Chapter 266

First Volume, Chapter 266: Ming Wangye

Qin Feng and the Ming Wangye had no personal connection, but today, under pressure and seeking to survive, he could only betray his conscience and frame the Ming Wangye.

This way, he not only pleased the Dragon Heart but also thwarted the Ministry of Personnel's scheme.

But was the outcome truly satisfying for all?

Qin Feng held no great hope!

Throughout history, who among those entangled in imperial family feuds ever met a good end?

…

Fuyun County, Wangye Fu.

Compared to the grand, high-standard princely mansions in Jingdu, Wangye Fu appeared rather shabby.

The five-compound courtyard, with its long corridors and lazy benches, was fully equipped, yet something felt missing… the arrogance—the pride that made even the lowest servant hold his head high and look down on all.

A clamor of giggles and chatter rose from the back courtyard.

Seven or eight servants and maids formed a circle, shouting excitedly.

In the center of the crowd crouched an old little man.

In an era where everyone aged early and fifty was already resigned to Heavenly Mandate, the old little man, though truly young, had already gone gray at the temples, his hair and beard wild and tangled—he looked older than a seventy- or eighty-year-old village elder.

The old little man was full of energy, clutching a straw stalk and prodding the cricket in the porcelain bowl, shouting: "Black Wing General, why are you so weak today? Not a spark of spirit left—I'd even go in and bite for you! If you lose, tonight you get no food!"

The old little man shouted fiercely, but the Black Wing General remained lazy, clearly about to lose; in desperation, the old man jabbed the straw hard into the opposing cricket, piercing its belly open and spilling its guts, then clapped his hands triumphantly: "What kind of Red Hair Demon is this? In front of my Black Wing General, it doesn't last three rounds—hey, I won again!"

The servant across picked up the dead cricket, heartbroken and indignant: "Wangye, you cheated again!"

The old little man spat "Teh!" and turned away, hands behind his back, smug: "Victory and defeat—lose and admit it, don't make up seven or eight excuses! Back in the Northern Frontier, I once chased seven or eight hundred Beast with a single sword—they knelt, begging and pleading…"

Seeing the old man start boasting again, a young maid snorted: "Last time you said seventy or eighty, now it's seven or eight hundred? Wangye, do you even have a clue what you're saying?"

The old little man slumped onto the reclining chair, crossed his legs, grabbed the teapot, and shoved the spout straight into his mouth, closing his eyes as he sucked.

He ignored the maid's laughter and the servant's demands for cricket compensation.

At that moment, a string of curses rang out.

The old man cracked one eye open, looked toward the sound, and saw a boy of fifteen or sixteen, barely one meter sixty tall, wearing blue linen pants and bare-chested, with barely any muscle yet trying to look like a muscular tough guy, storming over in fury.

"Get out, get out, all of you!" The boy shooed away the maids and servants, plopped down beside the old man, and panted as he cursed.

"Damn it, I heard Qin Feng was coming—I waited on the Official Road all day, watching stars and moon, and what did I get? A notice saying he's not coming!"

The boy clenched his fists until they cracked, his face fierce: "If he ever falls into my hands, I'll rip his guts out through his ass like crushing a toad—easy as pie!"

The old man slowly closed his eyes, leisurely: "If he's not coming, why care? The Emperor isn't worried, but the Eunuch is! How old are you? Always spouting 'damn'—what did your private school teacher teach you? No manners at all."

The boy slapped his thigh: "That private school teacher's just as hateful as Qin Feng—always spouting 'zhi hu zhe ye'! When I got mad, I punched him—he fell to the ground pretending to be dead, trying to extort me—I kicked him seven or eight more times, and today he didn't show up at school."

Hearing this, the old man's eyes snapped open, fixing on the boy, his voice low and sharp: "And then?"

The boy shrugged: "I heard the private school teacher's funeral is today."

The old man snatched the teapot and smashed it hard against the boy's skull—shards of porcelain and tea leaves splattered over his head: "You damn brat!"

The boy clutched his head, leapt back two steps, and yelled: "Dad, why are you so upset? It's not the teacher's funeral—it's his father's!"

Hearing this, the old man exhaled in relief, grumbling: "Get out, don't bother me."

The boy scowled as he stomped out, muttering: "Thank goodness Qin Feng didn't come—if he had, I'd twist his head off and kick it like a ball—he dared frame my dad in court? He's asking for death!"

The old man's ears were sharp—he called out: "What did you say?"

The boy paused slightly, irritably: "A message came from Jingdu—Qin Feng, to avoid coming to the Ministry of Personnel, said in today's court session that you, Dad, refused to live in Jingdu and insisted on coming to Fuyun County to idle around, and that it's all because of our family that Fuyun County has become a disgrace among the Three Sixty Counties. Only when our family leaves will Fuyun County improve."

The old man's eyes narrowed, fell silent, then grinned: "Go, break that brat's legs!"

The boy's eyes lit up, excitedly shouting: "Dad, I've been waiting for you to say that!"

The boy spun and ran out of Wangye Fu, yelling to a few idle thugs at the gate: "Gather the comrades—we're heading to Jingdu on official business!"

A thug who looked like he'd had a stroke, with a crooked mouth and eyes, and strange tattoos on his body, asked doubtfully: "Big… Big Brother, didn't the Sage issue an order that your family isn't allowed into Jingdu without cause?"

Li Lang, the Baron of Fuyun County, kicked him hard, cursing: "I'm on official business—did you stuff donkey hair in your ears?"

The crooked-mouthed man scrambled away: "What official business?"

Li Lang's eyes bulged: "Openly beat up Qin Feng!"

At this moment, Qin Feng had left the Imperial Palace; though he no longer needed to go to Fuyun County, the Ministry of Personnel had repeatedly sabotaged him, and he was furious. Before the Ministry could shut its doors, he dashed inside, sat down in the DaTang, and adopted a "who cares" expression.

He was clearly refusing to leave.

The several Secretaries of the Ministry of Personnel looked at each other, none willing to step forward.

Finally, the Ministry of Personnel Vice Minister frowned and shouted at Qin Feng: "Qin Feng, you're just a County Magistrate—how dare you cause trouble in the Ministry of Personnel?"

Qin Feng shrugged, tossed one leg onto the table, told Xiao Xiangxiang to bring him the fruit platter from the opposite table, hugged it, and bit into it while smiling apologetically: "Cause trouble? Who's causing trouble? Without proof, I'll sue you for slander! I'm just tired—I came to rest here. What's wrong with that? My father is the Supervisor of War—he's earned his merits. Don't I get even this privilege?"

The Ministry of Personnel Vice Minister was furious, ready to curse.