King Zhongshun's heart leapt to his throat.
His most embarrassing state was seen by the person he least wanted to see, and he had to endure the other party's ridicule. This was the most difficult thing for him to accept. You fucked up too, so why are you lecturing me?
The flames of jealousy burned in his heart.
This isn't fair, father is biased, he thought.
Why is it that after messing up the same thing, he had to kneel here and beg for father's forgiveness and pity, while this woman acted as if nothing had happened and even came to convey father's will?
So angry.
But no matter how angry he was, there was still a difference in priorities.
Even if he harbored resentment towards his imperial father's favoritism, even if his hatred towards the Princess grew like weeds, after hearing those words, King Zhong Shun felt as if he had heard heavenly music. It was as if the dark and gloomy night had become as warm as spring, and there were birds chirping and flowers blooming everywhere.
His life was the most important.
He had come to beg father's forgiveness and pity, to save his little life from Jia Ying's hands.
This was his only request.
King Zhongshun immediately bowed, and with an unprecedented timid tone, he asked submissively, "Father is willing to forgive me?"
Empress sneered.
"Forgive you?
Do you think this is the same as when we were children?
Even if you caused trouble, do you think you can be forgiven by acting spoiled in front of father? How can there be such a good thing? "
Her eyes were as sharp as swords, nailing King Zhongshun. "Brother Yuanba is dead. He was one of father's most beloved sons. That year on the battlefield, even the Sky Demon couldn't take his life. Who would have thought that after surviving the Tianyuan battlefield, he would die in Jinling? Why did you take the initiative to call him over?
Do you know what Imperial Father said?
He said why the one who died wasn't you! "
The greater the hope, the greater the disappointment and fear. King Zhongshun fell to the ground, his heart filled with fear, unable to say a word. He couldn't refute this accusation. He had caused the death of his brother. If he hadn't invited Li Yuanba to Jinling, this kind of thing wouldn't have happened.
Empress's angry rebuke continued.
"Not only that, but your rash actions have also made things out of hand. What did my father say about this?
I told you to be careful. What did you do? "
"You actually called a large group of people to charge into Jinling and openly attack the Rongguo Mansion. Do you want to kill everyone in the Jia Mansion?
Since ancient times, disputes in the imperial court had always been about not implicating the family. This was the bottom line that everyone had to abide by. How could you do such a shameless thing? Were you afraid that the imperial court would not sympathize with the Jia Residence enough?
When encountering such a situation, even an honest person would get angry and kill someone, let alone that guy! "
"Look at how things are now. We could have attacked or retreated, but you turned the situation into such a mess. All the important officials in the imperial court are talking about it, and the Martial Arts Hall's Deacons are all questioning King Father about what happened. Because of you, even Old Woman Shi is dead. Do you know how passive King Father is now?"
King Zhongshun couldn't even form a complete sentence.
It was as if he was in an ice cave and would lose his life the next moment.
"General Shentse, General Shentse, King Father paid such a price to stabilize the discussion in the imperial court. This is only the beginning. You have seen what that bastard is capable of. You personally paved a path for him to return to the imperial court. Do you know how big of a storm he will stir up when he returns to the capital?"
King Zhongshun was so shocked that he lost all his strength and collapsed to the ground. His ears were buzzing, and there was only one thought left in his mind — King Father will not forgive me!
King Father will not forgive me!
He suddenly let out a sorrowful laugh. "So, King Father will not forgive me … Is he going to reward me with poisoned wine, or let me go home and deal with it myself?"
In his despair, he regained some of his dignity as a prince. He raised his head and said with a bleak tone, "This time, I took a knife for you … You better buck up and face the enemy well. Don't end up in a worse state than me."
Empress's expression didn't change, but her heart was thumping heavily.
She didn't show the fluctuations in her heart. Instead, she sneered. "You're giving up?
Who said King Father won't forgive you? Who said King Father will sentence you to death? "
King Zhongshun blinked. He didn't react for a moment.
"Li Yuanba is already dead. If we rush to kill you, won't it make the imperial family feel too guilty? A General Shentse is already a great compromise. If King Father takes another step back, some fence-sitters will think too much." Empress said coldly. "So you can't die yet."
King Zhongshun finally reacted. His eyes that were still and a little bleak became bright again. The hope of survival in the midst of death made him pull himself together.
He kowtowed desperately in the direction of the hall. "Thank you, King Father …"
"Don't be in such a hurry to thank me. Do you think you can just leave after messing things up?
King Father said that you can avoid death, but you can't escape punishment. You messed things up, so you have to make up for it. "
King Zhongshun nodded like a chick pecking at rice. "This son will definitely do it, even if I have to sacrifice my life!"
Empress's lips curled into a cold smile. "King Father must be very pleased that you're so sensible and tactful. But don't you want to hear what King Father wants you to do?"
King Zhongshun said repeatedly, "Whatever King Father wants me to do, I will …"
His voice came to an abrupt stop.
He saw Empress's cold expression with a hint of mockery. King Zhongshun was a little clever, and this was a matter of life and death. His brain worked faster than usual.
King Zhongshun's voice trembled. "Mo … Could it be …"
Emperor Concubine nodded her head: "Make amends? How do I make amends?
You messed things up and put King Father in a passive position, so much so that he had to throw out the Shentse General's power to barely suppress the storm. But Sun Lang's glorious return to the capital is already irreversible … "
She raised her head and looked all the way out from the tall palace walls. The capital was brightly lit, and every family was having a banquet, laughing and singing. This was the heart of the empire, the center of politics. Everything that happened in the court could affect the entire country.
Under these circumstances, Sun Lang had obtained the grand title of General of the Shentse and great power. If he rushed back so openly, with his crazy personality, who knows what kind of trouble he would cause … This was the most passive situation.
So she said to King Zhongshun, "And this is your mission … This is the mission that King Father has given you."
Great ups and downs, great joy and great sorrow.
King Zhongshun's mood went up and down several times. He thought it was a ray of hope, but he didn't expect it to be a terrible trap. He already understood King Father's meaning.
He wants me to deal with that … monster …
What a joke …
The nightmarish scene of that night surfaced in his mind again.
Roaring thunder, roaring lightning, casually killing old man Fu, Fang Luoshan, and Li Yuanba. The others didn't even see his face before they were turned into charcoal by the lightning that fell from the sky … This kind of martial arts, even if it couldn't be said to be invincible, it wasn't far from it, right?
After all, the strength of the Houtu Empire was deeply rooted in the hearts of the people. And as a prince, King Zhongshun had always believed in the strength of the empire. In his view, no matter how strong Jia Ying was, she couldn't be a match for the entire country. Other things aside, he could summon thunder to suppress the city in Jinling, but in the capital, he definitely couldn't do such a thing.
After all, this was the capital of the Houtu Empire. The empire was founded on martial arts, and the capital was the world's greatest holy land for martial arts. It had a deep foundation, a wealth of secrets, many inheritances, and many experts. The great sects of the martial arts world could not compare to it. Even the important officials and generals of the court were grandmasters that everyone looked up to in the martial arts world. Each one of them could stir up a storm of blood in the martial arts world.
Moreover, the Houtu Empire was home to the Imperial Army, and many Imperial Army martial artists were gathered in the capital. Each one of them had the abilities of the Imperial Army. Even if Jia Ying wanted to stir up the heavenly phenomena, she would definitely be met with a counterattack.
In the end, the capital was the capital.
Even a dragon had to coil up and a tiger had to crouch.
Although Jia Ying was unable to do as he pleased in the Imperial Capital, it did not mean that his enemies could sit back and relax. After all, with his martial arts, if he wanted to quietly kill someone, it was still possible for him to do so …
Though the weather was cold, sweat still poured down.
King Zhongshun stammered, unable to utter a complete sentence under Empress's gaze.
Empress coldly said, "What, you don't want to do it?"
The young prince's expression was miserable. "He … he's too powerful. No one in the estate can stop him. I'm no match for him …"
The Empress Concubine pointed at her feet, "Do you see that? This is the Imperial Capital. There are countless invisible nets here. Every line that weaves the net is called a rule. Anyone who enters the Imperial Capital will be entangled in the net because there are the most rules here. Everyone is deeply trapped and is also weaving rules … No one is an exception."
"Do you understand what I mean?"
"Imperial Father isn't counting on you to fight Sun Lang with real swords and spears."
"Besides facing the enemy head-on, there are many other ways to deal with the enemy in this world."
King Zhongshun took a deep breath.
He more or less understood.
After a moment's thought, he slowly said, "You said before that Jia Ying … no, Sun Lang's return to the capital is unstoppable. If everything goes well, he will return to the capital with glory as a Shentse general and step into the court. He will establish a new interest group that can influence the empire and become a thorn in the side of Imperial Father and the imperial family …"
Empress nodded.
"And my task is to stop his glorious return to the capital from going smoothly?"
Empress said, "Yes, this is your chance to make up for your mistakes … Think about what you want to do. This is your last chance."
"… I understand."
King Zhongshun slowly lowered his head and fell into deep thought.
The enemy's strength was indeed incomparably strong, so strong that it made one despair.
But … this was the capital.
Sometimes, pure strength wouldn't work. This was a place where rules were spoken.
He more or less knew what to do.