Chapter 381

First Volume, Chapter 381: Do You Believe I'll Kill You?

Qin Feng stepped forward, and the Imperial Guard immediately drew their swords to block him.

"Qin Feng, this is the Imperial Palace—how dare you act so recklessly!" the Imperial Guard barked sternly.

Qin Feng paid no heed, fixing his gaze on the guards and speaking slowly, word by word: "The Holy Emperor doesn't want to kill me—do you?"

At these words, the Imperial Guard's face turned instantly pale, caught between advance and retreat.

Qin Feng made no effort to force the guards to lower their swords; he simply walked forward, and the blades before him retreated step by step—before long, Qin Feng stood before the Princess of Qiyang.

Faced with the unprecedented pressure radiating from Qin Feng, the Princess of Qiyang felt a flicker of unease.

Qin Feng slowly leaned close to the Princess's ear and whispered softly: "In your eyes, Xiao Xiangxiang is merely a filthy maid—but in my eyes, she is a treasure worth any price to protect… In status and rank, Xiao Xiangxiang can never compare to you, a princess—but I still will kill you without hesitation for her."

The Princess of Qiyang swallowed hard, meeting Qin Feng's calm, unshakable gaze—and a thread of fear rose in her heart. Qin Feng always kept his word—he truly would do it.

For a mere maid, even a lowly slave, he dared threaten a princess in the heart of the Imperial Palace, before the eyes of the Imperial Guard.

Throughout Heaven and Earth, only Qin Feng had the audacity to do so.

The Princess of Qiyang steadied her nerves and retorted defiantly: "Is it worth betting your entire future wealth and glory for a maid?"

Qin Feng gave no hesitation: "It is."

Watching Qin Feng's retreating back, the Princess of Qiyang's gaze wavered for the first time.

As her mother had said, this man could not be understood by ordinary logic.

Recalling Xiao Xiangxiang's suffering, the Princess of Qiyang felt a pang of envy.

Once you enter the palace gates, depth is like the sea; since ancient times, imperial clans have been cold-hearted. Within these walls, only interests exist—never emotional bonds. For fleeting advantage, even brothers will turn on each other.

The Princess of Qiyang secretly envied this reckless devotion to those close at hand.

"Princess, should we report this incident truthfully to the Holy Emperor?" the Imperial Guard asked quietly beside her.

After much hesitation, the Princess of Qiyang shook her head: "No need."

…

Imperial Palace, Harem Hall.

The Second Prince sat by the window, holding a wine goblet, listening to the harpist's melodious tune, his eyes lost in rapture.

"Serving the sovereign is like serving a tiger—no one understands my Father King's decisiveness in killing better than I do. Even I, his Son-Minister, must bow and obey. Throughout Heaven and Earth, the only one who can stand against the Holy Emperor and walk away unscathed is Qin Feng."

The White Clothes stood behind him, thoughtful: "Your Highness, Qin Feng's entry into the palace was brazen, bordering on overreaching ambition. He insulted Zhang Xiuye, held a secret meeting with the Holy Emperor in the Imperial Study, and on his way out, threatened the Princess. These arrogant acts are surely not what they seem."

"This man is extremely shrewd—he is advancing to retreat, forcing the Holy Emperor to hold back harsh punishment."

The Second Prince gazed at the swaying wine in his goblet, a hint of amusement flashing in his eyes: "You may be right—but in my view, Qin Feng truly is enraged only for the sake of a maid."

At these words, the harpist's fingers loosened on the strings, and she asked in surprise: "Is Qin Feng too sentimental—or does that little maid have something extraordinary about her?"

The Second Prince's lips curled slightly: "She's just an ordinary maid, nothing remarkable. If I must say something, it's only that she's always been by Qin Feng's side—he treats her as his personal attendant. That alone is enough reason for Qin Feng to risk everything: first retaliate against the Northern Di, then defy authority all the way. It proves he values emotion above all else."

The White Clothes looked at him with contempt, thinking Qin Feng was too bound by petty emotions.

Oddly, the harpist—who had always scorned Qin Feng—fell into deep thought. Could there truly be someone in this world who would die for a woman?

At that moment, emboldened by wine, the Second Prince declared grandly: "I still have a chance—whomever wins Qin Feng, wins Shedynasty!"

Meanwhile, Qin Feng had hurried back to his mansion.

He dissolved the Holy Emperor's bestowed An Gong Niu Huang Pills in water and, using a tube, directly fed the liquid to Xiao Xiangxiang.

If even the An Gong Niu Huang Pills could not save Xiao Xiangxiang, then Qin Feng truly had no recourse left.

Qin Feng sat with Xiao Xiangxiang in the Back Courtyard for a while, then returned to the DaTang to plan his next steps.

Today he had laid his cards on the table before the Liang Emperor; henceforth, the relationship between sovereign and minister would become purely transactional, bound only by mutual interest.

He now needed not only to strengthen himself but also to secure sufficient benefit for the Liang Emperor—otherwise, he had no value remaining in Jingdu.

As for leaving Jingdu, Li Zhan had already taken the lead.

Qin Tianhu, Liu Hongyan, and others sat in the DaTang, yet none disturbed Qin Feng.

Though… no one knew what Qin Feng had discussed with the Holy Emperor in the Imperial Study, word had spread of his insults and threats against Zhang Xiuye and the Princess of Qiyang during his entry into and departure from the capital.

Yet no one blamed Qin Feng; on the contrary, they felt deeply reassured.

If Qin Feng would risk everything for Xiao Xiangxiang, then for his other family, he would surely walk through fire and mountains without hesitation!

To have such a family—how fortunate.

Meanwhile, under Qin Chao's leadership, a Merchant Caravan passed through the secret Shang Dao of Yinggang Mountain and entered Beixi County in full force.

Besides the carts of cattle and sheep, the most striking sight was the thousand-strong line of Highland Horses, stretching like a dragon.

Lin Quqi and Li Xiaolan personally came out to meet them at the City Gate.

Once all the Highland Horses had entered the city, Lin Quqi sighed: "Brother Qin, you went through so much trouble to bring these horses back."

"But… with these horses alone, can Beixi County truly become invincible?"

In Lin Quqi's view, even the strongest cavalry were still soldiers—and soldiers must win through numbers.

One thousand heavily armored cavalry, against a vast army, would still have limited impact.

But Li Xiaolan was full of confidence, her lips curling gently: "Brother Feng built this heavy cavalry for containment."

Containment?

Lin Quqi was curious: "How so? Please, Third Miss, explain."

Li Xiaolan's eyes gleamed: "The heavy cavalry need not achieve direct battlefield results—only by standing firm in a key position. If the enemy wishes to destroy them, they must divert their main force. But battlefield conditions change rapidly—one hair's pull moves the whole body. If they don't send a large army, they cannot touch this Armed to the Teeth cavalry."

"Xu Mo's Tianji Camp Guards have already proven this. Small bands of Northern Di troops were massacred when they encountered the Tianji Camp Guards. To eliminate them, the enemy must commit large forces—yet the Tianji Camp Guards simply retreat. As Brother Feng said: when the enemy advances, we retreat; when they tire, we strike; when they retreat, we pursue."