Chen Ruolan, without batting an eye, fabricated a whole story, then wiped away her tears.
"My lord, my life has been miserable, but I am fortunate to have your mercy. Today I will tell you everything. If you find it distasteful, I will not make things difficult for you. Just let me become a nun!"
Upon hearing this, Qin Shousheng couldn't help but burst into laughter. "Madam, I've known for a long time that you're not a virgin, but I've never looked down on you. Do you know why?"
"Because I look so much like your deceased wife, I am fortunate to have won your favor."
“Wrong.” Qin Shousheng shook his head. “It was the faint sorrow on you that attracted me. A beautiful girl, even though she was smiling, she couldn’t hide the sadness in her eyes. You softened my heart.”
Chen Ruolan was secretly delighted. "Master, so you don't blame me?"
"I'm heartbroken, but I'm not in a hurry to blame you. Besides, you're a pitiful person too. Don't worry, I will definitely avenge you." Qin Shousheng finished speaking and sighed regretfully. "However, your cousin was quite beautiful, it's such a pity that she died like this!"
Upon hearing this, Chen Ruolan rolled her eyes in anger. This shameless old lecherous man goes crazy whenever he sees a beautiful woman. Doesn't he care about exhausting himself to death?
She gave a coquettish snort, "Is she prettier than me?"
"No, no, how could she compare to my darling's beauty?" Qin Shousheng said, pinching her round, plump buttocks. "Her pretty face is almost bewitching my soul."
Chen Ruolan smiled shyly, "Master, I have told you everything. You must stand up for me and not let Chen Qingqing go. I want her dead."
"Don't worry, Madam. She's doomed once she's in our hands. Just like we agreed before, you find someone to take over Chen Qingqing's business and secretly help me. Once that master in the capital gains power, we'll be the greatest heroes. From now on, you can live a life of luxury with me!"
"Yes, sir, I will handle these matters." Chen Ruolan's lips curled up, revealing a smug smile.
She had already planned to return to Nanshan Village in a grand manner in a few days, so that everyone could see that she, Chen Ruolan, had reached a point where everyone admired her!
Qin Shousheng's smile didn't reach his eyes. His subordinates' investigation revealed that Chen Qingqing's sugar shop's white sugar had become incredibly popular throughout the Great Ning Dynasty.
This industry has surpassed Anyang Salt Industry; once he controls it, he will become the Crown Prince's greatest contributor...
Anyang County Prison.
As soon as Chen Qingqing was brought to the cell door, a nauseating stench hit her, almost knocking her over.
Just as she was about to vomit, several large, thin rats suddenly darted out of the straw and ran out from under her feet.
She remained calm and unfazed by the scene before her, walking in with an air of nonchalance.
Xiao Wu didn't have such a strong heart. He felt a chill run down his spine and blurted out subconsciously, "This place is too scary. It's not a place for humans to stay."
The jailer snorted impatiently, "Who do you think you are? Daring to be picky? If you don't want a beating, get inside!"
Xiao Wu dared not utter another sound and continued walking inside with his head down.
"Go in!" The jailer shoved Chen Qingqing into a cell.
Xiao Wu was locked up in the next room.
Chen Qingqing looked around. The cell walls were covered with mottled mold and cobwebs, and piles of straw were haphazardly scattered on the damp floor.
There was a chamber pot in the corner, emitting a foul odor of excrement.
Seeing this, she couldn't help but frown. If she stayed in here for a night, she would surely suffocate from the stench!
Despite the extremely unpleasant smell, she found a corner to sit down, closed her eyes, and adopted a calm expression.
Upon seeing this, the jailer immediately looked at her with new respect.
When they learned that she was the goddess doctor of Qingshui Town, their eyes lit up.
"Miss Chen, should I notify your family and have them come over and make some arrangements, just a token gesture, so that you can have an easier time here?"
Chen Qingqing smiled faintly, "Tell me, how would you like to show your appreciation?"
The jailer smiled with narrowed eyes, "Of course, the more silver you have, the more comfortable you'll be in here."
Money? She has plenty of money; who would want to suffer when they can stay comfortable?
With a thought, Chen Qingqing produced a bag of silver in her hand, then chuckled softly.
What kind of room can I stay in with this money?
The jailer's eyes lit up, and he quickly reached out to take it. He weighed it in his hand; it was a good twenty taels of silver.
His heart was pounding with excitement. Good heavens, no wonder his left eyelid had been twitching so much this morning—he'd actually run into such a wealthy guy today!
He'd lost all his earlier ferocity and was grinning from ear to ear.
"With this money, you can certainly get a good cell in the jail." The jailer said, stuffing the silver into his pocket with a fawning expression. "Please come with me, young lady."
"Alright, bring this person along too." Chen Qingqing pointed to Xiao Wu next door. "This young lady has plenty of money."
"Alright, money makes things easier." The jailer hurriedly released Xiao Wu from the cell.
The two followed the jailer to the door of another cell.
Chen Qingqing couldn't help but feel disgusted. Although the cell didn't smell musty, the floor was still covered with rotten straw, and there was a chamber pot in the corner.
The jailer noticed her disdain from her expression and quickly put on a smiling face to explain.
"Miss Chen, don't let the simplicity of this room fool you; it's a thousand times better than the others. At least there aren't any big rats."
You wouldn't believe it, the rats in this cell are something else entirely; they often eat the prisoners in the middle of the night.
I'm not kidding, but I know of three prisoners who were bitten to death by rats, their necks bitten through. But you'll never get bitten in this room.
To be honest, this cell isn't something just anyone can afford; only someone as generous as Miss Chen can enjoy it.
Chen Qingqing didn't want to waste any more words with him, so she handed him another silver note. "This is fifty taels of silver. Get us another room."
Upon seeing this, the jailer's eyes nearly popped out of their sockets. Good heavens! Is this a dream?
He spent fifty taels of silver in one go; you couldn't earn that much even if you were a jailer your whole life!
He nodded and bowed repeatedly, really wanting to kneel down and kowtow to Chen Qingqing.
"You're too kind, young lady. You've made me feel quite embarrassed."
He hurriedly accepted the silver notes with both hands, and then said,
"To be honest, Miss Chen, arranging a room like this is already the most I can do. But please don't worry, Miss Chen."
Don't be fooled by the fact that people in our line of work are often greedy; we make a living this way, and we also value loyalty and integrity.
Since we've taken the money, we have to do the job. I don't have the authority, but our jailer, Sun, does.
Every trade has its rules, and even small businesses can't overstep their boundaries.
"In that case, go and call your manager here."
"Alright, Miss Chen, please wait a moment. I'll go and fetch our jailer, Mr. Sun."
The jailer seemed to have forgotten his duty, and walked out with his tail between his legs like a dog...
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