Chapter 100: The Market

Zuo Zhengfeng led his guard team and quickly took control of the scene. Tian Mi instructed them not to linger at the spot where the assassins had been.

After administering medicine to Bai Mucheng and confirming that he was unharmed, Tian Mi let out a sigh of relief. She had been shaken by how he rushed in to block that deadly strike—it had truly startled her, and moved her as well.

She glanced at the hidden guards nearby, her gaze darkening.

This person had probably been following her for a long time. Thankfully, she had always been cautious; otherwise, her space might have been exposed by now.

The assassin appeared to be in his teens, dressed entirely in black, with tight-fitting clothes that allowed him to blend in effortlessly. He could easily hide anywhere and go unnoticed.

Bai Mucheng, now recovering, quickly asked Tian Mi, “Are you alright?”

He had truly been scared earlier.

Tian Mi shook her head calmly, “I’m fine. Let’s handle things here quickly. We don’t want to disturb the people passing by.”

It was still early, and the students coming to the academy hadn’t arrived yet. She didn’t want this incident to affect the academy.

The guard team escorted the captured assailants to the Ministry of Justice. Two of the soldiers had died, and two others were injured. Tian Mi felt a pang of pain. Who could want her dead?

The Lin sisters, Xu Feiyan, and Huang Shengying were unharmed. Xu Yunfei had a wound on his arm, while Lin Yixue, skilled in martial arts, had rushed to protect Tian Mi. When an assassin had attacked, Xu Yunfei had blocked the strike meant for Lin Yixue, accidentally getting injured in the process.

Tian Mi instructed people to take Xu Yunfei and the two injured guards back to the mansion to find her uncle for treatment, as he had recently prepared new medicines.

Lin Yixue felt guilty; Xu Yunfei had been hurt saving her, so she accompanied them to the princess’s mansion.

Bai Mucheng dispatched a team to guard the academy and said to Tian Mi, “I will investigate the rest of the matter. Whoever dared to harm you will pay the price!”

Recalling the earlier danger, he furrowed his brow and added, “Next time, you must protect yourself when danger arises. It was too risky earlier, do you understand?”

Tian Mi nodded, “You too. It was too dangerous.”

Bai Mucheng smiled, “I’m your husband; it’s my duty to protect you. Go to the academy now. I’ve sent people to check if it’s safe.”

Tian Mi nodded in agreement.

Xu Feiyan cursed, “Who is the scoundrel who tried to harm us? I swear, if I find out who it is, I’ll make them pay.”

Lin Yuqing remarked, “From the looks of it, it’s likely an assassin group. But don’t worry. Prince Ding will definitely find out who’s behind it.”

The Lin family had just returned from the border, so they were somewhat familiar with Bai Mucheng.

Tian Mi nodded and led everyone to the academy. She had just checked the injuries of the two guards and Xu Yunfei, and luckily, none of the wounds were fatal. However, it was shocking to think someone would go to such lengths to harm her.

She suspected it was the Jia family’s doing, but how could they have known so much about her whereabouts?

After arriving in the capital, Tian Mi had initially hoped to remain more civil, but since someone didn’t want peace, she no longer felt the need to be polite. If she didn’t teach them a lesson, they’d never know how many eyes the King of Horses had!

Qiu Yi ran to the academy, and upon seeing that Tian Mi was unharmed, he let out a relieved sigh.

The academy was a large compound, though the current space was still relatively small since there weren’t many books yet.

Qiu Yi led the way, introducing, “Right now, we only have one study room and one library. The study room was converted from the main hall, so it’s spacious and well-lit.”

Tian Mi glanced around. The size was adequate for the purpose, with three rows of desks. Each row could seat two people. It reminded her of the library at her university, though it was still a far cry from that. For this era, such a place was already quite good.

In such a large space, it was likely to be freezing cold in winter!

Xu Feiyan and Lin Yuqing seemed pleased with the environment and immediately rushed to the first row of seats, their excitement palpable. It was as though they were the ones starting school.

They looked up and saw two rows of large characters on the wall. They read aloud:

“The responsibility of scholars: To establish the heart for heaven and earth, to establish life for the people, to inherit the learning of past sages, and to open peace for future generations.”

The playful expressions on their faces immediately faded, and their attitudes became more serious.

Perhaps the students who would copy books here in the future would feel the same way.

Qiu Yi continued to guide Tian Mi around the surroundings. Just next door was the library, connected by a door. Inside, there were rows of bookshelves, though there weren’t many books yet. One bookshelf was fully stocked, filled with books for the imperial examinations, which Tian Mi had bought from outside. The current collection of books was still quite small.

Qiu Yi said, “Princess, when we have more books, we can convert the adjacent room into a proper library. We can also turn the back hall into a copy room. There are many rooms here, and it has great potential.”

Qiu Yi was reliable in his work and had made excellent arrangements, which Tian Mi praised him for.

She instructed him to continue with his tasks, as the students who would copy books would be arriving soon.

Tian Mi took some time to walk through the garden. It was indeed large, and in the future, the lotus flowers could enter and exit the back yard without causing any disruption.

She thought back to the common people she had seen on North Street yesterday. When studying history, her teacher had once said that each winter, the common people went through a great trial.

At the time, it was just a saying, but now, seeing it firsthand, it felt much more profound.

Often, when we only read about things, it’s hard to fully grasp their significance. She remembered how her teacher had said that during great famines, the common people sometimes resorted to eating their own children. At the time, no one reacted, as if it was just a normal occurrence.

Her teacher had taken a deep breath and asked, “Do you know what these four words mean?”

The students had no immediate response, so he explained, “It means, I am starving, I have a son, but I can’t bear to eat him. My neighbor has a son too, and he can’t bear to eat him either. So, I give my son to him, and he gives his son to me.”

Only then did the students gasp in horror, realizing just how much pain and sorrow those simple four words encompassed. No one would willingly exchange their own child for food unless they were in an extreme situation.

Tian Mi thought about going to the market to see what the common people ate and wore. She wondered if she could create some job opportunities for them.

After the recent assassination attempt, Bai Mucheng had strengthened the security measures, so Tian Mi went out with no issues. However, for safety, she disguised herself, darkening her brows, changing her skin tone and lip color, and transformed into a scholarly appearance before climbing over the wall and leaving the mansion.

The hidden guards followed her closely.

First, Tian Mi visited a grain and oil shop. She learned that there were many types of grains in this era, including sorghum and soybeans, which were considered staple foods. Even chestnuts were used as food, all of which were considered poor people’s grains. Wealthy people ate wheat flour, white rice, and glutinous rice. The white rice was refined, and both white and glutinous rice were prohibitively expensive. The locals were accustomed to eating wheat-based foods, so rice was only eaten on special occasions, while early rice from the south was rare.

This was strange. Back in Qinghe County, the common people ate rice, so why was it different here?

The shopkeeper explained that the early rice from the south was expensive compared to the mixed grains, and the common people couldn’t afford it. The rich didn’t consider it either, as they were accustomed to eating wheat-based food in this region.

It made sense now—everything was quite reasonable.

Tian Mi noticed that sesame was the most expensive item in the shop. It was not something ordinary people could afford.

Walnuts were also expensive, but there were two kinds: shelled walnuts, which were more expensive, and unshelled walnuts, which were much cheaper due to their small kernels and thick shells.

There was also plant oil, but it was used mainly for lighting and was very expensive.

Tian Mi asked the shopkeeper if there was any edible plant oil. The shopkeeper confirmed that wealthy people consumed sesame oil, which was very expensive, but he didn’t carry any in his shop.

She then headed toward the northern market, where many common people were selling eggs, wild fruits, and radishes and soybeans. Eggs were easy to sell, as many people were asking to buy them. However, the other items were less in demand.

Tian Mi observed that the wild fruits included wild kiwis, wild grapes, and chestnuts, but there weren’t many buyers.

In her mind, a plan started to form.

It seemed that it was possible to create some job opportunities after all.