Volume One, Chapter 13: The True Heiress Is a Powerhouse 13
“An! Qian! Qian!”
Si Chengnian spat out these words through clenched teeth.
He knew it all along—there was no goodwill here. An Qianqian was clearly after his body!!!
An Qianqian pressed her lips tightly upon seeing this.
She hadn’t bought it.
Really, she hadn’t!
Before Si Chengnian could get angrier, An Qianqian swiftly pulled the quilt over him, covering his entire body, then hurried back to the mansion.
[Host, are you feeling shy?]
“Nonsense!”
“I’m not!”
“You must be seeing things.”
An Qianqian lay straight on her own bed, wide awake.
It seemed she still couldn’t sleep too much during the day, or else she would be sleepless at night.
“System, Si Chengnian hasn’t said what his wish is. Does that mean I’ll never complete my task?”
[Uh… yes.]
“That’s not reasonable. What if he has no wishes in this lifetime?”
[No, host. In every world, there must be someone who makes a wish, which is why we can come here. Si Chengnian hasn’t told you his wish yet, probably because he doesn’t trust you enough.]
“Then how do I earn his trust?”
[From my years of reading novels and gossip, the way to gain someone’s trust is to be kind to them.]
“How do I be kind to someone?”
[Spend money on him?]
“Alright, let’s do that!”
The next day.
An Qianqian had just eaten breakfast when Chun Tang began to discuss the day’s schedule.
“Miss, the brocade pavilion will deliver the clothes for tomorrow’s recognition banquet.”
An Qianqian suddenly remembered she also had a reward for her task—clothing.
Yet, the system hadn’t given her that clothing yet.
“System, where’s my last reward?”
[Host, it will be delivered today, rest assured.]
“Looks like you’ve planned this quite well. That’s good.”
An Qianqian recalled the medicine she sent to Si Chengnian last night and asked Chun Tang with some doubt, “I told you to buy medicine to strengthen a man’s body. What did you buy?”
“Miss, I went to the Rongchun Hall and told the shopkeeper I wanted premium medicine to bolster a man’s health. The shopkeeper laughed and said he guaranteed it was just right, then wrapped up a bunch of rare items and said they were sure to work.”
She scratched her head, a bit annoyed.
“I didn’t look closely at what exactly it was. The shopkeeper told me to check after returning, but I got busy and forgot.”
Great…
A mix-up.
An Qianqian rubbed her forehead. “Go again today, and this time look carefully. Buy medicine that can strengthen someone weak…”
After saying that, she felt like she was making things worse.
“Forget it, I’ll go myself.”
[Detected host’s purchasing intent. As a spendthrift system, how can I not support all your decisions? Current mission: spend 100,000 taels within two hours.]
One hundred thousand taels wasn’t much. That was manageable.
An Qianqian breathed a sigh of relief.
“Chun Tang, come with me out of the mansion.”
“Miss, you have a fitting today…”
“No time for that.”
An Qianqian glanced at the maids and elder servants in the courtyard. “Chun Tang and Qiu Ju will come with me. Xia Tao and Dong Mei stay behind.”
Xia Tao was a bit single-minded; it was better to keep her to watch the house.
An Qianqian led the maids to Rongchun Hall with practiced ease.
One hundred thousand taels was just enough to buy medicine to strengthen Si Chengnian’s health.
As soon as the shopkeeper saw An Qianqian enter, he immediately put on a broad smile and approached. “Miss An, what kind of herbs are you interested in today?”
“Daily consumables, bring plenty.”
An Qianqian scanned the shelves and pointed like ordering from a menu: “Low-grade wild ginseng, fifty pieces.”
The shopkeeper quickly recorded it: “One hundred taels each, five thousand taels total.”
“Thirty-year-old angelica, twenty jin; twenty-year-old polygonatum, twenty jin.”
“Angelica eight hundred taels a jin, polygonatum one thousand taels a jin, thirty-six thousand taels altogether.”
She moved to the tonic section: “First-grade blood swallow’s nest, five jin; top-quality cordyceps, three jin.”
“Blood swallow’s nest eight thousand taels per jin, cordyceps thirty thousand taels per jin, one hundred forty thousand taels total.”
…
“Add ten jin of aged Ejiao from Dong’e and five jin of musk navel fragrance.”
“Ejiao six hundred taels per jin, musk five thousand taels per jin, thirty-one thousand taels total.”
The shopkeeper calculated swiftly, sweat beading his forehead: “Previously sixty-six thousand, plus thirty-one thousand, ninety-seven thousand taels total.”
“Also, two jin of saffron from the Western Regions.”
“Saffron one thousand three hundred taels per jin, two jin two thousand six hundred taels.”
“Exactly one hundred thousand taels!” The shopkeeper exhaled in relief, his hands trembling as he looked at the silver notes.
An ordinary family’s ten-year expenses wouldn’t exceed a hundred taels, yet this young lady spent silver like throwing stones.
An Qianqian tossed the notes: “Send all of this to Si Chengnian.”
“Si Chengnian?”
The shopkeeper thought he misheard.
“But he’s the prince of Yan Kingdom?”
“Yes. Deliver discreetly.”
“Don’t worry, Miss An. I’ll personally supervise the staff taking the back alleys, ensuring the delivery is silent and no one asks any questions. You’ll see, the medicine will reach His Highness without a speck of dust on the packaging—immaculately presented! Any time you need something, even a single licorice root at midnight, I’ll personally deliver it to your mansion!”
Having just spent a million taels yesterday, today’s purchase of tonic herbs alone cost a hundred thousand taels.
This young lady, newly recognized by the Rongduke’s household, was no rustic bumpkin—she was a veritable money magnet!
With the task complete, An Qianqian sent Qiu Ju and several maids and guards to carpentry and masonry guilds, handing over thick stacks of silver notes to hire the best craftsmen to thoroughly renovate Si Chengnian’s dilapidated residence.
“No matter how many people can go, everything must be completed within three days,” An Qianqian instructed calmly.
Si Chengnian’s voice was so captivatingly beautiful—if she could listen to him tell stories every night, wouldn’t that be a nightly delight?
An Qianqian refused to lie in that drafty, leaky old house to hear him speak. That would be a waste of his lovely voice.
The maids of the Rongduke’s household were trained as all-around talents from childhood. Small matters like repairs could certainly be finished within three days under An Qianqian’s generous hand.
Meanwhile,
The Rongchun Hall shopkeeper quickly delivered all the herbs to Si Chengnian’s residence.
Si Chengnian looked at the room filled with boxes of medicine, his face dark enough to drip water.
The “exciting” tonics from last night hadn’t even been digested yet, and now this glaring pile of “strengthening” herbs arrived. Even the shopkeeper who delivered them wore a sly smile.
Si Chengnian clenched his fists, but his ears flushed uncontrollably.
Was she really this eager?
Eager to make him “strong and healthy”?
But how could he tell An Qianqian that he wasn’t actually a weakling?
Every time she came, she pretended to be serious, her eyes honest when delivering the medicine, and sincere when talking about “strengthening the body.” Yet, piled together, these herbs clearly revealed her true intentions!
What Si Chengnian’s intentions were, An Qianqian did not know.
She gazed at the new clothes Cheng Mingyue had custom-made for her, growing curious.
She wondered how many embroiderers her mother had hurried to finish it so quickly. The garments shimmered and glowed—calling them stunning was no exaggeration.
[Host, this is nothing. My reward, the Moonlight Dress, is like something from the fairy realm.]
“Hah, you’ve talked so much, but never actually sent it.”
[That’s because... the timing isn’t right! From my years of novel reading experience, the Moonlight Dress and other jewelry rewards must make a dazzling debut.]
An Qianqian ignored the system because Cheng Mingyue had arrived.
The Rongduke’s mansion was freshly renewed everywhere, with hundreds of servants bustling about, lanterns hung high, red carpets laid out, creating a festive atmosphere.
Tomorrow was An Qianqian’s recognition banquet. Cheng Mingyue worried the girl might be shy in such a grand setting and came to check on her.
She took An Qianqian’s hand gently and said warmly, “Relax, mother is here. You have nothing to fear.”
“I’m not afraid. They are the ones who should know me.”
An Qianqian didn’t feel afraid at all.
She was the one most deserving of attention at tomorrow’s banquet. Even if her manners were a little improper, could it be more embarrassing than the ragged, dirt-streaked figure she was in the village?
Besides, An Mingxia and Cheng Mingyue were fiercely protective parents.
With them around, if any arrogant noble in the capital dared to say or do anything, these two would stand in front of her and never let her suffer a single injustice.
“Mother, did you send an invitation to Si Chengnian?”