The Marquis Mansion’s Elite Class

Qin Ye sat unmoving on the steps, coldly retorting, "Fighting the Son of Heaven? You might as well just execute me outright—that way, my family won't be implicated."

The Little Demon King, his anger barely contained, kicked the steps. "Damn you, Qin Ye! You rotten scoundrel!"

Qin Ye: "..." Here we go again.

What a child.

Though these two—longtime acquaintances, both allies and adversaries—had once more parted on sour terms, this was simply their usual dynamic. The familiarity of it all brought back a strange sense of nostalgia.

Alone again, the Little Demon King counted the days. Ten remained.

Within those ten days, he would end everything.

The indomitable Duke of State Protection hastily bandaged his wounds before launching a sweeping purge. The Ministry of Justice worked overtime, extracting confessions through relentless interrogations. Though the assassins hadn't bitten off their tongues, the information they revealed was frustratingly limited.

They had scaled the sheer cliffs behind the hunting grounds, lying in wait for days, poised to deliver a fatal strike to the young emperor.

When questioned about their motives, they simply said, "He shouldn't exist." Pressed further about who had ordered the assassination, they clammed up entirely.

Luo Jingfeng slammed the table in fury, his voice icy. "'Shouldn't exist'? So this is about treason, then."

General Xiaofeng ventured cautiously, "My lord, could it be those princes under house arrest?"

Luo Jingfeng had already considered the possibility. Those who had once dared to harm the crown prince would surely harbor the same malice toward the young emperor.

Rising abruptly, he issued a cold command. "Slaughter every last one of those imprisoned princes. I'll make sure they never dare entertain such thoughts again!"

"Yes, sir!" General Xiaofeng obeyed without hesitation.

Once again, the order had been given without consulting the emperor.

Jin Cheng only learned of it when the two great generals were at each other's throats again.

Luo Jingfeng roared, "Every traitor who poses a threat to His Majesty's safety deserves death! Zong Zhao, how dare you interfere with my men and deploy the city patrol to blockade the area!"

Zong Zhao, ever since hearing of the hunting grounds incident, had kept a close eye on Luo Jingfeng, fearing he would act recklessly and spill innocent blood.

Sure enough, without concrete evidence linking the assassins to the imprisoned princes, Luo Jingfeng had already condemned them and bypassed the emperor entirely.

Zong Zhao countered coldly, "There's no proof the assassins were sent by them. You're exploiting this situation to act on your own—have you no respect for His Majesty's authority?"

Luo Jingfeng scoffed. "His Majesty is young and kind-hearted. If he hesitates to act, I'll do it for him. What's wrong with that?"

"You're overstepping your bounds and disregarding imperial will," Zong Zhao shot back.

"And you're sowing discord with your meddling," Luo Jingfeng retorted.

As they argued, Jin Cheng pieced together what had happened.

Once again, Luo Jingfeng had tried to execute people behind his back—only to be stopped by his father.

This had happened too many times for Jin Cheng to feel the same devastation as before. Now, his resolve was firm. Instead of arguing, he simply smiled and interjected, "Alright, alright, enough quarreling. Since we don't have conclusive evidence yet, let's give them another month. It's getting cold anyway—I don't plan on leaving the palace. We can take our time investigating."

With the emperor playing peacemaker, Luo Jingfeng huffed but didn't object, though he shot Zong Zhao another glare.

"..." Zong Zhao was speechless.

Jin Cheng stepped forward, concern in his voice. "Uncle, is your wound still bleeding?"

Luo Jingfeng immediately brightened. "Just a scratch—it'll heal in a couple of days. More importantly, Cheng'er, you weren't frightened, were you?"

Jin Cheng shook his head. "Not at all. Those assassins were no match for you."

Luo Jingfeng laughed heartily, taking his nephew's hand. "Give me a little more time, and I'll root out the mastermind behind this and tear them apart!"

Jin Cheng tilted his head. "What if it's someone very close to you?"

Luo Jingfeng snorted. "Don't suspect the Prince of Southern Pacification. Your eldest uncle isn't that kind of man."

"Oh."

As they walked down the corridor, uncle and nephew chatted warmly.

Luo Jingfeng nudged him. "Isn't this your usual time for kickball? Don't let this ruin your mood. Moping around all day isn't good for you—go run around and have some fun."

"Then I'll go play. Will you come watch me, Uncle?" It was the first time Jin Cheng had ever invited him.

Luo Jingfeng beamed. "Of course! Let's go right now."

On the kickball field:

When the emperor wasn't present, the thirty-two players divided into two teams for practice. But once Jin Cheng arrived, one player would step aside, making room for Buyan to stand guard at the field's edge.

Luo Jingfeng watched from the sidelines, his gaze fond as the boy dashed across the field.

This routine continued for days. Luo Jingfeng's arm healed, and the bond between uncle and nephew grew stronger, as if their earlier clash had been nothing more than a trivial spat.

After scoring another goal, Jin Cheng leaped into the air, shouting, "Jin Cheng is invincible!"

Luo ​​‌‌​‌‌​​​‌‌‌​​​​‌‌​​​​‌​‌‌​​‌‌​​‌‌​​​‌‌​​‌‌‌​​​​‌‌​​​​‌​‌‌​​‌‌​​​‌‌​‌‌​​​‌‌​‌​​​​‌‌‌​​‌​‌‌​​‌​​​​‌‌​​‌‌​​‌‌​​‌‌​​‌‌​​​‌​​‌‌​​​​​​‌‌​‌​‌​​‌‌​‌​​​​‌‌​​​‌​​‌‌​​​​​‌‌​​‌​​​‌‌​​‌​‌​​‌‌​​‌​​​‌‌‌​​‌‍Jingfeng clapped and cheered. "Cheng'er is the best!"

The Little Demon King paused, then grinned, beckoning him. "Uncle! Want to come play against me?"

From the sidelines, the Duke of State Protection raised a brow, pointing at himself. "Me? Playing against a bunch of kids? That'd be bullying."

The kickball players were all Jin Cheng's age—twelve or thirteen, none trained in martial arts. Even if they ganged up on Luo Jingfeng, they wouldn't stand a chance.

But the Little Demon King sprinted over, ball in hand, eyes alight with excitement. "Come on, Uncle! I'm too good—winning all the time is boring. I want to see how I stack up against you. Will the great general honor me with a match?"

He glanced pointedly at Luo Jingfeng's injured arm.

Luo Jingfeng flexed it. "This? It's long healed. Besides, kickball doesn't need arms. Fine, I'll go easy—no martial arts, so I don't hurt you."

"Deal!" Jin Cheng tugged him onto the field, chattering away. "Uncle, are you any good at kickball?"

Luo Jingfeng shrugged. "Haven't played much since I was a kid. Once I started training seriously, I left games behind. But martial artists have good aim—don't underestimate me, or you'll lose badly."

Jin Cheng replaced one player, then flashed a confident grin. "Bring it on! I'll show you what a kickball prodigy looks like!"

"Alright then!" Luo Jingfeng took his position opposite him.

The players buzzed with excitement. Not only did they get to play with the emperor, but now the legendary Duke of State Protection was joining them? This was beyond thrilling!

The energy on the field skyrocketed.

Eunuch Huang stood as referee, raising a small flag.

"—Begin!"