I, the villainous eldest prince, will suppress everything!

The reason he forcibly implanted the obedience curse on the twin sisters and Liu Mei was because the three of them were disobedient and unwilling to submit to him.

But from beginning to end, Qin Li had no intention of planting the Gu in Song Qian!

Even during their first meeting to discuss business, she felt that Song Qian was a smart person.

Today, upon seeing her again, Song Qian's intelligence far exceeded his expectations.

A smart man like Qin Li has no need to use Gu poison!

He believed that Song Qian would firmly choose him over Fang Yuan!

Planting a Gu worm in Song Qian would be superfluous and unnecessary.

But to Qin Li's utter surprise, Song Qian took advantage of his inattention and ate the Gu worm herself.

After shaking off the two men's hands, Song Qian took two steps back, and then, to the astonishment and confusion of the three men, did something else that was hard to understand.

She placed her hands, one up and one down, on her forehead, then bent her knees and knelt on the ground, facing Qin Li, and prostrated herself deeply!

"Miss, what are you doing? Get up!"

Xiuer looked anxious and was about to step forward to pull Song Qian up.

She had followed Song Qian since she was a child. Song Qian had always knelt to heaven, earth, and her parents, but never to outsiders!

Even when she married Fang Yuan a few years ago, Song Qian did not kneel during the wedding ceremony; she simply bowed.

Qin Li was the first outsider to make Song Qian kneel.

"Xiuer, step back!"

With her head buried in the ground, Song Qian's voice carried an unquestionable command.

Xiuer pursed her lips, not daring to disobey, and reluctantly retreated.

"Miss Song, why are you doing this?"

Qin Li stretched out his hand and looked at Song Qian with a puzzled expression.

"Your Highness, please don't be offended. This is what I should do!"

"Your Highness is of noble birth, the future Crown Prince. Countless prestigious families are lining up to see you, yet none can. It is my great fortune to have met you!"

"This humble woman willingly ingested the obedience-inducing poison, with no other purpose than to show Your Highness my sincerity, and the sincerity of the Song family!"

"I, Song Qian, and my family, are willing to follow Your Highness from this day forward, and are ready to go through fire and water for Your Highness's great cause!"

"..."

Qin Li didn't speak, but slowly put his left hand, which was wearing a jade thumb ring, behind his back.

Song Qian didn't dare to raise her head.

This is her chance.

This is also an opportunity for the Song family.

Don't be fooled by the fact that the Song family, which she leads, is already the number one rice merchant in the capital.

Since ancient times, the social hierarchy has been clearly defined, with scholars, farmers, artisans, and merchants holding the lowest status. Even those poor peasants who couldn't afford to eat dared to spit on them at will.

If they dare to return it, the authorities will report it to the authorities and punish them without even asking questions!

Although the Song family has become wealthy over the years, they have lived a very stifled life.

However, once she leads the Song family onto the grand ship of the First Prince's residence, everything will be different.

If something happens, just mentioning the name of the First Prince's residence will send shivers down the spine of the entire capital!

"Is that all there is to it, or are there no other reasons?"

Qin Li, with his hands behind his back, squinted and asked, clearly not believing him.

Although Song Qian was beautiful, he had not yet been blinded by her beauty.

Firstly, the Song family was the top rice merchant in the capital. Although their status was low, the assistance they provided was unimaginable.

As far as he knew, his younger brothers, the princes of the Great Zhou, except for Qin Feng, had all extended olive branches to the Song family on several occasions, but Song Qian had not accepted any of them.

Secondly, if Song Qian wanted to pledge allegiance to him, there was no need for her to actively swallow the Obedience Gu; she could simply kowtow!

Therefore, Song Qian had other, more important, and unknown purposes!

Upon hearing this, Song Qian, who was kneeling on the ground, closed her eyes, a look of despair appearing on her face.

She thought she could deceive everyone and hide her ambition.

But to everyone's surprise, Qin Li still saw through it.

It's not a big deal if people can see through it; the important thing is that she intentionally concealed it, which Qin Li, the person in power, will not like.

This means that all her previous efforts, including instigating Chun Tao and Xia Liu to assassinate Qin Li and helping Qin Li win over Liu Mei, may have been in vain.

Not only was it all in vain, but Qin Li would also punish her and the entire Song family, which is why she was in despair!

Taking a deep breath, Song Qian opened her eyes again, slowly straightened up, raised her head, and said with a wry smile:

"It seems nothing can be hidden from Your Highness. There are indeed other reasons why I chose Your Highness. I think..."

"Miss, you can't say."

Xiuer didn't dare to step forward, but kept shaking her head.

Qin Li glanced at Xiu'er, then reached out and pinched Song Qian's chin, staring intently at her with interest. "Speak, and I, the prince, will pardon you!"

"Miss, you can't tell! You really can't tell."

Xiuer kept shaking her head, tears welling in her eyes.

Only she knew what Song Qian's ambitions were.

Saying this will kill someone!

Song Qian heard it, but remained unmoved.

Despite Qin Li's grip on her chin, her face was forced to tilt upwards.

She looked at Qin Li and said, word by word:

"This humble woman aspires to be the...Prime Minister of the Great Zhou Dynasty!"

boom!

This statement came out.

A thunderbolt struck Liu Mei's mind as she watched.

To become prime minister?

Who?

Song Qian?

What a joke.

Song Qian was just a woman, and a merchant of the lowest social standing at that. How could she possibly want to become the prime minister of the Great Zhou Dynasty?

She didn't even dare to think like that. Her ultimate goal was for Qin Li to give her the identity of a bed warmer. She was already very satisfied and would wake up smiling in her sleep.

A woman as prime minister? Unheard of!

Having said that, Song Qian suppressed her bitter smile, closed her eyes again, and said, "This humble woman has overstepped her bounds; please, Your Highness, grant me death!"

But a long time passed, and she still wouldn't listen to Qin Li's order to kill her. Song Qian couldn't help but open her eyes again, tears welling up in them.

Then, a pair of large hands gently wiped away the tears from the corners of her eyes.

"Your Highness?"

Song Qian was quite surprised and puzzled, yet also somewhat moved.

Qin Li reached out and helped Song Qian up from the ground, laughing, "Sentence you to death? Why would I, this prince, sentence you to death?"

Song Qian frowned. "Because I said things I shouldn't have said and had thoughts I shouldn't have had."

In feudal times, in a patriarchal society, women faced countless restrictions.

Often, this woman would be punished for saying something she shouldn't have or having a thought she shouldn't have.

Not to mention, she had the idea of ​​becoming prime minister, which was tantamount to rebellion.

But the next moment, Qin Li said, "These are indeed things that shouldn't be said, and thoughts that shouldn't be entertained by others."

"But as for you, Song Qian, I believe you might very well become the Prime Minister of my Great Zhou Dynasty in the future!"

"Besides, you already willingly took the Obedience Gu, risking your life for this opportunity. Now you're asking for death again. Wouldn't that be a complete waste of this chance?"

Upon hearing this, Song Qian's pupils flashed violently!

Excitement, joy, relief at surviving a disaster, and anticipation for the future...

All sorts of complex emotions were contained within it, causing her to burst into tears instantly.

Qin Li understands her!

"Thank you, Your Highness!"

Song Qian was about to kneel again, but Qin Li reached out and stopped her. "Don't kneel so easily. You are the future prime minister of our Great Zhou. What kind of prime minister kneels to people all the time? Look at our current prime minister, my father-in-law Xiao Yuanlu. He avoids kneeling whenever possible. He's very arrogant!"

Knowing that Qin Li was deliberately teasing her, Song Qian's face burned, and she really wanted to find a crack in the ground to crawl into.

After thinking for a moment, she quickly changed the subject, "Your Highness, please rest assured, I have already taken the Obedience Gu. Your Highness has no need to worry that I will betray you."

"You are a smart man and will not betray me. There is absolutely no need for you to take the Obedience Gu. When we get back, I will go to my teacher to see if there is any way to remove the Gu."

Upon hearing Qin Li's words, Song Qian's pupils flickered violently once more as she looked at him, and her heart skipped a beat...

Not yet, Qin Li continued, "You don't need to worry about Fang Yuan anymore. Just focus on transporting your grain. Tomorrow I will send a eunuch to deliver the imperial decree, ordering him to accompany me on the expedition."

"Thank you, Your Highness, for disregarding past grievances and giving him a chance to atone for his crimes!"

Song Qianzhen didn't know what to say to express her gratitude.

Qin Li waved his hand, indicating that it was nothing.

Reaching down and feeling around, Qin Li pulled out a jade pendant from his waist and handed it to Song Qian, saying, "This is for you!"

"What is this?"

Song Qian asked, puzzled.

Liu Mei, who hadn't spoken for a long time, couldn't help but say, "Madam, seeing this token is like the Crown Prince himself being here!"

"This, this is too valuable." Song Qian's hand trembled slightly as she tried to return it.

Qin Li raised his hand to stop him, saying, "I will be leading the army on an expedition soon, away from the capital. Supplies are of paramount importance and cannot be compromised. If anyone obstructs me, this token can be used to execute them first and report later. Understand?"

"clear!"

Song Qian nodded emphatically, "This humble woman will certainly not fail in her mission!"