Synopsis
Tao Minxiu lost her parents when she was young. With student loans and help from kindhearted people, she worked her way through college, struggling to make it to graduation.
Her life motto was etched into her bones: Anything that money can solve isn't a problem, and saving money is the only sensible choice.
She never expected to transmigrate into the body of the dynasty's most favored Grand Princess.
Gazing at the heaps of gold and silver ingots filling the treasury, her first thought was: This is all mine? I can spend it?
But before she could even touch the gold and silver, the upright, scrupulous young nobleman, said to have been forcibly married to the original princess, stopped her.
“It's only silver. It already belongs to the princess. If the princess wishes, everything beneath heaven can be hers.”
His voice was calm, and he showed no intention of stopping her. But Tao Minxiu heard a warning in his words.
He was reminding her: You are not the princess.
And so the nightmare began.
To drink tea, it had to be brewed three or four times. To eat a meal, there were seventy-two steps to follow. Even going to the toilet required burning incense, bathing, and changing clothes.
Looking at the bill for all the incense that had been burned, Tao Minxiu felt her heart bleed. Wasn't this just throwing money away?!
The Prince Consort said these were normal expenses for a princess. She endured it.
On the road to pretending to be a princess, she had to learn everything: how to sit, stand, walk, and lie down; etiquette and clothing; and how to deal with people.
“Your Highness,” Xu Hui said coldly, lightly tapping the tabletop with a fingertip. “The stewardess and personal maids will come to pay their respects tomorrow. By custom, each person is to receive a reward of two taels of silver.”
“Two taels?!”
Tao Minxiu's mind instantly converted that into modern prices. Two taels of silver would cover three months of meals at her college cafeteria! And that was just a tip? They got a base salary on top of it?!
She looked at the long line of people, her heart aching so much she could barely breathe, and timidly raised her hand.
“Um... could I apply to be one of the servants?”
Xu Hui: “...”
Years later, Tao Minxiu had become the head of an academy and was immersed in a sea of knowledge.
Suddenly, the accountant came running in with a mournful expression.
“Headmaster, the cost of brushes, ink, paper, and inkstones is enormous. This comes to five hundred, and that comes to a thousand taels...”
“And then there's the labor, timber, and land costs for the new school buildings...”
Listening to that string of familiar numbers, Tao Minxiu's face darkened and her fingers trembled slightly.
She took a deep breath, steeled herself, and waved her hand through gritted teeth.
“Buy it!”
The accountant withdrew, relieved.
Xu Hui, standing nearby, put down the book in his hands. “Your Highness, I remember that back then, over a reward of two taels, you were ready to make a fuss about becoming a servant.”
Tao Minxiu glared at him. “How is that the same?! The two taels would have gone to someone else. This is for my future students! It's an investment!”
“An investment.” Xu Hui carefully savored the two words, then smiled. “Then what about everything I've invested in Your Highness over the years? Does that count?”
Tao Minxiu: “...”
Theme: Study hard and keep improving every day