The Demon Lord, upon hearing this, extended a finger and began to shake it, his mouth splitting into a wide grin.

"Cut the crap, how am I supposed to know how much that is?" He took a deep breath and looked at the Demon Lord with impatience.

"Double it." The words lightly spilled out from the Demon Lord’s mouth.

The man in black’s face changed drastically upon hearing this, going from pale to ashen to suddenly flushed, more colorful than a painter’s palette.

"Heh, you really dare to make such outrageous demands. Aren’t you afraid you won’t live to spend it?" His eyebrows raised in frustrated amusement as his mind whirred into overdrive.

The Demon Lord merely laughed, tsking, "Whether I live to spend it is none of your concern. What matters is whether you have the silver to give."

"Hmph, what a joke. Spare me the nonsense. When you manage to bring me Prince Mei’s head, I will give you the remaining silver," said the man in black as if he saw through the Demon Lord’s mockery, speaking to himself.

The Demon Lord considered the offer and nodded, "Add another double as a down payment. You know getting Prince Mei’s head isn’t so easy."

The man in black looked away and, after a long silence, replied, "That’s no problem. You can finish the job after the Crown Prince ascends to the throne."

"Good, no problem." The Demon Lord pondered thoughtfully at the man in black, then mocked himself with a shake of the head, and with a burst of energy, vanished into the woods in the blink of an eye.

The man in black stared at the spot where the Demon Lord had disappeared, a cruel light flickering in his eyes. The corner of his mouth, hidden behind his mask, curled up slightly, "Hmph, men die for wealth as birds die for food; do you really think you’ll live to spend that silver, fool." Without further ado, he too vanished into the woods.

Time flew by quickly, and in the blink of an eye, nearly two months had passed, with only five days remaining before the Crown Prince’s coronation.

In the afternoon, at the Prince Mei Residence in the Capital City, in the study.

A slightly haggard woman was propped up on the desk, her hand ceaselessly writing something. She would occasionally furrow her brows, stop writing, ponder for a moment, and then resume, her pen moving like the wind. Finally, after an hour, she stopped writing.

"Wan Hun, take this letter to protector Wang," she said, sealing the letter and handing it to Wan Hun, who had been hiding in the shadows.

"Yes, my master." With a flash, he vanished from the room.

Feng Xuxu, sitting at her desk, opened a letter she had just received at noon from her eldest brother. After reading it, the listless look on her face was replaced by a brilliant, sun-like smile.

Lan Lengyun pushed open the door to the study, carrying a tray of tea, and noticed that the princess, who had been gloomy for several days, finally seemed cheerful.

"What good news has made the princess so happy?" He placed the cup down, poured a cup of tea, and handed it to her.

She took the tea, blew gently on the steam, sipped it to moisten her throat, "It’s a letter from my brother. The tea plantation and livestock farm are almost ready, just waiting for the tea seedlings and the young livestock. Moreover, he has already reached an agreement with several village heads in Hejia Town of Langzhou Prefecture."

"That’s great news. It means the village heads from the other towns in Langzhou Prefecture will soon follow suit," he said, refilling her cup with tea.

"I’m going to go out this afternoon to see if I can find some good tea seedlings to order. I want to send them over in time for planting before late autumn." She stood up, stretched, and suddenly felt a wave of dizziness, her hands grasping the edge of the desk for support.

"Princess, you’re feeling dizzy again." Lan Lengyun rushed to support the swaying princess, helping her back into the chair.

Looking at the princess’s pale face, he was full of concern, "Princess, you’ve been unable to keep anything down these days. Maybe we should call the Mansion Physician to have a look."