Chapter 13: First Volume, Chapter 13: Dark Tides Surge

First Volume, Chapter 13: Dark Tides Surge

With the Military Strategy Diagram in hand, Qin Tianhu treasured it as a priceless gem, immediately locking himself in the Book Room to draft an Imperial Memorial, intending to report the news to the Emperor.

Qin Feng, having escaped a beating, immediately grew arrogant, plopping himself onto his father's seat, crossing his legs atop the desk, smug and self-satisfied.

Liu Hongyan, seeing this, was startled—her father cherished this desk above all else; if discovered, Qin Feng would be dead.

She quickly grabbed Qin Feng's ear and yanked him off the desk, breathless with relief: "You little brat, I take my eyes off you for a second and you're tearing up the roof! So you presented your father a Military Strategy? What's there to be proud of? You're asking for a beating."

Qin Feng clutched his ear and yelled in pain, but compared to cowering before Qin Tianhu, he made no move to flee from Liu Hongyan—just endured her abuse meekly.

Seeing Qin Feng's pitiful gaze, Liu Hongyan couldn't bring herself to be harsh and let him off.

Unbeknownst to her, Qin Feng was already plotting in silence.

Since Li Rui did not want Liang to launch a campaign, Qin Feng resolved to do the opposite—to help Qin Tianhu gain the Emperor's trust and push this war forward.

Qin Feng was not part of the Radical Faction; he simply did not wish to see Qin Tianhu restrained at the Imperial Court…

Meanwhile, in the Yuyan Ge brothel in Jingdu.

Li Rui slammed his Tea Cup hard onto the ground, making the accompanying girl turn pale and dare not even breathe.

Li Rui's face was dark as storm clouds; he glanced at Cheng Fa, who stood silent beside him, and roared: "Useless waste! You can't even handle this small task—what good are you?!"

This public assassination attempt had already been a great risk for Li Rui.

If the plan were exposed, even setting aside the damage to the Ministry of Revenue faction, he himself would never recover.

It was meant to be a successful assassination—yet Cheng Fa had sent only two Assassins!

Fortunately, the Qin Family Fourth Miss acted swiftly and decisively, slaying both Assassins.

Otherwise, if even one had been captured alive, the consequences would have been unthinkable.

Cheng Fa was equally furious—the two so-called Assassins, boasting themselves as professional killers with zero failures.

Absolute nonsense!

They were utterly crushed by Jing Qianying.

Facing Li Rui's rage, Cheng Fa did not hesitate—he immediately rose and bowed: "Young Master, please calm down. This time, Qin Feng got lucky—he never expected Jing Qianying would secretly protect him. Next time, I'll make sure Qin Feng dies without a grave!"

Hearing this, Li Rui snorted coldly: "There won't be a next time."

Cheng Fa's heart lurched—he thought Li Rui meant to punish him for incompetence and opened his mouth to beg for mercy—when Li Rui let out a sinister laugh.

"Assassinations require One-Strike Victory. The second attempt weakens, the third exhausts. Look at Qin Feng's performance at today's Poetry Contest."

"This fool pretends to be stupid, but his mind is crystal clear—he's already on guard."

Cheng Fa felt a flicker of resentment: "So we just let it go?"

"Let it go?" Li Rui's eyes glinted with cold malice. "Spread the word: at the Xie family's birthday banquet, Qin Feng sneaked glances at the Xie family's daughter."

"And he's been boasting everywhere—claiming the Xie girl, though outwardly demure, has ample bosom and wide hips, perfect for bearing children. He even described exactly where her moles are—clearly, unmistakably."

The Xie family's daughter is named Xie Yun'er, the beloved only daughter of Duke Ningguo Xie Bi.

Xie Bi once won great military glory for Shedynasty and holds immense prestige in Jingdu.

Xie Yun'er is close to the Princesses, and with her fearless, vengeful nature, she has long been known in the capital as a violent girl.

Even the Wanfu among the local nobility rarely dare provoke this little demon.

If she learns Qin Feng has slandered her reputation behind her back, imagine how she'll deal with him.

Moreover, Li Rui has already bribed Xie Yun'er's Tieshen Yuhuan—he knows every intimate physical detail, even fabricated ones, leaving Qin Feng no room to deny it.

All that remains is to stoke the flames until everyone in Jingdu knows…

Cheng Fa's eyes lit up; he kept nodding and praising Li Rui: "Young Master, this move is brilliant!"

"More importantly, the Little Marquis of Yong'an Marquis Mansion is hopelessly infatuated with the Xie girl—everyone in Jingdu knows that. And the Little Marquis is cruel, vindictive, and narrow-minded…"

"Thus, Qin Feng has offended both the Little Marquis and Miss Xie at once—killing two birds with one stone."

"Hahaha, I'd love to see how Qin Feng handles this!"

"Young Master, your scheme of using others' blades to kill—perfectly ingenious."

…………

At this moment, Qin Feng, basking in his escape from a whipping, strode toward the Back Courtyard with a swagger, ignoring whether Qin Tianhu approved or not.

But after only a few steps, Liu Hongyan grabbed his ear and yanked him back.

To make her release him, Qin Feng fake-sobbed two tears—this trick worked perfectly.

Liu Hongyan rolled her eyes—she knew full well he was faking.

But given his performance today, she not only let go, but even rubbed his ear gently.

Qin Feng pouted: "Sister, can you stop pulling my ear? I'm a seven-chi man—always being tugged by the ear, I have no dignity at all!"

Liu Hongyan burst out laughing, giving him a withering look: "Seven chi? Eight chi? To me, you're still a brat."

What? Small?!

Qin Feng bristled, slapping his chest and swearing: "I'm not small at all!"

Liu Hongyan had no idea what he meant by "small," and didn't think twice; her smile vanished, her gaze turned serious: "Your performance at the Poetry Contest was good, but don't get cocky—you still need to work harder."

"Prepare well for the Poetry Competition Final in three days. Also, in two days, it's Ji Wang's sixtieth birthday. As the son of the Minister of War, you must attend—and the gift must be prepared in advance. Treat it seriously."

Ji Wang?

According to the original body's memories, Ji Wang had once been a general of Shedynasty, winning great military glory and commanding immense respect in court.

But years of warfare left him severely injured; as he aged, his body could no longer endure, and he now lived in retirement.

Ji Wang was exceptionally kind to the children of court officials—even Qin Feng's former self, a lawless wastrel, received nothing but warm smiles and boundless leniency from him.

Thus, Qin Feng deeply admired Ji Wang.

Since it was the old prince's birthday, Qin Feng naturally could not miss it—he immediately promised Liu Hongyan he would take this seriously.

Seeing Qin Feng agree so readily, Liu Hongyan scoffed: "Are you just humoring me again?"

Qin Feng held his head high and puffed out his chest, speaking with great solemnity: "I have always admired the Old Prince, so naturally I won't refuse! Besides, the Old Prince's birthday celebration is a major event in Jingdu — when the time comes, Court Heavy Ministers and all the famous noble houses will go to offer birthday congratulations.

"When the time comes… there will inevitably be no shortage of all you dewy-eyed young misses…"

Seeing Qin Feng spout such shameless words with a perfectly straight face, Liu Hongyan could not help but lightly tap her forehead: "I just knew you had no good intentions. Fine, go ahead."

Qin Feng took Liu Hongyan's small hand in his and said solemnly: "Sister, other women are nothing more than passing clouds to me. Your place in my heart will never be shaken."

Liu Hongyan quickly pulled her hand back, her face flushing red, and raised her hand to strike him: "Smooth-talking slick — you dare try that line on me? Asking for a beating!"

Qin Feng turned and ran.

Watching Qin Feng's crazed retreating back, Liu Hongyan instead smiled knowingly, her heart warm.

Back in the Back Courtyard, Qin Feng flopped straight onto the couch, sprawled out in all directions, and shouted: "Xiao Xiangxiang, come quick and massage This Young Master's legs and shoulders~!"