Chapter 920 – The Various Lords of the Families
Jiang Pengji was worried about the long night leading to more dreams, so after making up her mind, she instructed Fu Wang and Li Yun to lead troops to raid households and capture people.
According to the customs of Dongqing, raiding households and exterminating clans meant confiscating properties and wiping out three families.
Confiscating properties is quite understandable, just seizing all assets, including land, houses, gold and silver, and slave contracts.
Exterminating three families refers to the paternal family, maternal family, and the wife’s family.
If the imperial power in Dongqing were stable, such major affairs of raiding and exterminating would require court approval.
However, the current Dongqing was under the rule of a puppet emperor; a single edict could sway the entire imperial city, and how could Jiang Pengji care about him?
When she said to raid households and exterminate families, she did just that!
Though she didn’t go too far overboard.
According to the existing laws of Dongqing, exterminating families also had rules; the criminals and the male members of the family must all be executed. The female family members could be spared from the death penalty at discretion but would be forced into becoming official courtesans or sent to serve as camp courtesans for the military—such a fate was even more terrifying than death. Jiang Pengji would rather give them a quick end; she didn’t wish to resort to such means to humiliate a group of defenseless women.
After some thought, Jiang Pengji said, “Have everyone register these female family members, demote them to commoners, and secretly send them back to their maternal families.”
Chongzhou had a relatively open mindset; women didn’t obsessively regard men as their heavens, let alone adhere to the three obediences and four virtues.
Jiang Pengji giving them a way out, not taking their lives but merely sending them home, was already a huge favor.
Once the storm passed, they could still marry and start anew.
By doing this, she also discreetly appeased the families of the women, preventing them from harboring resentment.
The calamity in Chongzhou lasted over a month, and everyone was on edge.
While the gentry in Chongzhou were anxious, the Cui Clan, who had already linked up with Jiang Pengji, was grinning from ear to ear.
Cui Yu, the head of the Cui family, even casually discussed with friends that this was the most successful business he had ever undertaken—no competition!
Though they had sacrificed some farmland, they reaped far greater benefits; their returns far exceeded their costs.
In a blink, it was nearing the end of the first year of Chengzong’s reign, a year since Jiang Pengji took control of Chongzhou.
In this year, she transformed from being underestimated to becoming the feared Demon King, completely tightening her grasp on Chongzhou.
As for Yang Si, whom Jiang Pengji had sent to Hujun, he effectively took over the administrative duties there.
Of course, it would have been even better if he could complain a bit less and focus on his work.
Outside, the winds were fierce; even during the New Year, there were lords brawling, yet under Jiang Pengji’s domain, peace reigned.
Hmm—perhaps a bit too peaceful, making others green with envy!
Throughout this year, Jiang Pengji steadily strengthened herself, while other noble factions were not idle.
As the year-end approached, a secret letter arrived in Jiang Pengji’s hands. After reading it, she was so shocked she slammed the table.
“What a case of a tiger father not raising a dog! Yang Tao has done well!”
Feng Zhen almost had a heart attack from Jiang Pengji’s shock.
Next time she jumped so suddenly, could she at least give him a heads-up? It would let him prepare mentally.
“Yang Tao? Isn’t he the son of the late General Yang Jian from Dongmen County?”
Qi Guanrang frowned slightly; seeing Jiang Pengji with an admiring expression, he had some guesses about the external situation.
During the Huangshui Alliance, Qi Guanrang already felt that Yang Tao was not an ordinary person. Now that he had transformed during the crisis, it was hardly surprising.
Feng Zhen said, “I remember hearing news about Yang Tao not long ago; after Yang Jian’s death, he allied with the puppet emperor. But Yang Tao isn’t someone without ambition. His father, Yang Jian, had grievances with the puppet emperor. Given the puppet emperor’s temperament, he wouldn’t treat Yang Tao kindly.”
Jiang Pengji laughed, “A month ago, Yang Tao staged a coup, and the puppet emperor retreated again and again, now fleeing into Nansheng’s territory.”
“A coup?” Despite having expected it, both Qi Guanrang and Feng Zhen were still startled upon hearing the truth.
Zhangzhou was the puppet emperor’s domain; Yang Jian had offended the puppet emperor, and it would have been miraculous for Yang Tao to keep a little life.
To think this guy could silently play the pig to eat the tiger, launching a coup right under the puppet emperor’s nose, turning the tables?
The puppet emperor seemed to graciously accept Yang Tao’s allegiance, but secretly had been plotting against him, even preventing Yang Tao from touching military power.
Yang Tao was well aware of his situation; behind the scenes, he formed a cautious alliance with court officials who opposed the puppet emperor, planning carefully and searching for a good opportunity to act.
A month ago, the puppet emperor, along with several court officials and his children, held a sacrificial ceremony.
At the suggestion of Yan Lin, Yang Tao had claimed he was ill for half a month, secretly accelerating his plans.
The sacrificial ceremony was grand and solemn, with elegant music and powerful sacrificial hymns; the puppet emperor was lost in his own world of imagination.
He never expected that Yang Tao, whom he deemed utterly useless, would show his sharp teeth at this moment.
Under Yan Lin’s orderly commands, a coup erupted like a thunderstorm, leaving everyone clueless.
The three thousand assassins trained by Yang Tao became decisive forces in the coup; with Yan Lin forging false documents and military orders, they mobilized armies and controlled the armory and key departments. The puppet emperor Changshou Wang hadn’t even reacted before they were already trapped at the sacrificial altar.
By the time the puppet emperor tried to mobilize troops for defense, it was already too late.
A shadow flashed through Qi Guanrang’s mind. “It’s clear this was a premeditated coup. The mastermind behind the scenes is skillful and has a tight grip, exceptionally adept at manipulating people’s hearts. Even when in a disadvantaged position, they managed to strike at the puppet emperor time and again, leaving him overwhelmed and unable to think clearly. Yang Tao is useful but lacks strategy; even though he grew a bit after Yang Jian’s death, he’s far from having such deep schemes. I suspect there’s a master guiding him from behind. Besides Yan Lin, no one else fits the bill.”
Thinking of this, a hint of coldness flickered in Qi Guanrang’s eyes.
He knew Yan Lin was not simple, but he had never imagined he possessed such ability.
Helping Yang Tao turn from a disadvantage to rebelling, now effortlessly controlling the entire Zhangzhou!
What a pity—if he had known this beforehand, there was no way he could let Yan Lin live so easily.
Calmly, Jiang Pengji said, “I also believe he’s the one orchestrating from the shadows. I must admit, he is indeed meticulous and extremely scheming. However, while he may have helped Yang Tao turn the tables, it’s fifty percent skill and fifty percent luck. If it weren’t for the Cangzhou Meng Clan seeing the puppet emperor faltering and pulling back troops to retreat to Cangzhou, Yan Lin alone wouldn’t have achieved such a degree. Hmph, fate must be so.”
Qi Guanrang said, “He is likely a formidable opponent.”
“What’s there to fear?” Jiang Pengji replied, “A person’s energy is ultimately limited.”
No matter how capable Yan Lin was, he was not a god.
Jiang Pengji firmly established herself in the north, while the power shifts in Dongqing’s south were quite volatile.
Yang Tao had turned the tables and occupied Zhangzhou, while Huang Song in Haozhou was unwilling to fall behind, swallowing up the entire Haozhou.
Meanwhile, the Xu brothers in Zhejian had been in a tussle for a while, struggling to distinguish themselves, eventually setting their sights on their old neighbor—Hujun.
The governor of Hujun was Wu Ma Shang, who was also an old friend of the Huangshui Alliance.
Barring any surprises, Hujun would likely fall before spring.
