Chapter 231

First Volume, Chapter 231: Praise in Public, Criticize in Secret

Unbeknownst to them, the atmosphere in the Imperial Study of the Imperial Palace was suffocatingly grim.

Crack!

With a sharp crack, the imperial tea cup shattered into pieces.

Even the Liang Emperor could no longer recall when he had last been this furious.

The Liang Emperor stared coldly at Grand Commandant Gao Ming and Minister of Personnel, both bowing their heads in silence: "Qin Tianhu is my personally appointed Supervisor of War! Qin Feng has repeatedly achieved extraordinary feats. Such loyal father and son deserve reward, not punishment—yet you demoted Qin Feng to be some damn County Magistrate of Beixi? If this spreads, how will Heaven view me?"

The Minister of Personnel remained silent, his expression calm on the surface, but sweat already pooling in his palms.

Facing the Liang Emperor's rebuke, the Minister of Personnel said not a word.

Standing beside him, Grand Commandant Gao Ming paused, then bowed: "Your Majesty, this decision was reached only after deep deliberation—I harbor no intention to suppress anyone."

The more he spoke, the more the Liang Emperor's rage boiled: "Deep deliberation? Then tell me—how exactly did you deliberate?"

Though Grand Commandant Gao Ming bowed low, his tone held no trace of fear: "Chen Li's crimes are so grave, even flaying him alive would be too lenient. Qin Feng uprooted this poison, purifying the Liang bureaucracy—he must be rewarded. But Qin Feng is a commoner; promotion must be earned step by step. Hence, assigning him as County Magistrate is the first step—future promotions will follow."

"This is reward. There is also punishment."

"Ultimately, Qin Feng is a commoner. Even if Chen Li deserved death ten thousand times over, it was never his place to punish officials. If noble youths in Beijing can arbitrarily punish officials, what becomes of the entire bureaucracy? Thus, sentencing Qin Feng to serve in Beixi County as a trial is entirely fitting."

The Liang Emperor glared coldly at Gao Ming, his lips curling in a bitter, cold smile.

Yet Gao Ming held the rank of One of the Three Dukes; even in his fury, the Liang Emperor could not punish him over this "minor" matter.

Moreover, the appointment of Qin Feng as Beixi County Magistrate was issued by the Ministry of Personnel—procedurally flawless.

The Liang Emperor stepped around his desk and approached Gao Ming, shifting tone to speak with solemn gravity: "I know of the feud between Qin Feng and Gao Song. Since ancient times, noble youths in Beijing have formed factions, bullied one another—it's nothing new. Even I, and the senior officials of Beijing, have long grown accustomed to it."

"No matter how fiercely the youths fight, the ministers always turn a blind eye. Grand Commandant, whether in life or office, you must not be so narrow-minded."

Gao Ming kept his head bowed, but his eyes radiated unyielding coldness as he spoke with unwavering loyalty: "Your Majesty's teaching is spot-on. Qin Feng traveled a thousand li to save his mother—though a private matter, his unauthorized mobilization of a hundred cavalrymen was likewise ignored by every official in court, none dared use it against him."

"I overlooked his unauthorized command of troops out of consideration for his filial urgency."

"But my deliberation with the Ministry of Personnel to appoint Qin Feng as Beixi County Magistrate was purely official business—no personal favoritism involved."

"During the reign of the late Emperor, I already held the post of Grand Commandant, and I have served Your Majesty ever since—my loyalty is evident to Heaven and Earth!"

The Liang Emperor stared at Grand Commandant Gao Ming for a long while, his gaze so dark he longed to have him dragged out and beheaded—but he forced the rage down.

He turned silently back to his desk and waved his hand: "I know your loyalty, Grand Commandant. Since it's already done, let it be. Return and rest. Tomorrow at early court, I will inform Minister Qin of this matter."

Gao Ming and the Minister of Personnel bowed together, stepping backward: "Your servant takes leave."

Li Zhan, standing nearby, seeing the Liang Emperor's grim expression, dared not speak, quietly wiping the sweat from his palms.

The Liang Emperor's sharp gaze flicked to Li Zhan: "Aren't you usually talkative? Why are you mute today?"

Li Zhan swallowed hard and forced himself to speak: "Grand Commandant Gao instructed the Ministry of Personnel to appoint Qin Feng—procedurally, it's sound. Personally… court affairs do not concern personal feelings. Right now, the priority is how to appease Minister Qin at tomorrow's early court."

Hearing this, the Liang Emperor sighed inwardly—even as emperor, he could not do as he pleased in all things.

At the Beixi County Yamen, the once-crowded crowd had thinned to almost nothing.

After days of grinding through wrongful cases, Qin Feng finally exhaled, slumping back in his chair, staring blankly at the sun outside the door with a look of utter despair.

Damn it all!

Ning Hu, who had already returned from the border, couldn't resist teasing: "Brother Qin, in just a few days you've cleared every case Chen Li left behind—your speed is incredible."

Qin Feng had no energy for banter. He picked up the ledger he had retrieved that morning, listing the Yamen's income and expenditures.

The Yamen's official treasury held only ninety taels of silver.

Chen Li's personal holdings amounted to two hundred taels.

Yet the County Assistant Magistrate held thirty thousand taels.

These bastards had nearly emptied the entire Yamen and County City.

He set aside five thousand taels to deposit into the Yamen's accounts, then handed the rest to Ning Hu.

Ning Hu took the seized silver notes from corruption and smirked: "Shall we deposit this into the Qin Family's account?"

Qin Feng snatched up the wooden gavel and hurled it at him, snapping: "Don't talk nonsense—don't you dare joke like that! Even if I loved money, I'd never plunder the people's flesh and blood. Besides, I'm not stupid enough to drain the pond to catch the fish. The common people grow richer, so do I."

Ning Hu picked up the gavel and placed it back on the desk, grinning foolishly: "I was just joking—why so tense? I know who you are. So tell me—what will you do with this money?"

Qin Feng sighed deeply: "After reviewing these cases these past days, I've reached a conclusion."

"Last year, Beixi County suffered crop failure—but taxes were still collected in full. Knowing Chen Li's character, he wouldn't have paid from his own pocket—so where did these taxes come from? Almost certainly, they squeezed the local people dry."