His actions clearly indicated he was opposing the Crown Prince's mansion.
"When he broke into the Hall of Punishment just now, I saw him kill the captain of the guards. He's probably seeking revenge for Chu Yanran!"
"What? Killed the captain of the guards? Has Chu Chen gone mad!"
He walked on the street, drawing curious glances from everyone. However, Chu Chen paid no heed, a cold smile still gracing his face.
Chu Chen stopped abruptly at the entrance of the Hall of Punishment.
"What is he doing here?" people wondered, all believing Chu Chen had come to beg for mercy.
But as confusion rippled through the crowd, Chu Chen pushed open the doors of the Hall of Punishment and walked straight in.
Inside the Hall of Punishment, Zhao Yunlong sat slumped in a chair, his face pale, his eyes filled with terror.
"Your Highness Fifth Prince, are you alright?" the official in charge of interrogations asked respectfully, looking at Zhao Yunlong, who was slumped limply in his chair.
The head of the Hall of Punishment was the Minister of Justice, Li Yang.
"Useless! A bunch of useless people!" Zhao Yunlong roared in fury, pointing at Li Yang's nose. "I ordered you to detain that bastard Chu Chen, and you actually let him go!"
Li Yang frowned, lowered his head, and said, "Reporting to Your Highness Fifth Prince, your subordinate originally intended to capture Chu Chen, but who knew..."
"Enough! I don't want to hear your excuses. Go catch Chu Chen, he can't escape!" Zhao Yunlong bellowed.
"But Your Highness Fifth Prince..."
Just as Li Yang was about to remind Zhao Yunlong, Zhao Yunlong's gaze fell upon Chu Chen.
He snarled, "Chu Chen, how dare you kill my guards! I will not let you go, I will torture you to death!"
Chu Chen stood in the center of the Hall of Punishment, calmly watching Zhao Yunlong rage. A mocking curve appeared on his lips. "You fool, you still dare to threaten me?"
"You..." Zhao Yunlong's face turned extremely grim. Chu Chen's attitude angered him greatly.
"Do you think I'm still the same good-for-nothing you used to bully?" Chu Chen snorted, a chilling killing intent emanating from him.
"Heh heh, a good-for-nothing is still a good-for-nothing," Zhao Yunlong sneered.
Zhao Yunlong's words made the expressions of everyone in the Hall of Punishment turn strange.
Chu Chen shook his head faintly and said, "I admit I was a good-for-nothing before, but when I, Chu Chen, return again.
I must crush your head fiercely and let the world know who the real good-for-nothing is!"
"Hahaha..." Zhao Yunlong threw his head back and laughed, looking down at Chu Chen with utter contempt. "With a good-for-nothing like you, you dare to talk about crushing me?
I am a royal prince, how can a mere commoner like you insult me?"
Upon hearing this, Chu Chen's eyes suddenly turned cold. He clenched his right fist, his bones cracking.
Seeing Chu Chen clench his fist, Zhao Yunlong burst into laughter, his mocking laughter filled with sarcasm.
"Chu Chen, you dare to make a move? If you dare to touch me, I will immediately have my father, the Emperor, execute your entire clan!"
"Swish!" The moment Zhao Yunlong finished speaking, Chu Chen suddenly threw a punch. The fierce fist wind roared like a tiger in the mountains.
Zhao Yunlong's laughter abruptly ceased. His pupils constricted to pinpricks. Before he could even react, his entire face took the blow.
His body flew backward, crashing heavily several meters away.
"Ah!" A heart-wrenching scream echoed. Zhao Yunlong clutched his stomach, groaning in pain.
The Hall of Punishment fell into silence, not a sound to be heard. Everyone gasped, their faces filled with horror as they stared at Zhao Yunlong, who was writhing on the ground, dumbfounded.
Chu Chen had actually dared to act, and had even injured the Fifth Prince. Was he trying to rebel!
There were eight guards in the Hall of Punishment. At this moment, they all stared at Zhao Yunlong, lying on the ground, as if they had seen a ghost.
Chu Chen had knocked Zhao Yunlong down with a single punch. Although it was just a physical confrontation, the outcome was beyond their expectations.
No one had anticipated that Chu Chen would actually dare to strike a prince.
"You... you have such audacious courage, you dare to hit me?" Zhao Yunlong roared in pain, his face contorted with rage. Since he was young, no one had ever dared to hit him!
"I'm telling you, I am the dignified Fifth Prince. If you dare to touch a single hair on me today, you are dead.
My father, the Emperor, will surely skin you alive and pull out your tendons!" Zhao Yunlong cursed venomously.
"Slap!" However, Chu Chen suddenly flashed forward and delivered a slap, completely stunning Zhao Yunlong.
"You dare to hit me?" Zhao Yunlong's eyes widened, his cheek burning with pain. His eyeballs almost bulged out.
Chu Chen said coldly, "Who do you think you are? You dare to order me around, you deserve to pay the price!"
Chu Chen's actions once again shocked everyone in the Hall of Punishment, including Li Yang.
At this moment, His Majesty the Emperor was in the imperial study discussing state affairs with his ministers. Zhao Yunlong, however, had angered Chu Chen with a single sentence.
This led to him being severely beaten, which was a violation of the law! According to the law, Chu Chen should be beheaded as a warning to others!
"My heavens! Chu Chen actually dared to hit Zhao Yunlong, he is committing treason!"
"Did I see that wrong? Chu Chen actually dared to hit a prince!"
"Quickly report this matter to His Majesty!" The civil and military officials in the Hall of Punishment were all in a panic. Chu Chen's actions had severely violated the law.
"Commander Li, immediately dispatch men to arrest Chu Chen. If he resists, kill him without mercy!" the supervisor of the Hall of Punishment urgently ordered.
"Yes!" Li Yang nodded, then ordered two of the Imperial Guards, "Go and tie up Chu Chen!"
Several Imperial Guards immediately charged forward.
"Get lost!" Chu Chen shouted coldly. Powerful primal energy surged from his dantian, directly sending the two Imperial Guards flying.
He then turned to the remaining two Imperial Guards and said, "You two, get lost too!"
"Pfft!" Chu Chen's words made the two Imperial Guards feel utterly humiliated. They spat blood and fainted on the spot.
Defeating three Imperial Guards with mere physical strength demonstrated formidable power, no wonder he was considered the foremost young talent of the Chu family.
"Commander Li, what should we do?" In the Hall of Punishment, the civil and military officials were in disarray.
Li Yang's expression flickered, and he remained silent.
"What are you all standing around for? Hurry up and capture Chu Chen! If he dares to resist, kill him without mercy!" Zhao Yunlong roared in anger, clutching his bleeding chest.
"Chu Chen, if you resist, do not blame this old man for being ruthless!" Li Yang's expression also became solemn, and he shouted sternly.
"Just try me," Chu Chen said calmly, staring at Li Yang.
Li Yang narrowed his eyes, a murderous glint flashing within them. He then ordered, "Tie up Chu Chen and escort him to the prison!"
"Wait!" Just as two soldiers were about to move, Chu Chen suddenly called out, "Hold on!"
"What? Scared now?" Li Yang sneered. "It's too late!"
"Commander Li, don't forget, you are also an official of the court!" Chu Chen said coldly. "You had best remain silent about today's events, otherwise, I will never forgive you!"