The battle between Feng Lezhen and Shen Suinian ended with Feng Lezhen’s overwhelming victory. The very next morning, Shen Suinian summoned the merchant convoy that had been waiting outside Yingguan, and Feng Lezhen seized the opportunity to punish a group of profiteering merchants who had raised prices while taking advantage of the chaos, forcing them to return every last coin they had extorted from the people. In a short time, she restored order to the unrest in Yingguan.
But the matter was far from over. Several days later than Feng Lezhen, Shen Suinian finally received word from the capital. Learning that Feng Ji was still advancing the donation initiative, he had no choice but to come to Feng Lezhen in person.
“What brings Young Master Shen here today?” Feng Lezhen sat in the main hall, sipping tea unhurriedly. Shen Suifeng had gone off to the marquis’ residence again, and she showed no concern that someone might accuse her of bullying his older brother.
After the wrangling of the past few days, Shen Suinian looked visibly haggard. He gave a bitter smile at her question. “Does Your Highness truly not know why this humble one is here?”
Feng Lezhen cast him a glance. “So you’ve finally received word from the capital? And here I thought a commercial empire spanning all of Great Qian would be better at gathering information. It’s been so long, and only now do you catch wind of it.”
“…Your Highness, this humble one has already done as you asked. I had the merchant convoy enter the city voluntarily and wrote to nearby firms asking them to send people to help buy rice. Might Your Highness now persuade His Majesty to withdraw the decree?”
Shen Suinian knew now wasn’t the time to act out of pride, so he bowed respectfully.
Feng Lezhen looked at him kneeling, her expression calm. “Withdraw the imperial decree? That’s easier said than done.”
“If Your Highness had the power to inspire His Majesty to initiate the fundraising plan, then surely you also have a way to resolve it. As long as Your Highness helps the Shen family through this crisis, we promise that for the next two years, all goods sold by Shen family caravans to the people of Yingguan will be sold at a 30% discount. The cost of buying rice from the people this time need not be fronted by the local government—it will be covered entirely by the Shen family. Furthermore, we’ll relinquish half of the profits from future rice sales.”
The terms Shen Suinian offered amounted to a major concession—one that could seriously harm the Shen family’s strength if anything went wrong. But with no other path forward, he could only keep retreating.
Feng Lezhen lowered her eyes, slowly rubbing the lid of her teacup across the rim. The crisp sound of porcelain meeting porcelain echoed clear and sharp, like a rhythm knocking directly against Shen Suinian’s heart.
“Not enough,” she said at last, her red lips parting.
Shen Suinian’s heart sank.
“What I want is all of the Shen family’s properties, fields, and income across Great Qian. I want the Shen family to no longer be surnamed Shen, but to take my name—Feng.”
“Your Highness…”
“But I’m not Feng Ji. I know that draining the pond to catch the fish is short-sighted. And I understand that if we truly want peace and prosperity for the realm, and a stable life for the people, merchants like you are indispensable. So—I can take nothing at all. The method of rice sales and the division of profit will remain the same. As for Feng Ji…” Feng Lezhen smiled silently, “I guarantee you’ll get your wish.”
Shen Suinian was stunned for a moment. When he snapped out of it, he looked up and met her eyes—brimming with ambition and yet coldly restrained.
For an instant, he thought he was seeing the late emperor.
Back in the study a few days ago, he had lost utterly, but still refused to admit it. Today, he finally yielded, both in heart and in word. All the ancestral rules and family principles of the Shen clan had been crushed by the nature of a businessman—driven by gain, skilled at exploiting scarcity.
His throat dry and itchy, Shen Suinian suddenly bowed and kowtowed. “Thank you, Your Highness. I, Shen Suinian, swear to serve you faithfully for the rest of my life. If I ever harbor a divided heart, may heaven strike me down with thunder.”
Feng Lezhen lifted her cup and took a slow sip of tea, letting him kneel there on the floor.
Shen Suinian moved quickly. In just three days, he had emptied the local government’s granaries. But from purchase to sale, the process involved a series of steps. Even if sales went smoothly, it would still take at least two months to fully sell off the rice. Yet the date Feng Lezhen had promised to raise the soldiers’ pay was only one month away.
As an experienced merchant, Shen Suinian thought long and hard, then decided to have the Shen firm buy a batch of rice for distribution as New Year’s gifts to Shen family servants, laborers, and affiliated vendors.
The Shen family had long been a model for other businesses. Although they’d been harshly handled by Feng Lezhen this time for collusion and profiteering, their prestige remained high. When others saw the Shen family giving Yingguan rice as festival gifts, they too began to consider sourcing rice from Yingguan. Unfortunately, the stock had already been bought up by the Shen firm, and in the end, all they could do was ask Shen Suinian for a bit at wholesale price.
After distributing some rice to fellow businesses, Shen Suinian sorted the remaining stock into three grades. The lowest grade was sold at a lower price, the middle grade at the state’s maximum regulated price, and the highest grade was not offered for public sale at all—only available to officials and nobles who had the right connections.
Truthfully, rice from one place to another doesn’t taste all that different—but once there’s hype around it, it becomes something else entirely. The circle of high-ranking nobles is small; once one person buys it, the rest won’t want to fall behind. So in the end, it’s actually the expensive rice that sells faster.
After handing the rice-selling matter over to Shen Suinian, Feng Lezhen no longer concerned herself with it. Instead, her attention remained fixed on the capital.
The national treasury was empty—persuading someone to convince Feng Ji to seek donations from merchants wasn’t difficult. What was difficult was making him drop the idea. Feng Lezhen knew all too well that once he made up his mind, no persuasion would get through. So she didn’t bother sending anyone to talk to him. Instead, she wrote a letter to Qin Wan, asking her to team up with her maternal grandfather to stir up a series of incidents, even tossing in some talk of ghosts and omens to play on Feng Ji’s fears and scare him off the idea directly.
Fu Zhixian calmly watched events unfold. Only when Feng Ji was about to suspect Feng Lezhen did he give a subtle push, redirecting suspicion onto Li Tong. Li Tong panicked, hurriedly trying to clear his name—only to fail, and end up being impeached for allowing eunuchs to meddle in state affairs.
While the capital was in utter chaos, Yingguan remained peaceful and quiet—at least for Shen Suifeng, it was so good it almost didn’t feel real.
One day, as he was preparing to visit the marquis’ residence again, he changed clothes and tidied his hair. Just as he finished and turned around, he saw Feng Lezhen lying lazily on the bed, smiling at him.
“I’m going to check the shizi’s pulse today,” he explained.
Feng Lezhen nodded. “I know. I want to come with you.”
Shen Suifeng: “……” See? Ever since those newly acquired granary stocks found their market, she suddenly had free time. Now she stuck to him all day—no matter what he was doing, she would follow.
He didn’t mind her clinginess—it was rare and rather enjoyable. But for some reason, he couldn’t shake a vague unease.
“I’ll be back very soon,” he emphasized.
Feng Lezhen stepped barefoot off the bed and called out toward the door, “Ah Ye! Come help me dress.”
“Yes, Your Highness!” Ah-Ye entered the room.
Shen Suifeng sighed helplessly. “You can go. I’ll help her.”
“Alright.” Ah-Ye turned and left immediately.
Feng Lezhen raised an eyebrow. “You know how?”
“After taking it off so many times, putting it on once shouldn’t be too hard,” Shen Suifeng smiled, his eyes full of mischief.
Feng Lezhen laughed and lifted her arms, fully ready to enjoy his service.
Just as he said—after undressing her so many times, dressing her wasn’t too difficult. It’s just that the two were far too affectionate during the process, and as a result, they arrived at the marquis’ residence half an hour late.
“Your Highness, what brings you here?” Qi Jingqing immediately sat up when he saw her.
Shen Suifeng gave him a glance, then suddenly held Feng Lezhen’s hand. “Her Highness couldn’t bear to part with me, so she insisted on coming with me to the marquis’ residence.”
Qi Jingqing’s smile faded slightly. “Doctor Shen is very good at joking.”
“No joke. I truly couldn’t bear to part with him,” Feng Lezhen said with a laugh.
Qi Jingqing’s slender fingers silently clenched the bedsheet, veins popping on the back of his hand, but his expression remained composed. “Oh.”
Shen Suifeng glanced at his pale complexion and realized it was rather tasteless to flaunt in front of his patient. He released Feng Lezhen’s hand and quietly said, “Your Highness, why don’t you step out for a bit? I’m going to begin the acupuncture.”
“I want to stay,” Feng Lezhen frowned.
Shen Suifeng chuckled, “Acupuncture isn’t a pretty sight.”
“I don’t mind,” she said. She just wanted to stay and keep him company.
Qi Jingqing heard the underlying meaning in her words, and his grip on the sheet tightened even further.
Afraid she might accidentally anger his patient into an early grave, Shen Suifeng smiled and gently nudged her away. “Go on, hurry. You being here makes me lose focus.”
“Wait just a moment…” Feng Lezhen didn’t want to leave, so she grabbed his hand.
Seeing she had something to say, Shen Suifeng stopped.
“For what happened this time, I still haven’t thanked you,” Feng Lezhen leaned over and looked at Qi Jingqing, her expression full of smiles. “Hurry up and get well. I’ll treat you to a meal.”
“Alright,” Qi Jingqing replied.
After she finished speaking, Feng Lezhen obediently left the room.
Shen Suifeng let out a quiet breath and turned back to the bedside, beginning to rummage through his medicine box. Qi Jingqing watched him calmly pull out a packet of small acupuncture needles, looking every bit the cool and collected victor. Bitterness surged in his heart. “Aren’t you curious what I did to help Her Highness?”
“Would you tell me if I asked?” Shen Suifeng countered.
Of course I would. Qi Jingqing looked him in the eye. “She asked me to contact one of my father’s friends in the capital. Using the identity of a court censor, he submitted a memorial to the emperor suggesting that donations be collected from major merchant firms to refill the treasury. That’s what forced your brother to compromise. Otherwise, he would still be deadlocked with her.”
“So in that case, both I and Her Highness owe you our thanks,” Shen Suifeng said with a smile.
Qi Jingqing’s expression turned colder, his beautiful face like frost. “She clearly could’ve just asked you. That would’ve been the easiest. But she chose to go in a huge circle and ask another man for help. You really don’t mind at all?”
Shen Suifeng: “The only reason she did all that was because she cares about me. How could I possibly mind?”
Then he added considerately, “Don’t worry—I’ll treat her twice as well in the future to make up for what she did.”
Qi Jingqing’s breath caught.
Not wanting to provoke him into an actual illness, Shen Suifeng sensibly said nothing further. He simply added two extra bitter herbs to today’s prescription—
The kind of bitterness that could make someone eat two more bowls of rice.
After being “kicked out,” Feng Lezhen wandered aimlessly around the marquis’ residence. Thanks to staying there over the New Year, she was no stranger to the guards and servants, and no one stopped her as she roamed the grounds.
Alone and strolling through the estate, she unknowingly walked all the way to a secluded side courtyard.
When she lived at the residence, she’d only ever wandered near the main courtyard—this was the first time she’d come this far. She paused briefly, about to turn back the way she came, when she suddenly heard a hysterical scream from within:
“All your life, you only cared about your son! Have you ever thought about your daughter, even once?!”
It was Qi Jingren. Feng Lezhen abruptly stopped in her tracks.
“Don’t be so unreasonable! I’ve worried myself sick over your marriage, and you still say I’ve never thought of you!”—that was Qi Zhen.
Qi Jingren, perhaps from having cried, spoke with a voice both hoarse and angry: “Oh, please. You want me to hurry up and get married only because my brother is too weak to marry and have children. You just want me to give birth to a son quickly to inherit the Qi family army, so that after you and my mother are gone, someone will be there to take care of him! I’m telling you now, don’t even think about it. Even if I do have a child, I will never let him support my brother—”
Smack!
A sharp, clear slap.
Feng Lezhen realized things were getting a little too serious—it was no longer appropriate to keep eavesdropping. She immediately turned to leave, but fate wasn’t on her side. Just as she moved, Qi Zhen stormed angrily out of the courtyard.
Their eyes met. Qi Zhen froze.
“Good morning, Marquis,” Feng Lezhen said, a rare flicker of awkwardness on her face.
Qi Zhen’s face darkened. He ignored her and walked off.
Feng Lezhen was left standing awkwardly, rubbing her nose, wondering whether to leave or go inside. Before she could decide, Qi Jingren’s cold voice came from the courtyard: “You’re already here—what’s the point of hiding?”
Well, that left only one option. Feng Lezhen sighed inwardly and quietly stepped into the courtyard.
“Canjiang Qi,” she greeted with a smile.
Qi Jingren was dressed in women’s clothing today. Her eyes were a little red, making her seem less imposing and more pitiable.
“Enjoying the show?” Qi Jingren asked coldly.
Feng Lezhen spread her hands. “If I said I came here by accident, would you believe me?”
“My courtyard is the most remote one. What a coincidence, Your Highness,” Qi Jingren sneered.
Feng Lezhen stared at her for a long moment and then sighed. “Since we made things clear last time, you should know that I value your talent and have no intention of being at odds with you. Why must you be so aggressive, venting your anger on me?”
Qi Jingren’s gaze dimmed.
“Forget it. I was wrong to eavesdrop today. I apologize. Calm down.” Feng Lezhen said, then turned to leave.
Qi Jingren looked at her composed, steady figure, and suddenly couldn’t help speaking: “Your Highness must be quite pleased with yourself lately.”
Feng Lezhen stopped and looked back at her, puzzled. “I don’t understand what Canjiang Qi means.”
“Don’t you?” Qi Jingren let out a cold laugh. “You came here today just to show me what you’ve accomplished, to prove you’re a wise ruler and that if I follow you, I’ll have a future—and won’t be forced by my parents into marriage, unable even to return to the military.”
“No wonder you changed back into women’s clothing—you’ve been barred from the barracks.” Feng Lezhen suddenly understood.
Qi Jingren stared into her eyes. “But there’s nothing for you to be proud of. Yun Zhi’s rise in reputation was thanks to you enlisting your former fiancé. The new grain in Yingguan found a market because the Shen family’s patriarch is Shen Suinian, whose younger brother is now madly infatuated with you. Even the support in the capital came because my brother helped coordinate behind the scenes. Everything you’ve accomplished was done through men. Even if you complete a thousand or ten thousand tasks, it still wouldn’t convince me in the slightest.”
Feng Lezhen raised her eyebrows slightly and studied her leisurely.
The side of Qi Jingren’s face that had been slapped was turning redder and redder, but the pain gradually faded. As the pain subsided, her rationality returned. She knew she was lashing out in humiliation after being caught getting scolded by her own father, which had crushed her pride. That’s why she’d lashed out at the most powerful woman in the realm. Yet, even as she stared back into Feng Lezhen’s eyes now, she had no intention of backing down.
“Canjiang Qi, do you know the historical criteria that Great Qian emperors used to select their consorts?” Feng Lezhen suddenly asked.
Qi Jingren furrowed her brows, not understanding the shift in topic.
“It was family background, character, appearance, and talent—in that order. Family came first, talent last. Do you know why?” Feng Lezhen smiled and continued without waiting for an answer, “Because they prioritized family background. Only by carefully filtering could they choose the most prominent lineages, marrying into them. That way, if trouble arose in the future, her father, brothers, and clan could give their all to support the throne.”
Qi Jingren stared at her. “Are you saying you’re following the emperors’ example in selecting a consort?”
Feng Lezhen’s smile deepened. “What I mean is, for generations, emperors roped in their ministers by drawing the most beautiful girls into the palace, letting them fight, scheme, and rot in that cannibalistic court—yet I’ve never heard you object to that. But now, just because I relied on a few men for help, you suddenly can’t stand it? Canjiang Qi, you’re a woman too—why be so harsh to another woman?”
“That’s not what I meant. Don’t twist my words,” Qi Jingren said with a frown.
Feng Lezhen’s smile faded. “Then what exactly do you mean?”
Qi Jingren opened her mouth but couldn’t find the words.
“If we’re talking about relying on men—haven’t you relied on them too? If you’d been born in an ordinary family, without a father like Qi Zhen, you wouldn’t have been allowed to study or train in martial arts. Your days would be filled with needlework to help the household, just waiting around to be married off. After marriage, it’d be one child after another. If luck failed you, you might die in childbirth. A Qi Jingren like that—would anyone ever call her ‘Canjiang Qi’?”
Qi Jingren’s breath quickened. She couldn’t say a word.
“So you see, relying on men isn’t shameful. After all, when men rely on women to rise in power, make money, or stabilize the political landscape, no one ever criticizes them. On the contrary, people praise them for ‘putting the greater good first.’” Feng Lezhen gave a silent laugh. “Canjiang Qi, out of consideration for the fact that we knew each other as children, let me offer you some advice: those with true ambition must be willing to lower their pride and make sacrifices. If you can’t even let a man help you a little without feeling guilty, then perhaps you should listen to the marquis and stay home—be a proud, untouched, highborn young lady, far away from the dust of the world.”
“Think carefully about what I said before. But if you don’t want to spend your whole life being controlled by others, yet also don’t wish to raise your hand against your own family—then you must break the old to build the new. And I… am the only one who can help you.”
Qi Jingren’s face turned red and pale in turns—an even uglier look than when Qi Zhen had struck her earlier. Feng Lezhen said no more and turned to head back to the main hall in search of Shen Suifeng.
Just as Shen Suifeng stepped out of the main hall, he saw Feng Lezhen walking toward him. Their eyes met, and both of them smiled a little.
“Shall we go?” Feng Lezhen asked.
Shen Suifeng took her hand. “Let’s go.”
“What were you doing just now?” Feng Lezhen asked.
Shen Suifeng chuckled. “What else? Took the shizi’s pulse, adjusted his prescriptions for the next few days, chatted a bit. And you, Your Highness?”
“I ran into Qi Jingren just now. We spoke a little as well,” Feng Lezhen replied.
“Was it a pleasant conversation?” Shen Suifeng asked.
Feng Lezhen thought of Qi Jingren’s expression—uglier than crying—and said, “Yes, delightful. What about you? Did you enjoy talking to Qi Jingqing?”
Shen Suifeng recalled Qi Jingqing’s pale face. “…Yeah, quite.”
They exchanged another glance. For some reason, both suddenly felt a bit guilty.
While these two stayed glued to each other every day, Shen Suinian had been busy beyond belief. Not only did he have to personally oversee Yingguan, but he also had to handle urgent reports from across Great Qian. And even with all that effort, he still hadn’t managed to sell all the rice before October.
The proceeds from the earlier batches had already arrived in Yingguan, but even so, they didn’t add up to half of what Feng Lezhen needed.
“Well, it’s already quite impressive…” Hu Wensheng said cautiously. “The prefecture’s never had this much wealth before. It’s just that, for now, it’s not enough to pay the bonuses Your Highness promised the soldiers—but if we issue the usual stipends on time, that won’t be a problem. We can make up the difference in a few months.”
Feng Lezhen paused in thought, then handed him one portion of the funds. “Take this. Repair the Wenshi, Zhouyuan, and Detian roads before the heavy snow comes. We can’t let the villagers there be stuck indoors every winter.”
Hu Wensheng froze. “But—but isn’t this money for the soldiers—?”
“Take it. I’ll find another way to cover the soldiers’ pay,” Feng Lezhen said, her tone leaving no room for argument.
Hu Wensheng was both joyful and anxious. He looked at the paperwork in her hand, wanting to take it but not daring to. “Th-this won’t do. Zhenbian Marquis is terribly unreasonable. If Your Highness doesn’t give him the money on time, he might cause trouble…”
“If you don’t take it, I’ll take it back.” Feng Lezhen cut him off, but before she finished speaking, the document was snatched out of her hand.
“Th-thank you, Your Highness,” Hu Wensheng said sheepishly.
Feng Lezhen let out a quiet snort—half annoyed, half amused.
It was only half a month—she had thought Qi Zhen could wait at least that long. But on the first day of October, he led troops to surround the Eldest Princess Residence.
“How dare you! Are you trying to rebel?!” Ah Ye shouted furiously.
Qi Zhen snorted. “This marquis wouldn’t dare commit treason. Miss Ah Ye, don’t go pinning such a huge crime on me. The October deadline is here. I’ve merely come to ask Her Highness to fulfill her promise. If she can’t hand over the silver, then she should leave Yingguan.”
Everyone inside the Eldest Princess Residence was tense and worried. But the person Qi Zhen had come to drive out was calmly drinking tea in the hall.
“Your Highness, I’ve had the Shen family send the silver early, just as you instructed. Should we send it to him now?” Shen Suinian asked.
Feng Lezhen took a sip of tea, unhurried. “No rush. Let’s wait a bit.”
“Wait for what?” Shen Suifeng couldn’t help asking.
Feng Lezhen picked up a piece of jujube cake and brought it to his lips. Shen Suifeng, seeing her so calm, couldn’t even pretend to be nervous. “Fine. If Your Highness really gets thrown out of Yingguan, I’ll follow you to the ends of the earth.”
Shen Suinian shot him a look—disdainful that all his brother could think about was romance.
Feng Lezhen smiled even more and fed him another bite.
While they ate and drank inside, Qi Zhen’s expression grew increasingly grim. Finally, he ordered his soldiers to storm the Eldest Princess Residence.
“Your Highness!” Shen Suinian grew anxious.
Shen Suifeng said, “Don’t worry, brother. The more mysterious Her Highness acts, the more certain it is that nothing will go wrong.”
Feng Lezhen nodded in agreement.
Shen Suinian took a deep breath, about to shake his brother by the shoulders and ask how he could be so sure, when suddenly the sound of galloping hooves came from outside.
“Your Highness, Canjiang Qi is here!”
A smile surfaced in Feng Lezhen’s eyes. “She’s here.”
