Chapter 675 – The Alliance at Huangshui (Twelve)
Feng Zhen provided ample evidence, leaving Yang Si at a loss for words.
Could it be that the Lord’s words that day were just a joke? But then how would Wei Ci explain it?
Could it be that these two guys were simply bored and decided to pull a prank on him?
“…Believe it or not,” Yang Si could only respond with such a vague statement since he had no solid proof. “If the Lord really is a woman…”
Feng Zhen shot him a sideways glance and said, “If that’s the case, I’ll immediately go find someone on the street to marry and protect my own loyalty.”
Feng Zhen’s words were simply too much to handle.
Yang Si forced a dry smile. “…Rest assured, I doubt anyone would want you…”
Feng Zhen also smiled back, feeling secure.
He cheekily added, “Well, with gentlemanly men like Zixiao around, who would ever look my way?”
Yang Si: “…”
The two exchanged glances in the guest hall, caught in a mysterious silence.
After a long pause, Feng Zhen asked tentatively, “How sure are you about the Lord’s matter?”
Yang Si thought of answering “ten out of ten,” since the party involved had admitted it, but he couldn’t say that.
He replied ambiguously, “Over sixty percent, I suppose.”
Feng Zhen dropped his joking tone, his expression growing serious, and his voice took on a somewhat oppressive air.
“Are you here to dig the truth from me?”
Yang Si felt a little nervous inside, but he maintained a sincere and light-hearted demeanor on the outside.
“Of course, it was just a joke.”
Feng Zhen raised an eyebrow, a peculiar glint flashing in his eyes.
If Yang Si had firmly stuck to his previous claim, he might have thought it was merely a jest; after all, the notion of “the Lord being female” was simply too shocking.
Now that Yang Si casually referred to it as a “joke,” however, Feng Zhen was rather hesitant to treat it as such.
Yet he didn’t press further.
One: it would be pointless; two: it would waste time.
To know whether the Lord was male or female, the most indisputable evidence lay in the Lord’s own body.
If Feng Zhen really wanted to satisfy his curiosity, he could just go ask those courtesans.
As he thought of this, he couldn’t help but furrow his brow slightly.
Without mentioning this matter, he hadn’t noticed a particular detail—when the Lord visited the brothel, not once did she actually stay over, nor did she invite any courtesans to share a bed. Each time, she treated the brothel like a restaurant, eating and drinking before leaving.
Feng Zhen chewed on his rice, tasteless as chewing wax, his thoughts drifting.
The Lord was of an age where emotions could easily stir, a time when young bodies were hard to resist the allure of the opposite sex. Though those courtesans might not be beauties, they were in their prime, infused with a unique youthful charm that could be more enticing than just looks… Speaking for himself, Feng had come from that very age; any normal man wouldn’t be inflamed with desire?
If the Lord had concubines or lovers, then fine; after all, some people believed courtesans were unclean. Even if tempted to the point of fire, they would still pretend nothing happened and endure the urge to return home to their wives or concubines… But the Lord’s courtyard was completely empty and tidy.
Looking back on it, there were countless points of doubt.
Either the Lord was a pure-hearted gentleman, truly without desire, a paragon of virtue.
Or the Lord was X incapable, unable to stand even in the face of beauty…
If it were the latter, then that would be quite a pickle. If he couldn’t rise to the occasion, there would be no heirs, which meant no foundation!
Or perhaps the Lord wasn’t male at all, but rather she was female!
Faced with these three possibilities, Feng Zhen hoped for the first one, but judging by the Lord’s experienced demeanor, she hardly seemed like a pure-hearted gentleman.
Could it be… she really is a woman?
Slapping the “female” label on Jiang Pengji sent chills down Feng Zhen’s spine, feeling like he might faint from fright.
Too terrifying.
At the same time, while Feng Zhen was agonizing over the Lord’s gender mystery, Jiang Pengji was discussing matters with Wei Ci.
“I’ve no other aim in keeping you here, Wei Ci. I’ve heard Zixiao’s artistry is excellent; could you please create a painting for me?”
In contrast to Yang Si and the others’ wild imaginations, the two parties involved showed no signs of abnormality.
“Create a painting?” Wei Ci inquired. “What does the Lord wish to depict?”
Jiang Pengji said, “Blue bricks—more precisely, a building made from blue bricks.”
Wei Ci frowned in contemplation; the audience in the live-stream was also scratching their heads, especially since the host wasn’t offering any hints.
“Does the Lord want to… sell blue bricks?”
Since they had been “old married couple” in their past lives, and with Wei Ci’s intelligence not being low, he quickly grasped the truth.
Whereas others attended alliances to seek benefits, it seemed their Lord’s goal was to swindle.
“Not a chance. How much profit could you make selling blue bricks?” Jiang Pengji displayed a smile familiar to Wei Ci, the prelude to a con. “I wish to sell the technique for making blue bricks. Blue bricks are made of clay, not gold; they’re large and heavy, so how much can they sell for? However, if I sell the crafting technique, that could rake in a profit. What do you think of this proposal?”
Wei Ci furrowed his brow, and according to usual logic, he would oppose it.
However, since the proposal came from the Lord, she must have her reasons, so he couldn’t dismiss it outright.
Facing Jiang Pengji, Wei Ci was accustomed to pondering thoroughly, aiming to avoid any missteps.
After a moment of silence, Wei Ci suddenly asked mindlessly, “Who does the Lord intend to sell it to?”
Jiang Pengji’s smile grew even brighter, as she realized Wei Ci had already seen through her intentions.
“Whoever’s territory is nearest to Wanzhou, I’ll prioritize selling to them.”
Wei Ci fell silent, realizing the Lord’s heart had turned rather dark.
As Jiang Pengji mentioned, while blue bricks are excellent for construction and their raw materials are very cheap, they have a major flaw—the transportation costs are nearly hundreds of times higher than the production costs. In other words, to use blue bricks for construction, brick kilns must inevitably be built locally.
Selling the technique for making blue bricks was a rather subtle trap.
She positioned her enemies as foolish investors, investing time, effort, and money while hindering their development—that was one strategy; and once Jiang Pengji stabilized her roots and fully absorbed the strength of Wanzhou, she could turn around to strike against her enemies, making post-war reconstruction much easier—that was her second strategy.
“The Three Northern Clans have seen their economies plummet due to the Horse Plague; their horse farms are nearly barren, with combat strength diminished by eight to nine tenths. It’ll take at least three to five years to recover. In the meantime, we need to fortify our Wanzhou power while further expanding our territory.”
Jiang Pengji’s goal remains the Three Northern Clans.
Yet with the military strength from Chongzhou, Wanzhou, and Hujun, she simply couldn’t eradicate the North. Therefore, she needed to grow even further.
Alternatively, she could find a way to weaken her foes simultaneously.
As Jiang Pengji pondered, her eyes narrowed.
“Zixiao, what do you think the North relies on besides cavalry and horses?”
Wei Ci met her gaze and said evenly, “Pasture.”
Jiang Pengji replied, “You have my heartfelt agreement.”
The two exchanged smiles, understanding each other without words, leading the audience in the live stream to shiver in unison.
If memory served correctly… the Three Northern Clans… were a nomadic people, right?
