In a chaotic and famine-stricken era, I picked up an empress to be my wife.

"County Commandant Shen, I beg you, I really beg you!" Bai Moli knelt down before Shen An.

Shen An would not soften his stance because of this; he felt there were far more problems involved.

"Tell me first, why do you insist on making me admit it? If you don't give me a reason, I'll think you have ulterior motives and I'll report this to Inspector Feng so he can look into it!" Shen An's tone was threatening.

"No, don't tell Inspector Feng, please don't!" Bai Moli shook her head vigorously, like a rattle-drum.

"Then answer this county constable's question!"

"Okay then..."

Bai Moli pondered for a moment before saying, "I'm looking for someone for Princess Gaoping. She's always admired talented men, and I'd like to recommend you to her..."

Shen An immediately understood that Bai Moli wanted to gain Princess Gaoping's favor by recommending talented men.

It must be said that this woman's ambition is truly remarkable.

Despite being merely a tool of Feng Zihuan, she dared to dream of being appreciated by Princess Gaoping.

You should know that Princess Gaoping is the current emperor's aunt.

She wields immense power in the court; whoever can cultivate a relationship with her can rise rapidly in rank!

Shen An sneered, "Bai Moli, you certainly have quite the appetite. Are you trying to use this opportunity to gain Princess Gaoping's favor?"

Bai Moli didn't hide anything. She stood up and said, "County Commandant Shen, people strive to rise higher, and water flows downhill. Nobody wants to stay at the bottom forever."

With such talent, you surely wouldn't want to be just a lowly county magistrate, would you?

"What I do is none of your business. But you, how dare you try to use me? Do you treat me like an object or a tool for a transaction?" Shen An's face darkened.

Bai Moli then realized that Shen An also had a temper.

She quickly explained, "I didn't treat you like an object. I just felt this was a win-win situation."

"A win-win situation? I don't think so. Get out of my mansion right now, or I'll hand you over to Inspector Feng and let him know your ambitions and how restless you are!" Shen An threatened again.

"County Commandant Shen, please don't do this. I'll leave, I'll leave!" Bai Moli immediately withdrew and stopped pestering her.

Xiao Yan'er was somewhat confused: "If I'm not mistaken, you must really want to win her over, right? Why not take this opportunity..."

"Snapped!"

Shen An slapped him across the face: "You've said too much!"

Xiao Yan'er immediately shut her mouth.

"Give this county constable a leg massage!" Shen An ordered.

"yes!"

As Xiao Yan'er began massaging Shen An's legs, Shen An was already thinking about how to keep Bai Moli hanging on.

That was indeed a good opportunity, but it was far better for Bai Moli to keep begging him than for him to offer her conditions.

At that time, Shen An could find a way to back down and deliberately tell her that as long as she cooperated obediently, he would give her an opportunity to be introduced to someone else in the future.

Make a grand promise and then take it.

Once they've used it all, they can simply deny it.

into the night.

Shen An arrived at Dugu Meng's residence.

After they separated, Dugu Meng felt quite lonely living alone. Since Shen An won over Xiao Yan'er, he would come over every night to have dinner with Dugu Meng.

Shen An told Dugu Meng what Bai Moli had said.

Lonely Dream was startled again.

Does Shen An still possess literary talent?

To confirm this matter, Dugu Meng even publicly challenged Shen An to compose a poem.

That concludes the poem.

Dugu Meng was completely numb.

Shen An's poetry was undoubtedly top-notch at the time. How did he manage to do it? He seemed to know everything.

She had previously thought Shen An's expertise in forging and weapon making was already amazing enough.

Dugu Meng felt that Shen An must be the one who understood these things and needed to take action.

Who would have thought that his literary talent was also among the best in the world?!

How can one person be so versatile?

"Shen An, Shen An, I really can't understand you anymore!" After Dugu Meng sighed, she said, "Actually, it would be good for you to get to know Princess Gaoping. She is the emperor's aunt and has taken good care of the emperor since she was a child. If you can get to know her, it should be beneficial to you."

In reality, Dugu Meng wanted to use this connection to get in touch with Princess Gaoping.

If all her people in the capital were under control, then her only hope would be her aunt.

"There should be benefits, but what's the price? To be a male concubine? I have no interest in that," Shen An rejected the idea. "Forget it."

"Being a male concubine isn't something she can just do on a whim. Although she has some lustful desires, she's also a reasonable person," Dugu Meng added.

"Why do you keep talking about her? Do you want to get Princess Gaoping to save you through me?" Shen An asked.

Dugu Meng nodded.

"If you two are really close, this is a good idea. However, this method requires someone to pass the message on to her. If the message cannot be passed on, even if I agree to Bai Moli's request, it will be of no use."

"Would you like to give it a try?"

"Okay, let's give it a try. Having another option is better than having none at all."

With Shen An's agreement, Dugu Meng felt much more relaxed and had new hope for the future.

"But aren't you afraid that Princess Gaoping is in cahoots with them? After all, it's been so long since your incident, and she hasn't sent anyone to look for you," Shen An reminded him.

"No, she has a very good relationship with me and the emperor. She was probably just kept in the dark by those bad people," Dugu Meng replied.

"Alright, as long as you understand."

For the remaining three days, Bai Moli came to see Shen An almost every day.

Each time, she would come up with a different trick to please Shen An.

On the fourth day, Shen An felt that the time was about right.

When she visited again, Shen An called her to the courtyard, dismissed the others, and poured her a cup of tea.

He put on a touching expression.

"You really are persistent. I couldn't do that if it were me."

"So, Lieutenant Shen, you're willing to agree to my request?" Bai Moli exclaimed excitedly.

"Don't rush. I can agree, but you'll need to follow Liao Bing's orders from now on. You can only say what he tells you to say," Shen An said in a low voice. "If Liao Bing tells me later that you've done something that satisfies him, I'll have you introduce me to Princess Gaoping!"

"Ah? Well, if Inspector Feng finds out, I... I'll be severely punished. And why are you helping Liao Bing? Is he plotting something?"

"What conspiracy? How many of those soldiers are actually trying to protect their country? Aren't they just after some money? If everything were known to the higher-ups, how would they make money? How would I make money?" Shen An leaned closer to Bai Moli and retorted, "As for your severe punishment, you're not even willing to take that small risk, yet you want to climb the social ladder by associating with Princess Gaoping? Are you kidding me?"

"But if I introduce you, won't you be able to rise through the ranks just as quickly?"

"Snapped!"

Shen An slapped Bai Moli: "If I wanted to climb the social ladder by marrying Princess Gaoping, would I need your introduction? Can't I go myself? Who do you think you are? Why should I give you this opportunity?"

This slap woke Bai Moli up.

"I...I was wrong."

"Make your choice: will you follow my instructions, or not?"

"I will follow your instructions. Whatever General Liao asks me to report to Inspector Feng, I will report," Bai Moli replied with certainty.

"Since you've agreed, remember the consequences of going back on your word. And remember this: Qingyang County is Liao Bing's territory. If you dare to betray him, you will die no matter what!" Shen An warned.

Bai Moli's heart skipped a beat, and she quickly promised, "County Commandant Shen, rest assured, I will never betray General Liao!"

"I hope you keep your word!"

Five days passed in the blink of an eye, and Bai Moli did indeed do it; she reported everything according to Liao Bing and Shen An's instructions.

Except for the woman next to Liu Wenyuan, whom he hadn't managed to win over, and who was under surveillance, Shen An and Liao Bing were completely free to do whatever they wanted.

In order to prepare for potential future conflicts, Shen An and Liao Bing secretly recruited soldiers and stockpiled food, in accordance with their plan.

The newly recruited soldiers were all taken to the valley where Black Dragon Village was located.

One month after Li Huaiyi issued the order to hand over money within three months, Shen An had already recruited five thousand men.

These five thousand men were almost all refugees, and were practically the limit of the number that could be recruited in secret.

If we try to recruit any more, there's a high chance we'll be discovered!

Although it was still a bit short of his expected 10,000 troops, training these men into elite soldiers would give them a certain fighting capacity.

We can focus on training them, and in the future, we can openly recruit more people, and the number should be able to quickly reach 10,000.

So now, the most pressing problem for Shen An is money!

Five thousand people may not seem like a lot, but without the support of the local people, his expenses would be enormous.

Nowadays, it's difficult to collect hair from the living, and the hair from the dead is becoming increasingly scarce.

The scale of his blood charcoal business has shrunk step by step. If he wants to continue making money, he needs to open up new business channels.

He thought about it for a long time at home and finally came up with a new idea!