PFC Chapter 259 It’s a pity that there was no what if
Chapter 259 It’s a pity that there was no what if
A moment later, Wang Xu pushed open the door and entered.
The head of the Wang family wore a fawning smile and held a meticulously drawn sheepskin map in his hands.
He was clearly unaware of the dramatic changes taking place in the court, and walked with composure, even carrying a hint of seeking credit.
"His Royal Highness—"
Wang Xu bowed respectfully, his voice brimming with barely suppressed excitement, and said:
"I worked through the night to draw up detailed defense maps of the thirteen cities in the northern border of the Great Yu, clearly marking every secret passage and every granary."
"As long as Your Highness sends troops, these thirteen cities will be yours in less than ten days..."
Suddenly, his words came to an abrupt halt.
Because he could see Lu Minxuan's face clearly.
That once handsome face, which always carried a sinister air, was now twisted into a grotesque grimace, like that of a vengeful ghost.
The most terrifying thing was those eyes, filled with resentment and madness that sent chills down Wang Xu's spine.
"Your Highness?" Wang Xu swallowed hard, instinctively taking a half-step back. "What...what's wrong with you?"
Lu Minxuan smiled.
That smile was so twisted it was chilling.
He slowly stood up, his disheveled clothes trailing over the mess on the floor, and grinned coldly, "You've come at just the right time. I was just looking for you."
"I wonder what business Your Highness has with me..." Wang Xu was about to say something when a sharp pain suddenly shot through his abdomen.
Lu Minxuan was caught off guard and punched him hard in the stomach.
The force was so great that the pampered head of the Wang family was bent over like a shrimp on the spot, and the sheepskin map in his hand flew out and scattered on the ground with a clatter.
Lu Minxuan grabbed his hair, lifted him up, and brought him close to his ear, his voice as soft as a viper's hiss, saying:
"This punch... is because of your good nephew, Li Wudao!"
Wang Xu's mind went blank for a moment.
Li Wudao?
How could it be that little beast? What does this have to do with the Crown Prince of Liang?
"not understand?"
Lu Minxuan released his grip, letting him collapse to the ground, then stepped on his chest and said softly:
"It seems you don't know yet, but your nephew is now the new emperor of the Great Yu Dynasty, extremely powerful and influential..."
"Moreover, he wants me to be bound up and sent to Dayu by noon tomorrow to await my fate and atone for my sins with my death."
As Lu Cong recounted his story, Wang Xu's expression visibly changed.
Each word felt like a hammer blow to his heart, and his breathing became rapid.
His eyes widened, his lips trembling: "No, impossible... Your Highness, you must be joking... That kid was a useless cripple who couldn't cultivate eight years ago..."
"Useless person?"
Lu Minxuan stomped his foot, causing Wang Xu's sternum to creak under the strain. Enraged, he laughed coldly.
"Then tell me, how did a good-for-nothing manage to overthrow the court and ascend the throne in just a few days with such swift and decisive measures? Huh?!"
Wang Xu opened his mouth, but couldn't utter a single word.
My mind went blank, with only the words "Li Wudao," "New Emperor of Dayu," and "True Disciple of Xuantian Sect" echoing wildly in my mind.
How can this be?
How could that little beast, expelled from the Wang family and ridiculed as a "good-for-nothing" by the entire capital, possibly have accomplished all this...?
It wasn't until Lu Minxuan picked up a secret report from the table and slammed it in his face that he had no choice but to believe it.
After reading only a few lines, his face turned from red to white, and then from white to green.
"It's over... How could this happen...?"
The thought popped into his head, and his face turned ashen.
Immediately, his face filled with fear, he staggered and grabbed the Crown Prince of Liang's ankle, his voice trembling as he said:
"Your Highness! Our Wang family is willing to give up all our wealth to help you out of this predicament! We beg Your Highness to show mercy and not abandon the Wang family..."
"hehe--"
Lu Minxuan kicked him away as if he were a lame dog, "Fool! I can barely protect myself, how can I save you?"
He took two steps back and shouted sharply at the door, "Someone come here!"
Four guards entered in response.
“Break his limbs and lock him in a water dungeon.”
Lu Minxuan coldly ordered, "Remember, don't let him die. Tomorrow I'm taking him with me to Dayu... to meet our end!"
"Your Highness!!!"
Wang Xu let out a piercing scream, "I have been loyal to you to the end, and all those plans were for the sake of the Great Liang!"
"Your Highness—Ugh!!"
He tried to struggle in his death throes, but a guard rushed forward and covered his mouth.
Another guard drew an iron rod.
"Crack!"
The first blow shattered his left knee.
The excruciating pain caused Wang Xu's eyes to bulge and the veins on his forehead to bulge.
"Crack!"
The second blow, to the right leg.
"Crack! Click!"
Both arms broke off one after the other.
Wang Xu screamed incessantly, gasping for breath, lying on the ground like a lump of mud, his eyes lifeless.
Only now did he truly understand that he was finished, and the Wang family was completely finished as well.
Immediately afterwards, endless regret welled up in my heart.
If he hadn't driven Li Wudao and his mother out of the house back then, if his attitude towards Li Wudao had been better the last time they met, if...
Perhaps none of this would have happened.
Unfortunately, there are no "what ifs"...
"Drag down."
Lu Minxuan turned his back, no longer looking at him. "By the way, arrest all those members of the Wang family who fled to Daliang. Tomorrow... take them with you on your journey."
The guards responded and dragged the barely recognizable Wang Xu away.
In the study, only Lu Minxuan remained.
He slowly walked to the window, looked at the deep night outside, and suddenly smiled.
As I laughed, tears streamed down my face.
In his view, his actions of expanding territory and using stratagems to capture Prince Rui and his wife in exchange for benefits were not wrong.
After all, who would have thought that such a terrifying relationship existed behind the other party?
So much so that he, who had always believed that human will could overcome nature, was now wavering.
After much painful reflection, he concluded that the reason for his failure was bad luck.
Yes, he lost to luck.
If he had been luckier, if Prince Rui and his wife hadn't had this connection with Li Wudao, if Li Wudao hadn't been such a prodigy...
Everything will be completely different. He will surely win a great victory and soon conquer the Great Yu Dynasty, achieving great success.
pity.......
The Great Liang Water Prison.
This place is perpetually shrouded in darkness, and the air is thick with the stench of decay and mold.
The murky sewage was ankle-deep, and rats and insects could be vaguely seen swimming in it; the environment was filthy.
In the deepest cell.
Prince Rui, Li Long, sat leaning against the corner of the wall, his face as pale as paper.
His shirt was soaked with blood, a dark red stain, and his left arm was twisted unnaturally, clearly a broken arm that had not been reattached.
Worse still, his breathing was weak, his lips were purple, and his forehead was covered in cold sweat.
Now, the water prison was cold and damp, and coupled with his injuries, the hidden wounds accumulated in his body could no longer be suppressed. With a mouthful of black blood, he fainted on the spot.
"Husband...husband, wake up...don't scare me..."
Princess Wang Wan knelt beside him, gently wiping the cold sweat from his forehead with her sleeve, her voice trembling with tears.
Her own situation wasn't much better.
Her fine clothes were already soaked with sewage, her hair was disheveled, and her face was stained with dirt.
But none of that matters; what matters is that her husband's breath is growing weaker and weaker.
"Help! Help!"
Wang Wan rushed to the prison door, pounded on the iron bars, and said:
"My husband's old injury has flared up and he has fainted. He needs medical treatment. Please, I beg you, find a doctor!"
Outside the cell door, two jailers were dozing against the wall.
Disturbed from their sleep, one of the tall, thin men impatiently yelled, "What's all the noise about! It's the middle of the night, can't a person get any sleep?"
"Brothers, I beg you..." Wang Wan pleaded through the iron bars, "My husband is really dying, he needs a doctor..."
"A doctor?" another short, stout jailer sneered.
"What do you think this place is? This is a water dungeon for death row inmates! Everyone who comes in here is about to die, why would they need a doctor?"