Jiang Jin frowned and quickly ducked into an alley. The voices of a patrol squad drifted faintly into her ears.
"To think there is actually someone in Liang City who dares to kill us Jiao people. This is absolute rebellion!"
"Could it be the work of the Yao or Chen families?"
"Impossible. We verified everything at the time; their main and branch lineages were all wiped out completely."
"If you ask me, Jiao Zhu shouldn't have kept those three alive. Chen Xi is whatever, just a scholar who can't make waves, but Yao Ji and Xie Nanxiao are military commanders. If they escape, catching them again will be difficult."
"Just the two of them? They won't accomplish anything! Yao Ji's collarbones were pierced; his skill with the horse lance is probably ruined."
"Who knows, what if he recovers? I say Jiao Zhu is just too merciful. She should have broken their legs."
At this moment, a somewhat sneaky male voice chimed in, "You guys don't know, do you? Jiao Zhu never planned on letting them go. Selling them was just the first step in humiliating them."
"What do you mean? Tell us quickly."
The man lowered his voice. "I overheard it by accident. No matter who bought those three, Jiao Zhu will send someone to monitor them. She is playing a game!"
"You mean she will send people to spy on them once she finds out where their new master lives? No wonder Qu Xin and his men followed them so easily. So that is how it is."
"Exactly. Those soldiers were likely in charge of this. They would deliver the men, pretend to leave, and then lie in ambush to keep watch."
"Hiss, no way. Then, if the master who bought them doesn't do things to Jiao Zhu's satisfaction, wouldn't they be implicated?"
"Of course. What are the lives of those lowly commoners worth? They are nothing but playthings. Jiao Zhu is the only daughter of our Jiao Liang Great General. How could those peasants compare?"
"Hehe, it is actually quite amusing to think about. If the master who bought them chains them up and treats them like dogs, then the goal of humiliating them is achieved."
"And if the master takes pity on them, lets them live decent lives, and makes them think they have escaped Jiao Zhu's control..."
"...Just when they are rejoicing, Jiao Zhu will suddenly appear before them and smash them from the clouds right back into the mud! Brilliant, brilliant!"
"Haha, well said. But you got one thing wrong. Even if the master treats them like dogs, once Jiao Zhu has had her fun, they will still end up back in her hands. Beneath the mud lies an abyss! In short, there is no escaping Jiao Zhu's grasp."
"Sigh, let's not talk about this anymore. Who could have expected an accident to happen? Not only did the surveillance fail, but Qu Xin and his men were killed, and Yao Ji's trio vanished without a trace."
"Just who are that triangle-eyed father and daughter? How did they manage to kill seven people?"
"Who says it was definitely the triangle-eyed father and daughter? I think they might have accomplices. Otherwise, how could just two people kill seven of ours?"
"I actually think someone else did it. The triangle-eyed father and daughter might have met with disaster too. Regardless, it seems Liang City is still hiding quite a few capable individuals."
Suddenly, a soldier exclaimed, "What is going on over there? Why do I see smoke?"
"Hiss, you are right. Over there... that looks like the Cao residence, the grain storage. Come on, let's go check it out."
Listening to the noisy footsteps rushing back, Jiang Jin furrowed her brow tightly and shrank further into the shadows.
Considering this place was not far from the private courtyard, if she killed them here, it would easily draw attention to the area. She decided to let it go.
Only after the soldiers had all left did Jiang Jin emerge from her hiding spot. Looking in the direction they departed, she fell deep in thought.
It seemed the deaths of Qu Xin and his men had already been discovered. She just did not know how many people had been sent out to investigate.
She turned and headed back to the private courtyard. Everything here was calm and peaceful.
When Zhou Sui and the other three saw the delicate and pretty young woman who looked completely different from the triangle-eyed disguise, their expressions were quite colorful, marveling at her unparalleled makeup skills.
Yao Ji and the other two had already changed into clean clothes and wiped down their bodies, but the cellar still carried the sour stench they previously had, along with a faint smell of blood.
To mask the odor, they had even lit some incense. When Jiang Jin returned to the cellar, she immediately smelled this strange mixture of heavy incense and sour stench.
She could not help but twitch her mouth. How particular of them, lighting incense at a time like this? The main point was how fully stocked the cellar was, to the point of even having incense.
"I brought lunch back. Do you want to eat up there or down here?" Jiang Jin pointed upward.
The three-courtyard estate was not small. If they were truly discovered, they would have enough time to head down to the cellar upon hearing the commotion.
Chen Xi spoke first. "Let's eat upstairs. It will give the cellar a chance to air out this foul air. I feel like I can barely breathe."
So, with Zhou Sui's support, the three men climbed out of the cellar. When they saw the lunch laid out before them, their expressions all showed a hint of shock.
Not only was there chicken and ginseng soup, but also two pan-fried fish, a bowl of meat stew, a bowl of braised vegetables, and spring pancakes.
Several of them could not help but swallow their saliva. They used to eat this kind of food all the time, but now, it felt like ages since their last good meal.
Zhou Sui looked at Jiang Jin. "My lady, how did you bring all this back?"
Jiang Jin smiled flawlessly. "I spent a copper coin to have two little girls help me carry it to a nearby alley, and then I brought it back in trips."
A flash of complexity and guilt crossed Zhou Sui's eyes. "My lady, you have suffered."
Jiang Jin picked up a bowl and served herself some chicken soup. "Serve yourselves."
Zhou Sui quickly said, "Of course. Please, go ahead, my lady."
The group sat on the floor and began to eat. At a time like this, there was no room for formalities.
About half an hour later, only empty plates and pots remained on the ground. Zhou Sui took the initiative to clear away the dishes and chopsticks.
Thinking of their current possessions, they only had the two three-legged cauldrons they confiscated from the escorting soldiers yesterday.
Zhou Sui decided to keep all these utensils. They were simply too poor right now, lacking absolutely everything.
The smell in the cellar had mostly dissipated, so Zhou Sui and the others went back down to get some proper rest and regain their energy.
After disguising the entrance to the cellar, Jiang Jin took a casual stroll around the private courtyard to digest her food.
To her surprise, the private courtyard had quite a few practical items, such as a wooden ladder, and farming tools like hoes, shovels, and pickaxes used for gardening.
After storing everything useful into her spatial inventory, Jiang Jin randomly found a room to take a midday nap.
The reason she did not rest in the cellar with them was, firstly, because the smell was still a bit strange.
Secondly, she had the ability to ensure that even if someone searched the courtyard, she could retreat unscathed.
Furthermore, putting all their eggs in one basket was not safe. It was better to separate; if anything happened, they could still look out for each other.
Although Zhou Sui had not known Jiang Jin for long, he had roughly figured out her style of doing things, so he did not object.
Jiang Jin took out a stack of silk she had collected from the Cao residence from her space, casually spread it on the bed, and lay down on it, but she did not feel sleepy.
She began to tally today's harvest.
Her biggest haul was the unhusked rice and wheat. Combined, the two amounted to 1,340 shi. With one shi equaling 120 jin, that meant she had collected over 160,000 jin of just these two grains alone.
There were also about 101 shi of soybeans, 125 shi of milled rice, and 85 shi of flour.
Then there were the items in the storehouse: 12 strings of copper coins, dozens of gold and silver vessels in total, and about several dozen gold and silver ingots.
Jiang Jin could not help but weigh them on a scale; a single gold ingot was 250 grams.
She did not know if this was Wu Heng's private stash, but either way, it was hers now.
There was also a good amount of silk, satin, and linen, adding up to several hundred bolts.
Due to the technological limitations of this era, the width of these fabrics was quite narrow, generally around 45 to 75 centimeters.
There were also various odds and ends collected from the courtyards, but she could not be bothered to look through them.
Only then did her heart finally settle. Food was paramount to the people, especially during times of war when grain meant life itself. She definitely did not want to live a life not knowing where her next meal would come from.
It was just a pity that she had not collected much cooking oil and salt. But there was no rush; there would certainly be some in the granaries of Jiao Liang.
The people in the cellar were equally sleepless.
After applying medicine and eating, Yao Ji and the other two finally regained some strength. Although their bodies felt exhausted, their spirits were highly stimulated.
Chen Xi was the first to break the silence. Is she really Princess Jinyang?
He had never seen a real princess in his entire life, but no matter how he imagined one, a princess should not be like this.
Zhou Sui remained silent for a long time before replying, Yes.
If he had not traveled the same road with Princess Jinyang and watched her rise up to kill with his own eyes, he would not have believed that this was a noble, pampered princess either.
Xie Nanxiao let out a long sigh. It feels like a dream. I thought I was going to die at the hands of Jiao Zhu, but I never expected...
Pausing for a moment, he added, Not only did the princess save us, but she also brought us lunch. I have never seen a princess like this.
Yao Ji leaned against the wall of the cellar. Why is she so ruthless when killing? Who did she learn her martial arts from?
Zhou Sui fell into another long silence before finally recounting the story of how Jiang Jin grew up in Yinshan Temple.
Xie Nanxiao sighed with emotion. To think that Princess Jinyang is a martial arts prodigy. I feel like I am no match for her. It is just a pity about the eminent monks of Yinshan Temple.
General Zhou, is the princess truly peerless in beauty? Xie Nanxiao blinked, asking curiously.
Yao Ji: ... Little Commander, your focus is entirely wrong.
However, he was also a bit curious; up until now, they had not seen Jiang Jin's true face.
Zhou Sui gave a soft Mm.
Yao Ji was about to speak again when the faint sound of footsteps suddenly came from outside.
......
[Author's Note: The standards of measurement vary in each era. For example, during the Shang Dynasty, one chi was about 16.95 centimeters, and a man's height was about one zhang, hence the term zhang fu for husband/man. During the Qin Dynasty, one chi was about 23.1 centimeters, and in the Northern Wei Dynasty, one chi was about 30.9 centimeters...
During the Qin Dynasty, one jin was 256 grams, during the Wei and Jin Dynasties it was 224 grams, and during the Northern Song Dynasty it was 640 grams...
During the Shang and Zhou Dynasties, one mu was about 184 square meters; during the Qin and Han Dynasties, it was about 461 square meters; and during the Sui and Tang Dynasties, it was about 540 square meters...
To avoid confusion, all measurements in this text are calculated according to modern standards: one chi is 33.33 centimeters, one jin is ten liang or 500 grams, one mu is 666.66 square meters, and one shi is 120 jin.
1000 copper coins = 1 string = 1 tael of silver, and 1 tael of gold equals 10 taels of silver.
This story is set in an alternate history, but it will reference the productivity levels of a certain historical period. This is hereby clarified.]
