"With a face swollen like a pig's head, Cuixiang seized the opportunity to chime in: 'Eunuch, have your men make it quick. I want this good-for-nothing to be stuck in bed for at least a month!'"
"Are you sure a month is enough?" Li Fuhai sneered maliciously.
Before Cuixiang could reply, Chu Ying's gaze turned icy cold: "Of course not. You'd better make me bedridden for the rest of my life—that would take real talent!"
"Hehe, Your Highness is joking. No matter how low you've fallen, you're still His Majesty's son, and this servant doesn't have that kind of guts."
Li Fuhai wasn't lying. Even stuck in the Cold Palace, Chu Ying was still a member of the royal family.
As long as he held that status, these servants wouldn't dare to kill or cripple him at will—at least not openly.
At most, they could only subject him to a beating, and even then, they had to be sneaky about it.
Otherwise, once word got out, even if the Emperor looked the other way, the censors at court would never let them off lightly.
"So even you lot have times when you lack the guts," Chu Ying sneered, clenching his fists as he stepped forward. "Too bad you don't. This prince, however, has plenty."
"You... what do you think you're doing!" Li Fuhai barked, staring at Chu Ying's fists.
He refused to believe this former punching bag actually dared to strike anyone.
The next moment, he paid the price for that assumption.
Without the slightest hesitation, Chu Ying moved with lightning speed, driving a vicious punch straight into Li Fuhai's stomach.
"Ugh... cough, cough! You..."
The blow nearly knocked the wind out of Li Fuhai. Screaming in agony, he doubled over like a boiled shrimp, coughing violently while pointing at Chu Ying and trying to retreat.
"Eunuch Li?!"
Cuixiang's expression twisted in shock. Never expecting this turn of events, she frantically roared at the three eunuchs: "What are you idiots staring at? Go save him!"
Startled out of their daze, the three men lunged forward all at once.
Yet as fast as they were, Chu Ying was faster.
With a furious roar, he tackled Li Fuhai to the ground, leaping on him like a savage, wild beast and raining blows down in a frenzied flurry of fists and kicks.
"Aiyoyo... He's gone mad! Someone pull him off, grab him!"
Li Fuhai took the beating head-on, scurrying in panic while guarding his head. His face was swollen, his robes torn, his hat knocked off, and his hair flying loose—a picture of utter wretchedness.
Still, there were more of them, and Chu Ying's current body was a far cry from his prime in his past life.
After a brief stalemate, the three men managed to pin Chu Ying against a table.
"Bah! Are you out of your damn mind, or were you born a rabid dog?!"
Having escaped the onslaught, a furious Li Fuhai spat out a mouthful of blood mixed with a broken tooth. Swinging his arm, he barked his orders: "Hold him down, you three! Hehe, little bastard, you like hitting people, don't you? Well, I'll stick around and play with you."
"No, stop it!"
At that moment, Consort Rong rushed forward. Li Fuhai snapped, "Pull this woman away!"
One of the three eunuchs immediately abandoned Chu Ying to block Consort Rong.
With no one left to interfere, Li Fuhai turned back to Chu Ying with a cruel grin. "Had your fun? Now it's my turn!"
With that, he drew back his hand and swung a heavy slap.
Just as the blow was about to connect with Chu Ying's face, the corner of the prince's mouth curled up in a smirk as if he had anticipated this all along. He suddenly exerted all his strength.
With one of the attendants missing and caught completely off guard, Chu Ying wrenched one hand free, grabbed the small knife lying on the table, and slashed upward.
Li Fuhai's reactions weren't slow; he yanked his hand back just in time.
Even so, his palm was still sliced open. Breaking out in a cold sweat, he flew into a rage and cursed, "Motherfucker, you're looking to die..."
His voice cut off abruptly. His entire body froze, and then his expression darkened into something hideously ugly.
Cuixiang and the three lackeys fared no better, standing frozen like idiots who had just seen a ghost.
Drip... drip...
Bright red blood continuously poured from Chu Ying's wrist, rapidly pooling into a small puddle on the floor.
He had actually slashed his own wrist!
The suddenness of the act seemed to freeze time itself.
After a long silence, Consort Rong let out a piercing shriek, grabbing Chu Ying's arm and sobbing uncontrollably: "Ying'er, why did you cut your wrist? Why are you so foolish? If you don't survive, your mother won't live either, oh..."
"Don't worry, Mother, I won't die just yet," Chu Ying comforted her, then shifted his gaze to Li Fuhai and the others, offering a provocative, mocking smile.
"Weren't you going to teach me a lesson? Come on, keep going... As lowly slaves and servants, you bullied and humiliated a prince of the realm, driving him to suicide. Tell me, what kind of fate awaits you all now?"
"You... you're mad! You're an absolute lunatic!"
Cuixiang's face was drained of color, terrified and furious as her lips trembled.
"What are you standing around for? Go, go get an imperial physician!"
Li Fuhai felt as though he had fallen into an icy cellar. Ignoring the pain in his palm, he screamed orders at his subordinates.
Yet a second later, he realized the Imperial Hospital was quite a distance away. By the time someone went there and came back, Chu Ying would have bled dry.
Panicking, he corrected himself: "Hurry, grab him and take him straight to the Imperial Hospital! Move!"
Who could have expected that this traditionally cowardly, useless prince would possess such a fierce and unyielding streak?
This time, they had tried to steal a chicken only to lose the bait!
Li Fuhai suffered in silence, words failing him.
The imperial palace was crawling with eyes and ears. Marching all the way to the Imperial Hospital like this could never be kept secret.
Once word got out that the First Prince, Chu Ying, had been driven to suicide by their actions, it would surely reach Emperor Chu's ears in no time.
Suddenly, Li Fuhai caught sight of the mocking glare in Wang An's eyes.
He shuddered and roared, "This was all your doing, wasn't it? You planned this from the start!"
Chu Ying didn't admit it, merely letting out a dry chuckle. "If I were you, I wouldn't waste time standing here. Once I actually kick the bucket, you know very well what fate awaits the lot of you."
What fate could it be? Execution, the whole lot of them!
"You... you..."
Li Fuhai pointed at him, choking with rage and unable to speak.
Before he could urge them further, the three attendants had already hoisted Chu Ying up and bolted out the door.
After all, even a lowly worm clings to life; none of them were eager to throw their lives away just yet.
"Eunuch... Eunuch, what do we... what do we do now?"
Once the others had gone, Cuixiang grabbed Li Fuhai, trembling as she asked.
"What else can we do? The kid's ruthless, and there's no way to cover this up now."
With a shifting, sickly expression, Li Fuhai gnashed his teeth. "Our top priority is to go back and find Consort Jin. Only she can save us... No matter what, the two of us were acting on her orders."
"Then hurry, let's go back right now!"
Terrified out of her wits, Cuixiang had lost all appetite for tormenting Consort Rong and fled the courtyard in a panic alongside Li Fuhai.
Li Fuhai's guess was entirely correct.
The wrist-cutting stunt had indeed been deliberately orchestrated by Chu Ying.
In this era, common medical knowledge was severely lacking, and as eunuchs and palace maids, they were even more clueless.
They didn't realize that while the wound on Chu Ying's wrist looked terrifying, it hadn't actually severed an artery.
As a specially trained modern soldier, manufacturing that exact type of wound was a specialty of Chu Ying's.
On the battlefields of his past life, that trick was frequently used for interrogation.
He wasn't an idiot—having finally transmigrated into this world, why would he ever commit suicide?
He simply wanted to use this method to blow the matter wide open, capturing the attention of both the courtiers and the Emperor himself to alter his desperate situation.
Unless Emperor Chu was truly cold-blooded and ruthless, he had to give some sort of response regarding his own wife and son.
Without a doubt, Chu Ying had succeeded!
The news that the First Prince, unable to bear years of abuse from palace servants, had flown into a rage and attempted suicide quickly swept through the entire Imperial City.
The officials working within the city were all thoroughly shaken.
"Outrageous! Although the First Prince carries a tainted reputation, he is still of imperial blood! How can a pack of dogs of servants be allowed to bully him?!"
"What tainted reputation? Ten years ago he was just a child, what did that matter have to do with him? And His Majesty—does he just sit by and watch his own son be tormented by a pack of curs?"
"Such unbridled audacity from these lowly maids! Have they forgotten all propriety and hierarchy? They must be severely punished to serve as a warning to others..."
Most of these officials hailed from the Confucian Sect, traditionally valuing hierarchy, propriety, and the ruler-subject code above all else.
Nothing enraged them more than overstepping boundaries.
Even those who felt no particular sympathy for Chu Ying joined the chorus of condemnation purely to uphold ritual and law.
The idle censors, smelling blood like flies on meat, rushed to the Noon Gate to lodge formal complaints, unanimously demanding that Li Fuhai, Cuixiang, and the rest be brought to justice.
For once, the notoriously fractious court officials of Great Chu were united in unprecedented solidarity.
Yet they knew nothing of the fact that inside the imperial palace, someone had already stolen a march on them to lodge a counter-complaint.
Inside the Hall of Mental Cultivation, within the Imperial Study.
Emperor Chu, Chu Yuntian, held a short bronze sword, slowly polishing it with a piece of silk.
The blade was smooth as a mirror, reflecting a sharp-jawed, imposing face that radiated authority without anger.
Behind him, kneeling in the center of the room directly facing the study's doors, was an elegantly dressed, attractive palace matron in her thirties, wiping away tears.
"Your Majesty, you simply must grant Your Concubine justice! It was clearly Consort Rong and her son who spurned our good intentions and threw their weight around. This concubine merely sent maids over out of the kindness of her heart to ask after their health, so how did it ever become bullying them?"
This noblewoman was none other than Consort Jin, the very person who had consistently tormented Chu Ying and his mother over the years.
The moment she received the report from Li Fuhai and Cuixiang, she knew disaster had struck and rushed straight to the Hall of Mental Cultivation to strike first with accusations.
Before Chu Yuntian could speak, she continued resentfully, "Besides, the First Prince took a knife and cut his own wrist; it had not the slightest thing to do with my servants. I beg Your Majesty not to listen to those idle rumors outside."
Chu Yuntian paused his sword-polishing and said flatly, "So, you're saying everyone outside is entirely in the wrong, and you've been wronged?"
Consort Jin's heart skipped a beat. This fickle and moody husband of hers managed to make her nervous.
Bracing herself, she pressed on: "Your Majesty, everything this concubine says is true. Ever since Consort Rong and her son entered the Cold Palace, remembering our past ties as sisters, this concubine has sent servants to check on them every few days. Everything I did came from a place of pure goodwill. If Your Majesty doesn't believe me, you can summon the palace servants to question them."
She wasn't afraid of Chu Yuntian questioning the staff.
Not to mention that those servants had already been bought and prepped by her, they wouldn't dare speak the truth anyway, simply out of regard for her status.
No one would pick a fight with a powerful, favored consort just for two people cast away into the Cold Palace.
Yet, she never expected that the moment the words left her mouth, a voice would step forward to refute her.
"Your Majesty, Consort Jin's words do not match the facts!"
The sudden interruption made Consort Jin's gaze turn icy as she angrily looked toward the entrance.
A stalwart figure clad in soft armor, a heavy blade at his waist and a thick cloak draped over his shoulders, appeared at the doorway of the study, blocking half the sunlight.
"Oh, Lei Kai, come in and speak if you have something to say."
Chu Yuntian was clearly very familiar with the big man's voice.
This man was his personally selected commander of the imperial guards. Whenever the Emperor worked, the guard commander stood watch outside, so his presence required no evasion.
"This subordinate obeys."
Lei Kai shook the frost and snow from his cloak, then stepped across the threshold.
Chu Yuntian put away the short sword, finally turning around to sit in his chair as he asked, "What did you mean by your previous remark?"
Consort Jin suddenly chimed in, "Commander Lei, please mind your place! If you don't know the facts, don't go spouting nonsense..."
"Consort Jin, rest assured. This subordinate is loyal to His Majesty and loyal to the court. Everything I speak of is what I have witnessed with my own eyes, and I would never talk in reckless falsehoods."
Lei Kai seemed completely immune to the threat in Consort Jin's voice, his expression grave and stone-cold as he reported:
"Reporting to Your Majesty, it is not just Consort Jin—over the past ten years, this subordinate has also visited the Cold Palace from time to time. Therefore, I know that the servants Consort Jin sent were never there to check on their well-being, but rather took joy in humiliating Consort Rong and her son. Every word this subordinate utters is the truth, and I am willing to wager my head on it."
"You..."
Consort Jin's body trembled, her expression instantly draining of color.
"You're talking nonsense!"
Her facade exposed, Consort Jin refused to admit defeat. She pointed at Lei Kai, flustered and exasperated, "Your Majesty, you mustn't listen to his rambling! He just admitted he frequently visits the Cold Palace—who knows what kind of relationship he has with Consort Rong? Perhaps the two of them..."
"Shut your mouth!"
A low bark from Chu Yuntian made Consort Jin jolt as if struck by lightning, realizing too late that in her panic she had crossed a taboo.
An imperial consort having a clandestine affair with a military officer—no matter the dynasty, once spread, it would be the most explosive scandal imaginable.
Lei Kai dropped heavily to his knees, his expression remaining largely unchanged as he explained: "May Your Majesty discern the truth! Consort Rong once showed kindness to this subordinate, and when the First Prince was young, he also studied martial arts under me. His Majesty should be aware of this. It was simply out of gratitude for that past kindness and the bond of master and disciple that this subordinate occasionally looked after Consort Rong and her son."
"Even so, that is still no excuse for you to frequently enter and leave the Cold Palace," Chu Yuntian's voice carried a chilling indifference.
"This subordinate knew it was improper, but seeing the First Prince suffer unjustly in the Cold Palace at such a young age, I simply couldn't bear it," Lei Kai gritted out.
"Yet they are my wife and son. Are you implying you blame me for letting them suffer?" Chu Yuntian's voice grew colder still.
"This subordinate wouldn't dare."
Their exchange brought a sudden surge of secret delight to Consort Jin, giving her the hopeful feeling of a willow tree blooming in the shade.
She thought to herself: *After all, husband and wife are of one flesh; His Majesty is still siding with me.*
That being the case, her two maidservants were safe.
This was wonderful news. With this precedent, she figured even more people in the rear palaces would be willing to throw their lives at her service in the future!
"Consort Jin, you may return first. I still have matters to discuss with Commander Lei."
Assuming the Emperor wanted behind-closed-doors privacy to severely reprimand Lei Kai—something not meant for her eyes—Consort Jin happily rose to her feet.
Still a bit anxious, she double-checked: "Your Majesty, what about those maidservants of mine..."
"Go back and wait for word."
The Emperor's tone was entirely calm. *There's still hope!* Completely reassured now, Consort Jin left the Hall of Mental Cultivation with a triumphant air.
Once she was gone, Chu Yuntian looked at Lei Kai and asked, "Lei Kai, do you have anything else to say?"
"This subordinate has a clear conscience and leaves his fate entirely to Your Majesty's discretion." Lei Kai's face remained resolute, devoid of any fear.
"Heh, a clear conscience indeed. Get up." Far from being angered, Chu Yuntian actually chuckled at his defiance.
"Your Majesty isn't going to punish this subordinate?" Lei Kai was utterly surprised, almost thinking he misheard.
"Why would I punish you? Do you take my Flying Dragon Guard for a bunch of good-for-nothings who only eat and sleep?"
The so-called Flying Dragon Guard, akin to the imperial secret police, were the Emperor's eyes and ears, keeping watch over the entire realm. Naturally, they had a crystal-clear grip on everything happening within the palace walls.
"Then... why did Your Majesty speak that way just now? This subordinate genuinely thought..." Lei Kai rubbed his head, more bewildered than ever.
"Thought I would punish you?" Chu Yuntian sneered. "My displeasure was also genuine. Those two are still my wife and son; I'll deal with them myself without needing anyone else meddling. Understood?"
"This subordinate understands."
"Good as long as you understand. Come to think of it, ten years have passed. That incident back then really didn't have much to do with that mother and son, but that family... they truly are detestable. To this day, I still..."
Chu Yuntian instinctively clenched his fists, making it clear that a decade's time had not washed away his lingering resentment.
A moment later, he sighed softly. "Enough, enough. The matter has already blown up into a public spectacle, and the whole world is bound to think of me as a heartless ruler once again... Liu Yun."
"This old servant is here."
Beside the desk, an elderly eunuch with frosted temples stepped forward, bowing deeply.
He had been hiding like a shadow in the dimness; had he not moved, one would scarcely have noticed him at all.
"Pass down my imperial decree: Cuixiang, a maid of the Ningxiang Palace, lacked all respect for hierarchy and committed an offense against her superiors. Strip her of her status, banish her to the northern frontier, and assign her to a military brothel.
"Li Fuhai, the head eunuch of the Ningxiang Palace, is stripped of his position and shall be sent to the northern frontier for military service alongside the three attendants... As for Consort Jin, due to her failure to properly govern her subordinates and dereliction of duty, dock her salary for one year."
With a few words from Chu Yuntian, not a single wrongdoer was spared.
However, he let Consort Jin off lightly, making it clear that in his eyes, Consort Rong and her son simply didn't carry as much weight as her.
Hearing this, the elderly eunuch named Liu Yun specifically asked, "Your Majesty, is that all?"
"Mn." Chu Yuntian gave a slight nod, pondering for a moment before saying, "Later on, arrange for some men to go and repair the quarters where Consort Rong and her son live, and send over winter supplies. Oh, and assign a maidservant to them as well..."
He paused, turning his head to look at Lei Kai. "Just so no one else feels the need to take matters into their own hands."
"This subordinate wouldn't dare. On behalf of the First Prince and his mother, this subordinate thanks Your Majesty for this grace."
Though subjected to a veiled jab, Lei Kai didn't mind in the least. As he bowed, he silently rejoiced for Consort Rong and her son.
After enduring ten years of hardship, the clouds had finally parted to reveal the sun. Though it was only a faint sliver of light, hope was at last in sight.
"Don't go celebrating too early."
Once Liu Yun had left, Chu Yuntian laid his cards on the table. "Rewards come with punishments. That kid clearly pulled that stunt on purpose. Heh, playing the mute for ten years, and the moment he finally makes a move, it shakes the heavens... Looks like I've lost quite a bit of face this time."
"May Your Majesty calm your wrath. There may be hidden circumstances behind this..."
Knowing the Emperor remained displeased with Chu Ying, Lei Kai hurriedly spoke up to defend his former pupil out of loyalty.
"You don't need to make excuses for him. I'm no fool."
Chu Yuntian waved a hand to cut him off, then sighed, "What a fine scheme, being able to endure for so long. He truly is my son. Since he's so capable, it seems this imperial palace can no longer hold him."
He looked at Lei Kai with a deep, inscrutable gaze. "Tell me, what if I were to dispatch him to the frontier as well?"
Lei Kai's expression changed drastically. Dropping to his knees once more, he pleaded on Chu Ying's behalf:
"Your Majesty, the First Prince has lived a life of bitter misery and is Your Majesty's own flesh and blood. Even if his methods were a bit too extreme, surely he doesn't deserve to be sent to serve in the military frontier!"
"Who said anything about sending him to military service?"
Chu Yuntian's words caused Lei Kai's tense heart to drop slightly, only for it to leap back up the next instant: "I merely wish to grant him a fief on the border. I hear that Shunzhou in the Northern Yan Province has been rather unsettled lately. How does that location sound?"
"Your Majesty, no! That place is notoriously bitter and freezing, and it's far too close to the Northern Xiong..." Lei Kai furrowed his brow tightly.
"Say no more, my mind is made up. That kid slapped me across the face; not only am I letting him off without punishment, but I'm even granting him a fief—that is already the utmost benevolence."
Without a shred of compromise, Chu Yuntian stated firmly, "If he truly has any ability, let him prove it to me. Otherwise, he never has to come back for the rest of his life!"
With that, he picked up the short sword from his desk—its scabbard engraved with the golden phoenix totem unique to the Chu royal family—and rose to walk over to Lei Kai.
"Go and deliver the decree. In a few days, it will be the Lantern Festival. Once the holiday passes, tell him to pick a date and set off!"