We'll have you impersonate the Crown Prince and create a prosperous era for the Great Qian Dyna

He Qian just smiled after hearing this.

She was originally a member of the bandits. Her father was the third in a certain sect, hence the nickname "Old He the Third".

And the whole story begins with her extremely beautiful appearance.

One day, while she was out, she was accidentally seen by the son of an official. He wanted her to be his concubine, but she refused. As a result, He Laosan was besieged by the imperial court and died in anger.

She came to Kyoto because of this, hoping to get to know court officials and find an opportunity to take revenge.

But in reality, no official respected her.

Even though some people talked about avenging her, they never actually did anything about it; they just wanted to lure her into bed.

Even worse, some directly threatened her, wanting to forcibly take her body.

He Qian carefully maneuvered around the situation, and unknowingly, she made acquaintances with a large number of officials, including many high-ranking officials of the imperial court.

This resulted in a situation where none of the group could take forceful action, because no truly powerful figure emerged. Instead, these lecherous individuals were wary of each other, fearing that they would give the opponent an opportunity to launch an attack.

Hearing what Manager Liu said, He Qian's eyes showed no surprise, but rather disdain.

Her smile was only superficial and did not reach into her eyes.

"Thank you for your appreciation, Your Highness. However, I have long since put aside my grudges from the outlaw world and have no other thoughts but to do my best to run this brothel well."

Manager Liu immediately felt a little embarrassed.

This was a task assigned to him by His Highness, yet this bandit woman showed him no respect whatsoever.

He spoke with some impatience.

"Miss He, have you thought this through?"

"The highest-ranking officials you've met in this Night Fragrance Pavilion are only fifth or sixth grade. They have no standing in the court."

"You don't think those sons of officials would risk offending their colleagues just because their sons liked a courtesan, do you?"

"Once you miss this opportunity, you'll never have another chance. No one will avenge your father."

He Qian's eyes were somewhat gloomy.

How could she not understand that Steward Liu was right?

Why did she become the owner of a brothel?

It's because women associated with brothels have a bad reputation outside, so if anyone tries to force themselves on them, they will be looked down upon by others.

If this gets out, the court will think that if an official can't even control his own desires, how can he accomplish anything significant? His future will be over.

That's why she's still able to stay here.

But did she have a choice?

She glanced at Steward Liu casually and spoke directly.

"Please forgive my bluntness."

"If it were the Third Prince instead of His Highness the Crown Prince sitting here today, I would be willing to gamble on even becoming a lowly servant and offering my body, let alone work for His Highness."

"But Your Highness, you are blinded by lust, and you even dare to forcibly take the Emperor's women. You are cruel and tyrannical, and killing and skinning people is as common as eating rice."

"Most importantly, you have no connections in the court. Your desire to avenge me is utterly a pipe dream. How can I trust you?"

Upon hearing this, everyone present changed their expressions.

They all knew the Crown Prince had a bad reputation, but after getting to know him, they all changed their minds.

Now, the fact that a brothel owner had insulted the Crown Prince in front of them left them feeling a sense of injustice that they couldn't express.

Especially the fourth, fifth, and tenth of the Ten Ghosts of Fengcheng.

Since they had followed the Crown Prince, the Crown Prince's humiliation felt as if they themselves had been insulted as well!

How can anyone tolerate this?

Xiao Shi slammed his fist on the table and stood up on the spot.

"Do you think I wouldn't dare kill you?"

"A subject dies for his lord's dishonor"—this is not just a saying; Xiao Shi truly intended to kill him.

Just now.

Zhou Tiancheng slowly stood up, smiling helplessly.

"Alright, Tenth General, please sit down. I am not angry, so you don't need to be so upset."

Xiao Shi clenched his fists angrily.

"Your Highness, a subject must die for his lord. Since I have followed you, I cannot bear to see others insult you!"

Zhou Tiancheng shook his head, gesturing for him to sit down and not be so angry.

Although Xiao Shi felt a bit resentful, he still obeyed in the end, sitting there with his eyes fixed on He Qian, his gaze filled with murderous intent.

Seeing that he had sat down, Zhou Tiancheng turned to look at He Qian.

"Miss He is right. If I were you, I would also have concerns."

"How about we make a bet?"

He Qian frowned, wondering what Zhou Tiancheng was up to.

Zhou Tiancheng chuckled and continued speaking.

"In your eyes, my third brother is a wise king, a rare and brilliant man in the world, whose abilities and power far surpass mine."

"And I, the Empress, am nothing but a spoiled prince, a complete incompetent fool..."

At this point, He Qian's expression changed. She was about to speak when Zhou Tiancheng interrupted her.

"You don't need to argue. I know my reputation well. People say I'm a fool, but do you really think I know nothing?"

"Since you've chosen to rely on hearsay, you must have already decided in your heart that I'm a complete fool. I don't blame you for that."

He Qian was stunned when she heard this.

What exactly does this crown prince want to do?

Zhou Tiancheng then continued to speak.

"Does what I mean mean is that just because everyone in the world says so, it's true?"

"I am an incompetent fool. I will naturally make a fool of myself in this training competition."

"But if I win first place, Miss He, would that prove that the Crown Prince you speak of is not as you've only heard rumors about him?"

"I don't ask for anything else. I'll help you get revenge, and you'll come and work for me."

"If I cannot win first place, I can introduce you to the Third Prince you mentioned. That would still give you a chance for revenge. What do you say?"

He Qian's eyes had changed.

Previously, she was reserved and her emotions were all an illusion.

Now, she could no longer hide her emotions; the shock in her eyes almost pierced through Zhou Tiancheng!

She had considered the consequences of angering the Crown Prince. She was prepared to go to the court officials she knew and make a big fuss about the matter, hoping it might even reach the Emperor's ears and give him a chance for revenge.

But she never expected that the Crown Prince wasn't angry at all; instead, he wanted to make a bet with her!

He Qian was at a loss for words.

She remained silent for a while, and as soon as she raised her head, she saw that Zhou Tiancheng was already getting impatient.

"Boss He, what are you still hesitating about?"

"Whether you win or lose, I've given you a chance. Do you really want to escalate this incident of insulting me, hoping Father will hear about it, so I can give you a chance for revenge and leave with a good reputation?"

"Then I'll have to disappoint you. I'm not that petty. There are plenty of people in the world who speak ill of me, but I haven't seen them all arrested and beheaded!"

He Qian's heart sank; she hadn't expected that the Crown Prince had already seen through her schemes.

She gritted her teeth and made the decision, but before that, she had to do one last test.

"Your Highness, I will get what I want regardless of winning or losing, but I don't understand, what is it about me that you see in me?"

"If you don't explain more clearly, I won't feel at ease!"