General, you should rest now; the lady is even more ruthless.

Jiang Qiqi hadn't expected that the Fourth Princess's idea of ​​repayment would be so simple and direct.

Early in the morning, while Jiang Qiqi was still asleep, Xiang'er started banging on the door.

"Miss, Miss, please wake up."

I was up and about in the palace until midnight yesterday before I got back. It's just getting light now, what is Xiang'er yelling about?

Jiang Qiqi was woken up less than two hours after falling asleep, and she was in a terrible mood.

"Xiang'er, unless there's an earthquake, tsunami, typhoon, volcanic eruption, alien invasion, or atomic bomb explosion outside, if you wake me up, you're doomed!"

Xiang'er was completely confused: "Miss, what are you saying? Are you still dreaming and talking in your sleep?"

She didn't care whether she was talking in her sleep or not: "Miss, get up quickly. The Fourth Princess of the palace has bestowed many gifts upon you. The eunuch who delivered them is waiting outside."

……

So this is what the Fourth Princess meant by repaying her?

Jiang Qiqi was speechless. It was true that the royal family was wealthy and powerful, but was it a bit perfunctory to repay their kindness with gold and silver jewelry?

And couldn't you have come a little later?

Despite her many grievances, Jiang Qiqi got up grumbling for the sake of the money.

"Madam General, this servant is Xiao Xinzi, who works in the Fourth Princess's palace. I have been sent by the princess to deliver something to you."

The eunuch clapped his hands and gave an order. The palace maids behind him lined up, each holding a treasure in their hands.

"Madam General, look, these are all gifts for you. The princess spent the whole night in the storeroom choosing them, and they are all her favorite things."

Jiang Qiqi looked at them one by one; there were bracelets and ornaments, which did indeed look like things girls would like.

This princess, the emperor's most favored, is truly exceptional; the things she brings out all look incredibly valuable. It's just a pity...

Jiang Qiqi looked at them one by one and asked the eunuch waiting beside her, "Is that all?"

The eunuch quickly nodded: "Madam General, that's all."

Jiang Qiqi scoffed and turned to walk back: "Go back and tell your princess that I don't want any of these."

The eunuch and Xiang'er looked at each other, stunned.

Only after a long time had passed, and Jiang Qiqi had completely disappeared, did the eunuch slowly turn around and ask, "Miss Xiang'er, have we been rejected?"

When it comes to royal gifts, everyone is overwhelmed with gratitude and kneels on the ground to express their thanks. This situation of being returned the same way... it was truly the first time he had encountered such a situation in his decades of work.

Back in her room, Jiang Qiqi threw herself onto the bed, ready to continue sleeping soundly.

As soon as she pulled the blanket over herself, Xiang'er yanked it off: "Miss, that's a gift from the princess, why don't you want it?"

Jiang Qiqi pouted: "What's the point of having something that looks good but is useless?"

"Huh?" This answer successfully shut Xiang'er down.

Miss's logic is so strange; this is the first time she's heard of rewards needing to be useful.

Despite the natural disasters last year, the year-end surplus in Nanyue was higher than in previous years, which pleased the Emperor so much that he rewarded Jiang Qianzhong with a golden abacus.

Jiang Qian was overjoyed. He took the golden abacus home, framed it as soon as he entered the house, and placed it in the center of the reception room. He also instructed the maids and servants in his household not to touch the frame, and that Jiang Qian himself would wipe it clean with a cloth.

The same gifts, but why does the style seem a little different when they come to our young lady?

"But miss, what kind of reward do you desire?"

Jiang Qiqi pulled the blanket back over and turned her back to Xiang'er: "What kind? Of course, it has to be usable. Things in the palace all have their own special marks. You can't give them away or sell them. They're useless. You might as well give them two bags of rice and a basket of eggs."

Sigrún has taught at the Iceland University of the Arts as a part-time lecturer since and was Dean of the Department of Fine Art from -. In – she held a research position at Reykjavík Art Museum focusing on the role of women in Icelandic art. She studied fine art at the Icelandic College of Arts and Crafts and at Pratt Institute, New York, and holds BA and MA degrees in art history and philosophy from the University of Iceland. Sigrún lives and works in Iceland.

When Xiao Xinzi returned, Chen Zhizhi was mourning her deceased beloved children.

Xiao Xinzi knocked on the door and called softly, "Princess..."

With her back to the door, Chen Zhizhi waved her hand dismissively, thinking herself nonchalant: "The things were delivered, right? It's okay, no need to comfort me. I'm not sad, I'm not that reluctant to part with them. Laughable, I didn't really like those things either."

Xiao Xinzi paused for a moment: "Princess, I think you don't need to be sad. The General's wife didn't want those things."

Chen Zhizhi: "?" Is he stupid? How could anyone refuse a reward?

"Then whatever she wants, this princess will give it to her."

The eunuch lowered his head and stammered, "Princess, according to the general's wife's personal maid..."

Chen Zhizhi clicked her tongue and urged him, "What are you saying, Xiao Xinzi? Why are you being so fussy?" As a princess, there was nothing she couldn't afford to give away, except for the Imperial Seal of the State!

The eunuch closed his eyes and took a deep breath: "Princess, she said the general's wife wants two bags of rice and a basket of eggs."

Chen Zhizhi: "?"

Sigrún has taught at the Iceland University of the Arts as a part-time lecturer since and was Dean of the Department of Fine Art from -. In – she held a research position at Reykjavík Art Museum focusing on the role of women in Icelandic art. She studied fine art at the Icelandic College of Arts and Crafts and at Pratt Institute, New York, and holds BA and MA degrees in art history and philosophy from the University of Iceland. Sigrún lives and works in Iceland.

Jiang Qiqi didn't sleep for long either, because she had a very important task waiting for her today.

Xiang'er has already taken stock of all the belongings she brought back from the Jiang residence, and she's going to take a look at them today.

She was very curious about the value of those items, which required a secret compartment at the bottom of the box to store the inventory; why the wet nurse had repeatedly instructed Xiang'er to take good care of them before she died; and why the Minister of Revenue was willing to bear the infamy of embezzling his daughter's dowry.

Xiang'er had already had all ten boxes carried into the courtyard, and all the contents were taken out and laid out in the center of the courtyard in the order on the list, for Jiang Qiqi to check one by one.

Silk, jade bracelets, calligraphy and paintings, porcelain, books...

Jiang Qiqi took a few steps and sensed something was wrong: "Xiang'er, are you sure this is arranged in the order on the list?"

Xiang'er was puzzled, but still answered, "Yes, Miss, I have checked them one by one. Is there any problem?" The things that her mistress instructed her to do were the most important things, and she always took them very seriously.

Yes, and the problem is significant.

"Bring me the booklet."

Xiang'er pulled out a booklet that wasn't very thick from her sleeve. The booklet had two large, gold-embossed characters that read "List".

Jiang Qiqi, not believing it, checked it again herself, and sure enough, the order was exactly the same.

Jiang Qiqi closed the booklet and looked at the things in the yard, lost in thought. She asked Xiang'er, "If you were to make a list, how would you record these three hundred-plus items?"

Xiang'er tilted her head and thought for a long time before answering, "Miss, if it were me, I would probably remember the smaller items first, such as jade, gold, and jewelry, then the larger items like books and ornaments, and then work my way up."

That's right, that's how normal people think: grouping similar items together for easy and quick recording.

Instead of listing things haphazardly and illogically like this list.

Jiang Qiqi flipped through the list. Rather than believing that the person who made the list was careless, she was more inclined to believe that it was meant to hide some information, which she just hadn't discovered yet.

It seems that the hidden information is what makes everyone want these things, rather than their intrinsic value.

Thinking this, Jiang Qiqi turned to the last page of the list. A very small symbol located in the lower right corner of the last page caught her attention.

It was an inverted triangle-shaped flag, pierced from back to front by an arrow, its size and color resembling someone's seal.

An idea came to her mind.