After giving birth to twins, the princess became pregnant again, and the royal uncle took care of he

Chu Xingyao lay quietly on the bed.

Her thoughts, like shooting stars in the night sky, streaked across the river of memories, returning to every detail of her previous life.

She remembered that according to the history books of China, during the Tang Dynasty, a certain Shimin, with only three hundred armored soldiers, triggered the Xuanwu Gate Incident, which shook the court and the country, and achieved a great hegemony.

However, Jun Xuanche secretly amassed 30,000 armored soldiers, revealing his true intentions, and he had succeeded in doing so in his previous life.

However, the enormous financial resources required for 30,000 armored soldiers should not be underestimated.

Jun Xuanche had no other help. Zhang Shi came from Ziyan Pavilion and later married into the General's Mansion, so she was penniless.

Although Jun Xuanche and Su Fei owned several businesses, they could not afford such a huge military expenditure.

Chu Xingyao understood this in her heart, and she had already emptied all the treasures of the Prince of Yan's mansion.

The acquisition amounted to only 90 million taels of silver and 5 million taels of gold, which was still insufficient to support the enormous expenses of 30,000 armored soldiers.

At that moment, a flood of questions surged through her mind: "Where did this wealth come from?"

This mystery shrouded Chu Xingyao's mind like a thick fog, making it impossible for her to let go.

She was meticulous in her thinking and determined to investigate personally. Dressed in night clothes, she moved nimbly and had Cola impersonate her, lying on the couch to avoid being noticed.

She leaped out silently, like a shadow in the night, and arrived lightly and silently at Zhang Shi and Chu Xinglan's private treasury.

The sight before her greatly shocked her—the contents of this private treasury probably exceeded half of the General's mansion's wealth.

Anger burned like a raging fire in her heart. This was clearly the blood and sweat of the General's Mansion, yet it had been embezzled by the second branch of the family.

With a thought in mind, she decided to take all the valuables from her private vault, leaving no trace behind.

These riches should have been used to prosper the General's Mansion; how could they have fallen into the hands of others?

Before she left, Chu Xingyao didn't forget to leave Chu Xinglan and Zhang Shi with a lesson.

She deftly fed each of them a fart pill, a small contraption that was not fatal.

However, it made them reek of filth in every word they uttered for half a month, which can be regarded as a proper punishment for their greedy behavior.

Even after completing these trivial tasks, Chu Xingyao still harbored a lingering resentment.

She sat upright at the head of Chu Xinglan's bed, holding the hair dye in her hand, and focused and meticulously carried out the hair dyeing process for Chu Xinglan.

Time slipped away quietly during this busy half hour, with each application and adjustment she made.

Finally, looking at Chu Xinglan's hair, which was half pale and half jet black, a sense of triumphant satisfaction welled up in her heart.

The image of Chu Xinglan's astonished expression when he woke up flashed through Chu Xingyao's mind, and her mood brightened considerably.

A smug smile unconsciously crept onto his lips. "Hmph, I'll make you pay."

Her voice held a hint of mischievous provocation.

-------

The first rays of morning sunlight pierced through the gap in the curtains, gently brushing against Chu Xingyao's face.

She relived the tender moments with Jun Jiuxiao in her dream, and now, she slowly awoke from the dream and returned to the real world.

The maid, Pearl, tiptoed into the room, carrying a basin of water, a soft towel, and other toiletries.

With Pearl's help, Chu Xingyao felt a long-lost sense of ease and refreshment.

As Pearl wiped her cheeks, she whispered about the exciting things that had happened in the manor the night before.

"Miss, you don't know, it was quite lively at Tangyuan in Shanghai just now."

Pearl's voice was deep and mysterious; she knew Chu Xingyao enjoyed listening to gossip about the household.

"Oh? What happened?" Chu Xingyao asked curiously, her eyes sparkling with interest.

Pearl continued, "It was Zhang Shi and the Second Master who had a fight."

"I heard that Chu Xinglan drugged Jun Xuanche, and it was the Second Madam who instigated it. As a result, the Second Master was so angry that he slapped the Second Madam several times, and even her personal maid was sold off."

Chu Xingyao frowned slightly; this was typical of Chu Xinglan's personality. If she wanted to maintain her innocent, pure image, someone had to take the blame.

Pearl continued:

"The second wife cried and made a scene, smashing all the precious ornaments in the room to pieces."

"Then they went to complain to the old lady, and made her vomit."

At this point, both Chu Xingyao and Pearl smiled.

Pearl continued, "The second master was so angry he almost divorced his wife, but Chu Xinglan intervened and stopped him in the end."

A hint of murderous intent flashed in Chu Xingyao's eyes. She knew that Chu Xinglan's intervention often meant that things were far more complicated than they appeared on the surface.

"It seems Chu Xinglan is up to her tricks again."

Chu Xingyao said coldly, her voice revealing her dissatisfaction and wariness towards Chu Xinglan.

Pearl nodded, agreeing with Chu Xingyao's assessment. She continued combing Chu Xingyao's hair, saying softly:

"Miss, you must be careful of Chu Xinglan. She's no pushover. She's even willing to push her own mother to take the blame."

Chu Xingyao smiled slightly, and looked at Pearl with a thoughtful gaze, asking, "Pearl, you're not Chu Xinglan's person, are you?"

Pearl quickly replied, "This servant did not."

Then, remembering something, Pearl quickly replied, "This servant belongs to Miss, and always will be."

Chu Xingyao looked into her eyes, smiled slightly, and helped her up, saying:

"Pearl, don't worry, I am no longer the Chu Xingyao who was manipulated by others."

"I will be careful and will not let Chu Xinglan succeed again."

Chu Xingyao sat at the dining table, listening to the footsteps of her father, mother, and two older brothers gradually approaching.

As soon as Chu Xingchi and Chu Xingyi entered the room, they began to fuss over Chu Xingyao, asking about her diet.

They insisted on dining with Chu Xingyao, and according to the old custom, the eldest brother, Chu Xingchi, was responsible for feeding her porridge, while the second brother, Chu Xingyi, was busy serving her food.

Chu Xingyao's bowl was soon piled high with food. She looked helplessly at her two older brothers, feeling like an over-pampered kitten.

Chu Xingyao glared at her two older brothers with her big, watery eyes, feigning anger, and pouted, saying:

"Hmph, if my brothers keep feeding me like this, I'll get fat and won't look good anymore."

Chu Xingyi replied with a smile, "My sister is the most beautiful woman in Kyoto, how could she not be beautiful?"

The eldest brother, Chu Xingchi, chimed in, "Little sister, don't be afraid of getting fat. You're still young and growing."

His tone was gentle, full of a brother's care for his sister.

Chu Xingyao retorted defiantly, "What do you mean 'young'? I'll be of marriageable age in five days. I'll be old enough to talk about marriage."

Chu Huaizhong smiled and comforted her, "It's alright. Even if my darling doesn't get married, Daddy will take care of you." His words were full of fatherly love and tolerance.

Upon hearing this, Chu's mother became anxious and quickly said:

"My darling is still a little girl, what nonsense are you talking about? My darling is fine, she's chubby and she's still the most beautiful girl in Kyoto."