Chapter 24 We spent the night together
The next day.
Qian Yueshu woke up in a state of languor and contentment.
I spent the whole night with Xiao Qingxuan last night.
Qian Yueshu did not feel tired at all; on the contrary, she was in a good mood!
The commotion didn't stop all night, which was enough to prove that the Crown Prince still loved her deeply.
The air was filled with the lingering scent of lovers' intimate moments.
She shifted slightly, and the quilt slipped down, revealing her smooth shoulders and neck, adorned with several red marks of varying shades...
My thoughts drifted back to last night.
The prince's kiss, which may have started as a gentle probing, then became irresistible, stealing her breath.
He repeated it over and over again... as if he were never satisfied.
She had also been physically exhausted and pleaded for mercy, only to be met with his hoarse whisper in her ear: "Yue Shu, didn't you ask me to make it up to you..."
The longing and infatuation in that voice made her heart tremble, and made her willingly succumb.
If word got out about this unrestrained debauchery, I'm afraid the officials would submit memorials again, accusing her of bewitching the emperor and that His Highness the Crown Prince was indulging in beauty.
It doesn't matter.
In any case, in her previous life she was impeached countless times by those censors.
Qian Yueshu's lips involuntarily curved into a very sweet smile.
She turned over, buried her face in the pillow that still carried his scent, and took a deep breath.
His Highness always dotes on her so much.
All you have to do is complain a little.
He would come to comfort her.
Isn't this the most heartfelt confession?
If one didn't love so much, or be so greedy, how could one be so selfless and tireless?
It is said that when feelings between a man and a woman are intense, they are the hardest to hide and the hardest to deceive.
Physical distance often reflects emotional distance.
If a man is no longer interested in your body and even touching you becomes perfunctory, how much of his so-called love and respect will remain?
It's nothing but a mirage, a self-deception.
As the old saying goes, "How long can one's favor with one's looks last?"
But if you can't please a man with your looks, how long can you keep his heart?
How many men in this world like ugly women?
Perhaps...
There are some people who, to keep a man, don't resort to brothel-like practices like sleeping with him.
But Qian Yueshu had never actually seen it.
She had only ever seen men who treated the matriarch of the household with respect and dignity.
But every night he would go to sleep with his young and beautiful concubine.
Many wealthy and powerful families in the capital did just that!
A man's love is perhaps inherently complex.
It contains compassion, respect, and shared values.
But the most direct part is still the sexual intimacy between husband and wife.
Qian Yueshu felt very lucky.
At the very least, His Highness the Crown Prince loves her body, loves her to no end.
Mingming was up all night last night.
When I left this morning.
The man left a lingering kiss on her forehead, along with a whispered message: "I'll come see you again tonight."
The tenderness and affection in his tone were genuine.
That's enough.
At least for now, he is hers.
His passion, his nights, all belonged to her.
As for the hidden worries of "using one's looks to please others"... let's talk about that when the beauty fades.
perhaps.
Before that day even arrived, she had already gotten everything she wanted!
For example, the supreme position of the phoenix, and the power that even the emperor had to be wary of...
This morning, when Xiao Qingxuan left, he told her something.
That is, to hold a celebration banquet for her becoming the Princess of Jingyang County, we need to set a date as soon as possible.
He even said he had already thought of the guest list for the banquet.
She will definitely become the most prestigious county princess!
In fact, Qian Yueshu had already thought it through, but she just pretended to think about it.
After all, the date she chose was a bit cunning; it was five days later.
It just so happens that her birthday banquet and Liu Yu's birthday banquet are one after the other.
Five days later, it was her victory celebration banquet as a county princess.
Six days later is Liu Yu's birthday banquet.
Then, who knows who will have more face?
I had breakfast.
Then someone from her subordinates informed her about the grain purchase.
Currently, it is within the Qian family's sphere of influence.
All the cheap grain was bought up by the Qian family.
If we continue buying, it could lead to higher grain prices.
Even if the price were double, it would still be worth acquiring.
After all, the severe floods in the south are just around the corner.
The price of grain will increase five or six times!
However, Xiao Qingxuan cared most about the people of the world, and even Qian Yueshu, who was always selfish, developed a bit of benevolence and virtue.
She didn't want to raise grain prices, so she stopped buying grain.
but.
Even after the grain purchase incident, Qian Yueshu still felt that she didn't have enough manpower.
The Qian family's influence is insufficient.
Take this grain purchase as an example. Even with all their resources, the Qian family could only buy affordable grain in one-third of the area of the Dayong Dynasty.
That being said...
Qian Yueshu knew that she still had too few people at her disposal.
Of course, the manpower here refers to the secret guards and assassins.
She wanted to try her luck on the black market.
Or, to put it another way, buy some people and train them yourself.
In my previous life.
Qian Yueshu focused all her attention on Crown Prince Xiao Qingxuan, either vying for his favor or on her way to do so!
In terms of external forces, or rather, in terms of their own personnel, they are indeed somewhat weaker.
But in this life.
She wants to train her own team.
Or create a dark force, similar to the First Floor.
The first floor is home to both assassins and those who trade information.
She's going to try her luck on the black market.
Or, to put it another way, buy some people and train them yourself.
The black market in the capital was not, as ordinary people imagined, located in dark, dirty, and remote corners.
It is hidden in the bustling city.
However, to enter the black market in the capital, one needs to use a secret code.
And the entrance fee alone is ten thousand taels of silver!
It's truly a place that ordinary people can't get into.
But the black market in the capital also gathered the most complete range of things from all over the world, and even rare items from other countries.
Qian Yueshu, however, has the memories of an extra lifetime.
They just happened to know the code!
This black market is located underground in the bustling city center.
It's less of a black market and more of an underground city.
The wide streets are lined with all kinds of shops, and the streets are bustling with people.
Everyone wore masks or hoods to conceal their true faces.
Qian Yueshu also put on the mask she had prepared in advance and strolled through this mysterious and powerful place.
There are shops selling weapons here, with swords, bows, and crossbows all available.
There are pavilions that sell all kinds of information, with court secrets and aristocratic family privacy clearly priced.
There are also a variety of well-trained talents waiting to be bought – from geishas who are proficient in music, chess, calligraphy and painting, to assassins who are skilled in killing and guarding.
Back when I lived in my hometown.
Qian Yueshu also frequented the black market.
However, the black market in small towns is still far inferior to the black market in the capital.
Qian Yueshu stopped at a shop called "Slave".
This place specializes in selling all kinds of servants.
The most famous are the assassins, who are said to be the most reputable place in the black market.
As soon as Qian Yueshu entered, someone came up to her.
"What kind of helper does the guest need?" A thin servant boy approached, his tone neither humble nor arrogant.
"Look at the bodyguards and assassins; they need to be skilled and have clean backgrounds," Qian Yueshu said in a low voice.
Soon a group of assassins were brought up.
Everyone brought it.
Qian Yueshu knew that.
This group of people was different from the two assassins the Crown Prince had sent her.
They're just assassins at best!
Qian Yueshu observed silently, not very satisfied.
The assassins you buy may be bought at an even higher price; their supposedly clean background is just the seller's side of the story.
but.
It would be good to buy them to serve as a facade.
For example, keeping him as a bodyguard.
When it's necessary to fight or protect her, someone is always better than her ordinary bodyguards.
However, when it comes to matters involving privacy, I still dare not reuse them.
Moreover, these people are quite wealthy.
Even the cheapest assassin costs 10,000 taels of silver.
The most expensive assassin costs a whopping 100,000 taels of silver.
With a wave of his hand, Qian Yueshu spent 300,000 taels to buy ten low-priced assassins, and then bought two more assassins for 100,000 taels each.
There were twelve people in total.
The manager saw that Qian Yueshu was generous and even gave her two half-grown children, who were also assassins.
However, the brothers looked to be only twelve or thirteen years old.
I heard they were just trained and haven't carried out any missions yet.
Qian Yueshu really liked the free gifts.
She believes that some things are best cultivated from a young age!
Qian Yueshu thought these two twelve or thirteen-year-old assassins were no worse than the two worth 100,000 taels.
"Are there any more as young as them?" Qian Yueshu suddenly asked, pointing to the two free gifts.
The steward paused for a moment, then nodded: "Yes, in the training ground in the backyard. But those are still half-finished products. It will take at least five years to train them into usable personnel."
"It's alright, take me to see."
The manager was naturally happy to grant the request of a major customer.
The backyard is much larger than the front hall and is more like a training camp.
Hundreds of young children are receiving various training programs—martial arts, assassination, infiltration, and even music, chess, calligraphy, and painting.
After all, some of these assassins were women.
It's more convenient for a woman to know some musical instruments, chess, and calligraphy when carrying out a mission.
Their eyes were numb, as if they had become accustomed to this kind of life.
"These are all orphans collected from various places, or those whose families couldn't afford to raise them and sold them. They have clean family backgrounds," the steward explained. "Those with good potential will be given special training, while those with poor potential will be sold as ordinary guards."
Qian Yueshu nodded.
Her gaze swept over the sweating little figures, and a thought suddenly struck her.
"What's the background of that child?"
Qian Yueshu pointed to a child who had lost several battles but got up again and asked.
"He fled from the north three months ago; his parents both starved to death. He's of average build, but stubborn and unwilling to admit defeat." The steward flipped through the booklet in his hand. "If the guest is interested, it'll cost eight hundred taels."
“I want it,” Qian Yueshu said without hesitation.
Based on the child's tenacity in getting up again and again, she felt that the child would become an extraordinary person in the future.
Then he pointed to another girl quietly practicing throwing weapons, "And that one?"
"Number 198, daughter of a disgraced official, sold here after her family's downfall. She is literate and shrewd. 1,200 taels."
"I'll take it too." Qian Yueshu waved her hand.
She then had another hundred children, both big and small.
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