Inside the Prime Minister's mansion, Li Tiannan sat in the head seat, his sharp, deep eyes radiating a wise brilliance.
"Reporting to the Prime Minister, Chu Chen has already left the Prime Minister's mansion," a guard reported respectfully.
Li Tiannan waved his hand, signaling the guard to withdraw.
"Prime Minister, in my humble opinion, the Chu family has long lost its influence, and Chu Chen is not to be feared. We don't need to worry about him. After all, Chu Tianxiong is dead, and with just Chu Chen alone, he can't make waves," a strategist advised. His name was Zhang Dewen, and he was from the Liu family.
"Indeed, Prime Minister, although Chu Chen is young, he is ruthless and extremely cunning. We must not let our guard down," another strategist echoed.
"Prime Minister, I, on the other hand, believe Chu Chen cannot be left alive and must be eliminated, otherwise, he will become an obstacle to the Prime Minister in the future," another strategist agreed.
Li Tiannan smiled faintly, then picked up his teacup and took a sip. "How could I not understand? But now that Chu Tianxiong has just died, the situation in the court is in turmoil. Various forces are stirring. If we deal with the Chu family at this time, it might cause a huge uproar, which would be detrimental to us. Let him go for now."
Upon hearing Li Tiannan's words, Zhang Dewen and several strategists showed reluctance, but they also understood that with Chu Tianxiong's recent death, the imperial court was in a state of chaos. If they moved against the Chu family now, it would indeed cause many troubles, so they could only choose to endure.
"However, Prime Minister, Chu Tianxiong's death is undoubtedly related to the royal family. We might as well follow the clues and investigate thoroughly," a strategist suggested.
Li Tiannan nodded. "Yes, that's what I was thinking. However, the royal family's influence is deeply entrenched in the capital. It's not advisable for us to act rashly now, lest we alert the enemy. We'll make our move after things have calmed down."
At the Chu family mansion, in the courtyard, Chu family disciples were gathered.
"Brother Chu Chen, you're back! Something has happened in the family," Chu Yurou ran over immediately, her expression anxious.
"What happened?" Chu Chen asked quickly. Since the Chu family split, they had been subjected to various forms of targeting and suppression. If they could still stand today, it was all thanks to Chu Chen's help; otherwise, they would have likely perished long ago.
"Second Uncle and Second Aunt have been locked up in the Hall of Punishment, accused of crimes and to be punished. Elder Sister and Fourth Sister have also been injured," Chu Yurou said with a worried tone.
Hearing this, Chu Chen's expression instantly turned ice-cold, his eyes filled with a chilling glint. "Who did it?" Chu Chen asked in a low voice.
"It seems to be the Fifth Prince's men," Chu Yurou replied. She also harbored deep resentment towards the Fifth Prince because he had caused her Third Uncle to be dismissed and transferred to a remote and desolate land, resulting in heavy losses for the family.
Chu Chen's face darkened slightly, a sharp glint flashing in his eyes. He murmured to himself, "It is indeed him."
"Let's go save them quickly," Chu Yurou urged.
"No need to go. They should have already left the Prime Minister's mansion," Chu Chen shook his head.
"What? They left? Then wouldn't that..." Chu Yurou's pretty face changed slightly, a deep worry appearing in her beautiful eyes. The Fifth Prince had sent men to beat up the members of the second and third branches. If Chu Chen hadn't known, it would be one thing, but now that he did, he certainly wouldn't stand idly by.
"Go back and tell Mother not to worry. Leave this matter to me," Chu Chen said, patting Chu Yurou's shoulder to comfort her. Then, he headed alone towards the Hall of Punishment.
The Hall of Punishment was heavily guarded, with hundreds of guards patrolling. Any unauthorized personnel approaching within ten feet of the hall would be immediately executed. At the entrance of the Hall of Punishment, dozens of guards stood watch, swords gleaming, creating a tense atmosphere.
"Stop! What are you doing here?" a guard blocked Chu Chen, his tone threatening.
Chu Chen glanced at the guard and then strode forward.
"Are you looking for death?!" The guard was furious, drawing his sword and placing it at Chu Chen's neck, shouting, "I warn you not to barge in, or I'll break your legs."
Chu Chen stopped, looking at the guard expressionlessly, and slowly uttered two words: "Get lost."
"You!" The guard's anger surged, a killing intent flashing in his eyes. Chu Chen ignored him and walked straight through the guard, entering the Hall of Punishment.
"You..." The guard was stunned, momentarily at a loss. He had never encountered such a situation before.
"What's going on? Who is this kid? Is he trying to force his way into the Hall of Punishment?" a companion beside the guard asked curiously.
"He's that good-for-nothing Chu Chen," the guard frowned. "I stopped him, but he just yelled at me. It's strange, where did he get the nerve?"
"Haha! So it's the good-for-nothing Chu Chen. No wonder this kid has such courage," the companion burst into mocking laughter, his face full of scorn, not taking Chu Chen seriously at all.
Just then, Chu Chen's figure suddenly disappeared, as if he had evaporated into thin air, leaving everyone stunned.
"What's going on?" The guard's eyes widened, his pupils constricting in shock. "He's gone!"
"Damn it! What's happening? Where's the person!" the companion shouted in shock, goosebumps rising all over his body.
"He disappeared."
"How is that possible!" All the guards exclaimed, their faces filled with shock and fear. They scanned their surroundings with their peripheral vision, but they could not detect any trace of him, not even his shadow. He turned into a blur, streaking across the open area in front of the Hall of Punishment and rushing inside.
Inside the Hall of Punishment, many guards were busy with something, seemingly following orders. Suddenly, a few muffled thuds were heard, followed by several guards collapsing to the ground, bleeding from their seven orifices, their lives extinguished. They died very strangely.
"Assassin!"
"Enemy attack! Protect the Fifth Prince!"
"Protect the Fifth Prince!" The Hall of Punishment immediately erupted into chaos. Hundreds of guards rushed out in a panic, each holding a spear, surrounding Chu Chen.
"Swish!" Chu Chen's gaze swept around, finally landing on the man sitting on the main seat. This person was none other than the First Prince of the Zhao family, Zhao Yunlong!
Zhao Yunlong looked at Chu Chen, a sinister smile curving his lips. "I didn't expect the Chu family's good-for-nothing to dare to show up. How rare."
Chu Chen narrowed his eyes, staring at Zhao Yunlong, and said coldly, "Zhao Yunlong, what do you want?"
"What do I want? Haha..." Zhao Yunlong laughed unrestrainedly upon hearing this. "Chu Chen, I want you to kneel before me and beg for mercy. Otherwise, your family will die without a burial place!"
"Dream on!" Chu Chen spat out the two words through gritted teeth, his face contorted.
"It seems you haven't understood the situation. Do you think I'm playing games with you? I only need to say a word, and your parents will immediately be lying dead in the street. Believe it or not," Zhao Yunlong sneered.