The Exiled Villainess and Her Shopping Dimension

"I also want to hear your opinion." When Yueqian finished speaking, Xiao Long was at a loss for words. Initially, his intention was to become a military strategist, earn a reputation, and gain respect because his elder brother needed military power. Therefore, Xiao Long wanted to become a general who could stand alongside his brother.

He knew he wasn’t as strong as his brother. After training in combat, he realized he wasn’t a warrior like his elder brother. So, he aimed to become a smart strategist. Planning battles could be honed through experience and knowledge.

If he put in more effort than anyone else, learning about geography and various sciences, he could win using geographical strategies or weather forecasting. Everything that impacted warfare, he was ready to learn.

However, when his sister-in-law asked him to reconsider, Xiao Long hesitated to reaffirm his original thought.

Who would have thought that a boy from a poor rural background had dreams of becoming a scholar, writing poems, and performing in front of the court? He wanted to be part of the royal music ensemble, to be a musician skilled in every instrument. Although he had never played music before, he cherished the memory of being in his mother’s arms, watching a performance with joy. He wanted to become one of them.

He wanted to bring happiness to children who, despite their poverty, could find hope in life just by hearing songs and music.

His mother once had an instrument. It was a beautiful and valuable jade flute. As the family’s situation worsened, she sold it. Xiao Long vowed to retrieve it for her, but unexpectedly, she passed away before he could. He could only grieve and keep that thought to himself.

Like Huan’er, he didn’t dare to voice his true desire. His brother had urged him to study hard, become a scholar, serve in the government, and live a good life, earning money to support the family. He had adhered to this advice, planning his life accordingly.

Xiao Long knew that musicians didn’t lead wealthy lives. They had to work hard every day, and if they didn’t work, they didn’t get paid to support their families. If this was his path, he would end up burdening his family. What would happen to his future wife and children? Would they starve just because he wanted to follow his dream?

He seemed to realize what he truly wanted, caught between his dream and reality. However, when he looked at his sister-in-law’s face again, he saw something.

Wasn’t she the perfect example of what it meant to balance dreams and reality?

Yueqian was from the capital, a young miss from a prominent family, despised and looked down upon by many. Yet, she didn’t care. In truth, it was all part of her plan. Let people look down on her; in the end, she would walk the path she had chosen for herself.

A person from a great family, as an eldest young miss of the family, burdened by an inescapable arranged marriage since birth. Yet, their sister-in-law managed to overcome that, didn’t she?

Her dream was to live a life she had chosen herself, and now, was she not living it? Yes! The difference between dreams and reality was merely the choice to pursue them, right?

“Sister-in-law, what if the path I choose doesn’t earn me enough to become a proud head of the family? How can I still choose it?” Xiao Long asked, disheartened. The young boy’s eyes reflected deep disappointment in life. He had tried to be strong, but thinking about a future where he must harden his heart and wield a sword to slay others, left him feeling depressed.

If he didn’t think about it, it wasn’t so bad, but once he did, he couldn’t help but feel let down by life.

“And what makes you think that your chosen path will prevent you from being a good head of the family?” Yueqian raised an eyebrow, looking at the boy who still clung to conventional thinking and believed what people said without question.

“I...” Xiao Long glanced at Huan’er, feeling a bit ashamed to admit that his true desire was to be just a musician.

However, Yueqian didn’t provide him with an easy way out. If he wasn’t brave enough to express his own passions, how could he hope to forsake everything to follow his dream? There was a brief silence between them. Finally, Xiao Long decided to speak up.

"I want to be a musician, but musicians can’t make enough money to support a family. Therefore, I can’t choose this path," Xiao Long said, feeling embarrassed.

Yueqian almost laughed upon hearing this. In her past life, if someone said that musicians starve, people would have surely scoffed at the idea.

Were musicians, actors, and singers, those with successful works, poor? The answer was that they could earn tens of millions in a year, while respected government officials might make only 300,000 per year. What did this imply?

In this world, people looked down on musicians yet hired them to perform at every event. What kind of logic did these people use to make such decisions? Yueqian couldn’t fathom it.

In her previous world, there was a saying, "He who has no music in him is a man of strange nature." This sentiment held true across all eras. Even during wars, people sang to comfort themselves in times of fear and despair. Until the very end, musicians and singers still had their place!

Even in tough economic times, people might reduce their visits to entertainment venues, but were other professions not affected? For instance, merchants; people stop spending as much, buying less food and fewer goods. So why single out musicians as the only worthless group?

"You’re worried only about money, right?" Yueqian avoided Xiao Long’s question about whether he could be a good family leader. Being a good family leader wasn’t just about money, and she intended to show him this in time.

"Yes," the young boy nodded.

"Then, tomorrow I will have someone take you somewhere," Yueqian waved her hand. Xiao Long didn’t need to rush his decision. Huan’er had already made up her mind, so Yueqian would find her a teacher and provide some initial guidance. As for Xiao Long, he could study what he chose until he made up his mind.

"What do you mean by that, sister-in-law? Where will they take me?" Xiao Long was confused, but Yueqian didn’t elaborate.

"You will find out tomorrow," she only said this. Then she told them to rest after their long journey. The two children chose their own rooms to rest in and fell asleep until the next morning.

Early in the morning, a beautiful woman came to take Xiao Long. She made him wear a cloak that covered him completely, hiding his face. Since Xiao Long hadn’t decided on his career path, Yueqian didn’t want this to become an issue later. If he chose to serve in government, there shouldn’t be any rumors that he had once followed a performing troupe.

As for Huan’er, she was given an assignment: to study herbs by observing them for a day. In the evening, she would have to identify and distinguish twenty different herbs with Yueqian, to see if she could remember them all.

This method of learning was designed to build her understanding through personal effort. Huan’er would have to study more extensively than if she were simply given a single herbal textbook. To identify each herb that she saw, she would need to refer to more than ten different herbal guides, honing her observational skills in the process.

Being a doctor, attention to detail was crucial. To cultivate this, one must first train in keen observation. Perhaps because Yueqian had been trained in this way since childhood, she had become highly attuned to any unusual situations as she grew older. This was a strength she valued high in herself.

Meanwhile, she kept abreast of the news from the Art Institute. There were members of the Art Institute in Bai Region, but their interactions were not as frequent as those in Du Region. Perhaps it was because they weren’t very close, so their interactions were mostly limited to trade, which was how they knew each other.

Previously, they had visited Mu Manor. Given that it was a former royal palace guarded by hundreds of soldiers, what Yueqian could do was to meet them outside. She used the pretext of wanting to get some fresh air to leave the manor, slipping past a few guards with some effort.

The Art Institute members had purchased a small house, ostensibly belonging to an ordinary villager, but in reality, it was a base for undercover Art Institute members gathering intelligence. This house was used as a meeting place, so it did not attract much attention.

Yueqian sold them five bottles of liquor, for which they paid handsomely. They greatly enjoyed the liquor and wanted to establish a long-term trade. Yueqian suggested they transport it from Du Region themselves, as she couldn’t do it personally. Moreover, they were capable of doing so. Given their numbers and expertise, this task wasn’t difficult for them.

After the exchange, they didn’t contact her again. It was enough for her to deliver the goods to Du Region. The letter from Wu Yuandong this time didn’t contain much, just a warning to be cautious of a potential war.

It turned out that the Young General who had come to Bai Region was ambushed. Everyone believed that someone wanted to usurp his position. However, the Art Institute discovered a more complex plot. There were others inciting chaos, aiming to create as much turmoil in Du Region as possible. They even spread rumors to defame major families, including the Qin family.

The Qin family had been robbed, their warehouse burned, causing significant losses. Investigation revealed that another family coveted their long-hidden treasures. Consequently, the Qin family declared they would break ties. It was eventually found that the thief was no longer in the Du Region but had fled to another Region. In their anger, the Qin family lashed out at those families.

The original family of the thief claimed no involvement, stating that the thief, though sharing their surname, was not part of the main family and had been disowned. Yet, the Qin family was not appeased and obstructed their trade, turning their guilt into anger. This led to retaliation. The conflict eventually reached the Emperor, who demanded appropriate restitution to resolve the issue.

However, they still did not want to end their grudge. The two families fought like rabid dogs, and this madness wasn’t limited to the Qin family. Other families continued to clash, leaving the emperor astonished. Investigations were ordered, but the mastermind behind the chaos remained elusive.

Yueqian was already aware of these events through her own “people” and her master’s connections. Her master, a divine healer, traveled extensively and had more connections than the Art Institute. The shadows assisting her now were people she had once saved, along with those her master had placed at her disposal. As a result, she often received news before others did.

Her master’s network spanned far and wide, receiving warm welcomes across various Regions. This was unlike the Art Institute, which was primarily based in Hu Region. Consequently, their knowledge was confined to their jurisdiction under Hu Region’s control.

"It seems the Hu Region won’t be able to avoid war," Yueqian thought to herself, tapping the table. The situation had become much more chaotic than before.

Previously, Du Region had remained relatively stable, with conflicts occurring mainly in Hu Region, which had led to the male protagonist being summoned. However, the storyline primarily focused on the female protagonist’s struggle with the people in the Deng manor. Later, the male protagonist returned victorious from his assignment.

There wasn’t much more for her to predict. Nonetheless, Yueqian wasn’t afraid...

"Well, it’s time to prepare seriously," she said. If she wanted to survive, she needed her own people to rely on. She couldn’t always depend on her master or the Art Institute...

Visit and read more novel to help us update chapter quickly. Thank you so much!