When the guards were off duty, they could drink and indulge themselves with women as much as they pleased. So drunken guards were not unusual.

After passing another group of patrolling guards, Fu Chen’an finally found the study room. Once he confirmed that no one was nearby, he slipped into the room through the window.

He couldn’t believe that such an important place was left unguarded. It was exactly as the sages said: arrogance and pride were the sharpest weapons for destroying oneself.

Fu Chen’an searched through the study until dawn but still failed to find the map. To avoid being discovered, he leaped onto the beam and entered the shared manor.

The moment he appeared inside the shared manor, he quickly removed his clothes and went to take a shower. His body was stained with the smell of alcohol and traces of debauchery. If his wife saw it, she might misunderstand.

After taking a shower and washing the clothes, the digital clock hanging on the wall showed 5 o’clock in the morning. His wife had already taught him how to read the modern numbers, so he could understand the time easily now.

Now that he was finally in a safe place, Fu Chen’an relaxed completely. He was tired and hungry, so he went to the dining room to look for something to eat.

The moment he stepped into the dining room, he saw the table filled with various dishes. Besides the dishes, there was also a large bowl of noodles, steamed buns, steamed rice, and thick porridge.

As soon as he smelled the fragrance, his mouth watered. After taking a seat, he immediately reached for the noodles. It was his favorite chicken noodle soup.

The dish tasted clean, light, and comforting. The broth was flavorful and savory, while the noodles were thin yet chewy. The mushrooms added an umami flavor, and the vegetables were crunchy and refreshing.

The hot soup brought warmth back to his body and soothed his aching stomach after enduring hunger and cold.

In less than twenty minutes, he finished the huge bowl of noodles and let out a long, satisfied sigh.

After the meal, he washed the dishes before returning to the bedroom to sleep.

In Yang Village, Yao Zhi had just finished her daily routine and finally had some spare time. Now that Xi Yi had taken over the management of the household and estates, she no longer needed to worry about those matters.

Most of her time was spent inside the shared manor reading agricultural records, technology records, or the Qimen Dunjia records. Besides reading, she also enjoyed preparing food, snacks, and convenient travel rations.

When she appeared inside the shared manor, she noticed a pile of unfamiliar clothes placed in the laundry basket beside the couch. A thought flashed through her mind, and she immediately went to check the food she had prepared earlier. As expected, the large bowl of noodles had already been eaten.

Feeling happy, she went to the bedroom and saw her husband sleeping soundly. Noticing the faint bluish shadows beneath his eyes, she didn’t disturb him and quietly went to the kitchen instead.

After thinking for a moment, she opened the system’s shop. Leaving food on the table was inconvenient for both her and her husband whenever they wanted to eat. It would be better to place everything neatly on a shelf.

She browsed through the shop for a while before deciding to buy a shelf made of lightweight yet sturdy metal. It costs 500 points.

The shelf was 5 meters long and 2 meters high. Each section was 20 centimeters tall, 30 centimeters wide, and 1 meter long. The racks were adjustable, so she didn’t have to worry about wasting space.

Afterward, she placed the shelf against the dining room wall. Besides the basic furniture, there were no other decorations in the manor. If she wanted decorations, she would need to buy them separately, which she considered a waste of points.

Without any decorations, the shelf fit perfectly against the plain wall.

Yao Zhi adjusted the racks and arranged the dishes neatly on them. Since most of the shelf was still empty, she went to prepare more dishes and snacks for her husband.

She also placed a small bottle of immortal wine, 2 jars of grain-longan wine, and 2 jars of apricot wine on the shelf. To ensure her husband knew what each wine was, she attached labels to them.

She stayed inside the shared manor for 2 hours before finally leaving. After appearing outside, she went to have breakfast with her people.

During the meal, she turned to Ling Shijiu and said, "Shijiu, help me deliver a letter to the General’s mansion later. Also, bring Xi Yi with you. From now on, all the family’s businesses will be handled by her."

Hearing this, everyone was taken aback. Xi Yi had assumed her duties were limited to managing the household and estates. She never expected her Master to entrust everything to her.

Noticing their surprise, Yao Zhi continued, "I will hand some money to Xi Yi. In the future, you can go to her to receive your salary." Looking at Xi Yi, she added, "As for the storefront in Zhu’an Town, you may decide how to use it."

"As for the Ling Squad, Shi’er can arrange them as you see fit. Just make sure our people remain protected."

"Understood," they replied in unison.

After breakfast, Yao Zhi called Xi Yi to her room and handed her a spatial ring. She had purchased this ring from the system’s shop earlier for 500 merit points.

"Drop your blood onto it."

Xi Yi accepted the ring and followed the instructions. Using a needle, she pricked her fingertip and let a drop of blood fall onto the ring. 𝓯𝓻𝓮𝙚𝙬𝓮𝙗𝒏𝙤𝒗𝙚𝙡.𝒄𝒐𝓶

After the binding process was complete, Yao Zhi said, "This is a spatial ring with an area of 200 square meters inside. It belongs to you now."

Then, she took out a small box of silver and a large chest of gold from her system’s storage. "These contain 5,000 taels of silver and 10,000 taels of gold. You may use the money as you see fit."