Shen Qingwan stared at the man in a daze for a moment.

It wasn’t until he walked closer that she finally snapped out of it.

Indeed, a handsome man could be dangerously captivating.

“I am Murong Wushuang, responsible for escorting the grain shipment to Suzhou City,” the man introduced himself.

The moment Murong Wushuang spoke, Shen Qingwan felt as if her ears were about to get pregnant.

It wasn’t that she was overly infatuated—after all, everyone appreciates beauty.

And in the face of such a breathtakingly handsome man, at this moment, she could only think: to hell with propriety.

“A gentleman as elegant as jade, unparalleled in the world—what a fitting name for you, Young Master Wushuang. I am Shen Qing,” she responded, cupping her hands in greeting with a bright smile. Tsk, not only was he beautiful, but even his name was perfect.

Murong Wushuang was slightly taken aback. His expression shifted as he observed Shen Qingwan.

He had always been aware of his good looks, but this was the first time someone had praised him so boldly to his face—while looking straight at him with such clear, unhidden admiration.

Interesting.

“Young Master Shen has a way with words,” Murong Wushuang replied, raising an eyebrow slightly, exuding an almost dangerously seductive charm.

Shen Qingwan felt as if his gaze could hook a person’s soul. She dared not look for too long.

“You flatter me, Young Master Wushuang. Please, come inside. The grain is all in the courtyard,” she said, stepping aside and gesturing for him to enter.

Murong Wushuang nodded and led his men into the estate.

This time, he had brought two thousand soldiers to ensure the safe transportation of the grain to the military camp.

The moment they stepped into the courtyard, they saw the massive piles of grain—27,000 shi (a unit of measurement) of grain filled almost the entire space.

After his men inspected the shipment and confirmed there were no issues, Murong Wushuang handed over the payment from Governor Zhao to Shen Qingwan. Since part of it was in silver notes and part in physical silver, they had packed it into two large chests, which required four men to carry.

Shen Qingwan instructed them to take the chests inside but didn’t bother counting the money immediately.

Murong Wushuang glanced at Shen Qingwan beside him.

The sunlight cast a gentle glow on her delicate features.

Her fair skin was like flawless white jade, radiating a soft luster.

Her refined features made it difficult to look away.

His gaze trailed down to her slender, graceful neck, then to her pinkish earlobes.

Though her ear piercings had been concealed, upon closer inspection, the traces were still faintly visible.

Shen Qingwan wasn’t exactly petite, standing around 170 cm tall.

But compared to a real man, she still appeared smaller, especially with that slender waist, which was clearly not something a man would have.

Murong Wushuang’s lips curved into a faint smile, masking the intrigue in his eyes.

How interesting.

Noticing his gaze, Shen Qingwan turned her head and looked at him again, marveling at nature’s craftsmanship.

A face this perfect could undoubtedly enchant countless young women.

As she thought about it, she suddenly remembered the man she had met at the inn.

Though he was equally stunning, he exuded an icy, dangerous aura—so much so that he felt like one of her kind.

But she preferred someone like Murong Wushuang.

He was like a warm ray of sunshine, capable of reaching into the darkest corners of one’s heart.

“Young Master Shen, besides this shipment, would you be able to acquire more grain in the future? Perhaps we could collaborate again,” Murong Wushuang asked, his expression turning serious as he looked at the grain.

Shen Qingwan met his gaze. “Young Master Wushuang, you must know that I am selling you this grain at a loss. If we collaborate too many times, I might end up bankrupt.”

She did not agree immediately. Murong Wushuang studied her before speaking slowly.

“Rest assured, the War King would never let you suffer losses. Whatever amount is due, you will be paid fairly.”

Shen Qingwan remained silent for a moment before saying, “It’s not just silver that I want. More than money, what I need is an official title. Tell me, how much grain would it take to exchange for the title of a County Lord?”

Murong Wushuang was stunned.

She was probably the only person who dared to so openly ask him to buy an official position.

Though it was framed as “donating grain in exchange for a title,” it was no different from buying an official rank.

She really had no qualms about saying it outright.

More surprisingly, she had outright revealed that she was a woman.

Did she realize that he had already figured it out and decided to drop the pretense?

Shen Qingwan’s actions were unpredictable, and for a moment, Murong Wushuang couldn’t quite grasp her personality.

However, they were indeed in dire need of grain.

The 50,000 shi of grain they had acquired would only last the soldiers another ten or twenty days.

If she could provide more, a County Lord title was not out of the question.

“I will need to discuss this with the War King first. You just focus on securing the grain. I believe the War King will likely agree to this arrangement,” Murong Wushuang said.

He didn’t give an immediate answer, as the specifics still needed to be worked out—particularly how much grain was required for such a high-ranking title.

If the demand was too high, she might not be able to provide it.

If too little, then the title would seem far too cheap.

A County Lord was equivalent to a third-rank official, just below a Commandery Princess—such a position couldn’t be granted lightly.

Shen Qingwan was in no rush.

After all, she hadn’t even secured the grain yet.

She had already decided—if Bai Erye could help her acquire grain, that would be ideal.

If not, she would go raid the bandit dens. After all, she was quite skilled at robbing the robbers.

One way or another, she would get her County Lord title.

She needed it to scale up her agricultural and livestock enterprises.

If she wanted to expand across Daxia and Daqian, she would undoubtedly attract trouble.

As an ordinary citizen, many people would try to take what she built.

Killing alone wouldn’t be enough to protect her interests.

But with the title of County Lord, she could at least avoid many unnecessary obstacles.

In Suzhou, she would be able to operate freely on a larger scale.

After seeing Murong Wushuang off, Shen Qingwan locked the estate and returned to the village.

She wasn’t worried about her shop, as Lu Youfu and the others were keeping watch over it.

After several days away, she missed her two children.

As she drove the carriage back to the village, she saw the villagers busy watering the fields.

Suzhou’s land was mostly sandy, which caused water to evaporate quickly. To ensure good crop growth, frequent watering was necessary.

Looking at the lush green sweet potato seedlings, Shen Qingwan felt satisfied.

The land reclamation efforts were ongoing. Her plan was simple—more land, more farming. She was determined to become a landlord.

The construction of her new home was taking shape. Since two estates were being built at once, progress was a bit slow.

The pig farm was also running smoothly, though feeding them required a large amount of bran. The villagers were still reluctant to waste it, as they themselves were eating coarse bread mixed with bran.

And these pigs had enormous appetites. The men feeding them initially hesitated to give too much, but after Shen Qingwan instructed them to feed freely, they finally let the pigs eat their fill.