Chapter 16

Chapter 16

Murong Jie's face was cold and grim, a dagger clutched in his hand, yet he ultimately made no move to resist.

Just one more year—he couldn't let it all fall apart now. No matter how arrogant Murong Yu was, he wouldn't dare kill him. At worst, he'd just have to endure some physical pain.

He was dragged by two of Murong Yu's guards into Jingming Palace, the very palace Murong Yu had lived in before leaving the capital.

The Empress had once taught them how to keep subordinates in line—disobedient servants were locked in a dark chamber as punishment.

And so Murong Jie was dragged into that dark room by the two guards and tied straight to the torture rack.

Murong Yu, full of pent-up anger and nowhere to take it out, grabbed a whip hanging from the wall and lashed it at Murong Jie, shouting as he struck: "You bastard! You actually think you're a prince? If it weren't for that spoiled heir Lu Yunqi, do you think you'd ever have become Prince Cang? He'd probably have fucked you six ways to Sunday by now!"

After a few lashes, blood started seeping through Murong Jie's clothes.

The attendants behind him dared not intervene. Murong Yu, spoiled rotten by the Empress and his two older brothers, had beaten and maimed countless servants without ever facing consequences.

If they dared to stop him, they'd be the next ones strapped to the rack.

But Murong Jie was a strange one—after a dozen lashes, he didn't make a single sound, as if he'd been born without any feeling at all.

But it was exactly his silence that pissed Murong Yu off even more. Pointing the whip at him, he snapped: "The hell are you playing at? Not gonna scream? Not gonna beg for mercy? I'll show you what I'm made of today! Men! Bring the charcoal brazier!"

Lu Yunqi had the carriage flying at breakneck speed. Palace attendants rushed to block him—being allowed to drive a carriage into the palace was already a special favor the Emperor had granted the Lu family, but galloping through the palace grounds was a serious crime of contempt for the imperial court.

Even so, Lu Yunqi drove the carriage straight to the front of Qianyuan Hall. Jumping off, he grabbed a Dragon Guard and demanded: "Where's Murong Jie? Didn't he come to the palace? Why hasn't he returned?"

Three rapid-fire questions left the guard dumbfounded. After a moment, he stammered: "Just now... this lowly one saw His Highness the Sixth Prince being taken away by the Third Prince's men."

"Damn it!" Lu Yunqi cursed, spinning around and sprinting toward Murong Yu's palace. After a few steps, he realized he was being an idiot—he turned back, unhitched the horse from the carriage, and vaulted onto its back, galloping off at full speed.

The Dragon Guards didn't even have time to stop him before he was gone like an arrow shot from a bow.

The Emperor heard the commotion and rushed out, demanding: "What's going on? What's all this racket!"

The Dragon Guard commander bowed and replied: "Your Majesty, just now Young Lord Lu came looking for the Sixth Prince. The Sixth Prince was taken away by the Third Prince's men. So... the young lord rode off to Yangming Palace—he's likely already arrived by now."

"Nonsense!" the Emperor scolded. "Galloping through the palace—have you no sense of decency at all! Men, prepare my carriage to Yangming Palace!"

Inside the dark chamber of Yangming Palace, the charcoal fire blazed, crackling softly. Murong Yu picked up a red-hot branding iron and walked before Murong Jie, waving it near his face. Through gritted teeth, he spat: "Bastard! I know you've got a hard spine. Well, let's see if you can still rely on that spoiled brat Lu Yunqi to have your back once I've ruined that pretty face of yours!"

He was about to press the glowing iron against Murong Jie's cheek when a thunderous crash rang out—Lu Yunqi had kicked the door clean off its hinges.

Ignoring the pain in his foot, he lunged forward, snatched the branding iron from Murong Yu's hand, and turned to look at Murong Jie—tied to the torture rack, beaten black and blue. His eyes turned red in an instant.

He kicked Murong Yu to the ground, cursing: "Murong Yu! You did this?"

That kick landed hard. Murong Yu, who'd never bothered with martial arts and was physically weaker than Lu Yunqi anyway, had been hit right in a vulnerable spot. He curled up in the corner, clutching his stomach in pain.

Branding iron in hand, Lu Yunqi stepped forward threateningly: "Good. Real good. You dare lay a hand on my man? Today I'll show you what happens when you touch what's mine!"

With that, he pressed the red-hot iron directly onto Murong Yu's belly. A sizzle—the stench of burning fabric and flesh—filled the air as Murong Yu's screams echoed through the dark chamber.

At that moment, the Emperor finally arrived. He shouted: "Stop! Lu Yunqi, what the hell do you think you're doing?"

By now, Lu Yunqi had calmed down a bit. He glanced back at Murong Jie, then bowed to the Emperor: "Your nephew greets you, Imperial Uncle."

The Emperor snapped: "Do you still have any regard for me as your imperial uncle? Galloping through the palace—do you know that's a capital offense?"

Lu Yunqi knew that even though he could rely on his father's power to disrespect the imperial family behind their backs, on the surface he still had to play by the rules.

Plus, he hadn't just galloped through the palace—he'd also branded the Emperor's precious son, leaving him screaming in agony.

If he kept defying the Emperor with a stiff neck, today wouldn't end well. Even if his father came to forcibly drag him away, he'd face a barrage of impeachments and condemnations from the Civil Official Bloc.

With that in mind, Lu Yunqi's eyes darted around. Then he burst into loud wails, plopped down on the ground, and sobbed: "Imperial uncle, I know I did wrong, and I'm willing to accept punishment. But the Third Prince—he had no damn right to tie up my wife and beat him half to death! You gifted the Sixth Prince to me, and I've cherished and pampered him like a treasure. But him! I ask you—what crime did my wife commit? Why did he beat my wife!"

With that, he turned and threw himself onto Murong Jie, hugging him and whispering in his ear: "Quick, play dead!"

Murong Jie frowned slightly, but ultimately played along, pretending to pass out.

His "faint" gave Lu Yunqi even more fuel for the fire. He shook Murong Jie, crying loudly: "Wife, what's wrong? Wife, wake up! Imperial uncle, look—my wife is dead! I don't care—I want Murong Yu to pay for my wife!"

With all this commotion, the Emperor completely forgot about Lu Yunqi galloping through the palace. He hurriedly ordered Fu Hai: "Quick, call the imperial physician!"

Soon, a physician arrived with his medical kit. The group lowered Murong Jie down, and the physician examined his wounds, hissing: "Your Majesty, the Sixth Prince was already frail. After this beating from the Third Prince, his constitution has been further damaged. He'll need at least half a year to recover."

The Emperor's face darkened. He turned to look at Murong Yu, then asked: "How's the Third Prince?"

The physician checked and reported: "Just superficial wounds—nothing serious."

But Murong Yu howled: "What? I'm in so much pain, my flesh is cooked, and you say it's nothing? Father, Lu Yunqi did this to me—you have to get justice for your son!"

The Emperor roared: "Shut your mouth! I'm asking you—what crime did your sixth brother commit? Why did you tie him up and beat him?"

The Third Prince couldn't come up with a reason, but Lu Yunqi kept sobbing: "Imperial uncle, my wife barely even dares to speak above a whisper! What crime could he possibly commit? It must be that the Third Prince took out his anger over Miss Xie on him. Poor thing—so delicate and frail, and now beaten like this. Whatever shall we do!"

The Emperor's head was throbbing from all the crying. He glanced at Murong Yu and declared: "Prince Yu shows no brotherly love, beating Prince Cang without cause. I hereby strip him of half his allowance, confine him to his residence for three months, and demote him to Commandery Prince! From today, you will stay home and reflect on your actions! And you, Lu Yunqi—you've grown far too reckless, galloping through the palace. I've been too lenient with you! But given that you acted out of urgency to save someone, I'll mete out a light punishment—confine yourself to your residence for half a month to reflect!"

With that, the Emperor flicked his sleeves and strode off.

Lu Yunqi finished his performance, turned to glance at Murong Yu, and sneered: "Commandery Prince Yu, did you hear that? If you ever dare touch him again, it won't just be one brand on your body. I'm putting it out there right now—if there's a next time, I'll make sure you can't even keep that title!"

With that, he turned and walked toward Murong Jie, intending to play the hero and carry him out. But after three tries, he couldn't lift him.

Clearing his throat, he ordered: "Liu Bao, go get me a stretcher!"

Soon, Liu Bao rigged up a simple stretcher and had two palace attendants carry Murong Jie to the carriage.

Once inside the carriage, Lu Yunqi began scolding: "Are you stupid? Why didn't you fight back? If you don't have the strength, bite him, scream, stab him with your dagger! I can't always show up in time to save you. If he'd scarred your face, I'd..."

"Scarred it, then what?" Murong Jie asked weakly.

Lu Yunqi was about to say something when Murong Jie spoke first: "If that face you like so much were ruined, you could simply go find another color you fancy."

Lu Yunqi sensed a hint of resentment in his tone, but recalling that he'd been killed nine times, he nipped that fleeting thought in the bud. He grabbed Murong Jie's chin and said: "You know it well enough. This young lord likes that pretty face of yours. If that face is ever ruined, you won't be able to squeeze any favors out of me."

"You should be grateful you were born with such a handsome face. And it just so happens this young lord is a lecher at heart—I've compared left and right, and no face can outshine yours. Even that Xie Lianyi from yesterday, without her fine clothes and the flickering candlelight, was outdone by you—reduced to nothing but common rouge and powder. Tsk, tsk, Murong Jie, why do I fancy you so much?"

Murong Jie's eyes darkened, the fleeting resentment hidden perfectly as he reverted to his usual brooding demeanor.

Lu Yunqi changed the subject: "By the way, what did your father want with you today? He's never paid you any mind—suddenly summoning you to the palace. Don't tell me it was just father-son small talk."

Murong Jie, surprisingly, didn't hide anything and said directly: "He told me to find ways to win your favor, and if the opportunity arose, to seize control of your Lu family's 600,000 elite troops."

Lu Yunqi was stunned: "You... you're just telling me this outright?"

==========Author's Note:==========

Update posted! Begging for flowers!