Chapter 166

"Xingqiu, just now, the workshop had an incident."

Liu Yifei's brows were tightly furrowed, her face pale, looking utterly panicked.

"What happened?" he asked calmly.

Liu Yifei quickly recounted the entire sequence of events to him.

Originally, after Zhuge Yu led his troops back to the city, news of their uprising spread like wildfire through the streets. Half an hour ago, fully eighty percent of the merchants who had partnered with them flooded into the workshop. They claimed they feared tarnishing their reputations and refused to collaborate with rebels, demanding the return of all agreed-upon glassware and ores. It was already past noon; soon, they would come to reclaim their deposits. These deals were vital to the soldiers' pay—if the rations were cut, the army would mutiny, and that would be disastrous. Liu Yifei had intended to seek help from her father and Uncle Zhang, but upon hearing Jiang Mingyu had returned, she immediately sent for him.

"Don't want to cooperate with rebels?" Jiang Mingyu sneered. "These sycophants of Fei Hou actually have some spine."

He stood up, walked to the window, and pushed it open.

Outside was a scene of chaos.

The streets teemed with people, carts, and horses weaving through.

Not far away lay their workshop—equally packed with noise.

A group of merchants surrounded the workshop's entrance, shouting to get inside.

Several soldiers stood at the gate, long blades in hand, blocking them.

Jiang Mingyu narrowed his eyes, watching the scene. A fire of rage rose within him.

These merchants had supported them in their darkest hour.

But now, after Zhuge Yu returned to the city, they turned their backs.

Not only did they demand to return their goods, but also their deposits.

This was nothing short of crushing their morale and confidence.

Jiang Mingyu was not a man to be trifled with. Since these merchants wished to play games, he would play along.

"Yifei, don't panic," he turned to her and said, "this is not difficult."

Liu Yifei, seeing his cold smile, asked with even greater concern: "What are you planning? This concerns tens of thousands of soldiers and our revenge—handle it wisely."

She always felt Jiang Mingyu's smile was somehow off—almost dangerous.

Jiang Mingyu waved his hand toward the soldiers guarding the door: "Bring me the list of collaborators. Go summon every one of those bold merchants. I'd like to hear what grand principles they can spout in front of me, their rebel leader."

Liu Yifei wanted to speak, but seeing his expression, she swallowed her words. She stood silently to the side, waiting.

At that moment, hurried footsteps approached, followed by a man's voice.

"You must be Jiang Mingyu. No need to send messengers—we're already here."

Jiang Mingyu turned sharply, a dangerous smile curling on his lips.

"Good. You've come."

Jiang Mingyu faced the dozen merchants entering, his smile cold.

The merchants shouted at him, demanding their deposits.

Their eyes brimmed with greed and contempt—as if Jiang Mingyu were their defeated underling, at their mercy.

The lead merchant, a middle-aged man with a dark, bloated face, bellowed: "Jiang Mingyu, return our deposits at once! Or don't blame us for being ruthless!"

Jiang Mingyu narrowed his eyes and said firmly: "My army needs pay. The deposits will not be returned."

The merchant refused to yield, swept the ledger off the table with a violent gesture, and sneered: "Rebel! Do you think you can keep rebelling forever? Return the money, and we'll leave far away!"

Other merchants joined in, rummaging through accounts, yanking bolts of cloth toward the door.

Liu Yifei pleaded with them to stop, but they ignored her, growing even more violent, tearing down flags and trampling them.

They grabbed tools and materials, hurling them to the ground, some deliberately smashing them.

Their actions were brutal, disrespectful—utterly disregarding Jiang Mingyu.

Jiang Mingyu watched it all, his fury boiling over.

Jiang Mingyu was normally a calm man, but faced with these scoundrels, he could no longer hold back.

He barked: "Stop!"

"Listen to me—I won't return the deposits, but I can offer compensation..." Jiang Mingyu began, but the lead merchant scrambled to his feet, his grin twisted, shouting over him: "Compensation? We want our deposits! Do you think calling yourself righteous lets you fool us?"

"Who do you think you are? You're just a rebel! You owe us money—you must pay! If you don't, we'll smash this place to pieces!"

"Yes! Smash it! Smash it!"

"Listen well! Today, you pay us back. After this, you be your rebel, we be our merchants—never again."

Other merchants laughed derisively, ransacking the workshop further. Liu Yifei saw Jiang Mingyu's face darken, a chilling premonition rising in her chest.

More merchants entered the doorway, shouting they would burn the shop down.

Jiang Mingyu's face turned like cold iron; his eyes began radiating terrifying killing intent...

"I need not explain my status. To act so brazenly—do you not fear I'll cut your heads off?"

The lead fat merchant chuckled: "Jiang Mingyu, don't think being a rebel makes us afraid. I'm a prominent man in this Yasi Mo Regional Military Commissioner's city. If you dare touch me, tomorrow the people will trample you into mud!"

Jiang Mingyu replied coldly: "I command a large army that crushed forty thousand Xixia iron cavalry. What are you, a few merchants, to me?"

The fat merchant's face changed instantly; he forced a laugh: "Ah, ah, we were just joking. Don't get angry. We're reasonable people."

Jiang Mingyu smiled faintly, a chill spreading through the air: "My greatest flaw? I never believe threats. Since you refuse to cooperate, I offer you only one path—death."

"You—!" The fat merchant's eyes widened, his face turning ashen.

"Guards!" Jiang Mingyu ordered. Several strong soldiers entered and swiftly subdued the merchants.

"What are you doing? We're respected men! How dare you treat us like this!" The fat merchant struggled, shouting.

Jiang Mingyu said coldly: "I'll make you understand—Jiang Mingyu is no pushover. Since you refused to cooperate, don't blame me for seizing your property and executing you."

The fat merchant collapsed to the ground, like a mouse facing a cat.

When Jiang Mingyu mentioned beheading them, the fat merchant's face turned deathly pale, sweat rolling from his forehead, soaking his thick eyebrows, dripping into his eyes and mouth, leaving a salty taste.

His thin body trembled uncontrollably; he knelt on the floor, his knees shaking violently, thudding against the ground.

When he heard Jiang Mingyu would also confiscate their family assets, the fat merchant shivered like a withered leaf in autumn wind, his face whiter than paper.

"Jiang! You're cruel and greedy—you'd seize our homes? You deserve to die!" The fat merchant pointed at Jiang Mingyu, voice trembling with rage. His teeth chattered, lips quivering, fury boiling over.

"Even if you kill us today, when the Emperor's army arrives, they'll tear you to pieces!" The fat merchant cursed viciously, eyes bloodshot as if spitting fire, his neck veins bulging like a galloping steed, gasping for breath, fists clenched.

Jiang Mingyu sneered: "How my fate unfolds—you won't live to see it." His tone was icy, confident—as if his success were certain, and these merchants' lives irrelevant.

"By the way, you didn't know—two days ago, I personally ordered the excavation of Fei Hou's ancestral graves." Jiang Mingyu slowed his speech, enunciating each word with chilling precision.

Everyone froze, faces etched with shock and disbelief. The news struck like thunder—utterly unexpected.

"If even ancestral graves can't be protected, do you really think Fei Hou will avenge you?" Jiang Mingyu mocked, showing not the slightest regard for the merchants.

Even Liu Yifei, who had remained silent, widened her eyes, her delicate face revealing unmistakable terror. She never imagined the Jiang Mingyu who spoke gently to her had personally ordered the desecration of Fei Hou's ancestral tombs—such ruthless cruelty sent a chill down her spine.

The others were still reeling, dazed by the revelation. But Jiang Mingyu had grown weary of their posturing. He glanced at them with icy, blade-like eyes and ordered: "Enough. Guards—take them out and execute them on the street."

Jiang Mingyu's tone held no hesitation—he was utterly resolved to kill them. The sudden doom left the merchants stunned, their faces instantly ashen.

Seeing a line of fully armed soldiers advancing, the fat merchant and others collapsed to their knees, limbs numb.

"My lord, forgive us! We were wrong! We'll cooperate—please spare our lives!" The fat merchant begged, voice trembling.

The other merchants followed, banging their heads on the ground, the thuds echoing as they pleaded for mercy.

Upon learning Jiang Mingyu had personally ordered the desecration of Fei Hou's ancestral graves, the merchants lost all will to resist, kneeling and pounding their foreheads, begging for forgiveness.

But Jiang Mingyu sneered, his eyes devoid of warmth: "Too late. Your fates are sealed. Guards—take them out and execute them."

The merchants were dragged away roughly; the fat merchant, knowing death was certain, screamed curses: "Jiang Mingyu, you beast! I curse you to hell!"

Jiang Mingyu ignored his curses, his face expressionless as he ordered: "Confiscate their property, arrest their families. The men sent to the frontier; the women assigned to the workshop—never to rise again."

Liu Yifei, horrified by his cruelty, pleaded: "Jiang Lang, spare the innocent families."

But Jiang Mingyu insisted: "They must be punished severely—to establish my authority. Right now, our priority is finding new buyers for our goods. Don't concern yourself with this."

Though uneasy, Liu Yifei could only obey Jiang Mingyu's decision.

Liu Yifei hesitated: "Perhaps Wang Zhe should handle the contacts—he has wide connections and could find buyers."

Jiang Mingyu shook his head slowly: "Wang Zhe has connections, but we can't rely solely on him. I have another idea—let's try it."

He took Liu Yifei's hand and said gently: "I plan to post public notices inviting every major merchant in the city to bid for our goods. What do you think?"

"Bid?" Liu Yifei stared at him, bewildered.

Jiang Mingyu smiled fondly: "They compete against each other. Whoever offers the highest price gets the goods. That's called bidding."

"We sell to the highest bidder—he becomes our agent. We deliver the goods; he handles sales. We earn more, and it's simpler."

Liu Yifei understood at once, nodding eagerly: "I see! Jiang Lang, you're brilliant—now we just collect the money!"

Jiang Mingyu grinned: "Once the notices go up, many will rush to bid. Soon, chests of silver will flood in—we won't know how to spend it all!"