No Need to Endure Anymore

Enough is enough! There's no need to endure it any longer!

With a tearing sound, He Qian's undergarment was ripped to shreds.

It must be mentioned that this woman does have her own unique qualities.

Compared to Guli and Li Hua, her voice is simply exceptional.

When Zhou Tiancheng lay down, He Qian would whisper sweet nothings in his ear, making him feel a great sense of accomplishment.

Especially when the emotions were running high, the woman's singing voice, rising from her nose, was like a kitten on a spring night, mesmerizing and captivating.

When Zhou Tiancheng captured her lips, his voice became even softer and more alluring.

Her eyes were moist, and the way she looked at Zhou Tiancheng seemed to be pleading for mercy, yet also pleading for pleasure.

This was a unique charm that neither Li Hua nor Guli possessed—a gentle allure that belonged solely to women from Jiangnan, which Zhou Tiancheng found irresistible.

……

"From now on, you'll stay by my side and be my maid, how about that?"

Zhou Tiancheng lay on the bed, his left hand casually stroking He Qian's waist.

He Qian lowered her head and didn't speak, only nodding slightly.

Seeing this, Zhou Tiancheng's lips curled up slightly.

This vixen was incredibly alluring in bed just now, and more importantly, she seemed to be able to read Zhou Tiancheng's mind.

If Zhou Tiancheng touches her lips slightly, she will open her mouth and take his finger in her mouth.

Zhou Tiancheng patted her buttocks, and she would turn over on her own.

If it weren't for the bloodstains as proof, and the fact that there's no such thing as a hymenoplasty these days, Zhou Tiancheng really wouldn't have believed that such a woman was a virgin!

His hand slid down He Qian's waist and pinched her buttocks hard.

"Alright, I'll keep an eye on your enemy for you, but I'm busy right now and can't spare the time. Besides, I don't really have any dealings with him."

"Once I'm done with my work here, I'll find a way to get him to you."

"If you want revenge, you can kill him yourself. That's my promise to you, how about it?"

He Qian trembled and rolled over to lie prostrate on Zhou Tiancheng's chest.

"Your Highness, I will certainly serve you well."

This time, Zhou Tiancheng didn't say much, closed his eyes and fell into a deep sleep.

Early the next morning.

Zhou Tiancheng then left the Eastern Palace.

First, there was the lottery shop issue; he needed to find a suitable location.

Then came the gunpowder workshop.

Xinhua didn't take the matter to heart at all. When Zhou Tiancheng suggested finding a safe and secluded place, Xinhua immediately spoke up.

"Isn't the Eastern Palace the safest and most secluded place in the Great Qian Dynasty?"

Upon hearing this, Zhou Tiancheng kicked Xinhua in the butt.

"The Eastern Palace?"

"What are you thinking about?"

"If the gunpowder workshop explodes, we might both be killed!"

"It needs to be placed in the suburbs."

Xinhua smiled憨憨地, as if he had also recalled that scene on the battlefield.

Fifty barrels of gunpowder blasted down a city wall; he couldn't even imagine the power of such an explosion if it had happened in the Eastern Palace.

However, he did have an idea.

"Your Highness, isn't Li Hua's estate located on the outskirts of the capital?"

"If all else fails, how about setting up a gunpowder workshop on that estate over there?"

Zhou Tiancheng shook his head and refused without even thinking.

There's nothing else to it. Li Hua's father was a merchant, and more importantly, he was a merchant from the Northern Rong!

Once he starts treating gunpowder as a commodity, things will get really messy.

Driven by greed, Zhou Tiancheng wouldn't trust outsiders.

"Let's go out and take a look. If we find a suitable estate, we can just buy it. Anyway, it's what Father Emperor asked me to do, so we can just ask the national treasury for funding."

"Also, the gunpowder workshop must be guarded by troops. All the processes must be broken down and no one should be allowed to know the whole process."

"Yesterday in the Qiankun Palace, Father Emperor was already hinting to me that the Third Prince probably has his own private army and wants our gunpowder to arm his own troops. If we end up fighting them, I don't want the gunpowder to explode on our own brothers."

Xinhua then understood Zhou Tiancheng's thoughts and nodded slightly.

"Rest assured, Your Highness, anyone who wants to take the gunpowder formula will have to get past me first."

Zhou Tiancheng simply chuckled.

In terms of fighting, Xinhua might indeed be a good candidate, but when it comes to scheming and maneuvering, Xinhua is not even worth a hair on Qin Zhi'ang's foot.

He didn't dampen Xinhua's enthusiasm; he just smiled and left the city.

Not long after they left, Steward Liu spoke softly beside the carriage.

"Your Highness, someone has been following us."

"Um?"

Zhou Tiancheng frowned, lifted the curtain of the carriage, and peeked back.

Several carriages followed at a distance, appearing as if they were just passing by.

"Are you sure they followed us?"

Zhou Tiancheng narrowed his eyes.

Steward Liu nodded slightly.

"Your Highness, this servant cannot be wrong. Our carriage is neither fast nor slow, because we do not need to rush, nor are we out sightseeing."

"But the carriages that were following us stayed not far away from us. They neither disappeared nor overtook us. I'm afraid they have ill intentions."

Zhou Tiancheng glanced back a couple more times and chuckled softly.

"Go and send someone to the nearby military camp to call for reinforcements. We don't have many men here, and they are all my trusted men. Not one of them can die."

"When the military personnel arrive, arrest them directly. Don't send them to the Ministry of Justice; send them directly to the Jingzhao Prefecture."

The Jingzhao Prefecture was Zhou Tiancheng's own territory, and he was also the Prefect of Jingzhao. No one would say anything if he carried out the punishment there.

Steward Liu agreed, sent someone to summon the city guards, and then pretended nothing had happened, following Zhou Tiancheng on his sightseeing trip.

The group soon arrived at a manor.

This village is surrounded by mountains on all sides, and there are only two narrow roads in and out.

"This terrain is good."

Zhou Tiancheng stopped the carriage, stepped out, looked around, and nodded slightly.

"It's easy to defend and difficult to attack. If we deploy troops here, even if someone wanted to seize the gunpowder formula, it would be very difficult for them to break through."

Manager Liu stood beside him, looked at him carefully, and then took out the map and glanced at it a couple of times.

"This is the Qin family's estate; I'm afraid they won't sell it to us."

The Qin family?

Zhou Tiancheng turned his head to the side.

"Qin Zhi'ang's estate? Does their family have that much money?"

Manager Liu smiled helplessly.

"Their family probably has more money than Your Highness imagines."

"Besides, it's just a village. Even if this matter goes up to the Emperor, he won't say much."

Zhou Tiancheng shook his head.

"What I mean is, since it's his estate, I won't pay."

"Qin Zhi'ang is an official in the imperial court; it's not unreasonable for him to contribute a manor to the court, is it?"

"The key is that they want to get their hands on the gunpowder formula, so they'd probably be happy to hand over the estate to us."

Steward Liu was taken aback upon hearing this.

"Your Highness, aren't you afraid the gunpowder formula will be leaked?"