Chapter 8: Taking the Dowry Too! No Benefits for the Dog Emperor!

If the original princess’s bedroom was the most valuable treasure trove in the entire Qin Palace, then her personal vault was a supersized treasure pavilion!

As soon as Sheng Nanxi swept her flashlight across the storage room, she was nearly blinded by the dazzling array of rare treasures filling the space!

According to the novel’s plot, when the Southern Qi Kingdom was newly founded, its borders were frequently invaded by neighboring nations. At that time, the only capable general they could rely on was Sheng Jinghai.

To ensure his dedication to war efforts, the emperor rewarded the Qin Palace with all sorts of precious items.

Naturally, all these treasures ended up in the hands of the original princess, who was adored by her entire family.

Moreover, her maternal family, a prestigious scholarly household for generations, frequently sent her gifts over the years. Her older brothers also brought back rare and valuable items whenever they came across them.

As a result, her personal vault, spanning over 200 square meters, was packed to the brim with priceless treasures!

Imperial rewards like gold-inlaid jade hairpins, jade bangles, pearls the size of dragon eyes, ruby hair ornaments, and luxurious silks and satins…

Piled up in crates, as if bought in wholesale!

Her eldest brother gifted her a white jade chessboard, a gold-and-jade interlocking puzzle, a purple jade tea set, a jade Buddha statue, and various famous calligraphy and paintings…

Her second brother, a wealthy merchant, sent her massive golden ingots, boxes of thumb-sized cat’s eye stones, rubies, sapphires, and amethysts…

Her third brother, a well-known playboy in the capital, had various masters carve jade rabbits, jade cabbages, jade crickets, and jade sieves for her…

Her fourth brother, an adventurer who roamed the martial world, brought back rare illustrated books, peculiar hidden weapons, mechanical traps, and both poisons and tonics…

Her youngest brother, a young general, gifted her all sorts of exquisite swords, crossbows, bows, and shields, as well as helmets, armor, and cloaks tailored for a little girl…

…

She had so many treasures that even the royal princes of Southern Qi would weep with envy!

After all, no matter how wealthy the royal family was, their inheritance was divided among dozens of children. There wasn’t a single family in the entire capital that pampered a little princess as much as the Qin household.

Sheng Nanxi didn’t even bother taking inventory. She simply raised her small hands and swept across everything.

Every single treasure—along with the chests, shelves, cleaning dusters, and cloths—was stored away in her spatial dimension!

Even then, she wasn’t satisfied. With another wave of her hand, she took the white marble floor tiles, the gold dust and mineral pigments from the murals, and even the cheap gemstones decorating the ceiling beams.

Not leaving a single thing for the dog emperor!

She glanced around at what was now an almost empty vault. Then, with familiarity, she pressed a certain spot on the northern wall and quickly stepped aside.

Sure enough, the next second, the floor where she had just been standing suddenly shifted, revealing a narrow underground passage.

If she hadn’t dodged in time, she might have tumbled straight down like a little ball!

The dim passage sloped downward, with massive luminous pearls hanging every few steps.

Sheng Nanxi tried stretching out her chubby little legs but soon realized that the steps were too high for a three-year-old toddler like her to descend properly.

She didn’t hesitate. With a thought, she teleported directly into the hidden chamber using her spatial ability.

“Hiss—”

Even someone as worldly as Sheng Nanxi couldn’t help but gasp at the sight before her.

Bright red chests were stacked so tightly in the 500-square-meter secret chamber that there was barely any space left!

These were the eighty-eight dowry chests that the Qin Prince and Princess Consort had prepared for the original princess!

As the old saying goes, “Parents plan far ahead for their children.”

From the moment the original princess was born, the Qin Prince and his consort, who had always longed for a daughter, began preparing her dowry.

Sheng Nanxi casually opened a few of the front-row chests for a look—and immediately took several sharp breaths in shock.

Just the property deeds for estates in the capital, its outskirts, and various provinces filled an entire large red chest.

Another massive chest was packed with the indenture contracts of maidservants, senior attendants, bodyguards, hidden guards, and carriage drivers.

Gold platters, silver bowls, silver chopsticks, agate wine cups—entire crates of luxurious tableware.

Beyond that, there were also top-quality silks and brocades, scholarly supplies, musical instruments, jade artifacts, porcelain wares…

The sheer abundance of treasures left her dazzled, unable to take it all in at once.

Although Sheng Nanxi had been a formidable figure in her past life, the apocalypse had led to the collapse of civilization, causing many cultural and artistic traditions to be lost.

Now, seeing such an overwhelming collection of finely crafted “artifacts” laid out before her, she couldn’t help but feel a small shock in her heart.

According to the novel’s original plot, this dowry was originally stored in the grand treasury. However, in the past two years, to avoid drawing attention, the Qin household had hidden this immense fortune within a secret chamber.

Even under constant suspicion and jealousy from the royal family, the Qin Prince and his consort never intended to withhold a single piece of their daughter’s dowry. Their plan had always been to display half of it publicly and secretly hand her the other half.

Their love for the original princess clearly ran deep—down to their very bones.

Even Sheng Nanxi, who had hardened her heart in the apocalypse, couldn’t help but be moved by the Qin Prince and Princess Consort’s devotion.

She inwardly cursed the original princess for being blind to true kindness, forsaking her loving parents and brothers to mingle with the scheming Second Household.

But it didn’t matter. Now that she had inherited the original princess’s body and fortune, she would make sure to care for the family that truly loved her!

With that thought, Sheng Nanxi no longer hesitated—she immediately began sweeping through the vast Qin Palace, collecting everything!

Her eldest brother’s private vault, study, and treasure pavilion—collected!

Her second brother’s accounting office, private gold stash, and the granaries filled with unsold rice, flour, tea, and spices—collected!

Her third brother’s prized collection of exotic birds, fish, and insects, his custom polo mallets, leather balls, dice, and even the custom gold-inlaid jade undergarment he hadn’t yet delivered to the top courtesan at Cuixiang Pavilion—collected!

Everything belonging to her fourth and fifth brothers—collected!

While her brothers’ private vaults weren’t as extravagant as her own, Sheng Nanxi upheld one principle: not leaving a single thing for the dog emperor!

So she looted them all clean.

Her tiny figure flitted across the palace courtyards, moving swiftly and deftly to evade the hidden guards’ eyes.

But in the next moment, just as Sheng Nanxi landed on a rooftop, she suddenly heard her mother’s panicked cry—

“Mother Consort! Mother Consort, what’s wrong? Wake up! Qinger, call for the palace physician, quickly!”