A Bunch of God-Tier Teammates

Zhou Ye felt a squeeze on his palm, then heard Wei Mingxiu deliver a long speech that sounded sentimental on the surface but was calculated at every turn to cost Wei Chengye his life.

The worried expression on his face froze.

He looked down again at the hand he was pressing over Wei Mingxiu's wound. The wound that had been bleeding so heavily and alarmingly just moments ago now seemed to have been secretly treated by Wei Mingxiu somehow, and the flow of blood had slowed.

"..."

At that moment, Zhou Ye was completely bewildered.

Was Wei Mingxiu putting on an act?

Had he come to the woods with Wei Chengye not to kill him, but to guide Wei Chengye into making an attempt on his life, step by step, only to be seen by those who had come after them at just the right moment?

No, if he had calculated things to this extent, it certainly wasn't a coincidence.

The clues rearranged themselves and connected in his mind. Zhou Ye suddenly realized that perhaps, from the moment Wei Zeyu had pointed north, every one of them had already fallen into Wei Mingxiu's scheme!

The thought made Zhou Ye's heart tremble.

He lowered his eyes to the youth in his arms and recalled what Wei Mingxiu had said before: when the time came, he would know.

At once, he understood.

Everything happening now was the plan Wei Mingxiu had been keeping from him all along.

It was as dangerous as it was insane.

If the sword had struck a few inches higher, Wei Mingxiu would have died for certain!

This was simply reckless!

Zhou Ye felt both distressed and angry, and couldn't resist giving Wei Mingxiu's palm a hard squeeze.

But Wei Mingxiu merely blinked at him, looking innocent.

Even a little playful.

Yet paired with his deathly pale complexion and grievous wound, it was impossible for Zhou Ye to find him amusing.

In the end, Zhou Ye gave Wei Mingxiu a fierce glare.

By the time he looked up again, Zhou Ye had composed himself.

He understood that, for now, he could only play along with Wei Mingxiu and settle accounts with the boy after they returned.

After a moment's thought, he followed Wei Mingxiu's lead and said to Wei Zhao, "Your Majesty should also remember that when I returned to the capital in the third month and first entered the Imperial Academy, I saw that there was some friction between the third and sixth princes. At the time, Your Majesty and I both thought it was merely a minor quarrel between brothers!"

"Who could have imagined it would come to this?!"

He shifted slightly, allowing everyone a better view of Wei Mingxiu's blood-soaked body. "As their junior preceptor, I was ordered by Your Majesty to teach them martial arts, so that the two princes could strengthen their bodies and protect themselves from evildoers! Yet today, the third prince relied on his martial skills to inflict violence upon his own brother! This is my negligence! It is Your Majesty's sorrow! It is Great Wei's misfortune!"

Zhou Ye spoke with heartfelt emotion, his eyes reddening.

The expressions of some of the officials and soldiers who had followed them changed as they listened.

Clearly, the scene before them had also made them feel sorry for poor Wei Mingxiu.

They all looked toward Wei Zhao, each appearing to want to speak but holding back.

Though they dared not say anything outright, their gazes said it all.

And just like that, all the pressure fell on Wei Zhao.

Wei Zhao was in disbelief as well.

Of all his sons, Wei Chengye was the one he loved most.

First, because he liked Noble Consort Shu and wanted to make use of the Zhao Family.

Second, because he could see that Wei Chengye loved him as a father from the bottom of his heart.

Unlike Wei Mingxiu, who was rebellious to the core, or Wei Yuanshi, who trembled with fear in his presence.

Wei Chengye's relationship with him was most like that of an ordinary father and son.

So even when Wei Chengye made mistakes, he let them go as long as they caused no great disaster.

But now, before everyone's eyes, Wei Chengye had wounded Wei Mingxiu this grievously!

How could he possibly shield him from such a grave crime as attempting to murder his own younger brother?!

With that, Wei Zhao swung down from his horse, strode over to Wei Chengye, and slapped the stunned youth across the face!

"You bastard! How could you hurt your own brother so badly? Have you gone mad?!"

The slap was so hard that Wei Chengye staggered, his ears ringing.

But it was also thanks to that slap that his frozen mind began working again.

Rage at Wei Mingxiu and fear of his current predicament surged through him at once, and he dropped to his knees with a thud.

He crawled forward, seized the hem of Wei Zhao's robe, and shook his head. "Father, please listen to my explanation! Things aren't as they look! I didn't mean to kill Sixth Brother. I was trying to save him!"

He pointed at the five death warriors beside him. "It was them! Those villains suddenly rushed out and tried to kill Sixth Brother. I only came to stop them, but... but I wounded Sixth Brother by mistake! I really didn't mean to hurt him. I've never wanted to hurt him!"

As soon as Wei Chengye said this, everyone around them drew a sharp breath.

He had stabbed him through the chest, yet claimed it was an accident?

Besides, there wasn't a scratch on Wei Chengye, while Wei Mingxiu was drenched in blood from the waist up and looked half-dead.

If those villains had broken into the imperial hunting grounds to abduct princes for gold and silver, why would they have hurt only Wei Mingxiu and ignored Wei Chengye, who was dressed far more splendidly?

Hearing this, it was plain to see who was lying.

Yet Wei Zhao looked thoughtful.

Even now, he was still wondering whether he could use Wei Chengye's lie to protect his son.

While he was wavering, the empress's carriage arrived.

Empress Feng stepped out of the carriage, and a single glance around was enough for her to grasp the situation in broad terms.

Before the incident, she had noticed Yu'er's little gesture and knew that Wei Mingxiu had taught him beforehand to point the way.

All of this was likely a scheme Wei Mingxiu had devised by exploiting Wei Chengye's murderous intent and arrogance.

And the reason Wei Mingxiu had insisted that Wei Zeyu bring her along was to counter Wei Zhao's favoritism and protection of Wei Chengye, and have her, the mother of the nation, "see that justice was done" for him.

Having worked it out, Empress Feng couldn't help sighing inwardly.

Zhou Ye had judged him correctly.

At such a young age, Wei Mingxiu had managed to make use of all of them.

He truly had the makings of an emperor.

He was worth doing her utmost to protect and nurture.

Having settled her thoughts, Empress Feng put on a panicked expression and hurried to Wei Mingxiu's side, her face full of concern. "Sixth Son! Who on earth hurt you like this?!"

Supporting Wei Mingxiu by the shoulder, she looked every bit the person most distressed for him as she said to Qian Zhong, "Commander Qian, what are you waiting for?! Quickly, fetch the imperial physician accompanying us! Sixth Son's wound cannot bear the jolting of travel. Make sure the physician brings his medicine chest and all the necessary medicines. We mustn't waste another moment!"

Only then did Qian Zhong come to his senses.

He acknowledged the order and hurried off to fetch the imperial physician.

After all, the scene before them had thrown them all into confusion.

And without an order from Wei Zhao, they hadn't dared act, so naturally they had forgotten to fetch the imperial physician.

Now that Empress Feng had arrived, she had given them a way out, allowing them to go about their duties in order.

After making that arrangement, Empress Feng didn't even look at Wei Zhao. Instead, she asked Zhou Ye directly, "Junior Preceptor Zhou, what exactly happened here?"

When two clever people came together, they didn't need to consult each other about what to say or do.

Zhou Ye took the cue and immediately recounted what had just happened, his eyes bright red.

Then he shook his head. "Your Majesty, the two princes each have their own account, and I do not know which one is telling the truth. But whatever the case, the sword His Majesty bestowed upon the third prince is still lodged in the sixth prince's chest. That is an indisputable fact!"

After hearing him out,

Empress Feng nodded. "Junior Preceptor Zhou is right."

"Although Sixth Son's birth mother died long ago, he is still His Majesty's own son, and therefore the child of this empress, the head of the imperial harem. I cannot allow him to suffer such a grievous wound without receiving justice!"

Her words rang out with conviction.

The officials and soldiers nearby all nodded.

Only after building the mood to this point did Empress Feng rise and look at Wei Zhao.

"Your Majesty!" she said. "Third Son and Sixth Son are not only your children and mine, but also princes of Great Wei, noble in status! Hundreds of Imperial Guards and all these high officials of the court are watching. If Your Majesty does not handle this matter fairly and impartially, I fear the whole world will laugh at us when word gets out!"