Chapter 26

First Volume, Chapter 26: Imperial Audience

After Li Zhan announced him, he waited about one incense stick time until the Liang Emperor summoned him, and only then did Qin Feng step into the Imperial Study.

The Imperial Study was the Liang Emperor's office, where important matters such as reviewing imperial memorials were handled; this room, in essence, was the pinnacle of Liang Kingdom's authority.

The interior of the Imperial Study was far from the opulent grandeur one might imagine; aside from a few necessary objects displaying imperial majesty, it was mostly clean and understated.

Li Zhan waited outside the door, while inside the study there were only two people—not even palace maids were present; secrecy had reached its extreme.

Qin Feng looked up at the Liang Emperor, a middle-aged man seemingly in his early forties, whose face was not handsome but gave off an air of profound mystery.

As Qin Feng stared at the Liang Emperor, the Liang Emperor smiled warmly back at Qin Feng.

Then… before Qin Feng could react, his buttocks took a hard kick; Qin Tianhu, beside him, trembled with rage and bit his teeth as he hissed: "Wretched son! How dare you stare directly at the Sacred One? Kneel and beg for forgiveness at once!"

Qin Feng was first stunned, then remembered: the etiquette for an Imperial Audience was extraordinarily strict—before receiving the Liang Emperor's permission, one was absolutely forbidden to raise one's head and stare directly at him; otherwise, one risked suspicion of "Stabbing the King and Assassinating the Chariot" and could be immediately beheaded at the South Gate.

But since he had already looked, bowing now would only confirm his guilt.

Under Qin Tianhu's murderous gaze, Qin Feng scratched the back of his head and chuckled: "Too excited to meet the Sacred One—I forgot the proper manners for a moment."

As he spoke, Qin Feng bowed and made a respectful gesture toward the Liang Emperor: "Servant Qin Feng pays homage to the Sacred One."

Qin Tianhu's eyes bulged with fury; he reached out with two fingers and pinched Qin Feng's rib, making Qin Feng grimace in pain—though he managed to suppress any loud outcry.

"Even a prince must kneel and pay respects when meeting the Sacred One—how dare you, audacious son, merely bow?" Qin Tianhu released him, turned, and knelt on the ground, his voice deep: "I beg the Sacred One to punish me; no need to trouble the Imperial Guard—I shall personally execute this wretched son and display his head as a warning!"

The Liang Emperor smiled faintly, ignoring Qin Tianhu, and instead studied Qin Feng with keen interest.

Since ancient times, extraordinary talents have always been eccentric; this boy has a certain charm.

He casually picked up a memorial and placed it on the desk: "Are all these matters recorded here true?"

Without the slightest hesitation, Qin Feng stepped forward, picked up the memorial, and stood beside the desk to read it. This act nearly scared Qin Tianhu to death; even Li Zhan, waiting outside the door, turned pale and trembled.

Since Qin Feng entered the room, he had performed one death-defying act after another; anyone else would have been beheaded hundreds of times by now.

Yet the Liang Emperor remained utterly calm; had Qin Feng not walked over to take the memorial, it would have proven he was deliberately feigning madness—and he would have been executed on the spot.

Qin Feng flipped through the memorial; it detailed every incident—from his drowning, to the Poetry Contest, to his recent beating of official sons at Zui Xian Lou—with astonishing precision. No doubt, various spy agencies had long since filled the entire capital.

The Liang Emperor, seated high upon his throne, could still observe every whisper and movement in the capital.

Qin Feng was unsurprised by the Liang Emperor's reach; he casually returned the memorial to the desk and said indifferently: "All true. Wu Yong and An Shiyun each still owe me Ten Thousand Li Silver in medical fees."

The Liang Emperor watched Qin Feng with a smiling gaze, as if trying to pierce through him; seeing Qin Feng still maintain his fearless demeanor, the Liang Emperor finally tossed the memorial aside and said lightly: "Where did you obtain the Qiangnu schematics?"

Qin Feng's notoriously thick skin flushed red; he stammered: "Your Sacred Majesty, the schematics were copied by this servant. I once found a worn copy of 'Tiangong Kaiwu,' flipped through it idly, and memorized it. But the book was so old, it's surely turned to dust by now."

The Liang Emperor let out a soft "Oh," and pondered: "The Qiangnu is a clever device; the Ministry of Works has examined it. To forge one Qiangnu requires two Taels of Silver. To produce them in quantity, at least ten thousand must be made, plus another ten thousand as reserve stock. The arrows for the Qiangnu must also be forged separately—that's another substantial expense."

"Carefully calculated, forming a Qiangnu Army would require tens of thousands of Li Silver for equipment and training. The Qiangnu is excellent, but…"

Before the Liang Emperor could finish, Qin Feng blurted out: "Your Sacred Majesty needs money? Easy—I'll lend it to you."

At these words, Qin Tianhu collapsed flat onto the floor, silently wailing: What sin had he committed in his past life to give birth to such a calamity?

The Liang Emperor's eyes lit up: "Are you serious?"

Qin Feng lifted his head, adopting the haughty air of a nouveau riche: "Words spoken are water spilled. A few tens of thousands of Li Silver? What's hard? The court ministers work diligently, but their sons are all arrogant, filthy rich. There are countless people in the capital who dislike me—I'll just get beaten a few more times, extort a few more of them, and a Qiangnu Army will appear."

At this, the Liang Emperor burst into loud laughter: "Hahahaha, you truly are a fascinating boy."

Li Zhan, who had been hiding outside, ashen-faced, brightened at the Liang Emperor's hearty laughter; his fear vanished completely.

Who would have thought that Qin Feng's bizarre actions had actually pleased the Dragon's countenance?

Since ancient times, emperors have despised official sons—mildly called Wastrels, severely called vermin. The Liang Emperor sat high upon his throne, troubled by tens of thousands of Li Silver, while those vermin squandered thousands upon thousands carelessly outside.

As the saying goes: the wool comes from the sheep!

Though Qin Feng acted recklessly, the Liang Emperor was pleased by his suppression of official sons—especially when Qin Feng went to extort the Ministry of Revenue's Director Cheng Fu and recited that catchy rhyme; even now, the Liang Emperor couldn't help smiling at the memory.

Just as Qin Tianhu was about to exhale, Qin Feng doused him with another bucket of ice water—from head to toe.

Qin Feng looked earnestly at the Liang Emperor: "I'm only lending the money; this sum must be repaid. As for interest…"

This wretch dared to demand interest from the Sacred One! Qin Tianhu could no longer hold back; he hissed: "Shut your mouth, you brat!"

Qin Feng flinched, then bolted like a startled rabbit to the Liang Emperor's side, hiding behind the desk, his face full of cowardice.

Whoosh—whoosh—whoosh…

Ten plus fierce-looking Imperial Guards surged into the room.

The Liang Emperor waved his hand: "Leave."

After dismissing the Imperial Guards, the Liang Emperor looked at Qin Tianhu, who had nearly died on the spot: "Qin Shangshu, no need to be so harsh. I'm not worried—why are you? Let Qin Feng finish."

With the Liang Emperor's backing, Qin Feng straightened up, smugly declaring: "My money didn't come from the wind—why shouldn't I charge interest?"