There is a happy inn in the capital.

Chapter 448 She Doesn't Care

There was no ecstatic expression on her face.

He simply bowed calmly, even with a hint of weariness, towards the direction of the palace.

"Zoya, thank you for the king's reward," he said calmly.

The steward was somewhat surprised by this composure, but said nothing more and instructed the maids.

"Take good care of the princess," he said, and then left with his men.

News of the new rewards quickly spread throughout the palace and beyond, inspiring envy in many.

"Look, the king still loves the princess!"

"So many treasures! Enough to last several lifetimes!"

But many more observant people saw through the trick.

"They only give you money for jewelry, clothes, and maids? They don't manage anything, they don't give you any titles, and they don't improve your treatment?"

"This is a way to gag her! To stuff the princess's mouth with gold, to wrap her feet in silk, and to have her guarded by maids!"

"Is the king afraid? Afraid of what the princess will say or do next?"

"Princess Zoya...will she accept it? Will she be bought off by these benefits and locked up in this lavish cage?"

"I don't think so. You didn't see how the princess was when she received the decree. She was too calm. If she were after these things, she wouldn't be like this now."

"Yes, people in Tear Valley are still talking about her distributing porridge and finding water..."

Zoya looked at the room filled with light and spoke calmly to the eight new maids who stood at their sides.

"Register the items for storage... just follow the palace rules. I prefer peace and quiet, so there's no need for me to come near unless necessary."

She turned and walked into the inner room, her back still slender, yet it seemed as if no jewel's brilliance could adorn her.

She understood that this was not a blessing, but rather shackles made of amber, attempting to freeze her in a magnificent cage.

But her heart had already flown to the parched valley, to the people singing "The Sands Cry".

Her father's reward proved that she was on the right path, and it also made her more clear-headed.

True power is not gold and silver, nor fine clothes and maids, but the ability and determination to change the destiny of this land and its people.

Having chosen this path, she will not let anything external stand in her way.

Upon hearing the news, Li Shuchen, who was at the post station, merely pursed his lips and said to Ye Bingli, who was researching a new pigment formula...

"See? Old Deng's panicking. He's starting to use sugar-coated bullets. Too bad, our Princess Zoya's appetite has grown quite a bit now. This little bit of sugar isn't even enough to fill a tooth gap."

Her eyes gleamed with eager anticipation. "Next, we need to figure out a way to help her dismantle the shells and turn the sugar coating into our military pay."

"Okay, tell me what to do, and I'll do it," Ye Bingli replied.

"No rush, Zhen Congming hasn't been interrogated yet. Yuying and I will try to get some information from him tonight."

夜晚

underground of the post station

Temporarily converted secret cell

The torchlight cast flickering light on and off in the narrow stone chamber.

Zhen Congming was chained to a stone pillar, his hair disheveled, with dried blood and sand still clinging to the corners of his mouth. He had long lost the air of authority he once had.

Liang Yuying sat on a simple wooden stool opposite him, her face ashen, toying with a gleaming dagger in her hand.

Zizhu stood in the shadows with her arms crossed, her gaze as cold as ice.

Li Shuchen squatted in a corner a little further away, idly poking at a sand scorpion that had wandered into the area and was pretending to be dead with a small stick, muttering to himself.

"Hey, why did you have to come here of all places? Isn't that bad luck..."

"Commander Zhen," Liang Yuying began, her voice low but echoing in the stone chamber, "Tell me, who ordered you? Who else in the delegation is your accomplice? And what is the background of that Bo Yu man with the scorpion tattoo on his arm?"

Zhen Congming shuddered, raised his eyes which were swollen to slits, and cried out.

"General Liang! General Liang, spare my life! I... I was just momentarily bewitched! Someone from Boyu Kingdom contacted me, offering me a large sum of money, and saying... they said they would guarantee me a life of wealth and honor in Boyu Kingdom! I... I was just a messenger! I don't know anything else!"

"do not know?"

With a flick of her wrist, Liang Yuying gently pressed the tip of her dagger against Zhen Congming's hand, which was covered in whip marks. "You know very well the location and time of the ambush in Tear Valley, and the princess's itinerary. If there was no inside support within the delegation, how could you know so accurately? Speak!"

"what!"

Zhen Congming screamed like a pig being slaughtered, "I'll talk! I'll talk! It's...it's...it's someone in the delegation who passed me a message! But I don't know who it is! Every time, they would slip a note under a flowerpot by my door! The handwriting was fake! It's true! General Liang, I swear!"

"Where's the note?" Zizhu asked coldly.

“Burn…burn it…they ordered us to burn it after we finished reading it…” Zhen Congming’s voice trailed off.

Li Shuchen tossed aside the stick, clapped his hands, stood up, walked over to Zhen Congming, and tilted his head to look at him.

"Hey Commander Zhen, what's wrong with your brain... You're being sold out and still counting the money for them, aren't you? The other party didn't even show their face, and you dare to do this kind of business that will wipe out your entire family? Tsk tsk, who gave you that 'clever' name? It's the opposite of what you'd expect, isn't it?"

Zhen Congming was choked and turned pale, but dared not refute.

"Scorpion tattoo," Liang Yuying pressed, "What else do you know about that person?"

"He... he's very skilled, doesn't talk much, has a hoarse voice, and always covers his face when making contact. It was only that time in the Rock Pillar area... his sleeve tore when he ran, and I only vaguely saw a little bit. He seems... very familiar with the terrain of Tear Valley, and knows everything about the Royal Palace and the Golden Camel. Once he casually remarked, 'Master is very dissatisfied with Lord Azim's efficiency'... I guess the person behind him might be of higher status than Azim, or... at least not afraid of him."

He was of higher status than Azim, didn't belong to any obvious faction of the Golden Camel, and was familiar with the political situation and royal palace of Boyu Kingdom... Liang Yuying and Li Shuchen exchanged a glance.

The area has been narrowed, but it's still blurry.

"last question"

Li Shuchen squatted down to be at eye level with Zhen Congming, a harmless smile on his face. "How much money did you get from them? Did you pay the deposit? Gold or jewels? Where did you hide them?"

Zhen Congming's eyes flickered: "No...not much...just a small deposit..."

"How much is one point?"

Li Shuchen's smile remained unchanged, but his hand reached for the handle of the tourmaline leather whip in his arms. "Think carefully before you speak, Commander Zhen. I hate being lied to the most, especially when someone lies to me for money... no, I mean, when someone lies to our princess for her life!"

Zhen Congming was terrified and blurted out, "Thirty...thirty gold coins! And two thumb-sized rubies! They're buried under the third floor tile under my bed! Really! They're all there! And there'll be a hundred more gold coins after it's all done!"

"Oh, quite generous," Li Shuchen stood up and winked at Liang Yuying, "Yuying, this embezzled money..."

"To be used as military supplies for legitimate purposes."

Liang Yuying said calmly, then instructed Zizhu, "Keep a close eye on him. Record his statement carefully. Also, go and retrieve the gold ingots and jewels from his room yourself, but be careful not to alert anyone."