Exile? A mad, wicked woman empties the national treasury to escape famine.

The officers and soldiers were somewhat incredulous, but seeing Ji Yunshu's confident demeanor, he gritted his teeth, stood there thinking for a moment, and finally slapped his thigh, pointing earnestly to his brothers behind him, and said...

"You all guard the city gate well. I have something to report to the prefect. I'll be right back. While I'm gone, make sure you keep a close watch on the city gate and don't let anyone in."

Ji Yunshu's words were too tempting for him to make a decision on his own. He, a mere soldier, could not make the decision on his own. He had to go and tell the county magistrate before he could make the final decision.

Dongyang County Government Office

Magistrate Bao Taiyan was lying in the courtyard of the yamen, drinking tea, listening to music, and basking in the sun. The sun was warm and comforting.

Since the famine began, he had closed the city gates of Dongyang County, which reduced the flow of people. People from outside couldn't get in, and people from inside couldn't get out. Things had been much less busy in the county these past few days, and life couldn't be more comfortable.

He was so clever! Before the famine even broke out on a large scale, he managed to guard the city gates of the county seat!

In this way, as long as outsiders don't come into the county town, their county town won't be in chaos. As long as their jurisdiction is not in chaos, they can do whatever they want with other people!

Even if the imperial court investigates, it won't be able to trace it back to him. Even if it does, he can say that his county town is too small to accommodate so many people, and for the safety of the county town and other people, he has no choice but to close the city gates.

There is currently a famine, and the imperial court needs capable people, so they shouldn't easily do anything to him.

After drinking a sip of tea, he felt dizzy and was about to take a nap.

Just as he closed his eyes, a soldier rushed in from outside.

"Lord Bao, Lord Bao, something terrible has happened, Lord Bao!"

Bao Taiyan had just closed his eyes, not yet asleep, when his subordinate yelled at him, instantly waking him from his drowsiness. Annoyed, he glared at the newcomer and shouted impatiently.

"Scream, scream, scream! What are you yelling about?! How many times have I told you not to panic when something happens? You've been with me for so long, why don't you ever learn?! What could possibly happen? What could possibly happen?! The city gates are closed, what could possibly happen inside the city? It's just a small matter, can't you handle it yourselves?!"

It's infuriating! These useless people under his command are completely incompetent. They call on him for every little thing, making a huge fuss and rushing around. It's infuriating to watch.

Before the officers and soldiers could explain, they walked up to Bao Taiyan and said excitedly,

"Lord Bao, Lord Bao, the exiled prisoners have arrived. They are people from the former Prince Zhenbei's Mansion. They've come to the outskirts of our county town and say they want to come in and rest."

Bao Taiyan frowned, his tone becoming even more impatient. "They're here, so what's the rush? They're criminals now, not the high and mighty Prince Zhenbei anymore. Are you still afraid of them?"

"Didn't I already tell you? If they come, just keep them outside and don't let them into the city. Tell them there's nowhere to stay in the city, and also that there are too many refugees outside, so we can't open the city gates. If we open them, all the refugees will flood in, and our county will fall too! Do I need to teach you these things? How many times have I told you!"

"Honestly, you're making a fuss over such a trivial matter. Get out of here, I'm going to sleep."

As he spoke, he lay back down in the chair, preparing to sleep.

The officers shook their heads helplessly, ignoring whether their superiors were about to sleep, and said again,

"My lord, we were just following your orders. As soon as they arrived, we stopped them from entering the city and explained the reasons. But that princess insisted on entering the city and even said she was willing to pay two hundred taels of silver as an entry fee!"

"If you feel it's not enough, she can add more!"

Upon hearing this, Bao Taiyan, who had been lying down, suddenly sat up in his chair, looking completely incredulous.

"You...you're telling the truth? She's really willing to pay two hundred taels as a travel fee to the city?"

They even said they could add more if it wasn't enough?!

Be nice.

That's two hundred taels of silver!

As a county magistrate, his salary wasn't much. Where did this princess get so much money? Judging from her wealthy and arrogant appearance, could she be a fat sheep?

"Yes, Lord Bao, how could I dare to lie to you? When I first heard it, I was also a little hesitant to believe it. I confirmed with the Princess several times, but I still didn't dare to make a decision on this matter, so I rushed back to tell you."

God knows how surprised he was when the princess told him that two hundred taels of silver would be used as a fee to enter the city.

That's a full two hundred taels of silver!

Their monthly salary is only two taels of silver, and recently the imperial treasury has been in a slump, often delaying their salaries.

Two hundred taels of silver is an amount they could never save in their entire lives, yet the princess took it out so easily. How rich must she be!

The fact that this person was an exiled prisoner, and that a prisoner was so rich, really spurred the officers and soldiers on.

Bao Taiyan was also shocked. It was the first time he had ever heard of such a bizarre thing. How could an exiled prisoner have so much silver?

Even if the other party is a prince or princess, they could not possibly have so much money, and they would do it so openly and ostentatiously!

How could she be so sure that she would agree to let her into the city?

He hesitated for a moment, then waved his hand, a mixture of reluctance and helplessness in his expression.

"Sigh, go tell her it's not about the money, just say that the situation is unavoidable and we really can't let them in."

The officers and soldiers were dumbfounded.

What are the adults in their family thinking?

Two hundred taels of silver, and you can't even let a few people into the city?!

Besides, they also had an imperial edict in hand!

Letting it in shouldn't be a problem, right?

Earning two hundred taels of silver in just one night—what a lucrative deal!

He was getting a little anxious, so he quickly stretched out his hand and gestured to his parents with his five fingers.

"My lord, you should think this over carefully. I vaguely remember the princess saying that if you're not willing, she'd be willing to raise the price to five hundred taels!"

"They also said they'd only stay in town for one night and leave tomorrow, and wouldn't cause any trouble. Sir, that's five hundred taels of silver! In our small county, we probably couldn't save five hundred taels of silver in our entire lives. Sir, wouldn't you like to reconsider? Just one night, and you can earn five hundred taels of silver in one night."

His dear parents, you should think this through carefully.

Earning five hundred taels of silver in one night is like winning the lottery.

If those five hundred taels of silver really ended up in their master's pocket, then those of them working under him might also be able to get a share, however small.