If I send you to join the army and marry a woman, will you conquer the Empress?

"That's them!"

Qin Feng slowly raised his hand, pointing at Zhao Quan and Gao Yanei.

"Father-in-law, today's events began because the young master of the Gao family business saw that my wife was beautiful and wanted to forcibly take her for himself. So he framed me and falsely accused me of stealing his silver."

"Then, he even brought in his adoptive father, the Vice Prefect of Jingzhao Prefecture, Lord Zhao Quan!"

"Lord Zhao, without investigating the facts, only believed his adopted son's one-sided account and tried to force a confession from me under torture!"

"Even after I produced the imperial gift, those two, blinded by greed, tried to seize it by force, accusing me of stealing imperial items and deceiving the emperor!"

Qin Feng paused, pointed to the memorial tablet in his family's main hall, and felt a surge of anger in his chest.

"What's most infuriating is that this young master Gao actually went and smashed the ancestral tablets of the Qin family right in front of me!"

"Eunuch Cao, my father and brothers sacrificed their lives for the country, their bodies barely cold! Now, is even this last bit of our honor and dignity to be trampled upon by these treacherous villains and tyrants?!"

His words were powerful and resounding, each one filled with the pain of tears!

Eunuch Cao's face, which was already pale, was now so gloomy it looked like it could drip water.

He suddenly flicked his whisk, his orchid-like fingers pointing directly at Zhao Quan.

"Zhao Quan, how dare you!"

thump!

Zhao Quan could no longer hold on and collapsed to the ground, disregarding his official dignity and reputation, desperately trying to distance himself from the situation.

"Your Honor, please see the truth! This humble official... was blinded by greed!"

"It was because they listened to this rebellious son's slander that they made such a grave mistake!"

"I am also a victim! Please, Your Honor, investigate thoroughly and spare my life!"

Zhao Quan's words completely exposed Gao Yanei's true colors.

"Godfather, you..."

Gao Yanei was both shocked and furious. He never expected that his adoptive father, who usually doted on him, would be the first to stab him in the back at this crucial moment!

He scrambled to Qin Feng, tears streaming down his face, and cried out, "Qin Feng! No! Young Master Qin!"

"Um?"

Qin Feng raised an eyebrow and looked down at him condescendingly.

"Gao Zicong, I didn't hold it against you for calling me a 'down-and-out' and a 'poor wretch' before."

"But now, what should you call me?!"

Gao Yanei shuddered, as if waking from a dream, and quickly changed his words:

"Lord...Lord Qin! I deserve to die! I was blind and didn't recognize your greatness!"

As he spoke, he slapped himself repeatedly, the blows making a loud thud, until his cheeks swelled up like a pig's head.

"My lord, I will return the eight hundred taels of silver to you right away!"

"No—I'm willing to offer another eight thousand taels, just begging you, Lord Marquis, to be merciful and let me go like a fart!"

"In my humble abode, there are also several dancers I bought from the Western Regions, each with a captivating figure. I will also present them to you, My Lordship, for your enjoyment!"

As long as he can live, Gao Yanei is willing to do anything!

"hehe!"

However, Qin Feng just sneered and kicked him away.

"Gao Zicong, you don't just know you're wrong, you know you're about to die!"

After saying that, Qin Feng stopped looking at him and turned to face Eunuch Cao, respectfully clasping his hands in a fist salute.

"Eunuch Cao, we implore you to uphold justice for the Qin family today!"

Qin Feng no longer needs to do it himself.

Now that I am a marquis, I will deal with this kind of clown by the law!

"Don't worry, young lord!"

Eunuch Cao gave a sinister smile and gently flicked the whisk in his hand.

Although he was not an official of the Ministry of Justice, as the Grand Secretary of the Directorate of Ceremonial, he was more than capable of inspecting on behalf of the emperor, conveying the emperor's will, and dealing with a fourth-rank junior magistrate and a mere merchant!

"Today, I will cleanse the house on behalf of His Majesty!"

He stepped forward, his distinctive hoarse voice echoing throughout the alley.

"Zhao Quan, the Vice Prefect of Jingzhao Prefecture, despite being an official appointed by the imperial court, colluded with unscrupulous merchants, abused his power for personal gain, and oppressed meritorious officials!"

"Immediately remove him from his official post and hand him over to the Ministry of Justice and the Court of Judicial Review for a joint trial to thoroughly investigate all his illegal activities!"

……

boom!

Zhao Quan's vision went black, and he collapsed to the ground, unconscious.

Eunuch Cao didn't even bother to look at him and continued to pronounce the verdict.

"Gao Zicong is a tyrannical and lawless man who framed a high-ranking official and attempted to damage the Temple of Loyal Martyrs. His crimes are compounded!"

"According to the laws of the Great Xia Dynasty, he should be flogged fifty times!"

Upon hearing this, Gao Yanei was so frightened that he wet his pants on the spot, and a foul stench instantly filled the air.

With the strength of the imperial guards, fifty strokes of the cane would be enough to keep him in bed for life, even if he didn't die!

"No! My lord, spare me! My lord, spare me!"

Gao Yanei let out a bloodcurdling scream like a pig being slaughtered.

But the imperial guards walked forward expressionlessly and dragged him up like a dead dog.

"As for his father, Gao Wanjin..."

When Eunuch Cao's voice rang out again, everyone felt a chill run down their spines.

"Failure to properly educate one's son, allowing him to commit violence, is a grave offense! Half of the Gao family's business assets shall be confiscated and deposited into the national treasury as a warning to others!"

hiss……

The surrounding neighbors all gasped in shock.

The Gao family is so wealthy that they could rival a country. If half of their wealth were acquired, what an astronomical figure that would be!

This punishment was even more painful for him than killing Gao Wanjin!

"Start the execution!"

At the order of Eunuch Cao.

The imperial guards pinned Gao Yanei to the ground, while another guard raised a thick, fire-and-water stick and brought it down with a whistling sound!

"Aaaaaah—!"

A heart-wrenching scream echoed through the sky.

boom! boom! boom!

The heavy thuds, one after another, each one seemed to strike the hearts of everyone present.

At first, Gao Yanei was desperately screaming and begging for mercy.

But after only a dozen or so times, his cries turned into weak groans, and finally he fell completely silent, unconscious, with a bloody mess beneath him.

"Hmph, you're such a weakling, you're an eyesore. Drag you away!"

Eunuch Cao waved his hand dismissively.

"yes!"

Soon, Zhao Quan, whose face was ashen, and Gao Yanei, oblivious to their own mortality, were dragged away by the imperial guards and disappeared into the alley.

"Young Marquis, are you satisfied with this solution?"

Eunuch Cao turned around, and a smile squeezed out of his cold face.

"Thank you so much for your help today, Eunuch Cao."

As Qin Feng spoke, he took out two silver notes from his sleeve and handed them over discreetly: "This is just a small token of my appreciation. Consider it a small token of my respect for you and your brothers to have a cup of tea, or as a travel expense."

Without even lifting an eyelid, Eunuch Cao flicked his wide sleeves, and the silver notes vanished without a trace.

The movements were fluid and practiced, as if they had been rehearsed countless times.

"Young Master, you are too kind."

Eunuch Cao's face beamed with joy.

Qin Feng felt a pang of heartache; that was a full two hundred taels of silver!

But he also understood that the money was well spent.

Having connections in the court makes it easier to get an official position; cultivating a good relationship with the Grand Eunuch of the Directorate of Ceremonial is entirely beneficial.

Qin Feng was self-aware and would never become arrogant and disdainful of everyone just because he saved Xia Yingtai and became a marquis.

Especially the eunuchs in the deep palace, they are all shrewd and capable, and should not be underestimated.

Eunuch Cao seemed extremely satisfied with his actions, and took another step closer, lowering his voice: "Considering how sensible the young marquis is, I'll give you another piece of news."

Qin Feng's expression hardened, and he listened attentively.

"Young Marquis, do you think today's incident was just caused by those two fools, Gao Yanei and Zhao Quan, making trouble for you?"

Eunuch Cao paused deliberately, smiled mysteriously, and kept everyone in suspense:

"They were just pawns..."

"The real mastermind is someone else!"