Chapter 44: First Volume, Chapter 44: Longevity as the Southern Mountain

First Volume, Chapter 44: Longevity as the Southern Mountain

Qin Tianhu didn't believe a word Qin Feng said—Old Prince Ji held high rank and power; what rare treasures hadn't he seen?

Seeing the ragged sack Qin Feng had prepared, Qin Tianhu was furious, but this brat actually going to pay respects to Ji Wang was already no small feat.

The gift being poor didn't matter; as long as the person showed up, that was the bare minimum of propriety.

Qin Tianhu, too lazy to say another word, kicked Qin Feng onto the carriage and headed toward the Prince Ji's residence.

Ji Wang's birthday was today's foremost event in Jingdu; whether court ministers or Jingzhong sect disciples, all came bearing gifts to offer congratulations.

Half a street away from Ji Wang Fu, the courtyard was already packed with all manner of carriages; Ji Wang Fu's servants came out to greet them from afar, identifying guests by carriage—only Imperial Clan members and high-ranking officials were granted separate pathways into Ji Wang Fu, spared from jostling with minor officials.

Due to the overwhelming number of guests, the Wangye Fu's main courtyard had been cleared and lined with tables and benches, turning it into an open-air banquet; all manner of rare treasures and calligraphy scrolls could be seen scattered throughout.

Qin Feng strode into the mansion carrying his sack like a king, as glaring as a firefly in the dark—impossible to ignore. Yet he took no shame, only pride; under the servant's guidance, he took his seat and placed the sack in the most conspicuous spot.

He grabbed two servants at random and said solemnly: "Watch this well—no one touches it. If anything goes wrong, even if you're a servant of Ji Wang Fu, I'll still kick your ass."

At that moment, a wave of mockery arose; following the sound, he saw Li Rui and Cheng Fa standing nearby, smirking as they sized up Qin Feng's gift.

Cheng Fa had previously been swindled out of Ten Thousand Li Silver and nearly had his skin peeled off by his father; every thought of Qin Feng made his teeth itch—he naturally wouldn't miss such a perfect chance, and deliberately raised his voice to sneer.

"No wonder Qin Family's Eldest Young Master—his gift is truly unique. Did he just buy some local specialty and try to fool Ji Wang?"

Li Rui crossed his arms, his eyes brimming with contempt: "Local specialty isn't bad—much of the annual Imperial Tribute consists of local specialties. But why wrap a gift in a sack? Are you treating Ji Wang like a beggar?"

These two never missed a chance to escalate things; Qin Feng was long used to it.

But their shouting drew everyone's attention; all eyes turned to Qin Feng's ragged sack, and whispers and pointing erupted.

Wu Yong and An Shiyun were no exception; though they weren't close to Li Rui, the saying went: the enemy of your enemy is your friend—and against Qin Feng, they stood united.

Wu Yong's lips curled into a sneer as he mocked: "Qin Feng, you're the son of the Ministry of War's Minister—how could your gift be so careless? Are you not even respecting Ji Wang? Or are you deliberately trying to humiliate him?"

An Shiyun immediately jumped in, echoing Wu Yong: "I heard yesterday that Young Master Qin spent a thousand gold, paying Ten Thousand Li Silver to buy the nearly bankrupt Wuhu Da Jiu Lou, then spent Three Ten Thousand Taels just on renovations—such extravagance leaves us all ashamed. But I don't understand: if you have money to waste, why not spend a bit to prepare a proper gift for Ji Wang?"

"Or… after your Imperial Audience, have you stopped respecting anyone at all?"

At these words, Li Rui's eyes lit up—he already wanted to befriend An Shiyun.

The surrounding nobles and elites began murmuring; if minor, Qin Feng's act was a breach of etiquette; if major, it was disrespect to elders, defiance of authority.

Qin Tianhu's face darkened—after all, Qin Feng was his son; now the target of everyone's scorn, how could he stand aside?

But in truth, no one else was to blame—it was Qin Feng's fault for wrapping Ji Wang's gift in a sack. Wasn't that asking for trouble?

If this angered Ji Wang, given Ji Wang's status and prestige in Jingdu, the Qin Family's future path would grow perilous.

Qin Tianhu shot Qin Feng a glare, then feigned ease: "My Quan Lang is always up to nonsense, always playing tricks—forgive us all for the laughter."

As he spoke, Qin Tianhu reached into his robe, preparing to pull out the hundred-year ginseng he'd brought as Qin Feng's gift.

At that moment, Ji Wang stepped out through the main door of the hall.

All attention instantly shifted from Qin Tianhu and his son to Ji Wang; a chorus of congratulations rose in waves.

"Congratulations on your birthday, Ji Wang—may your fortune flow like the Eastern Sea, your longevity match the Southern Mountain."

"May Ji Wang's fortune and longevity rival heaven's, may Nian Nian You Jin Chao endure forever."

Seeing this, Qin Tianhu had no choice but to join the crowd in offering blessings; seeing Qin Feng's lazy, careless posture, he was furious, and hissed low: "What are you standing there for? You disobedient brat—I'll settle accounts with you at home!"

Qin Feng, who had been planning to promote White Sugar, finally snapped to attention, scratched his ass, and bowed to Ji Wang.

He wasn't a warrior—why bow with fists? Even if he bowed, he used right fist over left—that was clearly a challenge to "exchange a few moves" with Ji Wang! Furious, Qin Tianhu ignored the stares around him and kicked Qin Feng's ass hard.

Qin Feng jumped in fright, leaping onto a bench and wailing: "Father, why'd you kick me?!"

After his shriek, Qin Feng became the center of attention; everyone cast him disgusted, scornful glares—but Ji Wang also looked at him. Though surprised, his gaze held no blame.

Qin Tianhu never expected such an exaggerated reaction—his face flushed red, then pale with shame and fury, but he couldn't erupt publicly; he hissed through clenched teeth: "Get down from there!"

Sensing Qin Tianhu's look of righteous betrayal, Qin Feng grew even more terrified—he leapt from the bench onto the table, using a fruit platter as a shield over his face, trembling: "Father, stop hitting me! After all, I'm your own flesh and blood—even tigers don't eat their cubs!"

Qin Tianhu shook with rage, wanting to peel the brat's skin off right then—but he had no way to control Qin Feng.

Unbeknownst to him, Qin Feng wanted exactly this effect—if he didn't become the banquet's center, how could he promote White Sugar?

As Qin Feng predicted, Li Rui couldn't hold back—he shouted: "Qin Feng, you dare? Today is Ji Wang's birthday! Wrapping your gift in a sack is bad enough, but now you're causing a scene—do you mean to humiliate Ji Wang?!"

With someone leading the charge, others no longer hesitated—they launched a torrent of condemnation against Qin Feng.

Instantly, laughter, curses, and shouts filled the entire Ji Wang Fu.

The birthday banquet hadn't even begun—it was already a complete mess.