Chapter 809: First Volume, Chapter 809: High-Level Official Contact

First Volume, Chapter 809: High-Level Official Contact

Qin Feng must quickly pave the way for Jing Qianying's return, as the Di King will not sit idly by.

…

Night fell, Di Jingdu, Yun Xiang Lai Wine House.

In a certain sense, today marked the first time Liang Kingdom and Di Kingdom conducted "high-level contact" on Di territory; it was expected to be a grand banquet, but the opposite occurred.

Everything was extremely low-key: Yun Xiang Lai operated normally, and the First Floor Main Hall was already packed with guests.

Only the innermost room on the Second Floor had been reserved alone.

Qin Feng was very satisfied with Jing Ci's arrangements—this was the proper attitude for "conducting business."

If a large number of Di Kingdom high officials had shown up because Qin Feng invited Chen Si, it would have been inappropriate for any real matters to be discussed; this night would have become meaningless formalities.

Qin Feng had Ning Hu wait outside; when he opened the door, he found those who should have come had come, and those who shouldn't had come too.

Chen Si and Jing Ci, of course, were present; additionally, two other guests were there: Minister of War Zhang Bingguo and the nation's Spy Chief, Li Yu.

Qin Feng was not at all surprised by their uninvited presence.

Compared to the tense standoff at the City Gate earlier, the atmosphere here was surprisingly warm and cordial.

Since Chen Si had only one arm left, he could not clasp fists in greeting; instead, he had his own unique gesture—fisting his hand against his chest.

It was less a bow than a kind of oath.

"Qin Feng, since our parting in Liang Capital, we haven't seen each other in a long time—I've missed you dearly."

"We agreed that when you came to my Da Di Wang Du, I would host you as host to my own brother, but now it's Qin Brother who has spent—this is truly inappropriate."

Chen Si's every action radiated sincerity and warmth, as if he had completely forgotten the blood feud of Qin Feng killing Chen Mou and Chen Li, and annihilating the Snow Wolf Brigade.

Fortunately, no outsiders were present; had commoners or greenhorns seen this, they would surely curse Chen Si as a traitor.

Qin Feng, equally regretful for their long separation, quickly bowed: "To meet Elder Brother Chen again is to fulfill one of my deepest wishes."

"Elder Brother Chen, you don't know how distant and arduous the journey was from Liang Capital to your land—but the moment I thought of meeting you, I couldn't wait, wishing I could sprout wings and fly straight here."

All present were old foxes; though they knew Qin Feng and Chen Si were acting in concert, none called them out.

Instead, everyone enthusiastically played along, faces beaming with smiles.

Chen Si pointed to Li Yu and Zhang Bingguo beside him: "Qin Feng, let me introduce you—this is Minister of War, Elder Zhang; this one is His Majesty's confidant, Elder Li Yu."

Li Yu's OfficialRank was no secret to Qin Feng, but some things were better left unspoken—could he really say outright that Li Yu was the Spy Chief?

After all, the word "spy" carries strong negative connotations—it's simply not fit for Da Yao Zhi Tang.

Qin Feng bowed in turn to both men.

Zhang Bingguo beamed: "Hahaha, I already met Lord Qin at the City Gate today—I must say, Lord Qin is truly young and accomplished, a man of outstanding bearing."

"Liang Kingdom is truly blessed to have a pillar like Lord Qin—we of Da Di can't help but envy you."

With his first words, Zhang Bingguo revealed himself as an old courtier—his speech was perfectly smooth.

Beside him, Li Yu studied Qin Feng from head to toe; though he'd heard the name "Qin Feng" until his ears were numb, today was the first time he saw the man in person, and he couldn't help but marvel.

He'd known Qin Feng was young, but seeing him in person still shocked him.

He immediately smiled and praised: "At your age, to reach such a position is unprecedented—truly, I've never heard of another like you in my half-century of life."

"Lord Qin alone is better than ten thousand troops."

Qin Feng first smiled slightly at Zhang Bingguo, then turned to Li Yu—before this old fox who had spent his life as a spy, he dared not show the slightest carelessness.

"Hehe, Elder Li flatters me—I've merely been lucky."

At this, Li Yu waved his hand repeatedly: "Flattery? Not at all!"

"Throughout Heaven and Earth, talented youths abound—many as young as fifteen or sixteen enter Military Clans and lead troops into battle; many young men pass the imperial exams and enter officialdom."

"But someone like Lord Qin—who can pen peace for the realm and mount a horse to secure the empire—is, even in my long life, the only one I've ever heard of."

"Lord Qin alone is better than ten thousand troops."

Li Yu's praise of Qin Feng was undeniably high—but whether it was sincere admiration or a sugar-coated bullet, only Li Yu himself knew.

Everyone sat down, chatting and laughing; the atmosphere was extremely harmonious.

Jing Ci sat quietly beside them, saying nothing, merely observing as Qin Feng drank and joked with the three heavyweight Di court officials, learning in silence.

After the formalities, Qin Feng steered the conversation to the core matter, raising his wine cup and facing Chen Si.

"Elder Brother Chen, I toast you with this cup: first, for our reunion after long separation; second, for Chen Mou and Chen Li, who died on the battlefield, and the Snow Wolf Brigade, annihilated—here's to peace."

Saying this, Qin Feng drained the cup, then poured himself another without hesitation.

Chen Si still smiled: "Lord Qin need not dwell on it—war always claims lives; as soldiers, dying in armor is our fate. From the moment Chen Mou and Chen Li marched to the battlefield, they understood this."

"Besides, had my luck been worse, I might have died on the battlefield before even entering the National War."

As he spoke, Chen Si reached out and touched the empty sleeve on his other side, as if the wound from the Tianji Camp Guards' arrows still ached faintly.

Jing Ci was deeply impressed by Chen Si's magnanimity and extraordinary composure.

Had she been in his place, burdened with such a blood feud, she would surely have already turned against Qin Feng.

At that moment, Zhang Bingguo beside them casually asked: "I've heard Lord Qin reached a preliminary deal with the Princess? Exchanging one shopfront for a one-million-tael reduction in war reparations? Is this true, or just rumor?"

Qin Feng made no concealment: "It's true—but there's some discrepancy."

"The matter of war reparations has been settled by the diplomatic envoys of both kingdoms; even if we were to reduce the sum, it must be decided collectively by Liang Kingdom's ministers—not by a mere Qin Feng."

"This one-million-tael sum is a kickback."