Bai Sheng placed the bamboo branches in a hidden spot in the room, just in case someone came looking for them on short notice and mistook the branches for firewood.
If that happened, they wouldn't be able to return to the inn immediately. They needed to appear before the innkeeper and the waiters bright and early the next day.
After the two of them entered the spatial dimension, Bai Sheng brought Lu Ye out of it, leaving the capital city.
They were already eight days away from the capital, providing ample alibi. Tonight, they were going to fleece the Empress and the Crown Prince.
At midnight, the entire imperial city fell into silence.
The lanterns along the palace corridors cast faint light, creating a somber and eerie atmosphere amidst the numerous eaves and pavilions.
Led by the rats, Bai Sheng and the other quickly located the Xiangyun Palace.
Apart from the lanterns in the long corridors, all the rooms in Xiangyun Palace were pitch-black.
Upon listening closely, one could even hear the sounds of deep sleep.
Lu Ye summoned over a dozen little rats. Bai Sheng first fed each of them an antidote pill, then tied the sleeping gas canisters to their backs. After lighting them, she let them scatter, heading specifically for the occupied rooms in Xiangyun Palace.
The rats scurried into every occupied room, diffusing the sleeping gas from their backs throughout the entire space. Once everyone was knocked out, Bai Sheng and Lu Ye appeared.
The guards at the gate and the sentries were already incapacitated. Bai Sheng, not entirely reassured, added more sleeping gas to them.
This sleeping gas was an upgraded version of the sedative, colorless and odorless. Even if someone investigated the next day, there would be no trace.
To ensure absolute safety in fleecing the Empress, Bai Sheng had spent a considerable amount of time researching in the alchemy room, mastering the art of sedatives.
At critical moments, sedatives could be life-savers, and anything that could save lives was something Bai Sheng took very seriously.
Their plan was to start by raiding the Empress's secret treasury. That was where the Empress kept all her savings and principal assets, her greatest capital for survival.
The rats had already thoroughly scouted the Empress's secret treasury. Guided by the rats, Bai Sheng and Lu Ye soon found the location of the treasury.
Upon entering the treasury, the two of them were almost blinded by the dazzling golden light and precious jewels.
Crates of gold bars, jade, silver, banknotes, and valuable antiques and calligraphy paintings filled an entire room.
Bai Sheng and Lu Ye exchanged glances, their smiles stretching to their ears. Lu Ye gently pinched her nose, chuckling, "Little money grubber."
"Husband, this is all ill-gotten gain from the people. After we take it, we must do more good deeds," Bai Sheng said, fearing retribution for taking advantage of the common folk.
Although she didn't entirely believe in gods and ghosts, her transmigration to Great Xia proved that there were still many mysterious unknowns in this world. She couldn't deny their existence just because her knowledge was limited.
What deserved reverence still needed to be revered.
Lu Ye kissed her forehead. "Alright, my good girl. I'll listen to whatever you say."
Bai Sheng also "attacked" his lips, then quickly dodged, giggling, "Husband, I'm going to start collecting."
Lu Ye's heart was still pounding from the surprise kiss. His gaze was filled with infinite pampering. "Okay."
With a mere thought from Bai Sheng, the entire room instantly became empty, dim, and lifeless.
The two of them slipped out of the secret vault and then went to the Empress's sleeping quarters.
The palace maids, nannies, and eunuchs in the sleeping quarters were all fast asleep. Bai Sheng collected everything of value in the chambers.
She didn't even spare the tables, chairs, benches, low stools, tea sets, writing brush and ink, paper, inkstones, lamps, candles, or incense burners.
The Empress's wardrobe was a riot of colors, with countless dresses of various hues. Moreover, they were all made of superior quality fabrics, with exquisite craftsmanship and embroidery.
With a thought from Bai Sheng, they were all collected into the spatial dimension.
The dressing table was adorned with an array of glittering jewelry. Bai Sheng collected the entire dressing table along with the jewelry.
The precious Zitan wood bed the Empress slept on likely cost tens of thousands of taels of silver. Bai Sheng and Lu Ye gently moved the Empress to the floor, then collected the large bed into the spatial dimension.
All these household items, though used by the noble Empress, Bai Sheng still found them rather displeasing. She planned to sell them abroad when she had the chance.
The Empress had about a thousand pairs of shoes, which Bai Sheng found quite distasteful. However, she still collected them into the spatial dimension, planning to grind them up later and throw them into the cesspit for fertilization.
With the inner and outer chambers cleared, the two prepared to head to the kitchen.
As Bai Sheng turned, she inadvertently caught a glimpse of the Empress's person, which was shimmering with golden light.
Perhaps it was because the entire chamber had become dim, the Empress appeared somewhat "radiant."
Bai Sheng immediately stopped and leaned in for a closer look. She saw that the Empress's delicate fingers were adorned with five or six rings inlaid with gold and precious stones, and her wrists bore two top-quality ice-jade bracelets.
Good heavens! She had almost missed some of the Empress's hidden wealth.
With a thought from Bai Sheng, the Empress's fingers and wrists were instantly bare.
Bai Sheng even parted the Empress's lips to check for gold teeth, intending to collect them if there were any.
Unfortunately, the Empress's teeth were well-preserved and had no gold fillings.
All valuable decorations and furnishings within Xiangyun Palace were collected.
After clearing the sleeping quarters, they went to the kitchen. All the silver tableware was collected, as were the premium delicacies like bird's nest, cured meat, and deer antler from the storage cabinets.
Xiangyun Palace also had many precious flowers and trees planted. Bai Sheng didn't let them go either, uprooting them and transplanting them into the spatial dimension.
Having plundered Xiangyun Palace clean, leaving only the sleeping figures leaning against walls or lying on the floor, Bai Sheng and Lu Ye immediately rushed to the Crown Prince's mansion.
They similarly stripped the Crown Prince's mansion completely bare.
Thinking that the Crown Prince, being in the Imperial Clan Court, would surely have many valuable items on him, they went and decisively took away his jade pendant, thumb ring, jade crown, and other good possessions.
After collecting wealth, they proceeded to collect people.
Lu Ye had already had the Shenmen investigate. The Empress had a total of 30 hidden guards. The Crown Prince had a Death Guard corps of 200 men, 100 hidden guards, and currently known elite private soldiers numbering 800.
These individuals were all able-bodied youths and should not be serving as the Empress's and Crown Prince's pawns. Coincidentally, Prince Yu needed a large labor force for desertification control and tree planting. After "fleecing" them, Bai Sheng would administer some medicine to cripple their martial arts, then some medicine to make them collectively amnesiac, and then send them to Prince Yu as laborers.
Bai Sheng spent her days tinkering in the alchemy room, and it wasn't for nothing. Her current alchemy skills were even superior to those of her master, Granny Wu.
While she couldn't match Lu Ye in martial arts, she at least aimed to rival him in alchemy and poison.
After the rats incapacitated these young, strong men with sleeping gas, Bai Sheng collected them all into the spatial dimension.
To prevent them from waking up midway, Bai Sheng sprinkled them with sleeping gas on their faces again, ensuring they would remain unconscious for several days.
In addition to that, she added some medicine for temporary blindness. Even if someone suddenly woke up unexpectedly, their eyes would be unable to see.
Seeing this, Lu Ye praised his good girl for being clever, intelligent, and adorable.
After collecting all they intended to, the two of them, like ghosts, flashed into the spatial dimension.
The four children had already woken up. Seeing the mountains of goods and people before them, they all danced with joy.