If you force me to take the blame, I'll spend a day in jail and gain a year's worth of spi

"No... I wouldn't dare. I had absolutely no such intention, Your Highness. Please understand."

Facing the princes of the court, Zhang Yu was somewhat nervous and quickly explained, "We truly did not know they were imperial merchants, which is why..."

"snort!"

Xiao Jingyan snorted coldly, and before he could finish speaking, he cut to the chase, "So, according to you, if they weren't imperial merchants, but just ordinary merchants, you could bully them at will and commit violence with a knife?"

"Does the law of our Great Wei, in the eyes of your Marquis of Yong'an, only protect imperial merchants and not ordinary people?"

"The rules of your Marquis's residence are even stricter than the laws of the imperial court."

This hat is bigger and heavier!

This has escalated directly to the level of contempt for national law and trampling on legal regulations.

"No, I would never dare."

Zhang Heng was now speechless with fear, so terrified that he could only repeat the words "I dare not".

Just then, Qin Xuehua took a deep breath and forced herself to calm down.

She knew that if she let her son continue, it would only worsen his situation.

After all, she was the mistress of the Marquis's mansion and came from a Duke's mansion. Having seen many ups and downs, she quickly made a plan in her mind.

Even though they were imperial merchants, they were ultimately just businessmen who had some business dealings with the royal family.

She guessed that it was most likely one of King Qi's men, otherwise King Qi wouldn't have made a move.

Although they fought today, Li Dagang and Mo Zhai are still alive, and things haven't gotten out of control yet.

Would the King of Qi really risk a complete falling out with the Yong'an Marquis's mansion, which holds considerable military power, and fight to the death over a few merchants?

At most, they would apologize, compensate for the huge losses, and punish Zhang Heng to save face for the royal family.

The Marquis's mansion still possesses its rich heritage, and the Northern Frontier Army is even more confident.

Thinking of this, Qin Xuehua felt somewhat relieved and regained her composure as the mistress of the Marquis's mansion.

She stepped forward and gave a graceful bow to the King of Qi, her posture humble, yet her tone conveyed a calm attempt to downplay the seriousness of the matter:

"Your Highness, please calm your anger. Today's events were indeed due to my son's recklessness, which offended the noblemen. On behalf of the Marquis's residence, I apologize to the two injured managers."

She paused, then continued:

Fortunately, both managers are out of danger, which is a stroke of good luck amidst misfortune.

"My Yong'an Marquis's mansion is willing to bear all medical expenses and offer generous gifts as an apology, without any hesitation. As for my son Zhang Heng..."

She glanced at her disheveled son, a hint of pity flashing in her eyes, but more so a resolute determination:

"...Your Highness may decide according to the law, and my Marquis's Mansion will have no complaints."

"I only beg Your Highness to consider the Marquis's family's generations of service to the country in defending the borders, and their hard work even if they haven't achieved great merit, and to give him a chance to reform, and also give my family a chance to make amends for our mistakes."

Her words, seemingly sincere in admitting her mistake and willing to take responsibility, actually subtly pointed out the Marquis's military achievements and strength, attempting to balance legal principles with reason and power.

She wanted to downplay the bloody attempted murder of a royal merchant as a young person's impulsive mistake, attempting to settle it with money and face.

In her view, this was already the biggest concession and the most sincere gesture that the Marquis's mansion could make, and the Prince of Qi should know when to stop.

If Li Dagang were an ordinary imperial merchant, Qin Xuehua's analysis would indeed be correct.

However, she underestimated Zhang Yu's importance in the royal family's eyes.

King Xiao Jing of Qi smiled dismissively and shook his head slightly upon hearing this.

"Madam Hou,"

Xiao Jingyan's voice returned to its calm tone, but beneath that calmness lay a chilling coldness even more chilling than his previous angry shout: "Don't you... understand the situation yet?"

Qin Xuehua's heart skipped a beat, and her brows furrowed slightly.

King Qi slightly raised his hand, pointing to Li Dagang and Mozi, who were lying on the ground with weak breaths, and said:

"These two are no ordinary people; you probably can't afford to offend the person behind them."

Qin Xuehua's heart trembled slightly, but she didn't seem to care much, and said:

"I wonder which member of the royal family is involved. Your Highness, please tell me, and I will personally go to apologize. If that's not possible, I will have the old Marquis and my father, the Duke of Qin, go together to offer our condolences."

At this point, Qin Xuehua also became angry.

And she certainly has the confidence to challenge ordinary members of the royal family.

The Marquis of Yong'an's mansion wields immense power and influence, and if it weren't for the lack of true grandmasters to oversee it, even the imperial family would have to be wary of it.

With the addition of the marriage alliance with the Duke of Qin's family, the Marquis of Yong'an's family is definitely among the top tier in the entire Wei Kingdom.

Even ordinary members of the royal family dared not act presumptuously in front of them.

That's why they dared to act so recklessly in the capital. Even when facing a prince, Qin Xuehua was confident that she had the leverage to negotiate.

She thought that the worst punishment would be for Zhang Heng to suffer personally, and for the Marquis's family to spend money to avoid disaster.

Qin Xuehua's words not only boosted her own morale but also gave Zhang Heng a lifeline.

As the excruciating pain and fear subsided, the arrogance and inherent sense of superiority of the Marquis's heir began to resurface.

Yup!

What kind of family is the Yong'an Marquis's mansion? The 100,000 border troops in the northern frontier are the foundation of my family's strength.

The Duke of Qin's family is related to my family by marriage.

So what if Li Dagang and his group have Prince Qi backing them?

He's just a prince, not the emperor.

Moreover, he was not the only prince of Wei.

No matter how powerful the Prince of Qi is, would he really dare to completely turn against our Marquis's Mansion and force the Northern Frontier to rebel for the sake of a few merchants?

Thinking of this, Zhang Heng felt as if he had come back to life, and his back straightened unconsciously.

He endured the excruciating pain in his chest, struggling to prop himself up, trying to regain some of the composure befitting a scion of a noble family:

"Your Highness...Your Highness is wise."

As the saying goes, "ignorance is no excuse," we...we truly did not know that Manager Li and his group were imperial merchants, let alone that they had powerful backers.

If I have offended or offended you in any way, I apologize and beg Your Highness's forgiveness.

He deliberately emphasized the word "forgive and forgive," as if this was already giving the King of Qi a huge favor, implying that the matter could end here and everyone should take a step back.

However, as soon as he finished speaking—

"You think I'd forgive your mother?"

A crude, violent, and impatient roar, like a thunderclap, came from outside the Chamber of Commerce gate.

Immediately afterwards, a figure crashed through the armored guards standing at the door like a bull, charging in with an aura of recklessness and ruthlessness!

The newcomer was tall and strong, his brocade robe was worn crookedly, and he exuded the fierce aura of a battlefield general.

It was none other than Prince Jing, Xiao Jingfeng.

He rushed in too fast, and his movements were so rude that he had no princely demeanor whatsoever.

Before anyone could react, he had swept up in front of Zhang Heng like a whirlwind, grabbing Zhang Heng's hair and the back of his neck with his large, fan-like hand.

"Who the hell do you think you are?"

Does he even deserve the forgiveness of the current emperor's son?

Xiao Jingfeng cursed angrily, giving no one time to react, grabbed Zhang Heng's head and slammed it hard against the ground like a chick.

"Bang!!!"

A dull thud that made your teeth ache!

Zhang Heng's cheek and forehead made intimate contact with the cold, rough floor tiles, his nasal bone made a crisp snapping sound, and blood instantly smeared his face.

He didn't even have time to scream before the enormous impact left him dizzy.

But this is not over yet!

Xiao Jingfeng grabbed Zhang Heng by the hair and dragged him along the ground like a dead dog for several feet, until he was pulled directly to the side of the seriously injured Li Dagang.

Then, he started his crazy antics.

He then shouted at the top of his lungs at the barely breathing Li Dagang:

"Bro, did you see that clearly?"

"It was I, Prince Jing, Xiao Jingfeng, who avenged you. This bastard dared to touch you, so I'll deal with him."

He shook the half-dead Zhang Heng in his hand vigorously to make sure the audience could see: "Remember this, when you go back and report to your boss, the credit will go to me."

Remember to say my name is Prince Jing, Xiao Jingfeng. Don't get it wrong.

Zhang Heng, who had just been trying to reason with King Qi, was now completely bewildered.

What just happened?

Where the hell did this evil star come from?

Prince Jing?

Everyone present was stunned, including Qin Xuehua, Zhang Wanning, and the guards of the Marquis's residence.

What's wrong with me today?

One Prince Qi wasn't enough, so another Prince Jing, known for his recklessness and domineering style in the army, came along.

Moreover, judging from his demeanor, he is even more rude and unreasonable than the King of Qi.

Standing to the side, Prince Qi, Xiao Jingyan, saw Xiao Jingfeng rush in, stealing the kill and making his presence known, and his muscles twitched uncontrollably.

His eyelids twitched violently, veins on his forehead bulged, and his fingers gripping the Cloud-Splitting Bow turned slightly white from the force.

Damn it, Xiao Jingfeng, you can't steal credit like that.

It felt as if ten thousand strange beasts were stampeding through Xiao Jingyan's mind, and he almost couldn't help but blurt out a royal swear word on the spot.

The dignified atmosphere he had painstakingly created, and the perfect script he had meticulously prepared to represent the royal family in bestowing favors upon Zhang Yu, were all ruined by this shameless idiot.

This bastard arrived late because his cultivation was inferior to mine, and it seemed that he was about to monopolize the great credit and favor of rescuing Zhang Yu's confidant.

He actually tore off the mask and used this simple and crude method to rush in and steal the credit?

He even yelled at Li Dagang to remember his name?

Have you no shame?

Where is the princely demeanor?

Where is the royal majesty?

Were they all eaten by the dogs?

Xiao Jingyan felt as if a mouthful of blood was stuck in his chest, unable to go up or down.

He glared coldly at Zhang Heng, who was still loitering around, and Xiao Jingfeng, who seemed to be displaying his spoils, and squeezed out a sentence through gritted teeth:

"Brother Prince Jing, what... such fast footwork, and what... such a unique way of rescuing people."

Well, the reason why King Qi suffered was that he was too reasonable and too particular about royal demeanor, which allowed Prince Jing, that shameless scoundrel, to steal the credit.