Chapter 140: First Volume_Chapter 140: Closed-Door Beat-Dog

First Volume_Chapter 140: Closed-Door Beat-Dog

As the saying goes, the Son of Heaven is equal before the law with the common folk.

But ideals are plump, reality is gaunt.

Let alone the Son of Heaven—even any random offspring of an official household could toss this famous saying on the ground and stomp on it like dog shit.

Both Ji Wang and Qin Tianhu were men of experience; they both understood in their hearts that receiving a huge sum of compensation money and living out the rest of her life without worry was already the best outcome for the woman.

Ji Wang nodded, his gaze at Qin Feng filled with admiration, and he could not help praising him before Qin Tianhu: "Although Qin Feng is young and hot-blooded, he is no hothead. He thinks things through carefully and acts pragmatically. Lord Qin has truly raised him well, and this king is impressed."

Qin Tianhu's face flushed with color, a faint, almost imperceptible smile playing at the corner of his mouth: "Your Highness is too kind. Qin Feng is still young after all; there is still much room for him to grow."

Hearing these words, Ji Wang could not help finding it amusing inside. With Qin Feng's ability, he still needs to keep growing? Will he leave any room for other young men to live?

Once the matter of compensation was settled, Qin Feng had Xu Mo, who had been waiting at the door, dispatch City Patrol Bureau guards to escort the woman away and ensure the compensation was delivered.

With that, the Wine House was completely free of outsiders.

Qin Feng swept aside his earlier solemnity, slowly stood up, walked with his hands behind his back to Qi Cheng's side, struck the pose of a seasoned veteran cadre, and said earnestly: "Lord Qi, don't be nervous. Now that there are no outsiders, let's speak plainly... I heard Lord Qi is Grand Commandant Gao's prized protégé. These past days you've been targeting me at every turn—is that also Grand Commandant Gao's intention?"

Qi Cheng's face alternated between extreme gloom and utter helplessness.

Before Qi Cheng could answer, Gao Song beside him had already gritted his teeth and snapped: "So what if it is?"

The moment the words fell, Qin Feng backhanded him across the face.

Slap!

The sound was crisp as could be.

That slap not only stunned Gao Song, but also startled Qin Tianhu and Ji Wang.

Grand Commandant Gao is one of the Three Dukes. Even Ji Wang, out of respect for Grand Commandant Gao's face, could not lay hands on Gao Song directly. Yet this lad Qin Feng showed no restraint whatsoever—hit first, talk later?

Gao Song felt his face burning hot, his eyes went blank, and it took him half a day to come to his senses. Furious and humiliated, he roared: "Qin Feng, don't push it too far! I am the Grand Commandant's son—how dare you treat me like this!"

Qin Feng picked at his ear, flashed a grin: "Huh? The Grand Commandant's son? I've only ever heard that honorary titles can be inherited—when did the position of Grand Commandant become inheritable too? Brother Gao, what our fathers achieved has nothing much to do with us. We're all commoners—what high officials are you putting on airs about?"

"When I haven't given you permission to speak, you'd best not interrupt."

Gao Song was stunned again and again. Especially when he met Qin Feng's gaze—seemingly theatrical but in truth utterly unwavering—a trace of fear welled up in his heart. He even felt, for a moment, that he was being ridiculous. This Madmen before him didn't even spare a Prince's face, let alone one of the Three Dukes?

That slap also simultaneously shattered Qi Cheng's psychological DefensiveLine.

All along, Qi Cheng had relied on his connection to Grand Commandant Gao for his底气. Now that even the Grand Commandant's own son had been struck, what chance did he have?

Qi Cheng's face did a complete one-eighty, gradually turning to panic.

Qin Feng patted Qi Cheng's shoulder in comfort, giving him a warm, spring-breeze-like smile: "Didn't I say? Lord Qi, don't be nervous. I just want to know—what exactly does Grand Commandant Gao mean? Where exactly have I offended Grand Commandant Gao? Is it because of the war with the Northern Di?"

Qi Cheng's feelings were immensely complicated. On one hand, he feared Qin Feng's madness; on the other, he did not dare betray Grand Commandant Gao.

Seeing Qi Cheng wavering, Qin Feng immediately said earnestly: "Forget it, I won't force you. After all, in the eyes of Grand Commandant Gao, you're nothing more than a disposable pawn. From now on, wherever my Qin Family's businesses are, you just keep your distance."

Qin Feng raised his hand high and brought it down gently—there were two layers of meaning in this.

First, it was killing the chicken to scare the monkey—using Qi Cheng to warn Gao Song, to make this lad behave and stop thinking that just because his father is one of the Three Dukes, he can throw his weight around in front of Qin Feng.

Second, no matter how Qi Cheng tried to explain today's events, he could no longer win Grand Commandant Gao's trust.

Once he lost Grand Commandant Gao as his backer, how many days the Jingzhao Yin could last in his post was a huge question mark.

A grasshopper that can't hop for a few more days before autumn is no longer worth squeezing.

Ji Wang witnessed the entire proceeding. A glint of wariness flashed in his eyes, and he sighed inwardly: "Qi Cheng is a veteran of Jingdu's officialdom, and Grand Commandant Gao's prized protégé—how shrewd and calculating is he? Yet before Qin Feng, he crumbled so easily, thrown into utter disarray in just a few words. This lad Qin Feng is simply a born court official. With such talent and手段, yet uninterested in entering officialdom—whether that is Shedynasty's loss or Shedynasty's fortune, I cannot say..."

Qin Feng paid no heed to the soul-crushed Qi Cheng. He walked straight over to stand between Ning Hu and Cheng Fa, reached out and pressed down on both their heads at once, and roughly ruffled their hair a few times.

The two dared to be angry but not to speak.

Back at Ji Wang's birthday banquet, the Marquis of Yong'an had already lost all his reputation. And what an honorary title values most is precisely those two words—"reputation." The Ning Family had already fallen from grace, so in this incident they were nothing more than a foil and sidekick.

As for Cheng Fa, from start to finish he was nothing but Li Rui's lackey—inconsequential.

Qin Feng messed up both their hairstyles, then simultaneously slapped the back of both their heads, and said casually: "Go home, kids. Stop causing trouble following others around."

Ning Hu and Cheng Fa had both been holding back a surge of anger—furious and afraid. They had expected Qin Feng to crush them without mercy, but instead, to their surprise, he let them off lightly. Their feelings instantly became incomparably complicated.

Cheng Fa hesitated for a moment, then ran off without looking back.

Ning Hu, however, did not hurry to leave. Instead, he looked at Qin Feng in disbelief: "Qin Feng, what exactly do you mean? Why are you letting me off so easily? If you have any tricks, just use them on me—don't take it out on my family."

Looking at Ning Hu's honest, straightforward manner, Qin Feng could not help sighing.

To tell the truth, this lad was quite pitiful. From the very beginning, he had been used as a pawn. If not for Li Rui and Cheng Fa stirring him up, Ning Hu would probably still be happily living as his Little Marquis—how would he have fallen to such a state today?

Qin Feng reached out and ruffled Ning Hu's head again. Watching Ning Hu's aggrieved expression—clearly annoyed but unable to do anything about it—was endlessly amusing. "Little Marquis, you're good material for a military general. Train diligently in martial arts, and in the future you'll surely be a fierce warrior charging at the front lines—a pillar of Shedynasty. So don't waste your precious life on scheming and deceit. Your nature is too straightforward—you really aren't suited for getting mixed up in Court Intrigue."

Ning Hu stared blankly at Qin Feng, and it took him half a day to come to his senses: "You... don't hate me?"

Hearing this, Qin Feng burst out laughing, clutching his belly: "Why would I hate you? I've said it before—fighting over a woman isn't shameful... And besides, you're different from them. They're scheming to put me to death, but you're not. Understand?"