Little Pink Starfish

Buy Half a Jin of Sunflower Seeds, Get 40,000 Taels of Silver Free

Xiao Zhuang and Xiao Wei exchanged glances. Without bothering to open the other two paper balls, Xiao Wei held the banknote tightly while Xiao Zhuang clutched the remaining paper balls and cloth pouch. The two shot out of the bathhouse like lightning.

Xiao Sha stood dumbfounded in the outer room for a moment. When he came to, he sprinted out as well. A ten-thousand-tael silver note hidden in sunflower seeds? Something big was definitely brewing!

Inside the bedroom, Gu Xinglang was frowning in worry. He didn’t know how much silver was left in the Gu household’s coffers, but he did know how many people were on the manor’s lands in Wangxiang Pass—thousands. Feeding and sheltering that many people would cost a fortune.

Yu Xiaoxiao was focused on her noodles. She felt the pain of spending money, but eating and grieving over money weren’t mutually exclusive—she could do both just fine.

Wang Momo was getting increasingly anxious, regretting not preparing a larger dowry when they married the princess off. Could they go back and ask the emperor for more money now? Impossible!

Xiao Feng finished relaying her gossip and joined the group in silent worry. What were they going to do?

Just then, Xiao Zhuang and Xiao Wei appeared at the door and called out together, “Princess!”

Yu Xiaoxiao looked up and peered toward the half-open door. “Don’t tell me something else has happened?”

Wang Momo nearly blacked out. She really couldn’t take the constant stress anymore.

“Come in,” Gu Xinglang responded.

The two burst in.

Yu Xiaoxiao looked behind them. “Did someone from Yongsheng Temple come to kill us?”

Instead of answering, Xiao Wei placed a silver note in front of her. “Princess, look.”

Yu Xiaoxiao glanced down. Illiterate or not, she knew money when she saw it. “This is a silver note. Xiao Wei, are you giving me money?”

Gu Xinglang leaned over and exclaimed, “Ten thousand taels? Xiao Wei, where’d you get this much money?”

“Ten thousand?!” Wang Momo shrieked.

“There… there are two more,” Xiao Zhuang said, placing the remaining paper balls in front of the princess.

Yu Xiaoxiao picked one up and squinted. “These are silver notes too?” Who on earth rolled up money into tiny paper balls?

Gu Xinglang unwrapped both. Everyone in the room except Yu Xiaoxiao gasped. Two were ten-thousand-tael notes, and one was for twenty thousand. Total: forty thousand taels.

Yu Xiaoxiao stared at Xiao Wei with wide eyes. “Xiao Wei, how do you have so much money?” Could being a shadow guard be this lucrative?

Before Xiao Wei could speak, Yu Xiaoxiao added, “How much do you guys earn monthly as shadow guards?”

Xiao Zhuang quickly said, “Princess, we couldn’t possibly save up this kind of money with our wages.”

So it wasn’t salary. Yu Xiaoxiao’s gaze shifted again. “Did you… seduce a rich widow or something?”

Xiao Wei didn’t understand what “seduce a rich widow” meant, but he was pretty sure it wasn’t good. “Princess, these were in that bag of sunflower seeds.”

“Sunflower seeds?” Yu Xiaoxiao blanked. After everything that happened recently, she had no memory of seeds.

Xiao Wei grew anxious. “Princess, you took a bag from Consort Hua’s chambers when you were looking for Xiao Zhuang and Xiong Xiong!”

Yu Xiaoxiao looked down at the silver notes. Oh… that did sound familiar.

Xiao Zhuang chimed in, “So this money belongs to Consort Hua?”

“Why would she hide money in sunflower seeds?” Yu Xiaoxiao asked. Was there even one normal woman in her father’s harem? Hiding cash in sunflower seeds instead of under the bed?

Wang Momo took the pouch from Xiao Zhuang and examined it. “This is from outside the palace.”

“Uh-huh…” Yu Xiaoxiao blinked. “And?”

“Consort Hua probably bought these seeds from outside,” Xiao Zhuang offered.

“What does that have to do with the silver notes?” Yu Xiaoxiao asked. “I want to know why she hid them in the seeds!”

Wang Momo shook her head. “The consort has her own vault inside the palace. She wouldn’t hide notes in seeds.”

Yu Xiaoxiao’s eyes went wide. Not Consort Hua’s money? Then what the hell—“Wait. You’re telling me someone sold seeds and threw in 40,000 taels of silver?! Which store is this generous?!”

…

Everyone fell silent. Buying half a jin of seeds and getting 40,000 taels of silver? Leave it to their princess to think of that.

Wang Momo looked utterly defeated. What was there to hope for anymore?

Gu Xinglang tugged her sleeve. “Princess, sit down.”

“No! Let’s go buy more seeds!” Yu Xiaoxiao said excitedly. The zombie-fighting general had told her about this thing called “lottery” in his world—spend a little, win big. Maybe this was the local version?

Gu Xinglang said, “No one gives away money with seeds.”

“So it’s not a lottery?” Yu Xiaoxiao frowned.

Gu Xinglang blinked. “What’s a lottery?”

Yu Xiaoxiao frowned deeper. If it’s not the consort, and not a giveaway… she stared at Xiao Wei again. Could it be stolen?

Xiao Wei shifted uncomfortably under her gaze.

Wang Momo said, “Around this time every year, the Hua family sends gifts to Consort Hua. Everyone knows she loves roasted sunflower seeds from the southwest. There are always several batches included.”

Gu Xinglang quietly said, “So this money was from the Hua family?”

Xiao Zhuang exclaimed, “Forty thousand?! What does Consort Hua even need that much money for?!”

Wang Momo didn’t even bother looking at him. Talking to idiots only worsens her mood.

Xiao Wei explained, “Running spies alone costs a fortune in the palace.”

Xiao Zhuang stared at him. “How do you know that?”

Xiao Wei wisely said nothing. What was he supposed to say—”You’re just dumb”?