Chapter 887 – Northern Overlord (Twenty-four)
The man turned pale, a mix of green and white crossing his face.
Jiang Pengji waved her fan leisurely and said, “While you have a good relationship with my father, you aren’t in a position to consider yourself an elder of my family, let alone call yourself the ‘Eldest Lady Liu.’ That’s something you can shout? To be blunt, you’re already stepping out of line and disrespecting the law! According to the laws of Dongqing, if I want to teach you a lesson, there would be no one to criticize me, right?”
The man was momentarily speechless, the breath in his chest clogged and unable to move.
Not long ago, he felt smug watching this young lady submit to him, but he never imagined she would directly use her power to pressure him.
Where’s your dignity?
Oh, the little fairy has long run out of dignity.
To avoid giving Jiang Pengji a handle to keep pushing, he could only compose himself and properly return to the earlier courtesy.
Jiang Pengji suddenly stabbed him with another remark, “Earlier, you mentioned I am of marriageable age. To put it bluntly, it’s not even something my father is thinking about, and yet you can’t wait. If nothing else, you could adopt a son-in-law; any child born would still carry the Liu surname and be recognized as the proper bloodline of the Liu Clan. It’s still better than raising a child from another family as your own.”
After she said this, she looked at him with a half-smile and snapped her sandalwood fan closed with a rhythmic clap against her palm.
His expression darkened visibly not only because Jiang Pengji was using her power against him, but also due to her insinuating words.
Who in Chongzhou didn’t know it was difficult for him to have heirs? He had daughters but no sons to speak of.
To ensure the direct lineage didn’t fade, he had to adopt a nephew from among his brothers as a stand-in son, which only added to his grievances.
Never did he expect to be embarrassed publicly by a girl who still reeked of milk.
Losing face!
Wasn’t Liu Xi just rushed to Chongzhou recently? How could he know the ins and outs of Chongzhou so well?
Little did he know, Jiang Pengji hadn’t even had the time to understand the power dynamics within Chongzhou, let alone who was who.
But that didn’t matter.
Jiang Pengji lowered her gaze and said, “Considering it’s your first offense, I won’t hold it against you. Stand up.”
The man felt a surge of anger, while everyone else began to reevaluate Jiang Pengji.
What they once thought was her good-naturedness now revealed a sharp edge.
Not understanding the complexities of social relations, she still didn’t know she needed to build good rapport with them, waiting for the time she would be at a disadvantage.
Chongzhou wasn’t a place where a governor could just manipulate everything with an iron fist.
Once upon a time, Jiang Pengji had advised Liu Zhi to vie for the position of governor of Chongzhou for two reasons; a lack of noble families and an abundant supply of precious wood.
While the noble families were few, they were tightly knit, forming alliances through marriage to strengthen their bonds.
Liu Zhi had managed the affairs in Chongzhou for several years and had only gained a portion of power, with the rest firmly in the hands of these families. If they sincerely wanted to make things difficult for Jiang Pengji, they might not completely obstruct her path but could certainly make her life a living hell.
Everyone can play the numbers game, it’s just a matter of who does it quicker and smarter.
Unquestionably, Jiang Pengji wasn’t the kind to suffer losses. Why would she tolerate anyone giving her a nasty look?
Secretly, she made a signal to the guard, Li Yun, under the cover of her ample robes, and no one noticed.
Beside her, Liu Zhi tried to smooth things over, casting a worried glance at Jiang Pengji.
A maidservant entered with a food cart, and Liu Zhao, squatting in the corner, brightened at the sight.
At the banquet, Jiang Pengji faced not just one person’s grievances but a united front against her from the entire stubborn force in Chongzhou.
However, she had already made her status as governor clear; no one could act as their elder towards her.
Even so, they had their ways of making things tough for Jiang Pengji.
Seemingly asking her how to manage the affairs of Chongzhou in the future, they were actually hinting at her not to be too foolish. Chongzhou wasn’t like Wanzhou, where the atmosphere was far too audacious. Even though she held the title of governor, one moment of bad luck running into troublesome horse bandits would leave her crying out for help to no avail. It appeared to be concern but was really a thinly veiled threat.
Liu Zhao, an onlooker enjoying the spectacle, became even more determined not to engage in the fray.
Being a quiet, handsome scholar, it wasn’t bad at all to live a carefree life.
After several rounds of drinks, Jiang Pengji roughly laid out her farmland plan, but each family head began to shirk responsibility.
In the chaos of Chongzhou, they used cunning and plunder to eat up countless fertile lands and lavish residences.
In other words, practically every arable piece of land in Chongzhou belonged to them.
For Jiang Pengji to implement large-scale farmland management, she would have to borrow land from them.
Borrowing is fine, but what if she couldn’t get it back?
Besides, a frail woman, what would she need all that land for?
To fight against the northern frontier?
Was her brain fried?
If she was willing to sacrifice her beauty to form a marriage alliance with the northern frontier, perhaps she could bring three to five years of peace to the people of Chongzhou.
None would consent.
Once it involved their own interests, these noble family heads became slippery as eels, dodging responsibility one after another.
One declared they had little land, all of which were ancestral ritual fields that couldn’t be lent out.
Another claimed their fields were all barren dry lands that couldn’t grow crops, even if they lent them out.
Another stated their rich lands had been seized in the northern frontier conquest; nominally theirs but practically belonging to the northern frontier.
Some feigned poverty, saying lending a field was okay, but they needed exorbitantly high rents; they couldn’t let their family starve.
Beyond that, an endless parade of bizarre excuses left everyone speechless.
Were these family heads or bandits from the streets?
Jiang Pengji remained unhurried, sipping her drink, occasionally chatting with Liu Zhi, appearing calm and unbothered.
The heads also had the patience to wait, waiting for Jiang Pengji to lose her composure, at which point they could take charge.
At this moment, Jiang Pengji suddenly asked, “Is my father’s army sufficient?”
Liu Zhi chuckled, “It should be enough.”
Jiang Pengji added, “I brought twelve thousand elite troops from Wanzhou, each capable of taking on five men; it really is sufficient.”
The father-daughter duo spoke in riddles, sparking ominous premonitions among the others.
As if to confirm their suspicions, the sound of clattering armor came from outside.
“What’s happening outside?”
Jiang Pengji slapped the fan down onto the food cart with a crisp sound, breaking the still atmosphere.
Yet, her following words sent everyone spiraling into despair.
“I’ve always disliked trouble. If you won’t sit down to negotiate, then I’ll have to take another path. You didn’t toast, so how about drinking the bitter cup?”
Outside the mansion, six thousand elite soldiers stood, each ready to move.
