Prince Duan, Who Scams His Son

"Because you were the chief of the Beggar Gang, yet you happened to have no taste for women, blocking Kang Min's path to revenge."

Xiao Feng glanced at Duan Yu, who was still struggling with the matter, and said with a somewhat amused smile, "Kang Min married Ma Dayuan, who was old enough to be her father, because she wanted to use her beauty to control him. Then, she could use the Beggar Gang's power to take revenge on the Prince of the Dali Kingdom—Duan Zhengchun—who had seduced and abandoned her!"

"Ah?"

Duan Yu's expression changed drastically, as though he had stepped in dog shit the moment he walked out the door.

Why was it his old man's romantic debt again?

He had seen fathers who screwed over their sons, but never one who screwed over his son this badly!

"Unfortunately, Chief Qiao, you did not indulge in women, while Ma Dayuan was utterly loyal to you and unwilling to bring you down for his own selfish interests."

Xiao Feng continued, revealing more. "Kang Min therefore joined forces with Bai Shijing to murder Ma Dayuan. She also slept with and won over Quan Guanqing and Elder Xu, having them talk the Four Great Elders into joining forces to force you from office. Without you and Ma Dayuan blocking the way, whether Bai Shijing or Quan Guanqing became chief, Kang Min could seize the opportunity to control the Beggar Gang, then stir up conflict between the Beggar Gang and Dali, taking revenge on that heartless man, Duan Zhengchun."

"What a venomous woman!"

"Despicable and shameless!"

"Bai Shijing, Quan Guanqing, and Elder Xu, how could you be so muddleheaded..."

Having finally understood that they had been used as weapons, the Four Great Elders could not help but curse furiously.

One just wondered whether the Four Great Elders were angry because they had been deceived, or because Kang Min had not used her beauty on them.

"Tap tap tap..."

A burst of hurried footsteps suddenly rang out. Led by Quan Guanqing, hundreds of ragged Beggar Gang disciples emerged from all directions, vaguely forming an encirclement.

Seeing that those Beggar Gang disciples were not respectful as usual upon spotting him, but instead looked at him with vigilance and wariness, Qiao Feng finally completely believed Xiao Feng's words.

The Four Great Elders felt unbearable shame at the sight and hurriedly shouted at the Beggar Gang disciples, "All disciples, heed our command! Quan Guanqing has defied his superiors and seduced his second sister-in-law—an offense intolerable to Heaven and Earth! Seize him at once!"

???

Quan Guanqing was completely dumbfounded. What was going on?

Even the trusted followers of the Four Great Elders stood stunned for a moment before recovering from their shock. Then they swarmed forward and subdued Quan Guanqing.

"Elder Song, what are you doing? This isn't what we agreed on!"

"Pah!"

Elder Song, who stood at the front, snorted coldly and spat a glob of phlegm directly into Quan Guanqing's face. Pointing at his nose, he cursed, "You despicable, shameless, scheming bastard! It would have been one thing if you couldn't keep your little thing in your pants and colluded with that venomous woman Kang Min, but you actually tricked us into making a move against the chief. You nearly made us commit a grave sin. You deserve to die!"

The more Elder Song thought about how Quan Guanqing had kept all the benefits for himself while making the Four Great Elders take the blame, the angrier he became. Unable to restrain himself, he lifted his foot and kicked Quan Guanqing in the crotch.

"I... Aah!!!"

Quan Guanqing had been about to argue in his defense when he suddenly suffered such a devastating blow to the balls. The pain made his eyes roll back, and his mind went completely blank.

After crippling Quan Guanqing, Elder Song ordered the trusted disciples, "Go bring that bastard Bai Shijing here. I want to see how that Law Enforcement Elder plans to judge this case!"

"Yes!"

At Elder Song's command, the trusted disciples hurried away to bring Bai Shijing and the others, who had been imprisoned aboard the boat, over.

"Chief, you must uphold justice for us!"

The moment the sallow-faced Bai Shijing arrived at Apricot Forest, he angrily cried out, "Elders Song, Xi, Chen, and Wu forged your orders and tricked us onto a small boat on Taihu Lake, where they imprisoned us. The boat was piled high with firewood and sulfur, and they said that if we tried to escape, they would set the boat ablaze. We almost never got to see you again."

"You, Bai Shijing—you truly are accusing others first and turning the tables!"

Elder Song laughed in extreme fury, pointing at Bai Shijing as he cursed, "Did you think your deeds were flawless? We already know about your adultery with Kang Min and how you murdered Vice Chief Ma!"

!!!

Bai Shijing felt as though he had been struck by lightning. His sallow face instantly turned deathly pale.

Seeing Bai Shijing's utterly horrified expression, everyone already knew what the truth was.

"Elder Bai, you have truly disappointed me. As the Law Enforcement Elder, you knowingly broke the law!"

Qiao Feng's eyes were filled with disappointment as he berated him in furious frustration. "Tell me yourself: for murdering a fellow member and seducing your second sister-in-law, what punishment should you receive?"

"Death... the death penalty..."

Faced with the contemptuous gazes of the Beggar Gang disciples, Bai Shijing felt so ashamed that he could no longer bear to go on living. "Chief, I have wronged you!"

"Bang!!!"

As soon as Bai Shijing finished speaking, he suddenly raised his right palm and struck the crown of his head with all his strength. Blood immediately flowed from his seven orifices, and he died on the spot.

"Clip-clop, clip-clop..."

Not long after Bai Shijing killed himself out of guilt, a burst of urgent hoofbeats suddenly sounded, followed by one or two whistles.

Someone among the beggars answered with a whistle. The rider urged his horse faster and faster, gradually drawing near.

Elder Song's expression changed slightly. "That is the whistle signal for a Wax Pill Letter. Could there be some urgent military intelligence?"

Amid everyone's uncertain and startled gazes, a middle-aged man dressed in fine clothing like a wealthy merchant rode a black horse into the forest.

Upon seeing Qiao Feng, the man hastily dismounted, stripped off his fine robes to reveal the attire of a Beggar Gang disciple beneath, then took a package from his chest and respectfully presented it to him. "Chief, this is urgent military intelligence sent back from Western Xia."

Qiao Feng hurriedly accepted the package and opened it before everyone. Inside lay a perfectly sealed wax pill.

"Wait!"

Just as Qiao Feng crushed the wax pellet, took out a sheet of white paper, and prepared to read its contents, an aged voice suddenly rang out.

Everyone instinctively turned toward the sound, only to see a white-haired old beggar in patch-covered clothes emerging from the nearby woods with a group of people.

Once they recognized the newcomer, everyone's expressions turned strange.

This white-haired old beggar was none other than Elder Xu, a highly senior member of the Beggar Gang. He was already eighty-seven years old.

Even Wang Jiantong, the Beggar Gang's former chief, had addressed Elder Xu as "Martial Uncle." Within the Beggar Gang, there was no one who was not his junior.

However, Elder Xu had long since retired from public life. Qiao Feng and the others only visited him during the holidays each year, offering their respects and chatting with him about the gang's everyday affairs.

Normally, upon seeing Elder Xu appear, Qiao Feng and the others should have immediately stepped forward to greet him respectfully. But recalling Xiao Feng's revelation just now, they suddenly found themselves unable to look Elder Xu in the eye.