Chapter 455 A Wise Bird

Chapter 455: A Wise Bird Chooses Its Tree

Cheng Ge, propping himself up on his spear, slowly rose to his feet.

Blood dripped from his fingertips onto the ground, mingling with the already dried stains until it was impossible to tell whose blood was whose.

He lifted his head and gazed through the latticed window at the scene outside.

Firelight spread into one continuous blaze, turning the entire palace bright as day.

The dense ranks of armored soldiers formed an impenetrable ring around Zhongzheng Hall, the firelight glinting off their blades blinding to the eye.

Outside the hall—

Chen Zhengqi stood at an elevated vantage point, looking down at the hall, which sat there like a cornered beast.

A faint smile curled at the corner of his mouth—a smile full of smug certainty.

A general spurred his horse forward, gazing at the tightly shut doors of the hall, his voice cutting through the night wind.

"Listen, you inside the hall!"

His voice boomed, every word carrying clearly across the entire square.

"Hand over the Crown Prince and His Majesty, lay down your arms, and we'll grant you a whole corpse!"

The echo bounced off the palace walls.

Silence.

Deathly silence.

The hall's doors remained shut tight, no response coming from within.

The man waited a few moments, then turned his head to look up at Chen Zhengqi.

Chen Zhengqi said nothing, but the smile at the corner of his mouth grew just a little wider.

He raised his hand.

Behind him, a dense formation of archers advanced as one.

They knelt on one knee, drew their bows, and nocked their arrows—their arrows glinting coldly in the darkness, all trained on Zhongzheng Hall.

With a creak, the hall's doors suddenly swung open.

Chen Zhengqi's hand froze mid-air.

In the firelight, two figures slowly stepped out of the hall.

One old, one young, their hands bound behind their backs and black cloth over their faces, they stumbled forward.

Behind them, a figure held a spear, its tip mere inches from their backs.

He limped with every step, dragging a trail of blood behind him.

Yet the figure still held himself upright, the spear held steady.

Chen Zhengqi's brow furrowed slightly.

Cheng Ge marched the two figures, step by step, down the stone stairs.

Firelight flickered across his face, the blood and grime making his features hard to make out.

He stopped, raised his spear, and pressed its tip against the back of one of them.

Chen Zhengqi's brow furrowed deeper, momentarily unsure what Cheng Ge was up to.

Cheng Ge dragged his wounded leg and stopped twenty paces from Chen Zhengqi.

Firelight danced behind him, bathing his entire figure in a dark crimson glow.

Chen Zhengqi looked at him, then suddenly laughed, his manner expansive and confident.

"Lord Cheng—truly loyal to the bone."

He let the smile fade, then changed his tune.

"But—" he drew out the word, "this burning passion of yours—have you ever considered whether you're spilling it in the right place?"

Cheng Ge said nothing.

Chen Zhengqi continued: "That's the way of the world—go with it and thrive, go against it and die. A good bird knows to choose its tree. Surely a man like Lord Cheng knows this?"

His voice was not loud, but his meaning was unmistakable.

"A loyal minister serving but one master is indeed a fine tale—but what if that master is beyond saving..."

He did not finish, merely shaking his head gently, the unspoken words weighing more heavily than anything he could have said.

Cheng Ge listened, and the corner of his mouth suddenly twitched—a faint, mocking smile.

He said nothing, but the spear in his hand remained pressed against the man's back.

He tilted his head back slightly, looking up at Chen Zhengqi on horseback. "Well said, Lord Chen."

His voice was hoarse, yet every word carried clearly.

"A good bird... truly must pick its tree."

The moment the words landed, a pleased smile spread across Chen Zhengqi's face.

He began: "A wise man knows when to bend. Lord Cheng is truly—"

But he never got to finish—

"However..." Cheng Ge drew out the word, eyeing Chen Zhengqi with a look of outright defiance.

"I was born of a mother and father, raised by human hands—not some beast or bird."

His voice turned icy cold. "I'm afraid—I cannot agree with Lord Chen!"

Chen Zhengqi's smile froze on his face, the words landing like a slap across his face.

The surrounding generals exchanged uneasy glances, hardly daring to breathe.

Chen Zhengqi's face flushed red, then deepened from red to purple, and finally settled into an iron-gray pallor.

His hand suddenly clenched around the sword hilt, his knuckles white enough to be alarming.

"You—!" His voice was squeezed out through gritted teeth, every word dripping with a hatred that wished Cheng Ge torn limb from limb.

"Since Lord Cheng is stubbornly unrepentant, willing to side with rebels and traitors—"

He abruptly raised his hand, "Then this official shall grant your wish!"

The archers drew their bows as one, arrows aimed at Cheng Ge.

In that very instant—

Cheng Ge's long spear swept in a vicious arc, the shaft slamming hard into the backs of their knees.

"Bang—!" The two of them dropped to their knees at the same time.

Before anyone could react, Cheng Ge flicked the spear tip, flipping the cloth off the face of the man in front.

The man's face was revealed in the firelight—Chen Li.

The spear tip carved a bloody line across his face, beads of blood seeping out and running down his cheek.

Chen Li let out a pained scream, but with his mouth gagged, it came out as a muffled whimper.

Chen Zhengqi's hand froze mid-air, and the archers' arrows froze with it—no one dared to loose.

Cheng Ge looked at Chen Zhengqi, the smile at the corner of his mouth growing deeper, "Lord Chen—are you going to loose the arrows?"

He twisted his wrist, and the spear tip pressed lightly against Chen Li's neck.

A muffled whimper escaped Chen Li's throat, tears and snot smeared across his face, his whole body shaking like a leaf.

Cheng Ge stood there, spear tip pressed to Chen Li's neck, watching Chen Zhengqi.

Chen Zhengqi's hand hung suspended in the air, knuckles white as bone.

Chen Li knelt on the ground, mouth gagged, unable to speak, but his eyes were filled with terror and pleading.

Tears mixed with the blood and grime on his face, streaming down, he looked utterly pathetic.

A dead silence fell over everything.

The archers' arrows were still trained on Cheng Ge, but no one dared to loose.

They looked at Chen Zhengqi, waiting for his command, but it never came.

Chen Zhengqi's chest was heaving violently.

Cheng Ge stood there, spear tip pressed to Chen Li's neck, a hint of a smile still playing at the corner of his mouth.

He watched Chen Zhengqi—he was waiting too.

"Lord Chen." Cheng Ge's voice was hoarse, yet it reached everyone's ears clearly. "You said earlier, telling this official to read the times and pick the right tree to perch in."

He paused, and the spear tip pressed forward another half inch. A terrified whimper escaped Chen Li's throat.

Cheng Ge looked at Chen Zhengqi, speaking slowly, each word deliberate, "Now, this official would like to ask you—"

"Is this tree of yours still worth perching in?"

Cheng Ge flicked his wrist, the spear tip twisting lightly, and the rag in Chen Li's mouth dropped to the ground with a thud.

Chen Li gasped for air, like a drowning man finally surfacing.

He coughed violently several times, a hoarse, rasping sound rattling in his throat.

He looked up at Chen Zhengqi on horseback, his voice shaking.

"Zheng... Zhengqi... save me!"

Cheng Ge looked down at him.

Chen Li met those eyes, his heart gave a violent jolt, the words he wanted to say stuck in his throat.

But before he could react—

"Bang!" The spear shaft slammed hard into his back.

That blow was delivered with full force, sending Chen Li pitching forward, his face smashing against the stone slabs.

He let out a scream, blood and foam spraying from his mouth and smearing across his face.

He tried to push himself up, but the spear shaft pressed down again, pinning him firmly to the ground, nailing him in place.

Chen Li lay there, trembling all over, like a stray dog, a real beast.

"Mmm... mmm..."

With his face pressed against the cold stone, he let out muffled whimpers, not daring to make another sound.

Cheng Ge pulled back the spear shaft, not looking at him again.

He raised his head, looking at Chen Zhengqi, blood trickling down his ankle and pooling into a small puddle on the stone slabs.

Their gazes met, and Cheng Ge raised an eyebrow at Chen Zhengqi, oozing provocation.

Chen Zhengqi's face was grim beyond measure, his hand clenching the sword hilt so tightly his knuckles were nearly translucent.

He understood Cheng Ge's meaning.

This was not a threat.

This was humiliation.

Outright humiliation.

In front of thousands of troops, trampling his father underfoot, then asking him—is this tree of yours still worth perching in? Are you still going to be this beast?

Chen Zhengqi's chest was heaving violently, the surrounding officers keeping their heads down, not daring to breathe.

The archers' arrows were still trained on Cheng Ge, but not a single one dared to loose.

The night wind howled, as if carrying needles that stabbed into flesh and bone.

One officer ventured, "My lord... it's getting late."

Chen Zhengqi ignored him, still staring at Cheng Ge with venom in his eyes.

He never imagined Cheng Ge could have gotten so deep into the Chen household.

Despite having stationed troops in layers upon layers, sealed off so tight not even water could get through, someone had still slipped through the cracks.

Now that the uprising was on the verge of success, the arrow was already on the string and had to fly. But to be played and threatened by Cheng Ge like this—he'd be lying if he said he wasn't pissed.

He stared at Cheng Ge, his eyes narrowing slightly, a flash of ruthlessness glinting in their depths.

He'd been figured out, cornered.

No matter what he did today, he'd be stuck on the pillar of shame.

Save his dad, and he'd have to let Cheng Ge go, let the prince and emperor slip away, and everything would be for nothing; refuse to save his dad, and he'd be called an unfilial son, cursed for generations.

His hand gripped the sword hilt, fingers grinding against it hard.

Stick your neck out and get cut, keep it in and get cut—either way, there's no way out—

Chen Li was still yelling for help. Kneeling there with a spear tip at his neck, but his mouth wouldn't quit.

"Cheng Ge... you better let me go now, let the whole Chen family go..."

"If you let us go now, maybe later my son will cut you some slack and spare your life..."

Cheng Ge looked down at him, the smile at the corner of his mouth getting wider.

"Oh?" His voice went up a notch, with a hint of amusement. "Is that so?"

Chen Li froze.

Cheng Ge looked at him.

"Lord Chen really would—show mercy?"

Chen Li's heart skipped—was this fear?

Fear was good.

Fear made things easy.

His eyes swept over the sea of armored soldiers—a dark, churning mass stretching from the front of the hall into the shadows beyond, blades like a forest, torches like a sea.

These were all his son's men, and later they'd be the Chen family's men.

With this many people here, and Cheng Ge only having a few wounded, worn-out men, why the hell shouldn't he be scared?

Chen Li's confidence swelled up from deep inside.

He raised his head, his voice steady now, even getting a bit bossy.

"Of course!"

He craned his neck, trying to puff himself up, but the spear shaft was still on his back, and flat on the ground, he couldn't get any leverage no matter what.

"Let us go now, and later—I'll put in a good word for you, spare your life!"

"Hahaha—" Cheng Ge laughed, like he'd just heard the funniest joke ever.

Chen Li's blood ran cold at the sound, but the words were already out, no taking them back. He kept his neck stiff, refusing to back down.

Cheng Ge reached out, yanked him up by the collar, and raised his head to look at Chen Zhengqi.

"Lord Chen." His voice was rough, but every word came through clear. "Your father says you'll show mercy."

He paused, then asked on purpose, "What do you think?"

Chen Zhengqi's lips were pressed thin, firelight flickering and burning in his eyes.

Everything went quiet, everyone waiting for his call.

Then he suddenly smiled, and in the firelight, that smile looked extra sinister.

He didn't say a word, just turned his head a bit to glance at the deputy general next to him.

Chen Li was still acting high and mighty, squirming like a maggot in front of Cheng Ge, still yelling.

"Cheng Ge, let me go now, and I can still promise you riches and glory later, or else when the time comes—"

"Whoosh—" The arrow slicing through the air made a sound so faint it almost got swallowed by the night wind.

But the arrow came too fast—too fast for anyone to even react.

"Thud—!" Chen Li's voice died mid-sentence.

Everyone: "!!!"

Chen Li looked down at the arrow shaft that had suddenly sprouted out of his chest.

Blood gushed out from the arrowhead, spreading a big dark red stain, dripping down his robes.

He opened his mouth, looked at Chen Zhengqi off in the distance, and swayed.

That old face was full of disbelief, lips moving like he was trying to call out that name.

But that name never came out.

He swayed again, then pitched forward stiffly, hitting the ground with a "thud" at Cheng Ge's feet.

Cheng Ge looked down at the twitching body at his feet, the smile at the corner of his mouth slowly going cold.

He raised his head, his eyes sweeping over the dark mass of armored soldiers, landing on the figure standing up high.

Chen Zhengqi stood in the firelight, looking scarily calm.

His hand had already let go of the sword hilt.

"Cheng Ge—" His voice wasn't loud, but it hit every ear loud and clear.

"You drag out some random nobody and expect to shake my morale?"

Cheng Ge's eyebrow twitched a little.

Chen Zhengqi looked down at him from above, at the corpse still twitching at Cheng Ge's feet, his face completely unbothered.

He suddenly smiled, and that smile was colder than the night wind. "I raise troops to purge the court, to clean up the dynasty."

"You think just any stray dog or cat is enough to make me hesitate?!"

The generals around him traded uneasy looks, not daring to breathe.

"Listen well, all of you—today's battle is about loyalty and treason, nothing else. Whoever dares to shake the army's morale, this is what awaits them!"

Cheng Ge looked down at the corpse at his feet, its eyes wide open in death, staring blankly.

Cheng Ge clapped his hands and said, "Lord Chen is indeed righteous and awe-inspiring. I have to admire that."

As his words fell, he flicked his long spear, the tip piercing the collar of Chen Li's garment, flipping the corpse over.

That face was now aimed straight at Chen Zhengqi, the firelight falling on that twisted visage, like a vengeful ghost out for blood.