Chapter 120: First Volume, Chapter 120: Enemy of the Noble Youth

First Volume, Chapter 120: Enemy of the Noble Youth

Zhao Zhangfu thought he'd misheard—this morning, Wuhu Da Jiu Lou was still under renovation, so how had it begun trial operations by nightfall?

Could Qin Feng Xiao'er be worried something would go wrong, forcing things to rush ahead?

Wuhu Da Jiu Lou was indeed not fully renovated, especially the upstairs Yajian, where Lu Ming was working day and night to finish—but even so, it wouldn't be done until tomorrow.

But the First Floor Main Hall was nearly complete and ready to receive guests.

Qin Feng chose to begin trial operations now precisely to divert attention.

Right now, half of Jingdu's focus was fixed on Zui Xian Lou; with no troublemakers causing scenes, this was the perfect moment for Qin Feng to promote Wuhu Da Jiu Lou.

And since it was trial operations, the target clientele was clearly chosen: Confucian Scholars and beggars.

But to avoid offending the Confucian Scholars, they would be served first, then beggars invited separately.

Whether through the pens of the scholars or the legs of the beggars, Wuhu Da Jiu Lou's promotion would be maximized, building momentum for tomorrow's official opening.

On the way to Zui Xian Lou, Qin Feng had already instructed Lin Quqi—he was a scholar himself, a well-known Confucian Scholar from Jiangnan; with him present, the scholars would naturally accept it.

Qin Feng's feud with Zui Xian Lou was known throughout Jingdu, but no one expected Wuhu Da Jiu Lou, despite all its setbacks, would still open on schedule…

But even if it opened, what difference would it make? A rushed, shoddy wine house—how could it compare to Zui Xian Lou, which had operated for years?

Everyone didn't just doubt Qin Feng—they turned sarcastic, eager to use this chance to distance themselves from Qin Feng and curry favor with the Second Prince.

"I thought Qin Feng could hold onto the sugar trade—even if not a business genius, at least a competent merchant. Now he dares challenge Zui Xian Lou's authority in the wine house business? He's clearly lost his mind."

Some wine house Shopkeepers couldn't help smirking.

"Zui Xian Lou stands behind the Second Prince; after operating in Jingdu for so long, its reputation is established and its clientele stable. Even if all casual customers stopped coming, the patrons eager to flatter the Second Prince alone would keep Zui Xian Lou firmly seated as Jingdu's top dining establishment."

"True. Ten casual customers bundled together can't match the profit margin of one loyal customer. Forget whether Qin Feng can dethrone Zui Xian Lou—Qin Feng once vowed to destroy it. Even if he stole every casual customer in Jingdu, he still couldn't bring Zui Xian Lou down."

"Given Qin Feng's current relationship with the Second Prince, dining at his wine house is equivalent to slapping the Second Prince's face. It's just a meal—who would risk such a thing?"

"That's no lie. Qin Feng has grown too arrogant and too idealistic. He truly thinks all businesses are the same? Ha, watch—he'll lose every penny he made from sugarcane to this wine house, smashing his own foot with a stone for the sake of a moment's verbal satisfaction."

Zhao Zhangfu had been somewhat worried, since Qin Feng Xiao'er was famously cunning.

But hearing the murmurs around him, Zhao Zhangfu's last trace of caution vanished—he even felt foolish, like a man who'd been bitten by a snake and feared every well for ten years, overestimating Qin Feng.

The wine house business isn't like sugarcane—it's about personal connections and social ties. Take Zui Xian Lou's loyal patrons: even if Qin Feng paid them to go, they'd never set foot in that damn Wuhu Da Jiu Lou.

Without these "high-spending" patrons, Qin Feng Xiao'er couldn't stir up any waves.

Qin Feng offered no defense—his goal today was merely to announce the opening. Whether guests flooded in or the doors stood empty, tomorrow would reveal the truth.

Ignoring the atmosphere, Qin Feng cleared his throat and continued: "The third matter concerns tomorrow's Qingyi Ceremony."

At these words, the hall fell silent; everyone exchanged glances, then soon, discordant voices erupted.

"Everyone, disperse. Qin Feng is just mocking us. The Qingyi Ceremony is one of the pre-war grand rites—attendees must be Imperial Relatives or Court Heavy Ministers. What do we have to do with it?"

"Ha! Young Master Qin, are you trying to make us join the martial selection and rush to the Front Line to shed blood? Let him keep that honor for himself!"

The court youths reacted so fiercely because the Emperor himself would attend to observe the Qingyi Ceremony, and participants, even if not Wu Jiang Hou Ren, had trained in martial arts since childhood.

In contrast, these "Level Three Cripple" youths, drained of vitality by wine, women, wealth, and luxury, had no purpose attending the Qingyi Ceremony except to bring shame upon their own families.

Qin Feng clearly set a trap—to use the Qingyi Ceremony to suppress the other Noble Youth of Jingdu!

Hidden in the crowd, Li Rui seized the chance to fan the flames, standing abruptly and shouting: "Qin Feng Xiao'er, in his lust for power and favor, only knows to 'sacrifice' the Noble Youth of Jingdu, committing filthy, self-serving acts—he is the enemy of the Noble Youth!"

"We must unite in righteous anger and resist Qin Feng!"

The Jingzhong court youths had long resented Qin Feng; now with someone leading, they erupted in chorus, denouncing him as a pariah who deserved to be beaten by all.

Under Li Rui's incitement, what began as resistance to attending the Qingyi Ceremony had fully transformed into outright opposition to Qin Feng.

Seeing this, Liu Hongyan grew tense.

Though these Jingdu youths were no good, they still held pivotal positions in the capital—if Qin Feng truly became the enemy of the Noble Youth circle, no matter what this boy did in the future, he'd find every step agonizing.

Liu Hongyan was about to rise and defend Qin Feng when Shen Qingci grabbed her arm.

"Sister, why are you holding me back?" Liu Hongyan frowned, puzzled, looking at Shen Qingci.

Shen Qingci, though deeply worried herself, pointed to Qin Feng on the viewing platform: "That boy isn't worried—why should we be?"

Hearing this, Liu Hongyan looked toward the platform and saw Qin Feng standing there as if nothing had happened, hands behind his back, grinning foolishly, watching the crowd like a spectator at a show—as if none of this had anything to do with him.

How big is this brat's heart?!

At this moment, the crowd began to realize.

Wait—what's the point of us making such a fuss? Qin Feng isn't even responding! All this shouting just makes us look ridiculous.

The atmosphere turned strange: everyone was furious, yet the anger couldn't be released, and gradually the hall fell silent—some even blushed in embarrassment.