In the mirror was the daughter she thought of day and night. Despite her increasingly beautiful appearance, she could still recognize her at a glance. But this villain intended to use her to threaten her daughter—how could she cooperate?
“Then do you know who I am?”
Madam Xu’s eyes showed fear as she said softly, “You are the sovereign of Yan Kingdom.”
“I told you beforehand, if you don’t cooperate, you’ll suffer. A ruler never jokes.” The Yan King smiled slightly, then suddenly raised his knife and brought it down, severing Peng Bai’s right arm. Blood droplets splattered as the arm fell to the ground with a thud. Caught off guard, Peng Bai let out a long, agonizing cry.
Feng Miaojun’s temple throbbed as a blue vein pulsed.
Peng Bai quickly regained his composure, closing his mouth and clenching his teeth. Though pain made his entire body tremble, he made no further sound.
Madam Xu screamed heart-rendingly, “Lord Peng!”
Peng Bai had lived with her for over ten years; they were deeply in love, and he had always cared for her meticulously. Witnessing his arm being severed, Madam Xu was so distressed she nearly fainted.
Then the Yan King walked before her, once again raising his knife and bringing it down toward her shoulder.
Madam Xu closed her eyes in despair, biting her teeth, absolutely unwilling to cry out in pain before her daughter. Yet no pain came to her body—only the weight and coldness of the long knife on her shoulder.
She opened her eyes to a narrow slit and saw that the bright blade had indeed come down but with its flat side against her shoulder. The blood droplets remaining on it flowed down, staining her clothes red.
That was Peng Bai’s blood.
The Yan King said flatly, “Since the Queen doesn’t recognize these four people, it wouldn’t matter if I cut them into a thousand pieces, would it?”
He had once ordered a criminal minister to be put to death by slicing—exactly three thousand six hundred cuts, not one less. Physicians carefully attended to the victim, ensuring he wailed for a full five days and nights before finally dying.
This story was known even among New Xia’s commoners; Feng Miaojun certainly knew of it.
She had almost crushed the armrests of her chair, but now she exhaled a long breath and her body actually relaxed. Since the Yan King was willing to negotiate, it meant Madam Xu’s family might still survive. She needed to remain calm now and not let worry affect her judgment.
Peng Bai, his face contorted with pain and covered in sweat, still encouraged his wife: “Don’t… don’t be afraid.”
Feng Miaojun said coldly, “Stop his bleeding first.”
The Yan King had at least this much patience. He casually sealed several of Peng Bai’s acupoints and took out good medicine to stop his bleeding.
Feng Miaojun took the opportunity to adjust her mindset before asking the Yan King, “They are ten thousand miles away from me with no regular contact. How did you know of their relationship to me?”
She and her foster mother had parted ways on Luo Fu Island—she had followed Fu Lingchuan to New Xia, while Madam Xu had taken the original route across the Forbidden Sea to reach Taoyuan Realm, where she reopened her trading business.
Feng Miaojun had thought countless times about bringing her foster mother to her side to enjoy family life but always abandoned the idea. In this world, even a nation’s ruler often couldn’t sleep at night, let alone herself, caught in the very center of power struggles and the vortex of war. Under such circumstances, it was truly better to let her foster mother remain in Taoyuan Realm, living a safe and prosperous life.
She had believed their communication was extremely cautious, with multiple security measures in place. So the question arose: if even Yun Ya hadn’t discovered anything, how had the Yan King uncovered the relationship between Madam Xu and the Queen of New Xia?
The Yan King shrugged. “The armor you sold to the Wei Kingdom uses forging techniques remarkably similar to Taoyuan Realm’s Cloud Forging. Despite modifications, it couldn’t escape an expert’s eye. You’re aware of this, correct?”
Feng Miaojun nodded.
“That made things easier. I sent a message questioning Taoyuan Realm, which of course denied supporting the Wei Kingdom. I figured they wouldn’t have such audacity, and besides, Taoyuan Realm and Wei Kingdom are separated by an entire Forbidden Sea with minimal regular contact—how could secrets leak out?” The Yan King paused. “Cloud Forging techniques aren’t a major secret among local craftsmen, but they’ve never spread beyond the borders. After a while, news came from Taoyuan Realm. A city-state lord’s daughter named Tan Qingshuang identified Madam Xu, the proprietress of Taoyuan Realm’s Tianshun Trading Company, as highly suspicious. She had seen both you and Madam Xu at the Renhe Medicine Shop in Inzi City. Later, Madam Xu went to Taoyuan Realm, where her business thrived extraordinarily well with unusually abundant capital. The Tianshun Trading Company she established single-handedly suppressed all other established businesses.”
Tan Qingshuang! Feng Miaojun secretly gritted her teeth. She had almost completely forgotten this person, never imagining such a coincidence—that an outsider would discover the connection.
“Who could believe there wasn’t something fishy about this?” The Yan King smiled. “After reading Tan Qingshuang’s letter, I realized the timing of your appearance was off. At that time, Princess Changle and Fu Lingchuan weren’t in Inzi City, yet you were serving as a maid by Yun Ya’s side. You and Princess Changle, who had lived in Yan Kingdom for many years, are not the same person. Hehe, Fu Lingchuan previously found a fake princess to deceive the world—truly audacious.”
Paper cannot wrap fire. Feng Miaojun raised an eyebrow. “Speak plainly—what do you want?”
“It’s simple.” The Yan King smiled. “New Xia will cease trading with Wei. Whether it involves medicinal pills, food, weapons, or other war supplies, by any means, official or private—everything stops.”
Wei Kingdom’s current offensive was sweeping forward in grand style, largely connected to New Xia’s continuous supply. Breaking this trade relationship would certainly make Wei’s army retract.
“Demanding too much.” Feng Miaojun’s expression remained unchanged. “Do you know how much money New Xia will lose by stopping this trade?” And how many people would lose their jobs as a result?
“That’s your problem.” The Yan King laughed heartily, feeling he hadn’t been this carefree for a long time. “You can ignore it, but these people will certainly lose their heads.”
Madam Xu anxiously said, “Anan, don’t mind this madman!”
Before she could finish, the Yan King flipped his knife and knocked her unconscious with the flat of the blade.
With his skill, one strike could not only remove a human head but even slice off a mountaintop. Even though Feng Miaojun knew he had precisely controlled his force, she couldn’t help but feel her heart skip a beat. Yet she slowly leaned back in her chair, her face showing complete indifference. “I thought the Yan King qualified as a great ruler, but it seems I overestimated you. Do you think capturing these four people can threaten me?”
The Yan King’s gaze flickered. “Would you disregard your foster mother?”
“Mere four lives compared to the fate of a nation?” Feng Miaojun rested her chin on her hand, thinking. “Yes.”
She could still smile like a flower in bloom.
The Yan King said darkly, “Aren’t you afraid I’ll cut them into pieces and send them to Wuser City?”
“Remember to choose a pretty gift box.” Feng Miaojun smiled, though a fierce light flashed briefly in her eyes. “It can be reused for you and your princes later.”
“Keep in mind, they are at your disposal, but…” She leaned forward slightly. “If any harm comes to them and I learn of it, New Xia will immediately deploy troops to Yan, fighting alongside Wei. I can guarantee that when that happens, Yan Kingdom’s situation will be ten times worse than it is now. However you treat my foster mother, one day I will do the same to your favored consorts and princes.”