Chapter 395

First Volume, Chapter 395: Hedging Art

Zhang Xiuye, having spent most of his life in the palace, knew well that the Hou Gong was an arena where all factions clashed.

Zhang Xiuye sighed softly, lowered his voice, and whispered a warning: "Imperial Pin Li, your faction is weak; you have no access to many of the underlying power dynamics, so you vastly underestimate the dangers of the Hou Gong. Among all the Imperial Consorts, the Noble Consort is by far the easiest to deal with."

"Though the Noble Consort is violent, she is straightforward and despises hypocrisy—right is right, wrong is wrong. If you offend her, you may die, but at least you'll know why."

"Compared to her, the other Imperial Consorts? Avoid them at all costs. Never get entangled again, or you won't even know how you died. There are no good people in the Hou Gong—countless ones smile to your face and stab you in the back. Chang Princess, the Emperor's own blood sister, is the most calculating of them all. Listen to this old servant's advice: never go to her again."

Imperial Pin Li nodded weakly: "Thank you, Chief Zhang, for the warning. I understand."

Zhang Xiuye gave her a long look, sighed inwardly, said nothing more, and turned away silently.

A Noble Consort, careless for a moment, stripped three ranks down—that is the Hou Gong. No room for redemption. One misstep, and you are doomed forever.

The Emperor has long resided in the Front Hall, returning to the Hou Gong only a few times a year, mostly meeting the Empress or the Noble Consorts in Jiaotai Hall. Even lesser Imperial Consorts rarely see him, let alone an Imperial Pin. Imperial Pin Li will likely never see the Emperor again—she might as well have been cast into the Cold Palace…

At the Xie Residence, Xie Bi and Qin Tianhu sat drinking together.

Qin Tianhu lifted the Wine Pot, drained it in one gulp, and exhaled deeply: "In-laws, that boy Qin Feng is growing more brazen by the day. If this continues, disaster is inevitable. My heart feels as if a Massive Rock is pressing down on it."

Watching Qin Tianhu vent after drinking, Xie Bi seemed unusually calm.

The Book Room held no outsiders, and all of Xie's trusted men had cleared the surroundings—there was no risk of eavesdropping.

Moreover, as one of the Four Great Experts of the Capital, no one would dare spy on him under his very eyes.

"Brother Qin, I may say something unpleasant, but it's the truth. Ever since Qin Feng began wandering under the Emperor's nose, the Qin Family has had no retreat left. You and I know the Emperor's methods! The longer Feng acts recklessly, the longer he lives. If he were to suddenly become humble now, the Emperor would eliminate him."

"The Hedging Art is nothing but Tiger to Devour Wolf. Since Feng is the Tiger, he must act with the Tiger's ferocity."

Qin Tianhu nodded, unable to suppress a bitter smile: "Since the Pro-Peace Faction collapsed and Gao Ming was banished, the entire Imperial Court has become the domain of the Pro-War Faction. With the National War looming, they hold the advantage—this should be good. But… the Emperor, who once pushed so hard for war, has suddenly gone silent."

"He has not only removed Li Zhan and elevated Zhang Xiuye, but also turned a blind eye to Lin Taibao."

"Clearly, the Emperor sees the Pro-War Faction as too powerful and is now beginning to cultivate rivals for them."

Hearing this, Xie Bi also felt helpless: "The Emperor constantly speaks of unity among Civil and Military Officials, but if they truly united, he would be the first to oppose it. The more unified the court becomes, the more uneasy he grows. Now, the Emperor personally controls the Palace Guards, the Imperial Guard, the Black Guard Bureau, and the Imperial Capital Garrison. Whoever displeases him is eliminated."

"In the future, Lord Qin should remain low-key. Advance slowly on the National War matter. Unless the Emperor asks, say nothing."

Qin Tianhu nodded: "There's no other choice."

Qin Tianhu felt vexed. Once, the Ministry of War and the Ministry of Revenue were locked in bitter conflict, and he, as the Emperor's Heavy Minister, had favored the Ministry of War at every turn.

Now that the Ministry of Revenue has fallen, the Emperor's favor toward the Ministry of War has steadily waned.

The removal of Li Zhan and the promotion of Zhang Xiuye prove the Emperor is now building a new faction.

Any faction that gains a foothold in court is acceptable—but the process must be brutal. If factions don't exhaust each other, they'll exhaust the Emperor…

The case of the Eleventh Prince has been settled.

The Minister of Court of Imperial Sacrifices and the Head of the Imperial Academy personally came to call, bearing gifts.

In the DaTang of the Qin Residence, Qin Feng conversed merrily with the two Court Heavy Ministers.

The Minister of Court of Imperial Sacrifices and Qin Feng—where was the earlier hostility from Dali Temple? Their bond now seemed warm, so much so that outsiders might mistake them for old friends.

"Young Master Qin, a brilliant youth—I admire you. The Eleventh Prince's downfall is his own doing. But in this case, my son was also a victim, young and naive, deceived by others."

The Minister's meaning was clear: ask Qin Feng to show mercy and release Liu Lan immediately.

After all, Liu Lan was detained in the Tianji Camp—truly difficult to handle.

The Head of the Imperial Academy remained calm, not rushing to plead. Instead, he feigned profundity and asked: "Young Master Qin, your actions in sending the Eleventh Prince to Zongzheng Temple are known throughout Jingdu. Future political enemies will likely avoid direct confrontation with you. But… such overwhelming prestige may not be beneficial."

"You hold no official position, yet you toppled an Imperial Prince. The Imperial Examination Candidates across Heaven will condemn you. Lose the legitimacy of law, and you'll find it hard to stand firm thereafter."

Qin Feng listened intently, though inwardly he chuckled.

That old fox, the Head of the Imperial Academy, had exhausted every trick to rescue Chen Teng.

Qin Feng pondered: "Then, according to the Head, how should this matter be handled?"

The Head of the Imperial Academy stroked his beard slowly and said: "Soon, scholars from all regions will arrive in Jingdu for the Imperial Examinations. This examination is always a major matter in the capital. If Young Master Qin lends a hand in this, earns the admiration of all scholars, you can offset the damage to your legal legitimacy."

Qin Feng mentally noted the Imperial Examination matter.

As for Liu Lan and Chen Teng, they had already been punished. There was no need to risk angering these two Court Heavy Ministers, whose Peach and Plum All Over the World influence could crush him, by dragging this further.

"When the two of you arrived, I had already ordered the Tianji Camp Guards to escort both young masters home. Rest assured—they are unharmed. Only detained a few days, to temper their temperaments, to teach them caution when dealing with factions. They suffered no real hardship."

Upon hearing this, the Minister of Court of Imperial Sacrifices and the Head of the Imperial Academy both exhaled in unison.

Qin Feng immediately added: "Since you two have come here, all factions in Jingdu now know. I am young and speak bluntly—forgive me. From today onward, you two are beyond washing clean—even if you jumped into the Yellow River, you couldn't cleanse yourselves. Rather than suffer suspicion and alienation from all sides, why not let me, in this moment, acknowledge you both as my uncles?"

The Minister of Court of Imperial Sacrifices and the Head of the Imperial Academy exchanged a glance.

They understood: entering the Qin Residence was easy. Leaving it? Not so much.

And Qin Feng's words held truth—Lin Taibao would not let this go easily…