"Third Prince, are you committing treason? Do you want to rebel?" One of the Emperor's loyalists, wanting to curry favor, suppressed his fear and loudly questioned.
"You dare to wreak havoc on the land of our Heavenly Dynasty? A scholar can be killed but not humiliated. I will flatten the Xiongnu." With that, he lunged directly at the man, throwing him to the ground in the next instant.
"Protect the Emperor, seize the Third Prince!" the Imperial Guard commander roared, and immediately men rushed forward. He laughed heartily, "Just in time, I want to teach you a good lesson."
Although the Emperor had an idea of what was happening, seeing so many people fall at his feet still brought a sense of humiliation.
The ministers who had participated in the banquet were already trembling in a corner. Those who had heard or witnessed the Third Prince's ferocity in the past were not surprised by this scene. After all, the Third Prince had single-handedly led troops across the land in his youth, establishing the Gao family's empire and overshadowing the late Emperor. They felt his charisma had not diminished, though they also feared being accidentally injured by him while drunk.
The younger generation had only heard of the Third Prince's might from their elders and were witnessing his extraordinary prowess for the first time. While a little scared, they couldn't help but feel admiration.
Young people admire the strong. If their elders hadn't told them that the Emperor and the Third Prince were irreconcilable, they would have truly wanted to get to know him better.
A quick-witted eunuch, sensing that the situation was amiss, quickly went to fetch reinforcements. Before the reinforcements arrived, all of the Emperor's men stationed there had already been incapacitated by the Third Prince.
Everyone instinctively retreated, but they were already at the wall, with nowhere left to go. Gao Zimu's eyes, bloodshot, scanned them all. He said menacingly, "Today, I will incorporate the Xiongnu into our Gao family's territory. From now on, the border residents will no longer suffer the hardships of war and will live and work in peace."
With that, he picked up a sword dropped by the Imperial Guard and walked step by step towards the Emperor.
"Gao Zimu, what do you think you're doing?" The Emperor found his voice trembling. He was unsure if the other party was truly drunk or feigning it, and he was extremely frightened.
Everyone watched him nervously, knowing that all the people in the hall combined were no match for him. With each step he took, it felt as if he was walking on their hearts, making them tremble and sweat profusely.
Seeing him slowly raise the sword in his hand, the timid ones involuntarily closed their eyes. They estimated that not only would there be a river of blood that night, but their own escape from the palace was uncertain.
Unexpectedly, the screams and sounds of fighting they had imagined did not come. Those who were confused quickly opened their eyes and saw the Third Prince sprawled on the ground, muttering drunkenly, "Drink, drink, keep drinking. We still have to fight the Xiongnu tomorrow."
They waited for a long time and, seeing that the Third Prince had truly fallen asleep, realized there was probably no danger for the night. Everyone collapsed onto the ground, feeling utterly drained. It had been too perilous. They wished they had stopped the Emperor from having the Third Prince drink when they had the chance. Who knew his drinking behavior was so terrible, that he would go mad after drinking?
The Emperor was also secretly enraged, unsure of what to do with him at that moment. While he was asleep, it was the best time to act, but with so many ministers watching, and after he had declared that he would not hold the Third Prince accountable for any abnormal behavior while drunk, he had scared himself half to death. Tomorrow, he would have to personally escort him out of the palace. The thought of that made him unwilling.
His heart struggled intensely, wavering between killing and not killing. If he didn't kill him, his formidable martial arts would pose a serious threat in the future. He could enter the palace as if it were an open field. How could one mountain tolerate two tigers? If he killed him, the Emperor had heard about the people lining the streets to welcome him today. He hadn't expected that after twenty years, those people still remembered him so fondly. He had only just stabilized the court. If his subordinates and the people rebelled, what would he do?
Seeing the Emperor's malevolent gaze towards the Third Prince, the ministers knew what he was thinking. Some regretted attending the banquet that night. If they had known, they would have found a way to decline. These successive frights were about to take their lives. Especially knowing this secret of the imperial family, they didn't know how they would die in the future.
It was too late to say anything. They could only try to hide and avoid attracting the Emperor's attention, minimizing their presence.
In the end, the Emperor decided that even if he was cursed by the people and had to suppress any resistance with troops, he would eliminate the current threat. This was a rare and golden opportunity.
He quickly pulled the Imperial Guard commander to his side and whispered instructions into his ear. The commander's expression showed a moment of surprise before returning to normal. He nodded without hesitation.
Then, with a determined expression, he walked towards the Third Prince and slowly drew the sword at his waist. The ministers knew what he intended to do and dared not make a sound. The hall became so quiet that even the sound of footsteps could be heard clearly.
The Imperial Guard commander unhesitatingly thrust his sword at him. The ministers saw him put all his strength into the attack, believing the Third Prince was surely dead this time, and that a legendary warrior was about to fall.
Following that, there was a "bang," and then a muffled groan. The Imperial Guard commander, who was supposed to plunge his sword into the Third Prince's heart, was now lying on the ground, clutching his chest, his face flushed red, his sword lying not far away.
He looked at the two people standing before him with disbelief. If he remembered correctly, these two were the Third Prince's retainers. The Third Prince's prowess was a known fact, but he hadn't expected his retainers to possess such high martial arts, which made him tremble with fear.
"Your Majesty, what is the meaning of this? When we left, the Third Prince was still dining properly. We merely went to retrieve a gift for you from the Third Prince, and then we witnessed this scene. If we had arrived any later, would the Third Prince have died by his sword?" The two men glared at everyone, as if they had been wronged.
The Emperor was momentarily speechless. After all, he had been caught red-handed. Even if he came up with an excuse, people weren't fools. He could only resort to his authority to threaten them: "Is this how you address me? Regardless, I am the Son of Heaven. If the ruler wants his subject to die, the subject must die."
"There must be a reason. I think Your Majesty simply doesn't want the Third Prince to live. After all, he is so outstanding that he makes you look utterly incompetent." Wei Jin directly stripped away the Emperor's pretense, watching his face instantly change and his gaze turn murderous. He felt nothing.
"Presumptuous! Guards, seize them!" The Emperor trembled with rage. The Third Prince hadn't directly confronted him, yet these two servants dared to be disrespectful to him.