Chapter 389

First Volume_Chapter 389 Accusation Against the Imperial Prince

The plain-clothed attendants outside hurried to summon the Imperial Guard to enforce the law.

Seeing the Eleventh Prince was serious, Shen Qingci and Jing Qianying, who had rushed over upon hearing the news, quickly urged Qin Feng not to clash directly with the Prince—now was still the time to bow his head and apologize.

Xiao Xiangxiang also feared Qin Feng would bring fire upon himself and whispered a plea to dissuade him.

Yet Qin Feng stubbornly insisted on his path, showing not the slightest retreat.

It was not that Qin Feng was reckless or arrogant with his achievements; he had seen through the scheme.

Although the Second Prince's power had been severely weakened after Gao Ming's fall, he and the Seventh Prince remained the strongest contenders for succession.

Now was not the time to vie for the heir position; all Princes were acting cautiously, fearing to provoke the Liang Emperor's displeasure.

Yet precisely at this moment, the indifferent Eleventh Prince emerged.

If Liu Lan and Chen Teng had been secretly incited by Lin Taibao,

then the Eleventh Prince before them must have been acting on the Liang Emperor's "hint."

He was using this conflict to test Qin Feng's "Heavenly Mechanism."

At this moment, he could not show fear, or from now on, more and more Imperial Relatives would come to trip him up.

Just as everyone believed Qin Feng was doomed, he calmed Shen Qingci and Jing Qianying, then ordered Shu Feng to take Xiao Xiangxiang to the inner chamber to rest—Xiao Xiangxiang had just recovered from a serious illness and could not bear such anxiety.

As for Qin Feng himself, he plopped down on the seat of honor, grabbed the teapot from the table, and drank without a care.

This air of utter confidence only further enraged the Eleventh Prince.

Just as he was about to rebuke him, Qin Feng spoke first: "Just now, Your Highness seemed to say that no matter what merits I have, if I displease you, a single word can condemn me to death?"

"Is this the fate we earn for serving Shedynasty with tireless devotion, risking our lives? As the saying goes: when the cunning rabbit dies, the hunting dog is cooked; when the birds are gone, the fine bow is put away?"

Some words can only be thought in silence, or acted upon directly—but must never be spoken aloud.

The Eleventh Prince committed a grave taboo: he used his personal likes and dislikes to condemn a "meritorious subject."

After all, he was an Imperial Relative; his words represented the Shedynasty imperial clan.

Especially against the backdrop of war between two nations, uttering such words was like pouring oil on fire.

The Eleventh Prince's face turned instantly pale; he clenched his teeth: "Qin Feng, don't try to wriggle out of this! I am punishing you for disrespect, not personal spite!"

Qin Feng shrugged: "As the saying goes, words spoken are like water spilled—everyone here heard what you just said. My Qingya Pavilion may not directly print and sell books, but I still hold the right to compile them, and I maintain close ties with literati across the land."

"I shall certainly compile your words today into a volume, titled 'The Jade-like Good Advice of the Eleventh Prince,' and send it to all of Heaven to read!"

The Eleventh Prince's eyes blazed with murderous intent, yet he had no way to counter Qin Feng.

If his words spread across Heaven, he would surely chill the hearts of all meritorious generals and ministers—so much so that even the Emperor might be enraged.

The greater the war, the more one must soothe the troops and win their loyalty.

The Eleventh Prince took a deep breath, suppressing his murderous intent, and forced out a painfully unnatural smile: "Qin Feng, forget compiling this into a volume. I spoke hastily just now, without due thought. If you release Chen Teng and Liu Lan, I shall let this matter drop."

Let it drop? How naive!

Qin Feng wore a smug grin, watching the Eleventh Prince: "So you admit it?"

Before the Eleventh Prince could react, Qin Feng stood up and declared loudly: "Take Chen Teng and Liu Lan to the Tianji Camp—I shall go personally to the Dali Temple to ask the Minister of Justice: does an Imperial Prince who breaks the law face the same punishment as a commoner?"

As he spoke, Qin Feng turned and walked out.

Seeing Qin Feng was determined to fight to the death, the Eleventh Prince's face changed instantly, filled with panic; he hurried forward two steps and grabbed Qin Feng's arm, pleading: "Qin Feng, will you grant me this favor?"

Everyone present stared in stunned silence—this was a Prince, after all!

He had just publicly begged Qin Feng for mercy…

Shen Qingci quickly signaled Qin Feng with her eyes: take the win and stop.

But Qin Feng thought otherwise—he had already made an enemy of the Eleventh Prince; if this matter was not settled properly today, the Prince would never stop harassing him.

After all, he was an Imperial Relative, not an ordinary official's son; once such a man fixated on you, you would never move an inch without obstruction.

Since the skin had been torn open, tear it all the way through!

Qin Feng reverently pried open the Eleventh Prince's hand, bowed deeply with both hands: "Your Highness overstates this—this is not aimed at Your Highness, but to soothe public sentiment."

With that, Qin Feng swept his sleeve and left Qingya Pavilion, heading straight for the Dali Temple.

The Eleventh Prince was utterly panicked—if this reached the Dali Temple, it could no longer be contained.

Before Liu Lan and Chen Teng were dragged away by the Tianji Camp Guards, they kept crying out to the Eleventh Prince: "Your Highness, save us!"

The Eleventh Prince could barely save himself—he had no attention to spare for these two.

He cursed inwardly: "Damn it! Why did I, enjoying fine clothes and food in the Imperial Palace, come here to provoke Qin Feng, this beggarly dog?"

"Back then, Qin Feng's mother, Qin Cheng Clan, accused the First Prince; today Qin Feng accuses me—truly, like mother, like son. This family is truly untouchable."

"No! I cannot sit here and wait to be destroyed."

The Eleventh Prince took a deep breath, did not rush to the Dali Temple to stop Qin Feng, but headed straight for the Imperial Palace.

Only half a Envoy later, the Western Flower Hall in the Hou Gong was packed with court nobles—except the Imperial Consort.

The Eleventh Prince's mother, Lady Li, wept bitterly before Chang Princess:

"Your Highness, only you can salvage this. Qin Feng first disrespected the Eleventh Prince, and now he is the false victim, going to the Dali Temple to accuse the Eleventh Prince of undermining morale—truly despicable! If this grows, the Emperor will surely punish the Eleventh Prince—how will my son and I ever stand in the Hou Gong again?"

Chang Princess furrowed her brow for the first time ever, feeling a surge of irritation.

Why had the Eleventh Prince, with nothing better to do, provoked Qin Feng?

And Lady Li—instead of immediately sending someone to the Qin Residence to mediate and get Qin Tianhu to stop Qin Feng, she was here stoking the fire.

Wasn't she just pushing the Eleventh Prince into the fire?

Chang Princess frowned and asked coldly: "Have you gone for an Imperial Audience?"

Lady Li shook her head frantically: "How dare I? Everyone in Shedynasty knows the importance of Beixi County with the North Di Barbarians pressing at the border. Without Qin Feng, no one can hold Beixi. At this moment, the Emperor will favor Qin Feng."

Hearing this, Chang Princess nearly laughed in scorn: "You know Qin Feng is powerful now—and yet you deliberately rush headlong into this deadline!"