Ten years of dormancy: Starting as a martial arts master at the pinnacle

"Did my sister really go to the Prince of Qin's residence?"

In the inner quarters of the Marquis of Sanyang's residence, there lived a stunningly beautiful woman with a voice as clear as a spring.

"Reporting to the Second Miss, this matter was witnessed by this old servant with his own eyes, and there is absolutely no doubt about it."

Upon hearing this, the stunning beauty seemed to fall into deep thought.

She glanced down at the newspaper; it had been bought by one of the servants in their household and presented to her as if it were a treasure.

"The marriage with the Prince's mansion is likely to encounter many twists and turns."

"Second Miss, what the Eldest Miss did was truly inappropriate. When the Marquis returns, should we ask him to make the decision? This marriage should rightfully be yours."

Originally, these people around the second young lady had always been speaking out on her behalf.

How could the legitimate daughter of the Marquis of Sanyang's family have to marry a prince, and not even be a concubine?

She was just a concubine.

The second young lady herself, however, seemed completely unconcerned.

It seems that marrying the Prince of Qinghe as a concubine was not an unacceptable choice for her.

Since she'll have to get married sooner or later anyway, she might as well marry the high and mighty Prince Qinghe, who could potentially become a concubine in the palace.

One empress, two imperial concubines, and four imperial consorts. These are the figures who stand at the top of the pyramid within the imperial palace.

Later, the Great Zhou Imperial Palace was robbed.

Those around the second young lady of the Marquis's mansion could clearly sense that their young lady was smitten.

Her previously methodical preparations suddenly became urgent.

Although nothing was revealed on her face, she seemed eager to marry into the royal family.

Those around the second young lady of the Marquis's mansion naturally understood her feelings.

Even if they had many grievances before, they would speak to their mistress with their hearts if she wished.

Putting aside the merits of the marriage, it absolutely cannot be given to the young lady.

"It's not as simple as you make it out to be."

Murong Yan shook her head. "If it were anything else, it would be fine. Whether it's martial arts or intellect, I'm no less capable than my sister. She broke through to the Grandmaster level, and so did I, didn't I? It's just that feelings are hard to say."

"When the thirteenth prince returned to the capital, it was my sister who personally brought him back. Because of this merit, she was already the deputy commander of the Golden Guard, but there was no vacancy to fill the position, so she is still a centurion. The two of them have been spending more than half a month together, so perhaps they have already developed feelings for each other."

"Even if the Marquis's mansion chooses me, if the Prince doesn't approve, I have absolutely no chance. I can't even have the idea of ​​sisters sharing a husband!"

Upon hearing this, the maids and servants under Murong Yan's command all stared wide-eyed, like copper bells.

What earth-shattering gossip have they heard?

Sisters sharing one husband?

Who are these young ladies? They are one of the two beauties of Kyoto.

Marrying a prince as a concubine was already an immense humiliation.

How can sisters share a husband?

Putting aside whether it can be accomplished, does the Marquis of Sanyang have no regard for its reputation?

"What nonsense are you spouting, Miss? If you still want this marriage, we can plan it carefully. With the Marquis's support, and with your beauty and talent, Miss may still have a chance."

Why demean yourself?

Hearing what her personal maid and nanny said, Murong Yan remained noncommittal.

Little did they know that the prince they spoke of had already risen to the highest rank.

Otherwise, why would her proud and arrogant older sister have volunteered herself?

In addition, the prince himself was not a lecherous person.

Apart from his future princess Luo Qingqing, Li Changqing had no previous entanglements with any other women.

Murong Yan's father went to great lengths to find out the prince's preferences and even obtained some information.

The prince initially wanted to refuse the marriage; he did not want to marry daughters from several families.

Later, it was for the sake of the World Society that they had no choice but to compromise.

Such a person would choose a marriage partner who is sensible and useful to him.

Thinking of this, Murong Yan narrowed her eyes.

Her dear older sister must have figured this out, which is why she contacted that prince in advance.

Even if the prince was the supreme ruler, Murong Yan was not particularly interested in the position of a concubine.

She wouldn't object to the marriage going ahead.

She didn't care that the marriage didn't happen.

However, I later learned that the prince was exceptionally open-minded. He was even very tolerant of his future princess.

Luo Qingqing still held a nominal position within the Six Doors (a government agency).

Occasionally, when Luo Qingqing attends a flower-viewing party or talks to her close female friends about her married life, she appears quite at ease.

She was clearly certain that her life after marriage would not change much and would remain the same as when she was a prostitute.

This inclusiveness alone is practically unique in the world.

Unless a woman is a martial arts master with an extremely high level of cultivation, she can have fewer restrictions like Luo Qingqing.

Even they couldn't compare to Luo Qingqing's freedom.

This is what Murong Yan values ​​most: freedom after marriage.

In addition, you will also receive the support of a supreme being.

Ask yourself, who wouldn't want such a future partner, except perhaps someone blinded by love?

The future wealth of the World Society can be freely disposed of.

Looking down at the newspaper, Murong Yan secretly made plans.

"Shops, labor, connections, support from the imperial court..."

"If this small newspaper were distributed throughout the entire Great Zhou Dynasty, it would probably involve tens of thousands, or even hundreds of thousands of people."

There are over six hundred counties in the Greater Bay Area, and it's estimated that every county will issue [the document/issue].

"That's so tempting!"

"Even if each prefecture can only sell 10,000 portions, with more than 600 prefectures, that's 6 million portions. At 5 copper coins per portion, that's 30 million. 30,000 strings of cash, 30,000 taels."

"One serving every ten days, that's a million taels a year!"

On the other side, at the Qin Prince's Mansion.

Murong Yao was filled with excitement as she held the data reported by her subordinates.

Upon seeing her, Li Changqing smiled calmly: "Editor-in-Chief Murong, have you brought back good news?"

"Your Highness is incredibly insightful. Why don't you take a guess at how well our first newspaper sold?"

"The Great Zhou Dynasty comprises six hundred prefectures, each with a population exceeding one million, and some even boasting ten million. If all goes according to plan, total sales should surpass sixty million!"

Upon hearing this number, Murong Yao was visibly stunned.

How did you know?

"If you calculate the proportion of literate people, it'll be about right. Almost everyone who can read will buy it. Even if you deduct some who are short of money, the total number is roughly the same."

"Your Highness has shown great foresight; a total of 79 million copies have been sold. Every factory is currently processing them, and our previous reserves were far from sufficient. This time, the total should exceed 100 million."

One hundred million copies, each worth five copper coins, that's five hundred thousand taels just for one copy of the newspaper.

Even after deducting labor costs, the revenue from just this one newspaper exceeded 300,000 taels of silver.

The initial investment of seven million taels now seems utterly insignificant.

"The more newspapers that sell, the more significant they become."

"Your Highness, how often do you think we should release a new episode?"

"Initially, ten days. Ideally, one issue should be published every day. If there aren't enough official matters to attend to, then inquire about gossip from wealthy families. In short, the content must be substantial."

300,000 a day, 365 a year.

In this way, the annual profit from newspapers alone exceeded 100 million taels.

The annual revenue of the Great Zhou Dynasty was only 150 million taels.

This newspaper alone can generate 100 million taels of silver a year, which is almost two-thirds of the annual income.

……