Chapter 192: When We Were Young!
"Royal Brother, it's been many years. Has the dragon body remained well?"
"With rebels and traitors everywhere, how could I be well?"
"If they are rebels and traitors, then Royal Brother should just kill them. There are 800,000 Imperial Guards at your command—surely that's enough?"
"Traitors deserve to be executed by all. Your words ease My worries, Royal Brother."
The frost on the Emperor's face subtly melted. He smiled and said, "Royal Brother, you've been out wandering the martial world for over a month. Do you have any interesting stories to share?"
Chu Yang shook his head. "Nothing interesting. Along the way, all I saw were corpses strewn across the land and people in dire straits. In the South, the demon race run rampant—the common folk are suffering terribly."
"Oh?" The Emperor's lips curled in amusement. "You went out once and suddenly learned to care for the lives of the people? That's not like you."
"The famed Virtuous Prince who doesn't frequent brothels, doesn't drink, isn't arrogant or hedonistic—what's next, are you going to bury yourself in paperwork and attend to state affairs day and night?"
As the Emperor's voice grew colder, the temperature in the imperial study seemed to drop with it. Wei Zhongxian, standing nearby, shuddered violently.
At the doorway, Cao Zhengchun and Yu Huatian fixed their eyes on Chu Yang's back, both hands clasped behind them as they silently circulated their inner energy.
Chu Yang nodded with a faint smile. "That's how it should be."
The Emperor stared at Chu Yang, the killing intent in his eyes barely concealed. He suddenly grabbed the paperweight on the desk and hurled it at Chu Yang with force.
Chu Yang flicked his finger, releasing a burst of sword qi that shattered the paperweight into powder, scattering stone fragments in all directions.
The loud noise startled Wei Zhongxian, who collapsed to his knees, trembling uncontrollably.
Cao Zhengchun and Yu Huatian's expressions changed. They simultaneously stepped forward, ready to act—
"Stand down!"
The Emperor roared angrily. "This is the imperial study, not a place for you to run wild!"
The two halted instantly, then knelt down and shouted, "Your humble servants wouldn't dare."
Chu Yang sighed lightly. "The Eastern and Western Bureaus, plus Dragon-Guard Manor—what in this world can escape Royal Brother's eyes? Why go to such lengths with these pointless tests?"
"This minor affair doesn't warrant such outrage. There's no need to put on a show in front of me."
At his words, the Emperor's anger vanished as quickly as it came. He nodded calmly and said, "Now this feels more like the you I remember. Just like when we were young."
"You were small in age, yet more mature than most princes—so mature it was frightening."
Joy, anger, sorrow, and delight showed not on his face. No one present could guess what the Emperor was truly thinking, but just seeing him like this sent chills down their spines.
For the first time, the three all-powerful eunuchs felt a deep sense of awe. They realized they had severely underestimated this Emperor.
His presence was in no way inferior to that of the late Emperor.
Chu Yang responded meaningfully, "Royal Brother certainly wasn't this composed when we were younger…"
The Emperor knew exactly what he meant and deliberately said with a smile, "Was the lake water in the palace cold?"
Chu Yang nodded. "Bone-chilling. Like falling into hell."
The Emperor sighed regretfully, "Pity it wasn't the real hell."
If it had been, you wouldn't have climbed back out. You wouldn't have become such a thorn in my side.
He had never regretted pushing Chu Yang into the lake. He only regretted not giving him one more kick.
Chu Yang understood the meaning behind his words and shook his head slightly in disappointment. "I thought there might be a shred of guilt in your heart."
The Emperor looked at him with contempt. "I didn't expect such childish nonsense to come from your mouth. Disappointing."
Chu Yang smiled. "Then I'll make sure never to disappoint you again."
With that, he turned and walked out of the study.
An unexpected question came from the Emperor behind him.
"No thoughts of revenge?"
"Just childish games."
As he spoke, Chu Yang had already exited the study. Only then did Cao Zhengchun and Yu Huatian look up at the Emperor, seemingly asking whether they should act.
The Emperor glanced at them and shook his head in disappointment. He sat back in his chair. After a moment of silence, once all sound had faded outside, he suddenly said, "More than twenty years ago, a meteorite from the heavens fell in the outskirts of the capital. The Divine Marquis Manor took most of it to forge weapons for slaying demons. The late Emperor, being fond of novelty, kept some to make scholarly items."
"That paperweight just now was one of them—exceptionally tough. Even an average Grandmaster couldn't damage it."
Cao Zhengchun shuddered. Yu Huatian's face darkened. They both knew of that meteorite. The unique weapons of Divine Marquis Zhuge and the Four Great Constables were all forged from it.
It was truly one of the rarest materials under heaven.
Cao Zhengchun asked softly, "Your Majesty… did you use that paperweight just now to test the Virtuous Prince?"
"Of course!" The Emperor's eyes were filled with barely suppressed frustration. He snapped, "If you two worthless mutts could have figured out his true strength, would I have needed to let him into the palace and stage this farce?"
Yu Huatian immediately cried out, "This servant deserves death!"
The Emperor sneered. "Save that for later. When the Mid-Autumn Festival comes, I'll have the Virtuous Prince enter the palace to admire the moon. If the two of you can't capture him then, I'll execute your entire clans!"
Cao Zhengchun quickly said, "Your Majesty, if the Virtuous Prince's martial cultivation is truly that formidable, the two of us may not be able to take him down. It could jeopardize Your Majesty's grand plan."
Yu Huatian bowed. "Lord Cao speaks true."
At this point, making exaggerated promises would only be courting death. Cao Zhengchun knew that, and Yu Huatian even more so—so they immediately stood together.
"You dogs think I can't see what you see?" the Emperor snapped. He turned to the kneeling Wei Zhongxian and asked with a frown, "How is Li Chengliang's training of the Imperial Guards coming along?"
Wei Zhongxian stammered, "Reporting to Your Majesty, General Li said the Imperial Guards are united and follow Your Majesty's command to the letter."
Under pressure from the six great factions, the civil and military groups had finally allied. Led by Yan Song, the civil officials nominated Li Chengliang as the head instructor of the Imperial Guards, giving him command over the 800,000 troops stationed in the capital.
The Emperor was well aware of the political maneuvering behind the scenes, but in his view, Li Chengliang was still a solid choice.
Since taking over, Li Chengliang had shown ruthless efficiency—disbanding all of Guo Bujing's former subordinates, reassigning them elsewhere, and replacing them with loyal veterans from Liaodong.
In just a few short days, he had taken complete control of the force.
"If the two of you can't handle him, then add in the 800,000 Imperial Guards. That should be enough, no?"
The Emperor's gaze was like a blade, sweeping coldly across their faces.
"Your servants will serve to the death! Please rest assured, Your Majesty!" they replied in unison.
The Emperor leaned back in his chair with a deep breath, as if a great burden had been lifted. "The Dragon-Guard Manor, Divine Marquis Manor, and Six Gates are unreliable in critical moments. Once this is done, they'll be obsolete."
"From now on, all their affairs will fall under your Eastern and Western Bureaus."
Painting grand visions is a required skill for any boss.
Especially one as grand as the Emperor.
Cao Zhengchun and Yu Huatian had spent years clawing their way up in the palace. They knew the Emperor was feeding them promises—but truth be told, it was hard not to be tempted.
In fact, even a slight shift in power away from the Three Factions could be enough for the Bureaus to rise again.
Their earlier pledge of loyalty might have just been lip service—but now, they were truly prepared to risk everything.
As the saying goes: great fortune lies in great risk. When the stakes are high enough, no price is too great.
Watching as their faces lit up with fanaticism, Wei Zhongxian—an uninvolved observer—suddenly felt that this Emperor was terrifying…
Meanwhile—
Chu Yang had already left the palace.
He had arrived in a sedan chair, but when he left, not a single person came to escort him out. The guards on duty at the palace gates couldn't help but snicker—it seemed like nothing that happened to this prince could surprise them anymore.
But then, something felt off. They quickly straightened their faces and looked forward expressionlessly.
"If you want to laugh, just laugh. Why the long face? Don't like the look of me?"
"Please forgive me, Your Highness! I wouldn't dare!"
"A grown man afraid to admit he laughed? And you call yourself a guard? I wonder who trained you."
"Your Highness, you can scold me all you want—but please don't insult Lord Guo."
"Oh? Got some fire in you. Now you're talking back. What's your name?"
"Reporting to Your Highness, this humble guard is named Chai Hu."
Knowing he couldn't escape today's scolding, the guard steeled himself with a bold attitude.
Chu Yang blinked. "What? Say that again."
The guard frowned, his demeanor turning a bit rougher. He cupped his fists and said, "My name is Chai Hu. It was given to me by the village physician. It's not very nice—please don't take offense, Your Highness."
"That's not what I meant." Chu Yang waved it off, sizing up the guard. To his surprise, Chai Hu was powerfully built, with the look of someone who trained in external martial arts.
What shocked him wasn't the size, but the name—because Chai Hu was supposed to be a member of Li Gexiao's One Plum Blossom squad, nicknamed "River-Flipping Bandit," a famed rogue who robbed the rich to aid the poor.
Yet here he was, serving as a palace guard at the main gate of the Forbidden City.
"Did Lord Guo bring you into the guards?"
"That's right. He saw potential in me."
"Hah—he caught you committing a crime, saw you had talent, and brought you into the guards to train you up as a way to redeem yourself, right?"
"How… how do you know that?!"
Chai Hu suddenly panicked. Only Guo Bujing knew about his past as the River-Flipping Bandit, and the man had promised never to reveal it.
How did this so-called "useless prince" know?
A trace of murderous intent flashed in his eyes. If this got out, his peaceful new life would be over.
If worst came to worst, he'd have to silence the prince…
"You big oaf. Think for a second, will you? This is the main gate of the palace. You try anything here, and you're dead."
"You think the patrol guards nearby are blind?"
Chu Yang gave him a look of exasperation.
The fierceness faded from Chai Hu's face, replaced once again by a dopey harmlessness. His eyes now looked genuinely… stupid.
Kill? Can't.
Don't kill? Still not safe.
Stuck, the big man stood frozen in place.
Chu Yang didn't bother with him any further. "Since you know Lord Guo, go ask him about this. He'll give you your answer. But honestly, with your temperament, this guard post isn't for you—you'll end up in big trouble sooner or later."
With that, he left. Chai Hu stood there dazed, watching his retreating back.
What he didn't know was that Chu Yang saw great potential in him. Leaving him to rot in the palace guard was a waste.
Perhaps Guo Bujing simply wanted to test him before bringing him into the Six Gate as a constable. If he didn't have the aptitude for it, he wouldn't be qualified to be Li Gexiao's teammate either.
After all, no one understands a thief better than a thief—and on that point, the renowned theft expert "Saint of Thieves" Bai Zhantang certainly has the authority to speak.
From this, it's clear just how well-suited the former "River-Flipping Bandit" Chai Hu is for a position at the Six Gate.
…
The location of the Prince Xian's residence was rather unusual. Despite being the most notorious playboy in the capital, Chu Yang's estate wasn't in the most prosperous area—it was separated from the slums by only a single street.
These so-called slums were gathering spots for people engaged in lowly trades.
Retired soldiers-turned-ruffians, blacksmiths, performers, pickpockets—professions not fit for polite society. They'd often band together for support, though even among them there was a pecking order of disdain.
Interestingly enough, sitting at the very bottom of that pecking order was none other than Prince Chu Yang himself.
Living next to a prince wasn't seen as an honor—on the contrary, it felt like one's ancestral grave might explode. Chu Yang was already the capital's biggest laughingstock, and anyone who got too close risked becoming the next one.
When Lu Xiaofeng first arrived at the Prince Xian's estate, he thought he must have taken a wrong turn. The place was even more spacious than the Tower of Euphoria, yet there were only two or three elderly servants and maids.
According to the old steward, it was a punishment from the current emperor—he'd dismissed most of the servants to chastise the prince for his extravagant lifestyle.
As a result, Chu Yang rarely returned home, preferring instead to indulge himself out on the town. The remaining few could go years without seeing him.
But Lu Xiaofeng, sharp as ever, caught another implication in those words.
"Our emperor sure has a strong sense of self-preservation—he didn't leave a single able-bodied man in the estate. It's like he's terrified the prince might rebel."
"He's already emperor—does he really need to be so paranoid?"
"That's exactly why he is paranoid. Only beggars don't worry about being robbed."
Lu Xiaofeng and Sikong Zhaixing were deep in animated discussion in the courtyard of Prince Xian's estate, completely unaware that Chu Yang had already walked up behind them.
"You two done yet? Who the hell are you calling a beggar?"
Chu Yang cut them off, visibly annoyed.
Lu Xiaofeng turned to see him and exclaimed with delight, "Your Highness, you made it out of the palace alive?!"
Chu Yang shot him a glare. "Lu Xiaochicken, what kind of nonsense is that? You hoping I'd drop dead in there?"
Lu Xiaofeng laughed awkwardly. "Of course not—I was worried about you! The emperor guards against you like you're some master thief. If he lost control for even a second…"
Chu Yang said, "Well, today he kept it together. Can't say for sure about the next time."
Lu Xiaofeng's smile faded. His tone turned serious. "The Mid-Autumn Festival?"
"He'll probably invite me to the palace to admire the moon." Chu Yang smiled calmly. "I had planned to watch the show. Turns out I'm the lead actor."
"I hope you don't let me down."