Chapter 186

First Volume, Chapter 186: Heaven's Mandate, Earth's Right

Lin Feimo, who had boasted of being born with a golden spoon in his mouth and spent his life proud, suddenly encountered Qin Feng, a "ruffian," and not only saw his reputation ruined, but also had his seemingly precious yet fragile self-respect shattered outright by Qin Feng.

Everyone present was stunned.

Ning Hu and Xu Mo, as noble youths from Jingzhong, naturally knew how terrifying Lin Feimo's background was, yet before Qin Feng, they gained not the slightest advantage and instead smashed their own feet with the stone they had lifted.

The two exchanged a glance, their eyes filled with complex emotion.

They didn't know whether to admire him or feel afraid.

Liu Hongyan looked at Qin Feng, her heart unable to settle for a long while.

Before this, Liu Hongyan had thought she would be taken by Lin Feimo to Jiangnan, for until now, Lin Feimo's promises had never gone unfulfilled.

But now, Qin Feng had not only kept his promise and successfully driven Lin Feimo away—he had done so with total victory…

Liu Hongyan glanced at the several Deputy Generals of the Camp.

Her emotions grew even more complex.

In Liu Hongyan's impression, Qin Feng had always shunned social niceties; had he truly wished to build his network, today's grand Qin Family banquet would have been the perfect opportunity.

Today, having witnessed the entire course of this conflict, Liu Hongyan finally understood why Qin Feng was too lazy to return to the Qin Residence for social obligations.

Everyone who could be useful to Qin Feng had already been won over long ago.

It wasn't that Qin Feng was lazy about expanding his network—it was that he preferred none to many.

Liu Hongyan suddenly felt her worries about Qin Feng were entirely unnecessary, even somewhat childish…

Then again, how could a man who moved through the heart of Shedynasty's power as easily as a fish in water need anyone else's advice?

Liu Hongyan's gaze toward Qin Feng underwent a subtle change; looking at the once carefree, slouching fellow, she now felt a quiet reverence…

Liu Hongyan exhaled slowly, a relieved smile tugging at her lips: "Feng'er, since you don't wish to return to the Residence for social calls, I won't force you—but Lin Feimo's background is extremely strong; having suffered humiliation today, he will never let this go. You must be careful."

The crowd gathered at the Camp's Door had now dispersed.

The clinking and hammering sounds resumed.

At the Cool Pavilion, only Qin Feng, Liu Hongyan, and Xiao Xiangxiang remained.

Qin Feng slumped in the Tengyi Chair Chair Chair Chair Chair Chair Chair Chair Chair Chair Chair Chair Chair Chair, legs crossed, accepting the grapes from Xiao Xiangxiang and speaking with casual ease: "Second Sister, you really don't need to be afraid. If Lin Feimo dares show his face again, I'll beat him again!"

Seeing Qin Feng's confident demeanor, Liu Hongyan burst out laughing.

Though she had full confidence in Qin Feng, she couldn't help scolding him: "Look at you, so full of yourself! If you really had that kind of courage, why don't you go greet the Xie family father and daughter?"

The Qin Feng who had just been grinning broadly, fearless and bold, instantly shrank back at the words "Xie family father and daughter," changing his expression faster than turning a page, his mouth twitching: "Don't mention that she-devil—I don't want anything to do with her."

To change the subject.

The lazy Qin Feng finally rose from the Tengyi Chair Chair Chair Chair Chair Chair Chair Chair Chair Chair Chair Chair Chair Chair and naturally placed his hand on Liu Hongyan's shoulder.

In the past, Qin Feng would have received a barrage of tiny fists for such an act.

But this time, Liu Hongyan did not reject Qin Feng's "audacious" gesture—she merely jabbed her elbow into his stomach, cheeks flushing, and grumbled: "Regardless, I'm your sister—you're being far too disrespectful!"

Qin Feng showed not the slightest remorse; instead, he pulled Liu Hongyan's neck tighter, nearly hugging her into his arms, grinning triumphantly: "Why bother with so many formalities? I love my sister—no heaven's king or earth's lord can stop me!"

Hearing this, Liu Hongyan's heart trembled.

She let Qin Feng hold her, her heart pounding, lips lightly biting as she spat softly: "Pfft! Always talking in such slick, flippant tones—where did you learn this from?"

Qin Feng laughed heartily and said nothing in reply.

After calming Liu Hongyan, Qin Feng slowly called over Qin Xiaofu and Lu Ming to begin arranging the next tasks.

Qin Feng looked at Qin Xiaofu, who was rubbing his hands, ready to launch into a round of flattery no matter what: "Hold it right there! I've heard enough flattery—it's giving me earache. Here's your task: go back to the Qin Residence, pick out a few reliable Servants, then hire some outside workers."

"You don't need many—thirty total. Their only job: protect the safety of the Training Ground."

"This kind of incident can happen once—but never again!"

Qin Xiaofu had been eager, thinking that if the Young Master assigned a task, there must be profit to be had.

But upon hearing this, he frowned in confusion: "Young Master, why not just assign the Guards to protect the Training Ground? What use are Servants?"

Qin Feng gave Qin Xiaofu a withering look and snapped: "Then it'd become my personal guard force, wouldn't it? In the end, those three hundred Guards are still people of the Liang Kingdom—they can never become mine. Otherwise, I'll be impeached someday. I'm just a commoner—I have no right to raise a guard force. Besides, this is Jingdu, a key location; we're guarding against people like Lin Feimo just now, or thieves, spies, scouts—Servants are more than enough."

Qin Xiaofu suddenly understood, thumping his chest in assurance: "Young Master, rest assured—I'll get it done! What's the monthly pay?"

This was a simple matter; Qin Feng replied without hesitation: "Five hundred cash per month."

Five hundred cash a month meant six taels of silver a year—and since the job only required guarding the Training Ground, this was a plum assignment, sure to be fought over.

"Young Master, leave it to me!" Qin Xiaofu bowed, then scampered off happily.

Qin Feng turned to Lu Ming, his expression unusually serious: "How long will it take to finish building the Training Ground?"

Lu Ming, once mocked by Beijing Artisans, had now become the foremost "master craftsman."

All of this naturally owed to Qin Feng, his "patron."

Every task Qin Feng entrusted to Lu Ming, Lu Ming treated as paramount.

Lu Ming pondered: "If we merely enclose the area with walls, mobilizing laborers, it'll take only one or two days—it's not technical work, just brute strength. But if we want to build all the buildings inside, it'll take at least seven or eight days, especially if we use all-wood construction and deploy many workers."

Since Lu Ming had given a timeline, the earliest possible completion was at least that long.

But Qin Feng had no time to wait—he immediately assigned priorities: "Put everything else on hold. Focus on essentials: first, build the walls and the Book Bureau, then the Gongfang, then the Barracks."

Hearing this, before Lu Ming could reply, Liu Hongyan, who had just been smiling, immediately objected, her brows furrowing: "Brat, why move the Book Bureau out of the Qin Residence? Don't you trust your sister?"

What kind of talk is that?

If even Liu Hongyan wasn't trustworthy, then no one in this world deserved Qin Feng's trust.