Chapter 285: Chapter 279: Father and Son
Capital City, in July, the capital burned like a furnace. After that blood-soaked massacre where corpses lay strewn across the land, the city regained its vitality, with throngs of pedestrians and bustling commerce.
After Feng Changqing and Su Yuejiao resigned from their posts, Su Yuejiao took over the Feng Family’s business operations. She had never examined the ledgers before, but one glance shocked her to the core—over the past three years, Fengyu had indeed amassed wealth as vast as several mountains of gold.
"Good heavens..." Su Yuejiao was dazzled by the staggering figures. Her youngest daughter was astonishingly adept at making money; Wangjiang Restaurant, Mudan Building, and Linlang Pavilion earned gold by the bucketloads every single day.
After Fengyu left the Capital City, the shopkeepers of Wangjiang Restaurant and Lady Thirteen sought out Su Yuejiao. Fengyu had left strict instructions that silver coins should not be stored in Baofeng Bank. Fearing potential chaos from Emperor Yuan Hui, she ordered direct conversion into silver notes usable across the Yanyang Dynasty and had them transferred to Jinzhou. If a matter arose that they couldn’t resolve independently, they were to consult Su Yuejiao. Though she knew about these properties, she had never personally managed their accounts before.
After the upheaval in the Capital City, the gatekeepers at the city gates had grown lax. Emperor Yuan Hui could spare no attention for matters concerning merchants either. Manager Wang relocated his entire household, taking with him a staggering eight million taels of silver. He nearly emptied Baofeng Bank of all its liquid assets. On the day the city gate security was weak, Zhang Boxi coordinated with the Kyoto Capital Guard to smooth the process, and hundreds of horse-drawn carriages left the city in succession. Though they appeared to be transporting goods, the bulk of the cargo was silver and gold.
Su Yuejiao was more than alarmed—Fengyu was truly audacious, daring to relocate such wealth in the midst of unstable times. The Kyoto clans held significant deposits in Baofeng Bank; to redeem them now, they would have to travel to the branch in Lian City, Jiangnan, as there was no way to withdraw silver in the Capital City.
Fengyu’s approach to business at Wangjiang Restaurant, Mudan Building, and Linlang Pavilion followed a simple philosophy: the rich would only get richer. Her operations catered exclusively to wealthy patrons, ensuring she profited off the affluent. These establishments were out of reach for ordinary citizens and served instead as indulgent playgrounds for the Kyoto clans with deep pockets.
"What’s troubling you?" Feng Changqing had been spending his days practicing martial arts in the mansion, wielding blades and training vigorously. He dismissed his personal guards, issuing them documentation to find new pursuits, the majority heading toward Ningzhou. Now without official duties, Feng Changqing was lighthearted yet cautious, avoiding gatherings to prevent Emperor Yuan Hui from suspecting collusion among military generals. He turned down all invitations, while Su Yuejiao also confined herself indoors. Emperor Yuan Hui’s scrutiny over their movements was intense, forbidding them from leaving the city.
"Ayu truly surpasses all expectations," Su Yuejiao said with a smile. "Little money-making prodigy. The twelve states are vast and resource-rich. If she manages to revive commerce, someone is bound to lose their composure."
The twelve states lie across the Bei River from Zhongzhou. Due to geographical advantages, Ningzhou’s efforts to seize control of the twelve states are far superior to those of Zhongzhou. Word of Xie Xun’s vigorous campaign against bandits in the twelve states had already reached the Capital City.
The people of the twelve states are fiercely independent and respect strength. After years of war and chaos under the Yanyang Dynasty, bandits ran rampant without governance. If Xie Xun succeeds in suppressing the bandits, the criminals could return to the towns to live peacefully. Bringing the twelve states into submission was merely a matter of time.
"The Little Marquis..." Feng Changqing paused, "Correction, now Prince. It’s said the Prince suppresses bandits while also demanding funds from the state mansion, compelling it to provide grain supplies. Alas... If the Marquis were still alive, he’d be furious. The Ningzhou Iron Cavalry protecting its people is only natural, but what logic is there in charging citizens for it?"
"If the state mansion doesn’t provide grain, are they supposed to survive on air drafts from the northwest?" Su Yuejiao remarked. Having overseen logistics for military supplies and agricultural reclamation in Ningzhou, she understood better than anyone the limits of Ningzhou’s capabilities in sustaining its people. She fervently prayed there would be no natural disasters within the coming years because, should crop yields falter, Ningzhou’s army of tens of thousands would indeed face starvation. Once grain supplies dwindled, unrest would brew within army ranks, inevitably leading to warfare.
Grain and military provisions are the cornerstone of maintaining an army’s stability.
For the Second Young Master and the Prince, their most urgent priority now was to ensure the Ningzhou Iron Cavalry’s grain and logistics, stabilizing morale among the troops.
There was yet another strategy: waging war to sustain war efforts.
The Ningzhou Iron Cavalry could advance into Yanyang territory, seizing town after town until they reached the Capital City. If it truly came to this, public sentiment would be irrevocably lost.
The current bandit suppression efforts in the twelve states had already demonstrated the Xie brothers’ determination. They had chosen the gentlest method, one with the lowest possible casualties, even after their family was shattered.
Emperor Yuan Hui had indeed considered dispatching troops to quell the uprising, striking Ningzhou during this precarious time when its grain reserves were stretched thin and while Xie Jue and Xie Xun’s forces remained underdeveloped. But whom could he entrust to lead the army?
The court was in constant uproar over this matter!
Since Emperor Yuan Hui ascended the throne, he had experienced a period of madness lasting half a month. Nevertheless, the political landscape remained stable. After Feng Shu went into mourning at Xiangguo Temple, his emotional state steadied further, and he seemed to revert to his former persona as a diligent and benevolent Crown Prince. Scholars and military officials of the Yanyang Dynasty stood firmly divided, with over a dozen generals still willing to pledge loyalty to Yanyang and resisting the prospect of plunging the dynasty into flames of war and turmoil.
However, when it came to leading troops against Ningzhou, hesitation prevailed among them.
Firstly, the treasury was empty. Secondly, with the corpse of Marquis Zhenbei still freshly buried, they hesitated to face the Xie brothers on the battlefield.