Chapter 35 Collision

Chapter 35: Collision

The Crown Prince, as the heir apparent, was naturally different from other princes. The current emperor placed great emphasis on the Crown Prince’s education, hiring many renowned teachers from a young age.

His training emphasized both civil and martial arts, studying not just the classics and statecraft, but also the strategies of *The Art of War*, *Wu Zi*, and *Six Secret Teachings*.

Daily hands-on training in archery and horsemanship was a must.

It was said that Taizu seized the empire on horseback and valued martial skills highly. His Crown Prince was personally trained in martial arts by Prince Zhenbei, and when Taizu led a campaign against the Western Rong, the Crown Prince had to go along on the expedition.

But later, after the realm was unified, civil arts were prioritized over military ones, and aside from the Cui family, no other military figures rose to power.

Cheng Ge had only been inside the imperial palace twice: once for the palace examination and once for a one-on-one meeting with the emperor.

Today was the third time. The vermilion palace gates were solemn and majestic, but carried a faint, oppressive gloom.

The Crown Prince was still young and hadn't gotten involved in state affairs yet, but he had to get up early every day to study.

The Tutor's main job was to study alongside the Crown Prince every day. If the Crown Prince had any questions, the Tutor was supposed to help clear them up, keeping an eye on his progress.

On regular days, the Tutor had to set a good example. If the Crown Prince acted up, the Tutor had to gently advise him.

This job wasn't exactly a walk in the park. If the Crown Prince turned out to be a handful, it would be a real pain.

One slip-up could get you accused of "failing in your duty to enlighten," getting you scolded or fined at best, or fired at worst.

But overall, the pros outweighed the cons.

After all, the Crown Prince was the future emperor. If you could get in good with him, once he took the throne, the sky was the limit.

Of course, there was another big perk: the Crown Prince had to finish his morning rituals first.

The Crown Prince's Tutor didn't have to take part in outside court business, so he could usually enter the palace around 7 to 9 AM and leave when the gates locked at 3 to 5 PM.

Seven to five—compared to the brutal hours at the Hanlin Academy, this was way better.

A sweet gig! A damn sweet gig!!!

Standing in front of the Donghua Gate, Cheng Ge put his hands on his hips, looked up at the sky, and burst out laughing like a maniac.

“Heh heh heh…”

The laughter was deafening, like it could tear through the clouds, making everyone around shoot him sideways looks.

There was a hint of craziness in his laugh.

After laughing, he flicked his sleeves with flair and spun around twice at the gate.

Then, striding confidently, he headed for the Donghua Gate, his chin lifted, oozing arrogance.

When he got to the guards, Cheng Ge stopped, pulled a brand-new waist token from his chest, and shoved it right in the guard's face.

The guards were startled by his move but quickly snapped out of it and checked the token.

After confirming it was legit, they stepped aside and watched Cheng Ge swagger through the gate.

As Cheng Ge's figure disappeared into the distance,

The guards exchanged glances, all looking at each other like, "What the hell?"

Who the hell is this guy? So damn full of himself!

After showing off at the palace gate, Cheng Ge was totally satisfied.

But then he looked at the time.

Shit, he was almost late!

Cheng Ge's heart dropped, and he took off running.

He zigzagged through the palace corridors, kicking up a gust of wind, making the maids and eunuchs he passed turn their heads.

Just as he got close to the Wenhua Hall, a dark figure suddenly darted out from the side and slammed straight into Cheng Ge.

Cheng Ge couldn't dodge in time, and the two of them crashed to the ground hard.

Cheng Ge felt like a mountain had landed on him. Already out of breath from running too fast, he was now crushed, gasping, with a dull pain in his chest.

Zhou Zhan never expected anyone would dare to crash into him. Caught off guard, he took a hard fall too.

Cursing inwardly, he thought, Damn it, he’d see which blind dog dared to do this—he’d have his head off today!

Just as Zhou Zhan was about to lose his temper, he looked down at the person beneath him and froze.

Eyebrows like distant mountains, starry eyes filled with anger, pursed lips and furrowed brows—he was strikingly handsome.

Cheng Ge felt like he was dying. Without thinking, he raised his knee and shoved the person off him.

Struggling to sit up, he pressed his right hand to his chest, his face pale.

Seeing this, Zhou Zhan couldn’t help but think of the phrase, “Xishi’s heartache made her frown.”

He had never understood before what beauty there was in that sickly look, with people imitating it. But now, seeing this person before him, he began to grasp it.

Unfortunately, he not only thought it but also said it aloud. Cheng Ge took out a medicine bottle, poured a pill, and swallowed it.

Hearing this out of the blue, he instantly grew angry. Not only had this guy crashed into him, but he was also mocking him for imitating Xishi?

He stepped forward and drove an elbow straight into Zhou Zhan’s chest.

Zhou Zhan never expected this person to strike so suddenly. He grunted, stumbling back two steps from the blow.

His eyes wide with disbelief, he stared at Cheng Ge. No one had ever dared to treat him like this since childhood.

The eunuch beside him, seeing this, turned pale with fear and immediately helped Zhou Zhan up.

Turning to Cheng Ge, he shouted, “How dare you, you reckless fool, show disrespect to His Highness!”

Hearing this, Cheng Ge instinctively looked at the man before him.

He wore a light yellow round-collared narrow-sleeved robe with a coiled dragon pattern, a jade belt around his waist, and black leather boots.

His brows carried a certain authority, bearing a striking resemblance to the emperor.

Two words flashed through Cheng Ge’s mind: I’m doomed…

He hadn’t even succeeded in his mission and was already dead—at least let him collect a month’s salary first!

He wondered if he should play dead or kowtow three thousand times to the Crown Prince first; the tips of his fingers, gripping the medicine bottle, turned white.

Zhou Zhan was helped to his feet, his chest aching with pain. In a surge of anger, he instinctively raised his foot to kick Cheng Ge.

Cheng Ge watched the big foot flying toward him, his heart tightening involuntarily.

Imperial authority was absolute; every harsh decree and gentle favor was a heavenly grace—he shouldn't dodge.

But Cheng Ge wasn't really a man of this era. Even if he couldn't fight back, he wasn't going to just stand there and take a beating.

His body reacted faster than his brain. Almost instantly, Cheng Ge leaned back, barely avoiding the kick, the other's foot only grazing his clothes.

Cheng Ge thought, "That was close..."

Just as Cheng Ge was relieved to have escaped, he suddenly felt his chest tighten, as if something was blocking it.

He couldn't help but turn sideways, supporting himself with his hand on the ground, and then, with a "whoosh," he spat out a mouthful of dark blood.

Meanwhile, the moment Zhou Zhan's foot touched Cheng Ge, he suddenly met a pair of terrified eyes.

In that instant, his heart felt as if something had clenched it tightly, and a hint of regret stirred within him.

But his foot had already been thrust out, and there was no way to pull it back.

He could only try to lessen the force as much as possible, but his body still swayed involuntarily.

Fortunately, a eunuch nearby quickly steadied him, preventing him from falling to the ground.

However, just as Zhou Zhan regained his balance, he saw Cheng Ge coughing up blood from the kick.

His eyes widened in shock, and he cried out in panic, "How could you..."

"Your Highness." A voice came from behind him, carrying an authority that didn't need to be spoken.