CHAPTER 544: CHAPTER 544 SPENDING MONEY

Su Jin didn’t know how to respond to Lady Chi.

Xingxing stared at her with wide eyes.

See?

Indeed, people shouldn’t lie.

How embarrassing it is when someone exposes your lie.

But Su Jin was only embarrassed for a moment before she sold out the Prince.

"That jade pendant belongs to Young Master Zhao from Nanliang, the son of Prime Minister Zhao," Su Jin replied.

"I originally planned to return it to him, but who knew that after Prime Minister Zhao got into trouble, Young Master Zhao hurriedly returned to Nanliang."

"Then... the Prince took the jade pendant away."

Lady Chi felt a storm of emotions surge within her.

The jade pendant belongs to the son of Prime Minister Zhao?!

Su Jin was unaware that Lady Chi’s shock was due to Zhao Xu.

She assumed it was because of the Prince.

Though surprised, Lady Chi refrained from saying more, so Su Jin didn’t explain in detail.

Moreover, the hour was late, so Su Jin took her leave.

Eager to relay what she’d learned to Xie Jingchen, the more Su Jin hurried, the more she couldn’t return.

Just as she left Qingqiu Garden, a maid approached, saying, "Heiress, the Commandery Princess requests you visit Peony Garden."

Su Jin silently rolled her eyes upward.

At Peony Garden, inside.

Princess Nanzhang was sipping tea.

Su Jin entered, bowed respectfully, and asked, "Mother, for what reason have you summoned me?"

Princess Nanzhang lifted her eyelids and glanced at Su Jin.

"You went to Qingqiu Garden again?" Her tone carried displeasure.

Su Jin nodded lightly.

She couldn’t refute the facts.

Princess Nanzhang placed the tea cup on the small table with a heavy hand, speaking coldly, "Even if the Prince never valued Lady Chi, she is still his concubine."

"As the Heiress, associating so closely with a concubine given to the Prince by Nanliang, are you not afraid of losing your status?!"

Su Jin couldn’t refute this point either.

"I just empathize with her," Su Jin said.

Princess Nanzhang laughed.

"Empathy?"

"There are countless people more pitiful than Lady Chi. Even if her appearance is ruined, and she’s mute, she does not worry about food or clothes."

"This drought left many disaster victims without a grain to cook. You’re so compassionate; how much do you plan to donate to those victims?" Princess Nanzhang mocked.

Su Jin looked at Princess Nanzhang, blinking her eyes, and said, "Mother, do you think donating twenty thousand taels would be appropriate?"

Su Jin smiled.

After all, those silver notes were squeezed out from you.

Donating them doesn’t hurt.

While it didn’t bother Su Jin, it pained Princess Nanzhang.

Originally meant to mock Su Jin, she was instead stumped by Su Jin’s response.

Twenty thousand taels, could she say it was too little?

If it seemed too little, then she should generously donate more.

If it seemed too much, it showed how compassionate a person is!

The atmosphere in the room became awkward.

The maid, seeing Princess Nanzhang left in a difficult position, exited and quickly re-entered, saying, "Commandery Princess, I have something to report."

Princess Nanzhang waved her hand, signaling Su Jin to leave.

As Su Jin turned to depart, Princess Nanzhang slammed her hand on the small table.

"She’s really generous!" she gritted her teeth.

"Isn’t all her money conned from me!"

Mrs. Zhao hurriedly calmed Princess Nanzhang and changed the subject, saying, "Commandery Princess, isn’t the Empress just worried she lacks the chance to get back at Consort Li?"

"Isn’t now the perfect opportunity?" Mrs. Zhao proposed.

Princess Nanzhang looked at Mrs. Zhao, "What opportunity?"

"The drought," Mrs. Zhao smiled.

"If Consort Li requires the hundred officials’ wives to donate for disaster relief, she’s sure to anger them."

Princess Nanzhang’s eyes lit up with a touch of a smile.

"That’s a good idea."

...

Agarwood Pavilion, backyard.

Xie Jingchen sat at his desk, lost in thought.

Su Jin entered and handed him the painting.

Xie Jingchen looked at her, "Lady Chi doesn’t recognize the person in the painting?"

"See for yourself," Su Jin pushed the painting forward again.

Su Jin couldn’t vocalize such heart-wrenching words as ’executing nine generations.’

Therefore, she included Lady Chi’s handwritten note with the painting.

Xie Jingchen needed calm, so Su Jin left the bamboo house.

Xingxing looked back with each step.

After leaving the bamboo house, Su Jin stood by the lake, gazing into the distance.

Xingxing thought of Lu Qiao watering the flowers, though she didn’t grow flowers, she planted a cactus.

Cacti don’t need frequent watering, but with a little water, they’ll grow better.

Xingxing couldn’t stay idle.

If she stayed idle, she’d want to sneak a peek at the young master’s expression.

Xingxing fetched a bucket and carried two buckets of water towards the wall.

A Hidden Guard came over, "Let me carry it."

Xingxing snorted loudly through her nose.

She bypassed the Hidden Guard and moved forward.

The Hidden Guard, with his hand outstretched, looked awkward no matter how one looked at him.

What exactly had he done to offend the Heiress’s maid?

He had specifically bought her osmanthus cake on his way out, but she hadn’t even glanced at it.

This was not at all like the personality of this maid.

Normally, when she saw food, her eyes would gleam with excitement.

The Hidden Guard turned to watch as Xingxing set the two buckets of water by the wall.

She grabbed a dipper and poured water at the base of the cacti.

Every cactus received just a little water.

A dipper of water caused the soil to scatter, revealing a small spot of white.

The color was so strikingly familiar, it was Silver.

Xingxing quickly squatted down and dug out a silver ingot from the soil.

A full two taels.

The feeling of finding money couldn’t be better.

Xingxing, in high spirits, ran to Su Jin with the silver ingot, saying, "Miss, I found two taels of silver in the cactus patch."

"You can find money in a cactus patch?" Su Jin was surprised.

Xingxing nodded quickly, "I don’t know who dropped it."

"There’s no name on the silver, can it be mine?" Xingxing asked earnestly.

"...."

Su Jin couldn’t help but laugh.

This maid has a complex about picking up things.

"It’s yours," Su Jin said.

Xingxing wiped the silver ingot clean with a cloth, saying, "Money found must be spent immediately, or else you’ll lose more."

"I’m off to spend it," she said.

Without waiting for Su Jin to agree, the maid turned and ran off.

Su Jin was speechless.

It’s the first time she’s seen Xingxing spending money without frowning.

Very soon Xingxing returned.

In her hands were large and small packages filled with food.

Su Jin was amazed at the purchasing power of that two taels of silver.

Money without inflation is truly valuable.

But Xingxing approached Su Jin and said, pouting, "I couldn’t spend the money."

Su Jin, "...."

"Then these snacks?" Su Jin asked.

"The main kitchen gave them to me," Xingxing said.

"When I tried to pay, the housekeeper of the main kitchen nearly knelt before me."

"I said not to accept money was unnecessary, but the more I refused, the more they gave me, and on the way, two packets of cakes even fell."

....

Su Jin was both amused and exasperated.

Xingxing was her maid, and the most trusted one at that, with a notorious fierceness. When buying food from the main kitchen, how could the housekeeper dare to take her money?

She probably trembled just seeing Xingxing.

She would be happy if Xingxing visited less often, even if it meant the main kitchen bore more expenses.

You have to say, Su Jin truly understood the mind of the main kitchen’s housekeeper.

Beyond the usual allotment, anyone wanting better food could pay the main kitchen to make it, which was the tacit rule in the residence.

When Xingxing ran to buy food with money, the housekeeper seeing the silver ingot was simply dumbfounded.

This was so unusual.

The Heiress’s maid never lacked food.

There had to be something fishy about this money.

The housekeeper feared accepting two taels and losing twenty taels later.

So she packed a bunch of food to send Xingxing away, still worried, asking a maid, "Why did she spend money to buy food?"