A cold glint suddenly bloomed, and the Third Prince lunged at Chu Chen in an instant, his right hand forming a claw and striking fiercely towards Chu Chen's throat.
Chu Chen stood still, his expression indifferent as he watched the Third Prince, as if he hadn't taken the opponent seriously at all, not even bothering to dodge.
"Hmm?" The Third Prince's brow furrowed, a hint of confusion on his face. Had this Chu Chen been scared silly?
Just as the Third Prince was about to continue his attack, a terrifying sword intent pressure, like a flood, crushed the void and swept across the sky.
In an instant, the Third Prince's hair stood on end. He felt an icy chill spread through his entire body, and he froze in mid-air.
"Thump~" The next moment, the Third Prince fell straight to the ground, his face pale, and large beads of sweat trickled down his forehead.
Chu Chen retracted the sword intent pressure he had unleashed and walked to the Third Prince's front, looking down at the Third Prince who was lying on the ground, and said coldly.
"This is my final warning. If you dare to speak to me disrespectfully again, next time it won't be as simple as kneeling on the ground."
"You... Who exactly are you?" The Third Prince stared at Chu Chen in terror, his heart filled with panic.
Chu Chen ignored the Third Prince and walked past him, entering the Golden Palace.
"Your Highness, are you alright?" Two guards rushed to help the Third Prince, who had gone limp on the ground.
The Third Prince struggled to get up, his gaze still fearfully fixed on Chu Chen's retreating back, and gritted his teeth, "I'll remember you!"
"Young Master Chu, you've finally arrived." As soon as Chu Chen entered the hall, a middle-aged man quickly walked over. He was the steward of the Wenyuan Pavilion, responsible for entertaining him.
This middle-aged man was named Liu Wenyuan, and he had served as the butler of the Chu family mansion.
"Something has happened to the Chu family." Chu Chen's expression was grave. "A drastic change has occurred within the family. Someone has colluded with the royal family, attempting to usurp the Chu family's assets. Fortunately, the master discovered it in time and sent me and Chu Yunfeng to escape in secret. Otherwise, our Chu family would have faced utter destruction."
"What? Such a thing has happened?" Hearing this, Liu Wenyuan's eyes widened in disbelief, his face filled with shock. He had stayed in the Chu family for several years and knew how terrifying the Chu family's influence was. How dare someone have the audacity to attempt to overthrow the Chu family?
"Keep this news confidential for now. I haven't yet identified the mastermind behind it," Chu Chen said. "Please quickly prepare a generous gift for the Crown Prince to show my sincerity."
Liu Wenyuan paused and said, "Young Master Chu, you mean...?"
"I want the Crown Prince to save the Chu family's life." Chu Chen said.
Liu Wenyuan said bitterly, "Our Chu family has now fallen to become a second-rate noble family, with no foundation in the capital. If we want to ask the Crown Prince to intervene, the difficulty is too great. Moreover, the Chu family and the Crown Prince have always had no connection. Why would he risk helping our Chu family?"
Liu Wenyuan's concerns were not unreasonable. Although the Chu family was powerful, it was still far from the Crown Prince's mansion, and the Chu family's current situation was precarious. A slight misstep could lead to their being swallowed by other families, leaving them with no bargaining chips for aid.
"I naturally understand these principles, but now the Chu family can only rely on him," Chu Chen sighed, his expression quite helpless. The only person within the Chu family who had the strength and qualification to help them through this ordeal was the Crown Prince. However, the problem was that Chu Chen could not place his hopes on others, which was why he chose to seek refuge with the Crown Prince. As long as the Crown Prince was willing to extend a helping hand, the Chu family would still have a chance to turn things around!
"Since Young Master Chu trusts me, I will do my best to handle it," Liu Wenyuan nodded.
Chu Chen sighed lightly, "I don't expect anything else. I only hope you can arrange a banquet to introduce me to the Crown Prince. I have important matters to discuss."
The Golden Palace, the plaza outside the main hall.
A group of nobles and dignitaries gathered in the plaza, pointing and discussing animatedly.
"Why haven't they arrived yet?"
"They should be here soon. After all, it's the Third Prince's birthday. As a guest minister, Chu Chen wouldn't dare to be late."
"Alas, the Third Prince has a violent temper. What if this banquet is ruined?"
"Regardless, let's wait and see."
As they were discussing, a commotion arose in the distance. A grand procession of soldiers was slowly escorting four corpses. Each corpse was clad in armor, clearly indicating they were imperial guards.
"Isn't that the Imperial Guard Commander Zhao Wu?"
"Who are the other three? Why are they dead here?"
"Hiss... Those three are Zhang Yishan, the Assistant Minister of the Ministry of Justice, and Lin Yuanyang, the Minister of War!"
"Heavens! These are two pillars of the court! They've been beheaded and put on display. This is rebellion!"
"Too terrifying! What kind of rebels could commit such a heinous crime!"
The crowd erupted in an uproar. Although the official positions of Zhang Yishan, Assistant Minister of the Ministry of Justice, and Lin Yuanyang, Minister of War, were not as high as the Third Prince's, their power and status in the capital were unshakeable. Yet, two high-ranking officials of the court were now dead in the street, their blood staining the road, a shocking sight.
"This..." Liu Wenyuan's face turned pale at the sight, his legs trembling. He couldn't help but step back a few paces.
"Is this the 'small fry' you mentioned?" Chu Chen glanced at the four corpses in the plaza and then turned to leave.
In the Crown Prince's mansion, the Crown Prince sat on his throne, resting with his eyes closed, seemingly unaware of the commotion outside the palace gates. The moment Chu Chen stepped into the Golden Palace, the Crown Prince opened his eyes, his gaze falling upon Chu Chen.
"Your Highness the Crown Prince." Chu Chen cupped his fists in a salute and then took out a jade pendant, handing it over. "This is the Jin Yi Wei token given to me by His Majesty. I implore Your Highness to intervene and protect the Chu family through this ordeal!"
"Oh?" The Crown Prince took the Jin Yi Wei token, a smile appearing at the corner of his lips. The Crown Prince had already anticipated that Chu Chen would not dare to defy the imperial decree. As expected, Chu Chen voluntarily produced the Jin Yi Wei token.
"The Jin Yi Wei is a special department personally controlled by Father Emperor. Are you not afraid of angering Father Emperor by producing it?" The Crown Prince examined the Jin Yi Wei token in his hand with interest. The existence of the Jin Yi Wei was a closely guarded secret by successive emperors, and thus unknown to anyone except its members.
"Your Highness jokes. A mere Jin Yi Wei token, how could it affect the sovereign's wise judgment?" Chu Chen shook his head.
"Well said, 'a mere Jin Yi Wei token'." The Crown Prince applauded with admiration and then ordered, "Someone!"
A eunuch quickly emerged from the hall, bowing respectfully. "This servant is here."
"Immediately summon all Jin Yi Wei members. I have important matters to announce," the Crown Prince waved his hand.
"As you command!" The eunuch took his orders and left.
A moment later, in the Crown Prince's mansion, one hundred and fifty Jin Yi Wei members were gathered, numbering over eighty.