Qin Prince's Mansion.
"Your Highness, I’ve realized just how brilliant the young mistress truly is," Shen Qingping said, chasing after Song Yu. "I’d like to take her as my disciple—what do you think?"
"You?" Song Yu shot Shen Qingping a disdainful glance. "What could you possibly teach Ah Huan?"
"Account-keeping, for one!" Shen Qingping’s eyes sparkled with enthusiasm. "Instead of hiring a separate accountant, why not let me instruct her? Besides that, I can also teach her wine-tasting and guqin-playing."
He had just reviewed the incident at Rouge Pavilion regarding the debt collection and realized every word Ah Huan had spoken played a crucial role in the outcome.
At just ten years old, the young mistress was bound for greatness.
Shen Qingping couldn’t stop grinning. He and the prince had practically grown up together—if the Qin Prince's Mansion prospered, he would rise along with it.
With this in mind, he cleared his throat and declared, "I’m already her tutor, after all. From now on, I won’t relay my father’s lectures to you anymore—I’ll teach them directly to the young mistress."
He was determined to become her true mentor!
Song Yu was shocked. Song Yu was furious. Song Yu kicked him.
"You dare try to steal Ah Huan from me?" Song Yu glared at Shen Qingping as if warding off a wolf. "Not a chance. I’ll find someone else to teach me, and whoever can impress Ah Huan will earn the right to instruct her."
A sudden sense of rivalry surged within him. It seemed that besides studying, he’d have to pick up some new skills.
If Shen Qingping could play the guqin and he couldn’t, wouldn’t that make him the lesser man?
That night, candlelight burned in both the Shen family’s study and the Qin Prince's Mansion’s study.
Two self-proclaimed book-hating scions of noble families began "studying diligently," each determined to outshine the other.
When Song Shihuan heard the news in the courtyard, she burst into laughter, nearly doubling over.
"It’s been so long, and Father has already finished two history books," she mused. "Next, he should read the Spring and Autumn Annals."
"Ah, but the Spring and Autumn Annals is notoriously obscure and difficult. His Highness will likely have to expend much more effort," Yingchun chuckled, handing Song Shihuan the neatly compiled account books from Rouge Pavilion.
After flipping through them, Song Shihuan nodded. "Have Liuxi deliver these to the Chang Residence. And make sure to cause a bit of a stir—let everyone know we’re sending them the account books."
"Yes, my lady."
Baoxia couldn’t hold back her laughter. So much silver!
"My lady, just thinking about the Eastern Palace’s reaction today fills me with joy."
Song Shihuan smiled openly, without a trace of restraint.
"I’m delighted too."
......
Eastern Palace.
Madam Chang had already dissolved into tears. The Crown Princess felt a chill run down her spine as she reviewed the accounts. "Sister-in-law, this matter has blown up, and with such a large sum involved, we must return the silver to the Qin Prince's Mansion."
Madam Chang stiffened. The money had long been spent—where could she possibly conjure such an amount now?
"Your Highness, the Chang family has done countless charitable deeds over the years, pouring in immeasurable silver," Lady Chang gripped the Crown Princess’s hand tightly. "This deficit is far too large for us to cover."
"What? It’s all gone?"
The Crown Princess shot to her feet. Seeing Madam Chang’s evasive gaze, her heart sank like a stone. "Don’t tell me you’ve seized other shops besides Rouge Pavilion?"
"Well..."
Lady Chang hesitated, then reconsidered and spoke slowly, "The Chang family took over those shops for the sake of the Crown Prince and Prince Yan Zheng."
"For years, the silver spent on the Crown Prince and Prince Yan Zheng’s external dealings mostly came from the profits of those very shops."
Hearing this, the Crown Princess’s heart trembled.
"Does His Highness know about this? Does Yan Zheng?"
Madam Chang nodded. Not only did they know—the Crown Prince had personally instructed the Chang family to take control of those shops.
"Your Highness, the Chang family is in dire straits now. You can’t just stand by and watch," Madam Chang pleaded, her lips blistering with anxiety. "Could you intercede on our behalf? Perhaps reduce the amount by half?"
"Half?!"
The Crown Princess felt as though she were listening to a fairy tale.
"Your Highness, if you don’t help, and the Chang family fails to produce the silver, once the Emperor and Prince Qin investigate, things will take a turn for the worse..."
Understanding the implied threat, the Crown Princess’s expression turned icy. "I’ll go beg Her Majesty."
As she left the Eastern Palace, the Crown Princess still felt dazed.
All that silver—gone?
And she hadn’t even known.
......
Kunning Palace.
When the Crown Princess arrived at the palace gates, she was stopped. "Your Highness, the Emperor is inside. Please return for now."
Her right eyelid began to twitch, and she responded absently.
At a time like this, why would the Emperor visit the Successor Empress? Could it be related to this matter?
Inside, the Successor Empress was personally brewing tea for Emperor Yuanyou. "Your Majesty, this tea is steeped in morning dew—its fragrance is most refreshing."
Emperor Yuanyou took a sip, his expression indifferent.
"Have you heard about today’s incident?" he asked casually.
"What incident would that be, Your Majesty?" The Successor Empress maintained her practiced smile.
"Today, Yu'er took Ah Huan to Rouge Pavilion to pick out cosmetics, where they happened to run into Yan Zheng and Xi Yan. Yu'er claimed Xi Yan hadn’t paid, while Xi Yan insisted the shop belonged to the Chang family," Emperor Yuanyou took another sip. "As it turns out, this was actually one of Fen'er’s dowry shops. No one knows how it ended up in the Chang family’s hands."
"Such a thing happened?!" The Successor Empress feigned shock.
"Indeed. I, too, was astonished. For years, not a single coin of Rouge Pavilion’s profits reached the Qin Prince's Mansion—it all went to the Chang family," Emperor Yuanyou fixed a deep gaze on her. "The magistrate has ordered the Chang family to return the profits from these years. I find that reasonable."
"Y-yes... they should return it."
The Successor Empress’s smile wavered. She knew at least half of those profits had been spent on the Crown Prince and Yan Zheng.
Satisfied with her response, Emperor Yuanyou smiled. "It seems Yu'er intends to reclaim all the shops this time. That’s just as well—it saves Ah Huan from lacking a dowry in the future."
Now the Successor Empress understood completely. Emperor Yuanyou was making his stance clear to her in advance.
He supported Prince Qin’s repossession of the shops!
Her heart felt as though it were being squeezed, making it hard to breathe. "Your Majesty is right."
Emperor Yuanyou left with a smile, leaving the Successor Empress seething. By the time the Crown Princess returned, the Successor Empress was already lying in bed.
"Mother, what should we do now?"
"What else can we do? Scrape together every last coin from the Chang family and return every bit to the Qin Prince's Mansion," the Successor Empress said, her heart bleeding. At her age, having to clean up her descendants’ messes was utterly absurd.
"Mother, did you also know that His Highness and Yan Zheng were using the shops’ profits?"
At the Crown Princess’s question, the Successor Empress stiffened slightly. "I only learned of it when you told me."
Really?
The Crown Princess lowered her head.
