As Xiao Lingshuang gently sipped the ginger wine, she casually and intentionally tried to gather information about Gu Fei and everything related to Shangyuan County. After all, she’d been kissed by him twice, and she had taken the initiative to kiss him once—that made it three times. She couldn’t possibly know nothing about him. Her current status as Madam shouldn’t be wasted.
Just in time, Gu Fei had gone to sleep, making it a perfect opportunity to dig up some secrets. Da Ya and Er Ya, along with a few others, didn’t hide anything from their new Madam. They answered all her questions honestly.
From Da Ya’s words, Xiao Lingshuang learned that Shangyuan City had been built by the people of the entire county over a period of five years. The population had already reached 60,000 to 70,000.
That number alone was already the size of at least two counties combined… Xiao Lingshuang was secretly astonished. Even Beiheng’s imperial capital, Dadu City, had only around 300,000 people.
What shocked her even more was that Shangyuan City had more than a hundred large and small workshops. Almost everyone in the county had a job. These workshops produced daily necessities, and not only did they meet local demand, but much of the surplus was also sold elsewhere. Among them, the most exported item was cloth.
The textiles produced here were of excellent quality—fine weave, soft yet durable, and cheap.
Xiao Lingshuang glanced down at her own clothing and noticed that the fabric truly was different from the kind worn by the commoners in Dadu City. The yarn was evenly spun, subtly glossy, and the weave was uniform. In contrast, the rough cloth in the capital had uneven threads and inconsistent spacing between the weaves.
So, this Shangyuan City really did have wealth. As for whether it amounted to tens of millions of taels of silver, Xiao Lingshuang couldn’t say for sure. But if there truly was that much money, then she would be rich… With that amount, all of Beiheng Nation’s current problems could be resolved.
Feeling uneasy yet curious, Xiao Lingshuang asked, “I heard your master say there’s a lot of money stored in the county yamen’s treasury?”
Da Ya nodded proudly and eagerly, completely unaware that she was dragging her master into trouble. She even leaned in and whispered sneakily, “Madam, what the master said is true. There’s way too much money in that treasury… I once followed him inside, and my eyes nearly went blind from the sight. Gold and silver were piled up, filling the entire room.”
Xiao Lingshuang’s eyes lit up upon hearing that. She nearly drooled but quickly wiped her mouth with her hand. Her throat moved slightly, “You saw it with your own eyes?”
Da Ya looked like she was worried her Madam wouldn’t believe her and said, “If you don’t believe me, Madam, tomorrow you can ask Master to take you to the treasury and see for yourself if I’m lying.”
Hearing such confident words, Xiao Lingshuang’s heart pounded wildly, and a rare smile appeared on her face. “Mm, I believe you!”
Da Ya was momentarily dazed when she saw the usually cold-faced Xiao Lingshuang suddenly smile, then blurted out, “Madam, no wonder Master married you. You’re so beautiful! Even though Chief Constable Ye is known as the most beautiful of the ten beauties, compared to you, she seems to be missing something.”
Da Ya couldn’t quite put it into words, but what Xiao Lingshuang had was unmatched grace and aura.
Da Ya looked to the side, seemingly recalling bits and pieces, then concluded, “Looking at it now, I don’t think Chief Constable Ye likes Master, and he doesn’t like her either.”
“Why?”
“Because Master has never kissed her, and Chief Constable Ye always scolds him, frightens him, never shows him a kind face! All Master did was say she had a big chest, and she chased him for two streets.”
Xiao Lingshuang couldn’t help but laugh out loud. These two were clearly like needles poking at each other—no wonder they always looked like they were on bad terms.
“Yes… yes… exactly like that! But your smile, Madam, is so much prettier!”
Although Xiao Lingshuang was annoyed at being called ‘Madam,’ her curiosity outweighed her anger. She knew that to control Shangyuan City, she had to understand everything. Know yourself and your enemy—only then could you win every battle.
She asked again, “How did Shangyuan County end up with so many people?”
Da Ya answered proudly, “Hehe, it’s because our Shangyuan County is just too good. People come here every day to join us! So over time, the population keeps growing. But not just anyone can settle here. If you don’t have some skills, it’s impossible to gain residence now.”
That part, Da Ya was absolutely right about. Xiao Lingshuang had witnessed Qin A’lian’s process of joining the city herself. Without skills, one really wouldn’t be accepted.
Still, Xiao Lingshuang felt something was off. It was impossible that everyone in this city was talented. So she asked, “Then where did the original Shangyuan people come from? Not everyone from the county could’ve been that capable.”
Da Ya grinned, “Of course not. Most of the original folks followed Master when he carved out this land. I heard they all came from the surrounding mountains within a hundred kilometers. I know Brother Biao did.”
Xiao Lingshuang raised her brows… So her guess was right. They were mountain bandits and outlaws. No wonder Zhang Biao looked so thuggish.
“Madam, how could Shangyuan City have a bandit leader? All the bandit leaders were killed by Master. Brother Biao just had no way to survive, so he was forced up the mountain. Master said it was all that old, ugly, useless female Emperor’s fault that made life in Beiheng so miserable. People were starving everywhere.”
Xiao Lingshuang’s fists clenched tightly inside her sleeves. This conversation had somehow ended up turning into an insult directed at her… If Gu Fei had been present, she might’ve charged up to bite him again.
Whether it was from Da Ya’s words or hunger, she wasn’t sure, but her head began to feel dizzy, and the sensation kept worsening.
Soon, it was dinnertime.
Gu Fei, after being coaxed into drinking two more bowls of ginger wine by Da Ya, felt his body lighten. He stood up to eat but found that he had no appetite—likely due to being sick. After a few bites, he felt full and asked Da Ya and Er Ya to help him to bed, leaving Xiao Lingshuang alone at the dinner table.
Having starved for a long time, Xiao Lingshuang continued eating slowly even after Gu Fei left.
After Da Ya had helped Gu Fei to bed and returned to the dining room, she found Xiao Lingshuang collapsed beside the table.
“Aiya… Madam’s tired too. Er Ya, help me get her to Master’s bed,” Da Ya said, looking puzzled.
Could it be both of them got drunk? Did she accidentally grab the high-alcohol version? Oh well… higher alcohol content worked even better.
And so, Xiao Lingshuang was stripped and tucked into Gu Fei’s bed by Da Ya and Er Ya. In their eyes, she was already the Madam of the house. Sharing a bed and blanket with Master was a given—otherwise, if he woke up and found her elsewhere, he might scold them instead.
Da Ya felt very clever about her decision.
Half-asleep, Gu Fei’s body was heating up, his head dizzy. Just as his consciousness faded, he felt a sudden chill in the bed, followed by a body as warm as fire snuggling close to him, making him feel even more comfortable. He instinctively hugged the warm source tightly.
Xiao Lingshuang, also drowsy, felt herself wrapped in a blazing warmth. But her body only grew hotter and hotter.
Not long after, the blanket began to move in small, rhythmic waves.
The night passed swiftly.