Chapter 872 – Northern Overlord (Part Nine)
“Tsk—”
Dreaming in broad daylight ain’t a skill; if you’ve got real talent, go confess your feelings to the Lord!
Feng Zhen clicked his tongue, shoving the drunken Wei Ci aside, and continued to drink merrily with the others.
Meanwhile, in the bridal chamber, the newlyweds were sweating bullets from nerves.
After drinking the wedding wine, they hesitated to even glance at each other, as if a single look could set them ablaze.
Shangguan Wan stuttered, trying to find a topic, when she suddenly recalled Jiang Pengji’s mention of a “mysterious gift.”
Li Yun was too busy daydreaming about his beloved to care about the guest gifts!
“Uh… Wan, Wan’er… It’s getting late; shouldn’t we call it a night?”
Time is money; we can’t waste it.
“…Okay.”
Her voice was as soft as a whisper, landing in Li Yun’s ears like celestial music, stirring him with impatience as he swept her off her feet.
Before long, in the dimly lit bridal chamber, sounds of muffled gasps echoed.
The next day, the bride served tea.
Seeing his son married, Xie Qian felt a whirlwind of emotions.
Jiang Pengji thoughtfully granted this young couple a honeymoon, allowing them to get cozy.
Shangguan Wan was still pondering the “mysterious gift” Jiang Pengji mentioned, while Li Yun eagerly joined her in unwrapping presents.
“Is this the one from Lan Ting?”
Shangguan Wan glanced at the square box before her, which was about the size of two men’s hands.
“Look at the tag; this must be the gift the Lord talked about. Let’s see what’s inside.”
Li Yun grinned as he tore into the wrapping.
Upon opening the box, their faces drained of color as they stared inside. Shangguan Wan even took a step back in shock.
The box held nothing but a ceramic urn!
A wedding gift of an urn?
“This cannot be from Lan Ting!” Shangguan Wan regained her composure and asserted, “Who collected the congratulatory gifts yesterday?”
Clearly, someone swapped Lan Ting’s gift to sow discord between Han Mei and the Lord.
Li Yun’s joy dulled a bit as he hesitated, then cautiously lifted the urn’s lid. Inside was filled with white powder. He leaned in to sniff and confirmed—definitely human ashes, not some lookalike powder… Who could be so cruel?
“Han Mei, there’s a note here…”
The note was made of high-quality rice paper.
The paper was improved from the local mill, mostly supplied to Cheng Cheng’s bookshop and partially to the county office.
Li Yun noticed Shangguan Wan reaching for the strange urn and quickly stopped her, unwilling for her to touch any ill fortune.
He pinched the note between his fingers and slowly unfurled it.
“This is Lan Ting’s handwriting…” Shangguan Wan, who often worked with documents, easily recognized Jiang Pengji’s script. She read aloud, “These are the ashes of the monster from Zhong Zhao, the murderer of Han Mei’s mother. Delivered today, congratulations on your marriage.”
Shangguan Wan paused, looking up at Li Yun.
The young man’s handsome visage was filled with restraint, only his eyes slightly reddened.
“Han Mei?”
Li Yun snapped back to reality, hastily closed the urn and went searching for Xie Qian.
Xie Qian was still dazed in the main hall, lost in memories of his deceased wife.
If it weren’t for that monster seizing the body, perhaps today, his wife could have tasted the tea from the bride’s hands.
Just then, his mischievous son rushed in, clutching the urn.
Xie Qian’s expression was utterly unviewable.
Why was his child playing with an urn of all things?
Was he cursing someone to death?
Before Xie Qian could explode, Li Yun knelt before him, cradling the urn.
“What is this?”
Xie Qian felt a stroke coming on, completely exasperated by his cheeky child.
“Father, the Lord said this is the enemy of the one who killed my mother.”
“What!”
Xie Qian couldn’t grasp the information—his expression flipped in confusion; his brain was lagging.
Suddenly, he recalled the yin-yang jade pendant loaned to Jiang Pengji for “a couple of days.” He felt a mix of emotions well up inside.
He hoped the ashes belonged to that monster, yet he couldn’t shake his doubts.
It’s not surprising he was suspicious; who wouldn’t be in such a situation?
After harboring a grudge for nearly twenty years, could the enemy just vanish so easily?
“Han Mei, put it away; I need to clarify this. If it’s true… your mother can finally rest in peace.”
Li Yun nodded firmly.
Xie Qian rushed off to find Jiang Pengji, who seemed prepared, showing no surprise at his arrival.
“That monster… truly brought to justice?”
Xie Qian couldn’t believe it. The feud that had loomed over his heart for years was resolved so effortlessly.
Jiang Pengji said, “Of course it is; let me describe that monster’s characteristics, and you’ll know whether it’s true or not.”
Her memory was incredible; she could describe anyone she laid eyes on, even after only a single encounter.
Xie Qian grew increasingly excited as the details unfolded, eventually collapsing on the floor in tears, completely overwhelmed.
Once Xie Qian calmed down, Jiang Pengji hesitated before speaking, “There’s one thing I need to mention, though it’s a bit hard to say…”
Xie Qian, with red eyes, gritted his teeth and replied, “Shangguan Wan, just say it! If I can help in any way, I’m willing to jump into fire for you!”
“It’s nothing big; just this jade pendant, I find it somewhat useful. Do you mind parting with it?”
Having initially requested to borrow it for two days, it turned into over half a month without Xie Qian asking for its return.
Xie Qian thought this was a big deal.
This jade pendant was like a locator for locating his enemies.
Now that the enemy was dust, the pendant held no more use for him.
Seeing Jiang Pengji ask for something he no longer needed, he readily agreed.
“Thank you; this is very important to me.”
As for its purpose, Jiang Pengji didn’t divulge a single detail.
Being a considerate Lord, she granted the newlyweds, Li Yun and Shangguan Wan, a generous half-month honeymoon.
Until an urgent letter arrived from Chongzhou, prompting her to call them back.
By this time, Wei Ci had returned to the capital to continue overseeing the construction of the prefectural offices.
Jiang Pengji summoned all remaining personnel to the administration hall to announce something important.
“My father plans to step back, and I will take over Chongzhou and Hujun entirely.”
Qi Guanrang paused, momentarily halting his fan.
The efficiency of their Lord was impeccable, but—
He looked around the room and covered his eyes with his fan, unable to bear the sight.
The military generals appeared dazed, utterly unable to comprehend what had just occurred.
The other scholars exhibited faces of utter disbelief—Oh no!
Someone’s gonna get fired!
In the vast expanse of Wanzhou, they were already overwhelmed; after finally getting everything on track, now the Lord’s territory was unexpectedly expanding.
They were in dire need of skilled personnel!
Particularly Yang Si, who felt his world dim as if he might faint.
Finally wrapping up the other tasks, he’d just sat down for a breather, but this news struck him like a ton of bricks.
“How… could this happen so suddenly?”
Jiang Pengji replied, “Better to prepare early than late.”
Their rivals lay in the northern border, and without proper preparation, disaster was bound to strike.
Yang Si hesitantly interjected, “But, Chongzhou and Hujun… it might be difficult to interfere.”
Liu Zhi had operated in Chongzhou for four to five years and had been in Hujun for over a decade.
His followers weren’t necessarily inclined to recognize Jiang Pengji.
“Even if it’s difficult, we must interfere. And anyone who dares to resist will simply be dealt with.”
Jiang Pengji’s gaze bore a fierce edge.
Only the local tyrants would dare to lead a rebellion or cause trouble.
Anyone asking for trouble with her had better brace for a rough time.
