Chapter 1

The Tang Dynasty.

The sky over Chang'an was stiflingly hot, as if one were sitting in a steamer, making it hard to breathe.

Inside the palace, Empress Changsun had prepared a lotus seed porridge to cool down Emperor Li Shimin.

"Your Majesty, yesterday, Lady Fang Xuanling came to me to complain. She said that our Gaoyang has been married to the Fang family for more than half a year, but there's still no sign of a child..."

"Can we be anxious about this? That old Fang is such a jealous woman..." Li Shimin's face darkened immediately.

"It's not something to be anxious about, but I heard secretly that since Gaoyang married into the Fang family, she hasn't let Fang Yigai step into her room even once. How can she possibly conceive..." Empress Changsun's face was filled with worry.

This kind of matter, even as the Empress, I can't interfere!

How can I find someone to replace her?

"Cough... What can I do about this?" Li Shimin said helplessly.

"Whose fault is this?

Gaoyang has been pampered since childhood, with a fiery and proud personality like a blooming peony. She has always looked down on Fang Yigai. You forced her to marry him. She did marry, but she harbors a lot of resentment..."

Guanyinbei scolded.

Li Shimin sighed and said slowly, "Prime Minister Fang Xuanling is a founding hero. Although Fang Yigai hasn't inherited his father's wisdom and elegance, the Fang family is still a prestigious and noble family. It's better than marrying far away to the border regions for a marriage alliance."

"Since Gaoyang was young, I have agreed with Xuanling to become in-laws. In the past, you could excuse her for being young and naive, but now that she is married, she should know how to respect her parents and obey her husband. Otherwise, it will disappoint the ministers."

"Guanyinbei, as the Empress, you should help me persuade her. Since ancient times, the affairs of the royal family are also the affairs of the state. How can we let her act on her whims?"

Emperor Li Shimin said with a frown.

A princess is the face of the royal family, how can this be taken lightly.

The state is more important than the ruler.

If even the ruler can be light, the prince and princess making sacrifices is inevitable.

Who can blame them for being born into the imperial family!

"But..."

"There is no 'but.' Since she has already married into the Fang family, this matter is settled."

Li Shimin's face showed reluctance, but his tone was firm.

"Alas, it can only be so!" Empress Changsun wanted to say more but finally nodded.

Empress Changsun understood Gaoyang's thoughts. She has always had high standards and wouldn't look at the uneducated, rough, and typical brute Fang Yigai.

Not just Gaoyang, even she couldn't stand Fang Yigai.

But no matter how high her aspirations, she was born into the imperial family!

However, Liangguo Gong Fang Xuanling joined the ranks when the father emperor raised the army, and he is a highly meritorious minister. Marrying into the Fang family isn't a disgrace for Gaoyang.

...

Li Shimin couldn't help but feel annoyed.

Even the silver ear lotus seed porridge didn't taste as good as before.

He waved his hand at the head of the Hundred Riders (a surveillance department set up by Li Shimin, later renamed the Water Conservancy Department).

"Yunrui, what has Princess Gaoyang been up to recently?"

"Your Majesty... Your Majesty... Princess Gaoyang hasn't been busy with anything recently!!!"

The head of the Hundred Riders stuttered when he spoke.

"Hmm?!"

Li Shimin was already in a bad mood, and seeing this, his anger flared up. He shouted sternly,

"Dog, weren't you usually quite eloquent? Why can't you speak clearly now?

Bring him out and give him sixty strokes!"

The head of the Hundred Riders turned green with fear, quickly knelt down, and said in a panic,

"Your... Your Majesty, I... Yunrui deserve death!"

Usually, twenty strokes would almost cost one's life, and sixty strokes...

"Still not speaking the truth?"

Yunrui wiped his sweat and said, "Please, Your Majesty... dismiss the attendants!"

"Hmm? Is there something that can't be said openly?" Li Shimin's eyes narrowed, and he said angrily.

"This..."

"Everyone, leave!"

As a woman, Empress Changsun was often more sensitive and meticulous than men. She nodded and waved for the attendants to leave.

"Now you can speak."

Yunrui wiped the sweat from his face and said cautiously, "Your Majesty, during dinner... the Hundred Riders saw a strange man enter Princess Gaoyang's inner chambers... and he hasn't come out yet."

"What? Are you sure it's not Fang Yigai?" Li Shimin stood up abruptly.

"Absolutely sure, it's not the second son of the Fang family. This person is still inside."

"Damn!!!"

Li Shimin was instantly furious, his face darkening to the extreme.

A strange man entered Gaoyang's inner chambers?

Not Fang Yigai?

Bang!

The teacup fell to the ground, shattering.

"Damn!"

"Damn!"

"Damn!"

Li Shimin's eyes burned with uncontrollable anger.

But no one dared to speak.

The air seemed to freeze in that moment.

The entire Huaqing Palace seemed to be sucked into a vacuum.

The head of the Hundred Riders, Yunrui, was so scared that his legs turned to jelly, and he fell to the ground.

"Go... cut him down... no... I will have him torn apart by five horses!"

Li Shimin's voice, filled with uncontrollable anger, rolled like thunder, echoing far and wide.

...

"Second Brother, don't..."

Empress Changsun quickly held Li Shimin back, shaking her head to signal him to calm down.

By now, Li Shimin was already furious, his teeth grinding.

But the word "Second Brother" from Empress Changsun made him suddenly pause.

He looked at Empress Changsun, his eyes flickering.

The Empress hasn't called him that in a long time, and as an emperor, Li Shimin's mind was extremely sharp.

He slowly sat down again.

Li Shimin thought to himself, "After all, Guanyinbei is the most considerate. She always calms me down with a single word."

"Phew~"

This is a family disgrace, how can we make a big fuss.

First, Princess Gaoyang represents the face of the royal family.

Second, her husband is from the Fang family, a prestigious and noble family, a family of ministers. If this gets out, how can they save face?

If this leaks, the consequences are unimaginable.

The Tang Dynasty, with its grandeur and glory, with the eyes of the world focused on it, how can it face the envoys of other countries if something like this happens?

"Dog! This has been going on for several hours, and you only report it now?" Li Shimin kicked the head of the Hundred Riders in anger, wishing he could kick him to death.

The marriage between Fang Yigai and Gaoyang was a highly anticipated event in the capital.

On the wedding day,

All the officials paid their respects,

And envoys from foreign countries in Chang'an all attended.

Li Shimin was very pleased.

This wedding not only appeased the meritorious ministers but also added to the long-term stability of the Tang Dynasty.

Logically, marrying a princess to the Fang family was a great honor.

But now, his woman has done something so foolish. How can he face Fang Xuanling? How can he face the ministers?

After a long silence, Li Shimin made up his mind.

Since the incident has already happened, the most important thing is how to resolve it.

Most importantly, this matter must not leak out.

"Pass my decree, the Hundred Riders must not alarm anyone. All of you, change into ordinary civilian clothes and follow me out of the palace..." Li Shimin's voice was filled with hatred.

...

At this moment, Qin Shou was extremely anxious.

Because he had been kidnapped.

He was walking down the street when someone suddenly put a bag over his head and forcibly took him to an unknown place.

Everything was dark.

"Phew!"

Did he encounter bandits?

"Money or life?"

This can't be so bad, right?

"Reborn just to die, what a ridiculous life!"

"..."

Qin Shou had been in the Tang Dynasty for almost two months.

When others were reborn, they were either from prestigious families or had royal blood, with high status and wealth.

Some even had various powerful systems, effortlessly leveling up, dominating everything, and starting at the peak of life.

But on the day he was reborn, his old man died.

Not only did he leave no inheritance, but he also left a mountain of debt!

On the day his old man was buried, more debt collectors came than family members.

In the Tang Dynasty, debts must be repaid by the son!

How unlucky can one be?

He missed his previous life, where he made a lot of money from e-commerce, owned dozens of houses in a first-tier city, and had several cars, not to mention two young girlfriends...

Qin Shou couldn't understand why he was chosen to suffer like this.

He gritted his teeth, feeling extremely frustrated.

No matter how much he complained, he still had to face the present.

Perhaps because of his rebirth, his mind seemed sharper. Many things he had forgotten were now vividly remembered.

Qin Shou thought of many ways, like dressing up nicely today and heading straight to the bustling Zhuque Street in Chang'an.

Past experience told him that small-scale efforts wouldn't work. To live a rich life, he needed a benefactor.

In other words, he needed to convince someone to invest in him.

But he didn't meet any benefactors in Chang'an.

Not only did he not meet any benefactors, but he was kidnapped!

How unlucky can one be?

...

Just as Qin Shou was lost in thought, the blindfold was suddenly removed.

Qin Shou's heart tightened.

Would next year's today be his death anniversary?

As his vision gradually cleared, he saw a richly decorated room.

"Heroes, spare my life, we can talk about money..."

But before he could finish, he realized something was off...

Hmm?

Why is it so luxurious?

The room was exquisitely decorated.

He was sitting on a golden-threaded nanmu chair, which felt heavy and intricately carved, smooth as jade.

Qin Shou turned his head.

A pair of large, watery eyes, a high nose, cherry lips, arched eyebrows, and a perfectly refined face appeared before him.

Her skin was exceptionally white, not just white, but a nourished, rosy white, soft and warm, as if it would overflow with light and moisture, looking ripe and full of juice.

This woman is so beautiful!

"Swallow!"

Qin Shou couldn't help but swallow.

Her figure was truly extraordinary!

This size... could suffocate someone!

While Qin Shou was in a daze,

He heard the woman softly say, "Have you been married, sir?"

"Uh... no!"

"Then... I want to marry you, what do you think?"

What?

Qin Shou's eyes widened in shock, his expression freezing, his mouth forming an O.

He swallowed several times, feeling his throat dry.

What kind of script is this?

...