Chapter 53: First Volume, Chapter 53: The Cost of Showing Off

First Volume, Chapter 53: The Cost of Showing Off

This is beneath the Son of Heaven's feet; any act of violence is forbidden—only the Liang Emperor holds the power of life and death.

The Liang Emperor's smile vanished instantly, his face turning icy cold; in that instant, his change of expression left Qin Feng stunned. From warm as spring breeze to decisive slaughter, it took but a heartbeat. The old saying holds true: serving a sovereign is like serving a tiger.

At this critical moment, Ning Hu and others burst out through the gate, Ning Hu leading the way, roaring: "Qin Feng, where the hell have you been?"

Ning Hu's face was fierce—but the next second he froze, then without hesitation, fell to his knees, forehead pressed to the ground: "Your servant… your servant did not know Your Sacred Presence was here. I deserve to die."

Li Rui and the others who followed were startled, and all knelt instantly, speaking in unison: "We nearly breached the Holy Chariot. We beg Your Sacred Presence to pardon us."

According to the Great Liang Code, noble titles may be inherited, but GovernmentPositions may not.

Thus, only Ning Hu called himself "your servant"; the rest, though descendants of high ministers, held no official rank and were legally akin to commoners.

Seeing these men, the Liang Emperor instantly understood, his icy expression melting away as he resumed his deep, enigmatic smile and said casually: "So it was you causing the commotion—I truly thought…"

The Liang Emperor did not finish, for it was taboo. It was all Qin Feng's fault—why drag in pursuit and killing? If this had escalated, how many would have been implicated?

But when the Liang Emperor turned to look for Qin Feng, there was no one in sight—he was puzzled, when suddenly Qin Feng's smug chuckle came from behind.

"Hmph, you wanted to beat me up? Come on, let's see who dares."

Seeing Qin Feng's smugness, Ning Hu and the others trembled with rage, yet had no recourse—using violence before the Sacred Presence was punishable by death.

The Liang Emperor had seen Qin Feng's madness; by protocol, as a descendant of a high minister, he should be locked in Zongren Fu to prevent endless trouble. But this man possessed extraordinary talent—the Liang Emperor was both furious and fond, and shook his head with a mocking laugh: "Qin Feng, do you understand the saying 'a dog barks loudly because it leans on its master's power'?"

Qin Feng hid behind the Liang Emperor, looked up, and assumed a posture of humble reverence, feigning deep thought: "Your Sacred Presence is mistaken."

At these words, the Imperial Guard nearly tore Qin Feng's skin off—how could a commoner without official rank dare question the Sacred Presence? They were about to roar in anger, but Qin Feng's next words silenced them.

"I am not a dog leaning on its master's power—I am a man leaning on the Dragon's power."

The Liang Emperor paused, then burst into loud laughter: "Hahahaha! Excellent—'a man leaning on the Dragon's power.' Though you're always mad and reckless, your words have some merit. Enough hiding—here, under my watch, no one dares harm you."

Now with backing, Qin Feng naturally swelled with pride. He strode forward with the Eight-Character Step to stand before the Liang Emperor. Though everyone present wanted to kill him—Ning Hu and the others gnashed their teeth in hatred, the Imperial Guard deemed him insolent—yet the Sacred Presence favored him. What could they do?

Qin Feng showed no fear, hands behind his back, looking down at the kneeling Ning Hu and others, smugly saying: "Who wanted to beat me up just now? Step forward if you dare."

Ning Hu's teeth ground together, yet he could only keep his head bowed, uttering not a sound.

Xie Yun'er beside him fared no better; though furious, she felt more bewildered.

The Sacred Presence is grand in vision, wise in judgment—why does he favor this madman? What merit does this fellow have beyond sheer audacity?

The Liang Emperor made no move to stop Qin Feng's show. When Qin Feng had circled the group and no one dared reply, returning with triumphant satisfaction, the Liang Emperor smiled with narrowed eyes.

"Qin Feng, what you said just now was correct."

Qin Feng looked bewildered: "Huh? Correct? Should I say more?"

Since he was ordered to show off, Qin Feng had no qualms—he was about to command Ning Hu and the others when the Liang Emperor cut him off.

"What I mean is what you said at Ji Wang's banquet."

"The National Treasury is now empty. Under my leadership, all are cutting expenses and seeking new sources of revenue. Yet the sons of high ministers in Jingdu squander extravagantly, exchanging lavish gifts—this is unacceptable."

"I hear the Minister of War sent no gift? Good! You sent a sack of White Sugar? Practical indeed. It seems even in Jingdu, someone is willing to share hardship with me."

Upon hearing this, Qin Feng's head nearly floated to the heavens, while Li Rui and Cheng Fa kept their heads bowed, wishing they could vanish into the ground.

They had sent priceless gifts hoping to win Ji Wang's favor—only to earn themselves guilt instead. Truly, they lost both wife and soldiers.

Just as Qin Feng beamed with pride, the Liang Emperor lowered his voice and murmured: "I have never seen White Sugar before. I tasted a bit at Ji Wang's—truly exquisite in color, aroma, and taste, far superior to Sugar Frost."

Hearing this, Qin Feng's heart sank halfway. His proud head drooped. Though he wished to pretend he heard nothing, he remembered all his crimes were meticulously recorded in the Liang Emperor's little book—and so he bowed his head, meek and submissive.

"Since Your Sacred Presence likes it, I shall take full charge of the palace's White Sugar supply from now on, at preferential pricing."

The Liang Emperor gave a light "Oh?" and smiled: "How much will it cost?"

Qin Feng's mind clattered with calculations. After a moment's weighing, he ventured: "Fifty thousand tael?"

The Liang Emperor pondered: "Fifty thousand tael is too little. How about one hundred thousand? And since this White Sugar is novel, add another one hundred thousand annually—two million tael per year, how?"

Qin Feng's eyes sparkled—he wanted to drop to his knees and bang his head right then. What an emperor! There was no wiser sovereign under heaven!

Qin Feng nodded vigorously: "If it is Your Sacred Presence's wish, how could I refuse?"

The Liang Emperor smiled faintly: "Excellent. Deliver the payment to the National Treasury before year's end. I trust you—no need for me to audit the accounts."

What?!

Qin Feng thought he was hallucinating: "W-wait, what do you mean? So I supply you with White Sugar—and still pay you?"

At these words, the Black-Clothed Man beside the Liang Emperor casually pulled out his little book.

Qin Feng shuddered, rushed over, and grabbed the Black-Clothed Man's hand, nearly weeping: "Brother, you're my real brother—don't write it down, please! Two million tael, fine, two million tael!"

Qin Feng's heart bled. He knew with his toes: the Liang Emperor had heard the rumor that Qin Feng priced White Sugar at five hundred tael per jin—and now he intended to take a cut.

What a thief! This old man was a bandit! Why go through all this trouble? Why not just rob me outright?

Two million tael—how many concubines could that buy?

Qin Feng's face hung in despair, his earlier arrogance vanished. Time and again, it proved true: showing off always comes at a price.