us wearing a light pink long coat with gold trim?"

Using the cup as cover, Liu Xiaocui quietly asked Gao Shi.

Madam Gao looked up and immediately recognized the little girl who had caused trouble at the Shen family banquet. She couldn't help but snort coldly.

"Her? She's the daughter of Lord Fu, the Vice Minister of the Court of State Ceremonial." Her tone was full of disdain. Liu Xiaocui was very puzzled by her mother-in-law's attitude. Her mother-in-law was a generous and straightforward person and rarely spoke to someone in such a tone, especially not to a young girl who was not yet ready to be married.

"Lord Fu? I've heard my husband mention him. I've heard he's a man who loves and respects his wife dearly, and he cherishes his only daughter like a precious jewel." Liu Xiaocui's tone revealed a great deal of admiration for Lord Fu.

"Hmph, that's all hearsay. Only those involved truly know the inside story." Madam Gao snorted coldly, her impression of that Lord Fu was not good. Although his reputation for doting on his wife was widely known in the capital's official circles, Madam Gao simply felt the rumors were untrue.

Liu Xiaocui looked at Madam Gao in surprise, then lowered her head and thought for a while, finally understanding why Madam Gao disliked Lord Fu and Miss Fu so much. She'd heard that her husband had been unable to gain favor in the Court of State Ceremonial for many years because of Lord Fu's father-in-law. If it hadn't been for a chance encounter where Lord Shen discovered his knowledge of Mao Zedong Thought, he wouldn't have had the opportunity to accompany her on her diplomatic mission. And then he'd had the chance to learn Mao Zedong Thought from Xiaxia… Thinking of this, Liu Xiaocui's face flushed. Was that why her mother-in-law hated the Fu family so much?

Seeing her head bowed in silence, Gao was unaware of the depth of her thoughts. She spoke again to remind her.

“That Fu Fen’er used to bully the Princess and the Emperor, so don’t get too close to her.”

"Huh? What's going on?" Liu Xiaocui asked, somewhat puzzled, after hearing her mother-in-law say that.

Gao looked around and said to Liu Xiaocui

"I'll explain this to you slowly when I get back; it's too complicated to explain in just a few words."

Liu Xiaocui nodded and didn't ask any more questions, but any goodwill she had towards the Fu family had completely vanished. Xiaxia rarely caused trouble, and anyone who had a bad relationship with Xiaxia was always blamed on the other party. Liu Xiaocui thought to herself.

The Zhang family spent their first New Year on the throne amidst a flurry of social engagements. Compared to the established noble families of the capital, the Zhang family was a newly rich and powerful clan. Normally, such sudden wealth, coupled with a lack of cultural refinement, would make them difficult for established nobles to accept, but the Zhang family integrated remarkably smoothly with the capital's aristocracy. This was largely due to Xia Yu's military achievements at Jialing Pass and the numerous, almost mythical, rumors surrounding her.

Moreover, everyone can see that as long as the Zhang family doesn't commit any serious mistakes that would ruin their lives, Zhou Luo's favor towards them will not diminish.

Nowadays, everyone in the capital wants to establish a connection with the Zhang family, especially the nobles who have gradually been marginalized due to the change of imperial power. They see the Zhang family as a bridge to return to the center of power. Therefore, the Zhang family is very busy this year, not only because of the many banquets, but also because of the numerous marriage proposals.

The Zhang family currently has three children of marriageable age: Changyun, Changyuan, and Qiuyu. They dared not even dream of marrying the eldest princess; they had already submitted a memorial to the Emperor requesting her hand in marriage, but the Emperor had ignored it all. Seeing the young Emperor's attitude, everyone gave up their hopes of marrying the eldest princess and turned their attention to the other young masters and ladies of the Zhang family.

After attending banquet after banquet with her children, Madam Liu had begun to consider various options. Changyun had made it clear that he wouldn't consider marriage until he passed the imperial examination. Changyuan also said he wanted to focus on his studies and wasn't in a hurry to find a wife, so neither of them brought it up yet. However, Qiuyu was approaching marriageable age. Although it was a time of national mourning and engagements and gifts couldn't be exchanged, if both families were interested, they could communicate beforehand to avoid any complications.

Liu had made up her mind, but Qiuyu was ultimately Li's child, and she still needed to consult Li's opinion on this matter. After the New Year, Liu sent a letter to Li, saying that if Li had time, she should come to the capital, as she needed Li's help to make a decision.

The letter was vague, but Li understood. After discussing it with Zhang Youyin and arranging the business in the shop, the two of them, along with their maids and servants, and carrying silver notes, boarded a boat to Beijing.

Their main purpose in coming to the capital was to arrange Qiu Yu's marriage. If things went smoothly, they planned to buy some land and shops for their daughter in the capital to prevent her from being looked down upon after she married. Since Chang Le was still young, they could save up the money for his wedding slowly; for now, they would prioritize their two older sisters.

Li still remembers the difficult years her family went through, during which her two daughters suffered a lot alongside her. They worked every day and often went hungry, and thinking back to those times made her feel guilty towards them. That's why she brought all her savings with her this time to Beijing.

Xia Yu spent most of his time living in the palace. When he left the palace, he would go back to his residence to see his parents. Sometimes he would go to Li Taifu's residence to have a couple of meals with him. The rest of the time he would go to a manor in the suburbs of Beijing.

This estate is no more than a hundred acres in size. It is completely surrounded by pine and cypress trees, and inside the pine and cypress trees is a high wall. This place was originally just a wasteland, but at some point it was suddenly surrounded by government soldiers and a estate was built.

However, once inside, you'll find that the structure of this manor is different from others. Here, the houses are on the outside, and the walls are on the inside. Moreover, there are two walls. The two walls are separated by a gap of two zhang (approximately 6.6 meters), and the ground below is full of traps. If you try to climb over the walls without entering through the houses guarded by soldiers, you'll fall to your death.

Xia Yu would come every two days, each time only accompanied by the guards Shen Jingheng had given her. No one else was allowed inside; anyone discovered would be beheaded on the spot. Like ants carrying grain, once the food grown in Xia Yu's space filled the entire space, she would go to the estate. Within a few months, the granaries built on the hundred-acre estate were completely filled.