Chapter 188: First Volume, Chapter 188: The Uninvited Guest

First Volume, Chapter 188: The Uninvited Guest

Qin Feng quickly waved his hand, signaling Ning Hu and the others to lead their men away, then bowed with a forced smile: "My Lady, it's a misunderstanding, all a misunderstanding."

The Qiyang Princess had only intended to scare Qin Feng—after all, he was about to marry Xie Yun'er, and out of loyalty to her childhood friend, she wouldn't make things too hard for him.

But after Ning Hu and Xu Mo's antics, her face darkened instantly: "Misunderstanding? Don't make me laugh! Qin Feng, this is serious! I'm going straight back to the palace to report this to the Emperor—you've not only breached the Imperial Carriage but also tried to lay hands on me. Let's see how the Emperor punishes you!"

Oh, what a mess!

Qin Feng hurried after her two steps, stepping sideways to block her path, bowing low and pleading: "If Your Ladyship will only show mercy, I'll agree to any demand."

The Qiyang Princess's interest stirred; she raised an eyebrow: "Really? Any demand at all?"

At this point, Qin Feng had no room to bargain—he could only grit his teeth and accept the loss: "I dare not deceive Your Ladyship."

A sly smile curled at the corner of the Qiyang Princess's lips: "Good. Tonight, I'm hosting a banquet on the Hua Fang. If you come, I'll forget the breach of the Imperial Carriage—and I'll give you a few more days on the promised amber. Otherwise, we'll see who wins."

Go to the Hua Fang?!

Qin Feng's mind churned. That kind of brothel district was only for wastrels like him—how could a princess, a noblewoman, possibly go there? Was her real intent not the banquet at all, but to set a trap for the Second Prince or the Seventh Prince?

Forget it.

If fortune calls, you can't escape it; if disaster comes, you can't avoid it.

Seeing Qin Feng agree, the Qiyang Princess's fury finally faded. She glanced at the construction site of the Training Ground, her expression disgusted: "Day after day, building this nonsense—why not spend your time reading? You're grown, yet still have no official title or merit—truly lazy!"

Qin Feng knew he couldn't offend this woman, so he stopped explaining and just kept smiling apologetically.

Though he lied to send the Qiyang Princess off, his mood lifted.

Earlier, he'd been worrying about how to handle Lin Feimo's revenge.

After all, an Imperial Cousin had been humiliated—this couldn't be swept under the rug.

Now, with the Qiyang Princess's outburst, Qin Feng suddenly had a plan!

But now, his sleepiness was gone—he had no idea what other monsters might come knocking next, so he turned and headed straight back to his mansion.

By the time he returned home, evening had fallen.

The mansion was still bustling, loud with voices.

Some guests who had left early spotted Qin Feng and shouted: "Isn't that Young Master Qin?"

"Hahaha, Young Master Qin, where have you been?"

Their shouts drew more guests rushing out.

Afraid of being cornered, Qin Feng turned and ran, slipping through the Aifeng's Back Door and heading straight for his Xiaoyuan.

"Xiao Xiangxiang, lock the gate! Tell anyone who comes that I'm ill and can't receive visitors today!"

Xiao Xiangxiang locked the door, turned back inside, and saw Qin Feng hiding under the covers—she burst out laughing: "Strange—everyone else scrambles to make connections, but our Young Master treats them like tigers."

Connections aren't about quantity—they're about quality. Just enough is enough.

With just the Emperor's favor, Qin Feng could walk through Jingdu with his head held high.

This isn't the time for him to flatter others—it's time for others to flatter him.

He hid on his bed for nearly one Envoy.

Once certain no one would come, he finally exhaled in relief.

People fear fame, pigs fear fat—the ancients weren't wrong.

Right now, Qin Feng's mind was fixed on only one thing: making money.

He immediately rose, walked to his desk, and resumed writing his "plagiarized" novel.

He didn't need to strain his mind to invent plots—just rely on memory, close his eyes, and copy. His speed was astonishing: in just one Envoy, he'd copied nearly ten thousand characters.

Qin Feng tilted his head, thought for a moment, then wrote "Mingyue Zhuan" on the manuscript's cover. He stretched lazily, revealing the shameless grin of a plagiarizing merchant, rested briefly, then climbed into bed.

The aftereffects of yesterday's Early Court had never faded—he collapsed into sleep the moment his head hit the pillow.

The banquet in the Front Courtyard was also winding down; the noise was no longer as loud as during the day.

Xiao Xiangxiang, having finished washing clothes, was hanging them on the Sheng Mao when she heard a knock at the door.

"Who could come this late?"

She muttered to herself, then went to open the door.

Standing before her was Xie Yun'er.

Seeing the future Lady of the house, Xiao Xiangxiang grew tense and bowed deeply: "Maid Xiangxiang greets Miss Xie."

Xie Yun'er nodded slightly in response, glancing toward the bedroom: "Is Qin Feng here?"

Though Qin Feng had repeatedly told her not to receive visitors today,

Xiao Xiangxiang didn't dare offend the future mistress—she nodded quickly: "Yes, but the Young Master is already resting. I'll go wake him."

Xie Yun'er grabbed Xiao Xiangxiang's arm: "No need. I'll go in myself!"

Before she finished speaking, she drew her Whip from her waist and marched straight in.

Inside, seeing Qin Feng snoring loudly, Xie Yun'er's face twisted into a cruel smile: "Sleeping comfortably, are you? You wretched man—I came to inspect the household, and you hide away? Do you think people believe my Xie Family is begging to marry you?"

"You've damaged my Xie Family's reputation—I'll make you pay today!"

She stepped toward the bed, slowly raising her Whip.

Just as she was about to strike, her peripheral vision caught sight of the manuscript on the desk.

The words "Mingyue Zhuan" caught her eye.

Xie Yun'er paused, silently wondering: "Though this scoundrel is shameless, his literary talent is unmatched in Jingdu—could this be another masterpiece?"

Thinking this, she lowered her Whip, walked over, picked up the manuscript, flipped through a few pages—and was instantly hooked.

She forgot all about punishing Qin Feng, sat down on the chair, and devoured the manuscript, losing track of time.

Ten thousand characters could be read in one Cup of Tea Time.

But Qin Feng's handwriting made reading it several times harder.

Xie Yun'er was moved by the plot on one hand, but on the other she sneered at Qin Feng's handwriting — the scrawl was even worse than something a dog had pawed out, a pure insult to her eyes!

Yet after reading it all in one breath, Xie Yun'er's gaze grew urgent.

She turned her head to look at Qin Feng, who was dead asleep, and her teeth itched with hatred: "How could this wretched man not have finished writing? Right at the most exciting part — it's enough to drive a person mad!"

Xie Yun'er set down the manuscript, went to the bedside, wanting to wake Qin Feng and question him about the rest of the plot.

But looking at Qin Feng snoring away in deep sleep, she hesitated again.

Thinking that for the rest of her life she would have to share a bed with this fellow, her heart grew shy, nervous, and indignant all at once.