Chapter 312 Standoff, the one who cast the blood curse was actually.....

Dark alley.

The air was thick with the smell of rust, the fishy odor of stale water, and a lingering, tooth-grinding tension.

Shen Cong leaned against a protruding brick wall, coldly staring at Prince Chen opposite him.

Behind him were more than a dozen elite Imperial Guards and Secret Service agents.

Behind Prince Chen stood a dozen or so guards.

The long, narrow straight sword in Prince Chen's hand was firmly pressed against Shen Xu's neck.

Shen Xu's face was ashen, his lips trembled, and his whole body was stiff, not daring to move an inch.

The Prince of Chen exerted a little force, the blade pressed tightly against his skin, and a thin line of blood meandered down, staining the moon-white collar with a striking red.

Shen Xu let out a startled gasp.

After living a life of luxury for more than a month, he is now really afraid of dying.

"Uncle Nine!"

"Shen Ju!" Shen Cong took a step forward urgently, his voice as cold and hard as iron.

"You're already trapped. If you dare to hurt him even a little, I guarantee you'll die a horrible death!"

"You think I'm afraid?" Chen Wang let out a short, shrill laugh from the shadows, the sound echoing through the narrow alley, adding to its madness.

"Having come this far, I haven't thought about what will happen in the future. The victor is king, the loser is villain; I don't care!"

His voice suddenly rose, carrying a resolute determination to fight to the death, "Why hasn't Shen Lang arrived yet? I only want to talk to him!"

"I'm warning you, Shen Cong, if you dare to play any tricks, I'll kill him immediately."

Shen Cong raised his hand. "I've already had the Imperial Guards send the message to the palace. You saw it just now. What tricks could I possibly play?"

Prince Chen pursed his lips and remained silent.

Besides the Imperial Guards, only a little girl of eight or nine years old left just now.

Prince Chen remembered that the little girl was Li Yongfeng's granddaughter, but he didn't take it to heart.

An eight or nine-year-old girl is nothing to be afraid of!

"I'll give you the time it takes for an incense stick to burn. If Shen Lang doesn't come, he'll die!"

Chen Wang sneered and suddenly pressed down on the blade.

The blood vessels on Shen Xu's neck suddenly expanded, and he let out a short, sharp scream.

Shen Cong's heart sank suddenly, as if he had fallen into an ice cave.

He stared intently into Chen Wang's eyes, which gleamed with a mad light in the shadows. There was no room for negotiation in them, only a madness that wanted to destroy everything!

After an unknown amount of time, a clear sound of footsteps approaching came from the direction of the alley entrance.

"Tap...tap...tap..."

The sound grew closer, shattering the deathly silence of the alley.

The imperial guards blocking the alley entrance silently parted to both sides, like the receding tide, revealing a passage in the middle.

A thin, bright yellow figure strode hurriedly towards them.

The emperor has arrived.

He was dressed in bright yellow casual clothes, clearly having rushed over after receiving the news.

Behind him followed Ding Wang with a stern expression and Qin Fei, the commander of the Imperial City Guard.

The emperor's gaze swept over Shen Cong, landed on Prince Chen, and finally settled on the face of Shen Xu, who was trembling under the threat of a blade.

“Father…” When Shen Xu saw the emperor, tears finally welled up in his eyes.

"Father is here, do not be afraid."

The emperor's voice was gentle and calm, as if he were soothing a frightened fledgling.

Then, his gaze fell on Prince Chen again, a complex look flashing in his eyes.

"I'm here. What will it take for you to release my son?"

Prince Chen tightened his grip on the knife, his knuckles popping out from the force.

He stared intently at the emperor's calm, expressionless face, his eyes burning with a mad flame that seemed about to burst forth.

"What are we talking about?" Prince Chen's voice was hoarse, each word seemingly ground out from between his teeth. "We're talking about this vast empire, about this magnificent dragon throne!"

He pressed the blade even tighter against Shen Xu's neck, and Shen Xu let out a short cry of pain.

The Prince of Chen said sternly, "I demand that you issue an abdication edict immediately in front of everyone! Abdicate this throne to me! Otherwise..."

His eyes flashed with ferocity, "I'll make sure your only son dies a bloody death five steps away, accompanying you in your demise!"

The alley was deathly silent.

The emperor frowned, a look of undisguised shock flashing in his eyes.

"Shen Ju! Do you know what you're saying? You led the rebellion back then, causing the Emperor's tragic death."

Out of consideration for our past relationship, I spared your life. Now you dare to take my son hostage and force me to abdicate?

You're delusional! If you release Changsheng, I might grant you a quick death out of consideration for our past relationship!

"Sentiment? Hahaha!" Prince Chen laughed loudly, his laughter filled with sarcasm and resentment, shaking the dust off the alley walls.

"Shen Lang, it's truly ironic to hear the word 'affection' from your mouth!"

Is your so-called "kindness" just a cup of poison to kill all the brothers who pose a threat to you? You wouldn't even spare our families!

The emperor's face turned ashen.

"They committed treason first, which is a capital offense. I have already shown them great mercy by sparing their bodies and not exiling their entire families!"

"Hahaha, what immense mercy! But how do you explain casting a blood curse on your own brother?"

These words were like a thunderclap from a clear sky, instantly shattering the frozen air in the alley!

Shen Cong suddenly looked up, his pupils contracting sharply as he stared at Prince Chen in disbelief.

He blurted out, "You're talking nonsense!"

Prince Chen pointed to the tip of his nose and let out a series of cold laughs.

"I'm talking nonsense? Why don't you ask your good brother why all the rebels died back then, but I was the only one who escaped?"

That's because I know blood curses, and I promised to help him cast one, and he agreed..."

"Nonsense, baseless accusations!" The emperor's voice suddenly rose, carrying a barely perceptible sharpness, as he sternly interrupted Prince Chen.

"Acong is my own brother, whom I raised myself. How could I possibly cast that blood curse on him?"

"His own brother?" Prince Chen scoffed.

“Chen Lang, we’ve been brothers for over twenty years. You might be able to lie to others, but you can’t fool me.”

He is your own brother, that's true, but when it comes to the throne and the country, you, Chen Lang, are willing to sacrifice everyone, including your own brother.

Because you are jealous that he received all of the Emperor's favor from birth, and you are jealous that he is just like the Emperor in both temperament and intelligence.

Even his father considered deposing the crown prince because of him…

The emperor's face had turned completely gloomy, like leaden clouds before a storm.

His gaze was fixed on Zhao Xuan's face, his voice as cold as a knife pulled from an ice cave: "You treacherous traitor! Even on the verge of death, you still dare to slander and sow discord among us brothers!"

My affection for A-Cong is as clear as day! How could you possibly sow discord with a few words?

"Can the heavens and the sun bear witness?" King Chen laughed heartily, with a twisted sense of pleasure and madness.

"If you truly treated him well, how could you have allowed him to command the Imperial Guard at the age of twelve, making him a tool in your hands?"

If you truly cared for him, why would you let him vomit blood and grow weaker day by day, without trying to find a way to break the blood curse for him?

Shen Cong, open your eyes and take a good look. You are devoted to him, but little do you know that he is wary and afraid of you.

Why do you think your body is growing weaker day by day? Why does the more you try to keep warm, the more bone-chilling it feels? Do you really think the fine clothes and warm incense he bestowed upon you are truly for your own good?