Chapter 60

First Volume, Chapter 60: Toukongquqiao

Physical Method? Pry up the Earth?

Anyone else uttering such nonsense would be executed on the spot for the Crime of Deceiving the Emperor, but coming from Qin Feng, everyone found it perfectly normal—even Qin Family's political enemies had long grown accustomed to it.

Seeing Qin Feng standing there as if nothing had happened, Qin Tianhu kicked out a leg, furious: "What are you daydreaming about? Get down and thank the Sage for his grace!"

Qin Feng leapt far away instantly—he would never kneel, not in this lifetime.

Qin Feng sneered inwardly: "This old bastard knows full well the Ministry of War and the Ministry of Revenue are locked in bitter conflict, and the Yong'an Marquis family are Pro-Peace Faction—yet he praises me so publicly before all these people, clearly trying to shift blame and draw fire onto me. This old bastard isn't just cunning—he's evil, evil to the point of dripping poison!"

The match result reached the Pian Yuan where the women were gathered. Upon learning Qin Feng had won through clever technique against Ning Hu, the women were first stunned, then quickly replaced their surprise with cold mockery.

Li Ninghui lifted her tea cup, blowing on the steam, speaking sarcastically: "I was worried earlier that the Little Marquis couldn't beat Qin Feng—and sure enough, I was right. Hehehe, not even the Little Marquis, but anyone in Jingdu, or even all of Shedynasty, couldn't possibly beat Qin Feng."

The maid beside her quickly chimed in, feigning surprise: "Miss, how can you say that? There's always someone better out there, and heavens beyond heavens—even if Qin Feng is powerful, he can't be invincible across Heaven!"

Li Ninghui sighed, feigning helplessness: "A righteous gentleman can never outmatch a villain."

The women present had never favored Qin Feng to begin with; hearing Li Ninghui's words, their disdain deepened, and they began accusing Qin Feng of being a scheming villain who won through underhanded tricks, not true merit.

Liu Hongyan felt anger rising but said nothing in defense—after all, even the Sage had declared Qin Feng the victor; why should she care about these women's gossip?

She only hoped Qin Feng would show some restraint and never again do anything so shocking.

Though the atmosphere on the Jiaochang appeared harmonious on the surface, beneath it, currents of tension churned violently—the Liang Emperor's lavish praise for Qin Feng had not only humiliated the Ning family father and son, but also left the Hubei Party sitting on pins and needles.

It was common knowledge that the Ministry of War and the Ministry of Revenue stood in direct opposition over the campaign against Di.

Yet both court influence and public sentiment favored the Hubei Party.

Had the Liang Emperor not leaned toward the Pro-War Faction, Qin Tianhu alone would have been no threat at all.

Now, not only had Qin Feng stolen the spotlight at Ji Wang's birthday banquet, but he'd also been publicly praised by the Liang Emperor—already, many neutral officials had begun tilting toward Qin Tianhu.

If Qin Tianhu gained power, backed by the Liang Emperor's full support, the campaign against Di would be Returning to Heaven—hopeless.

Thinking of this, the Minister of Revenue swiftly signaled; the Hubei Party's Director of Affairs understood, called Cheng Fa over, whispered a few words, and Cheng Fa hurried off to incite Ning Hu.

Ning Hu had never accepted defeat; now, stoked by the Hubei Party, he exploded.

"Your Majesty, I object!"

"I demand to compete against Qin Feng again!"

Ning Hu glanced at Qin Feng, his tone dripping with contempt and provocation: "Qin, you beat me in strength—but if you want me to truly accept defeat, we must compete again. Otherwise, every Noble Youth in Jingdu will see you as a Toukongquqiao!"

Toukongquqiao? Is that a compliment? For Qin Feng, anything solvable with brains never required brute force—he'd rather argue than fight.

Whether Ning Hu accepted it or not? What did that matter to Qin Feng? If he had time to care, he'd rather manage his White Sugar Industry—he'd be the Beijing Sugar Tycoon before long.

Qin Feng acted as if he hadn't heard, ignoring Ning Hu entirely. He directed the Imperial Guard to dismantle the Levers and return the tripod to its place, then, before all eyes, scampered over to Ji Wang, pointed at the damaged ground, and beamed with sycophantic charm: "Old Prince, I'll cover the cost of repairing the ground—would ten thousand liang of silver be enough?"

Ten thousand liang?!

Hearing Qin Feng's price, every official present drew a sharp breath—thinking Qin Feng had the audacity of a bear's heart and a leopard's guts, openly bribing Ji Wang under the Emperor's nose under a false pretense!

Ji Wang stole a glance at the Liang Emperor, saw the Emperor's expression was intrigued, not angry, and exhaled inwardly; he waved Qin Feng off: "I can afford to fix the ground myself. Qin brat, stop this nonsense."

Qin Feng didn't press further, turned, and bowed to the Liang Emperor: "Your Majesty, if there's nothing else, I'll take my leave."

Before the Liang Emperor could speak, Ning Hu roared: "Qin! Stop right there! You're competing today, whether you like it or not—otherwise, from this day forward, the Ning Family and Qin Family are sworn enemies!"

Watching Ning Hu's furious, murderous glare, Qin Feng couldn't help sneering inwardly—whether he competed today or not was meaningless; the feud between Qin Family and Ning Family had already been sealed. Besides, Ning Hu was just a pawn today—not worth mentioning. The real protagonist was the Liang Emperor above.

After all, whichever side won this match could be justified—it all depended on the Liang Emperor's whim. In other words, whoever won meant the Liang Emperor favored one side, enough to shift the entire court's direction.

Qin Feng subtly stole a glance at the Liang Emperor and saw the Emperor still smiling silently—he knew it wasn't time to leave yet. He stopped, kicked his leg idly, adopting a lazy, street-slick demeanor: "I didn't say I wouldn't give you a chance. Speak up—what do you want to wager?"

Seeing Qin Feng finally relent, Ning Hu's heart leapt; he immediately pointed to the Talou in the southeast corner of the Jiaochang: "Whoever reaches the top first and takes down the flag wins!"

The Talou stood ten zhang tall, originally built by Ji Wang as a replica of the Bianchui Watchtower to commemorate the glorious days of warhorses and steel. Now, beyond symbolism, it served as Jingdu's command tower.

Qin Feng looked up at the Talou, already formulating a plan; outwardly, he feigned hesitation: "Isn't that a bit too high? If you fall and die, fine—but if you fall and lose bladder control, become helpless, don't blame me."

Ning Hu's face darkened with anger; he sneered: "Enough talk—just say whether you dare or not!"

Qin Feng didn't answer directly, instead feigning deep thought.

Seeing Qin Feng hesitate, Li Rui stood up immediately, stoking the fire: "In the strength contest earlier, Qin Feng, you won—but you exploited the rules. You're used to being shameless, so you don't care—but your father is the Minister of War; he cares deeply about reputation."