Chapter 918 – Kill
Out in Chongzhou, Feng Zhen had no clue that his beloved child was being harmed by Jiang Pengji.
Having dealt with matters in Wanzhou, Jiang Pengji was getting ready to head back to Chongzhou to oversee everything.
Wanzhou had recruited several mid-level talents; these folks came from clean backgrounds, their origins not very impressive, but they worked diligently and were easily manageable.
Jiang Pengji met with them one by one, and she gave Xu Ke and Feng Jin a hearty compliment, along with a wave of bonuses.
Oh— as for Feng Jin’s subtle hints regarding the matter of休沐, she simply pretended to be deaf and mute.
While Wanzhou was stable, things in Chongzhou were anything but restful.
The aristocrats of Chongzhou had learned their lesson after she dealt with them last time, but it wasn’t long after she left that those folks started plotting again.
“Heh, a bunch of fools,” Jiang Pengji sneered in response. “Do these people want the coffins left out longer, so the bodies can rot more?”
Her words were venomous; if the aristocrats of Chongzhou heard them, they’d surely spit blood in anger.
Last winter, when Jiang Pengji took control of Chongzhou, she had brutally killed several local aristocrats and used her strong troops to intimidate them.
She took one group down and suppressed another, her swift and clean tactics left those aristocrats too scared to let out even a squeak.
She even surrounded their mansions with troops, forcing them to let their deceased relatives’ bodies linger in their halls instead of giving them proper burial in ancestral graves.
They’d been stuck like that until summer, the bodies rotted away to mere bones, the stench rising to the heavens.
Eventually, those aristocrats couldn’t take it anymore and had no choice but to submit to Jiang Pengji, begrudgingly handing over a portion of their land deeds.
However, Jiang Pengji was ruthless even after taking the deeds, refusing to withdraw her troops.
They had snatched so much land from the common people, but now they had to cough it all back up.
After a standoff, the Chongzhou aristocrats could only endure the pain and swallow this bitter pill.
While they swallowed their grievances, a deadly enmity had formed.
By the time they finally buried their relatives in the ancestral grave, Jiang Pengji had dashed off to Wanzhou, leaving them with no place to vent their fury.
But just because they couldn’t finish off Jiang Pengji didn’t mean they couldn’t settle the score.
What are the aristocrats?
They are a group that places personal and family interests above national interests; as long as their families endure, the chaos outside doesn’t concern them. In retaliation against Jiang Pengji, a few families privately formed an alliance, planning to sell out their comrades in the Northern Frontier.
Of course, this whole matter had come to Jiang Pengji’s ears, indicating how poor their secrecy was.
It seemed ancient people had no awareness of confidentiality measures.
Just counting the history of previous dynasties, how many upheavals were squashed due to leaks?
Xu Ke saw the confidential report and couldn’t help but be dumbfounded. “These people really are…”
Even if the Lord was too harsh, wasn’t it because they had occupied good farmland, oppressed the common folks, and trampled on the people?
They committed such heinous acts, and now that they were forced to give it back, they still felt wronged?
Swallowing their grievances was one thing, but they even allied with the Northern Frontier forces, planning to open a breach at the border to let Northern Frontier Cavalry come rushing in?
“Fortunately, due to the horse plague from the year before last, the Northern Frontier hasn’t regained its strength yet. Even if they sent cavalry to ravage and pillage, their numbers wouldn’t be many.” Xu Ke frowned deeply, saying, “Otherwise, wouldn’t it be inviting wolves into the house? Those people actually dared to do such a thing!”
Jiang Pengji chuckled coldly, crushing the secret letter in her hand, her eyes glinting with cold killing intent.
“I originally wanted to keep them around for a while longer, but I didn’t expect them to grow impatient and hand over their own handles.”
Not to mention, just the treason charge alone could send them into an irreversible pit of doom.
Previously, Jiang Pengji had accused them of treason, but without solid evidence, she could only twist the purpose of their land acquisition with her words.
Now that she had the solid evidence in hand, she didn’t believe she couldn’t wipe out these pests.
“Does the Lord intend to wipe them all out?”
Jiang Pengji replied, “They are a disaster waiting to happen, better to crush them early.”
Initially, her plan was to clean them up before going to war with the Northern Frontier.
She didn’t expect them to be even more impatient than she was, conspiring to topple her possessions while she was away from Chongzhou.
These people were just too rash.
With Jiang Pengji away from Chongzhou, how could she not keep a close eye on them?
At such times, they should be careful and cautious, keeping their tails tucked, not revealing any signs. Yet, they couldn’t swallow their resentment and made trouble.
However, it wasn’t entirely their fault—they simply underestimated how ruthless Jiang Pengji was. If they didn’t make a move while she was away, with her upward momentum in Chongzhou, every day she grew stronger, and their chances for revenge dwindled.
Unfortunately, they underestimated Feng Zhen and Qi Guanrang’s abilities.
When you add those two together, their combat power isn’t just one plus one!
By the time Jiang Pengji reached Chongzhou, those clowns would probably have already fallen into the net set by those two.
As it turned out, Jiang Pengji’s suspicions were not misplaced.
“The Lord is in high spirits, but I and Wen Zheng have been anxious for a month,” Feng Zhen said, sporting a pair of dark eye circles, looking as though he had been drained by a succubus.
“What’s wrong with you all?”
Jiang Pengji rushed to Chongzhou without stopping for a detour to see Wei Ci, feeling utterly vexed.
Upon arriving in Chongzhou, she found her two right-hand men looking like they hadn’t slept in ages, with Wen Zheng’s left arm wrapped in white cloth.
“Those people plan to go for a fish-or-foul approach; they previously sent death warriors to assassinate Wen Zheng. The assassination failed, so they stirred up chaos instead. Sigh, fortunately, Han Mei and Wen Zheng were discussing land reclamation and recruiting soldiers together at the time, otherwise, they might not have made it out alive—”
When Qi Guanrang was ambushed, Jiang Pengji was still on the road and hadn’t received any news.
“What? Those people—weren’t they already caught?”
Jiang Pengji glanced at Qi Guanrang, who blinked back at her coyly, with a look that held many meanings.
She trembled with rage.
She had thought more than Feng Zhen; why was it Qi Guanrang who fell victim to the assassination?
After all, Qi Guanrang maintained a neutral stance while Feng Zhen harbored more resentment.
What if… someone was trying to fish in troubled waters!
Jiang Pengji huffed; Feng Zhen thought she didn’t understand and explained, “Although they’ve been caught, my Lord, the relationships between the aristocrats in Chongzhou are extremely complicated; they’re either friends or former acquaintances. There’s not just friendship but also unbreakable blood ties. They were merely locked up before, so they could endure it. But now, it’s a matter of life and death; how can they stay calm? Wen Zheng being in danger was just the beginning; who knows what will happen next—”
Jiang Pengji took a deep breath and calmly said, “You are mistaken; they will betray the country for personal and family interests, colluding with the Northern Frontier. They will also forsake these useless pawns for the tempting benefits and re-align back to me—”
Feng Zhen asked, “So, what does the Lord mean?”
“Kill!”
