Lu Chuanying nodded: “For now, yes. Pengbai has sent three letters asking about your whereabouts, but unfortunately, I had no way to respond. It seems today I can finally write back to put their minds at ease.”

Feng Miaojun felt even more guilty. These past few months she had been living in seclusion, basically traveling only between the residence and Yanhai Tower, and although she had good reasons, she had still worried her adoptive mother.

In this world, Madam Xu was the only one who truly cared for and protected her. She really should have found a way to send news to Pengbai earlier.

She bit her lip for a good while before asking Lu Chuanying: “The ‘Princess Anxia’ in Yan Kingdom is fake, but my cousin Fu Lingchuan isn’t fake, is he? I don’t seem to have any impression of such a person.” Princess Changle had not the slightest memory of this “cousin,” possibly having never met him.

“Fu Lingchuan certainly exists,” Lu Chuanying had already done his research and explained smoothly. “We need to go back seven generations, to the third son of King Anxia Hui who was exiled to the northwestern borderlands after committing an offense. He established his lineage there. Fu Lingchuan is his descendant, taking his mother’s surname, and indeed you should call him cousin.”

This was an extremely distant cousin, with the bloodline having been greatly diluted, commonly called a “noodle-thin relation.” No wonder Fu Lingchuan wanted to restore the country under Princess Anxia’s banner, to legitimize his claim.

Feng Miaojun stroked her chin: “I’m just curious, where did he find this princess?”

“Supposedly there’s an heirloom token, otherwise he couldn’t have convinced the King of Yan. Princess, you grew up in the deep palace, very few outsiders ever saw you, and all the servants who attended you died when the country fell. Anyone wanting to find a witness would have great difficulty.”

She blinked: “The King of Yan believed it?”

“Whether he believes it or not, only the King of Yan himself knows,” Lu Chuanying smiled. “What matters is that Princess Anxia is still alive. Even if Wei Kingdom notices, their attention will only turn toward Yan Kingdom, which works in our favor.”

His thinking coincided with Feng Miaojun’s. Then he changed the subject: “What are Miss’s plans going forward?”

“I intend to settle in Caixing City,” Feng Miaojun had already decided. “Here I can temporarily shelter under Master Mo Tichun’s protection, which is better than elsewhere.” Although the State Preceptor held office without real power, such a prominent figure enjoyed a transcendent status, and being his disciple placed one above others, making things more convenient.

“Regarding the properties under Miss’s name, I have been managing them on your behalf these years. In total, there are two restaurants, one trading company, seventeen shops, two mansions, seven commoner houses, and two estates in the suburbs with seven hundred mu of good farmland.” Lu Chuanying calculated for her in detail. “Except for the restaurants, everything else has been leased out.” He casually mentioned a figure. “This is the profit from seven years, deposited in four different banks. Additionally, you have twenty-seven capable people at your disposal, each with their skills, whom you can take with you.”

That figure exceeded Feng Miaojun’s expectations, showing that Lu Chuanying was truly talented. She waved her hand: “State Preceptor Mo knows I am Princess Anxia, but he doesn’t know I have these assets in Jin Capital.”

One must be wary of those not of one’s clan. Mo Tichun and the King of Jin were currently lax in monitoring her, probably thinking that alone in Jin Capital she couldn’t stir up any trouble. But if they knew she had these resources, things might be different. Would she still enjoy the same freedom then?

Lu Chuanying nodded: “If Miss doesn’t wish to reveal these holdings, I can continue managing them, but you should have a reasonable source of income. One estate and three shops will soon have their leases expire. In my opinion, you should pretend to purchase them yourself as a front, to avoid raising the State Preceptor’s suspicions.” By pretending to buy her properties, the money she paid would come back to her, thus legitimizing the assets and openly turning them into hers.

Feng Miaojun smiled slightly: “That’s a good method, but I don’t want Uncle Lu to be implicated. If State Preceptor Mo investigates the owners of these properties, might he trace them back to you?”

Lu Chuanying was moved and looked at her closely for a moment: “Miss is thinking far ahead. Could it be you’re still concerned with Anxia’s past? The Queen of Anxia once said…”

Feng Miaojun having such considerations indicated she didn’t plan to stay long in Jin Capital. Could this young lady be thinking of her homeland, harboring other ideas? She was very different from Princess Changle in Lu Chuanying’s memory, and clever people often had greater ambitions.

Feng Miaojun waved her hand: “I know mother’s wishes. She didn’t want me to attempt to restore the country, and currently I have no such praying mantis-like ambitions. But the world is in chaos, Kingdoms and cities rise like comets, yet how many meet a good end? I won’t put down roots in just one place.”

At such a young age, she was thinking so far ahead. Lu Chuanying was somewhat surprised and saddened. Feng Miaojun was “her” precious pearl, and had once been Anxia Kingdom’s most noble little princess, who should have been clothed in brocade and fed with jade, without worries for her entire life. Yet fate had forced her to conceal her identity and travel between various countries, even having to plan for her livelihood.

This world, alas! He sighed inwardly, but on his face, he pulled a smile:

“You can rest assured. All these properties have unrelated legal holders, no one can trace them back to me.”

Feng Miaojun finally nodded: “Thank you then. Following the State Preceptor’s training incurs great expenses, so I still need to find ways to earn money, preferably connecting with the Feng business in the Yao Kingdom.” They then settled on the handover time for the shops and estate.

After some thought, she said to Lu Chuanying: “Please have Uncle Lu collect intelligence from various countries, especially Wei Kingdom, and deliver it to me immediately.” Going forward, she would continue to appropriate Yun Ya’s spiritual power, and such anomalies would not escape his notice. Though she didn’t think Yun Ya could discover she was the thief, it was better to be safe than sorry.

“It’s part of my duty. I have my channels and won’t be much slower than State Preceptor Mo.” Having operated in Jin Capital for many years, he had his network of informants.

She sighed: “The common people knew about the Wei Crown Prince embezzling the spirit stone mine before I did.”

“That won’t happen again,” Lu Chuanying replied without hesitation. “What the Wei Crown Prince did isn’t an isolated case. The powerful use spirit stones to recruit cultivators for their purposes, and even if new spirit stone mines are discovered, they may not be reported.”

Finally having someone to talk to, Feng Miaojun was delighted. Previously, those around her, whether Chen Dachang or Pengbai, were loyal but couldn’t discuss these major issues with her. And it wasn’t appropriate to discuss such matters with Mo Tichun and Xu Fengnian.

“How much does Uncle Lu know about Wei Kingdom’s State Preceptor Yun Ya?”

“This man has not been prominent for long, so there’s not much intelligence I could gather,” Lu Chuanying said softly. “The Wei Kingdom’s subjects have polarized impressions of him.”

“Oh?” Feng Miaojun was very interested. “How so?”

Seeing her eyes light up, Lu Chuanying thought she had favorable feelings toward Yun Ya and inwardly shook his head. Handsome men truly had a strong attraction for young ladies, even if they were enemies who had destroyed their country.