Chapter 717

First Volume, Chapter 717: The Sovereign Commands His Subject to Die, Yet the Subject Refuses to Die!

Chen Zheng, of course, knew Qin Feng inside and out—or rather, was extremely familiar with him.

The Director of the Taifu Temple oversaw all warhorses in Heaven, and warhorses naturally fell under its jurisdiction.

Whether forming the Black Guards or transporting various warhorses to the Northern Border, Qin Feng had to first report to the Director of the Taifu Temple.

Every case file related to Qin Feng, Chen Zheng personally supervised, and everything proceeded smoothly, never giving Qin Feng the slightest obstruction, because Chen Zheng knew that Liang Kingdom's ability to win this great war and suppress the Northern Di depended entirely on Qin Feng.

Public duty is public duty; private affairs are private affairs.

Now that Qin Feng had come uninvited, Chen Zheng paid him no mind.

A moment later, under the guidance of an Imperial Eunuch, Qin Feng stepped into the Grand Hall.

Just an incense stick ago, Qin Feng had been strolling aimlessly near Mingyue Lake with Qin Xiaofu, euphemistically called fishing, but in truth, his sneaky eyes kept glancing at the Hua Fang.

On that pleasure boat, courtesans and talented scholars mingled merrily, a scene of great bustle.

Unfortunately, Qin Feng was about to marry, so he suppressed his urge to join the revelry and put on the face of a proper gentleman.

Mingyue Lake was not far from the Imperial Palace; originally, when it was dug, it was meant to be part of the moat, but over time, Mingyue Lake and the moat gradually became two separate, independent entities.

Qin Feng knew that today his father, accompanied by a group of Taolin Party officials, had come to Gong Zhong to seek appointment as Taishi Taibao.

The whole day had passed, yet his father had not returned.

Qin Feng guessed that trouble had likely arisen.

He immediately entered the palace to investigate, and upon stepping into the Grand Hall, he saw Chen Zheng standing among the Civil and Military Ministers—Qin Feng couldn't help but chuckle inwardly.

"I told you so—when Chen Zheng shows up, this matter is already dead."

Qin Feng put on a show of bowing respectfully to the Liang Emperor.

"Lord Anle, Qin Feng, pays his respects to His Majesty; may His Majesty's fortune and longevity be boundless."

The Liang Emperor's expression was grim, yet he feared Qin Feng's power; moreover, as a subject, Qin Feng followed protocol, so he gritted his teeth and responded.

"Qin Feng, you came to the palace uninvited—surely you're here about the appointment of Taishi Taibao?"

Without hesitation, Qin Feng blurted out: "Correct."

The Liang Emperor's face turned terrifyingly dark; he cursed inwardly: this brat couldn't even bother pretending.

Before the Liang Emperor could react, Tian Yuanshou beside him couldn't resist gloating.

"Qin Feng, you're too late—Chen Daoren has already made his position clear: the position of Grand Tutor must not fall into the Qin Family's hands."

For the Imperial Party, as long as the new Taishi Taibao was not from the Qin Family or the Taolin Party, it was a Military Victory.

How could Imperial Party officials not be delighted?

Yet Qin Feng merely shrugged: "Chen Daoren? Minister of Court of Imperial Stud? A man who manages horses can really sway court policy?"

At these words, the entire Grand Hall erupted in uproar.

A man who manages horses?!

Was this how they described Chen Zheng? He was the only living top-ranked scholar of Liang Kingdom!

He became Minister of Court of Imperial Stud precisely because he caused trouble constantly—so much so that even the Liang Emperor couldn't promote him.

Besides, Minister of Court of Imperial Stud was one of the Six Ministries and Nine Ministers; his official rank was by no means low.

The atmosphere in the Grand Hall grew increasingly strange.

Qin Tianhu had intended to rebuke Qin Feng for disrespecting Chen Zheng, but then he considered that the Taolin Party had poured so much effort into waiting for this day.

And the only person who could possibly suppress Chen Zheng was none other than Qin Feng—the man who feared nothing.

After weighing pros and cons, Qin Tianhu chose silence.

Chen Zheng smiled calmly, utterly unfazed by Qin Feng's insolence—he knew well that being offended was meaningless.

"Qin Feng, I am indeed a man who manages horses; all warhorses in Heaven fall under my jurisdiction."

"If you think the recent shipments of horses to the Northern Border have been too smooth, feel free to boast—you may be as arrogant as you like. From now on, I will personally review every one of your case files."

Qin Feng knew well that building his Beixi County expeditionary force would inevitably require Chen Zheng's cooperation.

But one thing at a time.

The position of Taishi Taibao—the Qin Family must fight for it!

Otherwise, the Liang Emperor would never give up, always scheming to undermine the Qin Family, and this internal drain would drag on endlessly.

"Hehehe, you pure-stream loyal ministers are truly hypocritical."

"You claim to act for the sake of the empire, yet whenever things don't go your way, you start throwing obstacles everywhere."

"Because of political disagreement in court, you restrict the development of cavalry in the Northern Border?"

"Hahahaha, when war breaks out on the Northern Border and we lose because we lack cavalry, and the whole Heaven suffers as a result—Chen Daoren, you'll have to share responsibility."

Facing Qin Feng's flattery, Chen Zheng remained unmoved.

After all, as a pure-stream loyal minister, one must resist all temptations and pressures from the start, holding firm to one's stance—even under the most extreme pressure, not a single inch of ground must be yielded.

"Restricting your Northern Border's cavalry development is for the sake of the empire—if your Northern Border grows too strong, won't the Central Plains Imperial Party also need to build up its strength?"

"Such internal drain still consumes the Liang National Treasury."

"And preventing your Qin Family from assuming the position of Taishi Taibao is to limit your power, lest it shake the very foundations of Liang."

"In the end, you are outsiders—you don't bear the Liang surname."

"As long as your authority is great enough, whether you are loyal or treacherous is entirely up to you to decide. Any possibility of rebellion—even one in ten thousand—must be crushed in the cradle."

"Even if this makes me enemies who hate me, even if I bear eternal infamy—I will not hesitate."

All officials present understood clearly.

Once Chen Zheng made up his mind, even if heaven collapsed, nothing could change it.

Facing Chen Zheng's blunt sabotage, Qin Feng still wore a smile—he had prepared himself for the worst the moment he saw Chen Zheng.

"Chen Daoren, your words are not without reason."

"But there's one thing I'd like Master Chen to clarify: if the sovereign commands a minister to die, should the minister die or not?"

Qin Feng's words were like a massive bomb; the entire Grand Hall sank once more into deathly silence.

The Liang Emperor's face alternated between dark and pale; he cursed inwardly: he should've checked the almanac this morning—first he'd met Chen Zheng, the stubborn mule, and now he'd run into Qin Feng, the world-upending demon.

Chen Zheng was obstinate to the extreme, while Qin Feng feared nothing under heaven.

If the sovereign commands a minister to die…

This was not a question aimed at Chen Zheng—it was a direct challenge to the Liang Emperor.

Without hesitation, Chen Zheng blurted out: "If the sovereign commands a minister to die, the minister must die—that is the duty of a loyal minister!"

At this, Qin Feng immediately countered: "If the minister dies and the people of Heaven suffer because of it, should the minister still die?"

"Is the standard for a loyal minister so low in Master Chen's eyes? To obey is loyal, to disobey is treacherous?"