Chapter 419

First Volume, Chapter 419: Not Reward, But Punish

When the Emperor originally betrothed Xie Yun'er to Qin Feng, the Sixth Prince had been resentful, long harboring a desire to punish Qin Feng; the Eleventh Prince was merely the spark.

The reason for choosing today to come and cause trouble was

precisely because Qin Feng had achieved an extraordinary merit; if this fellow were allowed to continue boasting, it would become even harder to retaliate against him later. Better to set a trap for Qin Feng directly—worst case, at least force a Merit and Demerit Offset, leaving him neither rewarded nor punished, maintaining the status quo. If fortune favored them, they might even create an opportunity for the Emperor to depose Qin Feng!

Today, the entire city's populace flooded the streets to welcome Qin Feng, calling him the "Pillar of Shedynasty"—this had already spread throughout Gong Zhong.

Logically, the Emperor should have summoned Qin Feng immediately, yet so much time had passed without action, revealing the Emperor's deep unease over Qin Feng's current prestige.

First, incite Xie Yun'er; second, sabotage Qin Feng; third, relieve the Emperor's worries.

One arrow, three targets!

The Sixth Prince's eyes grew ever more excited, eagerly anticipating Xie Yun'er's move—once that whip struck, all would be won!

"Yun'er, do you know I've kept a place beside my bed for you all along? Those palace maids, though delicate, are utterly unworthy of comparison with you."

Faced with the Sixth Prince's repeated advances, Xie Yun'er could no longer hold back.

She shoved aside the Princess of Qiyang, seized the whip, and lashed it straight at the Sixth Prince.

Crack!

The sharp sound echoed through the entire Back Residence of the Xie Residence.

It hurt—yes, it hurt—but the Sixth Prince endured the lash without flinching, then burst into loud laughter and turned to leave.

The Princess of Qiyang's face darkened instantly: "Yun'er, you've brought disaster upon yourself!"

Xie Yun'er gripped the whip tightly, her gaze resolute: "So what? Can a Prince treat people like this?"

"Even if I die, I will prove that the Xie Family cannot be insulted like this."

The Princess of Qiyang drew a deep breath, closed her eyes—there was no turning back now, and she could do nothing. She immediately led several maids, pale with terror, away from the Xie Residence.

Only one Incense Stick Time passed before the Xie Residence's Door was smashed open by the Imperial Guard.

Xie Yun'er sat in the DaTang, whip in hand, rising calmly before the menacing Imperial Guard: "No need to use force—I'll come with you to Dali Temple myself. I, Xie Yun'er, though a woman, take full responsibility for my actions—I will not implicate anyone else."

The lead Imperial Guard's face was cold and stern: "Miss Xie, when did we say we were going to Dali Temple?"

Xie Yun'er frowned: "What do you mean?"

The lead Imperial Guard ignored her question, waved his hand: "Xie Yun'er beat a Prince—this is a Death Penalty offense! Take Xie Yun'er into custody! Anyone who resists will be executed on the spot!"

Xie Yun'er offered no resistance—she could not resist—and was dragged out of the Fu Men by several burly Imperial Guards. They did not head toward Dali Temple or Zongzheng Temple, but toward the City Gate.

Only after the Imperial Guard had vanished did the maid snap back to reality, screaming in despair: "Quick, find Master!"

"No! Too late—go to the Qin Residence first!"

Meanwhile, Qin Feng sat in the DaTang, sipping tea while reviewing the development of the Qin Grain Shop.

Beyond the Thirty-Six Counties of Jingdu, the Qin Grain Shop had expanded southward into seventeen counties; at this rate, it would soon reach Jiangnan. This pace was reasonable—after all, the Qin Grain Shop did not seek profit, buying and selling at fair prices, naturally earning the people's support.

The situation was entirely favorable.

Just as Qin Feng was about to personally visit the local grain shop in Jingdu for an inspection,

a servant ran over from afar, shouting: "Master! Something's happened! A maid from the Xie Residence came begging for help—she says Miss Xie beat the Sixth Prince and was taken away by the Imperial Guard!"

Hearing this, Qin Feng's temple throbbed.

Since returning to Jingdu, Qin Feng had dared not leave the Qin Residence, waiting for the Emperor's summons—yet now, at this critical Deadline, such a deadly incident occurred: beating a Prince. Qin Feng instantly realized this was surely the Emperor's doing behind the scenes.

Originally, betrothing Xie Yun'er to the Qin Family was meant to bolster the Qin Family; now that the Qin Family had grown powerful, and with Qin Feng's return to Jingdu winning public support and soaring prestige, the Emperor harbored resentment and intended to sever the Qin-Shie alliance to weaken the Qin Family to some degree.

Yet…

This betrothal had been jointly granted by the Emperor and the Chang Princess—it could not be revoked at will—so the Emperor struck directly at the Xie Family.

Qin Feng couldn't help cursing inwardly: "Old bastard, do you have paranoia? I raced through the Northern Border, earned battlefield merit, and upon returning to the capital, instead of reward, you give me a Downward Warning? You old bastard, you've got guts!"

Qin Feng didn't hesitate—he immediately asked the servant: "Where did they take Xie Yun'er? Dali Temple or Zongzheng Temple?"

The servant shook his head frantically: "Neither—they headed toward the City Gate."

At this, Qin Feng's eyelids twitched violently.

Was the Emperor going to execute Xie Yun'er outright?

No… impossible!

If he truly meant to strike, he'd target Xie Bi.

After a moment of confusion, Qin Feng suddenly understood.

This matter involved more than just the Emperor—other forces had intervened.

With urgency pressing, Qin Feng had no time to ponder further—saving Xie Yun'er was now the immediate priority.

Qin Feng did not head to the palace first—he went straight to the Back Courtyard to find Jing Qianying: "Fourth Sister, immediately mobilize all Tianji Camp Guards in Jingdu. Leave the city at once to rescue Xie Yun'er. Also, first head out of the city to find the Brocade Uniform Envoy—there are Brocade Uniform agents active near Jingdu; if Xie Yun'er leaves the city, they'll likely pick up some trace."

Jing Qianying had never seen Qin Feng so anxious—she asked no questions and immediately took her sword and left.

Qin Feng suddenly remembered something, chased after her a few steps, and shouted: "Fourth Sister, those Imperial Guards took Xie Yun'er unlawfully—they'll be severely punished afterward. They're surely Dead Soldiers, fully committed to dying for the mastermind behind this. Be careful—prepare for a brutal fight."

Then, Qin Feng summoned all servants from the Xie Residence who had witnessed the incident, questioning them carefully.

Learning that today's incident had been instigated by the Sixth Prince, he realized the Imperial Consort must have stirred the pot. Since the death of the First Prince and the Sixth Prince's mother, the Imperial Consort and the Sixth Prince had grown close. Court rumors long claimed the Imperial Consort had intended to back the Sixth Prince, but his lustful, reckless nature and lack of ambition had caused the plan to be abandoned.

Yet their bond remained extremely tight.

At this very Deadline, Zhang Xiuye arrived.

"Qin Feng, the Emperor summons you to Gong Zhong."

Seeing Zhang Xiuye's smug expression, Qin Feng took a deep breath and forced himself into the palace for an Imperial Audience—now, he could only meet force with force, water with earth.