Just Point Me in the Right Direction!

Princess Jing'an and Princess Ningyuan will definitely be staying in the palace today.

Zhou Wanwan led a group of people into the village. The crops in the village had already been harvested, and all the grain had been stored in the granary.

Zhou Wanwan looked at the granaries and said:

"This year is a bumper harvest, it's great! Let's move everything."

They also took all the fruit trees, vegetables, chickens, ducks, fish, and geese, leaving nothing behind.

Transport them all back to our village, preferably to some remote, secluded ones.

Those people work very quickly and are already very professional.

Zhou Wanwan laughed, "They were so smug today, I wonder if they'll like this gift."

They received more than thirty estates from the eldest princess, and they still have forty or fifty in their own possession.

Royal princesses are treated quite well; several of them own royal estates.

Overnight, they looted all the estates.

Zhou Wanwan also looted their family's warehouses, shops, money exchange, and grain store.

Unexpectedly, these two princesses were secretly lending money at exorbitant interest rates. Isn't that knowingly breaking the law?

Zhou Wanwan looked at the money and said, "Confiscate it all."

After finishing, Zhou Wanwan finally returned home, and could finally get a good night's sleep.

Princess Jing'an and Princess Ningyuan did not return home until after breakfast the next day.

As soon as the two stepped out of the palace gate, they saw the Grand Eunuch waiting for them at the entrance.

Princess Jing'an looked at him and said, "No, what are you doing waiting here at the door so early in the morning?"

The head steward wiped the sweat from his brow and said, "Princess, something terrible has happened! Your entire estate has been moved!"

Princess Ningyuan looked at the head eunuch and asked, "Won't my estate be moved too?"

The head steward nodded and then shook his head, saying, "Not only was the estate moved, but all the chickens, ducks, fish, and geese are gone, as are your shops and your warehouses."

Princess Ningyuan fainted Lili.

Princess Jing'an shouted, "Take me to the estate! What's going on?"

Their carriage headed towards the village.

All of these estates were replaced with connected ones. The princess's estates couldn't be scattered here and there; they were almost all adjacent to each other, making them easier to manage.

The two princesses rushed to their estate, only to find it completely empty except for a wall.

Even the houses in the village are gone.

The two women were furious. Princess Jing'an roared, "What beast! What beast cleaned my house so thoroughly?"

They went around in one go, and all the books, along with the chickens, ducks, and geese, disappeared overnight.

The headman walked over shakily and said:

"Your Highness, not only are these livestock gone, but even the fish in the river have been caught and there isn't a single one left."

These people aren't bandits, they're practically monsters!

Both princesses fainted.

The Empress Dowager was sitting in the palace, drinking tea and watching a play.

Last night, she really didn't want to live anymore.

But thinking about it, I've worked so hard to get to this point, and to die like this is just too much to bear.

In addition, she had never been favored by the late emperor, so she felt even more lonely and restless.

She was indeed embarrassed to talk about what happened yesterday, but today she suddenly understood.

She looked at the men who had been selected and said, "These are all young and strong men, not bad, not bad."

Old Madam Zhou sat down beside her and said:

"You've finally come to your senses. I don't think there's anything I can't come to my senses about."

"If men can have so many women, then why can't we women have so many men?"

The Empress Dowager smiled and said, "Can we really do this? What if someone finds out?"

Old Madam Zhou rolled her eyes and said:

"Everyone saw what happened yesterday clearly, but who dares to tell anyone?"

Aren't these people still very respectful to you?

The Empress Dowager smiled and said, "Indeed, which one do you prefer?"

Old Madam Zhou looked around and pointed to two, saying, "I want these two."

The Empress Dowager chuckled and also chose two.

Having power and influence is certainly good; these men are first-rate at serving others.

They were all trained. The Empress Dowager looked at Old Madam Zhou and said, "Old sister, if only I had met you sooner! I wouldn't have to spend all day chanting Buddhist prayers, it's so boring, hahaha..."

Old Madam Zhou looked at her and said, "Life is short, only a few decades. I think we should enjoy ourselves while we can."

The Empress Dowager nodded repeatedly, and the relationship between the two grew even closer.

When she left the palace, the Empress Dowager rewarded Old Madam Zhou with a large amount of gold and silver jewelry.

Old Madam Zhou, supporting her aching back, said, "Alas! I'm getting old, I'm no longer useful. These past few days have been exhausting."

She actually thought life in the palace was as blissful as being in paradise; she wished every day could be like that!

But no matter how happy she was, she had to leave the palace; she couldn't stay there for several days.

Old Madam Zhou returned home, Old Man Zhou looked at her and said, "You look radiant! What were you doing in the palace?"

Old Madam Zhou sat on the stool, glaring at him, and said, "What can I do? Of course, I'll keep the Empress Dowager company. If I didn't, would she have rewarded me with so many good things?"

Looking at the pile of gold and silver treasures, Old Man Zhou swallowed hard and said, "The Empress Dowager treats you quite well."

"Of course, I saved her life. If she's not good to me, who is she good to?"

Looking at the silver, Old Man Zhou couldn't help but ask, "Can I take one?"

Old Madam Zhou took out twenty taels of silver from the bag and said, "Here you go, but don't spend it recklessly!"

Old Man Zhou took the silver and said, "Why would I waste it?"

They were overjoyed, and the Empress Dowager was beaming with happiness; the young man was indeed very charming.

She was still immersed in the joyful atmosphere when a palace maid rushed in and said, "Your Majesty, something terrible has happened! The two princesses' farms were found to have been completely looted this morning."

The Empress Dowager's face changed drastically. "What did you say? What do you mean by 'the farm was completely looted'?"

The palace servant recounted the entire story, saying, "The two princesses have inspected all the estates, and dozens of them are completely barren."

The Empress Dowager angrily said:

"This is outrageous! Go and summon the Minister of the Court of Judicial Review to the estate and have him investigate this thoroughly."

This matter is so serious; if he's unwilling to investigate, he might as well resign as Minister of the Court of Judicial Review.

But after searching for a long time, they couldn't find any clues at all.

The Minister of the Court of Judicial Review twitched his lips and said:

"This is too abnormal. Dozens of villages disappeared overnight. Do you think this is normal?"

Chen Ankang, you definitely know who did it, so please show me the way!

Chen Ankang said helplessly, "I can't point it out. If you could find even a single footprint, I could trace it back, but there's absolutely no clue!"

Where is Chen Ankang not pointed out?

He dared not point!