The Crazy Emperor's Pampered Cousin

The gentleness on her face vanished instantly, replaced by a somber, frosty expression.

He casually draped an outer robe over his shoulders and walked steadily toward the tent entrance.

Outside the tent, the morning mist had not yet dissipated, but it was already stirred up by the dark mass of people.

Dozens of officials gathered in front of the main tent, their expressions varied.

Zhang Congzheng spoke loudly to Gu He, who was blocking the way.

"General Gu! You are my superior, and I should not be acting this way. But two days have passed since His Highness was assassinated, and there has been no news of him! His Highness is the Crown Prince, whose fate is tied to the fate of the nation. Whether he is safe or in danger, we, his subjects, should know! What is the reason for this cover-up? Are you going to keep us trapped here forever?"

Vice Minister Liu immediately chimed in, "Lord Zhang is absolutely right. General Gu, it's not that we don't believe you, but this matter concerns the very foundation of the nation, and the people are filled with anxiety! In any case, we should be allowed to see His Highness in person to confirm it before we can feel at ease!"

Some officials, either swayed by the two men's words or harboring their own doubts, also chimed in with their opinions:

"Yes, General Gu, at least give me a straight answer!"

"How is His Highness's safety? How can you continue to avoid us?"

The crowd began to chatter, their voices growing louder, all their eyes fixed intently on Gu He, who remained silent throughout.

Gu He, clad in armor and with his hand on his sword hilt, faced the crowd's questioning and pressure with a cold and stern expression.

His sharp gaze swept across the faces, especially those of Zhang Cong and Vice Minister Liu, who were at the head of the group.

Those eyes seemed to pierce through their skin, revealing the calculations churning in their hearts.

He remained silent, but this silence created an invisible pressure amidst the clamor.

Of course, not all of his ministers were easily swayed; some were trusted confidants whom Xie Yanzhao had personally promoted or relied upon.

Ning Zai stood with his hands behind his back, his voice calm yet chilling.

"It is only right to see His Highness. But General Zhang's entourage today is more like a coup than an audience."

Zhang Cong grinned, clasped his hands in a gesture of feigned humility, and said, "Lord Ning, you flatter me. This humble general is merely worried about His Highness's safety and is extremely anxious."

Ning Zai glanced at them coldly, a faint hint of mockery flashing in his eyes.

A fifth-rank military officer, who in the past wouldn't even have the right to step into his hall, now dares to stand tall and speak with a sarcastic tone.

They simply believed that His Highness the Crown Prince was dead and that his master was about to ascend to heaven.

Very well, he would just quietly watch how this fool would dig his own grave and bury the seeds of his own disaster.

Seeing Ning Zai's silence, Zhang Cong assumed that even the Central Commander had become wary.

If the crown prince dies, King Cheng will naturally become the heir apparent, and I will be a meritorious official who helped him rise to power.

Thinking this, he straightened his back even more, and his words became increasingly arrogant:

"If you ask me, His Highness's prolonged absence is suspicious... Perhaps it's the Crown Princess secretly—"

"Zhang Cong!"

Ning Zai suddenly interrupted, his voice as cold as ice striking jade.

Shen Xuan, who had been observing coldly from the sidelines, slowly raised his eyelids.

He had been standing firm, but once someone threw mud at his daughter, he could no longer remain silent.

"General Zhang," Shen Xuan said calmly, yet each word carried immense weight.

"To slander the Crown Prince's principal wife is punishable by having one's tongue pulled out and being beheaded, according to the law. If you have forgotten, I do not mind reviewing the law for you now."

Liu, the Vice Minister standing to the side, was sweating profusely. He hurriedly grabbed Zhang Cong's sleeve and tried to smooth things over in a low voice.

"General Zhang is overly worried and speaks without thinking! Lord Shen and Lord Ning are magnanimous; please don't take it to heart..."

He then leaned close to Zhang Cong's ear and whispered through gritted teeth.

"Fool! Look who you're dealing with! The Shen family and the Ning family, founding families, pillars of the nation. Even if the future King Cheng is fortunate enough to inherit the throne, he won't be able to touch them! If you still don't know what's good for you, then get lost!"

But Zhang Cong was blinded by the false promise of "merit for following the emperor" and couldn't listen to anything.

Xie Xuancheng finally stepped forward, his tone earnest, carrying just the right amount of concern.

"Please calm down, everyone... I believe you gentlemen have no other intentions than to see that the Emperor is well, so as to put everyone's minds at ease..."

"Oh?"

A deep and dignified voice came from inside the tent, like the sound of an ancient bell, instantly silencing all the noise.

The tent curtain was lifted by a slender hand, and Xie Yanzhao stepped out.

His dark-colored casual clothes made his face appear even more refined, and his gaze swept across the entire room like a cold star.

That innate air of dominance descended upon them as if it were a tangible presence.

"I had no idea that my brother had ever cared so much about me."

His voice wasn't loud, but it resonated clearly in everyone's hearts.

A deathly silence fell outside the tent, followed by a sudden "whoosh".

Almost instinctively, the officials knelt down, a dark mass of them bowing their heads.

Even Zhang Cong, who had been shouting the loudest, buckled at the knees the moment he met Xie Yanzhao's gaze.

He fell to his knees with a thud, cold sweat instantly beading on his forehead.

This is Xie Yanzhao.

He was appointed crown prince at the age of nine and began to assist in governing the country. At the age of fourteen, he inspected the border defenses, and at the age of seventeen, he quelled the rebellion in Huainan.

In the hearts of his ministers, he was already an unshakeable demigod.

Zhang Cong dared to be so presumptuous only because he was certain that he was already a dead body.

Now that the real person was in front of him, under that accumulated power, he even choked on his breath.

Xie Xuancheng also knelt down, his movements fluid, but his face suddenly turned pale.

He hung his head, his eyes filled with turmoil and disbelief.

How is that possible?

The secret letter clearly stated that the arrowheads were poisoned.

How could he still be alive? How could he be standing here so perfectly unharmed?

Xie Yanzhao did not call out immediately.

His gaze slowly swept over Xie Xuancheng's stiff shoulders and back, and over Zhang Cong's trembling helmet plume.

In the wind, only his calm, unwavering voice remained, yet it sent chills down everyone's spine:

"It seems you all have plenty of free time today."

Xie Yanzhao: "Gu He, pull out his tongue."

"yes!"

No names were mentioned, but everyone present understood.

It was Zhang Cong, the one who dared to offend the Crown Princess.

Zhang Cong's face turned deathly pale, and he slammed his fist to the ground: "Your Highness, spare me! This humble general misspoke! This humble general—"

Before he could finish speaking, Gu He had already rushed in front of him.

The instinct to survive overwhelmed everything.

Zhang Cong suddenly drew his sword, blocking Gu He's downward thrusting dagger. Veins bulged on his forehead as he hissed and roared towards the back of the crowd:

"Lieutenant General He! Bring your men here!"

He was, after all, a fifth-rank general; surely he had his own personal guards.

Since things have come to this point, we're going to die anyway, so we might as well fight to the death!

However, there was only deathly silence.

His soldiers had long been separated and firmly held down by the Imperial Guards who had been mobilized at some unknown time.

Gu He scoffed, "Idiot."

With a flick of his wrist, the dagger bypassed the parrying longsword, while his other hand gripped Zhang Cong's chin like an iron clamp.

The movements were crisp and clean, without any frills.

Zhang Cong was consumed by extreme fear and despair.

His eyes were wide open, and at the last moment, he used all his strength to break free from the jaw restraint, letting out a twisted and shrill howl.

"Xie Xuancheng—! You've ruined me—!!!"

Xie Xuancheng had sworn an oath that the Crown Prince would surely die. Yet, he ended up causing him to this point!

"Pfft—"

The muffled thud and splattered blood brought an end to all subsequent charges.

Zhang Cong lay curled up on the ground like a fish whose bones had been removed, making strange "hoarse" noises.