Chapter 4: The Nature of Women

  Having seen the courtesy just now, Qian Buli realized that his guess was correct. Although it is said that a man has gold under his knees, it is still better to follow local customs. Thinking of this, Qian Buli walked up a few steps, imitated the gesture, and knelt down on one knee, holding Princess Ji Sheng's small hand: "Respected Princess, I...I just escaped from danger, my head is not clear, I was rude to you, I'm really sorry, please forgive my discourtesy."

  Ji Sheng's face revealed a meaningful smile, and her eyes sparkled with cunning: "You... now know what to do? Isn't it a bit late?"

  "Too late?" Qian Budui was taken aback: "What do you mean?"

  Another "you"! Ji Shengqing was now allergic to the word "you", she took a deep breath, smiled and looked at this legendary master thief kneeling in front of her, her vanity began to inflate extremely.

  Money's mind spun rapidly: "This... Princess, there seems to be some misunderstanding! My surname is Money, as in gold and silver money, Dragon is a divine dragon, I've always been an ordinary person, absolutely not some Grand Emperor!"

  Her brain was racing, and it seemed like he didn't want anyone to know his true identity. But... I get it! The proud Emperor Qianlong would never stoop to bullying a little girl, yet Ke Li was 'bullied' into unconsciousness by him - he must be so embarrassed! That's why he accidentally revealed his own name when he lost control of himself, and now he regrets it and wants to deny it. Right? Unfortunately for him, he ran into me! To engage in a battle of wits with the legendary hero is truly an unparalleled honor and pride...

  "Mr. Qianlong, when will you... let go of my hand?" Ji Shengqing's smile was both gentle and radiant.

  Qian Buli suddenly came to his senses, realizing he had been holding the other person's hand for a long time. He hastily let go, stood up, and casually patted the dust off his knees. In that world, Qian Buli always used his elegant young master demeanor to conceal his true nature. After acting for so long, some small habits became deeply ingrained and couldn't be changed, one of which was Qian Buli's excessive fondness for cleanliness.

  Ji Shengqing smiled and looked at Qian Buli's slightly rude movements, but she didn't feel any resentment towards him anymore. In this continent, even ordinary people knew what to say and do when facing the royal family, but Qian Buli's abnormal behavior had become a kind of pride that came from the heart, a pride that only belonged to emperors!

  "Mr. Qianlong, perhaps I'm being presumptuous, but I'm really curious, how did you get trapped in the ice? Of course, if you don't want to say, I can withdraw my curiosity."

  "Ah, this..." Qian Buli thought for a moment and sighed: "Curiosity can bring disaster to people, it's better to take it back." As for his own experiences, Qian Buli couldn't explain them, and even if he could, he wouldn't. People who are good at keeping their own secrets usually live longer! Having barely escaped from death, he should be more cautious in the future and not put himself in danger again.

  Ji Shengqing's big eyes shone even brighter, curiosity can bring disaster to people! What a philosophical remark! Ji Shengqing gently pulled her skirt with both hands and gave Qian Buli a standard court salute: "Thank you for your teachings, sir. But I still have one more question to ask."

  "What did I teach? What did I teach you?" Qian couldn't help but roll his eyes: "You tell me."

  "Your...do you still want to return to the grasslands?"

  "What am I going to do in that place? No way! Absolutely not!" Qian Buli knew that now was definitely the era of cold weapons, and if it were in a big city, there would still be some good places to enjoy, but what's on the grasslands? Just that extremely unsanitary living condition, Qian Buli couldn't bear it! From the history of that world, most ordinary people from the grassland nations didn't live past fifty years old, they either died in battle or died of illness, showing how terrible the sanitation was.

  Ji Shengqing's expression turned cheerful: "So... have you thought of where to go?" Ji Shengqing was originally worried that Qian Buli would want to go to the grasslands, and if he could reunify the grassland tribes again, the state of Jizhou would face the danger of extinction! Hearing Qian Buli's absolute refusal to go to the grasslands, Ji Shengqing let out a sigh of relief, believing in the promise of an emperor. In fact... Ji Shengqing was greatly mistaken this time, and Qian Buli's promise was worthless.

  Qian Buli hesitated for a long time before speaking slowly: "What I want most is to travel the world and take a look around, but before that, there's something I must do!" He gazed at Ji Shengqin and said, "It was you who rescued me from the ice cave. I'm a person who repays kindness, and I won't leave until I've repaid this debt." Qian Buli's words sounded nice, but in reality, he knew he had no money, and from ancient times to the present, there was no way for someone without anything of value to survive. In other words, where could a poor guy like him go? Didn't he need to eat or wear clothes? If he could stay here with the princess, his future would undoubtedly be bright!

  She was so excited that her whole body began to tremble. She was the eldest princess of the state of Qi Zhou, and the rule for selecting a crown prince had always been based on merit, regardless of gender. Unfortunately, her birth mother had passed away early, and the current queen was her stepmother. Her stepmother, in order to let her half-brother, Qi Sheng Lie, ascend to the throne, not only pulled strings everywhere but also used despicable means to suppress and humiliate Qi Sheng Qing. Moreover, she even arranged for several playboys to use aphrodisiacs to seduce her, and finally, even sent assassins! Being able to escape from one trap after another was not due to Qi Sheng Qing's cleverness but rather her rare good fortune. Of course, some of that good fortune was created by people from her maternal grandfather's household.

  But these experiences were too heavy for a seventeen-year-old girl, so she had to temporarily hide in Xueyuan City with trepidation. Every deep night, Ji Shengqing would wake up crying from nightmares, and then the next day, she still had to put on a captivating smile, make friends with various nobles, and visit among the common people. From her heart, Ji Shengqing didn't want to fight for anything, but unfortunately, she couldn't not fight; if her younger brother Ji Shenglie ascended to the throne, her maternal grandparents' family would immediately face a disastrous fate, and all those who supported and cared for her would end up in a miserable state!

  There are some things in this world that can't be said out loud, and the means of doing them are even darker, but the people who take on the burden are not doing it for themselves, but for others! Or rather, out of helplessness!!

  Now, Ji Shengqin saw her own hope! If she could get the help of Emperor Qianlong, how could those mediocre people summoned by her stepmother be her opponents?! Ji Shengqin didn't want to lose her composure, and she even bit her lip hard with her teeth to suppress her excitement.

  Money didn't leave, looking at Ji Sheng's emotions with suspicion, as a superior, she must have seen her fair share of storms, and all she said was a few short sentences of gratitude and loyalty, even including some very vague and insincere promises, is it worth getting so excited about? She even bit her lip until it bled... There must be something fishy going on here!!

  Money can't be taken away, the more he thinks about it, the colder his heart becomes. He starts to think, should he rob a gold and jewelry store with a handgun in the dead of night and then run away...

  "Okay... okay..." Ji Shengqing's voice was tinged with a few sobs: "You... I'll go prepare some food for you." At this moment, Ji Shengqing also forgot to say "you" (in the polite form).

  Ji Sheng's emotions changed as she turned around and ran towards the door, but despite its large size, she didn't run out accurately and instead bumped into the door frame, letting out a cry of "aiyo".

  "Are you okay?" Qian Buli, who thought he was extremely clever, also looked foolish.

  "No, no!" Ji Shengqian replied in a flurry, not turning her head back as she ran out in one breath. Immediately after, the sound of suppressed crying arose, but before Qian Bu Li could reach the door, the crying suddenly turned into laughter.

  "She's crazy......" Qian stood frozen in place.

  Actually, Qian Bu Li still doesn't understand a truth: when a woman encounters hardship, she will bravely take on the burden, but when she thinks she has met someone trustworthy, she will also bravely put down the burden! The gamble in a woman's heart is far stronger than that of a man. "Entrusting one's life" is just a gamble! Using one's own hands to fight for one's happiness is nonsense said to men; as long as a woman finds a good man, he will bring her happiness! How to find a good man? In the end, it relies on a gamble, relying on one's own intuition and feelings.

  Not mentioning the money, they started doing push-ups and sit-ups in the house to prepare for the midnight robbery. When Ji Sheng rushed happily to the side hall, Jia Tianxiang was anxiously pacing back and forth in the side hall. As soon as he saw the princess, Jia Tianxiang forgot the etiquette that a noble should have and stepped forward to ask: "Your Highness, is it true... Is he really Emperor Qianlong?"

  The lady smiled happily and let out a sigh of relief, her eyes shining with confidence: "My earl, I have a few questions for you."

  "Your Highness, speak."

  "What kind of person can still come back to life after being frozen for a very, very long time?"

  "What kind of person would still insist on addressing me with 'you' instead of 'you (polite)' after knowing my identity?"

  "What kind of person can remain calm and composed in the face of a group of soldiers charging with swords drawn? Especially after he has already offended me and my maid!"

  "He's so proud! He's so powerful!" Jia Tianxiang's voice was also slightly trembling: "But this doesn't mean he is the Qianlong Emperor!"

  "He is an extremely extraordinary person!"

  "I agree with your view, Your Highness, however..."

  "That's enough!" Ji Shengqin's eyes sparkled with spirit, and the woman's gambler nature finally burst out!

  Jia Tianxiang could only remain silent.

  "A cocktail party will be held tonight." At this moment, Ji Sheng's expression was even more beautiful than usual: "I'll find an opportunity for you to talk."

  Qian Buli, who was doing sit-ups in the distance, suddenly let out a loud sneeze, resulting in stomach cramps. Qian Buli clutched his stomach in pain: "Damn it! Didn't you say you've already given me the Easy Tendon and Marrow Washing?"