Chapter 81: First Volume, Chapter 81: The Crime of Rebellion

First Volume, Chapter 81: The Crime of Rebellion

As Qin Feng said, the worst they could charge him with is disturbing the peace.

Qin Feng turned and waved at the crowd, grumbling, "You lot always love to gather and gawk—clear off now."

Whoosh—

In an instant, more than half the crowd vanished; the civilians who had caused the disturbance fled completely, leaving only Qin Residence servants and others.

Under Gao Song's furious yet helpless gaze, Qin Feng's expression suddenly shifted completely—he grew solemn and shouted to Xu Mo:

"General Xu, I am here to report that Gao Song has secretly stockpiled troops and weapons, plotting treason!"

Gao Song never expected Qin Feng to turn the tables—he froze, then shouted loudly: "Qin! You're shameless! The one gathering a mob to cause trouble is you!"

Qin Feng acted as if threatened, quickly hiding beside Xu Mo and pointing at Gao Song nervously: "The men I brought are all Qin Residence Protectors—you can check the Ministry of Personnel records, we have a fixed number of servants. But the fifty-odd men from the Dragon-Tiger Gang don't belong to the Gao Residence—they're well-trained, armed, and hidden; if they plot treason, they'll threaten the entire safety of Jingdu."

Xu Mo had long known of the Dragon-Tiger Gang's existence, but without orders from his superiors in the City Patrol Bureau, he couldn't act.

Now that the Dragon-Tiger Gang had walked straight into his trap, Xu Mo had no hesitation—he raised his spear and growled at Gao Song: "Young Master Gao, how do you explain this Dragon-Tiger Gang?"

Gao Song turned pale—he had come to accuse Qin Feng of rebellion, but Qin Feng had washed his hands clean and dumped the whole mess onto Gao Song's head.

Gao Song could never admit to this charge!

First, he feared a small matter would grow into a disaster, damaging his father's reputation.

Second, he knew Qin Feng's nature—if he so much as blinked, Qin Feng would seize the chance and extort him again.

Though Zhao Zhangfu kept urging him not to argue with Qin Feng, Gao Song had never been so humiliated in his life—he'd fight for a steamed bun if it meant saving face!

He refused to believe that, as the son of the Grand Commandant, he couldn't even control a mere Qin Feng.

But then Xu Mo dismounted, unhesitatingly clapping Qin Feng on the shoulder: "Relax—I'm always impartial. I won't wrong a good man, nor let a bad one slip away. Without proof, no one can touch you."

Gao Song trembled with rage—Xu Mo wasn't favoring Qin Feng; he was openly aiding Zhu Zhou Wei E!

Watching Gao Song seethe helplessly, Qin Feng found it amusing—he deliberately draped an arm over Xu Mo's shoulder right in front of him.

"General Xu is a man of grand spirit—who in Jingdu doesn't know that? And among the younger generation, those with official rank are few indeed, proving General Xu's ability!"

The City Patrol Bureau is one of the Imperial Guard's subordinate agencies, responsible for Jingdu's security. Having a "comrade" like this inside the Imperial Guard system, Qin Feng naturally wanted to cultivate the relationship—it would surely come in handy later.

Qin Feng kept calling Xu Mo "General Xu," making him feel thoroughly pleased.

After all, people in Jingdu always called Xu Mo "the son of the Jing'an Marquis," which annoyed Xu Mo, who had high self-regard.

Now Qin Feng never mentioned the Jing'an Marquis and openly praised Xu Mo's abilities—Xu Mo was thoroughly delighted.

Xu Mo's gaze grew brighter as he laughed: "Hahaha, Brother Qin flatters me. The other day, you stood before the Emperor at Ji Wang Fu and humiliated those pedantic scholars—truly satisfying! Now that the North Expedition is on the agenda, you've earned the foremost merit."

Saying this, Xu Mo lowered his voice and whispered:

"Brother Qin, though you hold no official rank, you're pivotal in the North Di matter. When the Emperor appoints commanders to send troops to the frontier, please speak well of me. Patrolling here in Jingdu is dull—real men fight on the battlefield, crush the rebels!"

Qin Feng found this amusing—Xu Mo seemed like a blunt fool, but was actually shrewd beneath the surface.

He talked of bold ambition, but in truth, he just wanted to go to the frontier for experience—to polish his career with glory.

After all, the North Di war weighed heavily in the Emperor's mind; he was preparing to use this war to restore his honor. Whoever shone brightly in this conflict would have an unlimited future.

Qin Feng had no hesitation—he looked at Xu Mo with intense seriousness: "General Xu, I'll tell you straight: in this North Expedition, everyone else might be left out—but you're going for sure."

Spending tens of thousands of taels of silver to secure a post for Xu Mo was nothing to Qin Feng.

"Really?!"

Xu Mo was instantly moved to tears—he grabbed Qin Feng's hand, trembling with excitement: "Brother Qin, your word is enough! In Jingdu, anyone who opposes you is my enemy!"

Qin Feng had been waiting for that exact phrase!

Without official rank, he was always vulnerable—even the Jingzhong Magistrate could deal with him directly.

With Xu Mo watching his back, his path ahead would be far smoother.

Watching Qin Feng and Xu Mo exchange glances, Gao Song seethed with rage—he was about to storm off when a new sound of footsteps came from afar.

Turning to look, he saw over a hundred officials in uniform rapidly approaching.

Their leader was Tie Feiying, chief of the Jingzhong Magistrate's bureau.

Tie Feiying held his official saber in one hand and pointed at the scene with the other, barking: "Surround the scene! Anyone… involved… cough… cough…"

Tie Feiying's voice grew weaker, his expression shifting from stern authority to stunned disbelief.

Earlier, Tie Feiying had received orders: someone in Jingdu was plotting rebellion—he'd rushed here without delay.

He'd assumed it was some wastrel gathering a mob—but now, seeing the "lords" on the scene, his eyes nearly popped out.

The lowest-ranking person here was a future Marquis…

Not even he, a mere chief, could dare act—let alone the Jingzhong Magistrate himself, who'd have to show deference.

Unsurprisingly, none of the three men acknowledged Tie Feiying.

The hundred-odd Yamen Runners couldn't even get close—they were blocked by City Patrol Bureau guards, all three squads standing frozen, not daring to breathe.

After all, if fighting broke out, the cloth-clad Yamen Runners would be slaughtered by the armored guards.

Tie Feiying hastily sheathed his saber and forced himself to approach Xu Mo, bowing: "Captain Xu, I've come under the Jingzhong Magistrate's orders to arrest the rebels. If Captain Xu intends to act, I'll withdraw my men immediately."

Xu Mo grunted, not even glancing at Tie Feiying: "Fine. Go back."