Chapter 86

In Ye Cheng, at the residence of the Nine Ministers, Cui Bapi, a prominent figure in the Eastern Han Dynasty, fell to his knees at the feet of Qin Feng amidst the cries of the people.

Qin Feng smiled and said, "Lord Cui, you charge for the shade of your trees, but you think I shouldn’t charge for mine?"

"This...," Cui Lie, leaning against the ground, propped himself up with one elbow, his body trembling. He finally understood Qin Feng’s intention and cursed in his heart, "This little brat, he’s too despicable. I’ve been an official for thirty years, and I’ve never seen such a cunning person. This has made me furious!"

"Ouch~," Cui Lie shouted in anger.

Cui Shiren and the other servants tried to help him up, but Qin Feng glared at them, and they all shrank back. These people, who usually bully others with their power, were all cowards when faced with real opposition.

However, Cui Lie shouted loudly, "Qin Zijin, this is extortion, this is blackmail! Where is Lord Ma? Where is Lord Ma?"

Ma Richeng, who had rushed over, showed his head behind Qin Feng and said with a smile, "Lord Cui, you used the shade of the military’s trees, so I can’t help you." He thought to himself, "General Qin is too ruthless; I can’t afford to offend him anymore."

Qin Feng suddenly showed kindness and said, "Lord Cui, if you don’t charge for the shade of your trees, I won’t either. Release the two hundred people you captured."

This was a direct affront to Cui Lie’s dignity. He was one of the Nine Ministers and a member of one of the most prestigious families in the land. If he released the people, he would lose his dignity, and his family would lose theirs. His life and his family’s future would be ruined, and he would become a laughingstock among the gentry.

Therefore, Cui Lie had to tough it out. He thought to himself, "I’ll deal with this person first, and tomorrow I’ll file a complaint with the emperor!"

Thus, Cui Lie struggled to his feet, glared at Qin Feng, and said coldly, "How much?"

As soon as these words were spoken, the scene erupted in chaos.

Cao Cao, standing outside the gate of the Cui residence, his eyebrows twitching, pointed at Cui Lie inside and exclaimed, "Madness, pure madness! He... he’s really going to pay?"

Yuan Shao sneered, "Can he not? The whole world is watching Cui Lie."

The people were沸腾了, cheering for Qin Feng.

The three elderly men and other victims, however, looked worried. Someone consoled them, "Don’t worry, General Qin will surely find a way to save your families."

On the other hand, Qin Feng ordered Dian Wei to bring the wooden sign that Cui Lie had written himself. He pointed to a line on the sign and said, "An inch of time is worth an inch of gold; this is your price. Bring me a pen!"

Qin Feng took the pen from Xu Chu and wrote a line on the back of the sign, then presented it to Cui Lie.

Cui Lie was immediately shocked. He had just gotten up and fell to the ground again. On the sign, Qin Feng had written seven large characters: "An inch of gold cannot buy an inch of time."

The price was clear.

Lurking in the shadows, Liu Bei, with a swollen right eye, hearing the people’s cheers, cursed, "There are such despicable and shameless people in the world! An inch of gold cannot buy an inch of time, how could Qin Zijin come up with such a thing! Ouch~."

At this moment, Qin Feng ignored Cui Lie and said to Dian Wei and Xu Chu, "What are you waiting for? The sun will set soon. Go and measure the shade with a ruler."

"Understood!" Dian Wei and Xu Chu laughed and, with a wave of their hands, a hundred soldiers rushed into the Cui residence.

The Cui family, including Cui Lie, were at a loss.

A short while later, Xu Chu, with his large waist, returned, bowed, and said with a rare smile, "Lord, we’ve measured it. It’s exactly five hundred feet."

Cui Lie, who could only stand with the help of his servants, trembled all over.

Qin Feng walked over and said, "Lord Cui, you’ve heard it. It’s exactly five hundred feet. Why don’t you send someone to measure it again while the sun is still up?"

"Huh, huh, huh~," Cui Lie almost fainted, thinking, "Forget five hundred feet of gold, I can’t even afford a hundred feet." He had been an official for over thirty years and had never encountered such a situation. He was at a loss, but he soon knew what to do—deny the debt.

"I don’t have that much money. My entire fortune isn’t enough!" Cui Lie said calmly.

Qin Feng laughed and said, "No problem. I’m more righteous than you. You don’t charge interest, so I won’t charge for the balance. Whatever your fortune is, that’s what I’ll take. Isn’t that righteous enough?"

"Ouch, ouch, ouch~," Cui Lie, furious, pointed at Qin Feng, unable to speak.

"Too righteous!" someone outside shouted, followed by the people’s cheers, "General Qin is righteous, he doesn’t even want the balance. Pay up quickly!"

Cui Lie trembled for a moment, then suddenly shook off the servants’ support and shouted, "No money, do what you will!"

When Qin Feng looked over, Cui Shiren and the others were terrified. Cui Lie turned his head away, ignoring Qin Feng.

Qin Feng wasn’t in a hurry. He turned to the people outside and said, "Fellow villagers, when you had no money, what did the Cui family do?"

The people were stunned, but then they all shouted, "Rob!"

"Then what should we do?" Qin Feng followed up.

The people raised their arms, "Rob!"

Qin Feng suddenly became serious and scolded, "Rob what? Robbing is illegal!"

"Ah?" The people were shocked and fell silent.

Qin Feng smiled again, "We can’t rob, but we can take openly." He then said to Ma Richeng, "Lord Ma, is taking openly illegal?"

Ma Richeng, sweating, wiped his forehead and said, "According to the laws of the Han Dynasty, there’s no law against taking things openly. It’s fine, it’s fine!"

The people finally understood Qin Feng’s intention and cheered, "We won’t rob, we’ll take openly!"

"Too despicable!" Liu Bei, with a swollen right eye, slapped his thigh, "Taking openly is just robbing, but it sounds more sophisticated! Too despicable! This wordplay, how could Qin Zijin come up with such a thing! Ouch~."

Cao Cao and Yuan Shao were also shocked. Cao Cao smacked his lips and said, "I never thought our Zijin brother would have such skills in addition to his military and literary talents. Although it’s a bit despicable, I like it..."

Yuan Shao, hearing this, felt a chill. He thought, "Cao Mengde openly attacks with his five-colored staff, and Qin Zijin openly takes. They both disregard the dignity of the gentry for the sake of the common people. They are both scoundrels, both scoundrels."

At this moment, Qin Feng enthusiastically called out, "Fellow villagers, what are you waiting for? All the Cui family’s property has been confiscated. Today, I represent the emperor in disaster relief. This Cui residence is now yours. Go in and take openly!"

The people were overjoyed, shouting and rushing in, scaring Cao Cao and Yuan Shao away from the gate.

Cui Lie, his heart and liver trembling, shouted, "Qin Zijin, I am a minister of the court. You incite the people, this is rebellion. Do you dare? Do you dare?"

Seeing the people about to rush in, Qin Feng quickly stopped them and shouted, "Wait, wait."

Seeing this, Cui Lie breathed a sigh of relief and shouted, "Qin Zijin, drive these people away, and we’ll call it off. Otherwise, don’t blame me for accusing you of rebellion in the court!"