Quick Transmigration: Leisure

Yuhua Palace, inner chamber.

"Where is the Eighth Prince?"

After stating her innocence, Xia Youmi took a sip of tea, paused, and gave Ye Linghua some time to react.

She looked around at herself, finding the place refreshing and elegant, unlike the dignified and grand Yunlan Palace, which always revealed her status.

But there was no trace of the prince.

It's obvious that the female lead didn't want to be noticed, so she deliberately tidied herself up.

"He is frail and cannot stand the wind, so he has been placed in a side hall," Ye Linghua said softly, her voice tinged with vulnerability.

"Oh, that will require a lot of effort."

Xia Youmi didn't discuss it much, after all, the female lead would have a high position of power in the future, and was currently lying low, so it would be pointless for her to undermine her.

Then, changing the subject, we got down to business.

"Is Consort Qiong perhaps aware that the memorial tablet could implicate me, and that's why she went along with it?"

In fact, Xia Youmi's words were very clear and not at all subtle. However, looking at her sincere smile that had no threat whatsoever, it was impossible not to dislike her.

Ye Linghua didn't speak, only nodded slightly.

"Well then, let's not beat around the bush. Let's talk about the details of the deal."

"You know what I need," Ye Linghua said without revealing it directly.

Xia Youmi nodded, knowing it was one thing, but there was no way she would agree. "How about this, I want to go to Jiangnan. At least five years, you can make up a reason for His Majesty."

Completely unprepared for such a request, Ye Linghua asked in astonishment, "Why?"

"I need to make money." Xia Youmi's words surprised everyone.

Ye Linghua quickly understood the details of Xia Youmi's deal and only intended to provide her with money.

But this does not meet her demands.

"You know I don't need to..."

"But you are indispensable right now."

Xia Youmi cut to the chase, saying directly, "The Xia family is loyal only to His Majesty! I cannot make the decision on what you want. But I can give you 30%. With money, things will be easier. Why should you worry about not succeeding?"

Ye Linghua fell into deep thought.

She knew that a small favor was not enough to make the Xia family pledge their allegiance to her. If she were to achieve great things in the future, she would need such loyal people.

More importantly, she was extremely weak at that moment.

Behind her was no one, only the Emperor's elusive love. To achieve her goal, she had to win over important officials. The Ye family had also completely fallen to the opposite side, leaving her isolated and helpless if things turned sour. That's why she wanted to follow her elder sister's wishes, drive the Xia family into a corner, and then subdue them for her own use.

Consort Ke Xian was truly honest.

There wasn't a single malicious intent directed at her behind this, and there was absolutely no evidence against her.

Although the evidence in this premature birth case is complete, it does not mean that the other party cannot be cleared of suspicion.

If it weren't for the fact that the other party was betrayed by her elder sister and intended to form an alliance with her.

She might not even get the financial benefit.

Having figured out the key point, Ye Linghua stopped insisting and nodded to Xia Youmi, saying, "I agree."

Then, with the help of two maids, they signed the document.

It details the profit distribution for the five years of the trip to the south of the Yangtze River, including which industries to operate in, how to recover funds, and the consequences of breaching the contract.

The timing was perfect.

Xia Yuan's caravan had just established itself there, found a suitable business, and was about to arrange for people to manage it.

Basically, her role is to oversee the accounts and ensure quality; she's there to add the finishing touches, but maintaining stability can't be taken lightly. Plus, there's a slight shortage of managers, so she needs to keep an eye on things and select some capable replacements.

The key to breaking the rules lies in the bond between the male and female leads.

Otherwise, relying solely on herself...

One could only leave the palace after the emperor's death.

Seeing Ye Linghua's straightforwardness, Xia Youmi kindly added a story. She subtly hinted at it, suggesting a metaphorical scenario of women vying for power while men instigate and watch the show, exploiting both sides. Hopefully, it would be effective.

......

June of the ninth year of Chongze.

Xia Youmi and her group of five sat on a southbound boat, enjoying the beautiful scenery along the coast.

It had been half a month since they left Beijing, and everyone had gradually overcome seasickness and other discomforts, and started to find their own ways to have fun.

Besides Shi Yi and Shi Rong, two bodyguards accompanied them.

Number 11 belongs to Qi Zhuo; he is steady, considerate of the big picture, and makes people feel at ease.

The other one is Guard Number Seven, the one who loves to look at paintings, who volunteered to go south with them.

Although Number Seven has a good personality, is lively and eager to learn, he is the one who is truly tasked with monitoring, so the others tacitly guard against him.

The reason Qi Zhuo was among this group was because he was a confidant of the Prince of Jin, and he was in charge of training the secret guards. Several members of the Qi family had already been infiltrated into the group.

It wasn't until Lian Shaoyuan ascended the throne that the management authority was transferred to the Dark Guard Zero.

Grand Tutor Qi took precautions, not for the purpose of rebellion, but simply to protect himself.

It's unclear what reason Ye Linghua used to persuade His Majesty to allow her to leave the palace. Ostensibly, or rather among the higher-ups, she went south to find medicine for Consort Qiong.

The premature birth of the Eighth Prince was attributed to Xia Youmi's unintentional mistake, but she made a mistake and had to atone for it.

It just so happens that the Eighth Prince is weak and needs a rare and precious medicine to nourish his body, so she is punished by being sent south to "find the medicine" to help him recover.

Upon hearing this, Xia Youmi understood that the Eighth Prince, Lian Qizhan, did not have any illness.

Ye Linghua needs to use her frail health to divert everyone's attention, but she also needs to leave room for her to recover.

It can also help clear Xia Youmi's name and allow her to conduct business openly and legitimately.

As expected of a heroine.

Thinking further ahead, this bodyguard number seven might also have been involved in the covert bribery.

After all, in Lian Shaoyuan and Ye Linghua's eyes, the selection of the No. 11 bodyguard was a normal blind selection process with no possibility of prior collusion, but the No. 7 bodyguard was someone who actively requested to come, which seemed more like someone was pushing for it.

Hehe, it won't cause any problems anyway.

The Xia family and her maternal grandparents had people on the ship to meet her, but apart from the maids, the guards knew nothing about it.

She made the poem more public.

Shi Rong, however, always used the excuse of making desserts to go to the kitchen to help pass on messages and account books.

This persona was established from the very beginning. Everyone knows that Shi Yi is meticulous and thoughtful, while Shi Rong is a glutton and loves gossip, always researching new ways to eat.

The space on the ship is more private; she only needs to close the door when she needs to rest.

Xia Youmi did not explain these things to Qi Zhuo.

First of all, there is no obligation, which gives me more peace of mind.

Secondly, even though he knew there were subtle actions involved, he didn't delve into it; mutual respect is the prerequisite for a good relationship.

Qi Xuan thought she only longed for freedom and was obsessed with painting. On the surface, she was looking for medicine, but in reality, she was sketching everywhere.

Inside the Yunlan Palace.

Ye Ruilan breathed a slight sigh of relief; at least she wasn't implicated.

After Xia Youmi took the blame, no matter what she had to do to gain a lifetime of freedom, she would probably never return to the palace.

Everyone has their own guesses.

Gradually, my attention shifted.

After disembarking in Suzhou, we hired a carriage to carry all our luggage and headed straight to a residence in the city.

"Shen Mansion"

"We've finally arrived!" Xia Youmi exclaimed with delight.

"Yes, Miss! If she keeps swaying like this, Shi Rong won't be able to walk anymore," Shi Yi teased from the side.

"Haha, if I can't walk, I can float!"

After laughing for a while, everyone was about to knock on the door.

The door was opened from the inside, and a well-dressed man leaned out, looking at the manager.

"Oh! It's Miss!"

Manager Shen quickly opened the door and stepped forward to bow respectfully.

"This servant greets Miss!"