The Showdown

At Qin Xuehua's urging, Zhang Heng and the others temporarily left the prison and went to a side room to wait.

Zhang Heng gave the jailer a look. The jailer understood and unlocked the cell door.

Then the jailer bowed and retreated to the distant end of the passage, turning his back to them to "keep watch."

Zhang Heng stepped forward and entered the dark, damp solitary cell.

Only the two brothers remained inside.

Zhang Yu sat cross-legged on the bed, eyes closed as he regulated his breathing, seemingly unaware that Zhang Heng had entered.

Zhang Heng walked straight to the only crude wooden stool in the cell, lifted the hem of his robe, and sat down with elegant composure, as though he were the master here.

His gaze settled on Zhang Yu, and the corner of his mouth curled into a cold smile far beyond his years.

"Eldest Brother,"

he began, his voice low. Gone was the clear, gentle tone he had so carefully put on every day. Instead, it carried a venomous edge rarely found in someone so young. "I really... underestimated you."

Zhang Yu slowly opened his eyes. There was no surprise in them, only an unfathomable calm as he met Zhang Heng's gaze.

Zhang Heng continued in a low voice, "Three years ago, I thought you'd died at the estate. I never imagined you'd survive and make it back to the Marquis Estate."

He paused, and a sharp glint flashed in his eyes.

"For the past three years, you've kept your head down at the Marquis Estate, currying favor with everyone. You've fawned over Mother, Sister, me, even that foolish woman Jiang Luohan, doing everything you could to please them.

"Everyone said you were a spineless good-for-nothing, a laughable 'people-pleaser,' a 'lapdog.' Even I... was almost taken in at first."

"But later, I gradually realized something was off."

Zhang Heng leaned forward slightly, fixing his eyes on Zhang Yu.

"Every time you 'pleased' someone, it just so happened to solve some minor problem.

"Every time you 'acted weak,' you somehow ended up with unexpected benefits.

"You're like a venomous snake lurking in the shadows. You seem harmless, even humble, but you always manage to bite down on the most crucial point without anyone noticing.

"Your patience, your methods... they frighten me."

He let out a soft breath, as if sighing. "From the day you returned to the estate, I knew you'd become the greatest enemy of my life. I can't eat or sleep in peace unless I get rid of you."

Faced with Zhang Heng's near-confession, Zhang Yu's expression remained unchanged. He merely replied, "You're not bad yourself. Thirteen years ago, you already knew how to push your elder brother into the water from behind, then act innocent afterward and cry harder than anyone.

"Later, you even accused me of pushing you in, which got me tossed out to the country estate to fend for myself.

"That scheming and cruelty of yours are beyond what most people are capable of."

He was referring to a hazy but pivotal childhood trauma from the original owner's memories.

Zhang Heng's pupils contracted slightly. He didn't deny it, only gave an eerie smile. "Eldest Brother, you have a good memory. It was me. Too bad you still made it back alive."

"If I hadn't been so careful these past three years, and had a little... 'luck,'"

Zhang Yu was referring to the various life-saving and danger-alert skills he had received from the system. "I'd have lost count of how many times I'd died by now."

Zhang Heng didn't deny it. He simply said, as if it were only natural, "Can't be helped. The struggle to become Heir Apparent has always been like this.

"You're the Marquis Estate's legitimate eldest son. As long as you're alive, I can't rest easy.

"The future of the Marquis Estate can only be mine."

His tone was calm, but it laid his naked ambition and killing intent bare.

"This time,"

Zhang Heng continued, a chill glinting in his eyes,

"I planned to use the Wang Family matter to have you 'die of illness' or meet with an 'accident' in the Jingzhao Prefecture prison.

"The guards there are relatively lax, and it's easier to grease their palms.

"Who would've thought you'd cause such a fuss yourself, racking up so many charges that you ended up here in the Heavenly Prison?"

His voice held a trace of regret and irritation.

The Heavenly Prison was heavily guarded and strictly run. Killing a high-profile prisoner here without anyone noticing would be far more difficult and risky.

"Still,"

Zhang Heng shifted gears again, the same venomous smile curling across his lips,

"even if I can't take your life right away, I've come all this way. I can't leave empty-handed.

"Eldest Brother, today you've brought shame on me, the Marquis Estate, and the Jiang Family, and saddled us with a huge debt.

"If I, your younger brother, don't 'repay' you somehow, wouldn't that be terribly impolite?"

He rose and strolled slowly around the crude cell, his gaze sweeping over it before settling once more on Zhang Yu. His voice dropped even lower, cruel as a cat toying with a mouse.

"You may escape the death penalty, but you won't escape punishment.

"Eldest Brother, since you're destined to spend the rest of your life in this Heavenly Prison...

"Then let your younger brother show you some kindness and make your life behind bars a little more... 'exciting' and 'unforgettable.'

"How does that sound?"

"Don't worry. I won't let you die. Death would be far too easy for you, and would make me seem too heartless as your younger brother."

"I want you alive. I want you to live without an ounce of dignity, to suffer more than the dead, to make Mother, Sister, and everyone else—including the Heir Apparent next door, who's enjoying the show—reject you completely.

"I want everyone to see you as a revolting pile of sludge and never want to hear your name again."

"Once you've rotted away in this Heavenly Prison, with your reputation, dignity, and hope all ground to dust, perhaps I'll come back to 'visit' you.