Chapter 610: Chapter 610

"Ah..." The First Madam was greatly disappointed. Su Yuejiao, who had been teasing Ruyi beside her, really wanted to jab at her with a sharp comment about her unrealistically high ambitions. If it wasn’t for the fact that their relationship was gradually improving, she would have loved to mock her with a few biting words.

Although Feng Ling was her own daughter, Su Yuejiao, who had spent many years in the military, watched Xie Jue maturing from a young lad into a think tank. Feng Ling’s disposition was clearly unfit to win the Second Young Master’s favor.

She was dreaming an impossible dream!

The matters at home had gradually calmed down, but chaos loomed in the Capital City.

Since the implementation of the new political reform, the Feng Family had already set an example, offering up all its land holdings alongside those of the Su Family. According to the reform’s stipulations, equal treatment was given to all registered households. Each household was allocated fixed plots of land, and any surplus land was turned over to Beining, for unified management by the Ministry of Revenue. While everyone had the right to lease additional land from the Ministry, there was an upper limit on the acreage one individual could lease. The person-tax was abolished, and controls over household registration in Beining were significantly relaxed. Previously, farmers and artisans had no freedom of movement, were unable to sell their labor, and were subject to strict regulation by the local State Mansions.

Now, all restrictions have been lifted. Farmers and artisans can move freely in and out of any city within Beining, freely selling their labor and expertise. Additionally, on top of emphasizing agriculture, there has been increased support for commerce and industry.

The Feng Family is now divided into two households: keeping only a fraction of its original land holdings for itself. The rest was either surrendered or, after renting the prescribed acreage, converted into resource exchanges, securing control over three streets’ worth of commercial properties in return.

Already a key member of the Kyoto Chamber of Commerce, Fengyu has now officially become its President. Encouraged and supported by her, most of the merchants in the Capital City are willing to cooperate in implementing the reform.

The new policy benefits merchants far more than it harms them—indeed, it could be said to benefit all of Beining more than it harms, except for the old noble clans.

It equates to an enormous redistribution of societal wealth. While the distribution remains uneven, it has significantly promoted population growth and increased grain production.

The resistance from noble clans has been conspicuous. During Commerce Association meetings, Fengyu often discusses how merchants should unite and develop amidst the pressures of implementing the reform, inevitably addressing the suppression they face from aristocrats in the Capital and the clans’ ongoing resistance. Dıscover more novels at NovєlFіre.net

One shopkeeper commented, "Both Ms. Cai and the Li Family have sent people to contact me, hoping our Commerce Association will continue to serve their interests. They demanded that forty percent of our annual revenue still be handed over to them. When we refused, they became furious and issued threats, claiming they would make it impossible for our trade to survive in the Capital."

"Our family’s elderly master was invited for tea by them just a few days ago. The conversation was likely about passively resisting the reforms and sticking to the status quo. While we’ve all been cooperating with the reform, they’re still dreaming of clinging to the old ways."

The group debated endlessly, but Fengyu had anticipated these developments.

Collusion between officials and merchants was commonplace.

Merchants, historically low in social status, were granted far greater freedom under the reform. For example, if a merchant wanted to run a business in the Capital City, they previously had to navigate a maze of relationships and align with a noble clan, allowing themselves to be exploited at every turn simply to avoid layers of additional extortionary charges.

Of course, avoiding those extra layers meant falling directly into the noble clan’s grasp. Merchants were left with no choice but to suffer the exploitation—for if they wanted stability, they had to work with the aristocracy.

Else, how could century-old families exist? It wasn’t just inherited assets that sustained them; it was the power dynamics that kept them afloat. Although merchants were being exploited for their wealth, they at least avoided trouble and could count on a powerful benefactor to shield them from adversity.

The greater the power of the noble clans, the stronger the merchants’ survival networks. As a result, merchants were invariably tangled in intricate relationships with the aristocracy, often falling prey to exploitation by multiple factions.

Both the Feng and Su Families originally relied on the Marquis Zhenbei Mansion as their backing.

To thrive and grow strong, relying solely on the merchants’ independent efforts was out of the question—this was a society dictated by power.

Nowadays, while the noble clans still wish to maintain such control, the merchants have instinctively united in resistance.

Because behind them stands the Empress.

The Empress doesn’t exploit them.

However, Fengyu shares an understanding with them: take from the people to give back to the people. After merchants accumulate wealth, they are encouraged to do good deeds, cooperate to stabilize prices, and ensure the smooth circulation and operation of goods.

This allows her to seize control of Beining’s economic lifeblood.

The Yuwen Royal Family has been marginalized—at its core, because it lacks military authority and financial power. Now, military authority resides with Xie Xun while financial power lies with Fengyu. Xie Xun can firmly consolidate his position on the throne. Anyone with insight can see Fengyu’s intent, but they are powerless to stop her. Fengyu now leads the merchants along with Beining’s most significant power nucleus in a resistance against the noble clans.

Lin Helin hadn’t anticipated Fengyu’s remarkable cohesiveness, nor her assertive personality. She seized power at the crucial junction of the reform, giving the noble clans no buffer. She practically revealed all her intentions openly.

Manager Wang and Manager Wen expressed concerns about her situation. "Miss, with us rallying the merchants in resistance, what if the noble clans are pushed too far and retaliate desperately?"

"Desperate retaliation? Do they intend to kill me? This is the Capital City; don’t worry. Nuanyang, Feiying, and Zhang Dadu are here. Additionally, three of Second Brother’s personal guards are by my side. They can’t touch me." Fengyu had long been disgusted by the noble clans’ ambitions. While it’s true that overly concentrated royal power can be problematic, humans must balance benefits and drawbacks as they go.

Standing beside Xie Xun, she naturally opposed the noble clans continuing their arrogance. If she were on opposing ground to Xie Xun, she wouldn’t hope the new emperor would hold absolute power. A single hegemony spells eventual trouble for the world—three factions in mutual checks and balances would be the ideal scenario.

However, within a tripartite balance, royal authority must have a say!

After solving the issue of the noble clans, she would wait for Second Brother’s return to the court to discuss further strategies for resolution.

Merchants, suppressed and exploited for years, had long yearned for an opportunity to rise. Now, with Fengyu—the largest merchant in Beining—backing them, their confidence surged, and they rallied eagerly around her.

Lin Helin, growing weary of the noble clans and their endless meddling, no longer wanted to attend court. Although Lin Hongyuan was aligned with him, he lacked Lin Helin’s resolve and had begun to waver under the pressure. However, the Lin Family had already surrendered all excess land and committed fully to the reform. Thus, Hongyuan couldn’t afford to drag Helin down and could only counsel him against impatience, urging a policy of gradual appeasement over immediate confrontation.

Under Zhang Boju’s stewardship, the Zhang Family is also slowly moving in the right direction, fully cooperating with the reform. Marquis An Yuan, a branch of the Zhou Family, has left the Capital. In his absence, the Marchioness and other ladies of the Zhou Family have maintained contact with influential figures, persuading them not to engage in outright resistance.

The Cai and Li Families, however, are putting up the fiercest resistance, leveraging their marriage alliances to maneuver within the chaos. Every household within the noble clans in the Capital harbors its own share of contentious issues—what a tangled mess!

Elder Li originally intended to persuade Grandmaster Zhang to join forces with Lin Hongyuan and others, but after being chastised by Xie Xun in the Jinluan Palace, Grandmaster Zhang lost all motivation. Additionally, with Zhongzhou’s rebellion underway and Xie Xun leading troops into battle, Grandmaster Zhang no longer wished for upheaval in the Capital and politely declined Elder Li’s proposal.

A servant of three emperors, he now harbors deep apprehension.

The outlook for the new dynasty is overwhelmingly positive. Individual efforts, or even the efforts of several clans combined, can do nothing to alter this trajectory. The future empress in the Capital has made her stance unmistakably clear.

Those who align with me will prosper; those who oppose me will perish!