Killer Queen: Tyrant, prepare to die!

Chapter 24 My brother brings back mountains of gold and silver! My spinning machine will overthrow the entire dynasty!

The 23rd day of the twelfth lunar month is the Little New Year.

The palace was beginning to feel a bit like the New Year – of course, this atmosphere had nothing to do with the Cold Palace.

Shen Qingci sat by the window, wrapped in a tattered cotton-padded coat, holding a small piece of charcoal in her hand, drawing something on a piece of cloth torn from an old garment.

Jinshu squatted down beside her, her eyes wide open.

"Your Majesty, what you drew is... a loom?" she asked uncertainly after looking at it for a long time.

"Hmm." Shen Qingci didn't look up. "But it's not an ordinary loom. Look here—"

She lit a component on the cloth with charcoal: "A regular loom requires both hands and feet, and can only weave a maximum of three inches of cloth a day. My improved version only requires turning this handle, and the shuttle will move back and forth automatically, allowing me to weave a foot and a half a day."

Jinshu's mouth gaped open: "One...one and a half feet?!"

That would be five times more efficient!

"That's still a conservative estimate," Shen Qingci continued drawing. "If the craftsmen are skilled and the materials are available, the efficiency can be even higher. Moreover, this kind of loom can weave more complex patterns, such as..."

She drew a few simple plum blossom patterns next to it.

"We can weave subtle patterns into the fabric, making each piece unique, as an anti-counterfeiting measure. This makes it difficult for others to counterfeit."

Jinshu's eyes lit up as she listened.

The Empress is knowledgeable in medicine and toxicology, and now she even knows about looms!

Is this still the same gentle and kind young lady from her family who only knows how to play the piano and embroider?

No, that's not it anymore.

Jinshu looked at Shen Qingci's focused profile, and the calmness and sharpness in her eyes were something the Empress had never seen before.

The current empress is like a knife hidden in its sheath.

It usually keeps a low profile, but once it's drawn—

Bloodshed is inevitable.

"Your Highness," Jinshu asked softly, "you're thinking of... opening a cloth shop?"

"Not just a fabric shop." Shen Qingci finally put down the charcoal, rubbing her aching wrists. "I want to open an entire industry chain, from weaving, dyeing, tailoring, to selling. I've even thought of a name—"

She looked out the window at the gray sky and spoke slowly and deliberately:

"Jinxiufang".

Splendid and prosperous, unparalleled in the world.

She wanted this name to resound throughout the entire Nangong Dynasty.

Then, with the money earned from this business empire, they built an intelligence network, raised a private army, and collected evidence of the Liu family's crimes.

Finally, the Liu family was completely eradicated.

Take that man off the dragon throne—

Pull it down.

The little one inside my belly suddenly moved.

Shen Qingci lowered her head, her hand resting on her lower abdomen: "Baby also thinks this name sounds nice, right?"

Bao'er gently nudged her palm.

It's like saying: Mother is the best!

As the master and servant were talking, a series of hurried footsteps suddenly came from outside the door.

It wasn't the steady gait of Eunuch Li, nor the cautious steps of Physician Chen.

The footsteps were light and quick, with a hint of panic.

Shen Qingci immediately became alert.

Jinshu also stood up and stood in front of her.

The door was gently pushed open a crack, and a thin face peeked in—it was Xiao Luzi.

"Your Majesty! Your Majesty!" he cried, his voice trembling, "Something terrible has happened!"

"Come in and talk," Shen Qingci gestured for him to come in, and then told Jinshu to keep watch at the door.

Xiao Luzi slipped into the room, panting, and said, "Just now, when I went to Huayang Palace to deliver charcoal, I heard Consort Rou talking in her room. She sounded so happy!"

Huayang Palace was the residence of Consort Rou.

"What did you say?" Shen Qingci asked calmly.

"They say... they say Young Master Liu has returned from Jiangnan! He brought back ten cartloads of treasures! Pearls from the East China Sea, jade from the Western Regions, silk from Jiangnan... they filled an entire room!"

Xiao Luzi's eyes widened: "Consort Rou was all smiles, saying that her brother still loves her and knows she lacks good things in the palace."

Young Master Liu.

Liu Chengming.

Shen Qingci narrowed her eyes.

In the original owner's memory, she didn't have a deep impression of Liu Chengming. She only remembered him as a handsome young man who often appeared at poetry gatherings and banquets and had a good reputation.

But now it seems—

"The top ten richest men," Shen Qingci repeated. "Where did he get so much money after coming back from Jiangnan?"

It is true that Jiangnan is wealthy, but Liu Chengming was only there to "inspect the salt administration," not to confiscate property.

unless……

"Salt tax," she uttered.

Xiao Luzi didn't hear clearly: "What did you say, Your Highness?"

"It's nothing." Shen Qingci waved her hand. "What else did you hear?"

"And, and..." Xiao Luzi scratched his head, "Consort Rou said that Young Master Liu should rest assured that she would take care of things in the palace. She also said... that 'that bitch won't live much longer.'"

His voice trailed off as he secretly glanced at Shen Qingci's expression.

Shen Qingci's face remained expressionless.

He won't live much longer?

That depends on who dies first.

"Okay." She nodded. "Thank you for your trouble. Jinshu, give the leftover biscuit from this morning to Xiaoluzi."

Jinshu hurriedly went to get it.

Xiao Luzi took the cake, his eyes a little red: "Thank you, Your Majesty... This servant... this servant will definitely continue to keep an eye on things!"

He pocketed the pancake and quietly slipped out again.

The room fell silent again.

Shen Qingci sat there, her fingers tapping lightly on her knees.

Liu Chengming.

Top 10 Car Babies

Salt tax in Jiangnan.

These words swirled in her mind, gradually connecting into a line.

"Jinshu," she suddenly said, "take out the secret letter my father sent last time."

Jinshu responded and took out a small bamboo tube from a hidden compartment in the bed board, pouring out the thinly rolled strips of paper inside.

The writing on the note was very small, and it used a code agreed upon by the father and daughter—the word order corresponded to the chapter order of the Book of Songs.

Shen Qingci quickly translated:

"There are discrepancies in the salt tax accounts in Jiangnan, with a deficit of 800,000 taels over three years. It is suspected to be related to the Liu family, especially since Liu Chengming's recent trip south resulted in several large sums of money going missing. My son, take care. I am investigating. Do not act rashly. Your father."

Eight hundred thousand taels.

Shen Qingci sneered.

How much are the top ten luxury cars worth? At most, tens of thousands of taels of silver.

Where did the rest of the money go?

Maintaining a private army? Bribing officials? Or... transferring them to Xiling?

She picked up her pen and wrote a reply using the same cipher:

"Father, please keep this account copy secret and hide it in a safe place. Do not alert them; the Liu family has many eyes and ears. I am plotting, and when the time is right, I will strike decisively. Also, be careful; the Liu family is ruthless. Your daughter."

After writing it, she rolled up the note, stuffed it back into the bamboo tube, and handed it to Jinshu: "Find a way to send it out. Be careful, now that Liu Chengming has returned to the capital, the Liu family definitely has more spies."

"Yes!" Jinshu solemnly accepted it.

After Jinshu went out to deliver the letter, Shen Qingci picked up the piece of cloth with the loom drawn on it again.

Her eyes grew brighter and brighter.

Did Liu Chengming make 800,000 taels of silver from Jiangnan?

well.

Once her Jinxiufang opens, she's going to earn eight million taels, even eighty million taels!

Use the money embezzled by the Liu family as capital to make even more money, and then use that money to bring down the Liu family.

That's what I call satisfying.

She picked up the charcoal again and continued drawing on the cloth.

This time, she didn't just paint a loom.

There are also improvements to the design of spinning machines and dyeing vats, the layout of cutting tables, and even the decoration patterns for shops.

In her mind, a grand business blueprint was taking shape.

We started in the capital, opening the first Jinxiufang.

The market was opened up by exquisite fabrics woven on improved looms.

Then it expanded to the Jiangnan region, the Central Plains, the Southwest...

At the same time, they established their own caravans to open up trade routes between the north and south.

They then used caravans as cover to establish an intelligence network.

Tingfeng Tower and Jinxiu Workshop, one open and one covert, complement each other.

Once they had enough money, they secretly funded upright officials to oppose the Liu family in the imperial court.

When the time is right—

Shen Qingci paused, his pen still.

Her gaze fell on a corner of the drawing.

There, she unintentionally drew a small phoenix pattern.

A phoenix rising from the ashes.

Just like her.

Having died once, it rises from the ashes with sharper claws and more intense flames.

"Your Highness," Jinshu returned with the letter and saw her staring intently at the blueprints. She asked softly, "What are you thinking about?"

Shen Qingci looked up and smiled.

The smile was faint, yet it carried a chilling power.

"I'm wondering," she said softly, "what kind of expressions the Liu family will have when our Jinxiufang opens up all over the world."

Jinshu imagined the scene and couldn't help but laugh: "It must be awful."

"It's more than just ugly." Shen Qingci put away the blueprints. "I want them to kneel at the entrance of Jinxiufang and beg me to give them a way to live."

Then she told them—

late.

Snow suddenly began to fall outside the window.

Fine snowflakes drifted in through the hole in the broken window and landed on the back of Shen Qingci's hand, feeling icy cold.

But a fire was burning in her heart.

It burned brighter and brighter.

Meanwhile, inside Huayang Palace.

Consort Rou, Liu Ruyan, was facing a room full of jewels and silks, laughing so hard she was shaking.

"My brother loves me the most!" She picked up a string of pearls from the East China Sea and held them up around her neck. "Such large pearls are rarely seen even in the palace!"

Liu Chengming, who was sitting to the side drinking tea, smiled upon hearing this and said, "I'm glad you like it. I certainly picked up quite a few good things on this trip to Jiangnan."

He wore a moon-white brocade robe, had a handsome face, and elegant manners. Anyone who saw him would praise him as a "refined gentleman".

But only those who know him well know what a vicious heart lies beneath this gentle and refined exterior.

"Brother," Consort Rou put down the beads, leaned closer and lowered her voice, "that bitch... seems a little off."

Liu Chengming raised an eyebrow: "How so?"

"She doesn't seem to have eaten any of the things I sent her. And lately, her complexion... has actually improved a bit." Consort Rou frowned. "Could someone be helping her?"

Liu Chengming slowly sipped his tea: "Who would help her in a place like the Cold Palace? The Shen family has already fallen, and her father is barely able to protect himself. As for the Emperor..."

He sneered, "If the Emperor still cared about her, he wouldn't have left her to die in the cold palace."

"But..." Consort Rou was still uneasy.

"No buts." Liu Chengming put down his teacup. "Your focus now is to get pregnant with the emperor's child as soon as possible. As long as you give birth to a prince, the position of empress will be yours. At that time, who cares whether a deposed empress lives or dies?"

Consort Rou bit her lip: "I want to get pregnant too... but the Emperor... he hasn't been coming to the harem much lately."

"Then we'll find a way." Liu Chengming's eyes turned cold. "Whether it's medicine or a scheme, I want you to be pregnant within six months. Your father can't wait any longer."

Consort Rou felt uneasy under his gaze and quickly nodded, "I...I understand."

Liu Chengming's expression softened, and he smiled gently again: "By the way, I heard something interesting while I was in Jiangnan this time."

"What is it?"

"There's a mysterious merchant who owns several cloth shops in Jiangnan, selling fabrics that are both cheap and of high quality. And..." He paused, "that man seems to know a new weaving technique that's several times more efficient than ordinary looms."

Consort Rou was uninterested in these things: "It's just weaving, what's so special about it?"

"You don't understand," Liu Chengming shook his head. "If this technology is real, then the entire textile industry in Jiangnan will be transformed. Whoever masters this technology will control half of Jiangnan's economic lifeline."

A glint of shrewdness flashed in his eyes: "I've already sent people to investigate. If such technology truly exists..."

"Brother, are you going to snatch it away?" Consort Rou asked.

"Steal?" Liu Chengming laughed. "That's too crude. I'll make that person willingly hand over their skills."

As for what means to use—

Then it doesn't matter.

There was never anything Liu Chengming couldn't get.

Including that throne.

One day, the Liu family will sit on that dragon throne.

At that time, the entire Nangong Dynasty will belong to the Liu family.

As for that eyesore, the deposed empress?

Liu Chengming picked up his teacup and gently blew away the foam on the surface of the water.

Let her rot away in the cold palace.

Like a withered flower, it eventually leaves no trace.

Meanwhile, in the Cold Palace...

Shen Qingci sneezed.

Jinshu quickly draped a coat over her shoulders: "Your Highness, have you caught a cold?"

"It's nothing." Shen Qingci rubbed her nose and continued drawing her blueprints.