Minister Shen looked utterly wronged.
He had never skimped on spending money for his youngest daughter. In fact, he gave her more pocket money than his eldest son and second daughter.
But there was no keeping up with how lavishly his youngest daughter spent!
No matter how much pocket money he gave her, she always managed to spend every last coin.
Shen Yuxi asked, [Where does the Qingzhou county magistrate keep his wealth?]
[The Qingzhou county magistrate is very clever. He invested most of his wealth in fixed assets-restaurants, teahouses, residences, and farmland-and hid the rest in a secret chamber built underground.]
[Opening the chamber requires two keys. One is hidden in a concealed compartment beneath the chair in his study, and the other is hidden in his dog's kennel.]
[Good grief. Who could ever find that?]
The system said, [The people of Qingzhou have nothing to eat, while the Qingzhou county magistrate hides at home feasting on meat and fish, delicacies from the mountains and seas.]
[Host, if you expose the Qingzhou county magistrate's crimes, the old emperor might be pleased enough to promote you.]
[As if I care about that.]
Uninterested, Shen Yuxi rolled her eyes and said, [If His Majesty really wants to reward me, he should give me gold, silver, and jewels instead. Nothing is as tangible as money.]
[But I am rather interested in the Qingzhou county magistrate's precious little fortune.]
Shen Yuxi rubbed her hands together, itching to get started.
[Leave this splendid opportunity to earn merit to me.]
Minister Shen covered his face. Daughter, you mustn't entertain thoughts like that.
Fortunately, His Majesty did not hold it against her.
"Your Majesty!"
Shen Yuxi suddenly called out excitedly, startling Emperor Xuanzhao into a shudder.
"Do you have something to say, my dear Minister Shen?" Emperor Xuanzhao asked, despite knowing the answer.
Shen Yuxi nodded. "Your Majesty, I wish to go to Qingzhou. Please grant me permission."
"The epidemic in Qingzhou is severe. It is not suitable for you to go. I will select someone more suitable."
At that, Shen Yuxi thought, How could that possibly do?
No one but her knew the Qingzhou county magistrate's secret.
"I have some knowledge of medicine and can better assist the imperial physicians in treating the sick. Moreover, I am confident I can keep myself from contracting the epidemic."
"If Your Majesty sends another official who then contracts the epidemic and loses his life, the loss would outweigh the gain."
Emperor Xuanzhao sank into thought.
He hesitated over whether to grant Shen Yuxi's request.
"Father, I am willing to accompany Lord Little Shen."
The moment Mo Xuanchen spoke, he drew everyone's attention.
Emperor Xuanzhao froze for a moment, his gaze moving between Mo Xuanchen and Shen Yuxi.
To be honest, from the bottom of his heart, he did not want his son risking himself in Qingzhou.
But Emperor Xuanzhao knew his son's temperament even better. Once he decided on something, even nine oxen could not drag him back.
Even without his permission, Mo Xuanchen would go.
After a long silence, Emperor Xuanzhao sighed softly and compromised.
"Granted!"
[Host, aren't you happy the fourth prince is going with you?]
Shen Yuxi felt glum. [With the fourth prince around, how am I supposed to earn merit? He'll be watching my every move.]
Mo Xuanchen: She found me a nuisance.
[Oh, host, look on the bright side. Fighting alone, you'd have a hard time getting close to the Qingzhou county magistrate. With Mo Xuanchen, it's different. He can cover for you.]
[Then it'll be much easier for you to search the Qingzhou county magistrate's residence for evidence.]
The system had considered everything and reassured her, [If you go alone, there's no guarantee the Qingzhou county magistrate won't leap over the wall like a desperate dog. With Mo Xuanchen there, he certainly won't dare entertain any crooked schemes.]
[Just think of it as being assigned a bodyguard, host.]
What was a bodyguard?
Hearing the unfamiliar term, everyone had question marks over their heads.
Their departure was set for the following day.
When word spread that Shen Yuxi was going to Qingzhou, Madam Shen nearly fainted.
With both hands over her head, Shen Yuxi curled pitifully into a corner, her lips pursed as though she had suffered the greatest injustice in the world.
Before her stood Madam Shen, who kept taking deep breaths to calm herself, Minister Shen, who was busy soothing his wife, and Shen Shiyan and Shen Tinglan, their faces full of worry and anxiety.
Shen Tinglan said angrily, "Little sister, how could you decide on something so important without discussing it with us?"
Shen Shiyan's brows were tightly furrowed. "An epidemic is raging through Qingzhou. How could we feel at ease with you going alone? If anything were to happen..."
"Big brother, quick, spit three times! Don't say anything unlucky."
Shen Yuxi silently listened to her family's scolding. Already in the wrong, she dared even less to make a sound.
She curled up even tighter.
"My dear, don't be angry, don't be angry. Don't make yourself ill over this little brat."
"It's all your fault!"
Madam Shen's eyes reddened with anger. "Xi'er is foolish, but are you stupid too? Why didn't you stop her then?"
Minister Shen felt terribly wronged.
"Mother, not only did Father not stop me, but when His Majesty asked him, he even said to leave everything to His Majesty's judgment," Shen Yuxi interjected.
She tried to redirect the fire toward her father.
Minister Shen: "..."
Wasn't that because I heard your thoughts and knew you were determined to go?
"You shut your mouth. You're the one who gives me the most worry."
Madam Shen said angrily, "Can't you learn from your elder brother and second sister and give your mother a little peace of mind?"
After that scolding from her mother, Shen Yuxi obediently shut her mouth.
"Mother, since His Majesty ordered the fourth prince to accompany our little sister, he must be making thorough preparations."
Otherwise, given how much His Majesty doted on the fourth prince, he would never have agreed to let him go along.
"That's right, Mother. Little sister has more clever tricks than anyone. She must be confident she can protect herself to have volunteered."
Thinking of the system their youngest daughter and little sister possessed, they finally found some comfort.
Madam Shen looked at her youngest daughter, who was huddled like a quail, and felt both angry and helpless.
"Why aren't you saying anything now? Have you realized your mistake?"
Realized her mistake?
That was impossible.
Shen Yuxi blurted out, "You told me to shut my mouth."
How would she dare make a sound?
Madam Shen: "..."
She was so angry her heart and liver ached.
The matter was already settled. No amount of worry or anger would help.
They hurried to use the evening to prepare everything Shen Yuxi would need, along with food.
When a child journeys a thousand miles, the mother worries.
Shen Yuxi was a picky eater. With the rigors of travel, Madam Shen worried that her youngest daughter would eat poorly on top of sleeping poorly.
So she prepared plenty of food that was easy to carry.
It was all packed into the carriage.
Early the next morning, Shen Yuxi had only just woken when Mo Xuanchen's carriage was already waiting outside the Shen residence's main gates.
Shen Yuxi was so sleepy she could not open her eyes. As she dressed and washed, she let Liuying handle her like a rag doll the entire time.
Only when she stepped outside did a gust of cold wind make her shiver.
Shen Yuxi immediately felt much more awake.
After boarding the carriage and waving goodbye to her family, Shen Yuxi sat inside the jolting carriage without a trace of sleepiness, her eyes wide and round.
Why?
Because some wire in Mo Xuanchen's head had apparently crossed. Rather than ride in his spacious, luxurious carriage, he insisted on squeezing into hers.
"Your Highness, men and women should avoid improper contact. Several of our colleagues are watching, too. You'll make people misunderstand," Shen Yuxi said quietly.
The two of them were not traveling alone. Several imperial physicians from the Imperial Medical Academy were also coming, with five thousand imperial guards escorting them.
Mo Xuanchen thought nothing of it, his expression calm. "We're merely sharing a carriage. If they insist on misunderstanding, that only shows their thoughts are filthy."