Compared with his former mild, unassuming manner, Eldest Crown Prince Boyu's sudden uprising struck many hearts like thunder out of a clear sky!
Hearing his trusted maid report that his father had been temporarily confined in his private chambers, Boyu felt much of his anxiety lift. He glanced again at his third brother on the ground before him, his face purple-red with fury and veins bulging on his forehead. Boyu simply ignored him and addressed the maid awaiting his instructions:
"Bing'e, first organize the female attendants under your command and watch for any unusual movements among the ministers! Report to me immediately if anything happens!"
"Yes!"
Answering crisply, the dainty, pretty maid sprang away, bounding like a pellet flung through the air. In an instant, she vanished into the blue-green Coral Blossom Grove in the distance.
After Bing'e left, the outer robes of Boyu and Long Ling, the two men directing the uprising, suddenly ripped apart with a sharp swish. Shreds of white silk fluttered in every direction like butterflies, revealing the Obsidian Fine-Scale Armor concealed beneath. A general in attendance immediately hurried over and draped a scarlet cloak over Boyu's shoulders. As soon as it touched him, the embroidered ties at its collar knotted themselves without a breath of wind. The cloak billowed behind him, as glaringly red as a trailing smear of blood at a sea shark's jaws after a kill.
Once Boyu had donned his battle dress, the poisoned Third Dragon Prince looked up and suddenly realized that his refined, scholarly eldest brother could also cut an imposing figure in armor, his bearing effortlessly commanding.
Despite that realization, Meng Zhang could not contain his fury. Summoning every scrap of strength, he spat a thick gob of phlegm at his composed, treacherous elder brother and cursed:
"Pah! You