The real and fake heiresses

After getting the alchemist settled, Jiang Nuan returned to the Imperial Palace.

She had been worrying about what to do with her trunk. The things inside did not belong to this era, and she would be in serious trouble if anyone discovered them. Luckily, Guagua had gained a small storage space of ten cubic meters after upgrading, so she put the trunk inside.

Nowhere was safer than the system's storage space.

After a busy day, Jiang Nuan fell into a deep sleep.

Rest was always brief and blissful. When Jiang Nuan was dragged out of bed before dawn the next morning, her resentment nearly pierced the heavens.

Even when she followed Jiang Yunsheng into court, she was still grumbling inwardly.

[This is way too early! I don't understand why morning court has to start so early. Even someone like me who lives in the Imperial Palace can't get out of bed. Those ministers who live far away have to rush here for court—I can't even imagine how early they have to get up.]

[I thought eight a.m. classes were already unbearable, but now it's five a.m. This is practically killing me.]

[Actually, scientifically speaking, nine a.m. would be the most reasonable time to hold court.]

The ministers who lived far away grew teary-eyed when they heard Jiang Nuan's thoughts. The Ninth Princess understood them! It took them nearly two hours to get here from their homes, so they had to set out terribly early every time.

Was nine a.m. the most scientifically sound time to hold court? Hearing Jiang Nuan's thoughts, Jiang Yunsheng began to ponder.

"Your Majesty, this subject has a matter to report! Your Majesty, since ancient times, there has never been a precedent for a princess attending court! The Ninth Princess is merely a young child who cannot even recognize all her characters. Wouldn't having her attend court make a laughingstock of us?"

Jiang Nuan had been waiting for a minister to object to her attending court, but no one had spoken up for quite some time. Just when she thought there was no hope, someone stepped forward.

Not only Jiang Nuan, but the other ministers were surprised as well. There was actually such a brave soul among them? They all turned to look.

Oh, it was An Laiyun, the Minister of the Ministry of Rites. He had been absent for the past two days and knew nothing of the Ninth Princess's formidable abilities.

Some ministers even instinctively felt around in their pockets, hoping to pull out some sunflower seeds.

[An Laiyun, the Minister of the Ministry of Rites? Why do I remember the Minister of the Ministry of Rites being someone else? Oh, right! I remember now! Two years from now, his entire family dies in a fire. No wonder I barely remember him!]

Once he stepped forward, Jiang Nuan instinctively wanted to dig into his juicy secrets.

An Laiyun's eyes widened. After an Imperial Physician nearby took him through the familiar calming routine, he accepted the fact that he could hear Jiang Nuan's thoughts.

[Let me dig into his juicy secrets. Guagua, go!]

[Yes, host! Guagua has just added a new feature, too. Take a look!]

A rectangular screen appeared in front of Jiang Nuan, displaying several chibi figures with bodies only three heads tall. On closer inspection, one of them bore some resemblance to An Laiyun.

[Host, host! When An Laiyun's youngest daughter was born, the midwife switched her with another baby! She was abandoned deep in the remote mountains, where a peasant woman found her and took her home.]

[The midwife originally intended to keep the secret forever, but lately, her youngest son has had a persistent high fever. After she invited a diviner to examine him, he said her sins were bringing retribution upon her son. To cleanse herself of those sins, she told An Laiyun and his wife what had happened.]

[They immediately brought their youngest daughter home. But on one side was the refined young lady they had painstakingly raised, and on the other was their uncouth daughter who had grown up in the countryside. The scales in their hearts began to tip.]

[While living in the countryside, the real heiress not only suffered constant bullying, but also had to do all the household chores at a very young age. She couldn't even get enough to eat. How could she possibly have learned all those rules of etiquette?]

[Besides, the fake heiress was sweet-tongued and knew how to charm people. She also frequently framed the real heiress, until everyone came to despise her.]

As Guagua spoke, the little figures on the screen began to move, clearly reenacting the events of the time.

Some ministers could not bear to watch the weak, pitiful, helpless real heiress. The minister's household was wealthy and powerful. Even if they could not hold the scales level, surely there was no need to mistreat their own flesh and blood like this.

An Laiyun was furious. Xue'er was nothing like that. This was a lie!

He tried to argue, but could not utter a word. Only after he gave up trying to speak did he slowly recover.

After experiencing something so uncanny, An Laiyun still looked shaken, and he began to question whether the story might be true.

[Then what happened with the fire afterward? Did their enemies set it?]

Jiang Nuan was deeply concerned about the fire. Her heart ached for the real heiress, and she felt it would be terribly unfair if the girl had been caught up in it.

[The fire was actually an accident. After the fake heiress framed her yet again, the real heiress was nearly beaten to death with clubs. Although she didn't actually die, she was left barely alive, and the fake heiress even refused to let a doctor treat her.]

[In the end, driven to despair, the real heiress chose to burn herself to death. But the flames grew out of control and burned down the entire minister's estate. Apart from the eldest son, who was away traveling to further his studies, everyone in the An family died.]

[So that's what happened! They deserved it, then! Their favoritism knew no bounds! It's just a shame the real heiress lost her life because of it.]

[No, no, the real heiress didn't die. She still had a breath left in her and was saved by a passing night watchman. He thought she was a maid who had been punished for doing something wrong at the estate. Almost everyone in the An household had died, and the maids had been dismissed.]

[The night watchman had no children, so he simply took the real heiress as his daughter. Later, when her adoptive father became gravely ill, she went into business to earn money. In just three years, she became Great Xia's foremost businesswoman.]

[Later, when foreign enemies invaded and there wasn't enough money to pay the troops, she donated a full thirty million taels of silver, giving away almost her entire fortune. Sadly, she couldn't turn back the raging tide, and Great Xia still fell in the end.]

Guagua spoke with some regret.

As Jiang Nuan watched the little female figure sitting atop a mountain of silver on the screen, her eyes practically glowed green.

Thirty million taels of silver!

And she had donated it as casually as handing over a candied fruit skewer!

What an incredible talent!

Jiang Nuan gazed at her, her eyes brimming with desire.

She had plenty of money-making ideas in her head, but no suitable person to manage them for her. Hadn't that person just appeared?

She was not the only one. When Jiang Yunsheng heard that the real heiress had donated thirty million taels of silver to Great Xia, he was thrilled as well. That was several years' worth of Great Xia's tax revenue!

Moreover, her willingness to donate it showed that she felt a strong sense of belonging to Great Xia. Where else could he find someone so patriotic and wealthy?

The ministers began entertaining ideas of their own, too.

If the real heiress could become Great Xia's richest businesswoman without power, influence, or starting capital, how much silver could she ultimately earn with their family resources and their help paving the way?

They could not even imagine the answer. They only felt as though silver were raining from the heavens!

Perhaps they could arrange a marriage alliance?