My Years in the Jianghu with the Prince: A Time of Unethical Conduct

Chapter 182 Recollection Part 2.5 - The Visitors Are Not Friendly

Chonghua Hall, Council Chamber—

A jade ruyi was smashed to pieces on the ground, and the crisp sound of it breaking could be clearly heard outside the hall.

Fragments were scattered everywhere. Looking down the ground, besides the debris, there were several palace servants lying there, their fates unknown.

Fresh blood gushed out, staining the ground in a horrifying sight.

Emperor Xuande's face was ashen, his eyes bulging as he stared intently at a report on the table.

His chest heaved violently, and he looked extremely angry. "The war has long been over, so why is Chu Wanshan still refusing to hand over the military command?!"

The remaining palace servants knelt on the ground, silent as cicadas in winter.

Only one person remained standing beside Emperor Xuande, offering words of comfort.

"Calm down, Your Majesty, please don't harm your health."

The man had graying temples, a slightly plump figure, and a kind and benevolent appearance. He was none other than Guo Lianhai, the chief eunuch who had served Emperor Xuande since he was a child.

"Your Majesty, please do not be angry. It is probably because General Chu has held a large army for many years and is reluctant to relinquish his military power. This is only human nature."

"Your Majesty, please give General Chu some more time to consider his options carefully. I am sure he will make the right choice."

Upon hearing this, Emperor Xuande gripped the table tightly, gritting his teeth as he said, "Give him some time? How much time have I given him?! But he always has all sorts of excuses to refuse!"

He grew angrier as he spoke, his grip on the table tightening until the veins on the back of his hand bulged.

Seeing this, Guo Lianhai quickly stepped forward, trying to soothe Emperor Xuande's anger while reassuring him, "Your Majesty, please calm down. In my opinion, General Chu is still completely loyal to you."

"However, on the other hand, the transfer of military power is a major event. If things go wrong, it may cause instability among the people."

Guo Lianhai carefully observed Emperor Xuande's expression, sighed, and then said, "After all, those soldiers were all trained by General Chu. If the general is suddenly replaced, I'm afraid those soldiers will inevitably feel dissatisfied and resentful."

"In that case, I'm afraid the border will once again be in turmoil."

However, after his reasoned and well-founded persuasion, Emperor Xuande not only did not calm down, but his expression became even more frightening.

"Great! Great! Absolutely wonderful!"

"I have no idea whether the army of this Great Jing Dynasty belongs to me or the Chu family! If even the army does not recognize me as its master, then is this country still mine?!"

As he spoke, Emperor Xuande suddenly swept his sleeve, knocking all the memorials, writing brushes, and inkstones off the table and onto the ground.

"Your Majesty, please calm down!"

Even Guo Lianhai was so frightened that he knelt down on the ground.

Emperor Xuande was so angry that his eyes turned red and bloodshot. After his chest heaved violently a few times, he let out a cold laugh.

"It seems he has forgotten that his two sons are still in my hands."

Emperor Xuande pursed his lips, looked at Guo Lianhai with a sinister expression, and said, "Then I will give him a great gift."

"Go, pick one at random and behead him, then send someone to deliver the head to Chu Wanshan."

Upon hearing this, Guo Lianhai's heart skipped a beat.

Although he had been secretly stirring things up, he knew he had to proceed gradually and not go too far.

Otherwise, if pushed too far, Chu Wanshan might really rebel.

So he hurriedly advised, "Your Majesty, please reconsider. If General Chu truly harbors rebellious intentions, then keeping them alive now would still be a threat to him."

"But if something happens to them, then General Chu will have no worries at all!"

Upon hearing this, Emperor Xuande immediately frowned, his eyes dark and unfathomable.

After a long while, he finally regained his senses and calmed down, saying, "Then let's spare the lives of those two children for now."

"However, I still need to find something for Chu Wanshan to do."

"Go, bring those people from Fengyun Tower to me."

Outside the council chamber at this moment.

Fu Zhijie held the soup bowl in his hand, listening silently to the sounds coming from inside the door.

The louder the voices inside became, the more gloomy his expression grew.

Fu Zhijie only turned and left when he heard footsteps getting closer and closer from inside the door.

Inside the Wenying Hall—

Chu Ling looked at the person lying on the couch and sighed softly.

He put down the porridge he had just cooked and bent down to help Chu Heng sit up.

Chu Heng, who had been helped up, was breathing heavily and his face was flushed. There was also some cold sweat on his temples.

Chu Ling reached out and touched his forehead.

A few moments later, he stood up with a solemn expression and was about to leave, saying, "I'm going to find the imperial physician."

But Chu Heng suddenly stopped him, "Cough cough... Don't, don't go, they won't come."

"I'll be fine after a rest."

"Then I'll bring them here tied up."

Chu Ling ignored him and continued walking quickly forward.

Before leaving, she didn't forget to remind Chu Heng, "I've already cooked the porridge, so drink it while it's hot."

"Ugh."

Watching Chu Ling slam the door shut, Chu Heng, powerless to stop it, could only rub his temples.

He sighed, then reached for the bowl of white porridge placed to the side, and took a small, comforting bite of his younger brother's cooking.

The next second—

"puff!"

He spat out the porridge with a contorted expression.

On the other side, Chu Ling, who had just run out the door, had not yet found the imperial physician when he ran into a group of uninvited guests.

Leading the group was none other than the Fifth Prince, who had repeatedly harassed and provoked the two brothers over the past six months.

Chu Ling watched coldly as this large group of people marched straight toward him, and subconsciously reached for the dagger at his waist.

Just as he reached for his waist, a sharp shout rang out—

"Good! This man attempted to assassinate the prince! Guards, seize him!"

As soon as the order was given, the guards brought by the Fifth Prince swarmed forward and pinned Chu Ling firmly to the ground.

Once Chu Ling was unable to move, the Fifth Prince stepped forward with a cold smile, looking down at him.

"Chu Ling, how dare you! In broad daylight, you dare to commit violence against the royal family?"

The Fifth Prince, with a gloomy face, stomped hard on Chu Ling's fingers and ground them several times.

But even as his hand was trampled into a bloody mess, Chu Ling remained silent.

The Fifth Prince said viciously, "It seems you're tired of living."

As soon as he finished speaking, he saw the person at his feet suddenly raise his head and look at him.

Chu Ling's gaze was chilling, his eyes as sharp as blades, and as vicious and ruthless as a venomous snake eyeing its prey.

Even the Fifth Prince couldn't help but feel a chill and took two steps back.

Chu Ling stared intently at Fu Zhijie, as if mocking his earlier cowardice, and slowly a smile crept onto his lips. "Fine, you'd better make sure you can kill me today."

"Otherwise, I will repay you a hundredfold in the future."

Upon hearing this, Fu Zhijie was stunned. He hadn't expected that Chu Ling, even in his current state, would still dare to threaten him so blatantly.

In an instant, an unnamed rage surged from the depths of his heart, making him turn pale and tremble all over.

The veins on his forehead bulged, and he was about to order his men to beat him to death.

But then she thought about it again and realized that this was too easy on Chu Ling.

So he suppressed his anger, looked around, and slowly fixed his gaze on a pond not far away.