Charles Harper also felt a surge of competitiveness in his heart. Even though he had transmigrated, as a renowned love expert, how could he let his fiancée slip away right before his eyes? That was simply unacceptable. If he really let her get away, wouldn't I, Charles Harper, have a reputation built on nothing but empty words?

Charles Harper suddenly thought of something and said with a grin, "Grace, since Madam wants me to go after Miss Lu, did she give you any funds for the trip? You'd better not keep any for yourself—embezzlement will get your legs broken."

Little Grace asked in confusion, "What are funds?"

Charles Harper patiently explained, "It's like this: I have to go to Zhenjiang, right? I need travel expenses for the journey. Food and drink along the way—won't I need some silver? And when I get to the Lu family, I should at least buy a gift or two. Am I supposed to show up as the future son-in-law empty-handed?"

Little Grace couldn't help but click her tongue. "Young master, Madam didn't give any funds."

What...

Charles Harper's heart sank to rock bottom once again. This was a total setup! Even in those scammy online games, the dumb NPCs who give out quests at least hand over a quest item or something. Even a tiger won't eat its own cubs, but here his own mother gives her son such a tough task and doesn't even provide any funds. Was he supposed to beg his way to Zhenjiang?

Sure, Charles Harper had thick skin, but not thick enough to go around shaking two broken bowls at everyone, pitifully saying, "Please, spare some change."

Seeing Charles Harper's expression change, Little Grace giggled and said, "But I do have a few taels of silver. Madam said that money shouldn't be spent recklessly, and a girl should save up for her dowry. So I've been saving and saving, and finally managed to put away a few taels..."

Charles Harper was stunned for a moment and looked Little Grace up and down.

Little Grace reached into her clothes and, after some effort, pulled out a red handkerchief. She unfolded it, revealing a layer of oiled paper inside. Peeling that open, there were a few pieces of straw paper, and finally, inside, a few small pieces of broken silver. Her eyes welled up with misty tears as she said, "Young master, this is my dowry..."

Resisting temptation, Charles Harper took a deep breath and said, "This... doesn't seem quite right. Why do I feel like I'm mooching off you?"

Little Grace widened her eyes, her gaze sparkling. "Young master... don't go work as a laborer. You can't carry a hundred-pound sack. And don't go begging either—you have hands and feet, but you won't get anything that way."

Charles Harper almost spat blood. He felt like he couldn't keep up with this girl's wild train of thought. If he didn't take her money, did that mean he had to go work as a porter or beg on the streets?

But then again... he had just arrived in this world, and the original Charles Harper really was a good-for-nothing. For now, he really was only fit to carry sacks or be a beggar.

How depressing.

Little Grace continued, "Madam said that Little Grace should be good to the young master. If the young master does something wrong, I should scold him. But if the young master is in trouble, no matter what, I can't just watch him jump into the fire pit."

He was defeated by her. Charles Harper actually found himself a little moved.

How pathetic—he almost wanted to be defeated by Little Grace. If he lost, at least he'd have travel money; if he won, he'd have to beg along the way.

Charles Harper would rather lose again and again!

"Fine... I'll just owe you one. In the future, when it comes to your marriage, I'll take care of everything."

After a rough calculation, Little Grace's silver wasn't much—just three taels. If they were frugal, it would barely be enough to get to Zhenjiang.

Charles Harper felt a bit gloomy inside. He didn't know whether his future would be bright or bleak.

Chapter Three: Never Abandon, Never Give Up

From Songjiang to Zhenjiang wasn't far. Find a ferry crossing and you could follow the river all the way to Zhenjiang.

Along the way, Charles Harper gradually became familiar with this world and started to gain some confidence in this era.

Zhenjiang was once called Jingkou and Dantu. There was an old poem: "Where can I see the land of China? All the scenery is at Beigu Tower." This Beigu Tower was a famous sight in Zhenjiang. Here, too, was the key to guarding Nanjing. The name Zhenjiang itself came from its important military significance. It was said that when northern armies marched south, they would either attack Xiangfan or head straight for Zhenjiang. The capital of the realm was now Nanjing, known as Yingtian Prefecture, only about a hundred li from Zhenjiang, so Zhenjiang's importance was self-evident.

Recently, it was said that rebel forces from the north had marched south, already taken Jinan, and were now camped north of the Yangtze. They would soon cross the river. Zhenjiang was a major stronghold—if they wanted to cross, they had to take Zhenjiang first. So the atmosphere in the city was tense. Soldiers patrolled every few steps, checkpoints were everywhere, and the mood was as oppressive as dark clouds blotting out the sun, making it hard to breathe.

Fortunately, Charles Harper had a pass on him, so he wasn't afraid of being stopped. After entering the city with Little Grace, he found an inn near the residence of the Naval Commander and settled in.

"Young master, young master... why don't we go directly to pay respects to Master Lu and Madam Lu?"

Charles Harper, travel-worn and weary, relaxed a bit after settling in and said, "You don't understand. Right now, we don't know what the Lu family thinks of me. If we show up unannounced and get thrown out, it wouldn't be a big deal—my skin's not that thin, I can take a little embarrassment. But after that, it would be nearly impossible to get close to Miss Lu again. So we need to know ourselves and our enemy. For now, we'll stay here a few days, gather some information, and then decide what to do."