Chapter 259: First Volume, Chapter 259: One Shi Stirs a Thousand Waves

First Volume, Chapter 259: One Shi Stirs a Thousand Waves

Not only did Noble Youth from Jingzhong attend, but Qin Tianhu came, and even the Duke of Ning arrived uninvited.

The Noble Youth who had originally come merely to watch the spectacle, upon seeing this, first exchanged bewildered glances, then rushed one after another toward the Ling Hall, lining up to pay their respects.

They weren't fools—two high ministers had come; as Noble Youth from Jingzhong, they naturally had to show their faces.

Whether their sincerity was genuine was another matter.

Whether the widows and families of the fallen guards or the other guards present, all were secretly startled.

This level of honor was comparable to that given to a general!

Thus, the commotion had truly escalated.

Ning Wenyu, who was entertaining guests at his residence, also learned of this and hesitated whether to go, when the Commander-in-Chief spoke first.

The Commander-in-Chief's gaze was deep, and he hurriedly said: "Though Shedynasty has no precedent for this, these three guards all rendered tremendous service in killing Zhong Ling; paying respects is not inappropriate."

The Commander-in-Chief's reasoning was simple.

Paying respects to the fallen guards was secondary; the real merit lay in getting Zhao Yulong into the Tianji Camp.

After all, two of the four New Army Vice General slots still remained vacant as From-Participants.

Ning Wenyu no longer hesitated and led a group of officers toward the Tianji Camp.

As soon as the officers moved, the civil officials also received word.

Li Xu, who was visiting Gao Fu, heard of this and sneered: "That little Qin Feng Xiao'er, even if he pulls off some absurd antics, three mere guards somehow draw the entire court's military officers to pay respects? How laughable!"

But Gao Ming frowned deeply.

When Qin Feng went to Beixi County, he had manipulated events to trap Qin Feng there—but Qin Feng had broken the deadlock in just a few days by achieving extraordinary merit and returned to Jingdu.

This boy's ability had already made Gao Ming wary, and he dared not underestimate him even slightly.

Now, hearing that Qin Feng had given those three fallen guards a Military Funeral, he felt a growing unease: "This boy knows how to win hearts!"

"The Imperial Palace has already sent word: although the Liang Emperor outwardly refused Qin Feng's outrageous demand, privately he has tacitly agreed. Those three hundred guards are already Qin Feng's personal troops; with this funeral stirring things up, they'll be utterly loyal to him for life."

"And these guards possess exceptional Tactical Advantage—after this, getting close to Qin Feng will be as hard as climbing to heaven."

Hearing this, Li Xu froze, his eyes filled with shock: "Grand Commandant Gao, is Qin Feng Xiao'er truly this calculating?"

Gao Ming snorted: "Didn't you hear the servants' reports? Those three bodies were brought back by a Taoist Priest. Had they been carried normally, it would've taken another half a month to return—they were likely sent to Jingdu the very day they died, only interred in coffins en route."

"Military Death, return to roots, Military Funeral, winning hearts, securing the unwavering loyalty of three hundred guards, and elevating Little Marquis Ning Hu to the rank of Thousand-Household, making him the envy of half the military officers…"

"Heh, you think all this is coincidence? I don't believe it. Ordinary men take one step and look ahead one step; clever men take one step and look three ahead; this man takes one step and looks ten ahead—he's a genius bordering on the supernatural!"

Li Xu's eyes grew vacant—he knew Qin Feng was clever and difficult to deal with, but never imagined his scheming ran this deep!

This seemingly exaggerated funeral could yield so many advantages…

Li Xu refused to give up, asking his servant: "Have any civil officials from court gone to the Tianji Camp?"

The servant quickly replied: "Your Excellency, the Ministry of Revenue certainly didn't go; the Ministry of Personnel has a grudge against Qin Feng and likely won't either; the Ministry of Justice and Dali Temple can't afford to show up. But… the Ministry of Works seems to have sent someone, and although the Minister of Rites didn't go, the Vice Minister of Rites did."

Upon hearing this, Li Xu and Gao Ming exchanged glances and spoke in unison: "Trouble!"

Imperial Palace, Imperial Study.

The Liang Emperor had changed into travel attire and stood before the Liu Li Window, gazing out at the assembled Imperial Guard, casually asking: "Is the procession ready?"

Li Zhan, who had just returned from Ning's residence, smiled and replied: "In about one cup of tea time."

The Liang Emperor nodded, a faint, knowing smile curling his lips: "Qin Feng Xiao'er has set up such a grand stage for me—how could I refuse to step onto it and perform?"

Li Zhan's smile deepened: "The Vice Minister of Rites has already arrived at the Tianji Camp, proving it's perfectly appropriate for the Emperor to attend the funeral of fallen soldiers. Moreover, these three guards sacrificed themselves for the state—if the Emperor personally pays his respects, it will inspire boundless reverence among all troops. The Emperor's presence—what greater honor is there?"

The Liang Emperor laughed aloud. Though Shedynasty's military strength was formidable, its prolonged conflict with the Di on the Northern Border had caused severe losses—not just in money and weapons, but above all, in military morale. Forget distant matters—just consider the Border Army, which has held the Northern Border city for over a decade; homesickness runs deep, and war-weariness is intense.

The Liang Emperor had been fretting over how to boost military morale and stabilize the frontier.

Now, Qin Feng had delivered two grand gifts.

The first was Zhong Ling's head.

The second was this spectacular funeral.

Through the Liu Li Window, he spotted an Imperial Eunuch hurrying toward him—likely the procession was ready. The Liang Emperor stepped out himself, muttering: "Even if the Tianji Camp is powerful, it remains my own blade in the sleeve. Paying respects to my own guards is only natural. Moreover, my visit is nominally for the Tianji Camp guards, but in truth, it is for all soldiers who sacrificed for the state. Can the Three Dukes and Nine Ministers possibly object?"

As the Liang Emperor stepped out of the Imperial Study, the White Clothes and Xiao Zhuozi arrived beside Li Zhan and whispered a request.

"Please, Lord Eunuch Li, inform His Highness that our Prince wishes to accompany you."

Li Zhan felt a surge of annoyance, but these two were the Prince's Confidants—he could only smile politely. Besides, the Prince would one day inherit the Imperial Throne; appearing now to win the soldiers' loyalty was perfectly reasonable.

Upon hearing this, the Liang Emperor sneered: "At least these two are sharp enough. If they'd missed this opportunity, I'd have to reconsider their positions."

At this moment, reports from the Tianji Camp poured in one after another.

"Vice Minister of Works, here to pay respects."

"Vice Minister of Rites, here to pay respects."

"Deputy Director of the Weiwu Temple, here to pay respects."

"Director of the Taifu Temple…"

Meanwhile, under the instigation of "those with intent," countless commoners in Jingdu flooded the area around the Tianji Camp, watching from afar.

Uninformed civilians gasped: "Such a grand Military Funeral—who could this fallen hero be? A general?"

Nearby porters, who often loitered around the Tianji Camp and prided themselves on knowing secrets, grinned smugly: "A general? These were Tianji Camp Guards."

At this, the crowd erupted in shock.

"What?! Just guards? And they get this honor? I thought it was a general!"