Chapter 514 - 496 Negotiations
Second Brother, are you married?
Married?
He actually got married in the Beiman territory? Why is Second Brother still reading the letter, without refuting anything? At the very least, he should say he’s a Yanyang person, and doesn’t need to abide by Beiman marriage customs. Marriage is just an illusion, not something real. How could the heavens and Heavenly God he worshipped in Beiman mean anything?
Fengyu finally remembered her role. At this moment, she needed to remain composed; otherwise, not only would Fang Chuning suspect her, but even Dugu Jing would be doubtful.
"Second Brother, are you married?" Fengyu’s voice sounded so shocked it almost broke pitch. She wasn’t acting; she was truly surprised.
Xie Jue finished reading all the letters, seemingly just listening to what Dugu Jing had said and what Fengyu had asked. His expression was calm. "Yes."
Fang Chuning: "..."
Dugu Jing sneered, "Second Young Master is straightforward indeed. I thought you’d deny this marriage."
Fengyu reclaimed Xie Xun’s character, replying in a steady voice, "Second Brother used a fake identity in Beiman, so naturally the marriage is fake and cannot be considered real. In our Yanyang, marriage must adhere to the principles of parental consent and matchmaker arrangements. Second Brother is a Yanyang person; he doesn’t need to follow Beiman customs. Not just anything can enter the doors of the Xie Family."
Fengyu reflected silently. Yes, good—that is exactly what Xie Zhixu would say.
There was absolutely no way they’d acknowledge this marriage.
"Brother Fang, don’t you agree?" Fengyu wasn’t forgetting to turn to her ally for agreement.
Fang Chuning’s expression was complex as he held his tea, looking like a mute whose tongue had suddenly been ripped out. Unable to say a word, he could only sip his tea to conceal his embarrassment.
Would he confess to wearing women’s clothing and performing the marriage rites with Xie Jue?
He would never admit it.
His father would break his legs!!!
This clueless scoundrel Dugu Jing, daring to bring it up in front of Xie Xun—thankfully Xie Xun didn’t know it was him. Fengyu was confused as to why Fang Chuning wasn’t siding with her in this.
Xie Jue said coldly, "Don’t get off-topic in negotiations—focus on the main matter."
Fengyu felt the warning from Second Brother and behaved as obediently as a quail, not daring to act recklessly. Yet her heart itched furiously—she simply had to inform Zhixu; there was no way she’d be frightened alone.
Dugu Jing sneered. Xie Jue truly wouldn’t admit to the Beiman marriage—it had been concealed so well back then that everyone had been duped.
Xie Jue put away the letters. With these letters, Yuwen Jing’s crimes were irrefutable, and the Ningzhou Iron Cavalry would have justification to march. Xie Jue looked at Dugu Jing. "In this instance, after Beiman’s defeat and retreat to Sha Ling Tian Mountain, the ceasefire agreement you signed with Yanyang still stands. I will continue to send people to build townships below Qianling Town. This time, Beiman must compensate the Ningzhou Iron Cavalry’s military expenses for deployment. I don’t want your gold, jewelry, or grains—each year, I need ten thousand units of red sandstone mines as payment."
"Xie Jue, that’s extortion!" Dugu Jing growled angrily. "Red sandstone mines are scarce and precious for us too; we need them to produce ten thousand sets of armor and weapons every year—that’s an entire year’s worth of military supply."
"Three years ago, I should’ve made you understand one thing: a defeated country has no right to negotiate terms with me. Now that I’m setting aside deep-seated hatred to discuss this with you, you need to learn to be sensible and stop haggling." Xie Jue’s voice was icy, showing no intention of further debate.
The sort of negotiation scene that happened three years ago would never appear again.
Dugu Jing seethed with rage. "I’m already giving you evidence of Yuwen Jing’s crimes, and offering you ten thousand units of red sandstone mines annually—what do I get in return? Surely you won’t let me walk away empty-handed? If you insist on this, I’ll just go back to working with Yuwen Jing, and we’ll both perish together!"
Seeing this, Fengyu quickly tried to smooth things over. "Ninth Prince, we’re all adults—let’s not act impulsively. Let’s negotiate reasonably. What is it that you want?"
Negotiations like this were rare and couldn’t afford to fall apart!
Dugu Jing saw Xie Jue remain silent while Fang Chuning continued sipping his tea. He realized that Xie Xun, as the commander-in-chief of the military, also had the authority to decide. "In this case, the deployment of Beiman troops was truly out of necessity. This year, the winter in Beiman was extremely harsh—food production was poor, and livestock froze to death. Since the Yanyang people refuse to let us winter in Ningzhou, at least provide us with sufficient grain and warm clothing every winter, and consider expanding the new township to accommodate at least sixty thousand people."
"So that means tripling its size?" Fengyu had reviewed the construction plans for New Town. Xie Jue had ordered a design for the town that was only one-tenth the size of Ningzhou, meant to hold just twenty thousand people.
Fang Chuning sneered. "Ninth Prince, you’re truly greedy. Tripling its size—to expand it east of the Shaling River? After crossing the Shaling River, would you start grazing livestock outside Ningzhou City’s suburb farmlands, eventually encroaching on our Ningzhou lands?"
"The proposed townsite is on flat plains, without natural barriers. It’s easy to attack but hard to defend. I only hope more civilians can come out for the winter; there’s no need to worry. I promise the Beiman people will never cross the Shaling River." Dugu Jing retreated slightly. "If anyone crosses the Shaling River and gets caught, their life and death will be up to your discretion."
Fengyu couldn’t help but glance at Xie Jue. These terms seemed somewhat negotiable, though she was uncertain what Xie Jue and Fang Chuning thought. Xie Jue pondered numerous consequences.
If the town expanded, the land around the Shaling River north and south would inevitably become an area frequented by the Beiman people. Conflicts with Ningzhou villagers tending livestock would be unavoidable.
Once the population clustered there, migration would spill over to the opposite side of the Shaling River. A single house built would set a precedent—if the State Mansion turned a blind eye, a second house would be built, and eventually nomadic tribes would follow the fertile land and migrate. The Ningzhou City outskirts would inevitably be occupied by Beiman people.
If it were only civilians, that would be easier to handle. However, if it led to military conflicts, injuries and casualties were inevitable, and the Ningzhou Iron Cavalry couldn’t always guard against them.
"Impossible!" Xie Jue refused outright. "No negotiations. I can provide you with additional grain and cotton-padded clothes for the winter, but expanding the town is absolutely out of the question."
"Second Young Master, even if Xie Xun ascends to become the Emperor of Yanyang in the future, the Ningzhou Iron Cavalry will still be led by your Xie Family. It will likely still be you guarding the frontier—you don’t trust yourself to manage one town beyond the border?" Dugu Jing couldn’t resist a jab.
Xie Jue’s demeanor remained calm as he replied. "I already have a son. If all goes well, he will be guarding the frontier and commanding the Ningzhou Iron Cavalry twenty years from now. If I agreed to expand the town, then thirty years later my son would have to toil to mediate conflicts between Beiman and Ningzhou. I am a loving father—I would never let him suffer. This matter is non-negotiable."
Dugu Jing: "..."
Fengyu suddenly thought of a good idea. "Second Brother, Ninth Prince—how about merging Qianling Town and New Town? That way, there’d be no need to expand New Town. These two towns would be assigned to you. We, Yanyang people, wouldn’t settle in New Town unless marrying the Beiman, and you wouldn’t cross east of the Shaling River. That way, everyone stays in their lane and governs separately."