Chu Xuanao pointed at Fourth Prince Chu Xuan'an and said to Shen Sanniang:
"Sanniang, see? I told you Fourth Brother wasn't that kind of person. Didn't he come over to settle the bill on his own?
How could a man like Fourth Brother possibly dine and dash?"
As Fourth Prince Chu Xuan'an approached and heard Sixth Brother's words, he got angry—and then even angrier.
Only after hearing Chu Xuanao did Shen Sanniang and Duan Renchang come back to their senses. Ghost Servant's actions just now had truly been terrifying.
Could an Ascension Realm cultivator really possess that kind of speed?
And Gens wasn't some cabbage!
Ghost Servant kicked him whenever he pleased and sent him flying whenever he pleased.
He was treating a person like a leather ball!
Gens was a genuine Peak Ascension Realm expert.
The two of them put themselves in his place and realized that they probably would not have been able to contend with Ghost Servant either. Even Duan Renchang likely would not have been Gens's match.
Looking at the smiling Sixth Prince before them, who had clearly orchestrated everything yet acted as though nothing had happened—
Then looking at the silent Ghost Servant standing behind him, the two felt a chill run down their backs.
As the dust settled amid the ruins, Menban appeared before everyone. He swung the Mount Tai Sword and flicked away the bloodstains before striding toward Chu Xuanao.
"Greetings, Your Highness."
Chu Xuanao looked at Menban, whose face was glowing red—well, covered in blood.
"How are your injuries?"
"Rest assured, Your Highness. They're only superficial wounds. Nothing serious."
Though his body was covered in wounds, Menban's smile was wild and unrestrained. He was delighted.
Back then, Black Chicken had nearly beaten him to death and had pursued him for hundreds of miles without letting up. Today, he had finally vented that resentment.
Fourth Prince Chu Xuan'an stepped forward, pointed at Menban, and roared first to seize the initiative.
"Sixth Brother, you've got some nerve! You actually ordered your subordinate to commit violence in Tiandu City, and you even dared to attack a retainer of Prince An's Mansion!"
Rather than respond, Chu Xuanao pointed at Gens behind Fourth Prince Chu Xuan'an and said:
"Fourth Brother, these two actually dared to openly make a move before my eyes in Tiandu City, provoking the dignity of the Imperial Clan. They truly have some nerve."
Chu Xuanao changed the subject and continued:
"This man is from the Divine Kingdom. Who gave him the nerve to behave so outrageously in Tiandu City of Dagan?"
Shen Sanniang, standing nearby, was dumbfounded when she heard Chu Xuanao's words.
Your Highness, couldn't you at least use different wording?
That was exactly what you said last time.
Among the spectators, Li Tingfei, the young master of the Left Prime Minister's residence, looked strangely at the guard beside him.
"He said the same thing last time too, didn't he?"
"Young Master, it was more or less the same meaning."
That was right. The person the madam dared not mention was him—Li Tingfei, the young master of the Left Prime Minister's residence. The one who had clashed with Chu Xuanao at Flower Gazing Pavilion last time and smashed up Lijing Pavilion was him.
Well, the two of them had set the precedent for smashing up Flower Gazing Pavilion that time.
Hearing Chu Xuanao's words, Li Tingfei's expression became even stranger. He remembered this fellow pointing at his granduncle last time and saying, "A member of the Li Family actually dares to act so wantonly in Tiandu City. Who gave you the nerve?"
That was right. The Left Prime Minister hailed from the Li Family, one of the top powers, a family with Heavenly Being Realm experts stationed within it.
Hearing Sixth Brother bite back, Fourth Prince Chu Xuan'an roared in fury.
"Sixth Brother, you're twisting black and white! You really dare to say that? So many people saw it just now. You clearly ordered them to openly attack my mansion's retainer. Yue Shan even killed Black Chicken. Everyone saw it!"
Chu Xuanao put on an angry expression.
"Fourth Brother, a person from the Divine Kingdom openly caused trouble in Dagan's imperial capital. How outrageous.
You are also a prince of Dagan, Fourth Brother. How can you speak for an outsider?"
Fourth Prince Chu Xuan'an's face flushed red with uncontrollable rage.
"We're talking about you ordering Yue Shan to kill my mansion's retainer. What nonsense are you spouting about the Divine Kingdom?"
Were they even speaking on the same wavelength?
This Sixth Brother kept spouting nonsense and muddying the waters.
He clearly wanted Chu Xuan'an to take the blame.
Chu Xuanao lowered his head in thought for a moment, as though suddenly enlightened.
"Fourth Brother, Black Chicken actually dared to collude with someone from the Divine Kingdom to cause trouble while the two of us were hosting a banquet. There must be a conspiracy here. That fellow must be a spy planted by some heretical cult, intending to stir chaos in Dagan."
"Luckily, I was here today to expose this scheme. But for him to have lain dormant for so long, there must be others behind him. Fourth Brother, you must be careful in the future!"
Fourth Prince Chu Xuan'an's chest heaved violently, his face twisted as he let out low, rumbling breaths like muffled thunder.
His eyes were fixed on his Sixth Brother.
He could only watch as Chu Xuanao stood there, solemnly spouting utter nonsense.
Even Shen Sanniang, standing to the side, was left speechless.
Your Highness, you were the one who attacked first, yet you've spun it this far.
One moment it was someone from the Divine Kingdom provoking the Imperial Clan's dignity,
And the next it was heretical cultists plotting to throw Dagan into chaos.
If you keep talking like this, even calling over Jun Zhipou, the head of the Town Martial Division, probably won't be enough to settle today's affair!
"Your Highnesses, please calm down first. Please sit. This little place cannot withstand the wrath of two princes.
Flower Gazing Pavilion is open for business, welcoming guests from all directions and entertaining visitors from every corner.
People come seeking joy, merely to pass the time and have some fun.
After the two of you have made such a fuss today, how can my little establishment continue doing business? How am I supposed to explain this to that person and Prince Chen? Please, Your Highnesses, quell your thunderous anger for now and sit down to discuss this slowly."
Seeing the atmosphere grow increasingly strange, Shen Sanniang hurriedly stepped forward to change the subject. Of course, the main issue was that one of Flower Gazing Pavilion's Lijing Pavilions had collapsed, and someone needed to pay for it.
After hearing Shen Sanniang's words, Chu Xuanao and Fourth Prince Chu Xuan'an said no more. The two sat down in the pavilion, while their respective entourages stood distinctly behind their own prince.
Chu Xuanao also knew he could not keep making a scene. Shen Sanniang had already invoked the Empress Dowager and his second brother. If this continued, things would truly become impossible to contain.
That was right—the Empress Dowager, his father Chu Tianxiong's birth mother, Dagan's Empress Dowager, Shen Lin.
Flower Gazing Pavilion had been built for her by the Shen Family after Shen Lin entered the palace in her younger years. As Shen Lin gradually became an Imperial Noble Consort during his imperial grandfather's reign, she also gave birth to one of Dagan's peerless twins—the current Eldest Princess of Dagan, Chu Shenghuang, known as Princess Shenxi.
The Shen Family grew ever stronger, Shen Lin's position became increasingly secure, and Flower Gazing Pavilion gradually expanded. Later, his father ascended the throne, Shen Lin became the Empress Dowager, and a Beauty from a collateral branch of the Shen Family entered the palace—the current Consort Duan—who then gave birth to his second brother, Chu Xuantian.
The Empress Dowager was also very fond of his second brother and had even given him a share of Flower Gazing Pavilion. By now, Flower Gazing Pavilion had become Dagan's foremost refined pleasure spot.
It was an absolute money-making machine. This place made money faster than robbery.
Fourth Prince Chu Xuan'an also understood the stakes. More importantly, he knew he could not win. Gens was already injured, Black Chicken was dead, and even if he called for more people, he still could not defeat Sixth Brother.
Shen Sanniang had someone bring over a pot of wine. Only after personally filling both their cups did she speak.
"Your Highnesses, today's Lijing—"
Before she could finish, Fourth Prince Chu Xuan'an interrupted her.
"Sanniang, Sixth Brother started this today. Go after him."
Chu Xuanao put on an exaggerated expression.
"Fourth Brother, what are you saying? Black Chicken was clearly the one who started the trouble and attacked first. Menban was—was acting in self-defense. Yes, self-defense.
Ghost Servant was the same, acting in self-defense against Gens. Look, Gens even knocked off Ghost Servant's sleeve."
After saying that, he stood up and shook Ghost Servant's torn sleeve to prove his point.
Chu Xuanao thought to himself that if Black Chicken had not attacked Menban more than ten years ago, Menban would not have needed to act in self-defense and strike back now.
Yes, that was exactly it.
Before you continue