Someone nearby couldn't take the sight anymore and vomited on the spot.
The fan-holding man, Jiang Yuerou, and Jiang Hengwu all turned pale.
Only now did they understand—the "cross-cup wine" Chen Cheng spoke of was this kind of cross-cup wine.
It was truly horrifying.
Just who was this Chen Cheng? Why did such terrifying things sound so casual, so ordinary coming from his mouth, as if they were nothing more than everyday trifles?
"Chen Cheng, make your people stop. You're openly offending the Southern Guardian Prince's residence…" the fan-holding man gritted his teeth and said.
Smack!
Hu Po swung her palm and sent him flying, teeth breaking, blood at his lips.
"To dare disrespect His Highness deserves punishment," Hu Po said coldly. "If you dare again, I'll give you one hundred slaps."
At that moment, everyone realized something was wrong.
His Highness?
This mysterious woman had been calling Chen Cheng "His Highness" all along.
"What's happening here?"
Several figures appeared outside the tavern.
Two of them were Zhou Chong and Ouyang Xue.
"Jiang Hengwu is inside too," Zhou Chong's eyes lit up, then froze. "Isn't that Chen Cheng? Not good, Chen Cheng is actually tormenting Young Master Yu."
"Young Master Yu? Who's that?" Ouyang Xue asked.
"He's the Southern Guardian Prince's nephew, the heir's cousin," Zhou Chong explained.
Ouyang Xue's face changed drastically. She immediately shouted inside, "Chen Cheng, what are you doing? Do you know who you're offending? That's the Southern Guardian Prince's nephew, the heir's cousin. Stop what you're doing right now, or no one will be able to save you."
"That's right," the effeminate man snarled venomously. "No one can save you today. I'll make sure you suffer. You'll suffer miserably."
"Hu Po, I told him to drink cross-cup wine. Why hasn't he drunk it yet?" Yang Cheng's gaze was dark.
"Your Highness."
Lin Shu entered with her people. "Hu Po is of noble status. She shouldn't dirty herself with such small matters. Leave it to this servant."
"Paying respects to His Highness the Crown Prince!"
Everyone behind her dropped to their knees before Yang Cheng.
The surroundings fell dead silent.
Almost everyone's mind went blank.
The fan-holding man's jaw dropped wide open. He stared at Yang Cheng in disbelief.
Jiang Yuerou felt as if lightning had struck her.
At that same instant, Jiang Hengwu felt her whole body surge with electricity, numb from the soles of her feet to the top of her head.
She had guessed at Chen Cheng's identity many times.
But never, not once, had she imagined it would be so exalted.
The Crown Prince of Great Zhou!
One of the most honored figures in all the Wasteland Realm.
Thinking back to the words of her cousin and cousin-in-law earlier, they looked even more like clowns.
Ouyang Xue's mind froze as well, unable to think straight.
Chen Cheng turned out to be the Crown Prince of Great Zhou.
For ordinary people, just meeting such a figure was the greatest fortune of a lifetime.
To be close to him was an eight-generation blessing.
And because of Tang Xingyu, she had sat in the same carriage with him, even spent several days together.
Yet she never saw his extraordinariness, and from the start had looked down on him.
Thinking back to her ridicule, and just earlier, when she declared Chen Cheng had offended the heir's cousin and that no one could save him—
It was laughable beyond words.
Forget a mere heir's cousin. Even the heir himself would have to kneel before the Crown Prince.
How blind had she been?
The true dragon had been right before her eyes for half a month, and she not only failed to recognize him, she kept mocking and scorning him.
Right now, Ouyang Xue felt she was the biggest joke in the world.
Zhou Chong's thoughts weren't much different.
He wanted nothing more than to slap himself bloody, rip his own mouth apart.
At this moment, he truly felt he was nothing but a foul-mouthed, blind, useless worm.
That was the Crown Prince!
If he could cling to such a man's leg, forget himself—his entire Zhou clan would soar to the heavens.
But what had he done?
Just like Ouyang Xue, instead of currying favor, he had repeatedly offended him.
Regret gnawed at him, along with terror.
Having offended such a figure, could he still hope to live well in the future?
As for the effeminate man and his lackeys, they were so frightened they pissed themselves on the spot.
"We'll drink, we'll drink the cross-cup wine right now."
The effeminate man spoke in terror.
He and his lackey picked up the cups with hair and severed fingers inside, and in front of everyone, forced themselves to drink.
But the moment the wine touched their throats, both of them vomited violently.
"What's wrong? Didn't you like drinking cross-cup wine?" Yang Cheng said faintly.
The two of them dropped to their knees, kowtowing desperately. "Your Highness the Crown Prince, spare us. We were blind, please forgive us."
"Crown Prince?"
Just then, a mocking laugh rang out.
Fang Wunian appeared with a group of Fang family martial men.
Yang Cheng looked at him calmly.
Fang Wunian didn't like that gaze at all. Pointing at him, he barked, "Chen Cheng, how dare you?"
"The Crown Prince is clearly at River-Viewing Tower right now, meeting with the Divine Medicine Valley delegation. And you dare impersonate the Crown Prince here?"
Everyone froze at his words, then quickly realized.
Yes.
The Crown Prince was supposed to be meeting the Divine Medicine Valley envoys at River-Viewing Tower. How could he possibly be here?
"This guy… he's impersonating the Crown Prince?"
Zhou Chong first stiffened, then burst out laughing.
A huge weight lifted from his chest.
If Chen Cheng really was the Crown Prince, then even if the Crown Prince didn't take revenge, he would spend his whole life drowning in regret.
But now learning that Chen Cheng was just pretending—no one was happier than him.
"Good! To dare impersonate the Crown Prince—that's a capital crime!"
The fan-holding man suddenly felt alive again.
Jiang Yuerou spat, "Scared me half to death. I actually thought he was the Crown Prince."
Jiang Hengwu's face was filled with doubt.
Was it really fake?
Something still didn't feel right.
Ouyang Xue also stayed quiet this time.
Clearly, she had learned her lesson, remembering how many times she had already slapped her own face in front of him.
Fang Wunian snapped, "Men, seize this traitor who dares impersonate His Highness the Crown Prince!"
Fang family martial men moved instantly.
In the blink of an eye, a squad of Blood Shadow Tower enforcers in blood-red uniforms appeared and easily subdued all of Fang Wunian's men.
"Blood Shadow Tower?"
Fang Wunian was stunned. "You… what are you doing? Do you intend to act as his accomplices? He's impersonating the Crown Prince! If you shield him, you'll be punished as accomplices to treason."
Yang Cheng and the Blood Shadow Tower didn't even look at him. Their eyes turned toward River-Viewing Tower.
Boom!
The tower that had stood for thousands of years suddenly exploded.
A torrent of earthfire erupted from beneath it.
Everyone inside—Great Zhou envoys and Divine Medicine Valley representatives alike—was burned alive.
"Not good."
"An attempt on His Highness the Crown Prince's life!"
Terrified cries rang out, the crowd outside plunged into chaos.
Heavy footsteps thundered outside the tavern.
A troop from the Southern Guardian Prince's residence appeared.
Leading them was none other than the heir, Wu Cangming.
"There are rebels outside. No one is allowed to move. Stay inside quietly—any who disobey will be executed on the spot," Wu Cangming ordered coldly.
"Cousin!"
The effeminate man shouted like he had seen his savior. "There are rebels here. Hurry and capture them!"