Chapter 1054: First Volume, Chapter 1054: The Long Road Home

First Volume, Chapter 1054: The Long Road Home

In front of the entire Beidi civil and military court, openly proclaiming intent to "steal" the Beidi Imperial Palace's Treasures?

In all of Heaven and Earth, only Qin Feng could pull off such a thing!

Had it not been known that Qin Feng had no lack of money, the officials present would have taken him for a thief.

Li Zhang was also startled by Qin Feng's audacious act; though he had already seized control of the Beidi Court, he was still ten thousand li away from full command.

Added to this, Qin Feng and Jing Qianying, two heavyweight figures, were about to leave Beidi and return to Shedynasty.

At this critical deadline, calming the officials and winning their loyalty was the top priority.

Yet Qin Feng deliberately did the opposite—wasn't this inviting gossip?

Whether called stealing or plundering, it was ultimately something hard to justify.

Li Zhang frowned sharply and waved his hand: "I am the acting Chancellor of Beidi—I forbid it! No one is allowed to take anything!"

Upon hearing this, every official present was moved to tears of gratitude.

The Treasures within the Imperial Palace belonged to all of Beidi; as an outsider, Li Zhang had fiercely protected them from being taken away—who could fail to be moved?

At that moment, the Eunuch added: "Lord Qin also said that the Ming Prince has a gift as well."

Li Zhang, who had just moments ago appeared dignified and upright, immediately pointed to the guards outside.

"You lead the way—let Lord Qin's people take whatever they want."

The Grand Hall fell silent; the officials exchanged bewildered glances, as if seeing ghosts.

Of course! People around Qin Feng were more shameless than the last.

As the Eunuch turned to leave, Li Zhang added: "Don't forget to pay!"

The Eunuch stopped dead, slowly turned back, and looked utterly confused—now that all of Beidi was Qin Feng's to take, why pay?

Taking your own things and still paying? What kind of logic is that?

"Chancellor, you just said… pay?"

Li Zhang nodded seriously: "This country belongs to His Majesty, not to Lord Qin. If you come here to take things, you must pay—isn't that only right?"

Though Li Zhang answered casually, his words carried deeper meaning: first, to tell the officials that he and Qin Feng were merely temporary administrators—the true power still rested with Jing Qianying.

And everything they did was for Beidi's benefit.

Second, making Qin Feng pay was meant to restrain him.

If it were free, Qin Feng's nature would lead him to empty the entire palace.

Though Qin Feng knew taking Beidi's Imperial Treasures would give others grounds to criticize him, he loved wealth too much; after weighing pros and cons, he would inevitably reach out his thief's hand anyway.

After all, money is the ultimate truth—if the profit is great enough, Qin Feng wouldn't hesitate to move the entire Wang Du.

The people of Changshui County were proof!

To everyone's eyes, Qin Feng's relocation of Changshui's populace was a thankless effort.

Few realized Qin Feng's calculations were precise: what mattered most these days? Labor force. The wealth Changshui's people could generate far outweighed the costs of transport.

Qin Feng's campaign against Beidi, helping Jing Qianying ascend—setting aside his relationship with her and his duty as a Liang citizen—the deepest root of his motive was, ultimately, money!

Qin Feng's wife had become the Bei Di Nü Huang; soon, he could boldly penetrate Beidi's commercial world and extract wealth from every angle.

In the end, every plan and action of Qin Feng inevitably carried profit-driven motives.

Qin Feng had long called himself a merchant and been mocked for it—but he had never lied.

His mouth spoke politics; his heart was all business!

The Eunuch departed as ordered; the officials wept with gratitude, Li Zhang's position was solidified, and Qin Feng obtained his desired Local Specialties.

As the saying goes: everyone was pleased, everything unfolded exactly as Qin Feng had arranged.

This seemingly outrageous, even shameless act brought substantial gains—and this was precisely why Li Zhang admired Qin Feng: even as he left, he still helped Li Zhang.

Each time Li Zhang thought of this, he felt a quiet helplessness.

With Qin Feng's strategy, civil and military prowess, Li Zhang knew he could never hope to match him in this lifetime.

…

Qin Feng obtained his desired "Local Specialties"—officially, Imperial Palace Treasures; in truth, merely "expensive but lightweight" cultural relics and paintings.

The people Qin Feng was returning to visit would never care for mere paintings.

He was just preparing to go home—he had to bring something back, after all. As the saying goes: a thief never leaves empty-handed.

The traveling party had been fully assembled: six horse-drawn carriages total.

Aside from the Imperial Road Carriage carrying Qin Feng and his party, the remaining five carriages were packed with Materials and Supplies.

The journey ahead was long—they must prepare thoroughly.

At dawn the next day, the party slowly departed from the City Gate, setting out on the road home; no one came to see Qin Feng off—not even Li Zhang had time.

As for the local populace, they were just glad he left without them cursing his back.

Qin Feng welcomed the quiet departure—this was true Lightly Equipped travel.

Tianji Camp Guards accompanied the convoy at all times, serving as Bodyguards.

One hundred Beixi Soldiers were split into two platoons of fifty each, leading the way and forming the Rear Guard.

Liu Ming led the Anwu Guard, spreading out across a twenty-Li radius to covertly monitor any movement.

Though the party was small, it was armed to the Teeth—unless a large army attacked, no ordinary bandits could threaten the convoy's safety.

Inside the Imperial Road Carriage, it was lively.

Finally going home—the five women were thrilled; even Jing Qianying leaned by the window, eyes bright with anticipation.

Shen Qingci was the most excited, repeatedly pushing open the wooden door to step outside and gaze ahead.

"At this pace, we'll reach Shedynasty in no more than a month."

"Finally going home—I miss Father, Mother, and Hongyan so much…"

Qin Feng lay comfortably on Xiao Xiangxiang's lap, his own legs crossed.

Although the temperature outside was still very low, a brazier was burning inside the carriage, making it warm and cozy, exceptionally comfortable.

Although Qin Feng didn't want to dampen Shen Qingci's spirits, as the saying goes, the greater the expectation, the greater the disappointment. To prevent Shen Qingci from being unable to handle it later, Qin Feng still prepared her psychologically in advance.

"There's still some time before spring arrives, and this is Sai Bei—heavy snow can fall at any moment."

"Once it snows, we'll have to set up a Military Garrison on the spot and won't be able to continue our journey."

"Moreover, this one month is only enough to reach the borders of the Shedynasty. If we want to rush back to Jingdu, all in all, it'll take at least a month and a half."

"When we can rush back depends entirely on whether the heavens cooperate."