Chapter 261: First Volume, Chapter 261: Imperial Dao

First Volume, Chapter 261: Imperial Dao

Qin Feng felt a wave of irritation.

Originally, it was agreed that these three hundred guards were Qin Feng's personal troops.

Yet in an instant, they broke their word!

Here it is—Liang Emperor, envious of the guards' tactical advantage, has already reached out his hand.

By seizing the replenishment slots for Tianji Camp guards, Liang Emperor means Qin Feng will no longer have say over future troop recruitment for Tianji Camp.

Who knows how many favor-seekers will squeeze in then.

That's not the worst part!

What's feared is that Liang Emperor will slip a pile of spies into Tianji Camp, monitoring every move around the clock.

Almost the moment Qin Feng thought of this, Liang Emperor gave a signal.

The Black-Clothed Man behind the Palace Guards grabbed a young man.

The young man looked barely in his early twenties, ordinary in appearance, the kind lost in a crowd.

Most crucially, the boy had a cowardly look, bowing and scraping the moment he saw Qin Feng.

The instant Qin Feng saw him, he disliked him!

The reason? Anyone who cowers on first meeting—well, almost like him—is almost certainly pretending; the more they act timid, the crueler they are behind closed doors!

Liang Emperor smiled deeply and spoke solemnly: "This man is named Xu Chang, one of my covert bodyguards."

Liang Emperor made no secret—he directly revealed Xu Chang's identity as one of his countless hidden protectors.

"Xu Chang became a covert bodyguard at thirteen, serving diligently for over a decade. Though he has never achieved extraordinary feats, with him by my side, no mishaps have ever occurred. No merit, but plenty of hardship. Today, I give him to you—to fill your troop quota."

After saying this, Liang Emperor fixed Qin Feng with an unyielding gaze.

Qin Feng nearly laughed in anger.

Just as feared, it came to pass!

He had just worried Liang Emperor would plant spies in Tianji Camp—and now it happened.

But then he reconsidered—it might not be all bad.

After all, Tianji Camp guards' tactical advantage is too great; Liang Emperor naturally feels uneasy. Better to let him keep his eyes fixed on Tianji Camp directly, saving Qin Feng the trouble of persuasion.

Realizing this, Qin Feng readily agreed: "Thank Your Majesty's great grace."

Xu Chang scurried to Qin Feng's side, bowed deeply, and prostrated: "Your servant Xu Chang pays homage to Young Master Qin. I've long heard of your glorious deeds; meeting you in person, you're even more heroic than legend says."

Heroic your ass!

Qin Feng sneered inwardly—this kid was born to be a spy; that obsequious, slimy demeanor rivaled Qin Xiaofu's.

Ah!

Qin Feng sighed—this funeral had completely lost its meaning.

Liang Emperor knew Qin Feng was cunning enough to see through his schemes, yet still accepted Xu Chang willingly—Liang Emperor's mind grew lighter.

Moreover, these past days, Qin Feng had given Liang Emperor too many surprises.

First Zhong Ling's head, then the three hundred elite guards, and now this funeral, enough to soothe military morale.

Liang Emperor was in high spirits, hands behind his back, glancing at Tianji Camp, and said casually: "Does Tianji Camp have any other lodging beyond this Tianji Camp Compound?"

Qin Feng had spent so much time in Tianji Camp that Lu Ming had already led the artisans to build him a residence according to his instructions.

Qin Feng immediately pointed to a distant Xiaoyuan: "There it is."

Liang Emperor nodded, stepped forward toward the Xiaoyuan: "You continue with the funeral rites. I'll wait for you in that compound—take me on a proper tour of Tianji Camp."

Though Liang Emperor claimed he'd wait for Qin Feng, once away from Ling Hall, he naturally veered off the path, ignoring the Xiaoyuan entirely, heading straight for the nearby Gongfang.

Since most Tianji Camp members were attending the funeral, only two junior artisans remained at the Gongfang.

Seeing Liang Emperor approach, the artisans panicked—wanting to warn Qin Feng, but the Palace Guards loomed with terrifying presence; their legs gave out, and they knelt together, shouting: "Commoners pay homage to Your Majesty!"

Liang Emperor acted as if he heard nothing, walked past the artisans, and entered the Gongfang as the Imperial Guard pushed open the Door.

Before this, Liang Emperor had visited the Ministry of Works several times.

In his mind, Gongfang were just small courtyards.

But Tianji Camp's Gongfang shattered his perception—it was an enormous room, its scale rivaling the Imperial Court's Grand Hall!

The ceiling was supported by thick beams and pillars; inside, half-person-high walls divided the space into countless separate zones, while along the north wall opposite the Door stood a row of rooms.

Each room's door bore a sign.

They read: WeaponryWorkshop, ArmorWorkshop, LargeMechanismWorkshop…

He casually opened the WeaponryWorkshop door—not a dirty, smoky forge, but a clean, spotless Book Room.

Liang Emperor frowned, opened several adjacent doors—same thing: books, rice paper, Brushes.

He picked up a sheet of rice paper—complex diagrams, barely recognizable as weapons he'd never seen before.

He tossed the drawing aside, glanced at the artisan held by the Imperial Guard: "What is this?"

The artisan trembled: "Each workshop's head gets a room like this. Young Master Qin said they should use their imagination to design weapons and armor, then submit them all to him for review. Approved designs get forged; rejected ones get sent back."

Hearing this, Liang Emperor understood—these small rooms were essentially the Ministry of Works' design bureau.

Liang Emperor sneered: "I thought Qin Feng designed everything himself. So these weapons aren't his work? Had I known, I could've lent him the Ministry's design bureau."

The artisan opened his mouth, hesitated, then gritted his teeth: "Young Master Qin said, 'A weak soldier makes one weak; a weak commander makes a whole nest weak.' He looks down on the Ministry's design bureau—full of rigid, outdated scholars who know nothing of mechanism design. The workshop heads, though drawn from Civilian Artisans, develop endless novel ideas after working with Young Master Qin. He also said…"

Seeing Liang Emperor's darkening face, the artisan fell silent.

An Imperial Guard slapped the artisan's back—he shuddered violently—and growled: "Speak!"

The artisan gritted his teeth, now beyond fear: "Young Master Qin said Tianji Camp Workshop's advanced concepts are centuries ahead of the Ministry's—so far behind they can't even catch up."

Liang Emperor laughed bitterly, waved his hand to release the artisan, and snapped at the Palace Guards: "See? That's why Qin Feng is Qin Feng—this boundless arrogance. Doesn't matter. All great talents are like this."

Liang Emperor, hands behind his back, continued inspecting the rest of Tianji Camp's facilities.