Chapter 1138: First Volume, Chapter 1138: The Killing Intent at the Wedding Venue

First Volume, Chapter 1138: The Killing Intent at the Wedding Venue

Although everyone admired Qin Feng's vast network—he knew everyone from all walks of life.

Yet they still sneered at the gift Liu Yunxia had sent.

Qin Feng, however, did not reject it at all; he accepted the hen and the cash gift.

He casually tossed the three hundred copper coins into the donation box and handed the hen to a servant, smiling broadly: "Now this is a proper gift!"

"Everyone sends silver—it's just too vulgar."

"Go, boil that hen. Tomorrow, serve it to the Imperial Consorts to nourish their bodies."

The servant took the old hen, bowed deeply, and hurried off.

Unbeknownst to them… Qin Feng's offhand remark triggered a chain reaction.

Guests who had not attended, upon learning Qin Feng disliked silver and preferred tonic gifts, sent only precious medicinal herbs after Liu Yunxia's offering.

Qin Feng frowned at the sight.

Though the old saying goes: "Friends coming from afar—isn't that a joy?"

Their willingness to attend the wedding banquet was a favor to Qin Feng, and he was naturally pleased.

But this stench of copper tainted his spirit.

Qin Feng did not hate money—rather, he hated… the source of this money.

The elite and nobles of Jingzhong, no matter how large their salaries, could not sustain their extravagant lifestyles and daily consumption—yet each guest at Qin Feng's wedding banquet spent lavishly.

Easily thousands of taels of silver.

In the end, the wool comes from the sheep—wasn't this money merely scraped from the people?

Qin Feng immediately gave an order.

"All cash gifts received today, except those from close friends and family, shall be sent to the Ministry of Revenue to fund next spring's southern campaign against the Powerful Clans."

Hearing this, the guests once again regarded Qin Feng with solemn respect.

Just then, the guest reception servant's voice rang out again—but this time, it trembled violently.

"What?!"

"Your Highness, look!"

The reception servant nearly blurted out the gift list's contents—but at the last moment, he clamped his mouth shut, avoiding disaster.

Qin Feng took the gift list, glanced at it, and froze.

"Jiangnan Governor Zhao Chi presents fifty heads of Nan Jing civilians…"

Before Qin Feng could recover, a Ministry of War Official arrived, panting heavily.

Seeing Qin Feng at the gate, the official exhaled in relief and hurried to his side, whispering urgently.

"Your Highness, we've just received word: a massacre occurred in Fuyun County."

"Fifty innocent men and women were slaughtered, all beheaded—their heads displayed along the Official Road…"

"Beneath the heads, we found a letter… it read… it read…"

Seeing the official stammer, Qin Feng's face turned ashen; he sneered coldly: "Does it say… this is a wedding gift for me?"

The Ministry of War Official's eyes widened in awe: "No wonder Your Highness is so perceptive!"

Qin Feng's eyes turned icy; he snapped: "Still flattering me? I'll cut out your tongue!"

Shaken by Qin Feng's outburst, the official fell silent, swallowed hard, and stammered: "Your Highness, we've already dispatched men to investigate."

"According to preliminary reports, a Merchant Caravan recently arrived from the South."

"They claimed to bring you a wedding gift—but after entering Fuyun County, they vanished without reaching Jingzhong."

"We sent scouts to the Yizhan and outposts—none saw the caravan. Thus, we deduce… this caravan is the true culprit."

Though Qin Feng was furious—the official had no sense of propriety; fifty innocent civilians had been murdered, yet he still had the nerve to flatter.

Yet seeing how swiftly and accurately the official had pieced together the facts, Qin Feng's rage subsided somewhat.

The Ministry of War Official, noticing the Residence was still bustling, lowered his voice further.

"Before coming here, I consulted the Undersecretary."

"The Undersecretary's view: today is the Qin Family's great joy—best not to make a scene. He ordered me to dispatch a few men to pursue them quietly."

The Undersecretary's arrangement was prudent—but such quiet action would never catch those scoundrels.

And…

These fifty innocent civilians, though from Nan Jing, were still subjects of Shedynasty.

Even if those warlords and Powerful Clans treated them as grass, Qin Feng could not ignore their deaths.

Qin Feng immediately roared: "What's there to hide?!"

The once-bustling, joyous Residence fell utterly silent at Qin Feng's sharp cry.

Countless eyes turned toward him.

Qin Feng paid no mind; his gaze was glacial: "Anyone who harms Shedynasty's people—even if they flee to the ends of the earth—shall be executed on the spot!"

"Southern bandits, since you've sent fifty innocent lives as a wedding gift, I shall return the courtesy."

"Go now—carry my imperial order straight to the Dragon-Tiger Army Camp—and inform the Deputy General."

"Deploy five hundred light cavalry—ride hard and fast—to intercept these bastards before they escape the Jingji!"

"If they resist, massacre them all!"

The Ministry of War Official dared not delay; he bowed deeply and hurried off.

Qin Feng stood at the gate, pondering silently.

Though the Dragon-Tiger Army's light cavalry was swift, the enemy had already reached Fuyun County and turned away.

The time gap was too great—even if the cavalry raced nonstop out of Jingji, they might not catch them.

To wipe out these scoundrels, Qin Feng turned around and shouted to the guests in the courtyard: "Are the Jinyi Guards present!"

The Jinyi Guards?!

The guests present exchanged uneasy glances. They certainly knew the Jinyi Guards' fearsome reputation, but today was the Qin Family's day of great celebration—how could those "harbingers of disaster," the Jinyi Guards, possibly show up here?

Before the crowd could collect themselves, two Jinyi Guards in Huayi, disguised in plain clothes, jogged up to Qin Feng under the stunned gazes of everyone present.

"Your Highness, what are your orders!"

Qin Feng did not waste words. He cut straight to the point: "Beidi War Command—investigate the identities of these Nan Jing bandit soldiers thoroughly, and place them on the Jinyi Guards' must-kill list!"

"No time limit, no boundary limit—pursue and kill them to the ends of the earth!"

"Unless every last one of them is dead, this Military Order of mine remains in effect forever!"

The two Jinyi Guards did not hesitate in the slightest. They cupped their fists at once, turned, and left.

The guests present, however, had gone deathly pale.

The overwhelming killing intent radiating from Qin Feng clashed jarringly with the festive atmosphere of the scene.

Moreover…

The crowd firmly believed that, apart from those two Jinyi Guards who had just left, there must still be plenty of Jinyi Guards lying in wait, conducting Surveillance on the scene.

This was… the terrifying aspect of Qin Feng!

The fear in their eyes as they looked at Qin Feng gradually deepened.

Just as the atmosphere on site grew increasingly icy, Qin Feng let out a long breath and put on a smiling face once more.

"Ladies and gentlemen, pay it no mind. Let the music continue!"