Chapter 392

First Volume, Chapter 392: There Are No Eternal Enemies

Zhang Xiuye was so furious his face turned crimson and his breathing grew ragged, yet… he had absolutely no way to deal with Qin Feng.

As Director of Internal Affairs, he could directly petition the Heavenly Court, true enough, but the officials of Jingdu bowed to him not because of his title, but because they feared he would whisper in the Emperor's ear.

But when faced with someone like Qin Feng, who didn't care at all, Zhang Xiuye's "authority" instantly became worthless.

In the end, Zhang Xiuye could only sweep his sleeve aside, furious yet helpless: "I… I disdain to waste words with a scoundrel like you."

Qin Feng snorted, turned, and bowed to the Chief Justice of Dali Temple: "Your Excellency, this is the sacred ground of Dali Temple. If any unrelated person dares to interrupt again, they must be severely punished! If Dali Temple guards are insufficient, my Tianji Camp Guards can lend a hand."

Hearing this, Zhang Xiuye's face darkened, but he merely let out a cold hum and said nothing more.

The Chief Justice of Dali Temple had a pounding headache and thought, Ancestor, please just calm down, then waved his hand: "Discuss only this case. Do not waste words on irrelevant matters."

In front of the Chief Justice of Court of Imperial Sacrifices, Qin Feng declared loudly: "Liu Lan, that treacherous villain, disregarded all consequences—knowing full well my father is the Supervisor of War—yet publicly harassed my Qin Family's Eldest Daughter…"

Before Qin Feng could finish, the Chief Justice of Court of Imperial Sacrifices coughed and hastily interrupted: "Qin Feng, do not falsely accuse! But…"

The Chief Justice of Court of Imperial Sacrifices immediately changed tone: "If this truly happened, I will not tolerate it—I will personally bring that disobedient son to your door to apologize."

The meaning of these words was clear.

Qin Feng, stop clinging to this matter!

One word from you, and I know exactly what you're going to say—you'll escalate it, turn the harassment of Shen Qingci into a matter of national righteousness, something about interfering with the Supervisor of War, disrupting military operations, and so on.

Under the current wartime conditions between two nations, any case involving military affairs is extremely sensitive; the Chief Justice of Court of Imperial Sacrifices must crush this in the cradle.

Even if it meant publicly backing down, it was worth it.

All officials present were Old Foxes—they instantly understood the Chief Justice of Court of Imperial Sacrifices had surrendered.

Zhang Xiuye, standing nearby, gritted his teeth, thinking this Chief Justice of Court of Imperial Sacrifices was utterly incompetent, reduced to silence by Qin Feng's few words. He had originally planned to use this opportunity to unite the Court of Imperial Sacrifices, the Imperial Academy, and the Imperial Clan in a three-way alliance to properly punish Qin Feng.

But the alliance collapsed instantly.

Seeing the Chief Justice of Court of Imperial Sacrifices retreat, Qin Feng no longer pressed further—after all, truly breaking with the Court of Imperial Sacrifices would make things difficult.

Qin Feng immediately shifted focus, turning the case onto the Eleventh Prince: "The Eleventh Prince, as an Imperial Clan Member, must speak and act with caution—every word and deed of his represents the authority of the Imperial Clan. Yet today, he aided evil-doers, effectively staining the Imperial Clan's reputation! He also spread seditious remarks that shake public morale—this cannot be tolerated."

The Chief Justice of Dali Temple had finally figured it out: Qin Feng was determined to destroy the Eleventh Prince.

He immediately asked: "Then what do you propose we do?"

Qin Feng internally snorted—this old fox was trying to dig a trench for him?

As the plaintiff, Qin Feng could not interfere in the investigation—he refused to take the bait: "This matter should be overseen by Dali Temple and Zongzheng Temple."

The Chief Justice of Zongzheng Temple's face turned black.

I'm here only to supervise—I'm just here to watch the show. Why are you dragging me into this?

The Chief Justice of Zongzheng Temple cleared his throat: "I leave it entirely to the Chief Justice of Dali Temple."

The Chief Justice of Dali Temple muttered under his breath, Old fox! Then smiled sweetly: "Dali Temple will handle the case of Liu Lan and Chen Teng; the Eleventh Prince's case must be handled by Zongzheng Temple."

The Chief Justice of Zongzheng Temple immediately rose and bowed: "How could Zongzheng Temple dare overstep its authority?"

The Chief Justice of Dali Temple also rose quickly to return the bow: "Your Excellency, please don't be so modest."

I'll be damned if I'm modest! Whoever gets involved in this gets covered in shit!

The Chief Justice of Zongzheng Temple cursed inwardly but outwardly spoke with righteous indignation: "In that case, I believe the key issue in this case is not the facts themselves, but the question of status: Can Imperial Clan members be judged under the Great Liang Code? If the Son of Heaven breaks the law, should he be punished equally with commoners?"

As he spoke, the Chief Justice of Zongzheng Temple turned to the Ministry of Personnel Vice Minister, clearly passing the buck to the Ministry.

The Ministry of Personnel Vice Minister shot to his feet and bowed deeply: "I just remembered—the Minister has entrusted me with another matter of utmost importance. I must take my leave."

After saying that, the Vice Minister of the Ministry of Personnel turned and walked away.

The ball was tossed back and forth—no one wanted to take responsibility for punishing the Eleventh Prince.

Although Qin Feng had long anticipated this outcome, he still couldn't help feeling contempt—these so-called court ministers, the moment imperial affairs arise, each one becomes more cowardly than the last.

The atmosphere in the hall grew awkward.

At that moment, Qin Feng sighed: "If so, does my authority as a Zhengyi inspector to rectify the official climate still hold any weight?"

Hearing this, the Chief Justice of Dali Temple nearly laughed out loud, immediately rising and gesturing: "Bring a seat for Young Master Qin! Qin Feng, as Zhengyi inspector, may personally preside over this case—but cannot serve as plaintiff. If there is a plaintiff, proceed with the trial; if no plaintiff, close the case."

Within the time of one incense stick, Shen Qingci entered DaTang.

Before this, Shen Qingci had been sweating nervously, fearing Qin Feng might vanish without a trace—this was, after all, an accusation against a Prince.

But now, seeing Qin Feng comfortably seated, adopting the posture of an "investigating official," she was utterly stunned.

Shen Qingci slipped him a covert glance and whispered: "Feng'er, what's going on?"

Qin Feng offered no explanation, smiling: "I have been recommended by the Chief Justice of Dali Temple and the Chief Justice of Zongzheng Temple to preside over this case in my capacity as Zhengyi inspector. Plaintiff Shen Qingci, recount exactly what happened today—how did the Eleventh Prince incite Liu Lan and Chen Teng to harass you?"

Shen Qingci, sharp as ice, immediately sensed something was off.

Qin Feng had used the word "incite," not "tolerate."

It meant Qin Feng intended to dump the entire blame onto the Eleventh Prince.

Though digging a trench for a Prince was shockingly audacious, Shen Qingci naturally had to cooperate with Qin Feng—she could not publicly undermine him.

Shen Qingci responded immediately: "The Eleventh Prince led Chen Teng and Liu Lan to Qingya Pavilion, and without asking why, demanded I serve them wine. When I refused, Liu Lan and Chen Teng advanced upon me, forcing me to retreat into the inner chamber."

Hearing Shen Qingci's testimony, the Chief Justice of Court of Imperial Sacrifices quickly signaled Qin Feng, urging him to show mercy—once this case concluded and the Liu Family was cleared, the Court of Imperial Sacrifices and the Qin Family would reconcile.

Meanwhile, the Chief Justice of Zongzheng Temple whispered beside Qin Feng: "Young Master Qin, the Director of the Imperial Academy sent word through me: the imperial examinations are imminent—do not cause trouble."