Wrongfully executed and drowned, the legitimate daughter is reborn and marries the emperor.

Chapter 171 We are ordered to search the city, open the gate!

Shen Yuan disagreed with Xiao Ling's words. She said with a straight face, "As long as there is something to gain, even if the process is dangerous, it is worth the risk, isn't it?"

Xiao Ling was suddenly taken aback.

He forgot that Shen Yuan was different from all the noble ladies in the capital. She had a vigorous vitality like the purple daphne flower and the courage to take a gamble.

So Xiao Ling changed his mind and said, "This matter needs to be considered carefully."

"Hmm." Shen Yuan nodded: "I need to plan this out carefully."

Because she had impersonated Shen Yunjin in front of Xiao Yuncheng, Shen Yuan was worried that her secret would be exposed. In addition, she bumped into Chu Yuning at the market. So for the next two days, Shen Yuan did not go out or go to the market to sell sachets.

However, after meeting Chu Yuning, Shen Yuan was certain that the person who tried to kill her in the alley that night was not sent by Chu Yuning.

But this did not make Shen Yuan feel at ease.

Instead, my heart was in my throat.

Besides Chu Yuning, there was another person in the capital who wanted her dead, and she had no idea who that person was.

This is terrifying!

After spending two days in the courtyard, Shen Yuan looked at the sachets in the bamboo basket with some worry.

A few days ago, she sold more than twenty sachets and made some money.

If she can keep selling like this, she'll definitely be able to earn this month's rent.

But with a face that looked remarkably like Shen Yunjin's, she dared not show her face at the market anymore, and the finished sachets could only be kept at home.

Shen Yuan counted the sachets in her house; there were 120 left. If she couldn't sell them, she would lose more than 50 taels of silver.

With such a huge loss, Shen Yuan's hands were aching from just using the abacus.

If these sachets are left at home for a long time, the fragrance will gradually dissipate, and the smell will become unpleasant, and the calming and soothing effects will also be lost.

So Shen Yuan thought about it all morning, then went out carrying two large bamboo baskets.

She covered her face completely, leaving only her bright eyes visible, and went to the most bustling and lively Zhuque Street in the city.

Shen Yuan went from shop to shop promoting her sachets, not caring even when she was met with rejection. After all, if you want to do business and make big money, the first thing you have to do is to lower your pride and thicken your skin.

Through Shen Yuan's persistent sales efforts, she finally persuaded several shop owners to take over her sachets. One shop sold writing brushes, ink, paper, and inkstones, while another sold women's ready-made dresses.

After selling all the sachets, Shen Yuan didn't linger and immediately returned home.

As soon as she entered the house, she ran to the well, drew a bucket of water, scooped up a ladleful of water, and gulped it down.

She talked to others all day, trying to sell sachets and haggling over prices, until her mouth was dry and her throat felt like it was on fire.

He felt better after drinking two scoops of water.

Shen Yuan took out the money she had earned from selling the sachets from her bosom. Since she sold them at cost price, she could only guarantee that she wouldn't lose money, and she didn't make any profit.

However, Shen Yuan was quite satisfied that all the sachets had been cleaned up and there was no unsold stock.

Today on Zhuque Street, Shen Yuan noticed that Jiang Family Trading Company was selling a kind of anti-chapping ointment, which was exactly the same as the one sold in Jian'an and Jinling. Shen Yuan then knew that Jiang Yuchen had still had someone make anti-chapping ointment and send it to Yanbei to sell.

It's already March, and by now Jian'an should be warmer. The spring rain is drizzling down, making it a good time to sell comfrey ointment. I wonder if Baicaotang's comfrey ointment has hit the market yet, thanks to Jiang Yuchen's urging.

So Shen Yuan lit a candle and wrote another letter to Jiang Yuchen, inquiring about the sales of the purple gromwell ointment.

She had just finished writing the letter when she saw Xiao Ling carrying a knife, climbing over the back wall into the courtyard.

Seeing that he was covered in blood, Shen Yuan quickly put down her pen and ran to Xiao Ling to help him up.

"How did you get hurt?"

“I just went to the Crown Prince’s residence.” Xiao Ling took out a stack of letters from his pocket and handed them to Shen Yuan. “I found these in his study.”

Shen Yuan was taken aback: "You went to the Crown Prince's residence? The Crown Prince's residence is heavily guarded with many soldiers. How did you escape?"

Xiao Ling laughed and said, "I used two packets of your sleeping powder to blow the powder into mist, and those soldiers collapsed as soon as they smelled it!"

"..." Shen Yuan pursed her lips. He said he wouldn't let her put herself in danger, but what was he doing?

Shen Yuan didn't bother to look at the letter in Xiao Ling's hand. She helped Xiao Ling into the bedroom, made him lie down on the bed, and then skillfully tore open his shirt.

Xiao Ling had a half-foot-long knife wound on his shoulder, which extended from his neck to his back. It was so deep that the bone was visible, and black blood was constantly flowing out. The skin on his chest and back was also blackish-purple, making him look extremely horrifying.

The knife is poisoned!

Shen Yuan's expression changed, and she quickly took out silver needles and inserted them into several acupoints on Xiao Ling's body to seal his meridians and prevent the poison from spreading further.

Xiao Ling, however, paid no attention to his injuries. Clutching the letter tightly in his hand, he said to Shen Yuan, "This is a letter between Wang Ming, the Minister of Revenue, and Xiao Yuncheng."

"The letter contains evidence that Xiao Yuncheng was selling official positions in the imperial court to amass wealth."

Shen Yuan smeared some strong liquor on the dagger and solemnly began to carve out the rotten flesh corroded by poison from Xiao Ling's wound.

Then, distracted, he added, "Selling official positions? How could the Crown Prince do such a thing?"

"Hiss..." Xiao Ling gasped in pain, but still continued, "Not only that, the letter also said that Xiao Yuncheng promised to make Wang Qingxi the Crown Princess!"

“But the people in the city all say that Shen Yunjin is the future Crown Princess.” Shen Yuan cleaned Xiao Ling’s wound, then applied hemostatic powder, and also fed Xiao Ling a herbal antidote pill.

Xiao Ling's face was pale, and his voice was hoarse: "Judging from the letter, it seems that Xiao Yuncheng likes Wang Qingxi, the second young lady of the Wang family, so he wants to give the position of Crown Prince's principal wife to Wang Qingxi."

"As for Shen Yunjin, Xiao Yuncheng only intends to give her the position of a concubine."

Shen Yuan cut off a piece of gauze and bandaged Xiao Ling's wound. Hearing this, she raised an eyebrow: "Xiao Yuncheng is so disrespectful to the daughter of the General of the North. Aren't you afraid the Shen family will object?"

The letter also said that, whether she was a concubine or a high-ranking concubine, Shen Yunjin would cry and beg to marry Xiao Yuncheng.

Because Shen Yunjin and Xiao Yuncheng had already consummated their marriage, she could only marry into the Eastern Palace.

But these words were truly disgusting, so Xiao Ling didn't say them.

He simply said, "Shen Yunjin and Xiao Yuncheng grew up together and have a deep bond."

Shen Yuan pursed her lips upon hearing this. Women always tend to easily trust men they have known for many years because they believe that with ten or twenty years of affection, the men would not do anything to betray them.

But in reality, time is not the only way to determine whether a man is reliable.

Because men... are too good at pretending!

After bandaging Xiao Ling's wounds, Shen Yuan collected all his clothes and burned them in the stove.

However, while burning the clothes, Shen Yuan suddenly realized that Xiao Ling's outer robe was missing; it seemed that he hadn't been wearing one when he returned.

But the spring chill was still in the air, so Xiao Ling probably wouldn't be wearing just a single layer of clothing.

So she asked, "Where is your outer robe?"

Xiao Ling's eyes flickered for a moment before he replied, "It was stained with blood, so I threw it away."

He had barely finished speaking when there was a sudden banging on the door.

"The city has been robbed, and we are ordered to search the city! Open the gates!"

Shen Yuan's expression changed. She tiptoed and ran quickly into the courtyard. Peeking through the crack in the door, she saw many soldiers holding torches standing outside.