The Flourishing Era of Female Merchants

Upon hearing this question, Old Master Feng frowned, seemingly unwilling to answer. Emperor Mingde noticed this and had a vague premonition that the origin of the wound was not simple. Almost subconsciously, Emperor Mingde rejected the idea of ​​the wound's origin.

However, he didn't want to know, but someone insisted that he know, and not only did they want him to know, but they also wanted everyone to know!

"Your Majesty, Your Majesty, the old master didn't want me to speak of this, saying that if Your Majesty and Your Majesty knew, he was afraid you would worry. But seeing the old master suffering so much, I'm worried that if I don't speak, and if another thief comes to assassinate him, after all, the thief is still a threat. I dare to say that even if Your Majesty and Your Majesty kill me, I will still tell the truth." Feng Qing suddenly knelt on the ground, speaking each word earnestly.

These words caused an uproar in the hall. People, disregarding the occasion, began whispering amongst themselves.

An Mi observed all of this, her eyes growing even more profound. "It seems that Old Master Feng came prepared, and quite well at that!"

If she guessed correctly, Old Master Feng's injury must have been an assassination attempt by some hostile forces!

Almost subconsciously, An Mi glanced at Qing Lan beside her, then at Bai Yi on the other side. Of all the people the Feng family was worried about, besides Bai Yi, it should be Qing Lan.

What a clever trick by Master Feng! This self-inflicted injury is more than just a ruse; he's aiming to maximize its effectiveness!

When An Mi looked at Qing Lan and Bai Yi, Bai Yi and Qing Lan's expressions became even more solemn, and Qing Lan even tightened her grip on the wine glass in her hand.

"Feng Qing, shut up!" Old Master Feng hissed, then coughed heavily, perhaps from being too agitated.

"Father, what exactly is going on? It's already like this, how can the Emperor not care?" Empress Feng asked again.

Yes, things have already come to this point. Everyone knows that Old Master Feng is injured, and there must be some hidden story behind it. In front of so many people, even if Emperor Mingde doesn't want to get involved, he probably has no choice but to.

"Feng Qing, is it? Tell me what exactly happened!" Emperor Mingde's expression immediately turned serious, and he glanced at Feng Qing with a sharp and piercing gaze.

Feng Qing felt a chill run down his spine under that gaze, but remembering his grandfather's injury and his earlier instructions, he had to straighten his expression and take a deep breath. "Your Majesty," he said, "today, we sped towards the capital, but unexpectedly, a group of masked men in black appeared out of nowhere. They were all ruthless, using deadly moves. This old servant was incompetent and failed to protect the grandfather, which is why he was injured. Fortunately, we eventually subdued the bandits, but the grandfather was still wounded. He ordered me to find out who was behind it all, but those men seemed to be trained. Before I could even ask them, they all committed suicide by swallowing poison. The grandfather said that without evidence, even if I reported this to Your Majesty, it would only add to Your Majesty's worries. However, this old servant feels that if that person is not found, the grandfather's life is in danger!"

Feng Qing's voice echoed throughout the hall. The officials' expressions changed. Now, there was another mastermind behind the scenes who wanted to kill Old Master Feng. Who was this mastermind?

The Feng family's enemies...

The Feng family has always been adept at navigating social situations, and few people have dared to directly oppose them. Now, their biggest adversary is probably the eldest prince, Qinglan!

The thought flashed through many people's minds, and they couldn't help but glance in Qinglan's direction. They saw that he looked normal and showed no sign of guilt, which only intensified their doubts.

Emperor Mingde's eyes narrowed, and he said angrily, "Such a thing actually happened?"

"Your Majesty, you must stand up for your father! If it weren't for his good fortune, that villain would have succeeded this time!" Empress Feng spoke up at just the right moment, secretly pleased with herself. She couldn't help but give Old Master Feng a thumbs up in her heart. Her father was indeed worthy of being called her father. Now, even Your Majesty would probably have to help find that villain.

As for who the thief was... Empress Feng lowered her eyes slightly. Whoever it was, it would be beneficial to them, wouldn't it?

Empress Feng gave him another push without hesitation, and Emperor Mingde's eyes darkened even more. "Grandfather, rest assured, I will definitely investigate this matter thoroughly!"

The imperial physician had already bandaged Old Master Feng's wounds, but Old Master Feng remained weakly lying on the couch. He tried to lift his body slightly, as if struggling to get up, but clearly, his frail body meant that this movement only brought on more pain. Old Master Feng groaned, "Your Majesty, please forgive this old minister for being unable to stand..."

"It's alright, it's alright. The old master has suffered such a serious injury, so he should just lie there." Emperor Mingde said calmly. "Today, this welcome-back banquet was originally prepared for the old master, but I did not expect that such things would happen one after another. How about this, let's leave it at that for today, and the old master should rest well first."

"This old minister is fine. Your Majesty has prepared such a grand feast for me, and I am deeply grateful. Even if I am injured, I can bear it." Old Master Feng heard that Emperor Mingde seemed to be deliberately avoiding the topic of his assassination attempt, so he naturally wouldn't let Emperor Mingde be smug. Today, he was so seriously injured, and if he didn't achieve his goal, it would be too much of a loss.

Emperor Mingde frowned. Empress Feng seemed to understand her father's thoughts and quickly said, "Your Majesty, it is important for Father to rest and recuperate, but the most urgent task now is to find the thief who tried to assassinate Father. Otherwise, even if Father rests, I'm afraid he won't be able to settle down."

Emperor Mingde frowned, his resentment towards Empress Feng growing stronger. He tugged at the corner of his mouth and said, "That's true, but even if we're going to search, it'll take some time, won't it? Do you think we can find it right now?"

"Your Majesty, this old servant dares to say that I found something on one of the men in black. I showed it to the old master, but he told me not to take it out. However, if we are to find the mastermind, how can we find such strong evidence if we don't show it?" Feng Qing said, and under everyone's gaze, he took out a token from his pocket. The token looked extremely ordinary, but upon closer inspection, the patterns on it revealed a special mystery.

Emperor Mingde gave Eunuch Qin a wink, and Eunuch Qin obeyed, immediately stepping forward to take the token from Feng Qing's hand and presenting it to the Emperor.

"Feng Qing, you... sigh..." Seeing this, Old Master Feng murmured softly. Seeing the token in Emperor Mingde's hands, he couldn't help but sigh helplessly, "Feng Qing, how could you be so foolish? Now that those thieves are dead, what use is the token? Who can prove that this token was indeed obtained from those thieves, and not that I deliberately fabricated it out of thin air?"