TNIBFT -Chapter 182 Qin Fengyi on the Road

The servant kneeling on the ground wore a flattering expression, his voice high-pitched and insincere. As he spoke, he reached out with well-manicured hands to gently knead Gao Defu’s calves.

Gao Defu’s face showed complete satisfaction, the jade-green beads in his hand sliding smoothly between his fingers.

After a long pause, he opened his eyes. “It wouldn’t hurt to meet him.”

“To make sure this Ye Tian is indeed the Ye Tian we’re looking for.”

Gao Defu’s eyes sharpened as he straightened in his seat. The beads in his hand stopped moving abruptly, and his voice turned dark: “If it really is Ye Tian, the one who killed Meng Qing, he must not be allowed to live. The hatred from back then still remains. If he ever gets the chance, I’ll be the first person he tries to kill.”

“If you don’t cut the weeds at the root, they’ll grow back with the spring breeze. As for the Noble Consort, being just a woman, she isn’t as far-sighted as a man in handling matters.”

“That’s true!”

The servant flattered him, continuing to knead Gao Defu’s calves. “Who else compares to you? You are an elder of the palace, a confidant of His Majesty. Besides His Majesty, the Noble Consort, and a few favored princes, who in the palace can match your prestige?”

Gao Defu smiled smugly.

His face, painted with lead-white powder and bright red lips, wore a proud expression. That smile, like a paper figure made by a wealthy family during the Qingming Festival, was eerily sinister.

“Ye Tian’s son… isn’t he under Tao Lichun?”

Gao Defu’s lips curved into a cold smile as he spoke suddenly.

The kneeling man paused mid-motion. “Yes. He is said to be Tao Lichun’s last disciple. At the age of five, he already held an official position in Sifang City. He’s known far and wide as a prodigy. The citizens admire him greatly. Some naive women, even while pregnant, specifically come to see this child prodigy, praying for the birth of a clever and auspicious son—utter foolishness.”

Gao Defu reached out his hand.

The servant immediately understood, gently cooling the tea on the table before bringing it to Gao Defu’s lips. Gao Defu took a sip, holding the cup delicately with his fingers before handing it back with a mocking tone: “It’s all just hearsay.”

“If he’s Ye Tian’s son, he cannot be spared either.”

“The envoy from the Great Zhou will arrive soon, right? When the time comes, we’ll inform Tao Lichun to bring Ye Tian’s son. Let a five-year-old have a little accident right in front of everyone—we’ll still be in charge of it.”

Gao Defu’s smug, cold laughter echoed.

The servant’s face darkened. The two of them were conspiring together.

“Tao Lichun is now taking over Sifang City. Why not reveal our identities? Taking control now would make it easier to manage things. What do you think?” the servant suggested. He then rose and circled behind Gao Defu, loosening his shoulders.

Gao Defu leaned back in his chair, closing his eyes in pleasure. “Isn’t that foolish?”

“Taking over Sifang City now… with so many messes to handle, it will require so much silver. All the effort will go unrewarded, and we’ll still have these lowly people to pacify. Better to wait until Tao Lichun has sorted everything, then we can step in and reap the benefits, right?”

After speaking, Gao Defu laughed sharply.

Ye Tian had never been a concern of his.

Back then, the Noble Consort could wipe out Ye Tian’s entire family. Now, he could just as easily do the same.

“Any tender little boys around?” Gao Defu suddenly spoke lewdly, lips curling into a grin that revealed yellowed teeth.

The servant quickly replied, “We’ve captured seven or eight good ones in the city.”

“I’ll have them brought here immediately.”

…

At the border of the Great Zhou,

The wasteland was covered in snow, with a few gnarled, leafless trees standing lonely and bleak.

“Giddy-up!”

The coachman shouted, cracking his whip. The two chestnut horses pulling the carriage raised their heads and neighed, hot breath steaming in the cold air. They strained to pull the carriage forward, the thick wheels carving two deep tracks in the snow.

“In this weather, who would willingly go to Sifang City?” Inside the carriage, a middle-aged man in a fox fur coat, with a goatee, rubbed his hands and cursed, shivering from the cold.

He lifted the curtain, eyes squinting as he looked outside the carriage. Everywhere was blanketed in snow, desolate and deserted.

Behind him rode dozens of mounted guards.

Further back were several dozen foot soldiers of the Great Zhou, and behind them, servants pushed wheelbarrows carrying supplies.

The carriage rocked gently, its ornate tassels swinging with every movement. Inside, Meng Yuquan, irritated and restless, lowered the curtain, his expression perpetually on the verge of exploding.

Meng Yuquan was the son-in-law of the Grand Chancellor of Great Zhou, accustomed to a life of comfort and privilege. Coming to a place like this was both a disaster and a trial for him.

His father-in-law had simply said that this meeting with Gao Defu was extremely important.

Whatever it was, it had to be personally delivered to Gao Defu. Without seeing him, this thing could not be handed over, even at the cost of his life.

“Stop the carriage!”

“Stop the carriage!”

Meng Yuquan shouted.

The accompanying military officer had no choice but to call out, “Hold position!”

Only then did the convoy come to a halt.

Servants hurried over to lay carpets beneath the carriage. Two slender maids knelt beside it. Meng Yuquan got out, impatiently surveying the surroundings. His gaze fell on one of the maids—one he had played with countless times before.

This godforsaken place!

Meng Yuquan was furious.

“Bang!”

He kicked the maid beside him, shouting, “Her again?!”

“Is she the only woman in the entire convoy?”

“Throw her out for me!”

Soldiers immediately stepped forward, dragging the trembling young woman away. In this icy, snow-covered wilderness, abandoned here was tantamount to a death sentence. The girl braced her feet on the ground, crying and begging, “Sir, please spare me… I am already with child.”

“Sir, I carry your child.”

The woman struggled and wept. Meng Yuquan, annoyed, ordered, “Stuff her mouth with something.”

“Go fetch some. Aren’t there farmers nearby? Send men to bring back a few farm girls. Quickly!”

Meng Yuquan waved his wide sleeves and stomped violently in the snow, irritable and enraged.

Everyone around him, his entourage, was terrified—none dared utter a word.

The north wind howled.

From a short distance away, Qin Fengyi and a few others, lying in ambush, watched this scene unfold clearly.

Qin Fengyi’s long hair was tied back. Dressed in black men’s clothing, her posture tall and straight, her delicate, finely featured face exuded an aura of both elegance and coldness. She lay on the snowy slope, eyes squinting as she observed Meng Yuquan.

Behind her, all her trusted men lay low on the ground, dressed in black, exuding an aura of lethal precision.

“Boss, this Meng Yuquan is the son-in-law of the Left Chancellor.”

“His mission this time is to coordinate with the Grand Eunuch of Daliang, Gao Defu. The Left Chancellor claims it’s to scout the situation in Sifang City and Daliang, to test Daliang’s sincerity and prepare for peace talks between the two countries. But it’s all a lie. The Left Chancellor is extorting wealth, has been maintaining private troops over the past five years, and even has secret dealings with the Grand General.”

“This old fox feigns illness to avoid court. We don’t know what he truly intends, and can’t find any leverage against him.”

Qin Fengyi said, “Catch Meng Yuquan. Once he’s in our hands, everything we want to know will be revealed.”

Qin Fengyi had initially brought her own team of trusted men to Sifang City to retrieve her child. At the border, she happened to encounter Meng Yuquan. Her men even eavesdropped on his secret mission to Daliang. The Left Chancellor’s side had no way to act, and since Meng Yuquan was headed to Sifang City anyway, Qin Fengyi decided to intercept him.

It was a chance to probe the truth—and, incidentally, to bring back her child.