Zanying spent half a day wandering the marketplace, meeting her mother’s former shopkeepers.

That night, she slept soundly.

The next morning, as usual, she first went to the main courtyard to see Elder Consort Xi.

The old lady could now consume some nourishing foods like soft jujube cakes and duck soup, but having suffered greatly before and being elderly, she was still too weak to leave her bed.

Consort Xi was sometimes muddled, sometimes lucid.

When confused, she did not know where she was.

Apart from occasionally calling out the names of the late emperor and King Shu, she mainly called for Zanying.

After settling the consort’s breakfast and having her own meal, Zanying went to the side courtyard to find Manager Du.

She remembered from her past life that not long after her coming-of-age ceremony in the palace, Empress Yu began scheming to seize the Tang family’s wealth.

The first urgent matter was the construction of a new palace for the emperor’s fiftieth birthday, which required the Tang family’s money to fill the deficit.

Even when she was lying on her bed, barely clinging to life, they could still speak sweet words to deceive her.

She had been truly foolish then, naively believing that writing that letter would allow her to see Uncle Du.

Outside the gray walls, the faint sound of a morning bell echoed from a distant temple. Zanying lowered her long lashes, her profile calm and composed.

As she and Chun Jin stepped through the decorative archway, they entered a courtyard designated for receiving goods.

The courtyard was crowded with rows of large red boxes stacked as high as a person, leaving only a few narrow paths between them.

Clerks from various departments were holding ledgers, tallying the accounts, and the final checks were nearly complete.

Manager Du, with his hands clasped over his slightly protruding belly, stood on the steps, sighing as he watched the activity inside and outside the hall.

“Oh, young lady, what brings you here?” Upon seeing Zanying, Manager Du hurried down the steps, weaving through the towering stacks of red boxes to reach her. “It’s a mess here, nowhere to stand. If you needed anything, you could’ve just sent A-Ren to call me.”

“It’s nothing, I just wanted to take a look.” Zanying had noticed Uncle Du sighing earlier. “Is something troubling you?”

“It’s not really trouble, just some nostalgia seeing all these things at once.” Manager Du smiled wryly, gesturing for her to walk with him. “You know, young lady, back then, when I collaborated with the Grand Marshal to try to take you out of the city, we offended the royal family. After our plans failed and you were sent back to the palace, they pretended to let my mistake slide, but deep down, I always feared that His Majesty and the Empress would hold grudges and take it out on you. So over the years, the tributes I sent to the palace were like Han Xin deploying troops—more and more, regardless of quantity, just to ensure you were treated well. But now…”

Now, the young lady was still mistreated by the Crown Prince, who annulled their engagement and expelled her from the palace.

Zanying’s insistence on settling accounts with the royal family made Manager Du wary.

Perhaps other injustices had occurred within the palace, forcing the young lady to break ties with the royal household.

But since she wouldn’t speak of it, Manager Du could only feel heartache.

Fortunately, now the young lady was out, and all the property had returned to its rightful owner.

Otherwise, all these resources, enough to sustain a small nation, would have been wasted in an unrelated palace.

As a businessman, he would feel the loss keenly.

Zanying asked, “Is everything accounted for?”

Manager Du stroked his beard and nodded. “No major discrepancies.”

He then glanced around and lowered his voice, “The young lady is truly bold. You said five days, and it was done in five days. The palace likely feared a scandal that could shake the foundation of the Eastern Palace, and perhaps they also feared the Grand Marshal’s influence, so they didn’t dare default. However…”

Zanying tilted her head. “The palace eunuchs are not behaving?”

Having spent many years in the palace, she knew all too well about the opportunistic, greedy eunuchs who sought personal gain.

Manager Du was surprised by her insight, but he nodded.

After some hesitation, he spoke softly, “Young lady, don’t be alarmed by what I’m about to say. I heard that last night, a steward from the Inner Court hanged himself.”

Zanying’s steps paused slightly.

Manager Du quickly added, “Young lady, don’t let this trouble you; it has nothing to do with us. The pressure from above was intense, and those below were too greedy, unable to cover their deficits.”

“Over the years, many prominent palace eunuchs have frequently come to Tang’s businesses to extort money. In the past, I gave freely, considering your presence in the palace. These accounts, I never officially recorded. First, there was no proper ledger, and second, if pushed, those scoundrels would at most sacrifice themselves—it wouldn’t be worth it. It’s better to wield both kindness and power, using them to gather palace intelligence. They fear the Tang family might expose their weaknesses with just a word, so they naturally serve obediently.”

Zanying slowly nodded, “Your method of dealing with them is very good. Uncle Du is thoughtful.”

Then she asked, “Uncle Du, in your opinion, how significant are these assets to the palace’s Inner Court?”

Manager Du squinted his eyes. “The kingdom is in ruins; it’s a severe injury to the royal treasury.”

Zanying asked, “And for the Tang family, what does it mean?”

Manager Du smiled slyly, showing a rare unguarded side before Zanying, and winked at her. “A drop in the bucket.”

Zanying smiled, her eyes sparkling with a bright gleam. “Uncle, at the beginning of the year, the royal family started building a palace in the northern part of Leyou Garden. Did they approach the Tang family?”

Manager Du was a bit surprised that the young lady would bring this up.

He nodded and said, “Indeed, the Grand Chamberlain of Xianyang Palace had hinted to the Tang family that the funds for the palace would come from the Tang family, supposedly as a gesture of filial piety from the Crown Prince and the Crown Princess to His Majesty. The Ministry of Revenue would just handle it on paper. Once you, young lady, had completed your coming-of-age ceremony and officially married the Crown Prince, the Tang family would take full responsibility.”

He sneered, “They had it all planned out, but naturally, it’s not going to happen now.”

As they spoke, they reached the eastern hall.

Zanying invited Manager Du inside, and the master and servant removed their shoes and took their seats, sitting across from each other at a table.

Zanying sat upright, composed, and asked, “Uncle, given that the Inner Court’s treasury is nearly empty, if they wish to build the palace, do you think they will use money from the national treasury?”

Hearing this, Manager Du glanced at her, his expression becoming more serious.

After a moment of contemplation, he said, “I am just a commoner and dare not comment on court matters. However, the Northern Dynasty’s desire to swallow Jin is unwavering, and wars frequently occur in the Huai North region, causing military expenditures to fall short year after year. In the Three Wu regions, summer and autumn floods have also been frequent, so the national treasury is unlikely to be full.

“Constructing a palace for His Majesty is well understood by those in the court—it’s funded by external wealth, not public funds. That’s why the Censorate and the Ministry of Revenue have been quiet about it. If someone were to propose using the national treasury, the Minister of Revenue, who controls the money, would be the first to object.”

Manager Du was always open with the young lady, revealing many hidden powers and dynamics.

These complex matters were not something Zanying could easily grasp by just thinking.

She listened intently, but digesting it all was still challenging.

She furrowed her brows slightly, mulling over each point carefully.

After a long pause, she slowly spoke, “If that path is blocked… Uncle, yesterday in the marketplace, I overheard my uncles talking about past events. They mentioned our dynasty’s commercial tax, which applies to everything sold—houses, servants, horses, and various goods. Official transactions with documents, for example, incur a tax of 400 coins on a sale of 10,000 coins, with the seller paying 300 coins and the buyer 100, called ‘official tax.’ Unofficial sales without documents are similarly taxed at four percent, called ‘unofficial tax.’

“When my mother took charge of the Tang family, she believed that the tariffs were too heavy and unfair to merchants, so she negotiated with the court to reduce the tax to three percent, known as ‘equal tax.’ To ensure the court wouldn’t suffer losses, all Tang family goods passing through checkpoints paid an additional one and a half percent tax. Is that correct? In this case, with finances tight, would the court consider raising taxes to fund the palace construction?”

Manager Du listened quietly, his surprise at the young lady turning into a sense of wonder.

He knew best how naive and sheltered the young lady had been when she first left the palace—like a blank sheet of paper.

She probably didn’t even know what taxes were, let alone complex concepts like official and unofficial taxes.

He had been with her the entire time yesterday, and although the shopkeepers had chatted, none had explained things as thoroughly as the young lady had just laid out.

Most of these thoughts must have been her own deductions.

She likely even stayed up late reading the books left by her father and uncle; otherwise, how else would there be faint shadows under her eyes?

Pride mixed with a tinge of sorrow filled Manager Du’s heart.

The Tang family wasn’t without support; they had loyal old comrades like him holding things together outside.

It shouldn’t have fallen on the young lady to endure such hardship.

But seeing the light of ambition in the girl’s eyes, he couldn’t bear to let her down, so he said, “Your concerns are valid, young lady. However, increasing taxes involves many factors and requires careful consideration. Moreover, the Northern Dynasty watches us closely; a nationwide tax increase would be seen as an admission of an empty treasury, inviting trouble. In my humble opinion, unless the treasury is utterly depleted, it is unlikely in the short term.”

Zanying nodded thoughtfully, showing a hint of embarrassment. “I was too simplistic in my thinking.”

Her throat was slightly hoarse as she lifted the peppermint tea on the table, sipping gently from the rim like a kitten, slowly soothing her throat.

This relaxed gesture carried an innocent and endearing quality.

Manager Du felt a surge of affection and was about to comfort her, but then he heard the young girl, her head bowed, eyes hidden beneath her bangs, say softly:

“Then this is easy to handle. Uncle, please contact the royal merchants funding the palace construction and have them cease all supplies.”

Manager Du was startled.

At that moment, Manager Du suddenly understood what the young lady intended to do.

His eyes gleamed sharply as he sat up straight.

“Young lady wants to push the Empress into a corner?”

“Mm.” Zanying nodded nonchalantly, counting on her fingers with a soft, gentle tone. “The national treasury cannot be touched, the funds from the royal merchants cannot be accessed, the private treasury is empty, and the Yu family is no more. Given Lady Yu’s disposition, she’ll look around and eventually see me as an easy target, a soft persimmon she can still try to squeeze.”

She needed to give them a chance to come to her, after all.

Putting down her cup, Zanying turned and asked her attendant, “Any movements from the Fu household?”

Chunjin, who had been keeping track of this matter, was prepared for the young lady’s question and promptly replied, “Ever since that day, Madam Fu fell ill upon returning home and has yet to recover. Fu Zhongshu has requested to resign from his position, and it’s said that His Majesty did not try to retain him. Now he is neither dismissed nor reassigned, just left in limbo. Fu Dalang has been demoted by three ranks, from Doctor of the Five Classics to an advisor, but he still holds a position at the Imperial Academy.”

Zanying wasn’t concerned about whether Madam Qiu was ill or whether those people were still officials.

She only asked, “Have they visited the elders of the Fu family’s various branches?”

Chunjin shook her head, and Zanying said, “Send someone to remind them. If Madam Qiu can’t move, there are still others in the Fu family with long legs. Ten days will pass in the blink of an eye; if they wait for me to visit them, it will be an entirely different story.”

Chunjin agreed.

Manager Du listened with mixed feelings, covering his face with his sleeve as he smiled bitterly. “Young lady, you should learn a little less from Ah Ren.”

But under the narrow sleeve, tears glistened.

He felt heartache for the young lady, who had grown so quickly and forcefully in such a short time.

It didn’t have to be this way; she didn’t have to push herself so hard. After returning home, she should have been carefree and untroubled.

Manager Du dared not lower his sleeve and, pretending to wipe sweat, spoke in a lighthearted tone.

“In the future, no matter the matter, young lady only needs to give us orders. You shouldn’t have to deal with all of this on your own.”

Zanying looked at him in surprise.

The next moment, her delicate brows and eyes blossomed into a gentle smile, with dimples appearing softly at the corners of her lips.

“Uncle Du, being a sheltered girl with nothing to worry about, living a life of three meals a day and peaceful sleep—it may be nice, but I don’t want that.”

“I want to see the sky outside for myself, to walk the roads of the world on my own, to hold my own umbrella in the rain. I want to, just once, be myself.”

Manager Du forgot to hide his emotions as he slowly lowered his sleeve, meeting those bright, sunlit eyes.

He was deeply moved.

After a moment, he, too, smiled.

“I understand. I will gladly serve as your protector, young lady.”

Manager Du had deliberately left a way out for those greedy palace eunuchs, and it worked.

There were indeed many opportunistic individuals among the palace staff, and it wasn’t long before a message was relayed:

The Empress had been frequently summoning Lady Xiao Yu to the palace in recent days.

Over in Xianyang Palace, Lady Xiao Yu was still brooding over how Xie Xin’s outrageous behavior at their home had cost them a good marriage alliance with the Liu family.

Hearing her elder sister’s words, she was taken aback and said in surprise:

“What? You want our Yu’er to marry that Fu Zanying? How could that be possible?”

“Silence.” Empress Yu, who never liked Lady Xiao Yu’s habit of overreacting, frowned and said, “A great opportunity has come to your family, and yet you look down on it?”

“Your Majesty, that’s not what I meant.” Lady Xiao Yu’s eyes darted back and forth. “Everyone knows that this Fu girl has always been the Crown Prince’s person. Even if there have been some recent disputes, how can our Ah Yu, who’s so unworthy, hope to replace her?”