Chapter 296: Chapter 289: Coercion
"Fengyu, your clansmen remain in the Capital City, and your elder sister is Princess Duan. The Feng Family’s glory has been bestowed by the Yuwen Royal Family. Yet here you stand in West State City, leading the rebel forces to clash with the West State Soldiers. As the saying goes, ’Never forget the one who dug the well when drinking the water.’ You enjoy wealth and splendor, yet you collaborate with traitors—utterly disloyal and unfilial!" The Prefect of West State has the compound surname ’Nangong’ and is named Heng.
He achieved top honors in the imperial examination at twenty-one, then served in the Ministry of Revenue for two years, cultivating a reputation for straightforwardness and loyalty to the emperor. Emperor Jianming greatly trusted him and placed him in West State as County Magistrate, later promoting him to governor. His rise was swift, and Emperor Jianming tasked him with overseeing the West State Salt Iron Department. In earlier years, this department was managed entirely by Marquis Zhenbei, monopolizing activities from mining and metallurgy to artifact production, sales, and transportation. Operations and circulation were tightly controlled. Nangong Heng, proving his abilities, managed to dominate West State within a few years, largely assisted by Su Family’s Trading House, which shielded him by deceiving superiors and subordinates alike.
The state mansion uniforms were mostly similar—a sapphire blue robe, embroidered with a white pheasant pattern on the chest, paired with a crystal-topped headpiece. Fengyu asked lightly, "Is Lord Nangong resolved to wage war against me?"
"Miss Feng San, you should repent. Mending your ways at this stage is still not too late. I will certainly plead on your behalf before His Majesty to exempt you from punishment." Nangong Heng clasped his hands and raised them skyward, his expression resolute.
Fengyu covered her mouth and chuckled softly. The dangling hair ornament on her bun swayed gently, glimmering brilliantly in the firelight. Her beauty, with a single smile, blossomed like a flower. Whether it was soldiers or bandits, they all felt she resembled a radiant flower blooming amidst the chaotic scene.
"What path have I lost, and whether I should return—don’t trouble yourself!" Fengyu raised her hand and softly asked, "Lord Nangong, do you wish to discuss, or do you wish to fight?"
Nangong Heng: "Stubborn and irredeemable..."
"One!"
Fengyu interrupted him with a smile, "I’ll count to three. Anyone who blocks me shall die!"
Nangong Heng paled in shock. Xie Xun had sent over ten thousand bandits to settle in West State, bringing immense trouble to a city tightly controlled by the state. This group of bandits was unmanaged, drawing arbitrary boundaries to make the city their home. Once capable of housing 800,000 people at its peak, the city—though abandoned for years—still had mostly intact buildings and vast tracts of vacant land and empty houses.
After settling, the bandits sought ways to feed themselves. Before discovering the iron mine, West State heavily relied on agriculture and livestock farming, making both the inner and outer cities bustling hubs. Later, iron mining was discovered, and the explosive profitability of the mining industry gave rise to mass extraction, refining, and trade. More than half the population engaged in mining, speculating and reselling commodities.
Then Marquis Zhenbei sent troops to suppress and consolidate the mines, concentrating operations under official administration. Violent conflicts erupted between citizens and the state. Ultimately, the West State iron mines fell under joint control of the state, merchants, and bandits, leaving the city’s residents disadvantaged—unable to partake in profits and continuously harassed by bandits. This triggered a sharp population decline. Known for their ferocity, West State’s residents saw fewer visiting merchants, who avoided trouble by circumventing the region. Apart from iron mining, trade routes were virtually severed, and West State City gradually fell into ruin.
By the time the state recognized the severity of the problem, it was already too late to reverse.
"Two!" Fengyu’s patience started waning. At her command, the Iron Cavalry could break through the blockade formed by the West State Soldiers.
Xie Xun had thrust over ten thousand onto West State’s shoulders. Nangong Heng had initially sought to settle them peacefully, even opening state granaries to provide food. Yet these bandits were fiercely unruly, clashing frequently with the remaining city residents—who themselves had bandit backgrounds and were equally savage and combative. Overwhelmed by the tensions, Nangong Heng closed the granaries in response.
The newly-arrived bandits incited unrest. Under pressure, and on the advice of his staff, Nangong Heng mobilized the soldiers to resist. But who would’ve thought Fengyu would arrive in West State overnight? Two armies now faced off, and wherever Nangong Heng lacked strength, Fengyu compensated with overwhelming force. Though Nangong Heng held legitimacy and loyalty, originally intending to intimidate Fengyu into submission, Miss Feng San—seemingly fragile and easy to manipulate—proved instead ruthless and commanding, her words unwavering.
Zhu Shengliang, the Salt Iron Judge, now lay nailed to a column—a casualty of her indifference as her Iron Cavalry prepared to crush the West State Soldiers.
"Three!" Fengyu’s patience wore thin, and she raised her hand as if to issue the order.
Advisors whispered something into Nangong Heng’s ear, prompting him to cry out, "Miss Feng San, let’s talk. Rivers of blood are not the result any of us desire."
"Very well!"
At the Prefectural Magistrate’s Mansion.
Chen Jiangdong led people to subdue the unruly citizens, ordering them to return to their respective homes and cease causing trouble. On the main streets, whether agitators or bystanders, all were compelled to disperse.
Fengyu spoke plainly about her intentions. She sought to restore West State’s agriculture and implement Ningzhou’s newly-established policies throughout West State. All farmland would be consolidated under centralized control, unified in planting, production, and distribution, with output allocated based on labor. Xie Jue also intended to purchase land held by the Ningzhou Clan, but West State had no need of that.
West State was littered with barren fields and mountains, and the fertile plots were either monopolized by the state or utilized for cultivation. Fengyu planned to re-register and redistribute this land while reviving commerce between West State and neighboring regions.
"This is robbery!" Nangong Heng erupted in fury, accusing Fengyu of audaciously plotting to usurp his position and seize control of the entire West State—a prospect he deemed impossible. "I and the West State Soldiers will resist you to the bitter end!"
With an army in her grasp, Fengyu wielded leverage. Calmly and deliberately, she asked, "What do you propose?"
"West State once had the largest farming lands among the twelve provinces. If you’re preparing supplies for the Ningzhou Iron Cavalry by opening wasteland for cultivation, I have no objections. But the Salt Iron Bureau belongs to Yanyang; its mining production and transportation fall within state governance. You can’t interfere. I’ll concede this much—you oversee agriculture and livestock, and I’ll manage mining and logistics. We stay out of each other’s way."
Fengyu raised an eyebrow. "How naive and amusing Lord Nangong is. You propose ’one city, two systems’? I handle the new bandits, while you oversee the iron mines? Drawing boundaries within the city to ensure zero interference? You’d then purchase rice from me and still pay taxes?"
Nangong’s face flushed red—whether from shame at being mocked or anger at having his thoughts exposed.
"The twelve provinces receive their grain from Jinzhou; the city is incapable of self-sufficiency. My plan to cultivate land benefits you by feeding the entire city, yet you insist I refrain from touching the iron mine profits? Mutual non-interference?" Fengyu sneered. "Has Lord Nangong forgotten? In addition to acting on behalf of Xie Jue and Xie Xun in governing West State, I’m also the owner of Su Family’s Trading House, holding half of West State’s mines. How will you negotiate ’one city, two systems’ with me?"
"Su Family’s Trading House has neglected West State’s iron mines for years. Do you even understand the current plight of these mines or who controls them? Are you prepared to slaughter the tens of thousands of residents in the city? Don’t fear being condemned as a tyrant?"
"Su Family’s Trading House is my personal business, and I’ll reorganize it as needed. What I’m discussing now is the governance model for West State City," Fengyu asserted. "A mountain cannot house two tigers, and a city cannot have two rulers. West State follows my command. This isn’t a negotiation. Since you’re more familiar with West State City, I hope Lord Nangong will collaborate with me in its administration."
"Nangong Heng has received imperial grace, toiling devotedly to govern West State for years. I value loyalty above all and will never betray my master or defect to another." Nangong Heng declared firmly, making his stance clear.
"Devotion? Toiling?" Fengyu mocked. "Yet under your governance, West State has gradually deteriorated—its former prosperity nothing more than fleeting smoke. Evidently, you’re ill-suited for the position of West State’s Prefect—it’s time for a change."
"Apart from a decree from His Majesty, no one can remove my official hat. Do you intend to usurp authority? You are merely Yanyang’s treasonous scoundrel and have no standing to dismiss me."
Fengyu laughed, "Either you cooperate in governing West State alongside me, or you relinquish your official robes and return to the Capital City for reassignment. Yuwen Jing might even praise you as a loyal and unyielding patriot. Lord Nangong, you have no third option!"
"Who says I don’t?" Nangong Heng suddenly unsheathed his sword and placed it against his neck, glaring with fury. "I, Nangong Heng, will not yield to coercion. Today, I will spill my blood to oppose tyranny. Your Majesty, your subject remains loyal!"
His staff rushed to stop him, but Nangong Heng was determined to end his life.
He drew the sword across, and the blade barely cut his skin when Nuanyang’s dart pierced through, grazing his wrist. Nangong Heng cried out in pain, the sword clattering to the floor, while blood beaded on the shallow cut—not life-threatening.
"You..."
Fengyu did not comprehend this kind of loyalty, but she admired such steadfast conviction.
With a delicate gesture near her temple, she casually asked, "Lord Nangong, you are thirty-three this year, married with two concubines, three sons, four daughters, and parents still living. Correct?"
"What do you intend to do?" Nangong Heng’s face blanched in terror.
"I value family reunion. If Lord Nangong finds Huangquan lonely, I would be remiss not to send your family to join you—living harmoniously, as a unit."
"Vile woman!" Nangong Heng shouted angrily. "You vicious harpy, even the weak and vulnerable cannot escape your cruelty. You are bound to be struck down by divine wrath!"
"Once I’m dead, what does the aftermath matter? Whether dismembered or struck by lightning, you won’t be able to witness it," Fengyu replied calmly. "Lord Nangong, do you still seek death?"