Madam, don't do this!

Chapter 555 I'm Really Not Cao Cao (5000 words)
If Song Yan were to see the stockings on Cui San Niangzi's legs, he would probably be very surprised. Song Yan probably couldn't imagine that there were such exquisitely crafted items in this era.

The stockings on Cui San Niangzi's legs were actually somewhat similar to the stockings Song Yan had taken out, both having a semi-transparent feel. However, for some reason, these stockings looked far more elegant than the ones Song Yan had brought out. If ordinary stockings brought sexual allure, then the stockings on Cui San Niangzi's legs brought elegance and nobility.

The stockings were embroidered with special patterns, resembling flower petals or some kind of snow-white feathers, which made them appear even more sacred and alluring.

Of course, it's hard to say exactly what elegance and prestige mean, but the fact that it's expensive is beyond doubt.

These stockings were woven by the most skilled female craftswomen employed by the Cui family, using the finest silk. The weaving process was meticulous and allowed no room for error; any negligence or mistake would render all previous efforts futile.

Therefore, this kind of silk fabric is extremely expensive to produce.

Only someone like Cui San Niangzi, who is absolutely wealthy, could afford to wear such clothes.

Even within the imperial palace, apart from Consort Shu, none of the other concubines had the privilege of enjoying such luxuries.

Cui San Niangzi seemed completely oblivious to the chill brought by the snow falling outside. Despite being dressed in thin clothes, her face remained as delicate and fair as ever, without any signs of frostbite. She gently blew away the steam from her teacup with her glossy red lips and took small sips.

Cui San Niangzi really liked this kind of fragrant tea.

She also disliked the tea soup that was filled with all sorts of random things... Sometimes, she even felt that the people who brewed the tea had gone mad. She could barely accept adding red dates, orange peel, and mint, but what was with adding salt? Wasn't it salty?

Why add pepper? Does the tingling sensation feel good?
Add minced ginger, and what's the purpose of adding dogwood? It's spicy.

You also need to add cinnamon bark. Isn't that used to remove the fishy smell from meat?

Adding just one of these things to the pot would be unacceptable to Cui San Niangzi, let alone cooking all of them together... the taste...

It's salty, spicy, and numbing.

Therefore, in Cui San Niangzi's mind, there was not much difference between tea soup and medicine soup.

Therefore, when the roasted tea was produced and the Cui family obtained a portion of the roasted tea distribution rights, Cui San Niangzi was extremely happy. Whether she could make money was secondary; at least she no longer had to suffer from the torment of tea soup.

While her mind was wandering and the waiting time was rather tedious, Cui San Niangzi remained remarkably calm, showing no sign of impatience whatsoever. After finishing her tea, she heard footsteps outside the guest room. Looking up, she saw a stunningly beautiful maidservant accompanying a tall, handsome young man as they slowly walked toward her.

That young man was probably Yama... well, he was Prince Yan, Song Yan.

The maid and the Prince of Yan seemed to have a good relationship. They were talking quietly as they walked, and the maid would occasionally glare at Song Yan, but Song Yan didn't get angry.

As his eyes swept over the scene, he made his own plans while simultaneously getting up with Cui Shi'an before Song Yan even stepped into the guest room.

"Meet His Royal Highness Prince Yan."

The siblings greeted each other at the same time.

Cui Shi'an felt a pang of emotion. Back then, Song Yan was merely a newly arrived son-in-law of the Luo family. He had drunk and made merry with Song Yan in the Qunyu Garden. Although he had no such thoughts, if he really thought about it carefully, Song Yan was not even qualified to sit at the same table with him at that time. Now, only a little over a year had passed, and when he saw Song Yan again, he had to bow and pay his respects.

The change in identity is truly heartbreaking.

Song Yan just laughed and said, "It's only been a year since we last met, Brother Cui, how come you've become so polite? Please, both of you, have a seat."

His demeanor was not much different from before; he was not arrogant and did not become haughty despite becoming a prince. After they sat down as host and guest, Song Yan's gaze fell on the third daughter of the Cui family. The third daughter of the Cui family was quite famous, though not for a good reason, mostly for being a jinx to her husbands.

"This must be the Third Miss Cui. I've long heard of your beauty, and seeing you today, I can confirm it's well-deserved." Song Yan praised, then quietly looked away. "I've been very busy with affairs at the Prince's residence lately and haven't been able to spare the time. I apologize for keeping you both waiting."

Right behind Song Yan, Zi Yu subtly pursed her lips... Couldn't get away?
Well, in some ways, it's not exactly a lie.

"Of course we wouldn't dare," Cui Shi'an said with a smile. "To be honest, it's our fault as siblings. We knew that Your Highness would be marrying the Princess the day after tomorrow, and that we were in a busy time, yet we still came to visit at this time. This is our fault. Your Highness's leniency in not blaming us is already a great virtue, so how could we dare to blame you?"

Song Yan sighed softly.

Compared to last year, things have definitely become much more distant.

The days of them gathering around the stove to drink wine and complain about Zhao Anze and Lu Changqing, those two old scoundrels, are gone forever.

However, Song Yan wouldn't pay too much attention to such matters. After all, he hadn't met Cui Shi'an that many times, so it was impossible for them to have a deep friendship. It was more likely that they had business dealings. Thinking this, Song Yan frowned slightly: "I wonder what brings Brother Cui to Pingyang this time? Could it be for the business of roasted tea and white sugar?"

"Brother Cui, you can rest assured. Frying tea and making sugar are profitable businesses, and I will not give them up. I have only moved the workshop from Ningping to Pingyang. Our transactions will continue as before, and I will definitely not let the Cui family suffer any losses."

Cui Shi'an shook his head: "Your Highness misunderstands. Your Highness is a gentleman, and your word is as good as gold. The Cui family is not worried about the agreement reached with Your Highness. We came to Pingyang this time for another matter..." After a brief pause, Cui Shi'an's gaze fell on his third sister: "If I may ask, what does Your Highness think of my third sister?"

Song Yan was taken aback by the question, but quickly recovered: "Smart and capable, and as beautiful as a fairy."

Upon hearing Song Yan place "shrewd and capable" first, Cui Yingying's lips curved into a barely perceptible smile.

She was probably quite satisfied with this evaluation.

As for Ziyu, she pursed her lips almost imperceptibly, realizing that this was yet another man offering women to his door.

But this is normal. As one's master's power grows, his territory expands, and his army increases, similar situations will naturally continue to occur...

Cui Shi'an sighed and said, "Thank you for your praise, Your Highness. As Your Highness said, my third sister's appearance is undeniably beautiful and almost flawless."

"As for being shrewd and capable, I'm not afraid of Your Highness finding out. My father often says that he regrets that Third Sister is not born a man. My Cui family is a merchant family, but in the business world, even my younger brother and my older brothers are far inferior to Third Sister."

"However, a woman like Third Sister is burdened by the reputation of being a jinx to her husbands and has never been married."

Song Yan's expression was strange.

He certainly wouldn't believe anything about being a jinx.

However, people's thinking was still very conservative at that time. Even those Confucian scholars, although they said things like "Confucius did not speak of strange phenomena, physical prowess, disorder, or spirits," still believed to some extent deep down. So to be honest, the reputation of being a "husband-killer" was really quite serious. Even if she was a royal princess, if she lost three fiancés in a row, probably not many people would dare to marry her, let alone a girl from the Cui family.

But why is Cui Shi'an saying all this to himself?
Could it be that she heard he liked widows, so she wanted to force this near-widow on him? Song Yan wasn't stupid, so he could guess some of it. To be fair, Cui Yingying was impeccable in terms of appearance, figure, and temperament.

But... he really isn't Cao Cao!

Why does everyone think he favors widows?

Moreover, he is about to marry Luo Yuheng, and he wants to take another woman into the family before the wedding is even held. What kind of behavior is this? What will Luo Yuheng think? Besides, even if Cui Yingying is as beautiful as a fairy, what does she have to do with him? In the end, she is just a woman he has just met.

Cui Yingying's dark eyes would occasionally sweep over Song Yan. From Song Yan's expression, she seemed to have guessed what was going on, but there was still no disappointment on her face. She maintained that faint smile from beginning to end. There was always an aura of complete control about this woman.

Seeing that Cui Shi'an seemed to want to say something more, Cui Yingying suddenly raised her hand to stop him from speaking. She lazily got up from her chair and looked directly at Song Yan: "Your Highness, the Cui family has come here this time to make a deal with you."

The voice was clear and pleasant to the ear. Song Yan finally showed some interest, raising an eyebrow: "Oh, what kind of deal?"

"It's very simple." Cui Yingying smiled lazily.
"Ten million, marry me."

The sound wasn't loud, but it was like a thunderclap, startling everyone present.

Ziyu was stunned. Although she came from the Hehuan Sect, even among the women of the Hehuan Sect, few could do such a thing in public.
Cough cough... cough cough... Cui Shi'an couldn't help but cough violently, his face turning red. Good heavens, he knew his third sister was always quick-witted, but he never expected her to be so fierce.

What kind of woman talks about her marriage like that?

Where is a woman's gentleness and reserve?

If this gets out, those pedantic scholars will probably label her as lewd, dissolute, and unchaste.

Even Song Yan was taken aback by these words, his expression stiffening slightly. After a few seconds, Song Yan finally reacted: "Does Third Madam mean that I will offer ten million to marry you?"

Cui San Niangzi's lips curled up again, her eyes conveying a charming and languid temperament to the extreme, but the words she spoke were deafening: "No, Your Highness has misunderstood."

"The Cui family offered ten million to exchange for the prince marrying me."

The word "exchange" is used well.

It directly states that there is no emotional involvement involved; it is purely a transaction.

Even though Song Yan had experienced many ups and downs, he still couldn't help but gasp when he heard these words.

Ten million.

The Cui family is truly wealthy and powerful. Even if Song Yan has made more than one windfall, it's hard to say whether they can scrape together ten million even if all the money in the Prince of Yan's mansion is gathered together.

But, he was given ten million to marry Cui Yingying?
What exactly is the Cui family trying to do?
Do you have so much money you don't know what to do with it?
Faced with this situation, Song Yan was at a loss for words, and the atmosphere suddenly became somewhat tense.

After a short while, Song Yan spoke again: "What does the Cui family want?"

Clearly, Song Yan wasn't asking about marrying Cui Yingying. Cui San Niangzi understood: "It's a promise from Your Highness. No matter what happens in the future, please ensure the Cui family's wealth and prosperity."

"If Your Highness marries me, the Cui family is willing to fully support Your Highness. I know that Your Highness has Shen Qi of the Shen family, Zhang family of Pingyang, Shang Kong of Jin, and even that Aunt Lin of the Duke of Song's mansion..." In front of Prince Song Yan, Cui Yingying showed no fear and spoke eloquently.

Normally speaking, the Song State Duke's Mansion has long since declined, let alone a concubine. She has no right to sit at the table on equal footing with people like Shen Qi, Zhang Ci, and Kong Xingye. However, Cui Yingying can see that Concubine Lin was promoted by Song Yan, so she has the right to sit at the table.

Song Yan's eyes narrowed. This Third Madam Cui seemed to know a lot about him, even about his relationship with Aunt Lin. It was only because Third Madam Cui hadn't shown any malice that Song Yan hadn't already taken her head.

“If Your Highness only wants to maintain a secluded corner of the country, this support is sufficient. However, if Your Highness has longer-term plans, then these people are somewhat insufficient… If Your Highness wants to expand, you will need more money and supplies, and making money naturally depends on merchants. Among all the merchants in Ningguo, the Cui family dares to say they are second, and no one dares to say they are first.”

Of course, the Cui family is still inferior to the Shen family, but only Shen Qi of the Shen family supports Song Yan, which does not represent the entire Shen family.

"With the help of the Cui family, Your Highness will be even more powerful. Whether it is pig iron, grain, or even warhorses, the Cui family can get you whatever Your Highness wants."

"I can also see that Your Highness has been working hard to develop Anzhou and Pingyang during this period of time. However, the two prefectures have been harassed by foreign tribes for a long time, and the people's livelihood has long been impoverished. After the two wars last year and this year, they are devastated. It will be impossible to restore the two prefectures to the way Your Highness wants to see them in less than ten years. Is Your Highness willing to wait that long?"

"However, with the help of the Cui family, this time will be greatly reduced."

"Moreover, even if we want to develop, it will require a lot of money. I have estimated that Your Highness has no more than ten million in cash. Although it is a lot, it is far from enough to develop the two prefectures."

This statement is not an exaggeration. Although tens of millions of coins and silk are a lot, Song Yan still has to maintain the salaries of all the officials and clerks in the two prefectures, as well as maintain tens of thousands of troops. Under such circumstances, it is somewhat difficult to develop the two prefectures... especially the heavy cavalry, which is really burning money.

As for the officials in the fiefdom, the salary given by Song Yan was not high. Although it was not as stingy as Zhu Yuanzhang's, it was only slightly better. There was no other way. At that time, the border was unstable, and Song Yan could only spare money for the army. Now that the fiefdom is gradually stabilizing, the treatment should naturally be improved.

As for the craftsmen responsible for research and development and production, Song Yan intends to improve their status, and their salaries should naturally keep up.

There are many other miscellaneous things, and all of these require money.

Therefore, although he may seem to have a lot of money, he has even more places to spend it.

Even so, Song Yan still harbored ambitions he dared not reveal.

It must be said that Cui Yingying's use of ten million taels of silver to test the cadres was...

This really hit Song Yan's weak spot... He might not be able to withstand this test.

Ziyu couldn't help but gasp in astonishment. She knew the Cui family was wealthy, but she never imagined they were this rich.

Song Yan pursed her lips: "Third Sister Cui, did you hear these things from your elders, or did you figure them out yourself?"

"It was based on some clues that I deduced," Cui Yingying said.

Song Yan narrowed his eyes, his expression suddenly becoming serious, even fierce: "How dare you presume to guess my thoughts, and even investigate my situation... Cui Yingying, do you think I wouldn't dare to kill you?"

Not loud.

However, that pressure suddenly erupted from Song Yan. In an instant, the huge living room became so quiet you could hear a pin drop. The invisible pressure enveloped almost everyone, as if it were a tangible thing.

Cui Shi'an, in particular, turned deathly pale instantly, his heart pounded uncontrollably, almost leaping out of his chest. The invisible pressure in mid-air felt like steel needles piercing his skin, causing Cui Shi'an to feel an indescribable pain all over his body.

Even so, Cui Shi'an still mustered all his strength to stand up, suppressing his fear: "Your Highness, please forgive me, my sister did not mean to offend you."

Song Yan did not respond; his eyes were fixed coldly on Cui San Niangzi.

Unlike Cui Shi'an, Cui San Niangzi remained standing quietly in place, looking calm and composed, with a faint smile on her lips. Even her voice remained largely unchanged: "Your Highness is joking. If you truly wanted to kill me, you would have done so long ago. Why wait until I finish speaking?"

"Moreover, Your Highness is well aware that the entire Ning Kingdom... no, no, not just Ning Kingdom, but perhaps Chu Kingdom, Zhao Kingdom, Xiongnu, Jurchen, has planted countless spies in Pingyang City. Your Highness can keep some secrets, but those people probably know more about Your Highness than Your Highness does about yourself."

"My Cui family is just one member among many."

"What I said was not meant to offend Your Highness, but simply to demonstrate my value to you."

"So that the prince would feel that marrying me was not a bad deal, that's all."

Immediately, Cui San Niangzi raised her head slightly: "Or is it that Your Highness also thinks I am a jinx to your husband and doesn't have the guts to lay a hand on me?"

"If that's the case, then it's just wishful thinking on my part."

(End of this chapter)