No title, no marriage? Do you think I'm some kind of lapdog?

"I obey your decree!"

Su Chuang lowered his eyes, and in the instant he responded, several thoughts flashed through his mind.

He knew that this was truly a summons from the Emperor, and there was absolutely no way to refuse.

He never expected that the real summons would arrive so soon after the fake assassination attempt; the timing was far too precise.

Perhaps this palace is the real battlefield.

"Rise, Prince Su."

Gui Gonggong said calmly, but his tone was devoid of emotion.

"Thank you, Eunuch."

Su Chuang looked up, pausing his thoughts, his face displaying a submissive expression.

"Um?"

"Who is this?"

As Eunuch Gui turned around, his gaze swept over Ye Qingyue and Yue Xinyang, and then over the corpses on the ground.

Ultimately, it landed on the still-wet, blood-stained spear in Yue Fei's hands.

"Replying to Your Excellency, this is my bodyguard, Yue Fei."

"Just now on the road, someone impersonated an angel, conveying a divine message, intending to attack the boy."

"If Guard Yue hadn't arrived in time, I'm afraid I wouldn't have survived to meet the Emperor."

"I understand, sir. If the palace rules forbid it, then let him wait here."

Su Chuang answered frankly.

He knew that with the Imperial Guard protecting him, his safety was surely guaranteed.

If the emperor wanted him dead, even if he took Yue Fei with him, it would only mean one more death.

Let's go together.

Grandpa Gui first looked around the scene before speaking.

The voice remained indifferent.

This made Su Chuang feel that the Emperor's summons to the palace was not a good thing.

"If His Majesty inquires, I will explain the situation."

"Guard Yue may accompany you to the outside of the Qian Yuan Hall."

After saying that, he didn't hesitate any longer and turned to walk towards the palace.

"Thank you, Eunuch."

Su Chuang cupped his hands in greeting.

He then gestured for Yue Fei to remain silent and follow.

The latter held the Liquan Spear horizontally in his hand, his steps heavy and steady.

"After entering the palace, observe more and speak less."

"If anyone gets within three steps of me, stop them."

Su Chuang walked side by side with Yue Fei, whispering instructions.

He knew the palace was heavily guarded, but he wouldn't surrender without a fight!

Wanting him dead won't be that easy.

The worst case scenario is that the fish will die and the net will fall apart!

"snort!"

Su Chuang had only taken two steps when he heard Ye Qingyue snort coldly behind him.

"Grandpa Gui! Wait a minute!"

Ye Qingyue caught up, lifting her skirt, her hair slightly disheveled, her face full of anger.

"I demand an audience with the Emperor! Su Chuang murdered an angel in the street; I must personally report this matter!"

"To prevent His Majesty from being misled by treacherous individuals and allowing the murderer to escape justice!"

Ye Qingyue didn't even look at Su Chuang, and went straight to Gui Gonggong.

"That's right, Eunuch Gui."

"I myself witnessed it; Qingyue's words are entirely true!"

Yue Xinyang added fuel to the fire from the sidelines.

"General Ye."

"Tonight, His Majesty only summoned the heir apparent of the Duke of Xin."

"Therefore, you cannot enter the palace tonight unless Prince Su takes you in!"

Gui Gonggong didn't stop walking, but turned his head slightly and explained for Su Chuang's sake.

"But I have something important to report!"

Ye Qingyue persisted, saying that she was the number one female general in the Great Qian Dynasty and had just made a great contribution!

"Then submit the memorial through the Ministry of Justice; that's the proper procedure!"

"The palace gates are about to close; General Ye, please return."

Gui Gonggong's voice turned cold. If it weren't for Su Chuang, he wouldn't have paid any attention to Ye Qingyue!

Su Chuang ignored this, his mind preoccupied with how to deal with the emperor in the palace.

As they spoke, the group of people arrived at the palace gate.

Four golden-armored guards stood there, holding halberds. Upon seeing Eunuch Gui arrive, they silently parted the halberds that were blocking their way.

"Father-in-law! Let me in. I'll put in a good word for you with His Majesty at the victory banquet tomorrow!"

Upon seeing this, Ye Qingyue became anxious and reached out to grab Eunuch Gui's sleeve.

"Clang!"

The next second, without any warning, the halberds clashed, their cold light piercing, and they blocked her path by half a foot.

"No one may enter the palace without an imperial edict. General, please be mindful of your conduct."

The guard leader said expressionlessly.

"No! You can't stop me!"

"I am the Divine Might General, Marquis of Heroic Valor, personally appointed by the Emperor!"

"How could you do this!"

Ye Qingyue froze on the spot, her face turning pale and then flushed.

She abruptly turned her head to glare at Su Chuang, only to see that he had already walked inside the door and was whispering something to the guard, without even glancing at her out of the corner of his eye.

A burst of fire shot straight up to her head.

"Su Chuang!"

"You think you can get away with this by divorcing me? After the victory celebration tomorrow, I'll make you kneel and beg me!"

Ye Qingyue screamed.

"hehe…"

Su Chuang, who was inside the door, finally turned around.

The light from the palace lantern swept across his profile, making his eyes appear unfathomable.

"General Ye."

"Heaven's sins may be forgiven, but self-inflicted sins cannot be forgiven."

He glanced at Ye Qingyue without any emotion, as if she were a stranger, and then spoke indifferently.

As soon as he finished speaking, Su Chuang and Yue Fei entered the depths of the palace and disappeared into the night.

"what!"

"Su Chuang! What's there to be proud of, you down-on-your-luck prince!"

"His Majesty has promised me that he will personally host a victory banquet for me tomorrow at the Summer Palace!"

"Do you know the Summer Palace? Throughout the entire Qianlong era, from its founding to the present, only a handful of people have held victory celebration banquets there."

"Those who received the celebrations, without exception, all became part of the core power structure of the Great Qian Dynasty!"

Ye Qingyue shouted.

"Hmph! I'm not leaving tonight!"

"I refuse to believe that the Emperor won't punish you for murder in the capital!"

Ye Qingyue looked around and found a hard, cool rock to sit on.

She wanted to see Su Chuang in a sorry state!

……

After passing through the palace gates, there is a long corridor inside.

The high walls blocked out the moon, and the stone lanterns on both sides were dim. Only the sound of footsteps and the soft rustling of armor could be heard, creating an eerie atmosphere.

"Your Highness, the palace is heavily guarded..."

After observing subtly for a moment, Yue Fei suddenly lowered his voice and gave a reminder.

"Um…"

Upon hearing this, Su Chuang calmly glanced around.

Indeed, there were two armed guards every ten steps.

I could also vaguely see figures on the eaves in the shadows.

This is probably not an ordinary palace guard; it's more like some kind of security measure.

He used to frequently enter and leave the palace, and was on a completely different level from the guards today.

He had no idea that a princess was secretly watching him all along.

His eyes made no attempt to hide his love.

"Hmm... I wonder where Jia Xu is."

"With him around, things might be a little better!"

This made Su Chuang feel even more that this trip to the palace was fraught with danger.

He couldn't help but sigh, "If only the old schemer Jia Xu were here."

Then he'll be the one plotting against others, and no one will be the one plotting against him.

"Ta-da..."

After passing through three palace gates, the Imperial Study finally came into view.

The square in front of the palace was brightly lit, yet eerily quiet.

Eunuch Gui stopped before the white jade steps:

"Guard Yue is waiting here."

"Young Master Su, come with me to meet the Emperor!"

Yue Fei looked at Su Chuang.

Su Chuang nodded, while quickly going through the process one last time in his mind:

If the emperor truly wanted to kill him, he wouldn't have allowed Yue Fei to follow him here.

If the Emperor wanted to protect him, he wouldn't have used a fake imperial edict to lure him out of the palace.

The most likely answer is: The emperor is also testing the waters.

To test whether he is truly useless;

Trying to find out who's behind tonight's drama;

Test whether he's worth rescuing from the chessboard!

"OK."

Following in the footsteps of Eunuch Gui, Su Chuang stepped onto the white jade steps alone.

Every step he took was steady and firm; the instinct of a king of soldiers allowed him to memorize every detail of his surroundings.

The positions of the guards in front of the palace, the shadows behind the pillars, and even the sentry posts on the distant palace walls.

Finally, he stopped in front of the Imperial Study.

Yellow light and a faint scent of ambergris emanated from inside the door.

Grandpa Gui pushed open the door, his high-pitched voice particularly clear in the night:

"Your Majesty, Su Chuang, the heir apparent of the Duke of Xin, has arrived."

A brief silence.

Then, a deep and authoritative voice came from inside the room:

"Come in."

Su Chuang took a deep breath, stepped over the threshold, and was about to bow when he was interrupted.

"Su Chuang".

Emperor Wu put down his pen, picked up a memorial, leaned forward slightly, and looked into the depths of his eyes.

His voice wasn't loud, but it lowered the temperature in the entire hall to its lowest point.

"Do you know why I summoned you tonight?"