They were in charge of being beautiful, and she was in charge of taking the hits.

"Then I have something important to discuss with you tonight." His eyes were resolute, and he was indeed talking to him about something very important.

Sima Lingchuan entered the house first, feeling somewhat uneasy and flustered. Wu Ziyan went to the study, opened the door, and sat down at the table. Mo Baiyun then quietly appeared and teased Wu Ziyan, "What do you want to discuss with your husband tonight? I'd like to hear it too."

Perhaps she was already used to him being around, so his sudden appearance didn't startle her.

Wu Ziyan glanced at Mo Baiyun. The child had become less respectful, and his speech was always a little mischievous. She rested her chin on her hand, her expression somewhat playful and flippant: "What do you want to hear, that kind of thing?"

Mo Baiyun brought her face closer, watching the still-growing handsome face gradually magnify in front of her. Wu Ziyan gently pushed him away, then wrote a single word on a piece of paper: "Money!"

He picked it up and pressed it against Mo Baiyun's face. Mo Baiyun tore the paper off her face and looked at it.

In this Wu Dynasty, everything costs money. Money makes the world go round, so the first step is to make money. He doesn't even know what the market is like outside, but no matter what dynasty it is, money in the inner quarters is the easiest to make.

And she has no one she can rely on right now; the only people she's familiar with are Sima Lingchuan and Mo Baiyun.

"Xiaoyun'er, can you do some market research for me? Find out which families have the biggest expenses, and also give me a list of people who are rich but powerless?"

"Sure, but I want payment." Mo Baiyun gently placed the piece of paper on the table, his eyes fixed on her.

"What reward? There's no money involved."

Mo Baiyun raised the corners of his mouth slightly, pointed to Wu Ziyan's chest, and said nothing. Wu Ziyan looked at his chest, thinking that it was just an ornament, and took the necklace off his chest and handed it to Mo Baiyun.

Mo Baiyun didn't know whether to reach out and take it or not. He waved his hand [She really doesn't understand what I mean], "Never mind, let's get married later."

Wu Ziyan was still a little confused when she saw that he didn't want her necklace. She put the necklace back on her neck. After Mo Baiyun closed the door, the system's voice sounded again.

[Congratulations! Sima Yi's favorability rating has reached 20%, and you have obtained fragrance recipes—including various shampoos, perfumes, and cosmetics!]

The sudden 20% increase made Wu Ziyan smile knowingly; the formula had come at just the right time.

Mo Baiyun went out to gather intelligence, which was no problem for him. He wandered through the market and wrote down the information in his notebook. He never expected that he would actually obey her orders by some strange twist of fate.

Sima Lingchuan paced back and forth in the room, unable to concentrate on the account books. The more he thought about what Wu Ziyan had said to him, the more embarrassed he became. His heart was pounding. This was too unreal. In just two days, his life had undergone earth-shattering changes.

Wu Ziyan pushed the door open and entered. Sima Lingchuan looked at her. It wasn't even evening yet, and Wu Ziyan immediately closed the door behind her. Sima Lingchuan stood up, feeling somewhat nervous and shy: "Ziyan, what are you going to do?"

"Didn't I say I had something important to discuss with you? I can't wait until evening." Wu Ziyan walked to the table, took a sip of water, and even took off her coat because she felt hot.

With her actions, how could people not misunderstand? Sima Lingchuan stammered, his face flushed: "I, this, I'm not ready yet."

"Prepare what?" she asked suspiciously.

"Contraceptive..." Sima Lingchuan muttered.

Wu Ziyan looked puzzled: "What medicine? A contraceptive!"

Why would we need to take contraceptives to discuss things? Then she chuckled. Wu Ziyan carefully recalled that her words were too easy to misunderstand. She coughed lightly and patted the stool: "Lingchuan, come and sit down first."

Sima Lingchuan sat beside her, his palms sweating nervously. After all, they didn't have much time alone together. Wu Ziyan thought for a moment, then looked at the account book on the table and changed the subject: "Lingchuan, how much silver do we have left in our household?"

"There are still no more than seven hundred taels left." Sima Lingchuan didn't expect Wu Ziyan to ask him about the account book, but he still answered quickly.

Wu Ziyan bit her finger, calculating how little money she had would be enough. She then asked about the monthly expenses of her household, which amounted to about five hundred taels, even under relatively frugal circumstances. Her monthly salary from the court was only six hundred taels, which was just enough to cover the expenses of a household.

So, in that sense, she's practically penniless! Wu Ziyan sighed. How can you have such a good life without money?

Thinking about it only strengthened his resolve to make money: "Lingchuan, I want to start a business."

"The salary from the court is enough to cover the household expenses, so why do we still need to do business? Or do you think we're not frugal enough with our food, clothing, and other necessities?" Sima Lingchuan immediately frowned, and began to examine himself again to see if he was not doing a good job as a husband.

Wu Ziyan looked at Sima Lingchuan's clothes and examined the room's furnishings. Many of them were old and worn. The officials and servants in the mansion were all dressed in gold and silver, but he was not.

A pang of sadness gripped her heart. She held Sima Lingchuan's hands and said, "My dear Lingchuan, thank you for all your hard work. I will strive to make sure you all live a good life."

"Yes, whatever you do, go ahead without worry. I'll take care of things at the manor." He would always be the man behind her.

Wu Ziyan stood up. The money in the manor could not be touched. No matter what, they had to keep some for themselves. As for where to get money, they would have to wait for Mo Baiyun's intelligence to come back.

Seeing that Wu Ziyan had stood up and was no longer making any moves, Sima Lingchuan also got up and went to a cabinet, took out a box, and opened it on the table: "Ziyan, this is my dowry. If you need it urgently..."

Wu Ziyan closed the box, shook her head at him. His thoughtfulness was enough. She kissed his forehead and winked at him: "Lingchuan, hurry up and make yourself some new clothes, dress up nicely."

"No need, I have enough of these, and my old clothes are still wearable."

"Last time, did you give my reward to those servants again?" Wu Ziyan affectionately tapped Sima Lingchuan's nose with his fingertip.

"They're all your people, Ziyan. I'll treat them all equally. They can't take advantage of your favor." He smiled as he looked at her, creating a harmonious scene.

"Tell me, with so many things in the warehouse, can I sell them?" Wu Ziyan began to consider, after all, he felt that those ornaments were not as tangible as cash.

Sima Lingchuan immediately panicked and said, "Those are royal items! Ziyan, you must not even think about taking them from the treasury. Only the royal family can use these things. Selling them is a serious crime! If you really need the money urgently, I can go back and ask Mother for help."

Wu Ziyan's expression changed. She wasn't so badly off that she would ask her husband to go back to her parents' home for money. What kind of talk was that? Sima Lingchuan also knew he had said the wrong thing, so he remained silent.

Wu Ziyan went out, but still mischievously turned back and said, "Be a good girl and wait for me tonight!"

Sima Lingchuan held his hands to his chest, unable to figure out what she was up to. Her sudden change of heart, her sudden assertiveness, and her sudden demand for money—what was she planning? But after Wu Ziyan had gone far away, he took out his dowry box, picked out a few valuable items, and instructed someone to exchange them for silver.