Chapter 1271

First Volume, Chapter 1271: This Man Is No Ordinary Fish

Jing Qianying snorted in disdain: "One day each, taking turns to keep you company? You really think you can get away with that!"

"Do you think you're the Emperor now?"

At these words, Jing Qianying fell silent, turned to Li Xiaolan, and apologized: "Sister, don't misunderstand—I…"

Before Jing Qianying could finish, Li Xiaolan had already smiled and shaken her head.

"It doesn't matter. I've long stopped caring."

"From the beginning, His Majesty never felt any father-daughter affection for me—he saw me as nothing but a pawn."

"Besides, I grew up with my mother in Beixi County; I have no feelings for him either."

"He knew full well how much the Qin Family means to me, yet for the sake of his power, he still struck at them without hesitation."

"Just for this one reason, father and daughter are already severed beyond repair."

Saying this, Li Xiaolan turned to Qin Feng and suddenly spoke words that shocked them all.

"The Northern Border and the court will inevitably clash."

"Husband and His Majesty will eventually come to blows."

"If you lose, I will die with you; if you win, you'll be no different from the Emperor."

"So now that we've reached this point, sister, you needn't hold back your words."

With Li Xiaolan saying this, Jing Qianying naturally stopped hesitating; she and the three women all turned to Qin Feng.

But they found Qin Feng with his hands behind his head, legs crossed, comfortably reclining in the Reclining Chair, admiring the view before him.

The four women exchanged glances, then simultaneously shook their heads and chuckled.

"Where's the imperial aura in our husband?"

"Indeed, in all Heaven and Earth, only our husband has no trace of royal bearing."

"Hehe, the young master's always been carefree."

"Come to think of it, whether Prince or Emperor, the title of Marquis suits him better."

"That's not true—imperial aura must be cultivated over time. Even the Emperor of Liang wasn't like this before he became Emperor."

"If becoming Emperor changes a man's nature, then our husband shouldn't become Emperor at all."

"Mmm… I agree. If one day our husband truly becomes Emperor of Liang, seeing him might become as hard as climbing to heaven."

"Exactly! Husband, don't you dare take the throne!"

Qin Feng said nothing, thinking: Let whoever wants it take the throne—I couldn't care less.

The Emperor may seem to wield supreme authority, dazzling and glorious, but in truth, he's constrained at every turn, with no freedom at all.

If he fulfills his duties faithfully, he'll live a miserable life—even the time he spends with his wife is strictly limited by Eunuchs.

Too few visits to the Hou Gong? He's accused of "neglecting marital duties."

Too many visits? He's condemned as "luxurious, debauched, and indulgent."

To hell with it—even if someone offered me a million taels of Silver, I'd never take the throne.

Some men love power more than beauty; Qin Feng loves both, but his original reason for seizing power was for beauty.

Once the Northern Border is impregnable and no one can shake it, he'll take his wives to some secluded paradise and live a divine life—wouldn't that be wonderful?

As Qin Feng was daydreaming about this future, a Crimson Robe Messenger arrived in haste.

"Your Majesty, we've just received word: the Black Guard has begun a large-scale crackdown on Wu Heli."

What?

Qin Feng's eyes lit up: "So soon?"

"Did Wu Heli expose his whereabouts and get caught before even acting, or has he already achieved something?"

The messenger quickly replied: "Wu Heli attacked a Black Guard contact stronghold in Fuyun County, killing or wounding over ten people, including three Black Guards—the rest were their informants."

Qin Feng knew Wu Heli had some skill, but he hadn't expected him to be this capable.

Had he met Wu Heli before the latter slaughtered innocents, Qin Feng would have trained him intensively.

Too bad Wu Heli carries too many lives on his shoulders; no matter how much Qin Feng admired him, he must kill him to give the people of Liang justice.

"How did Wu Heli manage this?"

"By my calculations, from the moment I let Wu Heli go until today, it's been exactly one month."

"In just one month, Wu Heli has already raised a force capable of directly attacking a Black Guard stronghold?"

Qin Feng was stunned not only by Wu Heli's charisma, but more crucially by his intelligence network.

To attack a Black Guard stronghold, one must first gather intelligence on their movements and conduct surveillance.

Even weakened, the Black Guard are no ordinary foes to provoke.

What kind of force has Wu Heli assembled? Qin Feng was deeply intrigued.

Under Qin Feng's pressing questions, the messenger hurried to answer: "Wu Heli's success stems not only from his personal ability, but also from luck."

"He specifically sought out those who hate the court, using the pretext of conspiring to overthrow Shedynasty."

"Thus, those who joined Wu Heli's rebellion were merely manipulated by him."

"Meanwhile… he encountered a group of Yuezhao Kingdom Death Warriors."

"Learning that killing a single Black Guard earned fifty taels of Silver—even split among many—it was still a substantial sum; those Death Warriors who cared only for money willingly partnered with Wu Heli."

So that's how it happened…

Qin Feng silently marveled: Wu Heli truly is no ordinary man!

He has both ability and luck—hard to fail. If his fortune improved further and he gained a powerful patron, even rapid advancement wouldn't be difficult.

Qin Feng smiled: "Tell the Crimson Robes to provide Wu Heli with just a little intelligence—no more than necessary."

"Only help him slightly when he's truly cornered."

"Since Wu Heli is so capable, let him thoroughly annoy the Liang Emperor."

The diplomatic envoy immediately took his leave.

Li Xiaolan, who had heard the entire conversation, furrowed her brows slightly: "Wu Heli is no ordinary man."

"If he succeeds—or defects to His Majesty—won't he become your greatest threat?"

Qin Feng merely shrugged, looking relaxed.

"Relax. I went to great lengths to catch him—how could I let him slip away again under my nose?"

"The Brocade Guard brought back the news so quickly—don't you understand yet, my beloved?"

Li Xiaolan suddenly realized: "You've been keeping close surveillance on every move Wu Heli makes?"

Qin Feng nodded, slowly rising to his feet and stretching vigorously.

"The Black Riders and Beixi Light Cavalry, as well as the Beixi Expeditionary Brigade, are already renowned—but they can only shine on the battlefield."

"But before a great war begins, the Brocade Guard is my sharpest dagger."