“Lord Zhou makes sense. When it’s time to be ruthless, we must be ruthless!”
The Xie family member gritted his teeth and said, “The Ninth Princess has the support of Jin Feng and the Qing family. If we fight alone, none of us is her match. We must stick together to have any chance of winning. The Xie family supports Lord Zhou!”
“Seconded!”
“Seconded!”
The other powerful families also nodded one after another.
Although they spoke as if they did not take Jin Feng seriously, deep down they were extremely wary of him.
In just half a year, Jin Feng had won two major victories in succession, earning recognition from the war faction. Moreover, he had been suppressing bandits everywhere in Guangyuan. With Little Jade secretly promoting him, the efforts had already begun to show results. Jin Feng now enjoyed a good reputation in Jinchuan and even throughout the Guangyuan region. Many common households had set up longevity tablets for him.
The Jinchuan Chamber of Commerce and the Zhenyuan Escort Agency had also developed rapidly, wielding considerable influence among the people.
The Ninth Princess was an outsider, just like they were.
But the Ninth Princess not only carried the status of a member of the imperial family, she also had the backing of two local powers, Jin Feng and the Qing family. In a one-on-one fight, none of the powerful families present could stand against her.
The only way was to gang up on her.
“Since everyone agrees with what I said, please keep your word and do not act selfishly for short-term gain by secretly releasing grain!”
The man with the goatee stood up and said, “If anyone is found to have privately released grain, we will attack them together!”
This was the ultimate purpose behind everything he had said.
Only if all the powerful families present acted in unison could they successfully drive up grain prices.
“Advance and retreat together. Anyone who privately releases grain will face collective attack!”
All the powerful families stood up and shouted in unison.
Next, the powerful families began to draw up detailed attack and defence plans, redividing territories and assigning responsibilities for each family.
When setting the broad direction, all the powerful families shared the same goal and reached agreement easily.
But when it came to detailed planning, which touched on their individual interests, the powerful families started haggling over every detail. They argued from midnight until dawn without reaching any conclusion.
They had breakfast brought in, ate, and then continued bargaining.
In West River Bay, Jin Feng also opened his eyes but did not get out of bed.
Normally at this hour, Guan Xiaorou would have woken up long ago. But recently she had been too exhausted, eating poorly and sleeping badly. Now that Jin Feng was back, she could finally have a proper rest, so she had overslept.
She clung to Jin Feng like an octopus, sleeping extremely soundly.
Jin Feng knew how hard Guan Xiaorou had worked lately and did not want to wake her, so he stayed in bed, quietly thinking over recent events in his mind.
In his previous life, the competition had been so fierce. Yet Jin Feng had risen from a small mountain village all the way to a PhD. His undergraduate university was one of the top in the country, and the supervisors he followed were all leading figures in their fields. He was definitely not a reckless fool, nor was he stupid.
It was only after entering Chuan that he had witnessed too many shocking tragedies that overturned his worldview. The pent-up anger had exploded at Twin Camel Peaks, leading him to make an irrational decision. When the Ninth Princess poured cold water on him outside the Jinchuan county government office, he had sobered up.
Jin Feng was someone who knew how to reflect on himself. Once he recognised his mistake, he did not stubbornly persist. Instead, he humbly accepted it.
Taking advantage of the clear-headedness right after waking, he mentally reviewed the plan the Ninth Princess had explained in the small grove once again, thinking about any possible loopholes.
Guan Xiaorou slept so deeply that it was only when the female workers in the neighbouring courtyard began their training that she was finally woken by the noise.
Sensing that Jin Feng was still there, she first rubbed against him in his arms like a kitten before finally opening her eyes with satisfaction.
Noticing the morning light already coming through the window, Guan Xiaorou instantly became fully awake.
“Oh no, oh no, I overslept!”
Guan Xiaorou pinched Jin Feng reproachfully. “Husband, you were already awake. Why didn’t you wake me?”
“You so rarely get to sleep in. Why would I wake you?”
Jin Feng gently kissed her on the forehead. “It’s still early. If you haven’t slept enough, sleep a bit more.”
At that moment, the sky was only faintly bright, and the female workers had just started their training.
“The sky is already light. How is it still early?”
Guan Xiaorou said as she tried to get up, but Jin Feng pulled her back again.
“Since you’ve already overslept, just sleep a little longer.”
“If I sleep more, won’t people laugh at me when I get up later?”
“We’re a proper married couple. What’s there to be afraid of people laughing at?”
Jin Feng firmly pulled Guan Xiaorou back into his arms. “Just doze for a bit longer. Think of it as keeping me company!”
“Shameless…”
“Fine, fine, I’m shameless. I have thick skin.”
Jin Feng smiled and acted spoiled. “Just let me hold you a while longer. It’s been so long since I could properly hold you like this.”
As their careers had grown busier, both of them had less and less time. Guan Xiaorou also cherished these moments alone with him.
Hearing this, she no longer insisted and reached out to wrap her arms around Jin Feng’s neck.
By the time the two of them came out of the room, the sky was already fully bright.
When they reached the dining room, they found not only Tang Xiaobei but also the Ninth Princess and Little Jade there. Guan Xiaorou’s face instantly turned bright red, like a child caught stealing food. She instinctively hid behind Jin Feng.
“Even if absence makes the heart grow fonder, the two of you are being awfully clingy, aren’t you?”
Tang Xiaobei peeled an egg and teased, “If you two didn’t come out soon, Her Highness was about to send Qin’er to knock on the door.”
Guan Xiaorou had always been thin-skinned. At this moment, she wished she could crawl into a hole in the ground. “You shut your mouth!”
Jin Feng irritably stuffed a steamed bun into Tang Xiaobei’s mouth.
If he let Tang Xiaobei say a few more words, Guan Xiaorou’s face would be hot enough to boil water.
“Your Highness, have you had breakfast?”
After dealing with Tang Xiaobei, Jin Feng turned to the Ninth Princess and changed the subject at the same time. “If you haven’t eaten, join us for some.”
“No need. This palace has already eaten.”
The Ninth Princess had grown accustomed to Jin Feng’s down-to-earth way of greeting. She smiled and waved her hand lightly.
Her tone and expression were no different from usual, but Jin Feng faintly sensed a sour undertone…
He touched his nose and had to change the subject again. He asked Da Liu, “Have all the brothers returned to camp?”
Yesterday when they disbanded outside the Jinchuan county government office, Da Zhuang had specially reminded the escorts to report back to camp by chen hour.
No matter how much Jin Feng fooled around with Guan Xiaorou, he would not delay military matters. It was still not yet chen hour.
“The brothers are all here. They are currently lined up on the training ground for reorganisation.”
“What about the warhorses and supplies?”
“The logistics brothers worked through the night. Everything is already prepared.”
“Alright then. Once the brothers finish reorganising, we set off.”
Jin Feng stuffed a steamed bun into his mouth, grabbed two more, and prepared to head out.
Only then did he notice that the Ninth Princess was still wearing her ornate long skirt. His brows furrowed slightly.
They had already agreed in the small grove yesterday that the Ninth Princess would go to Xichuan with him.
But right now, she did not look at all like someone preparing for a long journey.
“Your Highness, are you planning to take a carriage to Xichuan?”
Jin Feng thought the Ninth Princess wanted to delay and his tone became rather unfriendly.
“Of course not. This palace has already made arrangements, so there is no need to rush.”
The Ninth Princess smiled and said, “Sir can finish eating breakfast calmly. It will not delay anything.”
“Made arrangements?”
Jin Feng asked, “What arrangements?”
“You do not need to worry about how this palace arranged it. In any case, it will definitely satisfy you.”
The Ninth Princess replied.
