Chapter 611 – Yang County? My (2)
When the servant reported back, Feng Gui was engaged in a chess match with his father, Feng Ren.
Hearing the news, he couldn’t help but look up at Feng Ren.
“I never expected Liu Xi to actually come; what boldness!” Feng Ren chuckled as he moved his piece. Both he and Feng Gui had a penchant for slow strategies, and as their game progressed, the board began to unveil a more intricate and complicated situation, making it harder to decipher, “More daring than Liu Zhi.”
Feng Gui felt a flicker of curiosity about his Lord’s identity.
“If I remember correctly, Father has met Liu Xi before? What kind of person is he?”
Back during the capital exams, Liu Zhi and his son stayed at Feng Ren’s home. Feng Ren and Feng Gui had discussed this before.
Feng Ren replied, “A spirited young lad, much more straightforward than his father.”
However, Feng Ren had never imagined that Liu Xi would harbor such ambitions!
Yet considering Liu Zhi’s grudge against the Dongqing royal family, which was irreconcilable, he could understand.
“Just relying on this might not be enough to convince Huaiyu; I really want to see him soon.”
A gentle smile lingered at the corners of Feng Gui’s lips. Although he had transformed from a married man into a divorced bachelor with two kids, the absence of Feng Du’s hysteria and entanglements had lightened his load, making him feel more carefree and serene.
Despite his eagerness to meet the “legendary” Jiang Pengji, Feng Gui’s identity did not allow him to step outside the city to welcome her.
After all, the Feng family was not Jiang Pengji’s “subject”; they should be on equal standing, rather than a superior-subordinate dynamic.
Feng Ren said, “What’s the rush? We will meet soon enough; let’s just hope she doesn’t disappoint.”
Feng Ren held Jiang Pengji in high regard, and this favorable impression was not solely because of her association with “Liu Zhi’s son”—quite the opposite, in fact; that association detracted points in Feng Ren’s eyes. If Liu Xi turned out to be two-faced like Liu Zhi, he would be worried.
Feng Ren appreciated Jiang Pengji simply because years ago, during the Jishan hot springs incident when Feng Jin was mistakenly injured by the envoys of the three tribes from the northern border, it was only Jiang Pengji who bravely stepped up. A Lord who values righteousness and friendship is far better than a cold-hearted traitor.
However… while Feng Ren thought Jiang Pengji was loyal and righteous, Feng Jin felt his Lord was akin to a heartless villain, simply ruthless.
He rushed out of the city to welcome her, overjoyed, only for his Lord to greet him with a question—
“Huaiyu, are you planning to go back before or after the new year?”
As Jiang Pengji dismounted, holding the reins, Feng Jin had just finished bowing, and she immediately poked at his sore spot.
Feng Jin was baffled, his heart racing as he gazed into Jiang Pengji’s smiling eyes.
Wait—
She said, “The documents from the Office of Political Affairs are almost piled up to the rafters. Xiaoyu and the others are helping you share the burden, but once you return, you’ll need to take them back.”
Feng Jin’s smile froze on his face.
He leaned closer to Jiang Pengji, suppressing a complex mix of emotions, and gritted his teeth as he asked in a low voice, “My Lord, this time I came home, and I’ve accomplished a great feat for you. I’m not even mentioning the merits, but there were hardships… and in the end, this is how you ‘reward’ me?”
Normally, Feng Jin rarely used the formal “you,” but now he deliberately emphasized it.
Jiang Pengji stood calmly with her hands tucked into her sleeves, her eyes twinkling with amusement.
“Fair is fair.” She replied nonchalantly, “Since Huaiyu has accomplished a great feat, naturally there should be heavy rewards, but you did intentionally delay work in Yang County and refused to come back. As a Lord, I must be clear about rewards and punishments; slacking off isn’t acceptable. With rewards comes punishment, to earn trust and respect.”
Feng Jin’s face resembled a toppled palette, barely holding back from committing treason against his Lord.
Wei Ci looked as if he had seen nothing, while Feng Zhen watched with unrestrained amusement.
Only the audience in the live stream felt a twinge of sympathy for Feng Jin.
【Dragon Boat Festival Blessings】: Hahaha—Streamer, isn’t your conscience hurting? I just saw Feng Jin looking all delighted riding out of the city, he didn’t even have time to tidy up his appearance, then you splashed cold water on him right when you met.
【Happy Children’s Day】: It’s not just cold water; it’s like a thousand-year freeze, his heart is ice cold.
【Tomorrow has extras】: Before meeting the streamer, Feng Jin’s mood was probably—Oh, I can’t wait to see my Lord, please compliment me, please praise me, please give me a smooch; after meeting the streamer, his mood was like a sunken rock—What kind of broken Lord is this, I’m quitting!
【Feng Jin Baby’s Grievances】: Feng Jin Baby is feeling very bad, doesn’t want to say anything and even threw a dog at the streamer.
【Lord Baby Watching the Show】: The streamer shamelessly caught the dog Feng Jin threw and happily played with it.
Seeing the chaotic live stream, Jiang Pengji felt it was high time to drag the System out for a good tongue-lashing.
The System had set so many permissions in the live stream’s background; why not put some restrictions on the comments as well?
Just look at those two comments that just flew by; are they suitable for a child to read?
Fortunately, Feng Jin understood his Lord and dear friend well enough; he soon shook off his irritation.
It wasn’t as if he got caught for skipping work for several days or anything!
He couldn’t believe that the pile of official documents accumulated over the days could be so much.
Having received prior notice, the City Gate Guard let them pass without hindrance as Feng Jin led Jiang Pengji into the city.
“My Lord, did you really agree to that condition?”
Feng Jin whispered to her, feeling rather concerned.
He understood Jiang Pengji’s temperament; once people boarded a pirate ship, there was no getting off, so how could she easily agree to the Feng family’s conditions?
She answered, “Why not agree? It’s a win-win deal; no soldiers lost, capturing Yang County—how good is that?”
As for the Feng family?
Yang County would be hers, and the Feng family would be hers in the future.
Regardless of where the Feng family placed their valuable bets, that person would end up being her defeated opponent.
“And besides, this world will eventually be mine; how much more so the Feng family?”
To her, it was simply her possessions passing through someone else’s hands and then returning to her; no loss incurred.
In a typical storyline, Feng Jin would be swayed by Jiang Pengji’s ambition, but…
Right now, he simply felt that his Lord was being reckless, caught in delusions of grandeur.
Feng Jin wanted Jiang Pengji to win in the end, but the world was unpredictable—who could guarantee what would happen in the future?
“If that’s the case, Jin will watch with anticipation.”
Jiang Pengji coldly poured cold water, “Wait until you can survive the pile of accumulated official work, then we’ll see if you dare to slack off again.”
Feng Jin: “…”
He felt that if Jiang Pengji lost in the future, it would surely be due to that loose tongue of hers; why was she so insistent on causing trouble?
Feng Jin had the guards and carriages settled, and then led Jiang Pengji and her entourage into the Feng residence, where Feng Ren had been waiting for a long time.
While there were quite a few gentry families in Yang County, none together could hold a candle to the Feng family’s influence; their opinions were nearly negligible. If the Feng family agreed to hand over Yang County, it would be a done deal.
