After taking the Anti-motion Sickness Medicine that Shangguan Zifeng bought for her, Shangguan Linlang experienced virtually no symptoms of motion sickness during the rest of the journey, which made the Empress greatly respect the medication from the modern world. She once believed that such an elixir was exorbitantly priced, and that it would certainly cost a hefty sum of gold to purchase.
"Zifeng, the Anti-motion Sickness Medicine from your place is very effective. I've felt much better after using it, and now I no longer suffer from dizziness and nausea. When we left the ancient tomb, I left in such a hurry that I forgot to take my valuables with me. I will repay you for the cost of the medicine later. It troubles me that I caused you to spend on my behalf, but rest assured, I never fail to repay those who have aided me."
When Shangguan Linlang remembered the cost of the medicine, she assured Shangguan Zifeng with serious expression, as the Empress did not want to be misunderstood by others as someone trying to shirk debts. Although her Shangguan Family were warriors by tradition, their family discipline was nevertheless very strict. Both her mother, Lady Shangguan, and her father—Protectorate General Shangguan Haotian—had strictly taught their children to always remember the kindness of others and to repay it at the first opportunity. There and then, Shangguan Linlang was strictly following the family teachings of the Shangguan Family. The Empress was proud every moment of being a member of the Shangguan Clan and naturally would not do anything to bring shame to their reputation.
"Haha, Your Majesty, it's nothing to worry about. Such Anti-motion Sickness Medicine is very common in our world, readily available almost everywhere, and not expensive at all. That is to say, such medicine really doesn't cost much silver. You don't need to be concerned. But if you really want to show your gratitude, later on, just send a small gift from your Underground Palace to me, hehe. You should know that objects from your era are nonexistent in our world. Items from a thousand years ago are now priceless. Zifeng is not greedy; I just want to have something to play with. What do you think?"
Shangguan Zifeng had not expected the woman before him, who claimed to be the Empress, to be so principled in her actions, not exhibiting any of the haughty airs of the noblewomen depicted in TV shows, nor acting superior to others. The Empress was remembering to repay him for just a bit of Anti-motion Sickness Medicine, which made Shangguan Zifeng respect her even more. It seemed this ancient Empress was indeed a dignified noble of pure heritage.
However, Shangguan Zifeng was also no pushover. Seeing that the Empress actually wanted to repay him, he learned to strike while the iron was hot, setting his sights on the precious antiques of the ancient tomb. Shangguan Zifeng mistakenly assumed that the Empress wouldn't mind parting with the burial items, thinking that it was commonplace for her, being accustomed to high status, to bestow gold, silver, and jewels upon meritorious officials. So out came the above words, in hopes that the Empress, in a moment of generosity, would gift him a treasure. Goodness, if that happened, he would be making a fortune. The more Shangguan Zifeng thought about it, the happier he became, grinning so broadly that his back teeth showed, a look that somewhat marred his otherwise handsome face, adding a touch of sleaziness typical of a petty townsman.
But Shangguan Zifeng had misunderstood our Empress; after marrying Han Ziye, Monarch of Yulong Country, Shangguan Linlang was sent to the Cold Palace before she had even spent a day as Empress. Well, alright, it was a place even more miserable than the Cold Palace—she was directly locked in the Living Tomb, barely escaping an eternal lack of reincarnation.
Although Shangguan Linlang never cared much for gold and silver since she had seen too much of it from a young age and naturally did not value such treasures, after experiencing long periods of warfare and seeing too many soldiers suffering due to a lack of military provisions, surviving on belt-tightening measures while struggling in battle and enduring hunger, the Empress developed an almost perverse fondness for gold and silver.
In order to subsidize military needs, the Shangguan Family had not hesitated to deplete their own fortune, converting all the precious items bestowed upon them by generations of royalty into silver to improve the soldiers' living conditions. This was a key reason why the Shangguan Family was so beloved by the people and the army, and it also explained why the troops under Shangguan Linlang's command were willing to lay down their lives for the Shangguan Clan, serving the court with unyielding loyalty no matter the hardship.
Though Shangguan Linlang had been locked in the Living Tomb for a thousand years, the sense of crisis deep within her had never waned. She had grown accustomed to being prepared for the worst. The Empress thought that money should be saved whenever possible, to be used when it could make a real difference. Therefore, without a second thought, she flatly rejected Shangguan Zifeng's request.