Chapter 308: Chapter 298 Blinded
The rebellion at the West Continent mines ended with Fengyu personally killing Zhu Shengkai and dissolving the Salt and Iron Department, marking her complete control over the West Continent and becoming its indisputable ruler. The entire West Continent followed her orders. The rain poured down for a day and night, forcing the bandits from the mountains to seek shelter in the city, where Chunlu took charge of registration.
Fengyu fell ill!
She had been caught in the pouring rain at the mines for more than two hours, soaked to the bone. She developed a fever on the way back to the city. Fengyu’s fragile health had only recently shown signs of improvement and couldn’t bear such a strain. Coupled with days of exhaustion from inspecting canals and irrigation projects and caring about agricultural affairs, the illness came crushing down like a mountain. Fengyu burned with fever, leaving Qiuxiang and Chunlu alarmed and terrified.
The downpour in the West Continent was like sweet rain after a drought. Chen Jiangdong, after arranging shelter for the bandits, returned to the City Lord Mansion drenched, warmed himself with a cup of ginger tea, and asked Nuanyang, "How is the Lady?"
"She’s still feverish." Nuanyang stayed by her side without leaving for a moment. Life is fragile; even a small cold could be fatal. He self-reflected deeply at the doorway, thinking next time wherever they went, he must ensure full preparations. She shouldn’t have been caught in the rain.
"There are medicines and doctors at the mansion. The Lady is blessed; she’ll recover." Chen Jiangdong removed his raincoat, sat under the corridor, and chatted with Nuanyang. "Those bandits are all settled. Tomorrow Chunlu will handle the registration. That mine was discovered two years ago, but they kept it hidden, smelting secretly. There are several boxes of gold bars in the smelting plant that weren’t transported yet. No wonder they were anxious to escape the city and even plotted against the Lady’s life. Truly, ’greed kills men like hunger kills birds.’"
"Has Su Mengwei been caught?"
"That scoundrel is hiding at home. He claimed the chaos at the mine forced him to flee to the base of the mountain. I led my men to aid, but the city gates were still closed. Where could he run? His wife and children are still in the city; he has nowhere to go."
"Keep an eye on him; don’t let him escape the city!"
"Don’t worry, he can’t get away!" Chen Jiangdong stretched out his legs and clicked his tongue. "The Lady... no wonder she’s someone the Prince fancies. Killing Zhu Shengkai without a blink or hesitation, all clean and decisive with just one strike. Truly unexpected!"
Nuanyang also hadn’t anticipated how resolutely Third Miss could kill. He recalled her at Furong Inn, terrified and pale from Sannan and others intimidating her. She had seemed like a delicate flower bud incapable of withstanding wind and rain.
"Anyone favored by our master is certain to be exceptional."
Chen Jiangdong chuckled. "The Prince tasked you to lead five thousand elite soldiers to guard the Lady. Are you willing?"
"Why wouldn’t I be?" Nuanyang replied, "Protecting the Lady is our master’s top priority."
"Alright then!"
"Are you unwilling?" Nuanyang asked. "If you don’t want to stay beside the Lady and prefer to seek glory elsewhere, return to Ningzhou and have the master send someone else here."
"At first, I had my reservations. These five thousand soldiers are elites, capable of defeating a hundred enemies each. Why leave them stationed with the Lady? If war breaks out with Beiman, this vanguard would be the sharp dagger breaking through Beiman’s frontlines. Leaving them with the Lady feels like a waste." This wasn’t only Chen Jiangdong’s thought; many cavalry soldiers felt the same. Fengyu, after all, was still regarded as just the Mistress of the Marquis Mansion by them. "But after the battle at the mine, I’m totally convinced!"
"If war breaks out with Beiman, you will return to the battlefield. For now, when there’s no such turmoil on the borders, the West Continent itself is the battlefield!" Nuanyang said. "Protect her well; fight well in all the battles she commands. You won’t be short-changed on military accomplishments."
Fengyu burned with fever for a day and night. By the time she could rise from bed, it was already dusk. Chunlu had taken over handling various affairs, while peace reigned over West Continent City. Fengyu summoned Nuanyang inside.
The room was filled with the scent of medicine. Nuanyang rubbed his nose as he stood outside the screen. Fengyu said, "Before the Prince left, he told you to report everything to him, right? This time about my illness, you don’t need to include it."
"Lady, this..." Nuanyang hesitated. Indeed, every three days, he sent a letter to Ningzhou per Xie Xun’s instructions.
"He’s busy with affairs in Ningzhou. If he hears about my illness, he’ll inevitably worry. Zhongzhou is reinforcing its troops and increasing defenses. How could I allow my minor issue to trouble him? Besides, I’ve recovered." Fengyu coughed lightly. In truth, she feared Xie Xun might rush to the West Continent and drag her back.
"...Alright then."
The news of Fengyu subduing the West Continent bandits quickly reached Jinzhou. After recovering, she opened the city gates, took control of the mine, and implemented an equal field system, ensuring everyone had land to farm. The West Continent Salt and Iron Department was abolished.
The West Continent officially severed its jurisdiction under Yanyang. Fengyu felt it was an appropriate time to announce their separation yet refrained from publicly declaring it, wary of stirring Zhongzhou’s garrison forces into action. Silent prosperity was the wisest path forward.
Ningzhou.
When Nuanyang’s letter arrived at the Prince Manor, marked as urgent official business, it was Xie Jue who opened it since Xie Xun was still away. The letter was indeed fully focused on serious matters, detailing how Fengyu subdued the bandits at the mountain, personally killed Zhu Shengkai, and proceeded to arrange shelter for the bandits while preparing for winter farming.
Xie Jue’s attention lingered on one particular line about the discovery of a gold mine. Among the iron mountain ranges in the West Continent was a small mine containing a substantial gold deposit.
Mines in the West Continent were mainly copper and iron; gold mines were rare. Xie Jue had not expected to find such a treasure. Gold and silver mines along with cinnabar mines were mostly distributed across Beiman and the Sha Ling Tian Mountain range, regions sensitive in geography and rarely surveyed. Gold mines in Yanyang were concentrated south of Zhongzhou, an area entirely under Yanyang’s governance. That a gold deposit was uncovered in the West Continent left Xie Jue both astonished and pleased.
"Find out in Ningzhou City if there are any experts in gold mining and refining. Send them all to the West Continent." Xie Jue rarely showed excitement. "This is perfect timing; we were just worrying about funds. Now the West Continent delivers a gold mine."
Now, he saw Third Miss Fengyu as a golden goddess radiating fortune.
Xie Jue slowly composed himself, picking up his brush to draft a reply to Fengyu. He advised her to reach out to the governors of Yunzhou, Jinzhou, and Jiaozhou to collaboratively develop iron mines, sharing profits appropriately among the three states to open up the West Continent’s trade routes. Yunzhou, the least prominent among the twelve states, Jinzhou, the wealthiest, and Jiaozhou, positioned directly opposite Zhongzhou, each had distinct advantages along with shortcomings in commerce. The West Continent could supplement Yunzhou’s need for tools, access Jiaozhou’s transport networks, and use Jinzhou’s dependence on Ningzhou Iron Cavalry for protection, accelerating development in the West Continent.
All eyes in Yanyang, including Zhongzhou and the Capital City, were focused on the West Continent. It was Ningzhou’s experimental model city among the twelve states.
If the West Continent, once Yanyang’s fifth-largest city, could reclaim its former prosperity, citizens across the nation would witness one indisputable fact: Ningzhou can bring an era of stability and livelihood to all. Ningzhou would earn the allegiance of the entire populace.
Would the Yuwen Royal Family and the aristocratic families stand idly by watching the West Continent thrive and develop without hindrance? Absolutely not. Thus, the West Continent couldn’t afford to be an isolated city.
In conquering the nation, one should forge alliances with distant neighbors and confront nearby adversaries. In commerce, the inverse applies: strengthen ties nearby while disrupting far-reaching competitors.
The West Continent must align with the twelve states on a united front to counter the shifting commerce south of Zhongzhou, awaiting the perfect moment to formally declare independence from Yanyang.
Grandmaster Zhang should arrive in Ningzhou in the coming days, a timely boon.
Xie Xun reined in his steed at the mansion gates, coordinating the Flying Shadow Army’s affairs as he walked inside. He’d been drilling troops in Ningzhou and overseeing the planning of Liangma Road while Lin Xiao, Zhang Boxin, and Zhou Liyu had already begun construction under his orders as Xie Xun managed logistics from the rear.
Xie Jue gazed at Xie Xun, whose aura grew increasingly commanding and charismatic, secretly noting how his younger brother was becoming more and more pleasing to the eye.
"Zhixu, there’s news from the West Continent."
Over recent months, Xie Xun had mastered the art of maintaining composure in the face of all matters, but in front of Xie Jue, he remained genuine. Every time news arrived from the West Continent, he was visibly delighted. "What does Nuanyang report?"
"Good news!"
Xie Xun raised a brow and read through Nuanyang’s letter at lightning speed. The deeper he went, the colder his expression grew. Xie Jue, unperturbed, sipped his tea. The West Continent had discovered a gold mine; why did he look as if he wanted to murder someone?
"She promised me she wouldn’t put herself in danger. Yet she only brought two thousand troops to the mountain when Zhu Shengkai had twenty thousand bandits—twenty thousand!" Xie Xun’s eyes darkened. "And this is how she keeps her word?"
Xie Jue, "?"
Wasn’t the battle already won? The cavalry remained entirely unharmed—what was he so furious about?
"She even killed someone with her own hands?" Xie Xun’s rage turned into mocking laughter. "Zhu Shengkai? That worthless scum—was he really worth her raising a blade?"
Xie Jue, "..."
Coolly observing Xie Xun’s outrage, Xie Jue took a deep breath and drank another sip of tea.
Incomprehensible!
If Xie Xun weren’t his brother, the Shadow Guards would have thrown him out of the mansion already. Truly insufferable.
"With her frail body, getting caught in the rain will make her feverish for three days!" Xie Xun was both angry and distressed, wishing he could rush to the West Continent and give Fengyu a proper lesson.
Xie Jue remarked, "The battle was won. The West Continent discovered a gold mine. This is the real message of the letter."
Xie Xun was stunned. "A gold mine?"
Xie Jue replied with a blank expression, "Blind?"
In all of Ningzhou City, apart from Xie Jue, no one dared mock him. Yet when it came to Xie Jue, Xie Xun dared not even show annoyance. Truly, reading the same letter yielded two entirely different interpretations.