Does a Prince Only Gain Enlightenment Through Loss?

Early morning, and the Zhang Clan estate was in total chaos.

Servants scurried to and fro within the manor, their voices rising in a cacophony of alarm.

The members of the Zhang Clan, jolted awake by the commotion, were gripped by panic upon discovering the disturbance. They shouted at the servants to demand an explanation, but the servants could only stammer that soldiers had arrived, unable to provide any concrete details.

Outside the Zhang estate, a multitude of elite soldiers clad in armor now stood in formation, a fluttering banner emblazoned with the character "Zhu" snapping in the wind.

Dust rose from the once-quiet streets, and the rhythmic thud of heavy boots and the clatter of armor grew increasingly deafening.

A massive force of fully armed Liang State soldiers surged in from every street corner, their spears leveled as they sealed off the Zhang estate so tightly that not even a drop of water could pass through.

The Zhang Clan, the local tyrants of Qingzhou, had been turned into prisoners overnight.

"Quick! Surround them! His Highness has ordered that not a single soul is to be spared!" A general from the Right Wing of the Longxiang Army raised his sword high, bellowing his commands.

Zhang He, having just risen, was naturally awakened by the clamor. He stepped into the courtyard and, seeing his servants darting about in a panic, frowned. He grabbed one of the servants running toward him and barked, "What is the meaning of this?"

The servant looked at Zhang He in a daze, his gaze suddenly fixing on a burly, shaven-headed warrior standing behind his master.

This warrior was clearly a savage character; a jagged scar ran across his face, giving him an incredibly ferocious appearance.

The servant stammered, "M-Master, we've been surrounded by the army!"

"Audacious! Who dares to surround my, Zhang He's, estate?"

Zhang He was incensed, his face contorted with rage. "Saibaotu, follow me out to see what this is about. And tell everyone in the house to grab their weapons—follow me to repel the enemy!"

"Yes, Master."

Saibaotu's voice was low. His tone was strange and his words were few, but they carried a heavy weight.

At that moment, the main gates of the Zhang estate were smashed open with a thunderous crash. A dozen soldiers wielding a massive battering ram surged inside, shattering the heavy wooden doors into splinters.

Following them, a tide of armed soldiers flooded into the courtyard, swiftly seizing control of the entire estate.

"Who are you? How dare you trespass on my property!"

Seeing these men barge in without rhyme or reason, not only detaining his kin and servants but also smashing his fine doors with a battering ram, Zhang He was beside himself with fury!

"I have ties with Minister Li! If you dare to act recklessly, you will pay dearly for it!"

"Li Zhen has already returned to Bian Prefecture."

Zhu Youning strode through the main gate into the estate. The soldiers guarding the flanks immediately cleared a path, bowing in unison as he passed.

Zhu Youning ignored them, walking straight up to Zhang He.

"You are Zhang He?"

"Are you His Highness, Prince An?"

Zhu Youning remarked with a hint of surprise, "You've got a sharp eye, at least!"

The rage on Zhang He's face vanished in an instant, replaced by a fawning smile. "Your Highness, Prince An, we are all on the same side—why such a grand display of force?"

Zhu Youning returned the smile with a placid expression.

This seemed to put Zhang He slightly at ease, but the next words out of Zhu Youning's mouth shattered his composure.

"This Seat has just received a secret report that someone in Qingzhou is plotting a rebellion! The matter is of great importance, which is why I have deployed troops here."

Zhang He immediately countered, "Your Highness must be mistaken. Who would dare to rebel?"

Yet, no sooner had the words left his lips than hundreds of armed private soldiers poured out from the back courtyard.

One of the men, filled with misplaced loyalty, shouted aggressively, "Where did these low-level grunts come from? Are you tired of living? How dare you break into Master Zhang's estate?!"

Zhu Youning watched the approaching private soldiers, then looked at Zhang He with a smile. "A local tyrant indeed. To think you'd still be this arrogant in my presence—but that's perfect, the evidence is now irrefutable. Zhang He, you have harbored private troops and raised arms against this Prince. You intend to rebel, and your crime is punishable by death!"

"No, no, no—" Zhang He wanted to kill these private soldiers himself. He shook his head frantically, fawning, "Your Highness, it's all a misunderstanding."

"A misunderstanding? There is no misunderstanding!"

Zhu Youning didn't even bother to look at Zhang He.

There was no need to look; the mere charge of harboring private troops with the intent to rebel was enough to warrant the execution of his entire clan.

He immediately turned his gaze to the private soldiers behind Zhang He and declared, "Listen well: drop your weapons and you may be spared. Otherwise, this Prince will execute your entire clans!"

Upon hearing this, how could those soldiers dare to stand their ground? They dropped their weapons and fell to their knees in an instant.

Zhang He's expression shifted, his face darkening. "Your Highness, a powerful dragon shouldn't bully a local snake. Must you really burn all your bridges? Does Your Highness not realize that one must lose something to truly understand the cost?"

"Are you threatening this Prince?" Zhu Youning glanced at him coldly. "Liu Xun has already secured the Qingzhou barracks. Don't harbor any delusions."

Zhang He froze. "The greatest warrior of Pinglu, Liu Xun?"

Zhu Youning did not answer him, instead looking at the shaven-headed brute behind him. "You can no longer command the garrison troops of Qingzhou. You don't truly believe that a Khitan with the strength of a Mid-Star Rank can take me down, do you?"

Zhang He's face sank. He had not expected Zhu Youning to have such piercing insight, seeing through Saibaotu's identity and strength in a single glance.

In truth, it wasn't that Zhu Youning's eyes were particularly sharp; it was simply that this Khitan was far too easy to identify.

The Khitan were, after all, a nomadic people. Although they had learned much from the Han under the guidance of Yelü Abaoji, the differences remained easy to spot.

First and foremost was the hairstyle. The Khitan style was a shaven head—simply put, one part shaved bald, the other braided. It was quite ugly, though it bore a strange resemblance to the hairstyles of the ronin from the Japanese Warring States period.

To be honest, Li Zhen was not wrong to call Zhang He a fool.

To have a Khitan following him around without even bothering to help him disguise himself—did he not realize that anyone with a sharp eye would spot it immediately?

If someone were to pin the charge of colluding with foreigners on him, how would he even argue his way out of it?

However, Zhu Youning was actually doing Zhang He an injustice on this point. He was not afraid of others recognizing Saibaotu's Khitan identity; he simply could not be bothered to care.

After all, he was already a tyrant in Qingzhou; even with a Khitan at his side, no one dared to say a word.

But things were different now. A vassal king of the Liang State had arrived, and the moment he did, he intended to strike!

Things had reached this point, and there was no other choice but to fight it out.

Zhang He immediately took a step back and shouted at the top of his lungs, "Saibaotu, do it!"

No sooner had the words left his lips than Saibaotu let out a thunderous roar.

The sound rolled like muffled thunder, leaving everyone's ears buzzing and numb.

This Saibaotu was incredibly burly, his eyes wide open with a malevolent glare, and paired with his shaved Khitan hairstyle, he looked exceptionally ferocious.

"So you are Saibaotu?" Zhu Youning watched the hulking man with composure.

"My name! Yelu Saibaotu!"

The veins on Yelu Saibaotu's forehead bulged as he raised his voice and bellowed, "You! Die!"

The force of this wild howl actually made the very ground tremble, causing some of the less steady soldiers behind Zhang He to stagger backward.