Chapter 108: Brother and Sister Get Greedy for Money

Di Zian didn’t reply.

Ah Bao’s eyes were glued to the box of gold ingots.

She even forgot to keep munching her sunflower seeds.

She just kept drooling.

[Brother, look! Gold! So shiny, so pretty!]

Di Zian: I see it, little sister, I’m not blind. I can see it clearly.

He smiled foolishly, as if he had never seen money before.

Seeing the siblings’ silence, the Prime Minister quietly instructed the steward. The steward quickly brought out another small box.

What the Prime Minister didn’t realize was that the siblings were both dazzled by money.

They were, after all, are prince and a princess. How much gold and silver had they not seen before?

Why would they be interested in such a small amount of gold and silver?

This time, the box didn’t contain gold ingots.

It was filled with silver banknotes!

The Prime Minister, trembling, handed the small box to Di Zian, “Seventh Prince, Tenth Princess, this is all I have. I’ve brought out everything from the Prime Minister’s residence.”

“Of course, he’s quite shrewd as well.

He definitely kept a small portion aside as a dowry for Xuan’er in the future. That simply can’t be touched!

Even if the heavens themselves came down, he wouldn’t take that out.

He’d rather suffer himself than let these two children suffer.

‘Now there’s truly nothing left, Your Highness, Princess, even if you ask for more, there isn’t any.’

Di Zian cleared his throat, ‘Ahem, alright then. Sister, do you think this will suffice?’

Ah Bao kept a straight face, trying hard to suppress her laughter.

She had to hold it in!

She absolutely had to hold it in!

‘[It’s enough, it’s enough, leave some for the old Prime Minister to live on.]’

‘Oh, Princess,’ the old Prime Minister, seeing the princess’s pouty face, felt a bit guilty.

‘Ha, no need to send any gifts,’ Ah Bao waved her small hand.

The old Prime Minister: ‘…’

Things had already reached this point. If he didn’t send some sort of gift, it would seem he didn’t understand social niceties.

The old Prime Minister immediately ordered someone to bring a gold lock.

Ah Bao’s eyes widened.

‘[What a big gold lock!]’

‘No, no…’ Ah Bao quickly swallowed her saliva.

The old Prime Minister shivered and hurriedly hung the gold lock around Ah Bao’s neck, ‘Princess, this is a little meeting gift from this old minister, please accept it with a smile.’

Ah Bao giggled with a look of utter delight.

‘[Accept with a smile! Of course, I’ll accept it with a smile!]’

‘[The old Prime Minister really knows how to get things done.]’

Di Zian’s mouth twitched. This large gold lock must have cost the old Prime Minister several years’ worth of his salary.

Oh, you two siblings are happy, but as for me… I might end up crying,’ the old Prime Minister said with a worried expression.

Ah Bao was still immersed in the joy of receiving the gold lock.

‘[Sister Lan is blessed with the koi fortune. The Prime Minister’s residence will have great luck in the future and will definitely flourish.]’

‘[Although Lan Moxiu’s legs are crippled and he’s been poisoned, with Sister Lan around, it’s definitely not a problem.]’

‘[Lan Moxiu’s recovery is just around the corner.]’

Di Zian quickly reassured him, ‘Prime Minister, there’s something I feel I must tell you, but in my opinion, it would be best to keep it confidential.’

‘Please, Your Highness, do tell.’

‘I once met Taoist Baiyun, and he mentioned that Lan Yixuan has a noble fate. Once she turns fifteen, her fortune will manifest and change. I believe today it has come to pass.’

He couldn’t reveal that all of this was due to Ah Bao.

He had to attribute it to Taoist Baiyun instead.

The Taoist had a high reputation among officials.

‘Lan Jinjing’s so-called koi fortune is nothing but an illusion. It’s Lan Yixuan who truly deserves her fate.’

The old Prime Minister noticed a glimmer of light in Di Zian’s eyes as he looked at Lan Yixuan.

Being experienced, he immediately guessed the prince’s feelings.

But he also knew his own daughter. He feared that the Seventh Prince’s affections might be misplaced.

Lan Yixuan may seem gentle on the outside, but she was strong-willed. If she didn’t like someone, even if forced, she would never change her mind.

‘Of course, if you don’t believe me, Prime Minister, you can invite Taoist Baiyun to take a look at Lan Yixuan’s fate and offer some guidance.’

The old Prime Minister shook his head, ‘I believe you. Even if Xuan’er didn’t have good fortune, she’s still my daughter. I’ve never cared about that.’

The only reason he kept Lan Jinjing in the residence before was not because of her supposed good luck, but because of the father-daughter bond built over the years.

‘Indeed. If you truly believed in fate, you wouldn’t have brought Lan Yixuan into the house in the first place. You’ve actually been a pretty good father, worried about Lan Yixuan causing trouble outside, so you kept her confined, not wanting her to leave the house, right?’

Hearing Di Zian’s words, Lan Yixuan was taken aback.

The old Prime Minister, however, was afraid Di Zian might say more and expose his intentions. ‘Your Highness, Princess, don’t you both have many things to attend to? I won’t keep you any longer, go take care of your important matters.’

Lan Yixuan watched the backs of Di Zian and Ah Bao as they left, a thoughtful expression crossing her face.

Why… did she feel like her luck had been switched?

…

After leaving the Right Prime Minister’s residence, Di Zian pulled out a list from his sleeve.

He glanced at it.

The officials on this list were all from extremely wealthy families.

‘Sister, should we go to Granduncle’s house next?’ Di Zian pointed to a name on the list.

The Tiansheng Dynasty had three imperial uncles.

They were the Queen Mother’s brothers.

Among them, the Granduncle’s residence was the most prominent.

The Granduncle’s Residence.

‘Master, Master, the Tenth Princess has come to see you,’ the butler hurriedly reported.

The Granduncle, who was sitting in a pavilion watching young courtesans dance, was taken aback.

He straightened up, his large belly jiggling, ‘Ahem, has the Emperor gone mad?

During court, he holds the Tenth Princess, and now after court, he sends a baby to collect donations. He really thinks the Tenth Princess is a divine being. Did you find out where the Tenth Princess came from?’

‘The Right Prime Minister’s residence.’

‘Haha, the Right Prime Minister’s residence, huh? I know a bit about Prime Minister Lan’s wife.

Madam Yang is known as a miser who wouldn’t part with a single cent. For the Tenth Princess and the Seventh Prince to dare visit the Right Prime Minister’s residence for donations…’

‘Did they come out crying?’ The Granduncle asked with a chuckle.

Prime Minister Lan had a good temper.

But Madam Yang was not someone to mess with.

The butler replied timidly, ‘They did come out crying, but it wasn’t the Seventh Prince and Tenth Princess. It was Madam Yang and Lan Jinjing.’

The Granduncle shot up from his seat!

‘Who did you say?’

Prime Minister Lan was known to be extremely fond of his wife.

He hadn’t taken a single concubine in all his years as an official.

‘She can no longer be called Madam Yang, she’s now called Green Lotus. Master, you wouldn’t believe it, but the whole street is buzzing with the news,’ the butler said, explaining everything to the Granduncle in detail.”

“I’m not in the mood to deal with other people’s matters right now. Since the Tenth Princess is here, let her come in. She’s just a child, so prepare some snacks for her and let her eat and leave. Just say I’m busy here and can’t meet guests. You handle it.”

With the Granduncle’s order, the butler took action.

Ah Bao was at the gate of the residence, gulping milk from her fat cup.

The butler brought out a plate of snacks.

Ah Bao’s eyes lit up.