Chapter 92

First Volume, Chapter 92: Today, This Young Master Will Confront Heaven, Earth, and Air

As soon as these words left his mouth, Qin Feng felt something was off, quickly shook his head, dismissed the thought, and muttered under his breath:

"No way. The Second Prince is a staunch member of the Pro-Peace Faction, but he's still eyeing the Crown Prince position—he would never step from the shadows into the open. If he drew the Emperor's suspicion over this, it would be a disastrous miscalculation. The Second Prince wouldn't make such a basic mistake…"

While Qin Feng was muttering to himself, he didn't notice Qin Tianhu watching him, his eyes filled with astonishment.

For the Court Heavy Ministers of the Three Dukes, Nine Ministers, Six Ministries, and Twenty-Four Departments, the Second Prince's intentions were not hard to guess.

After all, for the Second Prince to succeed, he must win over as many Court Heavy Ministers as possible.

Previously, he had even hinted that Qin Tianhu should join his faction, but Qin Tianhu had evaded the offer with vague replies.

But Qin Feng had never even met the Second Prince—yet based solely on the political situation in court, he had deduced the Second Prince's true intentions. Even Qin Tianhu couldn't help but be secretly startled.

This kid is born to be an official. If he could be granted an official post, he would surely shine brilliantly in the future.

Yet, this kid has zero interest in becoming an official—he spends his days thinking only about how to amass wealth.

I wonder whether Qin Family's having this son is a blessing or a curse…

Qin Tianhu didn't directly reveal anything; to test just how meticulous Qin Feng's thinking was, he deliberately asked: "Who do you think is leading this?"

After asking, Qin Tianhu found it laughable—these events had just happened, and they hadn't yet reached the Folk. Even if Qin Feng was brilliant, he couldn't possibly deduce the truth without any clues.

So Qin Tianhu harbored no illusions and prepared to simply tell Qin Feng the answer.

But just as Qin Tianhu was about to speak, he heard Qin Feng muttering softly.

"All officials who attended Ji Wang's birthday banquet were Court Heavy Ministers—even the Minister of Revenue showed up, proving both the Pro-War Faction and the Pro-Peace Faction sent their full strength. Now, even a senior Minister of Revenue has drawn the Emperor's suspicion. In the short term, core members of the Pro-Peace Faction dare not show their faces. Therefore, the one leading the obstruction of this war cannot be a Court Heavy Minister."

Qin Feng rubbed his chin, clicked his tongue, and pondered: "If it's a Folk figure, yet one whose voice the Emperor cannot ignore, then after careful thought, there's only one possibility: a Scholar-Official Class figure with immense influence in the literary circles."

As Qin Feng mused inwardly, Qin Tianhu's mouth widened further and further.

Had he not seen it with his own eyes, Qin Tianhu would never have believed that his own son—this lazy, troublemaking, notorious wastrel—could think so meticulously, deducing the full picture of the event from only rough circumstances.

No wonder even the Emperor holds this brat in such high regard…

Even if Qin Feng were merely a commoner, this ability alone would be enough to stir up a storm in Jingzhong.

Qin Tianhu couldn't help but display a hint of pride—after all, this was his Qin Tianhu's son!

But Qin Feng was already boastful enough; Qin Tianhu naturally wouldn't praise him even a word, so he feigned indifference: "The obstructors are indeed some Scholar-Official elders."

"Besides the Jingzhong scholars, many scholars and literary masters from outside the capital have rushed to Jingdu, using the empty National Treasury and war disrupting People's Livelihood as reasons to urge the Emperor to abandon the campaign against Di. As for these literati, even the Emperor dares not act harshly—he has decided to hold a debate in the Imperial Court tomorrow. These scholars are utterly unmoved by threats or bribes; they commonly wield their pens like knives, slashing at the offspring of court officials."

At this, Qin Tianhu's voice grew heavy, more serious than ever before: "From now on, you brat, behave yourself. Don't dare pull another outrageous stunt. If those scholars find out, it won't take long before the whole of Shedynasty hears about it. Then, the entire Qin Family will be stained with infamy for generations."

Qin Tianhu delivered his threat and walked away without looking back.

The moment he left, Qin Xiaofu crept over nervously.

Seeing that the Young Master hadn't been beaten to the point of losing teeth, Qin Xiaofu was awestruck: "Young Master, how are you? Did you suffer internal injuries?"

"Shut up, you idiot!"

Qin Feng was annoyed, waved his hand dismissively, and had no interest in responding to Qin Xiaofu.

Qin Feng had always believed he understood the Emperor's mind—but now he realized the Emperor's depth far exceeded his imagination.

Tomorrow's Imperial Court debate would inevitably involve Qin Feng; the other purpose of that golden belt was to grant him the "right" to attend this debate.

The White Sugar Industry is still immature, and the war against Di faces layer upon layer of obstruction—even Qin Feng was beginning to feel overwhelmed.

To hell with it!

Qin Feng stopped dwelling on things that hadn't happened yet, called Qin Xiaofu over, and ordered:

"Immediately send someone to pressure Gao Song to deliver the money—don't let delays cause trouble."

"Also, tell Lu Ming to urgently recruit a batch of craftsmen—money is no issue, get the Wine House repaired as soon as possible. Oh, remind Lu Ming to strictly follow Shedynasty laws during construction, or Qi Cheng will use it as an excuse to strike."

Qin Xiaofu nodded firmly: "Young Master, you can trust me!"

Nightfall arrived, lanterns lit up, but Qin Feng sat in the Cool Pavilion, his worries unrelieved.

This was the first time Qin Feng had ever felt pressure since arriving in this world.

Especially the war against Di—something the Emperor could have decided with a single word—had dragged on this long, revealing just how powerful these layers of resistance were.

"Young Master, it's late. Go rest."

Xiao Xiangxiang appeared behind Qin Feng without notice and draped a blanket over his shoulders.

Seeing the Young Master—who had once feared nothing—show such rare signs of exhaustion, Xiao Xiangxiang grew deeply worried, fearing he was wearing himself out from constant running around.

Though Xiao Xiangxiang was merely a maid and didn't understand grand principles, one thing she saw more clearly than anyone else: Qin Family cannot do without the Young Master.

Whether it will be true in the future, I can't say—but right now, it certainly is…

Perhaps because he was so tired, Qin Feng slept soundly.

The next morning, as dawn barely broke, a shrill, off-key song echoed throughout the Qin Residence, waking many still asleep, who dared not complain.

Only when Liu Hongyan sent a maid to warn Qin Feng that if he kept screaming, she'd cut out his tongue did the ear-splitting noise finally cease.

After a restful sleep, fully revived and brimming with energy, Qin Feng filled the Cool Pavilion with fruits and melons, dragged out a Reclining Chair, and lounged comfortably on it.

While snacking, he squinted at the brightening dawn, enjoying the moment.

Qin Xiaofu stumbled into the Cool Pavilion, yawning sleepily. Seeing Qin Feng with his legs crossed, humming a tune, he whined: "Young Master, you screamed like a banshee this early—I've lost at least ten years of my life!"

"…."

Qin Feng couldn't be bothered to deal with him, kicked his leg, spat sunflower seed shells everywhere, and grumbled: "You know nothing!"

"This Young Master is about to enter the palace for an Imperial Audience—I need to warm up my voice first. Today, I'm going to confront Heaven, confront Earth, and confront the air in between!"