Behind swaying red curtains, Wan Ning wakes to find Ninth Prince Yinzhen, whose wealth could rival a nation and whose looks are peerless, pinning her to the bed and coaxing her tenderly. Before she can lose herself in this soft, fragrant embrace, she suddenly remembers: this is the Eight Prince's party's biggest source of money, destined to lose the succession struggle and have its estates confiscated. From the start, she's facing hellish difficulty, and it's already too late to sew a red flag for Fourth Prince's faction overnight.
To save her life, she has to secretly move this immense fortune somewhere safe.
On the surface, Wan Ning is a spoiled, delicate consort who only cares about eating, drinking, and having fun. She clings to Ninth Prince all day, asking him to admire palace lanterns, stroll through night markets, and throw birthday parties. She even has several chubby babies, keeping him so thoroughly occupied that he often misses secret meetings with his eighth brother. In private, however, she uses her ever-improving knack for “secret perfumery and medicinal cuisine” to make money from the capital's noblewomen all the way to the salt merchants of Jiangnan. Her calming incense has the future Yongzheng Emperor queuing up to buy it at a high price, and the Empress Dowager can't stop praising her hundred-flower wine. Meanwhile, she quietly converts Ninth Prince's entire fortune into deeds to estates in the South Seas.
Until the succession struggle reaches its fiercest point and the whole empire teeters on the brink of collapse.
Ninth Prince opens the secret room and stares at the empty vault, then at the note on the desk: “My lord, I've taken the whole family to enjoy life in the South Seas.” His eyes turn red.
When did this spoiled little darling manage to empty his entire fortune? If he chases after her tonight and becomes her live-in husband, will he still make it in time?
