I became a stepmother and got rich with my cute baby.

As soon as His Royal Highness gave the order, fear instantly spread across the surrounding towns.

The common people stayed indoors and lived in fear. Those who had male children in their homes cried all day long, fearing that the soldiers would come to their homes one day.

But the military commander had a list in his hand, which allowed him to tell at a glance which family had male children and how much grain each family had in stock.

A war of burning, killing and looting broke out in the city.

"Sir, please, this is the last food we have. I have a child to take care of. Please have mercy on me!"

A woman was crying and holding onto an officer's thighs as she was dragged directly from the house to the street.

The official kicked her away impatiently and warned her, "Get away! It is a blessing for you lowly people to pay taxes for His Royal Highness the Crown Prince!"

The woman cried so much that she almost fainted.

The men in the family were abducted several years ago and there has been no news of them since then. They are probably dead somewhere.

Nine out of ten people had the same experience as her. The wailing of the people could be heard everywhere in the city. Many people were displaced and packed up their things overnight to flee the city.

However, the royal family's exploitation was far from simple.

The civilians who were leaving the city were arrested by the government troops as soon as they arrived at the city gate and were directly sent to the military camp.

Regardless of gender, age or status, the men went to the battlefield to kill the enemy, the women served as military prostitutes or became low-class slaves for the enjoyment of dignitaries, and the children were arranged to work as coolies in the military camps.

The originally prosperous capital city around here became desolate and dilapidated in just a few days.

The cries and shouts filled every corner like a thunderous roar. Chu Jingce stood on the city gate, taking in the whole city. He looked at the letter delivered to him, and a somewhat crazy smile appeared in his eyes.

This world is all in his hands.

As long as he gives the order, who would dare to resist?

He returned to the East Palace with his hands behind his back. The singing and dancing were already ready. The beauty poured him a glass of wine, and then he fell into a drunken dream.

The news of taxation and conscription quickly spread throughout the country, and Xuancheng received the news within only ten days.

At that time, Ji Huaichuan was rushing to the Song Mansion in anger. He was holding the letter, his knuckles turned white, and the emotions surging in his black eyes were like a raging sea.

"Chu Jingce, this bastard!" he cursed inwardly.

He totally disregarded the livelihood of the people and, in order to conquer Xuancheng, he even levied heavy taxes and conscripted able-bodied men. He was totally unscrupulous!

Now he couldn't wait even a moment longer and just wanted to cut off their heads and hang them on the city wall for the world to spit on!

As soon as he entered the Song Mansion, he went straight to the study and found Song Wanqing who was studying a prescription.

The person in front of her blocked her view, casting a tall shadow. Song Wanqing frowned and looked up, only to see that Ji Huaichuan, who was usually so arrogant, actually looked a little angry and frustrated.

She raised her eyebrows and asked, "Mr. Ji, is there something wrong?"

Ji Huaichuan threw the information to Song Wanqing and said through gritted teeth: "Look."

[Crown Prince Chu Jingce ordered the levy of heavy taxes and the capture of able-bodied men throughout the process, and 100,000 civilians have died] New report stated.

“Chu Jingce?” Song Wanqing narrowed her eyes coldly, a raging rage burning in her heart. She slammed the table and said sternly, “What a prince!”

Looking at Ji Huaichuan, whose brows were tinged with anger, Song Wanqing patted his shoulder and said in a loud voice: "If he continues to act like this, this world will be like hell."

"This person must be eliminated!" she said coldly.

"Now that the people are suffering, I wish I could grind those bastards in the imperial city to dust, but Xuancheng has many industries to develop, and I really don't feel comfortable leading troops to attack the new land."

Ji Huaichuan frowned slightly and rubbed his temple with his slender hands.

"I have a way." Song Wanqing's eyes were firm as he suggested, "Xuancheng needs to recuperate at the moment. Give me a month. You guys concentrate on training the troops. I will find a way to revive this city."

Hearing her confident assurance, Ji Huaichuan's worries were mostly gone. Looking at her pretty face, his eyes were burning as he exclaimed, "I am really becoming more and more curious about your country."

He slowly leaned over, his handsome face suddenly enlarged in front of Song Wanqing, and he smiled meaningfully, saying, "Are you really not considering divorcing your husband and following me?"

Song Wanqing curled her red lips slightly, grabbed his clothes with her slender hands and pulled them, her eyes met his deep eyes, the corners of her eyes slightly raised, her tone lazy.

"How about you become my concubine?"

Ji Huaichuan's eyes flashed with surprise, and his expression suddenly became serious. He whispered, "It's not impossible."

Song Wanqing: “…”

I didn't expect to meet someone more shameless than me!

She slapped Ji Huaichuan's handsome face and gently pushed him back, "Stop joking. Starting today, we will thoroughly rectify the publicity."

The remaining warmth on his face slowly dissipated, Ji Huaichuan curled his lips, his eyes dim.

Her figure was reflected in his pupils. He spoke in a low and magnetic voice and said, "Okay."

Xuancheng Subdistrict.

Song Wanqing took Cheng Qian'an straight to the new shop they had bought earlier. Looking at the shop covered with a layer of dust, she frowned slightly and called Yan Chu over without any courtesy.

She said, "I plan to use this shop to open a grain store. I will officially open it within three days."

"Grain shop? Three days?!" Yan Chu widened his eyes, as if he had heard some shocking secret.

There is a food shortage now and the price has risen ridiculously. Where does she get the food?

I heard that her village does have a large piece of land, but there are so many people in the city, how many days can they sustain with just those few pieces of land?

Thinking of this, Yan Chu couldn't help but shake his head, thinking that Song Wanqing was daydreaming.

He cast his eyes towards Cheng Qian, who was always looking at his wife tenderly, and winked, "Say something quickly! Stop her from dreaming!"

"Okay, I will help my wife!" Cheng Qian'an looked serious, his handsome face slightly flushed.

"You can indeed help me in some way. We'll talk later." Song Wanqing patted his head and said to Yan Chu, "I'll give you the blueprints when we hire someone to do the renovation today. There won't be much need for changes."

"The daily wage for decorators is 1 tael for skilled workers, and meals are provided."

Yan Chu looked dazed. Did he hear it wrong?

Even though prices are rising, wages haven't increased! Where did she get all that money? Did she rob people when she was in the village?

He looked at Cheng Qian'an in surprise, wondering if his prince had done such a thing!

Cheng Qian'an glanced at him with a half-smile, and Yan Chu trembled with fear.

When he said nothing.

"Okay..." Yan Chu said stiffly.

After instructing him on some matters, Song Wanqing took Cheng Qian'an's hand affectionately, smiling, with a gleam in his eyes, and said, "Let's go, I'll show you our granary."

Cheng Qian'an lowered his eyes to look at the two people's tightly clasped hands, the corners of his lips slowly curled up, and his heart felt numb.

His eyebrows softened and he replied, "Okay."

Song Wanqing brought him to the back warehouse and stood in front of the door. She raised her hands to cover his eyes, and her soft voice sounded in his ears.

"My husband, guess how much food there is in the warehouse?"