Recently, many rumors had been circulating throughout the Dahuang lands.

First was that Her Majesty the Queen had left Dige.

Second was that Her Majesty the Queen was causing trouble in Yu Kingdom again—as soon as she arrived in Yu Kingdom, the deeply entrenched and powerful Regent who held sway over the entire nation had fallen.

Third was that Her Majesty the Queen was publicly selecting husbands!

The last piece of news was the most sensational and exciting. The news spread across the Dahuang lands with astonishing speed like wildfire. Her Majesty the Queen had issued a golden proclamation, announcing to the world that she sought men of suitable age and appearance with outstanding talents to fill her harem extensively. Family background and birth status were irrelevant—she only sought exceptional individuals.

The rapid spread of this news was also aided by the unprecedented speed with which the Six Kingdoms and Eight Tribes disseminated it. Regardless of their current level of loyalty to the Queen, the Six Kingdoms and Eight Tribes all displayed tremendous support for the Queen’s affairs. Local government offices dispatched special personnel to post proclamations and announcements, racing to spread the word across the realm.

Such conditions for selecting husbands were both shocking and enticing. By abandoning requirements for family background and not emphasizing birth status, only seeking talent and beauty, this made many people of humble origins with special skills eager to try. In Dahuang’s history, there had never been a queen who publicly selected husbands. Dahuang’s custom was for queens to be officially matched with State Preceptors. If the State Preceptor and Queen’s horoscopes were incompatible and they could not unite, then suitable young men would be selected from among Dige’s nobility. Generally, all families avoided this like the plague—the Queen was a puppet, and a puppet’s royal husband held even lower status. Becoming such a puppet royal husband meant lifelong exclusion from official service and a ruined future. Who would want that? Therefore, queens of the past had difficulty marrying, often ending up with drawing lots—whoever was drawn was unlucky. How could such marriages guarantee happiness? Queens of previous generations died young for various reasons, and this was one of them.

But this generation’s Queen was different. She had power and armies, was a fierce person who boldly left Dige. The ministers of Dige could no longer constrain her, the puppet queen system had seemingly been overthrown, and she was on good terms with most tribes, apparently having taken control of more than half of Dahuang. She would never again become a puppet. In a sense, she was also an empress who was creating a new era. Such a heroic ruler was also said to be enchantingly beautiful. What man in the world wouldn’t want her?

People’s enthusiastic attitude was most clearly demonstrated by the fact that the Luoyun, Fushui, and Liuli tribes, which the Queen had not yet visited, along with the royal family of Meng Kingdom, simultaneously submitted marriage proposals to the Queen. They proposed to host husband-selection gatherings for the Queen—after all, that “royal authority troublemaker” would visit them sooner or later anyway. Better to openly invite her and become in-laws with her. Once they were relatives, would she really have the nerve to dig up their underground chambers?

Jing Hengbo’s public husband-selection announcement only mentioned seeking those of suitable talent and beauty. But to the royal families of the Six Kingdoms and Eight Tribes internally, she put forth requirements of “versatile talents, skilled in medicine, possessing strange abilities, and owning great treasures of the world,” along with some even more detailed and secretive requirements. The royal families of various kingdoms were currently racking their brains over these conditions, frantically searching through their private collections.

The news grew wings and flew into everyone’s ears.

Pei Shu smashed everything in his military tent, drove out all his subordinates for training, and after fuming all night, secretly sent word to Dige, requesting that his subordinates there dispatch the elite guards he had been secretly training—to do only one thing: intercept and kill anyone who dared to come test for the Queen’s royal husband position. Kill them one by one, kill them in pairs.

These elite guards were originally secretly trained by him for Jing Hengbo, planning to increase her protective forces. Now he was using them first to kill future royal husbands—he wondered if they would be sufficient.

Ten miles outside Yu Kingdom’s capital, within the imperial gardens, layers of forest concealed heavily armed guards appearing from time to time. At the end of the woods lay Yu Kingdom’s most precious spiritual spring, controlled by the royal family.

The so-called spring was actually a swamp, displaying a strange pearl-gold color like flowing pearl powder. Legend had it that it could remove chronic poisons, dispel body coldness, warm internal organs, and open meridians. Ordinary toxins would instantly dissolve upon entering this spring, and even deadly poisons would be suppressed.

This spiritual spring could not be easily enjoyed even by Yu Kingdom’s royal family. The Great King made it one of his highest rewards, specifically used to honor those who had performed great services for the nation. Only one person could enter at a time.

At this moment, however, the spiritual spring was packed with over ten people. They lazily lay in the spring, occasionally splashing each other or kicking one another, treating Yu Kingdom’s royal family’s treasure like an ordinary bathhouse. The guards, who could only watch from afar and didn’t even have the right to approach and smell the fragrance, watched with hearts aching from envy and jealousy.

Those soaking in the spiritual spring were members of the Long Ying family.

The second condition of Jing Hengbo’s negotiations with Yu Zhi was to have Gong Yin make requests to Yu Zhi. She knew Gong Yin might not be willing to benefit from her influence, so she directly notified Nan Jin. Nan Jin also didn’t notify Gong Yin, but directly mentioned this matter to Long Zhai. She didn’t convey Jing Hengbo’s kind offer of free assistance, but instead made demands to Long Zhai.

From now on, they could no longer send anyone to assassinate the Queen, and the Queen would request usage rights to the spiritual spring from Yu Kingdom on behalf of the Long family.

After careful consideration, Long Zhai had no choice but to agree, quietly recalling another family member who had just prepared to depart.

Having been in the Long family for over twenty years, Nan Jin naturally understood the Long family’s way of doing things very well. As for whether Long Zhai would develop an even worse impression of the Queen because of this, she couldn’t care less.

Gong Yin naturally understood such matters clearly, yet said nothing.

He had always owed her. For him, the greatest wish he was still struggling with in this life was simply hoping that he could repay the debt he owed her many times over in this lifetime.

In the spiritual spring, the family members were playing around carelessly. He sat silently by the pool’s edge. Though the spiritual spring was good, it wasn’t very useful to him.

Behind him, the Long family members who had originally been discussing martial arts suddenly changed topics.

“…I heard that Queen is publicly posting imperial proclamations to select husbands!”

“Right, and not just selecting one. They say anyone with suitable talent and beauty is acceptable—she’s widely accepting men into her harem.”

“Three palaces, six courtyards, and seventy-two consorts? Haha, this one’s domineering enough. One woman wanting to marry so many men? Will those old geezers in Dige allow it?”

“There’s no law anywhere saying it’s not allowed. Whether it’s permissible or not, isn’t it decided by those with power?”

“How about it? Want to try going? The Queen of Dahuang! The Six Kingdoms and Eight Tribes are all under her command. Getting any miraculous elixirs would be more convenient than anyone else’s, right? Becoming her royal husband, wouldn’t all our ailments be cured?”

“Good idea. I heard the Queen is touring Dahuang, personally selecting her palace attendants. The closest to Yu Kingdom is Fushui tribe, or maybe we should try our luck at Luoyun tribe?”

“I can go. The rest of you don’t need to—going would just be a waste.”

“Ha! With that face of yours that could move sand and stone with its supernatural craftsmanship, are you going to be the Queen’s court jester?”

…

Gong Yin listened silently throughout, never turning back.

Nan Jin suddenly approached soundlessly from behind, quietly saying, “Where shall we go next?”

After a moment of silence, Gong Yin answered without turning back: “Luoyun.”

…

Jing Hengbo was currently on her way to Fushui tribe.

Since she no longer planned to specifically seek out and pursue Gong Yin, she would naturally follow the planned route.

After the matter in Yu Kingdom reached a temporary conclusion, she stayed for an extended period. On one hand, using the agreement Yu Zhi had signed before the battle, she bargained with Yu Zhi. Though Yu Zhi had agreed before the war to reduce his army by half, historically, unless they were defeated nations, no country willingly conceded easily on matters of military reduction. Yu Zhi procrastinated and made excuses, clearly planning to renege. Jing Hengbo wasn’t angry, but changed the subject to discuss opening chain women’s shopping centers in Yu Kingdom and requested free paid mining rights to Yu Kingdom’s mineral resources.

Historically in negotiations, if the other party refused previously agreed-upon demands, they would inevitably feel guilty and be relatively more accommodating to subsequent other requests. Yu Zhi felt that compared to military reduction, the Queen opening some businesses wasn’t anything remarkable. Women’s shopping centers sounded novel, and Yu Kingdom had many women, so he immediately agreed.

He was secretly pleased that he didn’t need to reduce his army, while Jing Hengbo was secretly pleased that the first step of her unification plan had been taken. Yu Kingdom was rich in gold and gems, making it the most suitable source for jewelry and gemstones. Yu Kingdom had many women, and because of the nation’s wealth, their purchasing power was also strong, making it an excellent development location for women’s shopping centers. A women’s shopping center sounded simple, but if new ventures developed well, they would ultimately involve infiltration into economics, politics, information, and other aspects. The free mining of mineral resources meant further integration of the resources and materials she controlled. She possessed the strange ores of Huangjin tribe’s Tianhui Valley, the stolen manufacturing methods for celestial star treasure boats from Zhanyu tribe, resource cooperation from Chengtie tribe, and Daimao’s Heishui marsh was her place of origin. Many of the excellent weapons she wanted to create had become economically strained after years of consumption, and she wanted to expand the Hengji army next. At this time, the plundering of Yu Kingdom’s economy and mineral resources became particularly important.

Once trade with Yu Kingdom was established, she would naturally form alliances with other tribes, making the originally independent tribes interdependent and mutually restrictive. Among them, who should be fought, who should be accepted, who should be allied with, and who should be squeezed out would naturally be another complex proposition.

This was Her Majesty the Queen’s soft knife method of cutting people. She didn’t like fighting wars—wars killed people. She preferred gradual erosion, silently changing the world.

Everything had been prepared long ago, only waiting for the choice of a suitable development location. Yu Kingdom had many fat women, making it her carefully chosen birthplace for beauty salons.

She stayed in Yu Kingdom for over a month. While Gong Yin led his family members to soak in the spiritual spring daily, she paraded through the streets every day. Sometimes when passing the garden mountains where the spiritual spring was located, she wouldn’t even glance at it.

She was very busy.

Selecting locations, recruiting people, building shopping centers, building salons, preparing all kinds of goods and equipment… Her first women’s chain store in Yu Kingdom opened after a month and a half, with Chai Yu, who had specially rushed from Daimao, as the manager.

The legend of the former Daimao Queen Consort had already spread throughout Dahuang under Jing Hengbo’s deliberate arrangements, even being compiled into storybooks and becoming bestselling stories of the time. Young ladies in their chambers all had copies. A well-born daughter of a great family married a graceful and elegant Great King—originally a divine couple. Who knew the Queen Consort had an upright character and offended the Great King over national affairs, was coldly treated by the Great King, framed by a favored consort, and the flower-like woman suddenly gained weight after childbirth, gradually becoming unbearably ugly, was moved to the cold palace, and even after the Black Water Queen arrived at Daimao, the dignified Queen Consort was forced to disguise herself as a man and go to the Queen’s side as a spy. But she was ultimately moved by the Queen’s noble character and integrity, abandoned her plan to harm the Queen, and the Queen reciprocated, saving her son who was being held hostage and giving her a super magical “Weight Loss and Beauty Restoration Manual.” Chai Yu, after painful reflection, used this manual to transform day by day, eventually appearing completely renewed before Ming Yan’an, more beautiful and slender than ever. The heartless man couldn’t even recognize that the former Queen Consort was now a revenge seeker. In her new identity as a beautiful military advisor, she counseled beside her enemy and ultimately succeeded in revenge, personally sending the heartless man to hell…

Jing Hengbo felt that such a story would be a perfect melodramatic revenge super-satisfying novel even in modern times, the kind with high popularity. Human nature was universal across the world—this kind of thrilling drama of the abused turning the tables was equally enjoyable in ancient and modern times. Indeed, this story was not only popular throughout Dahuang, but even more marketable in Yu Kingdom—Yu Kingdom probably had many fat people due to local soil and water conditions. When men got fat they were called imposing, but when women got fat there were many problems. Chai Yu, a fat person who ultimately achieved such success, had practically become a role model for Yu Kingdom women.

In this situation, one could imagine that when Chai Yu, the idol of Yu Kingdom’s fat women, took her legendary status and personally served as the first proprietor of the women’s shopping center, personally demonstrating the enormous effects of her weight loss to Yu Kingdom women, the effect would absolutely exceed modern advertising bombardment with before-and-after comparison photos.

According to the plan Jing Hengbo had conceived years ago, she chose suitable storefronts to purchase and renovate. The women’s shopping center had three floors: the first floor was jewelry and accessories, the second floor was clothing and design center, and the third floor was beauty and weight loss salon. This basically encompassed all women’s needs. If it developed well, other types could be gradually added later—after all, money from women’s pockets was the easiest to extract.

Zirui also rushed over. She was the person most familiar with Jing Hengbo’s grand plan from the earliest days, and was thoroughly familiar with the entire shopping center’s participatory design. During this time in Daimao, she had always followed the various tutorials Jing Hengbo had left behind, training and recruiting the sales clerks, designers, fitness coaches, beauticians and makeup artists needed for the shopping center… Following the “advertising” methods Jing Hengbo had originally taught her in Dige, she distributed flyers on streets and in teahouses with dense foot traffic, put up promotional posters on carriages, created promotions, making the entire city buzz with excitement. Her Majesty the Queen also personally participated—her gorgeous clothes and jewelry were shipped from Dige. Those evening gowns, puff dresses, velvet cheongsams, leopard-print high heels… a different outfit each day. A brilliant and enchanting wind swept through Yu Kingdom’s streets. Just like when she had shocked Dige, Her Majesty the Queen, with her natural supermodel material, equally shocked Yu Kingdom. So much so that after three days, when she wanted to go out again, the roads were completely blocked, and her dresses had already sparked a trend among Yu Kingdom nobility to seek imitations, with prices inflated to astonishing heights.

When the sensation was created back then, Jing Hengbo had suffered a crushing defeat and failed to develop her business in Dige. Now the situation was different. At the peak of citywide attention, the women’s shopping center opened.

Fireworks were set off for three days. Ritual ladies in custom golden cheongsams stood in a long line, each with a figure so enchanting it made people’s eyes pop out. Men thought it was a new type of brothel and rushed in, but were all driven out—this place only served female customers.

But not allowing male customers didn’t mean not serving them. The shopping center had a special tea room in front for men to wait for their female family members, with the slogan “Enter ordinary, exit as immortal beauties.”

With this said, even impatient men didn’t leave, wanting to see what magical place could create a celestial beauty in just an hour or two.

As for the female customers, they gasped in amazement upon entering, suddenly feeling their eyes weren’t sufficient, suddenly feeling gorgeous clouds spreading before them.

Overhead, a huge crystal spotlight chandelier—the material was top-quality crystal from Feicui tribe. Candlelight had a smoky quality, so they used all pearls instead. That lamp alone was priceless.

Under the great crystal lamp were display counters made of ordinary crystal, inside which various jewelry sparkled brilliantly on red velvet, seven colors dazzling, blinding people’s eyes.

Selling jewelry required gorgeous bright lighting to enhance the flowing radiance effect. Current jewelry shops were all secretive, with dim candlelight, counters hidden deep in the shop, jewelry hidden deep in the counters. When taken out to look at, there were still crowds of people blocking the light—how much brilliance could remain?

But now these jewelry counters, even before purchase, made people feel extraordinarily dazzling, magnificently luxurious. Actually, many of the jewelry pieces inside weren’t of particularly good quality, not as fine in material as those old established jewelry shops, but they couldn’t compete with the diamond chip inlays, complex facets, and gemstone combinations that created an effect of luxury.

There were also various exaggerated and unique styles from Jing Hengbo’s modern memories. Even a simple necklace—other shops just made ordinary circles, only varying the carving patterns, but here there were flying phoenixes head to tail, competing peacocks, golden serpents, and clustered flowers…

While the women were dizzy here, they looked up to see directly opposite a huge snow-white cloud stone carved into a poppy flower shape, with seven-colored gems inlaid to form the characters “Eternal.”

Below were smaller characters:

“Those who come here: youth eternal, beauty eternal, love eternal.”

This was the brand name Jing Hengbo had chosen for herself.

Originally, her advisors had come up with many names that were either elegant, learned, enchanting, or special, but Jing Hengbo rejected them all, decisively choosing the most ordinary “Eternal” suggested by Zirui.

Only Zirui knew best the hidden pain in her heart and her ultimate wish.

In the past, her photography studio was called “Moment,” and so love like fireworks ultimately became just a moment.

Now, her new business was called “Eternal.” May all obsessions and beautiful things in life remain eternal.

Beauty fades easily, fate overturns—eternity is life’s greatest luxury.

That day, Yu Kingdom’s women had their eyes opened wide.

They hadn’t even recovered from the first floor when they were shocked by the spiral escalator between the first and second floors. They’d seen plenty of staircases, but never curved ones!

On the second floor, there was another layout. One large room was completely opened up, with open-door cabinets on one side containing various dreamlike clothes, and a row of voluptuous mannequins in various poses displaying those peculiar yet gorgeous garments. Opposite was a row of large mirrors with matching vanity tables and chairs in front, equipped with many bottles and jars emitting various strange fragrances, and a row of perfectly made-up women standing by the mirrors, smiling in welcome.

Going up to the third floor, there was yet another layout. Facing them were lush green potted plants and thick carpets, with small white rooms lined up on both sides of the corridor. Clean young women in white robes came and went with smiles in the hallway. Opening the doors of the small rooms revealed carved screens, snow-white small beds, and wall cubbies filled with various bottles and jars—some labeled “Pearl Mud” and “Black Marsh Mud,” some carved with roses, some with peonies…

Chai Yu accompanied the specially invited first batch of visiting noble ladies from Yu Kingdom, smiling as she gave introductions throughout. Jing Hengbo had never stopped researching beauty treatments. When she was in modern times, she had seen many beauty and makeup recipes, had carefully self-studied various weight loss methods, and combined with specialized research on Dahuang’s local plants and marsh mud over the years, she now brought out all these hidden skills. Just face masks alone came in over ten varieties. The ladies each had their own room to try different treatments. After face masks came facial massages, then going down to the second floor for makeup, then to the first floor to select clothes and jewelry. Naturally, they chose the newest and most luxurious attire for them, providing beauty and posture guidance tailored to each person’s clothing, facial features, and body shape… Two hours later, when those ladies gracefully stepped onto the red carpet and entered the tea room, the officials who had been waiting impatiently all stared in amazement with wide eyes…

The effect was excellent. The next day the doors were nearly broken down by crowds. Jing Hengbo smiled so wide her teeth showed but not her eyes, immediately starting construction behind the building—the back would house yoga salons and fitness facilities for weight loss. Since weight loss wasn’t achieved overnight, she first launched the most immediately effective and eye-catching products.

Being a new venture with national support and the Queen’s backing, it was bound to be popular. While the women’s shopping center was taking Yu Kingdom by storm, surrounding countries were also shocked. Jing Hengbo, seeing that money-making ventures had begun, decided her next step should be properly selecting husbands.

During this month and more, quite a few people had already rushed to Yu Kingdom. Local Yu Kingdom people were also among those submitting applications to the Queen. However, there were no particularly outstanding figures for the time being. Jing Hengbo, despite being extremely busy, still received them all one by one. But to her disappointment, most were worthless pretty boys with few having real talent and learning. She most longed for reclusive famous physicians, but hadn’t found a single one.

She could only comfort herself that some things couldn’t be rushed.

For instance, regarding her belly, she had always been faintly waiting for certain signs, but after being busy for so long, there seemed to be no reaction. She didn’t know whether to be happy or disappointed—perhaps the child also knew the timing wasn’t right and was temporarily unwilling to come.

She had always been someone who could accept things philosophically. If there wasn’t one, then there wasn’t one. She immediately ordered departure from Yu Kingdom to Fushui tribe. She heard Fushui tribe was planning to host a husband-selection gathering for her, and they confidently claimed to have found several extremely outstanding and perfect handsome gentlemen who could serve as the Queen’s consorts.

Jing Hengbo hoped they were all highly skilled in martial arts, otherwise by the time she arrived, they might all have become braised meat in Young Marshal’s pot.

On June 19th, the Queen’s royal procession departed from Yu Kingdom. On June 26th, the Queen arrived at Fushui tribe’s border.

Fushui tribe was indeed very enthusiastic. The Grand Minister led the Ministry of Rites officials to meet her fifty miles beyond the border. Host and guest met in harmony and joy.

Jing Hengbo thought it was indeed better to display the Queen’s ceremonial procession—look at the shabby treatment she got when hiding her identity before.

However, harmonious and beautiful atmospheres never seemed to last long between her and other countries…

Across from her, the Grand Minister was eloquently expressing his admiration and devotion to the Queen with moving words and gorgeous rhetoric. However, Fushui tribe nobility, like those “BIUBIUBIU” merchants, were a famous “vocal race.” Affected by local marshes, they had abundant internal gases. When they opened their mouths, they made “gurgling” sounds. But Fushui nobility, unwilling to gurgle together with common people, sought remedies and conducted various experiments, ultimately making their gurgling become hiccupping. Now the Fushui Grand Minister was affectionately, eloquently “hiccupping” at Her Majesty the Queen.

“Hic… Your Majesty the Queen… hic… our entire nation… hic… upon hearing of your arrival… hic… are all overjoyed… For the Queen’s great husband-selection endeavor… our royal family… hic… specially selected from across the nation… chose three men of exceptional talent and beauty… hic… skilled in medicine and martial arts… hic… understanding and considerate… hic… kind and gentle… outstanding men…”

Jing Hengbo suddenly felt her stomach churning.

Hiccupping was one thing, but why did he open his mouth wide every time he “hiccupped,” letting her see his black and enlarged tonsils?

Why did every “hic” carry a scent of aged chives? This smell was so strong—was this guy impotent?

She restrained herself, forced a smile, forced down the churning in her heart, roaring countless times in her mind—change course! Change course! Don’t go to Fushui anymore! Go to Luoyun instead! Otherwise she’d be hiccupped to death!

Therefore, she didn’t hear clearly what this guy said afterward, nor did she notice Pei Shu’s wonderfully colorful expression beside her.

At this moment, following the Grand Minister’s gesture, three men were walking toward her.

Before Jing Hengbo could examine them carefully, the Grand Minister suddenly stepped forward, his demeanor mysterious, as if planning to secretly communicate something with her. Jing Hengbo caught sight of a glistening green patch on his tonsils…

“Blegh!”

Her Majesty the Queen lowered her head and vomited all over the robes of those three future royal husbands…