The capital of Great Zhou was named Fengtian City.
With a population of over 10,000,000, it was inevitably a mix of all kinds of people.
There was surface-level prosperity, but also darkness hidden underneath.
Less than 2 li from Yang Cheng's location—
A foul alley reeked of garbage, sewage, and stench.
It was a street market, filled with noisy shouts and crying.
But the merchants weren't selling goods—they were selling people.
This was the slave market of Fengtian City.
"You little wretch, behave yourself! Try running again, and I'll break your legs!"
A big, thick-set man with a face full of scars roared.
He was yelling at a little girl about five years old, thin as a twig.
She wore rough, patch-covered clothes. Her dirty little face was streaked with grime, and a few yellowed strands of hair clung to her cheeks.
She clutched the hem of her clothes with trembling hands, her tiny frame shivering.
Her face showed pure fear and helplessness, like a frightened deer.
But if you looked closer, you'd spot a trace of stubbornness and wild spirit buried in her eyes.
"Hmph."
The man grunted and started shouting in his hoarse voice, "Come take a look, fresh stock just in today! Only 20 taels! You won't regret it!"
He hadn't planned to sell the girl so soon. He thought of raising her a few more years.
She had good features, and when she grew up, she'd definitely become a little beauty.
But she was too wild.
The moment he let his guard down, she tried to run.
No matter how hard he beat her, he couldn't tame her.
In the end, he had no choice but to sell her early.
"Can't you go a little cheaper?" an old man with cloudy eyes, wrinkled face, and pockmarked skin asked, his tone lecherous.
The man perked up.
Though the old man looked hideous, he was wearing rich clothing—clearly someone from a wealthy household.
He grabbed the girl, Lin Shu, and said, "Take a good look, sir. What a pretty girl she is. She'll grow into a fine servant. And she's only five—perfect age for training. Take her home now and you'll definitely get your money's worth!"
He then roughly pinched Lin Shu's chin and turned her face toward the crowd, ignoring the tears brimming in her eyes.
Onlookers gathered, pointing and laughing crudely.
Lin Shu could only shrink into herself beneath the wave of stares.
"15 taels, final offer!" the old man barked.
The seller hesitated.
"I'm not for sale!" Lin Shu shouted suddenly, trembling but unyielding.
"Little girl, that's Lord Huang. Before retirement, he was an eighth-rank court official!"
"Follow him and you'll live in comfort!" the crowd chimed in.
The seller made up his mind. "Alright, deal—"
Before he could finish, a young voice cut in: "1,000,000 taels."
"What?"
The man froze.
"I said, 1,000,000 taels!"
Everyone turned to see a tiny one-year-old toddler slowly walking over.
Step by step, he came to stand before the seller and Lin Shu.
It was Yang Cheng.
The man forced a smile. "Young master, surely you're joking with someone like me?"
1,000,000 taels of silver could buy a city.
"Hu Po, pay him," Yang Cheng ordered.
That amount was unthinkable for most people.
But not for the Crown Prince.
Hu Po took out a banknote.
On it were the bold words: "1,000,000 taels of silver."
"I recognize that—that's a note from Fengtian Bank!"
"It's real—1,000,000 taels!"
The crowd gasped.
Just then, a large group of guards swarmed in from outside the market and surrounded Yang Cheng.
The people were pushed back 10 meters.
"Your Highness!"
The guards looked anxious.
When the prince suddenly disappeared earlier, they were nearly frantic.
Thankfully, Hu Po had followed him. Otherwise, they'd have lost their minds.
"His Highness the Crown Prince?"
"My god—it's the Crown Prince!"
"Greetings, Your Highness!"
Everyone in the market dropped to their knees like a wave.
No one dared doubt the authenticity of the note anymore.
The man's face turned white as a sheet. He stammered, "Y-Your Highness… if you like this girl, I'll give her to you free of charge!"
"No need."
Yang Cheng's voice was cold. "1,000,000 taels. Take the money. The girl is mine."
Hu Po didn't give the man a chance to argue. She shoved the note into his hands and pulled Lin Shu to Yang Cheng's side.
Yang Cheng looked her in the eye and said seriously, "Remember this. I paid 1,000,000 taels of silver to buy you."
"1,000,000 taels?" Lin Shu looked like she was dreaming.
How could someone as lowly as her be worth that much?
"Let's go."
Yang Cheng turned and walked toward the palanquin waiting outside the market.
By the time they reached it, Hu Po asked, "Your Highness, how should we handle this?"
Yang Cheng said calmly, "That broker and Lord Huang—charge them with crimes, seize their assets, and execute them."
The moment he saw Lin Shu, memories of old rumors came rushing back.
In his past life, she had been bought by that same Lord Huang.
That old beast had lusted after her when she was only five, forcing her to kill him in self-defense.
No one knew how she escaped afterward.
When Lin Shu was ten, she killed that broker, then ran into Yang Xiu and was taken in by him.
That broker who sold Lin Shu wasn't just scum—he was a monster beyond redemption.
He specialized in trafficking children, and most of them had been kidnapped.
He cursed and beat them constantly, and had even beaten several to death.
A man like that deserved to be cut to pieces.
Afterward, Yang Cheng didn't care how dirty Lin Shu was. He let her ride in the carriage with him.
Lin Shu sat stiffly in the corner, shrinking back as she peeked timidly at Yang Cheng.
After a while, she whispered, "Why?"
Yang Cheng looked at her, his eyes soft.
That gaze gave her the courage to ask, "You could've bought me with 100 taels. Why did you pay 1,000,000 taels?"
Yang Cheng said seriously, "Because I don't want anyone to think you're only worth 100 taels. I paid 1,000,000 taels. From now on, whenever people mention you, they'll believe you're priceless."
Lin Shu froze.
Her long-numb heart was suddenly overwhelmed.
An unfamiliar ache surged from her chest to her eyes. Her eyes turned red, and tears spilled over.
When they returned to Splendid Radiance Hall, a palace maid immediately led Lin Shu away to be washed and dressed.
Yun Liyue already knew what had happened. She said to Yang Cheng, "Cheng'er, you did well."
"Mother, let her be my personal maid from now on," Yang Cheng said.
Something that minor wasn't worth arguing over. Yun Liyue smiled dotingly. "Alright."
Even she wouldn't have guessed that this skinny five-year-old would one day become the Dark Night Empress who killed without hesitation.
Once Lin Shu had bathed and changed into a palace maid's outfit, she still looked small and thin, but her delicate features were now clearly visible.
Hu Po's eyes lit up. "Didn't expect she's actually a little beauty in the making."
Lin Shu blushed.
Even now, it still felt like a dream. She feared waking up and finding it had all disappeared.
"From now on, you are the Crown Prince's maid," Hu Po said sternly. "Serve His Highness with all your heart. I'll spend one hour every day training you."
"I'll do my very best," Lin Shu replied. Her voice was tense but earnest.
If this wasn't a dream, then the Crown Prince was the one who had saved her.
From now on, she'd devote her life to him.
She thought, no matter how many years passed, she would never forget what happened today at the market.
That tiny figure, bathed in sunlight, walking slowly toward her.
To everyone else, she was worthless—people were haggling even over 20 taels.
But the Crown Prince said she was worth 1,000,000 taels.
"What's your name?" Yang Cheng asked as he walked over.
"Your servant's name is Lin Shu," she said softly.
"Hu Po, don't bother giving her a new name. She'll be Lin Shu," Yang Cheng said.
Then he turned to Lin Shu. "Come play with me."
He still hadn't forgotten about the system mission.
He'd already rescued her.
Logically, she should be grateful by now. But the mission still didn't show as complete.
Could it be that Lin Shu was naturally cold and ungrateful?
That didn't make sense.
If she were that kind of person, how could she have been so loyal to Yang Xiu in his past life?
Maybe…
A thought flashed through Yang Cheng's mind.
So, he started telling Lin Shu about Radiant Sunlight Hall.
" Noble Consort Zhuang tried to trap me just to help Sixth Brother replace me."
Yang Cheng said, "From now on, be careful of him. If you see him, don't go easy on him."
Lin Shu nodded earnestly.
Deep down, she found Yang Cheng's words a little childish—but in a way, it made him seem more like a real kid.
Still, her view of Yang Xiu had completely changed.
To her, anyone who was the Crown Prince's enemy was her enemy too.
Ding!
[Lin Shu has shown unwavering loyalty to the host and deep hostility toward Yang Xiu.]
[Host has pulled off a heaven-shaking reversal, successfully sowing discord between Lin Shu and Yang Xiu, and fully winning Lin Shu's loyalty.]
[Achievement rank: Glorious.]
[Reward: Heaven-Earth Spatial Domain with a diameter of 100,000 zhang. Claim now?]
"Claim it," Yang Cheng murmured in his mind.
Instantly, he felt his consciousness link to a vast void.
In his past life, his Heaven-Earth Spatial Domain had been stored in a void ring, only 3 zhang wide.
But this one existed directly in his sea of consciousness.
A diameter of 100,000 zhang—it was the size of a small lake.
At that moment, Hu Po returned.
"Your Highness, both the broker and that Huang fellow were guilty of heavy crimes," Hu Po said. "The Imperial City Bureau carried out their arrests, confiscated their assets, and executed them. Your 1,000,000 taels of silver has also been recovered."
That money truly belonged to Yang Cheng.
It had been a birthday gift for his first birthday.
When Lin Shu heard that, she was even more grateful.
The Crown Prince hadn't just saved her—he had even avenged her.
"Hu Po, give that 1,000,000 taels of silver to Lin Shu," Yang Cheng said.
He said it because he trusted her.
Hu Po didn't object either.
She thought giving Lin Shu the silver would be a good way to test her.
To see whether she could resist temptation.
Anyone who couldn't be trusted had no place at the Crown Prince's side.