Munitions Empire

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After doing all this, he wiped his nose and stuffed the remaining medicine into his daughter's hand, "I need to go back, otherwise I'm going to be overcome by my animal instincts right here in the Emperor's palace, hahaha."

"What does he mean?" The Imperial Concubine watched her father, who was about to leave the room, and then looked at the medicine in her hand.

"This is a drug that sets a man's desire ablaze, it's not easy to come by, and it's a hundred times more expensive than gold! Such a pill would sell for 200 Gold Coins in Brunas," Susan explained.

"Desire ablaze?" The Imperial Concubine repeated incredulously.

"One pill, and His Majesty the Emperor won't leave tonight, two pills, and he probably won't sleep all night... uh... don't give him three pills, that would really kill the old man," Susan said in a low voice.

"Gulp..." The Imperial Concubine swallowed and then looked down at the medicine in her hand again—this time, she gripped the pill even tighter.

...

Three days later, Mo Kangsen's woman, many thought she was about to fall out of favor, the Imperial Concubine shined brilliantly at a large banquet hosted by the Royal Family.

Her skin was tender and smooth, just like a child's, and at a glance, it made many noble ladies envious and jealous.

His Majesty the Emperor himself was also surprised by the changes in his concubine, and although he didn't like this concubine's interference in state affairs through pillow talk, he still was astounded by her return to the beauty of her eighteenth year.

Moreover, at the banquet, Mo Kangsen's daughter wore a gown that was so astonishingly beautiful.

The women familiar with the brand Great Tang Fashion immediately recognized that the backless design of the gown was an obvious artistic adaptation of the letter T.

And so, the entire banquet's conversation centered on Mo Kangsen's daughter, and even the Emperor spoke with Mo Kangsen for a long time.

That night, unexpectedly, His Majesty the Emperor stayed in Mo Kangsen's daughter's room, and what happened next was even more unbelievable.

That night, His Majesty the Emperor was reinvigorated and, incredibly, indulged till dawn, following which he had no mind for state affairs during the day.

Subsequently, the next night, His Majesty couldn't bear to be parted from pleasure and sought out Mo Kangsen's daughter again—the rumors of the Imperial Concubine's disfavor dissipated instantly.

From then on, His Majesty the Emperor seemed a changed man and no longer stubbornly maintained a balance between the Empire of Nanla's procurement of weapons from Shireck and the Great Tang Group.

He quickly broke the balance, allowed Great Tang Group's civilian products to be sold in the Empire of Nanla, and announced the lifting of strict regulations on the pharmaceuticals produced by the Great Tang Group.

Following this, the military of the Empire of Nanla procured 20 armored vehicles from the Great Tang Group and subsequently bought 20 locomotives produced by the Great Tang Group for the service of the Empire of Nanla's railways.

All these sudden changes caught many off-guard, with opponents not even having enough time to come up with countermeasures before it was all set in stone.

Another topic of much discussion was that Susan, the fashion queen meticulously groomed by the Great Tang Group, became the best friend of Mo Kangsen's daughter, who had just been appointed as the First Imperial Concubine—to such a degree that they talked about everything and were unable to be separated from each other.

A few days later, many of the nobility began to realign themselves—because their daughters or wives, even mothers, had become intimate friends with the First Imperial Concubine of the Empire.

This circle of noble ladies had access to skincare products as valuable as gold, the latest fashion and shoes, and even aphrodisiacs that reanimate their significant others...

In short, joining this group had big benefits, and no woman would refuse such a circle. Therefore, their husbands or sons and lovers had to reconsider their own stances.

"What's the matter, Sister... you're in such a hurry to see me, is there something you need?" When Susan appeared inside the Nanla Imperial Palace once again, she even bypassed the security check.

The guards already knew this generous woman, each one had taken a bribe from her, huge sums that could warrant hundreds of years of imprisonment.

"You know and still you ask." The former Imperial Concubine, now the First Imperial Concubine, feigned anger before lowering her voice, "Did you bring the stuff?"

"Of course." Susan opened her case, placing the so-called serum and new face masks on the dressing table.

These items were naturally essential for a woman to preserve her youth indefinitely and each one was exquisitely packaged, evidently of great value.

The First Imperial Concubine, who had long since stopped asking about prices, scanned the various bottles on the table and nodded in satisfaction.

Among the skincare products, she noticed a clear bottle containing about a dozen blue pills.

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"Why is there only so much again?" complained the First Imperial Concubine, dissatisfied with the quantity that would last only about seven days each time.

She felt that the other party was intentionally limiting the supply of the drug to control and manipulate her.

Susan smiled and began to explain, "It's not that I don't want to give you more, sister, but the production of this substance is extremely precise and can't be mass-produced… We are also trying to help you, that's why we are offering it."

Although she was indeed deliberately restricting the supply of medicine, increasing the First Imperial Concubine's visits to the harem, thus achieving the Great Tang Group's goal of manipulating the Empire of Nanla's First Imperial Concubine, she would certainly not be foolish enough to openly admit it.

"It's just money! The price doesn't matter, no matter how much it costs, I can pay!" said the First Imperial Concubine, who had recently received many rewards and had her allowance increased several times over, naturally exuding an air of wealth and carelessness.

However, when it came to money, she still felt a bit guilty. Because the products that the Great Tang Group offered were indeed excellent, but they were also incredibly expensive.

The prices of some of the desirable goods from the Great Tang Group had even reached the point where even the nobility would balk at them.

Sometimes, things may not be particularly useful, yet their prices were outrageously high. For instance, armored vehicles that were actually useless were sold to the Empire of Nanla for almost 1500 Gold Coins each! Two of them could buy a train engine!

It seemed Susan had anticipated what the First Imperial Concubine would say so she promptly continued to explain, "Price is not the issue, Your Highness! Even if the price were higher, production capacity cannot be increased!"

"And more importantly! As you know, first, one should not consume too much of the drug! Too much can overwhelm a man! Second, having too much of it might not be a good thing for you." Seeing that the First Imperial Concubine appeared to remain hopeful, Susan continued to persuade her.

A bit slow on the uptake, or perhaps having completely sunk into the quagmire, willingly manipulated, the First Imperial Concubine asked in confusion, "How so?"

Susan spoke calmly and confidently, "Think about it, Your Highness, if the drug were abundant, and anyone could buy it on the market, would His Majesty the Emperor… still be able to get it only from you?"

"…" Upon further thought, the First Imperial Concubine realized the crux of the matter. If others could also get their hands on this drug, then it would lose its value; if other women could obtain it, the Emperor would no longer need to come to her.

Susan put on the demeanor of someone seasoned in court intrigue, offering valuable advice, "Steady and long-term, Your Highness! In the future, whichever woman His Majesty the Emperor favors, they would need your permission to fully enjoy themselves, isn't that much better?"

In reality, she herself had not been involved in any messy relations with men for a long time. On one hand, many lacked the courage, and on the other hand, Susan was waiting for an opportunity to leap into a much better position.

Regrettably, two years had passed, and things went contrary to her wishes. She failed to receive the favor of Mr. Tang, feeling as if she had been forgotten.

She lamented her age; those were the years when she had to secure her livelihood and support the opera troupe by giving herself away early… Now, as a flower past its prime, Mr. Tang seemed to have lost interest.

"That's right…" The First Imperial Concubine had an epiphany upon hearing Susan's reminder.

"Furthermore, His Majesty will be grateful for your generosity, and those Imperial Concubines will rely on your favor… This… is the situation you desire, isn't it?" Susan continued to impart her supposed knowledge of palace politics as if she were truly experienced.

In fact, she dared not give even a second glance to either Earl Alice, who held massive military power and was now equally wealthy, or that young brat in the Tang Military Academy who was referred to as the queen, let alone challenge them.

Now, there was talk of a new Catwoman... Thinking of all this frustrated her.

"I always knew it! It's you, sister, who truly has my best interests at heart. Those other people are unreliable!" The First Imperial Concubine seemed to grasp the true essence after hearing Susan's ingenious strategy, happily sitting back on her bed and lavishing praise.

The First Imperial Concubine, not sure if she truly saw Susan as one of her own, now believed that she must be a godsend to save her.

Ever since Susan's arrival in Nanla, good things kept coming her way—first regaining the Emperor's favor, then becoming a leader among women with fashion, skincare, jewelry, and the taboo drug.

Now, even which Imperial Concubine wanted to spend an intimate moment with the Emperor required her approval. What was this? This was the epitome of the powerful female lead archetype, a sure winner in life, wasn't it?

"Cough… cough!..." Susan coughed, halting some of her unrealistic fantasies, and explained, "With the Great Tang Group backing you, none of this is a problem! You will soon realize, being friends with Mr. Tang is such a blessed thing."

"Yes, Mr. Tang is my friend! If he comes to the Empire of Nanla, I will ensure he is treated well! He will be the most distinguished guest in the history of Nanla!" The First Imperial Concubine, in a good mood, nodded and said.

"Did he spend several hundred thousand Gold Coins just so you, a pig, could be treated as an honored guest? Fool!" Susan cursed in her heart while she faked a smile and started a conversation with her 'plastic sister' about matching shawls.

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One more chapter.