Chapter 275: First Volume, Chapter 275: The Emperor

First Volume, Chapter 275: The Emperor's Heart

Li Zhan did not dare delay, quickly answering: "This old servant believes Qin Feng indeed has such audacity. Does Your Majesty still remember Lin Feimo?"

Upon hearing the name "Lin Feimo."

The Liang Emperor let out a light snort: "Of course I remember."

Li Zhan promptly seized the opening: "Lin Feimo is the imperial consort's own nephew and the Grand Protector's grandson—yet Qin Feng publicly beat him, stripped him of all dignity, and he slunk back to Jiangnan. That Qin Feng Xiao'er has always been lawless; even when he was still a commoner, he brawled with Noble Youth. It's said he didn't even respect the Second Prince or the Seventh Prince, and he was utterly at odds with the Princess of Qiyang."

The Liang Emperor pondered for a moment, sighing softly: "True."

At this, the Liang Emperor suddenly shifted tone: "Qin Feng knew Hei Wei was my confidant, yet ignored his warnings—that displeases me greatly."

Li Zhan quickly smiled apologetically: "Only Your Majesty can keep that brute in check. Not even Hei Wei, let alone Palace Guards, hold any weight with him."

Hearing this, the Liang Emperor suddenly recalled something and asked casually: "You say—how do Tianji Camp Guards compare to Palace Guards?"

Li Zhan feigned deep thought, analyzing with solemn gravity: "Palace Guards number only dozens. If they deploy en masse, Tianji Camp Guards have the upper hand. If numbers are equal, Palace Guards hold a decisive advantage. In one-on-one combat, Palace Guards will surely win."

The Liang Emperor narrowed his eyes, his deep gaze like an endless sea—even Li Zhan could not fathom its meaning.

Finally, the Liang Emperor sighed again, picked up his brush, and resumed reviewing memorials: "The tide of Heaven and Earth has never been swayed by individual martial prowess. No matter how strong the Palace Guards, they are but gnats before the Regular Army. Tianji Camp Guards must never exceed three hundred in strength."

…

Fuyun County was never far from Jingdu.

Upon receiving word, the Prince of Ming sent men that very night with ten thousand liang of silver to ransom his son.

Li Lang, though seemingly frail, was in fact extremely tough; despite the brutal beating, he quickly regained consciousness. He had no idea what had transpired, assuming only that Qin Feng had beaten him. Before leaving, he glared at Qin Feng with clenched teeth and shouted: "Qin Feng, wait and see—I swear I'll be no man if I don't repay this grudge!"

Qin Feng leaned against the Fu Men, wearing a smirk of "Go ahead, bite me," and sneered: "If you dare come back to Jingdu, I'll beat you every time I see you."

Li Lang, true to his status as the Prince of Ming's son, remained fearless even in his battered state, raising his little finger at Qin Feng: "If I feared you, I'd be this!"

After the old Steward of the Wangye Fu pleaded desperately, Li Lang was finally persuaded to leave.

Watching Li Lang's furious retreating back, Qin Feng sighed inwardly: "I've already taken a tremendous risk helping you once. If you return again, I'll only watch coldly as you become a corpse beneath the blade."

Qin Feng had no ties to the Prince of Ming, nor any feud with him.

He merely knew the Prince had rendered great military service to Shedynasty—he truly did not wish to see an old man bury his own son.

Qin Feng felt he was nothing short of a bodhisattva, and couldn't help feeling proud.

But as he turned around, he met two pairs of eyes staring at him with "you're dead" expressions.

Liu Hongyan planted her hands on her hips and snapped: "You little brat, you've even extorted the Prince—what's left that you won't do? I warned you a hundred times not to make an enemy of the Prince of Ming—why do you ignore me?"

Qin Feng looked utterly bewildered: "Huh?"

Shen Qingci rolled her eyes: "Huh? What's 'huh'? Father found out you beat Li Lang into that state—he shook with rage and stormed off to the Back Courtyard."

Qin Feng scratched his head: "What's he doing in the Back Courtyard?"

Shen Qingci's lips curled into a cold smile: "The bamboo in the Back Courtyard has matured—strong, resilient. Even if I break your ass, it won't snap."

Fuck! That's brutal!

Qin Feng's back chilled instantly; he grabbed Shen Qingci and refused to let go, insisting he must go with her to Qingya Pavilion for refuge.

Shen Qingci's cheeks flushed red; she glanced around, confirmed no outsiders were near, then sighed slightly and glared at Qin Feng: "Impudent!"

Qin Feng thought: At this deadline, is propriety more important than my ass?

To save his buttocks, Qin Feng pouted and pleaded desperately: "Elder Sister, you can't abandon me! Can you really bear to watch me get beaten to death by Father?"

Shen Qingci spat: "He'd be right to kill you. When you beat Li Lang, you were so fierce—why are you so spineless now?"

How could that be the same?

No matter how vile Qin Feng was, he'd never dare bare his teeth at his own father.

Shen Qingci wanted to teach Qin Feng a lesson, but his shameless begging wore her down; reluctantly, she agreed to take him to Qingya Pavilion.

As for Liu Hongyan, Qin Feng hoped she'd come too—if not, he'd just sleep in Qingya Pavilion tonight; the bed, bedding, everything was already there.

With two elder sisters to keep him company at night, what could be safer?

Learning of Qin Feng's lewd thoughts, Liu Hongyan's eyes brimmed with contempt, yet she sighed dramatically: "Since Beixi was invaded, we've had massive daily inflows and outflows of funds to procure Materials and Supplies—how could I waste time on you? I returned to the mansion only to fetch fresh clothes; I'll likely stay at Tianji Camp for now."

Qin Feng felt a pang of sorrow, grabbing Liu Hongyan's small hand: "Second Sister, you've worked so hard."

Among all Tianji Camp, Liu Hongyan bore the heaviest burden—financial affairs were paramount, and entrusting them to anyone else was unthinkable.

But with Qin Feng's words, she suddenly felt every ounce of hardship worthwhile.

Then Qin Feng clung to Shen Qingci's side, bringing Shu Feng, Xiao Xiangxiang, and Qin Xiaofu, humming a tune as he skipped merrily toward Qingya Pavilion.

Seeing Qin Feng bring all three personal servants along, Shen Qingci's heart skipped; she nervously asked: "You don't actually plan to spend the night in Qingya Pavilion, do you?"

Qin Feng looked utterly reasonable: "What else? Father's anger won't fade overnight—I won't provoke him. Besides, I checked the inner chamber of Qingya Pavilion—the bed's huge, enough for us…"

Qin Feng gestured to himself and the others: "Enough for all four of us to sleep."

Then he pointed at Qin Xiaofu: "You sleep in DaTang. Guard the door."

Xiao Xiangxiang and Shu Feng blushed furiously but said nothing.

Shen Qingci, however, was utterly mortified; she pummeled Qin Feng's chest with tiny fists: "Shameless! Who's sleeping with you? If you dare misbehave, I'll beat you!"

Hearing this, Qin Feng's eyes lit up: "Beat me where?"

Shen Qingci's cheeks flushed crimson; she fumed: "Disgusting—how did I end up with a brother like you?"

"Hahahaha…" Qin Feng laughed loudly.

As Qin Feng's group laughed and teased their way toward Qingya Pavilion, Li Lang, under the old Steward's guidance, returned to the Wangye Fu…