Chapter 46: The Pinnacle of Sugar

First Volume, Chapter 46: The Pinnacle of Sugar

Wu Yong's face turned ashen—he never expected Qin Feng to make an issue out of the Saint's actions!

Seeing the stunned expressions of the crowd, Qin Feng found it immensely amusing and pressed on: "Does the entire Shedynasty believe only the Saint and our Qin Residence know how to save?"

The room fell utterly silent, especially Li Rui and others—their faces turned green. They wanted to refute Qin Feng, but everything he said was true. To contradict Qin Feng was to contradict the Saint—who had the nerve? Not even Li Rui, nor anyone else present, didn't wish to smash their priceless gifts right then and there.

Anyone with half a brain could guess these words would reach the Saint's ears immediately; everyone who had given lavish gifts would be written down in his little notebook.

Ji Wang, though old, still had a sharp mind. He never needed these gifts to begin with, and with Qin Feng's words, regardless of his true feelings, he plastered his face with a smile and lavished praise on Qin Feng's remarks.

"Hehehe, Feng'er speaks truly. The Shedynasty's finances are strained; the lavish gifts you've brought are truly untimely. But since they come from your hearts, I shall gladly accept them all, and soon have them recorded and sent to Gong Zhong to replenish the National Treasury."

Qin Tianhu, who had been on the verge of spitting blood moments ago, experienced a complete reversal of mood, secretly relieved he hadn't rushed to present the ginseng!

Now, looking again at Qin Feng's ragged sack, he found it increasingly pleasing.

Who would have thought this brat had thought so far ahead?

Ji Wang's birthday was today's grand event in Jingdu. As was customary, the Saint would send gifts as well. At this critical moment, if everyone continued flaunting wealth without restraint, even if he said nothing on the surface, he would surely be furious inside. At that point, no one could be sure when the Saint might settle accounts.

Qin Tianhu exhaled deeply. If not for this clever brat, he himself might have committed a grave misstep—his face now broke into a smile.

At the same time, every person's attention focused entirely on Qin Feng's ragged sack.

Ji Wang was no different—whether he truly liked it or not, he had to pretend he did!

"Feng'er, what gift have you prepared? Don't keep us in suspense—let me see it."

Qin Feng sighed inwardly. To promote White Sugar, he, the hidden owner, had to personally handle everything—wasn't that exhausting? When he got home, he'd definitely stew a few big pork hocks to reward himself.

Qin Feng no longer hesitated. Under the gaze of countless eyes filled with utter contempt yet forced to feign admiration, he slowly unrolled the sack, had a servant bring an empty bowl, and scooped out a large portion to hand over.

Seeing the bowl brimming with pure white sugar, Ji Wang paused, startled: "The Sugarcane Plantation has been damaged; Sugar Frost is scarce—even my Wangye Fu must ration it. How does the Qin Residence have so much Sugar Frost stored?"

Ji Wang felt the color of this Sugar Frost was wrong—far whiter than ordinary Sugar Frost. He pinched a bit between his fingers and put it in his mouth—it melted instantly, leaving his lips and teeth sweet. His eyes brightened immediately: "Ordinary Sugar Frost is good, but its sweetness doesn't match sugarcane. These Sugar Frost are not only as white as snow, but their sweetness matches sugarcane perfectly. Qin Feng, where did you get this top-tier Sugar Frost?"

Not just the crowd, even Qin Tianhu stared blankly at the White Sugar.

In response to the Saint's call, the Qin Residence had cut back on all luxuries. After their Sugar Frost stock ran out, they stopped restocking and switched entirely to sugarcane. This brat had bought such a massive quantity of top-tier Sugar Frost—and carried it in a sack! It was infuriating!

Qin Feng immediately jumped off the table, shouldered the sack, and scurried over to Ji Wang's side, adopting the smug demeanor of a merchant and launching into a sales pitch: "Your Highness, these are not Sugar Frost—they are White Sugar."

"White Sugar?" Ji Wang frowned. He had heard of sugarcane and Sugar Frost, but never of White Sugar.

Qin Feng smiled warmly and explained: "Think of sugar as having grades—White Sugar is the noblest, the top-tier. One hundred jin of sugarcane yields one jin of Sugar Frost; one hundred jin of Sugar Frost yields only one jin of White Sugar."

Since they had no idea where White Sugar came from, Qin Feng went all out, exaggerating wildly. As a merchant, if you can't even boast, how can you survive in business?

White Sugar, as cheap as cabbage, was turned by Qin Feng into the king of sugars, the pinnacle of pinnacles.

Since no one had ever seen White Sugar, they all believed Qin Feng without doubt.

Li Rui was filled with envy. Though the Li Fu never lacked Sugar Frost, compared to this White Sugar, it seemed utterly insignificant.

Amidst envy and resentment, Li Rui didn't stay silent—he snapped: "One hundred jin of Sugar Frost yields only one jin of White Sugar? Then this White Sugar must be astronomically expensive! You just said the National Treasury is strained—how do you explain this?"

Qin Feng had anticipated Li Rui would seize the opportunity. He narrowed his eyes: "Li Shao, you don't understand—these White Sugar were refined by my own hands, costing only the raw materials. Besides, I have this skill—should I let it go to waste? Must a jade carver return to till the soil because the National Treasury is strained? Must a winemaker switch to hauling manure? Is that reasonable?"

Li Rui was left speechless and could only fall silent in frustration.

Hearing Qin Feng's words, Ji Wang's last reservations vanished, and he beamed with delight.

These White Sugar were inherently valuable, refined personally by Qin Feng, and had nothing to do with "extravagance." He delivered both value and practicality, while avoiding the Saint's suspicion—a single move achieving three goals.

Ji Wang reached out and patted Qin Feng's shoulder, offering unreserved praise: "Feng'er, you've thought deeply. I very much like these White Sugar."

At these words, Qin Tianhu was even happier than Qin Feng—his anger vanished completely, replaced by a hint of pride.

Wu Yong, however, clenched his teeth in silent fury.

This whole affair—his priceless Qilin Wine Cup, which failed to please Ji Wang, had instead brought him blame. Qin Feng, carrying a ragged sack, made Ji Wang laugh with joy. Had he known, he'd have bought some local specialty as a gift—but… what could possibly be better than White Sugar? Wu Yong racked his brain but couldn't think of anything.

Qin Feng had no time to care for anyone else—his entire focus was on Ji Wang. He handed the entire sack to the servant.

Loudly, so everyone could hear:

"Your Highness has fought for the nation for decades, earning glorious victories. Now that you've retired to a quiet life, you deserve true peace and comfort."

"As a junior, I have no wealth to offer treasures like Qilin Wine Cups or Night Pearls—but I am eager to honor you. So let me do this: from now on, I shall supply all the White Sugar you need. Please don't refuse my humble offering."