He rose in fury, rounded the imperial desk, and paced back and forth through the study, the hem of his black dragon robe swishing with every step.
"It's not that I forbid you to compete or fight! This court, this realm-both were won through struggle! But even struggle must have limits! Rules! You must use some finesse!
"What sort of bastard charges straight up and slaps his elder brother? What do you call that? It undermines the foundations of the state! Disgraces the imperial family! It is an unforgivable crime!"
He pointed at Zhou Cheng's nose, his voice suddenly rising. "You're lucky you had enough presence of mind to suppress the news and say something that shut everyone's mouths! If word of this really got out, would you still expect to remain Prince Cheng?"
Zhou Cheng merely lowered his head without speaking, looking for all the world as though he were saying, I know I was wrong, but I'm not changing, and I still think I had a point.
After unleashing a torrent of abuse, Emperor Qing looked at Zhou Cheng's stubborn, utterly shameless expression and felt a wave of helplessness. Some of the anger in his chest subsided.
He sighed heavily, sat back down in the broad dragon throne, and rubbed his brow. His tired voice carried an unquestionable resolve.
"Ever since you established your own household and acquired officials of your own, you've come to the palace less often. With no one around to keep you in line and a few days of martial training under your belt, you've grown increasingly wild and reckless."
He raised his eyes to Zhou Cheng. "During the temple rites at Great Eastern Mountain, I said I would arrange your marriage. After such a long delay, it is time I made good on that promise."
"Ye Linger is both talented and beautiful, with a frank, spirited disposition. She is the daughter of Ye Zhong, the Capital's garrison commander, and Grandmaster Ye Liuyun is her great-uncle. She has trained in martial arts since childhood and is highly accomplished."
Emperor Qing's tone allowed no argument. "Don't you love martial arts, showing off, and picking fights? Then I shall betroth Ye Linger to you! That should stop you from spending your days getting entangled with brothel women and disgracing our imperial family!
"Don't you resort to violence whenever someone disagrees with you, claiming you have no choice? I'd like to see whether you dare strike this time!"
With that, he waved impatiently as though shooing away a fly. "Get out! Go home and await the decree!"
Zhou Cheng bowed respectfully. "Your son accepts the decree and thanks you for your grace."
Chapter 24: Is he out of his mind?
Zhou Cheng had no objection to Emperor Qing's marriage arrangement.
It merely meant another woman at his side. Even a few more would not have been unacceptable.
Ye Linger... he murmured inwardly.
Ever since Emperor Qing had mentioned "a suitable match from the Ye Family" at Great Eastern Mountain, he had suspected it would be Ye Linger.
Ye Linger was the most outstanding daughter of the Ye Family's younger generation. Her father, Ye Zhong, was both the family head and the Capital's garrison commander, holding military authority over the region around the Capital.
Marrying her would effectively bring half the Capital's military aboard his ship.
In the original plot, Emperor Qing had deliberately betrothed Ye Linger to Li Chengze to balance the Crown Prince and the Second Prince.
Now she was being given to him instead... Tsk. Emperor Qing probably intended to push him into the spotlight and have him stir up these muddy waters.
After all, in Emperor Qing's eyes, how could a prince who dared slap his elder brother in public possibly lack ambition?
Since he refused to behave, Emperor Qing might as well give him military power and let him fight the Crown Prince and the Second Prince.
Rather than allowing Li Chengze to unite military and political power, separating them among three rival factions would make them easier to control.
Emperor Qing's move was bold, decisive, and generous. Unfortunately, Zhou Cheng had no intention of playing on his board.
"A martial arts fanatic paired with another martial arts fanatic... A perfect match, really."
He chuckled softly, a sharp gleam flashing through his eyes.
The only mission remaining on his system panel was to defeat Emperor Qing and seize the throne.
As Emperor Qing was the foremost of the Grandmasters, defeating him would require either further progress in Zhou Cheng's martial arts or outside assistance.
To cover all contingencies, he naturally preferred to pursue both approaches.
First, the other Grandmasters could gang up on Emperor Qing and beat him half to death. Then Zhou Cheng would step forward to challenge him alone, completing the mission with ease.
To contact the other Grandmasters, he could not remain in the Capital indefinitely.
Besides, there was no opponent in the Capital as evenly matched with him as Wu Zhu, and his martial progress had long since slowed.
He needed external pressure to improve himself, and he needed to make more preparations for his future plans.
As the Third Prince and Prince Cheng, he needed a sufficiently convincing excuse to leave the Capital.
His betrothal to Ye Linger offered just such an opportunity.
After all, two martial arts fanatics colluding and hitting it off immediately could hardly be blamed for doing something unconventional.
Sneaking away to experience life in the martial world, righting wrongs, seeking experts to spar with, or even becoming Ye Liuyun's disciples would all be plausible.
What could anyone do? That was simply who they were!
For him, marrying Ye Linger offered every advantage and no downside.
"I beat up Second Brother, and they even give me the woman who would've been my second sister-in-law... Ah, what a business..."
Zhou Cheng shook his head inwardly. Taking the spoils after doing the damage was rather unscrupulous, but what could he do? He had never been a scrupulous man!
After leaving the Imperial Study, Zhou Cheng did not head straight out of the palace. Standing in the shadow of the towering halls, he considered briefly, then naturally turned toward Guangxin Palace along a familiar route.
When he saw Li Yunrui, he wasted no time on pleasantries and went straight to the point.
As soon as he produced Fan Xian's Engagement Cancellation Letter, Li Yunrui's eyes lit up in ecstatic delight. Without even waiting for him to speak, she obligingly took the initiative.
Li Yunrui could hardly wait. At first, she planned to see Emperor Qing afterward and raise the cancellation again, but by the time Zhou Cheng left thoroughly satisfied, she lay limp on the brocade couch, barely able to move a finger.
Helpless, she could only abandon the idea for now, planning to recuperate overnight and request an audience the next day.
Zhou Cheng left Guangxin Palace, and scarcely had he stepped through the vermilion gates of Prince Cheng's Residence when Emperor Qing's marriage decree arrived in a grand procession, written on bright yellow silk.
As Zhou Cheng accepted the decree, its contents spread in every direction. The Capital, already seething with hidden currents, was like a lake whose surface had been shattered by a massive stone.
The inner study of the Second Prince's residence.
Dusk filtered through the delicate window gauze, bathing everything inside in a hazy yellow glow.
Li Chengze reclined on a rosewood couch covered with soft brocade cushions, a damp cloth soaked in ice water and lightly wrung out draped over his face.
His eyes were closed, his fingers rhythmically pressing the cloth as he replayed the humiliating scene at the Capital Prefecture Yamen over and over. Each recollection sent his anger flaring higher.
He was waiting. Waiting for news from the palace, eager to learn how Emperor Qing would punish that insolent, reckless, and immoral third brother of his.
That afternoon, Crown Prince Li Chengqian had been urgently summoned to the palace. Not long afterward, word emerged that he had been confined to the Eastern Palace for ten days.
The palace had given no reason. Outsiders, unaware of the truth, were speculating wildly, but Li Chengze knew exactly why.
Ten days of confinement seemed a light punishment, yet its impact was considerable. At the very least, the factions supporting the Crown Prince at court would lie low for a while.
He welcomed the Crown Prince's punishment, but what concerned him most was Emperor Qing's punishment of Zhou Cheng.
And so he waited, from afternoon until the sun sank toward the west.
When his undercover agent reported that Zhou Cheng had returned home and that Emperor Qing had betrothed him to Ye Linger, every trace of anticipation froze on Li Chengze's face.
"Say that again!"
He sat bolt upright and tore away the cloth, which had long since grown warm.
The undercover agent knelt on one knee, lowered his head still further, and cautiously repeated the report.
Clang-crash!!
Li Chengze violently kicked over the basin beside the couch, its ice long since melted into water!
Clang-crash!
Cold water splashed across the floor, instantly soaking the carpet.
"Li! Cheng! Cheng!!"
Veins bulged at Li Chengze's temples. His face twisted with fury, and the handprint that had faded to a pale red flushed crimson again. "After such outrageous misconduct, Father not only refuses to punish him severely, but rewards him with a marriage?! Ye Linger... Ye Linger! Father... has he gone senile?!"
His chest heaved, his heart filled with an indescribable sense of grievance.
He had been publicly humiliated, his dignity stripped away, yet the culprit had been rewarded. Emperor Qing was far too unjust! How could he swallow such an insult?
Yet no amount of anger could change anything.
Trembling, Li Chengze sat down and took several deep breaths before barely managing to suppress his emotions.
Glancing at the undercover agent, who still knelt in terrified silence, he sighed and said hoarsely, "Leave."
As though granted a pardon, the undercover agent backed out of the study with his body bowed, carefully closing the door behind him.
A deathly silence settled over the study, broken only by Li Chengze's somewhat labored breathing.
Li Chengze gestured to one side. Xie Bi'an, who had stood like a shadow in the darkness all along, silently opened the door and followed the agent out.
A short while later, Xie Bi'an returned.
Li Chengze paced slowly, occasionally stepping into the spilled water with a faint splashing sound.
He seemed to be addressing Xie Bi'an, yet also talking to himself.
"Behind the Ye Family stands the most deeply entrenched military faction in the Capital. All these years, I've courted them openly and secretly, hoping to bring that power under my command... I never imagined Father would hand it to Third Brother with a few casual words. I need more support now...
"Among the influential powers in the Capital, there's also the Overwatch Council. But Chen Pingping is out of the question. A commissioner would barely suffice..."
"A commissioner?" Xie Bi'an asked at the appropriate moment. "Your Highness wishes to continue courting Fan Xian?"
Li Chengze stopped and nodded. "That's right. After we left the Capital Prefecture Yamen, didn't we receive word that Third Brother and Fan Xian had another clash outside the gates, and that Fan Xian was nearly driven to fight him on the spot?
"Though we don't know the precise reason, an enemy's enemy is a friend.
"Fan Xian is not only a commissioner of the Overwatch Council with supervisory authority. He is also the future husband Father personally selected for Wan'er. If he successfully marries her, his influence will be no less than that of the Ye Family."
"But Your Highness previously used the Heir of Prince Jing to plot against Fan Xian."
Li Chengze gave a cold smile. "There are no eternal enemies, only eternal interests. Fan Xian thoroughly offended the Crown Prince in court. Now that he's fallen out with Third Brother as well, he is practically isolated in the Capital. If he has any sense at all, he'll know which choice to make!"
As he finished, he unconsciously touched his still-swollen cheek, a shadow passing through his eyes.
"I need somewhere discreet and secure to meet Fan Xian privately... But first, I'll have to wait until my face is presentable."
While the various factions in the Capital openly or secretly mulled over Emperor Qing's marriage decree and adjusted their calculations, a day quietly slipped away.
At dawn the next morning, before the sky had fully brightened, Fan Xian was already up.
He put on the robes he had worn when he first arrived in the Capital-the same ones he had worn when he first met Drumstick Girl-and left early, heading straight for One Stone Residence with his heart in a flutter.
There's actually nothing set up...
After carefully inspecting the area around One Stone Residence, Fan Xian found the result somewhat unexpected.
He had thought that after his complete falling-out with Zhou Cheng yesterday, a man of such unpredictable temper would surely have filled today's "date" with traps. He had even prepared himself for every sort of obstruction, or even a direct confrontation.
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