The nobles crouched beneath the rockery in the courtyard trembled uncontrollably.
There were no more screams, no more fighting, not even anyone speaking—only the heavy footsteps approaching from outside the courtyard as soldiers continued to pour in.
This government office had originally been spacious, but now, looking up, one could see people everywhere, layer upon layer surrounding the main hall. Shields, armor, crossbows, and long blades glinted coldly.
"Your Honor," a young nobleman couldn't help but plead again, "to avoid getting in the way, please let us leave first."
Hearing this plea, a military officer glanced over, his eyes fierce.
"Your Honor, this has nothing to do with us," an elder hurriedly explained. "We know nothing. The Heir Apparent said he wanted to see us, but before we could meet him, these people—"
They truly weren't accomplices!
"Silence!" the officer snapped. "No one is leaving this place now." He then sneered, "Don't worry, we won't let you get in the way."
The nobles understood the threat in his words perfectly. Their faces turned pale, and their hearts grew cold. It was too late—once the fighting started, they would be the first to die.
If they had known that submitting to Xiao Xun would lead to death, they would have been better off hiding at home instead.
"Listen, those inside!" the officer stepped forward, gripping his sword and shouting sharply. "Surrender now, and you might still have a chance at survival."
Silence reigned inside, but shadows could be seen at the doors and windows. Earlier, the rebels in the courtyard had killed soldiers, seized their weapons, and climbed into the hall, barricading the doors and windows. They had threatened to slice off pieces of Xiao Xun's flesh one by one if anyone dared approach, warning that if they didn't want their Heir Apparent to suffer a slow death, they should stay back.
A soldier hurried over and whispered a few words to the officer.
The officer's expression shifted to surprise, then to a cold smile. "So it's Empress Chu's family. No wonder they're so bold—Chu Lan!" His voice boomed, rattling the doors and windows. "Surrender immediately!"
...
...
Chu Lan sat on the floor. The shout struck him like thunder, nearly making him leap up in despair.
Heavens, why call his name?
He had done nothing at all!
Even if he wanted to surrender, he couldn't!
"Father, don't be afraid," a girl's voice came from behind. "They won't dare come in. They can't harm us."
Don't be afraid? Chu Lan slowly turned his head to look at the girl sitting behind the desk—he barely recognized her. Was this his daughter, Chu Tang?
A-Tang, what was she doing?
And these people—Chu Lan glanced at the servants in the hall. He paid little attention to household affairs, leaving them to his daughter, but even a fool could see that their family had never had such formidable servants.
Since when could a ten-year-old child kill someone?
The child was sitting on a corpse.
The corpse belonged to the officer who had led them inside. After being knocked down, he had feigned unconsciousness, then tried to make a move. But the moment his hand twitched, the child flicked his wrist, and a thrown dagger slit his throat. He no longer needed to pretend to be unconscious—he would never move again.
Then the child retrieved his dagger and sat back on the corpse, calmly wiping the blade clean.
Was this even human?
What in the world was happening? Weren't they here to pledge allegiance to Xiao Xun? A-Tang had explained it all clearly to him, even painting a vivid picture of the prosperous life they would lead.
"Once we go, it will be called 'returning from the wrong path'—our future will be bright."
So why, after arriving, had his daughter directly severed that future?Chu Lan didn't dare shift his gaze further, for just a slight movement would reveal the Crown Prince of Zhongshan—who was poised to enter the capital and become the Crown Prince—bound tightly to a chair with a rag stuffed in his mouth.
His daughter, Chu Tang, had done this.
He wanted to ask but didn't dare. The deed was already done—what use was questioning now? Should he kill his own daughter to atone to the Heir Apparent?
Hadn't he struggled and striven all this way precisely to secure a bright future for his children?
How bitter—this heartfelt intention of his—
What in heaven's name was happening?
……
……
"Alright, it's written." Chu Tang set down the brush, sighed in relief, and picked up the note. She pulled the rag from Xiao Xun's mouth and asked, "Heir Apparent, where is your personal seal?"
Xiao Xun looked at her, neither startled, flustered, nor angry, and replied gently, "In the ruyi sachet on my belt."
Chu Tang reached out, untied the ruyi sachet from Xiao Xun's belt, and shook out a small seal. She smiled at him, "Your seal is quite beautiful."
Xiao Xun nodded with a faint smile, accepting her compliment.
"Miss A-Tang, I underestimated you," he said. "I thought you had planned for your parents to seek refuge with me. I never imagined you came to kidnap me. You even kept your parents in the dark and used them—I truly admire that."
Hearing this, the bound Ning Kun slammed his head against the ground in fury—unlike Xiao Xun, who was tied to a chair, he was trussed up and thrown on the floor. Tie Ying fared even worse, not only bound tightly but also drugged with some unknown substance, still unconscious. Their underestimation had stemmed from seeing Chu Lan and his wife as naive, sincere, and open-hearted.
Had Chu Lan and his wife shown the slightest hint of strangeness, Ning Kun would never have allowed them inside.
Chu Tang merely said, "My parents are honest folk, timid too. I was afraid of frightening them."
Xiao Xun gave a half-smile, watching as Chu Tang pressed the seal onto the note.
"What did Chu Zhao promise you?" he asked.
By now, Xiao Xun understood everything clearly.
The Chu Lan family—or rather, Chu Tang bringing her parents—hadn't come to him in desperation, but to capture him.
What was this called?
Entering the tiger's den?
Whose scheme was this? Deng Yi's? Xie Yanfang's? The court first spread rumors of Chu Lan colluding with Prince Zhongshan, then Chu Lan fled here, with Old Master Zhou adding fuel to the fire. Without any one of these steps, it would have been hard to gain his trust, and he wouldn't have allowed them near. But the key figure was—
Chu Zhao.
If not for Chu Zhao, Chu Tang would never have been persuaded.
If not for Chu Zhao, even with the conspiracy of those three, once here, Chu Tang could certainly have been swayed by him.
Chu Zhao! Xiao Xun clenched his bound hands behind his back. Was she about to ruin his plans again?
Chu Tang said, "Ah, promises or not—she and I are family. If her life turns sour, mine won't be sweet either. There's no other way."
Because they were family? Was Chu Tang really that sort of person? Xiao Xun didn't question or refute, only remarked, "Compared to Chu Zhao, I suppose I haven't earned enough of Miss A-Tang's trust."
He looked at Chu Tang.
"The position of Empress—I wasn't deceiving you, Miss Chu Tang. If I can conquer this vast realm, why would I need support from a powerful maternal clan? In fact, someone of your modest background is better suited to be my Empress. With you as Empress, I wouldn't be entangled or threatened by other influential families. This way, we both get what we want—Miss A-Tang."
He smiled at her, his dimples deepening."You don't believe you can be a good Empress, do you? What do you lack compared to her? A good father?"
Chu Lan, sitting on the floor, wept silently.
Chu Tang chided, "Heir Apparent, my father is also a good father."
Xiao Xun replied, "Indeed, any father who loves his children is a good father. It shouldn't be measured by power and status."
He looked at Chu Tang.
"What you lack compared to Chu Zhao is military power. As I said before, I can have your father command the Border Army. The Border Army will remain in your hands. If Miss A-Tang still has concerns, I'll give you half of the tiger tally. With military power in your grasp, surely Miss A-Tang can become a good Empress then?"
The tiger tally—this was real military authority. Chu Tang clutched the note, her eyes flickering with uncertainty.
"Miss A-Tang," Xiao Xun sighed softly. "What I need is an Empress—not for matters of love, but as a companion, an assistant, as—"
Before he could finish, Chu Tang suddenly raised her hand and slapped his face.
A crisp slap echoed through the room.
Xiao Xun froze, his voice cutting off abruptly as he stared at the girl in disbelief.
In all his life, even his father had never struck him.
She had slapped his face?
While he was speaking to her with a smile, gentle and courteous, she had slapped his face?
His face!
The girl's strength wasn't great, and the slap didn't hurt much, but it was his face!
Slapping someone's face was never about inflicting pain—it was about humiliation.
This was humiliation—
"You!" Xiao Xun's dimples vanished, his eyes darkening.
Before he could continue, Chu Tang stepped forward and raised her hand again—this time not to strike, but to stuff the rag back into his mouth.
Xiao Xun's voice was muffled, only his eyes blazing with fury as he glared at her.
Chu Tang patted her chest and said to Xiao Xun, "Heir Apparent, don't be angry. I had no choice."
"Sister A-Tang, what are you dawdling and muttering about?" Xiao Tu couldn't hold back any longer.
He had been crouching on the officer's corpse, tossing a small knife in his hand, watching Chu Tang intently.
"If you wanted to hit him, you should've called me. I can hit hard enough to hurt."
Chu Tang looked at him and said, "I wasn't trying to hurt him, and I wasn't trying to hit him either."
What did that mean? He understood even less now.
Chu Tang let out a long sigh. "By hitting him, I've cut off my own path to survival."
The words Heir Apparent Xiao had spoken were too tempting. If she had listened any longer, she truly wouldn't have been able to resist siding with him.
She knew these nobles all too well—they appeared generous but were actually petty.
With this slap, even if Heir Apparent Xiao were to make her Empress, this slap would be etched in his heart, ready to claim her life at any moment.
By slapping Xiao Xun, she had made herself give up any thought of becoming his Empress.
She closed her eyes and held out her hand.
"Quick, take this to Chu Zhao. Any later, and I'll regret it."
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