Genshin Impact: I, the Winter Prince, reign supreme.

When Keqing was very young, she often pestered her father to play with her. Once, her father and the family's senior members held a secret meeting, and she hid in a small hut to eavesdrop. She finally learned the secret of the low price.

It turns out that the father had been operating at a loss in order to maintain a price advantage.

In just one or two years, nearly half of the family's assets were depleted.

At that meeting, my father was severely reprimanded by several elders of the family, who warned him that if he could not make up for the losses within six months, he would be dismissed from his position as head of the family.

That was the first time Ke Qing experienced her father's hard work.

The father withstood the pressure and continued to lower the price of raw materials, selling building materials at a loss.

Business was getting better and better, but the money lost was also increasing, and Keqing was worried about her father.

Finally, after half a year, the father got an opportunity.

There is a real estate company in Liyue Harbor. Due to the owner's poor management, the company's cash flow has been disrupted, and the company is unable to pay for raw material suppliers on time.

This is a fatal problem. If payments are not made on time, building material suppliers will not deliver the goods, and construction of various buildings under the construction company's name will come to a standstill.

At this point, the father took the initiative to approach the other party and proposed to use the outstanding material payment as an investment.

The other party, who was facing difficulties, readily agreed to the proposal.

Ke Qing still remembers the day the contract was signed. The real estate company's manager looked relieved, clearly believing that the company had weathered a crisis.

Later, by increasing his shareholding, my father eventually became the major shareholder behind the scenes of the company, eroding its management control; and later, he invested in several other real estate companies in the same way.

Ultimately, her family went from being a raw material supplier to indirectly controlling several large real estate companies through equity investments, completing a magnificent transformation.

Those business competitors only realized what was happening after they lost control of the business, but it was too late.

The raw material supplier they were initially so grateful to had a hideous face beneath his charitable exterior.

Ke Qing recalled that when she was competing for the position of "Yuheng Star", she had encountered a strong competitor.

At the time, she had not yet publicly announced her candidacy. The other party had always regarded her as a business partner, and had repeatedly sought her advice. They also promised that if she were to win the election, her family would be given priority in business opportunities in the future.

She was pondering how to bring down the other party when he offered himself up. So she turned the tables and carefully devised a plan for him, naturally becoming the "strategist" that he relied on and trusted.

Finally, the other party entrusted her with the campaign plan and preparations.

However, just before the election, she suddenly announced her participation in the competition for the position of "Yuheng Star". Her competitor's strategy was entirely provided by her, so he was no match for her and was eliminated after a fierce competition.

When she left Yujingtai, the other party took the initiative to find her and say "Congratulations".

The winner takes all, the loser is condemned. She won the election and had the last laugh, and generously accepted the congratulations.

The competition for the "Seven Stars" position is inherently fraught with deceit and intrigue. It's not just a contest of wealth, but also of wisdom. The loser accepts the defeat wholeheartedly, but inevitably feels a deep sense of regret.

In Liyue, no matter how wealthy you are, if you are not selected as one of the "Seven Stars," history will only recognize you as a merchant. Only by being selected as one of the "Seven Stars" can you become a true great merchant and be remembered in history.

The difference between a merchant and a big merchant is only one word, yet it has saddened countless Liyue merchants.

After offering his congratulations, the man asked Ke Qing, "Miss Ke Qing, you approached me from the beginning just to gain my trust, didn't you?"

Ke Qing replied, "Then you're wrong. You're the one who came to me and said you wanted to run for office, hoping to use my wisdom to help you."

"Alas, it is indeed true. I always thought that Miss Keqing, being a woman, had no interest in politics, but now it seems that was just wishful thinking on my part. Congratulations again to Miss Keqing."

"Thank you. By the way, remember to call me 'Lord Keqing' from now on."

……

Coming to her senses, Keqing looked at the noisy crowd around her, and then at the Winter Mission's residence.

“Ningguang, you’re right. Prince Zhidong is the most terrifying kind of opponent. We still don’t know his purpose and methods in this business war.”

The battle in business is a war without gunfire.

Often, it is only at the very last moment that one side discovers that it has already been completely devoured by the other.

Thinking of the developers whose management rights had been taken away by her father, and of the competitor who had defeated her back then, Ke Qing felt a little nervous.

She didn't want to be defeated by her opponent without a trace.

Ningguang's reminder was timely; Prince Winter will always be Liyue's rival.

Even setting aside this business war, he remains the most dangerous person in Liyue. The solving of this century-old mystery is just one of the many abilities that people have witnessed.

Ningguang turned around: "Let's go back. He won't show up today. For a man like him, only capturing the Sea Demon God is truly something to celebrate."

Chapter 143 Heavenly Prison

In the evening, the people of Liyue who had come to express their gratitude gradually left.

The Prince of Winter ultimately did not leave his residence, but that did not prevent the people of Liyue from regarding him as a great benefactor.

Su Yu did not remain silent; he instructed the maidservant in the Hidden Mirror to tell those outside that they could go to the Heavenly Prison to observe the Thousand Rock Army interrogating criminals.

Although the elderly woman was merely a henchman of the sea demon, as one of her accomplices, her trial will bring solace to the families of many victims.

The people naturally heeded his advice and dispersed before heading to the Heavenly Prison in Liyue, or more precisely, the Class A prison within the Heavenly Prison.

The Heavenly Prison is divided into four levels: A, B, C, and D. Level A is the highest level, heavily guarded and the most strictly protected area in the entire Heavenly Prison, where the most dangerous criminals in Liyue are imprisoned.

Those familiar with Liyue's history know that there are ten notorious villains in the Jiazi Prison.

One of the demonic cultivators, in order to increase his strength, cruelly devoured the flesh and blood of dozens of children over a period of six months.

There was a notorious womanizer who specialized in raping and kidnapping prostitutes in Liyue, and murdered hundreds of them.

There was also a woman of mixed human and immortal blood who had blasphemed the Rock King Emperor and was imprisoned here after Granny Ping stripped her of her immortal bloodline power.

There were also top assassins who infiltrated from abroad and assassinated two retired "Seven Stars." The reason was said to be that the two "Seven Stars" had stolen his business abroad, causing his family to be ruined and his life destroyed... In short, all the prisoners who could be imprisoned here were heinous criminals.

When the elderly woman was brought in, the villains there took a keen interest in her.

For over a hundred years, this person selected beautiful young women from Liyue to sacrifice to the evil god; her sins combined far exceeded those of this group of criminals.

The old woman wore shackles on her shoulders, her aura was weak, and under the torment of Su Yu's divine power, she was listless, like a candle flame in the wind, which might be extinguished at any moment.

Only her disheveled hair concealed a pair of murky eyes that gleamed with a fierce light, so much so that even the ten most notorious villains dared not meet her gaze too closely.

The cell across from the old woman's was where the notorious womanizer was imprisoned.

The once dashing thief had been imprisoned in the dark, sunless dungeon for many years, which had worn away his temper, leaving him with only a hunched and crippled body. He tried to lift his head and force a smile, but that smile was more unsightly than crying.

"I know about your case. I was just arrested, and the Qianyan Army tortured me severely, demanding to know if I was the murderer in the cold case. It took me half a year to prove my innocence. Heh, do you know how many beatings and tortures the Qianyan Army subjected me to in order to investigate your case?"

After saying this, the womanizer began to pant heavily.

His body was broken and frail, but his tone still carried the lewdness of his past: "The people I killed were prostitutes, just worthless lives. But you are different. You killed unmarried girls whose lives had just begun and were strangled by you. You are a bit old, but your sinful body will surely give me a different kind of pleasure."

His gaze roamed brazenly over the elderly woman's body.

Speaking of which, the old woman was a stunning beauty in her youth, otherwise she wouldn't have been so easily chosen by the Sea Demon God. Now that she's old, she still retains her charm, which is undoubtedly very tempting to a thrill-seeking flower thief.

The old woman lowered her head dejectedly, saying nothing, treating the flower thief's words as the buzzing of flies.

The cell on the left is where that mixed-race woman is being held.

She picked up the straw spread on the ground and braided it, which was one of the few pleasures she had in prison, and also the privilege she had as the only woman among the ten villains.

Her braids were criticized for being ugly by the other nine villains more than once, but she didn't care. Whenever she heard others' ridicule and mockery, she would retort, "It's not like I braided them for you guys to see."

"Hey, newbie, do you want to learn how to braid hair with straw rope? If you do, I'll teach you. What a boring person, ignoring my suggestion."

"Do you know what's the scariest thing here? It's not the lack of sunlight, nor the loss of personal freedom and dignity, but the loneliness. Entering this prison is like being imprisoned for life, with no way out. Find something to do; perhaps it won't be long before you commit suicide."

She seemed to have good intentions, but the straw laid on the floor in the prison was not ordinary straw, but a poisonous plant. Long-term contact with hair would cause large-scale hair loss. Because she was of mixed race, she was immune to the toxin.

Jiazi Prison is famous precisely because of its harsh environment. Many criminals committed suicide after being imprisoned there for a few months, unable to endure the living conditions.

This place is known as a veritable hell on earth; it's not a place for criminals to retire in; its purpose is precisely to torture and punish criminals.

The elderly woman chose to ignore her "well-intentioned" advice.

She sat on the ground, lost in thought.

The top assassin imprisoned in the adjacent cell regained consciousness from his feigned sleep.

As a professional assassin, this is a habit he has maintained for many years. No matter how tired he is, he will never let himself fall into a deep sleep. He always stays alert to the noises around him, but this also means he lacks deep sleep and has insufficient energy. Therefore, he often enters this half-awake state during the day.

Through long-term training, this habit gave him an incredible ability to sense danger, making him one of the world's top assassins.

Most of the time, he keeps his eyes closed to conserve his energy, and over the years, his fellow inmates have gotten used to his taciturn nature.

However, at that very moment, the assassin who opened his eyes felt a chill run through his bones.

He pointed with some fear to the spot where the elderly woman was standing, and from his hoarse throat uttered a few words that sounded very awkward: "Great terror, great danger!"

The mixed-race woman put down the poisonous herbs in her hand and looked at him: "What nonsense are you spouting? What danger could she possibly pose with her frail appearance? Besides, everyone who's been imprisoned here has had their cultivation destroyed."

In the darkness, the sorcerer joked, "Is this guy having another bout of hysteria? Remember about half a month ago, when that Prince of Winter first arrived in Liyue, the streets were bustling with noise. Even through the thick walls of the prison, you could hear the lively sounds outside. That day, you also said there was great terror and great danger. And look at you now? That Prince of Winter has solved a century-old cold case and caught the murderer."

The assassin staggered back several steps, cowering in a corner. He said in terror, "It's blood! Didn't you see the blood of countless lives floating in the air...?"

Then he lunged at the iron bars, yelling at the end of the corridor, "Let me out! Let me out! I can't be locked up with her!"

Chapter 144 Strange

The jailer from the imperial prison came running at the sound, carrying an iron rod, the bloodstains on the rod still wet.

He forgot whose blood was on the iron rod, but before leaving get off work today, he had already whipped several disobedient criminals.

However, in his memory, this assassin usually caused the least trouble and was the kind of prisoner who was very obedient and was beaten the least. He didn't know why the assassin was suddenly shouting today.

Could it be that, like other villains, he was bored after being imprisoned for too long and deliberately caused trouble?

He was quite experienced in dealing with this situation; he would beat them up badly until their skin was torn and bleeding, and they would behave themselves.

He rushed over in a huff, only to be taken aback by what he saw.

The assassin tried to break through the iron bars of the cell, tearing his arm off in the process; blood was streaming down his sleeve. He acted like a madman, ignoring his injuries, straining with all his might to break free.

But his head was stuck between two iron pillars, and for a moment his face turned red from suffocation, and he even had difficulty breathing.

The jailer dared not open the cell door!

Letting out a madman would have unimaginable consequences.

"You mad dog, if you want to commit suicide, can't you find another way? And then you have to clean up the bloodstains on the ground, what a hassle."

The jailer yelled at him through the iron bars of the cell door.