Chapter 580: First Volume, Chapter 580: Xie Yun'er Humiliated

First Volume, Chapter 580: Xie Yun'er Humiliated

By now, the Assistant Minister of Justice has dropped all pretense—how could he still have any restraint?

Now that Li Qian is bearing the blame even if heaven falls, there's no need to fear.

The Assistant Minister of Justice glared with fury, gritted his teeth, and vented all the pent-up resentment the Ministry of Justice officials had endured.

This outburst wasn't just for himself—it was for the Minister of Justice and Lin Taibao!

"You're a notorious wastrel with a reputation across the land—what are you pretending to be, a national hero?"

"If you lack even basic virtue, forget being enfeoffed as a marquis—even if you were made a duke, you'd still be a thug at heart!"

"Since your return to Beijing, every deed you've done has been seen by all—justice resides in the hearts of men."

The Assistant Minister of Justice grew more agitated, determined to reduce Qin Feng to utter worthlessness.

"You've been blessed by imperial grace to reach your current status—yet what have you done? Not only did you hoard troops on the Northern Border, but after returning to Beijing, you dared to act with hengxing badou!"

"Had the Emperor not feared public opinion, you'd already have been executed as a traitor stealing the nation!"

"In my view, we should jointly submit a petition to crush this menace while it's still in its cradle!"

The banquet, moments ago harmonious, instantly turned into a public denunciation assembly.

The officials present had long despised Qin Feng; hearing the Assistant Minister's words, they felt deeply satisfied.

Not only did no one defend Qin Feng—everyone piled on, hurling verbal attacks against him.

"The Assistant Minister speaks truly—this little thief is utterly ungrateful!"

"Little thief? He's a traitor stealing the nation! The entire Imperial Court has been turned into a cesspool by him!"

"True! Before the National War, though factions existed in the court, all were acting for Liang's future—unlike now!"

"Court officials form cliques for personal gain, factions abound—all seeking only their own interests, never Liang's safety!"

"Qin Feng, you're the most hateful! Leveraging the State Peace Talks to blackmail the Emperor—I say you're Liang's greatest enemy!"

The officials rose in fury, eager to leap forward and devour Qin Feng alive.

Li Qian made no move to stop them, sneering coldly, feigning the posture of "justice resides in the hearts of men."

Li Yong merely watched silently, eager to see how Qin Feng would defend himself against this onslaught of officials.

Xie Yun'er frowned tightly.

In the past, she would have risen immediately to counsel Qin Feng and quell the conflict.

But this time, Xie Yun'er did not—waves of unquenchable rage spread through her heart.

Xie Yun'er suddenly stood, her sharp gaze sweeping over the crowd as she cried out sharply: "What a shameless act of ingratitude!"

"Who is truly ungrateful—do you not know in your hearts?"

"Your Excellencies, who claim to be national pillars, have truly opened my young lady's eyes today."

Here, Xie Yun'er pointed at Qin Feng—not only in fury, but in profound grievance.

"Since the founding of Liang, we have suffered greatly under Di invasions—though wars erupted frequently, we lost far more than we won."

"Not counting the lands seized, the war indemnities alone have totaled tens of millions of taels!"

"During this National War, the Di intended to strike at the Central Plains—had Qin Feng not led the Northern Border Troops into bloody battle and crushed the Enemy Army…"

"How dare you bark again?!"

Xie Yun'er's rage burned fierce, her face flushed red.

Qin Feng's mouth hung open, staring dumbly at Xie Yun'er, warmth spreading through his heart.

All along, he had given everything to protect those around him.

Now, for the first time, he felt what it was like to be protected.

Looking at this enraged she-tiger, Qin Feng felt an inexplicable happiness—why must women be meek?

Such a woman who fights for justice possesses a unique, majestic beauty.

Facing Xie Yun'er's rebuttal, the officials sneered.

The Assistant Minister of Justice sized up Xie Yun'er with contempt.

"Miss Xie, as the daughter of the Duke of Ning, you're shockingly lacking in propriety."

"Didn't you forget today's public embrace with Qin Feng—a scandalous breach of decorum?"

"Had it not been for the Duke of Ning's reputation, you'd have no place here! Hmph—utterly clueless!"

Xie Yun'er bit her lip, fists clenched tight, glaring at the Assistant Minister of Justice.

"My affection for Qin Feng is none of your business!"

"We're discussing state righteousness—why are you dragging in petty romance? Isn't that petty?"

At these words, the Assistant Minister of Justice was momentarily speechless.

As a Court Heavy Minister, fixating on romantic matters was indeed inappropriate.

Seeing Xie Yun'er shut down the Assistant Minister, Qin Feng's eyes lit up.

No wonder she's the future Young Madam of the Qin Family—her iron tongue rivals Old Lady Qin Cheng Clan.

Clearly, Second Sister Liu Hongyan trained Xie Yun'er in the exact style of Qin Cheng Clan.

Hmm, just imagining someone shouting for him in the future, Qin Feng felt a quiet thrill.

The Assistant Minister of Justice would not yield.

If he couldn't even handle Xie Yun'er, how could he crush Qin Feng?

"Scandals of immorality are worthy of universal scorn!"

"By tradition, since you and Qin Feng are betrothed, you should avoid each other—only meeting on the wedding day."

"Yet what do I hear?"

"That Qin Feng has been spending nights at the Xie Family residence?!"

"You're not even married yet, and you're this eager? Hmph, you wanton woman!"

Jingdu was vast, with hundreds of thousands of people.

Jingdu was also small; any whisper or stir spread like wildfire.

Even though Xie Yun'er was sharp-tongued, she was still a woman—how could she endure such smearing?

Xie Yun'er's cheeks burned crimson, her breath coming in rapid gasps: "You... you're lying!"

"I and Qin Feng are both pure and untainted. You, a high-ranking Assistant Minister of Justice, dare maliciously defile our reputations—I will go to Dali Temple and sue you!"

The Assistant Minister of Justice let out a cold laugh.

"Hahaha, sue me? Did I hear that right?"

"As Assistant Minister of Justice, my understanding of the Great Liang Code far surpasses yours by an incalculable margin."

"Defaming another's purity is indeed one of the laws—but I merely stated facts. Where is the defamation?"

"All of you, tell me—did I speak a single word of falsehood?"

At these words, the officials present burst into sneering laughter.

In an instant, accusations and false charges rose and fell, pouring all at once upon Xie Yun'er.

Even those elders, aged no less than the Marquis of Ning, now abandoned all pretense of decorum.

After all, the Qin Family's suppression of the Xie Family would inevitably harm the Qin Family too!

"Yun'er, I once had a close bond with the Marquis of Ning—I watched you grow up—and now I never imagined you'd become so unchaste. How disappointing!"

"Dare to do it but not dare to own up? Are you not disgracing the Marquis of Ning's honorable name?"

"Hmph! This is what they mean by 'near vermilion, one turns red; near ink, one turns black'!"