The First Marquis of Leisure

Everyone looked in the direction of the voice and saw that the person who came was Zhang Chunqiu, the tutor of three emperors and famous throughout the world!

"A bunch of scoundrels! The Marquis of Zhenguo's body is barely cold, and you're already attacking the Marquis's residence?"

Zhang Chunqiu's face was ashen, but he exuded righteousness.

He came to support Bai Xinghe, and as the imperial tutor, he naturally understood the current political situation.

Faced with Zhang Chunqiu's reprimand, none of the ministers present dared to utter a word.

In terms of status and position, Zhang Chunqiu was incredibly high!

"Young Master Bai, rest assured, with me here today, no one will dare disturb General Bai's peace!"

Zhang Chunqiu's attitude was clear and firm. He made some harsh remarks on the spot, which served as both a warning and a threat, demonstrating his stance.

This surprised everyone present. When did Zhang Chunqiu and Bai Xinghe become so close?

In everyone's impression, Zhang Chunqiu always looked down on Bai Xinghe and had even taught him a lesson!

"Old Zhang, you misunderstand. The Nine Gates Commander's Office is pursuing a wanted criminal to this point. They suspect the criminal may have escaped into the Marquis's residence and are about to search for him. It's just that Young Master Bai of the Marquis's residence is insisting on obstructing them."

Chen Feng, the Vice Minister of the Ministry of Personnel, stepped forward to provide an explanation.

"Bullshit!" Zhang Chunqiu shouted sternly.

"If I remember correctly, you are the Vice Minister of the Ministry of Personnel, right?"

"Do you think I'm senile? You scoundrel!"

Chen Feng was thoroughly scolded by Zhang Chunqiu, but he could only harbor resentment in his heart and dared not say anything on the surface.

"Old Zhang, what Lord Chen said is true. You can ask Lord He if you don't believe me!"

Zhao Feishuang also stepped forward and helped explain.

Zhang Chunqiu glanced at Zhao Feishuang, showing no mercy, and angrily rebuked her: "As a princess, a mere woman, you spend your days walking with court officials. What exactly are you trying to do?"

"I!" Zhao Feishuang was speechless after being reprimanded and had no choice but to back down.

Zhang Chunqiu showed no respect to anyone; he knew very well that Li Taibei was manipulating everything behind the scenes.

So he directly turned his attention to Li Taibei: "Lord Li, as the Prime Minister of the Great Zhao, aren't you afraid of public criticism for your actions today?"

Li Taibei had long disliked Zhang Chunqiu, and had previously been somewhat wary of him.

Now that Bai Tianque is dead, and with the plans of the Great Yan side...

Zhang Chunqiu was nothing more than a grasshopper in autumn, he couldn't keep jumping for long, so he stopped holding back.

"I have no idea what you're talking about. Since you don't concern yourself with politics, you'd better focus on your studies and mind your own business!"

Everyone was somewhat surprised by Li Taibei's words.

No one expected Li Taibei to be so assertive, daring to treat Zhang Chunqiu with such a tough attitude.

Zhang Chunqiu snorted coldly and said, "Li Taibei, I will definitely report this matter to His Majesty!"

"Since Elder Zhang likes it, then it's yours!"

Lee Tae-beok refused to back down and responded forcefully.

"Lord He, it's getting late. If we delay any longer, the court might flee."

Li Taibei ignored Zhang Chunqiu and instead urged He Taiji to hurry up.

"He Taiji, if you dare to lead your troops into the Marquis's residence, I guarantee you'll regret it."

Zhang Chunqiu immediately issued a warning.

This put He Taiji in a dilemma. He was the emperor's confidant and had joined the crown prince's faction.

But Zhang Chunqiu was an imperial tutor whom even the emperor treated with great respect, and his status and position were incredibly high.

"Lord He, you are merely fulfilling your duties as the Commander of the Nine Gates. You need not worry about anyone!"

Lee Tae-beok stood by, offering encouragement and support.

He Taiji was unsure of what to do. If he chose to lead his troops into the Marquis's residence, he would be completely offending Zhang Chunqiu.

Choosing to back down would mean offending Li Taibei's faction, especially since Li Taibei was also in cahoots with his master, the Crown Prince.

"Hehe, how lively!" Just then, another voice rang out, attracting everyone's attention.

A tall and imposing young man descended from the carriage with several attendants and walked towards the crowd with a smile.

Everyone was incredibly surprised to see who had arrived.

"Greetings, Third Prince!"

The visitor was none other than Zhao Feng, the third prince of the Great Zhao Dynasty, a reclusive yet highly learned member of the royal family.

If it weren't for that accident, Zhao Feng would definitely be the Crown Prince now, not Zhao Xing!

"Please, everyone, no need for formalities!"

Zhao Feng looked calm and composed. Beside him was Xiao Changqing, Zhang Chunqiu's student!

"Upon hearing of General Bai's passing, I have come here to offer incense as a token of my respect."

Zhao Feng immediately stated his purpose, then walked straight to Bai Xinghe and bowed to Zhang Chunqiu, making his stance self-evident.

"Young Master Bai, please accept our condolences. The old general fought for the Great Zhao his entire life, and his passing is a misfortune for the people and the nation!"

Bai Xinghe nodded, glanced at Zhao Feng, and then at Xiao Changqing, who was nodding to him.

He immediately realized that Zhao Feng had come to help him.

"It's rare for the Third Prince to have such thoughts; it's truly a blessing for our Great Zhao!"

Zhang Chunqiu had always thought highly of Zhao Feng, and he had strongly supported Zhao Feng as the crown prince from the beginning.

"Old Zhang, you flatter me. Every citizen of Zhao should remember General Bai's contributions!"

As he spoke, Zhao Feng glanced at He Wuji, Li Taibei, Zhao Feishuang, and the others.

He feigned ignorance and asked, "Lord He, Lord Li, Feishuang, are you also here to offer incense to General Bai?"

This question left everyone slightly embarrassed for a moment.

Then Li Taibei stepped forward: "Third Prince, the Nine Gates Admiral has arrived here in pursuit of a wanted criminal. They suspect the criminal is hiding in the Marquis's residence and attempted to search for him, but were blocked by the residence's personnel!"

Zhao Feng smiled and said, "Is that so? Who is General Bai? And what kind of place is the Marquis's residence? I guarantee with my life that there are absolutely no wanted criminals hiding in the Marquis's residence!"

Zhao Feng's strong support put Li Taibei, He Taiji, and the others in a passive position.

They might not care about the Eighth Prince, this carefree prince, but Zhang Chunqiu alone was already troublesome enough.

Now, a third prince has suddenly appeared, and the situation has immediately changed.

He Taiji was caught in a dilemma and could only glance at Li Taibei.

Li Taibei was extremely displeased, but he couldn't directly confront Zhang Chunqiu and the Third Prince in public.

"Since the Third Prince has given such a guarantee, I believe the Marquis's residence should not contain any wanted criminals!"

Seeing this, He Wuji immediately waved his hand, signaling his armored soldiers to retreat.

Meanwhile, Li Taibei, Zhao Feishuang, and the others got tired of pretending and left together without setting foot in the Marquis's residence to offer incense!

After the commotion subsided, Bai Xinghe invited the Eighth Prince, the Third Prince, Zhang Chunqiu, and others inside and expressed his gratitude.

"Young Master Bai, there's no need for such formalities. As long as I'm alive, no one will dare to harm you or the Marquis's mansion!"

Zhang Chunqiu's attitude was very firm, and he was also very angry about the current emperor's actions.

The Eighth Prince didn't say a word; his mere presence today spoke volumes.

As for the third prince, Zhao Feng, he was somewhat incomprehensible, and even Bai Xinghe found it difficult to fathom his thoughts.

The two had no interaction whatsoever. On the contrary, at the Zhang residence for the first time, Bai Xinghe severely humiliated Xiao Changqing, Zhang's confidant.

"Your Highness, I will never forget your kindness in rescuing me today."

"Young Master Bai, you flatter me!" Zhao Feng said with a smile.

"If Changqing hadn't followed me for so many years, I truly wouldn't have believed what he told me!"

"Young Master Bai, you've been hiding your true abilities very well!"

Bai Xinghe sighed, offering no further explanation.

But he knew very well that today was only a temporary respite.

Li Taibei's retaliation will only become more insidious and fierce in the future.

The root of all this lies with Emperor Zhao Tianhe!