Chapter 102: Nightly Visit to the Jia Residence

Bai Mucheng changed the subject, saying, “The ones who hired the assassin today were the Chen family. I’ve already had their entire household thrown into prison. The assassination organization, Hui Feng Pavilion, is a Jianghu group. Their headquarters is somewhere in the Qinling Mountains, though its precise location is unclear. They’ve been around for decades and are quite formidable.”

Tian Mi didn’t respond.

After dinner, Chun Yi came rushing in, her face brimming with excitement. “Princess, the limited-edition sales of Rouge Smile today sold out completely! This morning, many people came to look, but few bought anything. Just as you instructed, we offered free makeup trials to demonstrate the products. At first, the noblewomen hesitated to let others apply makeup to them in public, but fortunately, Miss Lin from the second household arrived and let our people try it on her. Haha! Once her look was complete, the products were snatched up in no time!

“I followed your orders and limited purchases to one set per person, with only twenty sets available daily. By the afternoon, these ladies were bringing their maids to learn how to use the products. The results were amazing!”

Tian Mi smiled. “Lin Yuqing is always bold and forward-thinking. From now on, leave Rouge Smile to Qiu Wu to manage. You’re needed here at the residence.”

Chun Yi happily nodded in agreement. Tian Mi had saved some roujiamo and stew for her, and the treat delighted her to no end.

Later that evening, Qiu Yi arrived, and Tian Mi handed him two designs—one for a standardized wooden cart and the other for a portable double-burner stove. She instructed him to have fifty of each made.

Afterward, Tian Mi summoned Yanzu to play for a while before discreetly storing him away in her space.

---

Meanwhile, Bai Mucheng was still pondering why Tian Mi was so adamant about not having shadow guards follow her. Today’s events had demonstrated the precariousness of the situation. Without Qi’s timely warning, things could have turned dire. He acknowledged her strength, but even she couldn’t fend off multiple attackers alone. No one was invincible.

However, Tian Mi valued her space ability too much to risk its exposure. Having people shadow her would only create endless complications.

Later, when Bai Mucheng tried to discuss the dangers of the capital with Tian Mi, urging her to remain cautious, she was nowhere to be found. Instead, a note was left on the table:

---

Out handling something. Don’t worry.

—Tian Mi

---

Bai Mucheng immediately summoned his shadow guards, only to learn that all three had remained at their posts. This meant no one had followed her.

Panic surged through him. The helplessness of losing track of her, like a kite with a severed string, was deeply unsettling.

“Where did the princess go?” he demanded.

The guards were equally perplexed. Qi explained, “Your Highness, the princess returned to her room. After that, we didn’t see her leave.”

Bai Mucheng searched the room again, realizing Tian Mi was proving a point: he couldn’t protect her, nor could he keep tabs on her. He took out his bamboo whistle to summon Yanzu, but no matter how he blew, the fox failed to appear—she’d even taken Yanzu with her.

“Could she have gone to the Jia residence?” he murmured to himself before donning black clothing and heading there.

---

Bai Mucheng’s guess was correct. Tian Mi was already on her way to the Jia residence, using her space ability to arrive silently.

The Jia family was currently under heavy scrutiny, needing something to shift the public’s attention. However, today’s assassination attempt had been orchestrated by the Chen family, one of their pawns. To cut off the problem at its root, Tian Mi decided to confront the Jia family directly.

Arriving early, she rested in her space while monitoring the situation. To her surprise, Bai Mucheng arrived shortly after, his face filled with worry. She watched as he mimicked a bird call, creating a specific rhythm that summoned a shadow guard from the darkness.

“Greetings, Your Highness,” the guard said, bowing.

“Has anything unusual happened at the Jia residence?”

“Replying to Your Highness, everything is normal.”

Tian Mi hadn’t anticipated that Bai Mucheng had stationed someone to keep watch over the Jia family. She wondered how many households in the capital were under his surveillance. No wonder the emperor and crown prince had relied on marriage alliances to stabilize the court before his arrival. With Bai Mucheng’s return, the political landscape had been completely upended.

Bai Mucheng instructed the guard to remain vigilant before disappearing into the shadows himself.

He continued circling the perimeter of the Jia Manor, while Tian Mi quietly followed, discovering that he had stationed at least seven surveillance points around the estate.

“Oh, come on! The meat on the table is right here!”

“And I’m eating it first! Heh heh heh!”

Seeing his anxious expression, Tian Mi felt a twinge of guilt but knew this was the only way. If he didn’t withdraw his shadow guards, her secret would eventually be exposed. Her spatial ability was her trump card, and she wasn’t willing to let anyone know about it.

Bai Mucheng eventually left, unable to locate her and forced to return to wait for news.

“You damned fatty! Where did you go this time?”

Tian Mi set an alarm and decided to take a nap before dealing with the Jia Manor later that night.

At precisely 10:30 PM, the alarm went off. She crawled off her soft, cozy bed, splashed her face with water, and drank some spirit spring water to refresh herself. Afterward, she applied makeup, transforming into a rugged, thick-browed, sharp-eyed warrior.

Finding a dark, secluded spot, she scaled the wall into the Jia Manor. The estate was massive and luxurious, adorned with pavilions, towers, and intricately designed structures. Even though her own estate was quite large, the Jia Manor was easily more than twice its size.

Even this late at night, there were still guards patrolling. Tian Mi entered from a remote corner where there were rock gardens and pavilions. She quietly released Yanzu from her space.

Yanzu, still groggy, grumbled, “Huh? Who am I? Where is this? Wasn’t I just asleep?”

It quickly snapped out of its daze. Tian Mi instructed it to scout for any signs of people.

Silent as a shadow, Yanzu flew into the sky. Tian Mi simply tracked its movements to determine where people were stationed and how many there were. Any area still guarded this late at night was bound to hold her target.

Soon enough, she picked up an unpleasant smell as she approached a distant part of the manor. Following the stench, she discovered a row of small, low-built houses. It turned out that even in this secluded spot, the Jia Manor kept pigs, sheep, and geese, and in significant numbers too.

“Well, what’s the hesitation? It’s not like I’m here to be picky about the loot. I’ll take it all!”

Moving on, she crossed a patch of forest until she caught the distinct scent of horses. Ahead lay a row of stables, and outside the stables was a small hut where someone appeared to be sleeping.

Tian Mi approached and injected the sleeper with a sedative, ensuring he wouldn’t wake until noon the next day. She then stowed all the horses away into her space—about a dozen of them. In this era, these were undeniably valuable assets.

Thanks to training sessions with Nanny Xiao, Tian Mi had gained insights into the workings of wealthy households. Large families often didn’t split up for several generations, and their primary financial repository, called the central treasury, was a treasure trove. The person managing it held considerable power, often making it a central battleground in household disputes.

Such treasury rooms were typically divided into several sections, each with its own guards.

Tian Mi initially planned to clean out the entire Jia Manor but soon realized it was too vast to accomplish. If she could loot the central treasury and a few private storerooms, that would already be her limit. Simply navigating the estate was exhausting.

Observing the treasury area, Tian Mi realized she’d first need to deal with the patrol teams. If they discovered anything amiss, it would spell trouble.

The Jia Manor had three patrol teams, each comprising ten people. Fortunately, the three teams rarely converged on the same location.

Tian Mi set up a recording device with playback capabilities in a rock garden cave. She played suggestive moaning sounds from the device and laced the area with a sleep-inducing incense. Then, she hid in her space, watching from the entrance.

The patrol team, hearing the embarrassing noises, grew visibly excited. Eyes gleaming, they eagerly crowded into the cave. And that was the end of them—Tian Mi swept them all into her space.

Her spatial ability had a range limit. If too many people spread out, she couldn’t collect them all at once, which posed a safety risk. As long as she could gather them together, however, the rest was straightforward.

Using the same method, Tian Mi lured each patrol team to isolated areas and captured them all.

Following Yanzu’s guidance, she finally reached the treasury. Four guards were stationed outside—two at the courtyard gate and two at the treasury door. They weren’t far apart, making it easy for Tian Mi to flash-step close and silently capture them in her space.

As for the treasury door, Tian Mi smirked. Without hesitation, she kicked it open with a mighty blow, holding the door handle to muffle the sound of the door hitting the ground.

The sheer force of her kick was immensely satisfying.