Chapter 98

First Volume, Chapter 98: The Debate at the Imperial Court

Since the Second Prince refused to get his hands dirty, the qin-playing woman and the white-clothed guest, no matter how furious, could do nothing.

The qin-playing woman shifted her tone, speaking softly: "Your Highness thinks far ahead; your servant admires you. Even if Qin Feng is even more arrogant, he is still just a commoner—so long as he does not enter officialdom, he can never threaten Your Highness."

"And even if the North Di warfire fails to ignite, should it truly blaze, the astronomical military expenditure alone would be enough to crush Qin Feng back to his original state. Didn't he boldly pledge countless gambles before the Emperor? Hehehe, when he cannot produce the money, even the Emperor himself will not spare him."

The white-clothed guest quickly bowed and echoed: "Your Highness, as a prince of Shedynasty, possesses oceanic magnanimity and deigns not to quarrel with such petty figures. Your servant admires you."

The Second Prince gazed at the poetry, murmuring in admiration: "Yet Qin Feng truly possesses some talent… 'The moon of Qin times, the pass of Han times; ten thousand li of long march, men have not returned. If only the Flying General of Longcheng still stood, he would not let the barbarian horses cross Qinggong…' A fine poem, a fine poem indeed."

Qin Feng walked without pause, hastening beyond the Mingyue Lake perimeter; only when he was certain he had escaped the Second Prince's reach did he exhale in relief, wiping sweat from his palms against Qin Xiaofu's clothes.

"Damn it, I'm just a commoner—every day I deal with the Emperor or argue with princes. Old Heaven must think I'm important."

Seeing Qin Feng's lingering fear, Qin Xiaofu frowned in confusion: "Master, you've already escaped unscathed—why are you so tense?"

"You know nothing!" Qin Feng shot Qin Xiaofu a glare, irritable. "If I had a choice, I'd rather die than deal with these royal bastards. Sometimes it's not that I'm brave—it's that I have no choice. This Second Prince is incredibly ambitious—stay as far from him as possible in the future. Never touch his interests."

Qin Xiaofu was even more confused: "I don't get it—didn't we already clash with Zui Xian Lou and Longhu Gang? Isn't that touching his interests?"

Qin Feng was too lazy to explain further to Qin Xiaofu.

Money lost can be earned again; people lost can be trained anew.

Forget Zui Xian Lou and Longhu Gang—even if Qin Feng destroyed the sugar merchant Jiang Family, it still wouldn't touch the Second Prince's interests.

In the end, the Second Prince's eyes are fixed solely on the Crown Prince position. So long as it doesn't interfere with his bid for the Crown Prince position, he won't consider you his mortal enemy.

Business is business; state affairs are state affairs—each matters separately.

The Second Prince understands this clearly, and Qin Feng understands it too.

Of course, the precondition for not provoking him is that he doesn't provoke us.

Otherwise, even if he's the Second Prince, even if he's Heaven's own father, Qin Feng will still pluck a few hairs from him!

Meanwhile, the Imperial Palace's Taihe Palace was already thick with the scent of gunpowder.

Cheng Yin, a seventy-year-old Literati Elite from the North, stood proudly at the center of the Grand Hall, stroking his long beard; his aged voice carried immense power, echoing throughout the hall.

"Conquering Heaven is easy; holding it is hard. Shedynasty's present prosperity stems from our late emperors' tireless efforts and painstaking labor, building this glorious foundation. When the state prospers, Heaven prospers; when Heaven prospers, the people prosper. The North Di Barbarians raiding our borders are indeed infuriating—but launching a campaign against them is not the state's highest strategy. Even if we must strike at the Bianchui frontier, we must first conserve our strength, enrich the nation, and strengthen the people. Only then, with robust troops and sturdy horses, will we fear mere barbarians?"

"Today, Heaven is plagued by calamities: floods ravage Jiangnan, locusts plague Guanzhong, and the Northwest is a barren wasteland where the people suffer. Though the Emperor's grace opens the granaries to relieve the poor, policies above are met with countermeasures below—officials impose countless oppressive taxes; less than one in ten of the Relief Grain reaches the victims."

"If we launch a campaign against the North Di, military expenditure will exceed hundreds of millions of taels. I ask you, my lords: what is Shedynasty's annual tax revenue? With this money, we could instead resolve People's Livelihood, comfort the masses—when the people prosper, the state prospers."

The entire Taihe Palace fell silent, save for Cheng Yin's impassioned voice echoing within.

The Liang Emperor smiled, nodding repeatedly, deeply agreeing with Cheng Yin's words—yet inwardly he longed to order his men to flay the old man alive.

Unfortunately, Cheng Yin was the leader of Shedynasty's scholar-official class; even the Liang Emperor dared not touch him.

Qin Tianhu tried several times to speak up and refute him, but each time he held his tongue at the last moment.

Cheng Yin struck every vulnerable point—merely refuting him would only invite criticism, and as a warrior, how could he possibly debate a Literati Elite?

The Hubei Party officials merely smiled in silence, content to reap the benefits of others' conflict.

The other Confucian Scholars in attendance all bowed to the Liang Emperor, loudly endorsing Cheng Yin's stance.

"Master Cheng's every word is sound: when the people prosper, Shedynasty prospers. A war would burn hundreds of millions of taels of silver—Shedynasty cannot afford it now!"

"Your Majesty, please consider: striking the North Di and asserting our national prestige need not be rushed."

"The ruler is the boat; the people are the water. Water can carry the boat, and water can capsize it!"

The Liang Emperor beamed, nodding repeatedly: "Your devotion to Shedynasty, scholars, brings me great comfort. I have heard the voices of the empire's literati—does any other voice remain in this court?"

As he spoke, the Liang Emperor turned his gaze toward Qin Tianhu.

Qin Tianhu's palms sweated; he desperately wanted to refute Cheng Yin and the scholars, yet could find no counterargument. He was about to abandon his dignity and resort to screaming and rolling on the floor when a voice came from outside the palace.

"Your Majesty, the Qin Family's heir, Qin Feng, has come to pay homage."

Qin Tianhu's heart lurched—why did this brat show up? His rabble-wastrel ways would only make the empire's scholars laugh! If he spoke carelessly and gave them ammunition, the North Di campaign would be finished.

The Liang Emperor's eyes brightened slightly; inwardly he sighed in relief, feigning calm: "Why has Qin Feng come? Summon him."

The Ministry of Revenue Officials had suffered several defeats at Qin Feng's hands; upon hearing his name, they exchanged uneasy glances.

Under everyone's gaze, Qin Feng stepped through the palace doors, surveyed the assembled civil and military officials and Confucian scholars, and grinned: "Wow, such a grand assembly?"

Qin Feng didn't care about status—he strode straight to Cheng Yin's side and stood slightly ahead of him. This impolite act immediately drew criticism from several Confucian Scholars.

"This mere youth dares to surpass Master Cheng? Unthinkable!"

"Hmph, a brat who knows nothing of heaven's height or earth's depth—he clearly holds the empire's literati in contempt."

"Is this Qin Feng? We've heard of his vile deeds—today I see him, and he lives up to his reputation as a lowlife!"

Qin Feng scratched his ear. What? Too loud—the wind's too strong to hear!

Qin Feng ignored the sour scholars entirely, bowed to the Liang Emperor with neither humility nor arrogance: "Commoner Qin Feng pays homage to Your Majesty."

The Liang Emperor had placed his final hope on Qin Feng—after all, this boy always spoke eloquently, cleverly, and persuasively; he was the perfect choice to counter the Confucian Elite. He feigned indifference: "Qin Feng, have you come regarding the North Di campaign?"

Qin Feng didn't hesitate—he blurted out: "No!"