I picked up skill fragments in the demon world.

Chapter 1047 Insights
“Zhang Guan is no ordinary prince. He is capable and ambitious, and he knows how to control his desires. His reputation for virtue has spread throughout the entire northern lands. What if he were to establish his own independent regime in the future? Wouldn’t he become too powerful to control and cause trouble for his children and grandchildren?” The woman complained, her voice full of vigilance and caution.

Zhang Xiang smiled wryly upon hearing this: "He's still a child. He can't see the future trends. Why are you so wary?"

Upon hearing this, Madam Xie said with great dissatisfaction, "We must nip problems in the bud. Zhang Guan has provoked Zhang Yu several times, challenging the legitimate son as a son of a concubine. He is simply lawless and knows nothing of rules."

“Zhang Yu has been spoiled terribly by you. I’ve heard a lot of things about him. You need to discipline him more strictly.” Zhang Xiang complained to Xie Shi with great dissatisfaction, “I’m busy integrating Huangtiandao all day long and don’t have time to educate my son. You, as his mother, need to discipline him more strictly.”

Xie disagreed, saying, "It's just a few lowly people who died. People are born into different classes. We are the upper class, so we should have the spirit of the upper class. Zhang Yu is the future heir of the North. He should be cultivated from a young age to be decisive and indifferent to human life so that he can rule the entire North in the future."

Zhang Xiang gave a bitter smile upon hearing this, wanting to retort, but unable to find the words. He too belonged to the privileged class, and although his father had influenced him, teaching him to love the people like his own children, the practice of treating the common people as ants and valuing them like livestock had existed since ancient times. The lives of ordinary people had value, and dying at the hands of the powerful and wealthy was simply a matter of bad luck.

Just as the couple were discussing Zhang Yu's education, a palace attendant hurried in from outside the room and bowed respectfully to Zhang Xiang: "Your Highness, Master Zhang Gaodan has arrived. He says there is an extremely urgent matter that could topple the sky, and he begs you to see him no matter what."

"Why does my uncle have time to come see me? Wasn't he punished by Fourth Grandfather to guard the Imperial Prison? Could it be that he has caused trouble again and wants me to plead for him?" Zhang Xiang looked surprised, but since Zhang Gaodan had come to visit, he couldn't refuse to see him, after all, Zhang Gaodan and Zhang Gaqi were close relatives of the royal family.

"Please invite my uncle in," Zhang Xiang said to the guard.

Upon hearing this, the guard obeyed and left. The couple inside the house were wondering what trouble Zhang Gaodan had gotten into and were pleading for mercy when Zhang Gaodan rushed in in a panic, even losing one of his shoes in the process, shouting, "Disaster! Disaster!"

"Why are you in such a panic, Uncle?" Zhang Xiang asked with a surprised expression when he saw Zhang Gaodan's flustered state. "The sky isn't going to fall down."

"The sky has fallen! The sky has really fallen! That brat Zhang Yu has caused a huge disaster. He beat up Zhang Chen and even imprisoned him in the imperial prison," Zhang Gaodan said breathlessly.

"what!!!"

Upon hearing this, Zhang Xiang's expression changed drastically. He abruptly stood up and walked to Zhang Gaodan, his face full of disbelief, and asked, "Is this really true?"

"How could this be fake? He's locked up in the imperial prison right now!" Zhang Gaodan took the shoes handed to him by the guard behind him and sat down on the ground, panting, to put them on.

"The sky has really fallen! That damned little beast, how could he cause me such trouble?" Zhang Xiang felt his head buzzing, and without saying a word, he rushed out.

He knew the sky was truly falling!

Seeing Zhang Xiang's flustered figure, Zhang Shi also panicked and rushed out without saying a word.

Watching the couple's retreating figures, Zhang Gaodan couldn't help but shake his head inwardly: "This is going to be good."

In prison

Zhang Chen, his hands bound with rubber bands, sat quietly on the straw bed, his eyes closed, resting. The soldiers in the prison looked at each other, all silent and trembling, obediently serving him water and snacks, their faces respectful as they stood outside the cell.

The prison cells weren't dirty. After all, princes and ministers would often enter the imperial prison, and some clean single rooms had to be prepared for the use of the powerful and wealthy.

A powerful figure has arrived in the imperial prison. At this moment, everyone in the prison feels as if each day is an eternity. The air in the entire prison is so oppressive that it makes people want to stop breathing.

After all, the grandson had arrested his grandfather and imprisoned him in the imperial prison; such an event was unprecedented and would never be repeated.

Just as the atmosphere inside the prison was deathly silent, footsteps sounded outside the cell, and a familiar voice reached Zhang Chen's ears: "Where is the jailer? Where are the prisoners Zhang Yu sent today kept?"

Upon hearing the voice, Zhang Chen recognized the person's origin; it was none other than Zhang Guan.

“Young master, the imperial prison is heavily guarded, you cannot go in…” A guard tried to stop Zhang Guan and they started shoving each other.

"You bastard, this is just the Imperial Prison. I've been here countless times. What's wrong with me going in? If you delay my business, you'll be skinned alive!" Zhang Guan shouted angrily, shoving the guards.

However, most of the guards had gone to serve Zhang Chen, so the few remaining guards couldn't stop Zhang Guan. Seeing Zhang Guan push and shove his way in, all the jailers serving nearby turned their gazes to Zhang Chen. Zhang Chen looked at the jailer and asked, "What is this gentleman's background?"

"His mother was a courtesan in a brothel, and is the illegitimate son of the current king..." Upon hearing this, the jailer quickly gave Zhang Guan's information.

Seeing Zhang Guan wandering around the cell like a headless fly, Zhang Chen nodded to the head jailer: "Since we can't stop him, let's call him over. Don't say anything."

The jailer was quick-witted. Upon hearing this, he nodded respectfully, then strode out and greeted Zhang Guan: "This humble servant greets you, young master."

"Where are the prisoners Zhang Yu is holding today?" Zhang Guan asked.

"Please come with me." The jailer led the prisoner to Zhang Chen's cell. Zhang Guan glanced at the cell, confirmed it was Zhang Chen, and then sternly rebuked him:

"Hurry up and release him." "This..." The jailer's face was full of difficulty upon hearing this. He turned his head and glanced at Zhang Chen in the cell. At this moment, it was not a question of whether he was willing to release him or not, but whether the person in the cell was willing to come out.

"What do you mean, 'what'? This person hasn't committed a crime. Release him immediately. If Zhang Yu investigates later, I will naturally go to my father to explain. You can just push all the blame onto me." Zhang Guan's words were full of dissatisfaction as he angrily rebuked the jailer.

The jailer smiled wryly upon hearing this, turned to look at Zhang Chen with a pleading look in his eyes, and Zhang Chen looked at Zhang Guan with interest without saying a word, while Zhang Guan was already getting a little impatient: "Don't you understand what I'm saying?"

"Young master, look at our situation..." The jailer pointed innocently at the constables serving water and snacks in the dark corner, his face full of bitter smiles.

Zhang Guan glanced at the people in line and was taken aback. His eyes were filled with surprise. He then asked, "I misjudged you. You're someone with a background. I was worried for nothing."

"Aren't you afraid of Zhang Yu? After all, you're just a son of a concubine, and there's a huge difference in status between you and a legitimate son," Zhang Chen asked.

This world has a strict hierarchy, and the status between a son born out of wedlock and a son born out of wedlock is vastly different, far beyond what is typical.

“I can’t bear to see someone being brutally tortured to death. Besides, what I did wasn’t wrong, and my father will naturally protect me,” Zhang Guan said.

“The more your father protects you, the more Zhang Yu will hate you. Your future will be difficult. When Zhang Yu ascends the throne, you will suffer the consequences,” Zhang Chen asked.

“Even if I don’t offend him, I won’t get away with it.” Zhang Guan’s gaze was calm, without the slightest fear.

Zhang Chen looked surprised upon hearing this, not knowing the ins and outs of the matter. He looked at the head jailer beside him, who said, "You probably don't know, but Prince Zhang Guan's mother is very favored in the harem, so she is often targeted by the Queen, who sets rules and causes trouble for her every day."

Upon hearing this, Zhang Chen was taken aback for a moment, and then he slowly came to understand the meaning behind it.

One is the current king, and the other is a courtesan. How much favor must they have received to be brought into the palace?
The resistance involved is likely to be enormous.

Zhang Guan, who was standing to the side, glanced at the jailer who had spoken, then looked at Zhang Chen with surprise in his eyes: "What exactly is your identity?"

"What?" Zhang Chen looked at Zhang Guan curiously.

“There aren’t many people in this world who would dare to expose my shortcomings to my face without any scruples, even if I am not favored. I am still a prince, and it is not something a prison guard would dare to talk about, especially not to my face without any concealment.” Zhang Guan looked at Zhang Chen with curiosity, his eyes full of inquiry.

Upon hearing this, Zhang Chen smiled but did not reveal his identity. Instead, he started chatting casually with the other person, asking about their daily life. This behavior only made Zhang Guan more curious about Zhang Chen's identity.

"Your mother must have had a hard time in the palace?" Zhang Chen asked casually.

“Whenever I do something outstanding, my mother is summoned by the queen to be disciplined. My mother and I are walking on thin ice, and life is incredibly difficult,” Zhang Guan said with a bitter smile, his voice filled with sighs.

Zhang Chen looked Zhang Guan up and down, observing the direction of his muscles, and said with a smile, "You've developed internal strength at such a young age, which is quite remarkable. Your mother's life must have been very difficult."

"I'm used to it now," Zhang Guan said calmly.

"It seems you do this kind of thing often," Zhang Chen asked.

Zhang Guan said, "If I encounter them, I'll help them; if I don't, I can't worry about it. After all, my own life is already difficult enough."

As they were talking, a commotion broke out outside the cell, followed by a drunken voice from afar: "Where is that prisoner being held today?"

"Zhang Yu is here!" Zhang Guan's pupils contracted as he heard the commotion outside the cell, his eyes filled with seriousness.

"You lot dare to block my path? Are you tired of living?" Zhang Yu's impatient voice came from afar, followed by the sound of a whip cracking through the air, and then a group of soldiers howling in agony, begging for mercy: "Your Highness, you really can't go in!"

"Your Highness, spare my life! Even if you beat me to death, I absolutely cannot let you in today!"

"You should go back now!"

……

Although the jailer was whipped until he screamed and howled, he resolutely refused to make way.

What a joke! The person imprisoned inside is the Great Teacher of Virtue, the supreme ruler of the North. Who would dare to release him without his permission?
"Don't make things difficult for the guards below. Let Zhang Yu in." Zhang Chen looked at the foreman among the jailers.

(End of this chapter)