This all started when Lin Yuxin passed by their carriage earlier.

As she was heading toward the city gate, she happened to pass by their carriage and stopped in her tracks. \

She thought to herself that since these officials were already here, it would be a waste if they didn’t do something useful.

So, she called them down from the carriage.

Except for Liu Hongbo, who was suffering from heatstroke, the rest of them reluctantly got off.

“Your Highness, we haven’t even entered the city yet! Why did you call us down?”

Wang Feng saluted and asked, his tone carrying a hint of disdain.

Lin Yuxin ignored him and instead looked at everyone else with a smile.

“Gentlemen, since His Majesty has sent you here with me to solve problems, you can’t just sit back and do nothing, right?”

“Your Highness, you must be joking. We haven’t even entered the city yet—how could we start working?”

Lu Feng asked in confusion.

[Has this princess been locked away in her chambers for too long? Does she not understand how things work in reality? Does she think this is some kind of sightseeing trip?]

“Lord Lu is absolutely right. We haven’t even gotten into the city yet. Right now, refugees are blocking the entrance, and the guards at the gate won’t just let us in for no reason. So, gentlemen, do you have any suggestions for how we might get through? I’d love to hear them!”

Lin Yuxin asked playfully, her tone humble as if she were sincerely seeking advice.

“Well… can’t we just reveal our identities and walk right in?”

Shao Chongshan asked in confusion.

“Hah! I didn’t expect you gentlemen to be so naive. Go ahead, try it! See if those guards let you in. Better yet, see if the commoners will allow it!”

Lin Yuxin chuckled, looking at the officials with amusement.

[No wonder His Majesty often gets headaches dealing with these fools! So that’s where the emperor’s headaches in the original novel came from?]

“What do you mean, Your Highness? Please enlighten us!”

Wang Feng’s expression shifted slightly. He then bowed and asked Lin Yuxin.

“Heh, at least there’s one smart person among you this time!”

Lin Yuxin’s playful smile faded, and she gave Wang Feng a cold glance.

[This man is too shrewd. He’s not simple—I need to be careful around him.]

“Your Highness, what do you mean by that?”

Lu Feng was displeased.

Was she implying that the rest of them were fools?

“Lord Lu, no need to get worked up. Calm down. What I mean is, since His Majesty has already sent you all here, we cannot be stopped by something as trivial as a city gate. As long as you cooperate with me, I promise to get us inside.”

Lin Yuxin got straight to the point. She simply wanted them to stay out of her way.

She still hadn’t figured out which faction these officials belonged to, and the last thing she needed was for them to stab her in the back before she even got through the city gate. That would be a massive failure.

And thus, the earlier scene had unfolded.

..

The official at the gate glanced back and forth between Lu Feng and Lin Yuxin before asking,

“Who are these people?”

“Oh, they’re just my family’s servants. They often accompany my father on business trips, so they have some experience.”

Lin Yuxin responded smoothly without even blinking.

Wang Feng and the others: …?

[Your Highness, do you even hear what you’re saying? Us, dignified officials, reduced to being your servants?!]

“Alright then. Ten taels per person!”

The official, seeing that they were merely merchants, felt reassured. Merchants always had money—this was an easy profit. He was secretly pleased.

“Officer, it’s not that we don’t want to pay, but we have quite a large group. Could you offer us a discount? Maybe reduce the fee a little?”

Lin Yuxin smiled politely, looking like she was open to negotiation.

“How many people are there?”

The official squinted at her, figuring that a merchant’s entourage wouldn’t be too large—maybe a dozen or so. Losing a few coins in the bargain wouldn’t matter.

“A little over a hundred!”

Lin Yuxin declared proudly.

“You said how many?!”

The official’s eyes widened in shock.

[Over a hundred people? This can’t be an ordinary merchant caravan!]

The higher-ups had already warned them to be on the lookout for anyone from the capital, fearing an imperial inspector might arrive.

“Over a hundred! My father has always doted on me. He didn’t want me to suffer on the journey, so he sent a large group to protect me. Plus, my father is wealthy and worried about bandits, so having more people makes me feel safer. Officer, tell me—how much for all of them?”

Lin Yuxin saw the doubt in the official’s eyes and quickly explained.

Gu Qing: Your Highness… I don’t have any money. My pockets are emptier than my face!

The official clearly didn’t believe her, but the thought of such a large group entering the city excited him.

Ten taels per person.

A hundred people meant a thousand taels of silver!

That would definitely please his superior.

Blinded by greed, he stopped asking questions and said,

“Fine. If you want to enter, pay one thousand taels of silver. I’ll even waive the small change for you.”

[A thousand taels? What a blatant rip-off! He even said he’d waive the ‘small change’? Looks like I’ll have to make sure we actually have a hundred people to get our money’s worth.]

“Heh, no problem! Father, pay up!”

Lin Yuxin grinned at Gu Qing.

“Your Highness, I don’t have any silver!”

Gu Qing panicked. Was she seriously expecting him to pay?!

“If you don’t have any, surely the other lords do? Can’t you all pool together?”

Lin Yuxin whispered, her tone full of mischief.

[You thought I didn’t know you were badmouthing me the whole way here? Think again! Time for you to bleed a little!]

“I have nothing!”

“Neither do I!”

“Me neither!”

The officials all denied having any money.

“Fine then! If you gentlemen refuse to support my work, we’ll just sit here and wait. If the drought isn’t resolved, we can’t return to the capital. If we can’t return to the capital, we can’t enter Jibei City either.”

“Oh dear, does that mean we’ll have to sleep on the streets? Oh, but I don’t mind! I grew up in the countryside, so roughing it outside is no problem for me. I just wonder if you lords will manage?”

“And the weather is so hot. No water, no food… no baths, either.”

Lin Yuxin sighed dramatically, then suddenly sniffed the air near them and wrinkled her nose.

“Yikes, you all stink! If you don’t wash soon, you’ll be fully marinated!”

She even fanned her hand near her nose in mock disgust.

The officials were furious but had no retort.

Their faces flushed red, and they struggled to suppress their frustration because… she wasn’t wrong.

Since they were assigned to this mission, they couldn’t just sit around and do nothing.

If Lin Yuxin reported their inaction to the emperor, they’d be doomed.

And why didn’t they make her pay?

Because she was the imperial inspector, a mere noble lady.

What real power did she have?

She could talk all she wanted, but when it came to actual governance, could they really rely on a woman?

But now, they were stuck. Like it or not, they would have to cough up the silver!