Feng Wanshan's wishful thinking ultimately prevailed. He waved away the person standing next to him, tidied his messy beard, and looked at the person calmly drinking tea at the stairwell.
"So what if you are the heir of the Prince of Ning's mansion? Not to mention that the current emperor and Prince Ning have not yet announced your status as the heir. You are not qualified to make me kneel before you." "I am the dignified Marquis of Jingyuan, a third-rank official, with an unyielding spirit. I only kneel to those I should kneel to."
Oh, so that means Cheng Qingyan's identity hasn't been revealed to the world yet, so he can't accept being knelt to.
It was originally just a small matter; Feng Yishui had bullied Du Yuchun and his sister, and Cheng Qingyan, seeing injustice, spoke up and rescued them—nothing much. However, who could have imagined that Feng Yishui would actually set his sights on Ye Lingyu?
At such a young age, he uttered arrogant words and disregarded the law; this is a true case of "trouble comes from the mouth."
Who made Ye Lingyu Cheng Qingyan's Achilles' heel? Touching her meant certain death.
Since Feng Wanshan has been given a chance, and he doesn't know how to seize it, then we can only let them experience the laws of the Great Wei.
Cheng Qingyan put down his teacup, his eyes turning sharp: "Marquis Jingyuan, don't say I didn't give your Jingyuan Marquis's mansion a way out. I did leave you a way out, but you chose to walk that way out yourself."
Feng Wanshan frowned, his eyebrows as thick as two fingers: "What do you mean by that?"
Cheng Qingyan looked at him with a forced smile: "Then you'll have to ask your good son what he did to deserve the extermination of your entire Jingyuan Marquis family."
"It doesn't matter if you don't know, I've already sent someone to report it to the authorities. Putting everything else aside, just the crime of disregarding the law, letting your servant commit violence in the street, and attempting to murder the young prince of the Prince's Mansion, how many heads does your entire Jingyuan Marquis's Mansion have to be chopped off?"
"Not to mention you, the dignified Marquis of Jingyuan, who, upon seeing me without asking any questions, led your men to attack and kill me. Do you really think that in this capital, you, the Marquis of Jingyuan, can control everything and be greater than His Majesty the present?"
"Don't worry, the Prefect of the Capital will arrive soon. If you have any grievances, you can tell the Prefect of the Capital. If you can cover up the fact that you and your son murdered a member of the imperial family in public."
Sweat dripped from Feng Wanshan's forehead, running down his beard and onto the floor.
Murdering a member of the imperial family is a capital offense. To put it more seriously, even the extermination of three or nine generations of one's family would not be excessive.
The key to conviction is determining who was murdered.
If Feng Yishui had indeed killed Cheng Qingyan in the street before this, there would have been too many witnesses, making it impossible for him to silence them.
Moreover, how could he, as the father, not know what kind of person his son really is?
The people in the manor had long warned him that Feng Yishui was eccentric and would cause trouble sooner or later. However, he had a son late in life and doted on him from a young age, never blaming him for his many misdeeds. Feng Wanshan bears an undeniable responsibility for how Feng Yishui ended up the way he is today.
The murder of a member of the imperial family—if this matter were handed over to the Prefect of the Capital, regardless of whether it was true or not, the consequences would be something the Marquis of Jingyuan's mansion could not afford.
For the first time, Feng Wanshan looked at Feng Yishui with disappointment. He wanted to hear Feng Yishui tell him that he had not ordered Cheng Qingyan to be killed.
However, Feng Yishui's eyes darted away.
He knew that from this moment on, the Jingyuan Marquis's mansion was finished.
He was a man who had led troops and fought battles; he knew how to adapt to changing circumstances.
He lifted his robe and knelt down with a thud: "Please, Your Highness, save my entire family and give the Jingyuan Marquis's mansion a way out."
The young man who had been by Cheng Qingyan's side had already given Cheng Qingyan a general account of what had happened at the Jingyuan Marquis's residence.
Apart from the troublemaker Feng Yishui, the Marquis of Jingyuan's mansion under Feng Wanshan's control was otherwise blameless. Moreover, Feng Wanshan seemed to have had a past relationship with the Marquis of Pingle during his time on the battlefield. He was a formidable general, but his retirement was due to the severe physical damage caused by years of fighting. By imperial grace, he was allowed to return to the capital to recuperate.
The Feng family could be considered a family of loyal martyrs, but no one could have imagined that in the end, all their merits would be squandered by Feng Yishui.
It was also because the Feng family had fought for the country and defended the border for many years that Cheng Qingyan did not go to extremes from the beginning.
People like these, who fought on the frontier and were still able to return home to enjoy family life, have had their names etched into the face of the ruthless battlefield. How could we allow them to die so easily at the hands of their own people?
Feng Wanshan knelt in the main hall of the No. 1 Restaurant under Heaven. His back, which was initially straight, gradually bent due to Cheng Qingyan's prolonged silence.
Cheng Qingyan descended the stairs step by step, her pace unhurried yet each step resonated deeply with Feng Wanshan, causing his body to tremble involuntarily.
Having been away from the battlefield for too long, and being too old, he had become attached to life and prosperity after spending so much time in this cutthroat world.
Cheng Qingyan stopped half a foot away from Feng Wanshan: "What are you saying, Marquis Jingyuan? I am just an ordinary citizen, and I do not deserve your kneeling."
Feng Wanshan's straight spine finally bent, and he knelt on the ground and bowed to Cheng Qingyan: "Please, Your Highness, spare my life, Marquis Jingyuan."
In the end, he still couldn't let go of Feng Yishui, nor could he let go of the glory of the Marquis's mansion.
"Get up, Feng Wanshan. Have someone bring me the compensation. Today, I'll spare Feng Yishui's life because of your past dealings with the Marquis of Pingle."
Cheng Qingyan's gaze swept over Feng Wanshan: "The one million taels mentioned earlier, if not in cash, can be made up with estates, farmland, shops, etc. Marquis Jingyuan, do you have any further questions?"
Feng Wanshan stood properly, even his spiky, messy beard was much more subdued.
His attitude softened, and his voice became gentler: "No, I'll have someone raise the money right away."
There would be a problem if he could easily produce one million taels.
It's normal for someone who has served in the government for over a decade to have some savings, but definitely not a million taels.
But if you add up all his family's assets and the emperor's rewards to him over the years, you might be able to scrape together something.
The funds raised by the Prefect of the Capital arrived slightly faster than those raised by Feng Wanshan. After arriving at the First Place Under Heaven, he first greeted Manager Tang before exchanging greetings with Feng Wanshan.
Manager Tang introduced Cheng Qingyan to him: "This will be the owner of the No. 1 Restaurant in the world from now on. Your Excellency, please pay your respects."
The prefect of Jingzhao bowed respectfully to Cheng Qingyan, who immediately told him to get out.
She didn't want to get involved in court affairs, but given the lax governance of the Prefect of Jingzhao, this matter had probably already reached the ears of Prince Ning. His tenure as Prefect of Jingzhao was likely over, and there was no need to continue feigning compliance with him.
The men sent out by Feng Wanshan quickly arrived at the No. 1 Restaurant under Heaven with money and other valuables.
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