Chapter 317: First Volume, Chapter 317: Linked Trap

First Volume, Chapter 317: Linked Trap

The most disgraceful thing a man can do is spend other people's money generously.

The greatest taboo for a servant is to squander the master's authority.

Don't be fooled by the Minister of Justice's high position—in truth, the entire Qian family and even the Ministry of Justice are the Lin family's lapdogs.

Lin Taibao and the Imperial Consort hold court in the Imperial Court and the Hou Gong respectively, thriving in Jingdu and coordinating with the Lin family entrenched in Jiangnan.

It seems flawless, but whenever mentioned, it becomes an extremely sensitive topic.

Qin Feng intends to clearly separate the Lin family from Lin Taibao.

The ultimate goal: the Lin family is the Lin family, Lin Taibao is Lin Taibao.

Whether others accept this logic is none of Qin Feng's concern—he only needs himself and the Liang Emperor to accept it.

Then, when Qin Feng moves against the Lin family, he'll avoid many "procedural troubles."

He'll stick firmly to the claim that all of Jiangnan Lin are commoners, with no official rank or noble title.

As for imperial cousin status, Qin Feng doesn't care—and neither does the Liang Emperor!

That wealthy, fertile land of Jiangnan, full of rice and fish, had long made Qin Feng envious—he longed to swallow it whole and fatten himself on it.

Especially the salt monopoly held by the Lin family—each time he thought of it, Qin Feng couldn't help drooling.

Even without touching the official salt itself, just processing it finely to earn a slim profit would be enough for him to make a fortune.

Opposing the Lin family serves Qin Feng publicly as helping the Liang Emperor remove a major threat.

Privately, it expands his commerce, extends his influence, and avenges the banishment of Qin Cheng Clan years ago!

Even if the Lin family never provoked him, Qin Feng would still have to uproot their "well's edge."

Qian Cheng doesn't understand this logic.

That maid, constantly by the Imperial Consort's side, soaked in her influence—how could she not understand?

Others fear the Lin family, but Qin Feng doesn't—he dares defy heaven and earth, ignore the dual pressure from Lin Taibao and the Imperial Consort, and turn the Lin family upside down. Execute first, report later—let whoever it is come. Worst case, he'll perform a duet with the Liang Emperor later and take ten staff strikes outside the Di Tang.

The maid glanced at the wine vessel, gritted her teeth, and agreed: "It's just ten wan liang…"

Before she finished speaking, Qin Feng retracted his word: "Who told you ten wan liang? Young Master Qian spent fifteen wan liang to bid for this wine vessel—he's a premium client of our auction, so we gave him a discount. You want it? Pay full price!"

The maid was shrewd and extremely intelligent, but as someone who must maintain appearances, she had no answer against Qin Feng's thuggish tactics—she could only retreat further, clenching her teeth: "What's the full price?"

Qin Feng shrugged and blurted out: "One million liang of silver."

Hearing this outrageous price, everyone in the room sucked in a sharp breath.

The maid's face turned deathly pale: "One million liang?! Young Master Qin, you're clearly tormenting me! Even I can't raise this much—let alone anyone else in Jingdu! And with the National War looming, military expenditure is tight—spending one million liang on a wine vessel? If the Holy One finds out, he'll investigate until the ground is turned over."

Qin Feng spread his hands, feigning innocence: "That's not my fault. You get what you pay for—Liu Li wine vessels are already rare as phoenix feathers and unicorn horns. As the saying goes, rarity commands value."

"But…"

Qin Feng changed tone: "If you can't afford this, you can pay in another way."

Another way?

The maid's eyes flickered with confusion: "Please, Young Master Qin, clarify."

Qin Feng, ignoring Xie Yun'er's murderous glare, sized up the maid and grinned with shameless lechery: "Hehe, this Young Master loves women. Spend a month warming my bed, and this wine vessel is yours for free."

The maid's face flushed crimson—yet if this incident blew up, she didn't care what the Lin family would do; she knew the Imperial Consort would kill her.

She had no choice but to yield, gritting her teeth: "Fine! I hope Young Master Qin keeps his word."

Qin Feng immediately called Qin Xiaofu over, pointing at the maid: "Take her to Tianji Camp. When I'm done with my business, I'll come back to visit her. Hahaha."

Qin Feng deliberately put on a lewd, lustful expression and chuckled lewdly.

Watching the maid being led away by Qin Xiaofu, Qin Feng turned to Qian Cheng, whose face was a storm of emotions, and mocked: "Young Master Qian, you let a woman take your place? How pathetic. With your character, you think you can marry my Elder Sister? You must still be dreaming."

Though all the young nobles feared the Lin family and had no desire to clash with the Ministry of Justice,

previously, they had willingly "yielded" Shen Qingci to Qian Cheng out of respect for his boldness.

Now that they saw Qian Cheng hiding behind a woman, utterly lacking any manly spirit, whispers of contempt erupted around the room.

"I thought Young Master Qian had real wealth—turns out fifteen wan liang bled him dry, and everything else is just bluffing."

"I have no grudge against Young Master Qian, and I shouldn't throw stones at one who has fallen—but with this level of power, he dares to court Shen Miss? Hmph, he has no sense of his own worth."

"In the end, wasn't this whole mess solved by a woman?"

Hearing the murmurs from all sides and Qin Feng's smug, knowing gaze,

Qian Cheng's mouth gaped wider—more stunned than humiliated.

He'd long heard of Qin Feng's cunning and prepared extensively to guard against it—yet still fell into this bastard's trap.

Qin Feng's schemes were not only impossible to defend against, but came one after another.

Qian Cheng made one wrong step—and then every step after was wrong.

He lost not just face, but also dignity.

Most terrifying of all, his careless words had dragged the Lin family into this.

Wait!

Qian Cheng suddenly realized something, spun toward the Gate, and shouted: "Come back! Come back! Qin Xiaofu, bring that maid back immediately—I'll pay any price!"

By then, Qin Xiaofu and the maid had vanished.

Qian Cheng's face turned ashen, sweat drenched his brow—he turned to Qin Feng, nearly begging: "Qin Feng—no, Young Master Qin, Qin Da Ge—I beg you, show mercy and return that maid! One million liang—I'll sell every last pot and pan, I'll pay you every single liang!"

Qian Cheng's eyes were filled with despair.

That maid was the Imperial Consort's personal servant—who knew how many secrets she held?

Now that she was in Qin Feng's hands, wasn't that like strangling the Imperial Consort's throat?

Facing Qian Cheng's desperate pleas, Qin Feng scratched his ear, wearing the face of a shrewd merchant: "One million liang is the price for the Liu Li wine vessel. For the next month, that maid belongs to me. Want to redeem her? Fine—ten wan liang per day. That's three million liang for the month."

Qian Cheng nearly spat blood—he couldn't raise that much even if he sold himself and the entire Qian household.

Seeing Qian Cheng's swaying figure and his utterly wilted expression, Qin Feng sighed, unable to help, and said, "Sorry, I'm a businessman. I only deal in money, not favors."