Chu Chen cast a cold glance at Li Yang and turned to leave the Hall of Punishment.
"Bastard!" Li Yang gritted his teeth, his eyes filled with hatred. He was a fourth-rank official, and Chu Chen, a mere Embroidered Uniform Guard, dared to threaten him!
"Commander Li, how should this matter be handled?" the supervisor of the Hall of Punishment asked. He could see that both the Fifth Prince and the supervisor of the Hall of Punishment were terrified by Chu Chen.
Li Yang was silent for a moment, took a deep breath, and slowly said, "Detain him for now and await the Emperor's decision."
"Yes!" The supervisor of the Hall of Punishment nodded and immediately ordered two soldiers to escort Chu Chen away. Soon, he disappeared from sight.
At the same time, the news of Chu Chen being imprisoned in the Hall of Punishment spread throughout the capital.
"Did you hear? Chu Chen was thrown into the Hall of Punishment!"
"What? Chu Chen was thrown into the Hall of Punishment? This is serious! He injured the Fifth Prince, so his crime is even worse!"
"Tsk tsk tsk... This is going to be interesting!"
"This is a disgrace to the Chu family! Chu Chen is their only son, and he dared to beat the Fifth Prince!"
After the news broke, the entire city was in an uproar. People flocked to the Hall of Punishment, eager to witness the spectacle.
Chu Family Manor.
"Chu Chen has been locked up in the Hall of Punishment!"
"It's true, the news came from the Hall of Punishment. Chu Chen was beaten and sent to prison!"
Upon hearing the news, the members of the Chu family were all shocked and rushed to the Hall of Punishment to check on Chu Chen's condition, as it was a heavily guarded area.
The head of the Chu family, Chu Yunxiao, also received the news.
"You scoundrel! He actually assaulted a prince, how presumptuous!" Chu Yunxiao was furious and immediately led his men to the Hall of Punishment.
Meanwhile, in the Taiqian Palace, a man in a green shirt stood in the center of the hall, reporting to Jun Tianlie on the high platform.
"Reporting to Your Majesty, this subordinate discovered this letter while patrolling the marketplace!"
Saying that, the man in the green shirt presented the letter.
"What is this?" Jun Tianlie took the letter and opened it to read carefully.
The letter was not long, and he finished reading it within the time it takes for an incense stick to burn. Jun Tianlie frowned and murmured, "Strange, I don't recall this."
Jun Tianlie shook his head, then said to the man in the green robe below, "You said you saw someone who looked very much like me and injured Zhao Yunlong. Where is he?"
"Reporting to Your Majesty, Chu Chen has been imprisoned in the Hall of Punishment, but he escaped." The man in the green robe replied respectfully.
"This good-for-nothing, he actually tried to escape from prison?" Jun Tianlie snorted coldly, his face extremely grim.
"Since he wants to escape, let him. Continue to monitor him with those secretly watching him, and report any unusual movements immediately!"
"As you command!" The man in the green robe cupped his fists.
"You may withdraw." Jun Tianlie waved his hand.
After the man in the green robe left, Jun Tianlie fell into deep thought, murmuring, "Why do I feel that this matter is strange, as if someone deliberately lured Chu Chen to beat Zhao Yunlong."
Who is Chu Chen? Although he is just an unfavored illegitimate son of the Chu family, who would be foolish enough to deal with him in this manner?
Jun Tianlie always felt that there was more to this matter.
"Never mind, I won't think about these things for now. Let's deal with the immediate trouble." Jun Tianlie waved his hand, then took out a jade pendant and said in a low voice, "Someone!"
A moment later, an old man with a white beard hurried in. "Greetings, Your Majesty!"
"Notify the Minister of Justice that the interrogation must be completed before noon tomorrow!" Jun Tianlie said with a cold snort.
"Yes!" The white-bearded old man responded and then left. In the prison of the Ministry of Justice, Chu Chen sat alone in the corner of the cell, eyes closed, recuperating.
The supervisor of the Hall of Punishment, Li Yang, had already informed him that Zhao Yunlong was injured by him and was likely recuperating, so he wouldn't be coming out anytime soon.
As for the other three Embroidered Uniform Guards mentioned by the supervisor of the Hall of Punishment, they had already been arranged by Li Yang to withdraw, as they couldn't afford to offend the Fifth Prince.
"Chu Chen!" Just then, the sound of footsteps approached.
Chu Chen's eyes snapped open. He looked up and saw Chu Yunxiao, the head of the Chu family, leading a group of guards, storming in aggressively.
"Father," Chu Chen called out indifferently.
Chu Yunxiao's face was grim. He coldly reprimanded, "You scoundrel, how dare you! You even dared to injure the Fifth Prince! Do you think you can still walk out of here alive?"
"I beat him because I wanted to," Chu Chen maintained his calm expression.
"Why don't you kneel and admit your mistake!" Chu Yunxiao roared. "The Emperor has issued a secret decree that you must apologize to the Fifth Prince today!"
"What if I don't apologize?" Chu Chen said calmly.
"Not apologize?" Chu Yunxiao's face contorted with ferocity. He pointed at Chu Chen and cursed.
"You unfilial son, how dare you talk back to your father! Our Chu family raised you for over twenty years.
Not only are you ungrateful, but you also dared to injure a royal prince! Today, I will beat you to death!"
Chu Yunxiao became more and more agitated, even rushing to Chu Chen and raising his hand to slap him hard.
*Slap!* The crisp, loud sound of the slap echoed throughout the Hall of Punishment.
"Chu Chen, I treated you well since you were young, yet you repay kindness with enmity! You unfilial son, you injured a prince and still dare to quibble! Today, I will discipline you on behalf of your mother!"
Chu Yunxiao cursed madly.
However, as soon as Chu Yunxiao approached, a cold glint flashed in Chu Chen's eyes, and an icy, bone-chilling aura swept through his body!
Chu Chen's gaze was as cold as a ferocious beast, fixing on Chu Yunxiao like a wild animal, a chilling killing intent emanating from him.
"What?" Chu Yunxiao was stunned by the terrifying killing intent that Chu Chen suddenly unleashed. His heart twitched violently, and he felt an inexplicable fear.
"You dare to glare at me! You're asking for death!" Chu Yunxiao was enraged and was about to strike again when he was stopped by a guard beside him.
"Sir, please calm down. Let me try to persuade him," the guard said hurriedly.
"Get lost! I want to beat this disobedient son to death with my own hands!" Chu Yunxiao roared, clearly still furious.
"Sir, please calm your anger. There must be something strange about this matter. Perhaps he was unaware. Let's send someone to investigate further," the guard pleaded.
Chu Yunxiao angrily stopped his attack and snorted, "You'd better not let me find out you're behind this, or you're dead!"
As he spoke, Chu Yunxiao glared at Chu Chen fiercely again.
"Father, please forgive me, but I cannot accompany you. I am tired and wish to rest," Chu Chen said calmly, then stood up and walked out of the cell.
"You—" Chu Yunxiao trembled with anger, gritting his teeth, "You scoundrel, you really think you're something!"
"Sir, please don't be angry. I don't think Chu Chen did this. I suspect someone behind him is plotting against him!" the guard said in a low voice.
Chu Yunxiao paused slightly, frowning. "What do you suggest?"
"This subordinate has heard that Chu Chen is a direct descendant of the Chu family, and his mother is from the direct lineage. Although Chu Chen is an illegitimate son, he is still a member of the Chu family."