Tang Dynasty: Taking the Empress Dowager to a brothel, Father Emperor, what a coincidence!

Li Chengqian didn't say anything, just stood in front of the prison cart and quietly looked at Zheng Qiuying.

The downfall of the five surnames and seven powerful families is already a fact.

The wealth accumulated by these families over hundreds of years was entirely transferred to the national treasury.

But those businesses scattered throughout the Tang Dynasty had to be taken over by someone.

If this were handed over to the civil officials in the imperial court, within three years, the Tang Dynasty would produce a hundred corrupt officials no less corrupt than Heshen.

If this shipyard is really as Zheng Qiuying said, then her speed in dominating the world will be greatly accelerated.

"Big brother, you don't actually like her, do you?"

Cheng Chumo then whispered in Li Chengqian's ear,

"This woman may be beautiful, but she's a wanted criminal. If you take her back, those old men like Wei Zheng will be running to the Eastern Palace and banging their heads against the pillars tomorrow."

"Shut up, stop trying to figure me out with your walnut-sized brain."

Li Chengqian slapped Cheng Chumo on the back of the head.

Zheng Qiuying had no idea what Li Chengqian was thinking at that moment.

She had already given away her chips; this was her last card.

If Li Chengqian doesn't accept the offer, then the Zheng family will truly be wiped out.

"Open the door."

Li Chengqian suddenly turned his head and gave instructions to the captain of the Hundred Cavalry Guard who was in charge of escorting him.

The captain was taken aback: "Your Highness, what did you say?"

"I said open the door of this prison van and let her out."

Li Chengqian pointed at Zheng Qiuying.

"I will personally take her back to the Eastern Palace for questioning."

Upon hearing this, the expressions of the surrounding Hundred Cavalry soldiers all changed.

The captain quickly knelt on one knee, clasped his hands in a fist and said:

"Your Highness, this is absolutely forbidden! This is a decree personally issued by His Majesty. All members of the five clans and seven noble families, regardless of age or gender, are to be imprisoned in the Dali Temple's death row and executed in the autumn."

"If I release the person without authorization, the handover to the Court of Judicial Review will be disrupted, and I will lose my head."

At this moment, Changsun Chong also ran over and tugged at Li Chengqian's sleeve.

"Your Highness, this matter is not easy to handle. The Vice Minister of the Court of Judicial Review is Wei Zheng's man, and he is very rigid."

The personnel roster has already been compiled and filed; missing even one person could cause a huge uproar.

"If you really want this woman, once she's in the Dali Temple, I'll secretly make arrangements..."

"Once I'm in the Dali Temple, do you think I'll still see any living people?"

Li Chengqian interrupted Changsun Chong directly.

The Zheng family has offended quite a few people over the years, and Li Chengqian understands the principle of "when the wall falls, everyone pushes it down."

If a delicate and talented young woman like Zheng Qiuying were to enter a death row cell, what kind of things could those prison guards and jailers possibly do? As a man, how could I not know?

Li Chengqian pulled a token directly from his pocket and shoved it into the captain's nose:

"Open your dog eyes and look carefully, what is this?"

Upon seeing the pattern on the token, the captain was so frightened that he knelt on the ground.

"The Commander of the Hundred Cavalry? Seeing this sign is like seeing His Majesty."

"Since you know each other, then hurry up and go unlock the door."

Li Chengqian put the token back into his pocket.

"If the Dali Temple asks, just say that I took him away."

If Wei Zheng dares to utter a single word, tell him to come directly to the Eastern Palace to see me.

The captain dared not utter another word.

He quickly ran to the prison van to open the door.

Zheng Qiuying stared blankly at the wooden door that had been pulled open.

She won her bet.

The shipyard's bargaining chip really saved her life.

She braced herself against the wooden plank, trying to stand up.

But because I had been kneeling for so long, my legs had long since gone numb.

He took just one step forward when his legs gave way and he fell straight out of the car.

Just as Cheng Chumo was about to reach out to grab it, Li Chengqian kicked him in the shin.

"Ouch! Why did you kick me, bro?"

"Men and women shouldn't touch each other. Don't you know any manners, you uncouth man?"

Li Chengqian cursed.

Zheng Qiuying fell directly to the ground, scraping a large patch of skin off her palm.

She gritted her teeth and didn't utter a sound of pain. She used her hands to support herself on the ground and stood up unsteadily.

A cool breeze blew, and her thin, plain clothes clung tightly to her body, making her shiver with cold.

Li Chengqian casually took off his black fox fur cloak and threw it over.

The cloak was draped over Zheng Qiuying's head, covering her completely.

"Put it on. Don't freeze to death."

Li Chengqian's tone was indifferent.

"My shipyard still needs your guidance. If you die of illness on the way, I'll send someone to chop up your brother right now."

Zheng Qiuying quickly poked her head out of the cloak, clutching the collar tightly with both hands, feeling the lingering warmth of her body.

She lowered her head and bit her lip hard to stop the tears from falling.

The onlookers were in an uproar.

"My goodness, what is His Highness doing?"

"Robbing someone in the street? This is a wanted criminal."

"What do you know? That's the Zheng family's most talented daughter. His Highness the Crown Prince is young and impetuous; it's inevitable that even heroes can't resist the charms of a beautiful woman..."

"What nonsense are you talking about? His Highness the Crown Prince is interrogating a prisoner."

Discussions rose and fell, with all sorts of opinions circulating.

Changsun Chong frowned as he listened.

If this gets out, the Crown Prince's reputation will be truly ruined.

Li Chengqian, however, turned his head and gestured with his chin toward his carriage, completely unconcerned.

"Get in the car."

Zheng Qiuying struggled to climb onto the carriage.

Li Chengqian followed closely behind and climbed into the carriage, pulling the curtain shut tightly.

"Return to the Eastern Palace," Li Chengqian ordered.

The carriage headed towards the palace.

The carriage was spacious, with a brass brazier in the middle, where silver charcoal burned brightly, emitting a warm glow.

Zheng Qiuying huddled in the corner, tightly wrapped in her cloak.

The temperature inside the carriage gradually restored feeling to her frozen limbs and also revived her previously dormant mind.

A lone man and a lone woman, alone in a room.

If she became the crown prince's woman, what about her family...?

"Your Highness..."

Zheng Qiuying reached out to untie the sash of her cloak.

"Don't move your hands around. If they get frozen, warm them up by the fire."

Li Chengqian sat opposite her, a dagger that had appeared in his hand at some point, and was peeling an apple.

Upon seeing the dagger, Zheng Qiuying was momentarily at a loss.

"Don't even think about taking advantage of me."

With a flick of his wrist, Li Chengqian sent a long string of apple peels tumbling into the nearby trash can.

"You may be good-looking, but I have no interest in washboards."

Zheng Qiuying was stunned.

She glanced down at her chest, her cheeks instantly turning bright red.

This is an insult to myself!

Have you ever seen a washboard as big as a mountain?

"Your Highness, although I am a criminal, I cannot allow myself to be insulted by you."

As Zheng Qiuying spoke, she took off the large turtleneck she was wearing, puffed out her chest, and moved towards Li Chengqian...