"What injustice have you suffered? I grant you the right to appeal. If your words make no sense, I shall rule in accordance with Chancellor Qin's proposal!" Emperor Yuan chuckled inwardly. *You little wretch, you'll be lucky to leave here alive today.*
"Father, your son is thrilled to receive the title of Prince of Yelang from you today! Yet the Eighth Brother speaks foul words. I merely returned the favor in kind—what wrong have I done? As for Chancellor Qin accusing me of showing disrespect to my superiors, as the saying goes: 'If the upper beam is crooked, the lower beams will follow.' Since the Eighth Brother is an elder brother and yet speaks insolently to his younger brother, it is only right that I return the compliment. Should I not?
"Furthermore, while Qin Kui may hold the office of Chancellor, he remains nothing more than a dog of the Zhao family. I am the Ninth Prince of the imperial Zhao clan, your master! How dare you lack all sense of propriety, presuming to address your master by his given name and using such crude language? Such a treacherous official should be sent to the Ministry of Justice for severe punishment to serve as a deterrent to others!"
Hearing this, Qin Kui turned green with rage, pointed his right finger at Zhao Lie, and stammered, "Zhao Lie, you..."
Zhao Lie sneered. "A dog never changes its nature! How dare you bare your teeth at your master? Truly an unmannered beast!"
Every official in the imperial court was utterly shocked upon hearing Zhao Lie's words.
This Qin Kui was the head of all civil and military officials, second only to the Emperor and above tens of thousands. In the Nanchu court, he wielded absolute power, his word was law. Because of his meritorious service in negotiating peace with the Jin Kingdom, he had grown arrogant, haughty, and domineering. Even Emperor Yuan sometimes harbored a measure of fear toward him, and within the court he had a faction of die-hard partisans who obeyed his every command.
Yet today, the Ninth Prince had cursed him up one side and down the other. Worse still, everything the Ninth Prince had said was the absolute truth, leaving Qin Kui powerless to refute it.
Zhao Lie was Emperor Yuan's ninth son. Although his origins were somewhat obscure, there was no evidence proving he was not of imperial blood.
Therefore, no matter what, Zhao Lie remained the master. No matter how high Qin Kui's official rank was, he served the Zhao family—to put it bluntly, he was indeed nothing more than a dog, albeit a slightly more high-class pet dog.
Though Emperor Yuan said nothing aloud, he was overjoyed in his heart. *Could it be,* he wondered, *that after freezing out in the cold all night, old Ninth's brain has finally cleared up? How is it that he seems like a completely different person?*
The assembled officials were equally panic-stricken, exchanging bewildered glances in silence. They were astonished by the Ninth Prince—who previously used to cower in fear of falling leaves lest they crack his skull. It seemed that ever since kneeling in the snow last night, he had transformed into a new man today.
He had become bold yet meticulous, sharp-minded, articulate, aggressive, and razor-sharp.
Seeing that Zhao Lie completely disregarded him, Qin Kui flew into such a rage that he forgot he was currently in the morning court rather than his own residence, completely banishing Emperor Yuan sitting on the dragon throne to the back of his mind. Overstepping his authority, he let out a thunderous roar: "Guards! Seize this unfilial, unrighteous, and heartless bastard Zhao Lie, drag him outside, and beat him to death!"
Hearing this, Emperor Yuan, Zhao Zhen, was extremely displeased. *Qin Kui, oh Qin Kui, you are unworthy of being a chancellor! You let a mere stripling rattle you with a few words, losing your composure entirely. And even now you fail to restrain yourself, speaking with such reckless agitation. I fear you have just handed him an even bigger handle against you.*
Qin Kui had spoken without thinking, and Emperor Yuan's prediction proved correct. Seizing the opening, Zhao Lie shouted sternly, "Who dares touch me! I am the Ninth Prince, Zhao Lie!"
Four guards had indeed rushed forward in front of the Golden Throne Hall, but they were pinned in their tracks by the Ninth Prince's overwhelming, awe-inspiring aura.
Zhao Lie continued, "Qin Kui, you have immense audacity! My father is still seated on the dragon throne, yet you dare usurp his authority and issue commands! You treacherous dog slave, are you trying to rebel? Furthermore, a moment ago, not only did you insult me as the Ninth Prince, you also insulted my father! You called this prince a bastard—following your logic, does that make my father some wild scoundrel?"
Already breaking out in a cold sweat, Qin Kui hastily defended himself, "Reporting to Your Majesty, that is not what this minister meant, I..."
"Say no more! I already understand your meaning. As chancellor, you speak without restraint, publicly insulting members of the imperial family right here in the court. What crime do you deserve?" Emperor Yuan's anger had flared!
"Your Majesty, this minister deserves death! This minister truly did not mean it! Considering that this is my first offense, I beg Your Majesty to spare my life."
As he spoke, Qin Kui kowtowed frantically, his head striking the floor with thunderous thuds until his forehead was bruised and bleeding.
"Dog slave! Only now do you repent? Too late! Guards, seize this fellow surnamed Qin, drag him out, and give him fifty cane strokes! Then dock three months of his salary to be deposited into the national treasury, as a warning to see how he behaves henceforth! If he dares show such arrogance again, insulting the imperial family or my father, he shall be executed!" Zhao Lie commanded the four guards who had rushed forward earlier.
"Hold on! Ninth Brother, Father hasn't spoken a word yet—how dare you issue orders on his behalf? Could it be that you are the one trying to rebel?!" the Eighth Prince, Zhao Jian, sneered.
"I represent Father, and Father's will is precisely what I just said!" Zhao Lie laughed heartily.
"Oh! Is that so? Father, this Zhao Lie has grown completely lawless, to the point where he no longer even regards Your Majesty! Father, what do you think we should..." The Eighth Prince trailed off, glaring fiercely at Zhao Lie!
Inwardly, Emperor Yuan was deeply shocked. He found himself less and less able to fathom old Ninth. Those words a moment ago were precisely what he, the sovereign, had been thinking; having them spoken through old Ninth's mouth was the ideal outcome.
Thus, Emperor Yuan declared, "Minister Qin's words today were indeed excessive. Considering his meritorious service in laboring for state affairs over the years, the death penalty is temporarily suspended! We shall follow Zhao Lie's proposal: drag him outside, administer fifty cane strokes, and dock one year of his salary."
Upon hearing the Emperor's verdict, the crowd panicked. Emperor Yuan had not only approved Zhao Lie's petition, but had even increased Qin Kui's punishment.
To serve a monarch was like sleeping with a tiger! How could the majesty of the sovereign be challenged?
For a moment, the civil and military officials were stunned, assuming that although Emperor Yuan favored the Ninth Prince little, at critical moments he still protected his own son.
Hearing the Emperor's ruling, the Eighth Prince, Zhao Jian, realized that his uncle had stepped forward on his behalf only to receive fifty cane strokes and a year's salary docked.
Relying on the Emperor's pampering and knowing he could not change the outcome, he directed all his resentment entirely toward Zhao Lie.
Glaring viciously at Zhao Lie, he snarled, "Little bastard, I'll kill you today!"
Driven out of his mind and completely losing his reason, Zhao Jian charged at Zhao Lie, throwing a punch straight at his chest.
Zhao Jian had practiced martial arts since childhood under renowned tutors. While he might have lacked lifelong dedication, instruction from a master produces an exceptional pupil, and his martial prowess was naturally no pushover. He was already a Fifth-Rank Martial Artist, capable of bringing down a water buffalo with a single punch. Having dominated Zhao Lie since childhood, he was certain this blow would at least cripple him.
Little did he know that the Zhao Lie standing before him now was an elite special forces soldier and top-tier graduate from the twenty-first century.
Seeing Zhao Jian dare to attack him openly in the imperial court, Zhao Lie let out a cold laugh. "Everyone watch closely—this Eighth Brother of mine threw the first punch!"
As he spoke, Zhao Lie sidestepped the blow. While Zhao Jian's fist struck empty air and he stood momentarily stunned, Zhao Lie delivered a vicious hook to his left cheek. Following up instantly, Zhao Lie stepped forward and slapped the Eighth Prince across the face four times in quick succession with alternating hands.
Knocked eight feet away, Zhao Jian spun like a top twice before crashing to the ground, letting out a shriek like a slaughtered pig.
Emperor Yuan and the gathered officials were utterly dumbfounded. They stared at Zhao Lie as if looking at a monster, as though they had never known him at all.
Was this truly the useless Ninth Prince they had always known?
His sharp tongue earlier might have been concealed until now, but the Eighth Prince's punch just then had been swift and immensely powerful; an ordinary martial artist could never have dodged it.
Yet the Ninth Prince, previously devoid of the strength to truss a chicken, had not only evaded the attack but had effortlessly struck back repeatedly, beating the Eighth Prince flat onto the floor.
It was simply beyond belief!
Realizing he had been knocked to the ground, the Eighth Prince let out a cry of agony, bounded straight to his feet, and charged at the Ninth Prince once more.
"Stop!" a sharp command suddenly rang out.