Chapter 230 World Eleven (I)

In the fourteenth year of the Zhengtong reign, Emperor Shuncheng passed away. His successor was not the Sixth Prince, the Emperor's most beloved son, but the Fifth Prince, the daughter of a noble concubine who was imprisoned in the cold palace.

It was a national secret that Imperial Concubine Zhong Xianghan, accused of plotting to murder the heir, was denounced by Emperor Shuncheng as "filthy and immoral." However, Emperor Shuncheng, deeply moved by the Zhong family's long-standing military service, dedicated to the country and dedicated to their filial piety, led to the loss of their children. Emperor Shuncheng, however, retained her title but confined her to the cold palace, never to see her again. Imperial Concubine Zhong's son, however, emulated his mother's character, disregarding his brothers and sisters, even framing his own blood brothers. This displeased Emperor Shuncheng, who consigned the fifth prince to his fiefdom of Shucheng, ordering him to remain there for reflection and not to return to the capital unless summoned.

But before his death, Emperor Shuncheng left behind a will—only on his deathbed did he realize that he was deeply attached to Concubine Zhong and the Fifth Prince. Only by leaving the dynasty in their hands could it be stable.

The entire court was in uproar, filled with criticism. However, the majority of the court officials adhered to the late emperor's will and acclaimed the Fifth Prince as the new emperor. When they escorted Concubine Zhong from the cold palace, they expected to see a haggard woman. However, Zhong Xianghan's complexion was stern, her skin delicate, and her aura belied that of someone who had spent ten years in the cold palace.

The Minister of Rites was the first to express his loyalty: "The country cannot be without a ruler for a day. I will send someone to bring the fifth prince, the crown prince, back to the capital."

Concubine Zhong glanced at the Minister of Rites with a lighthearted air. Although she was a woman, her presence made him shudder and tense up. Concubine Zhong said casually, "No need. My brother has already rushed from the border to Shu City. I'm sure he's already met Boyu by now."

Many ministers present were shocked when they heard this, as they had only just met Concubine Zhong today.

The news from the cold palace was blocked and entry and exit were restricted, but Imperial Concubine Zhong was able to learn about the late emperor's will in advance and was in contact with General Zhong.

It can be seen that Concubine Zhong is not as helpless as the abandoned concubine as rumored, and the power behind her should not be underestimated.

After this, all the ministers treated Concubine Zhong with even greater respect, and their superficial flattery and self-serving wait-and-see attitude gradually became a reality.

Shu City.

General Zhong received the secret letter and rushed to Shu City early to pick up his nephew, now the crown prince, to return to Beijing to ascend the throne.

But when General Zhong saw the situation in Shu City, his thick brows couldn't help but frown.

He has been stationed at the border for many years and has long been accustomed to the severe cold and heat.

General Zhong is not afraid of hardship and can endure it, but even so.

When he saw the remoteness and desolation of Shu City, he couldn't help but frown.

The soil in Shu City is poor and difficult to grow crops. Even if you spend time growing them, the grains produced are sour, dry and difficult to swallow.

Moreover, Shu City was extremely desolate, with sandstorms blowing all over the sky from time to time. People had to cover their mouths and noses, but they still couldn't walk because they couldn't see the road clearly.

The pedestrians walking on the road all had unsteady steps and looked pale and thin.

General Zhong gripped the sword at his waist, his bones cracking as he thought to himself, "Excellent, truly excellent." Emperor Shuncheng had chosen this remote territory from nowhere and bestowed it upon his nephew as a fief.

When the officials of Shu City learned that General Zhong was coming, they hurried over to flatter him.

General Zhong did not want to talk to him any more, so he just asked, "Where is the crown prince?"

Shu is a remote area, far from the capital. These officials have not yet learned of the death of Emperor Shuncheng, and naturally they do not know that the fifth prince, Chu Boyu, in Shu City is the new emperor.

The official being questioned was completely bewildered: "The emperor is still alive, where does the heir come from?"

General Zhong drew his sword and placed it across the official's neck. He said coldly, "Where is my nephew Boyu now?"

The fifth prince who was abandoned by the emperor suddenly became the crown prince!

The officials were shocked by the news. They wiped the sweat from their heads and pointed to the road to General Zhong: "There."

General Zhong stepped into the house, his thick brows furrowed even deeper. Although the place was spacious, the houses were dilapidated, and some were even drafty.

Such a miserable state is rare not only in the capital but also at the border!

Chu Boyu came to Shu City to be a prince. Even if Shu City was poor, he would be given enough food and clothing. But now...

General Zhong was extremely angry. He was not a calm person to begin with, so he drew his sword and chopped off the head of the leading official.

The bloody head rolled again and again on the yellow earthy ground, scaring all the officials.

They knelt on the ground and told General Zhong everything about Chu Boyu's situation without waiting for him to ask any more questions.

"The Emperor has issued a private summons, ordering us... not to treat the Crown Prince kindly."

The official was afraid that General Zhong would not believe it, so he hurriedly ordered his servants to bring a bright yellow imperial edict from the study.

General Zhong looked at the handwriting and the red seal above. Apart from the handwriting of Emperor Shuncheng himself, what else could it be?

General Zhong crumpled the imperial edict into a ball, threw it into the hands of his subordinates, and walked towards a cleaned house.

This place is obviously different from other houses. Although it is also simple, the windows are bright and clean, which shows that someone must be living here.

General Zhong pushed open the door. The person on the bed heard the sound and immediately stuffed the things in his hands into the quilt. He opened his pair of clear black and white eyes and looked at General Zhong vigilantly.

Although he was quick, General Zhong had sharp eyes and still saw his attempt to hide something.

General Zhong walked to the bed and looked at the thin man. From the similarities between his eyebrows and eyes with Concubine Zhong, he recognized at a glance that this man was his nephew Chu Boyu.

General Zhong said coldly, "Take it out."

Chu Boyu was stared at by such dark and deep eyes. He avoided the gaze and huddled together as he took out a shriveled fruit from the quilt.

It is a mixture of red and white, obviously it is an unripe fruit, and it probably doesn't taste very good.

But Chu Boyu held it carefully, and his cowardly look made General Zhong angry and distressed.

General Zhong took the fruit and threw it to the ground without mercy.

Chu Boyu looked at the dusty fruit, his dark eyes filled with regret.

General Zhong ordered, "Give him a bath and change his clothes."

Chu Boyu obediently let them bathe and change his clothes, like an unconscious puppet. He had long been accustomed to all this.

Chu Boyu soaked in the warm water, thinking to himself: How are they going to torture me this time?

Chu Boyu had long known that these officials' harsh criticism of him was in response to the orders of Emperor Shuncheng.

He also knew that his father hated him and wished he were dead, but he would not let him die and would only torture him in other ways.

Chu Boyu's thin body gradually sank into the clear water.

The hot water covered his neck and cheeks until his entire body was buried in it.

A thought suddenly popped up in his mind: It’s not so bad to die so cleanly.

The eunuch who was serving came into the room with new clothes and saw Chu Boyu being submerged in hot water. He immediately screamed and rescued Chu Boyu.

While changing Chu Boyu's clothes, the eunuch was still muttering, "How could he have fallen in? The water wasn't deep."

Chu Boyu said softly, "He fell asleep."

General Zhong was sitting in the main hall. When he saw Chu Boyu being cleaned up, he walked over.

He stood in front of Chu Boyu, pinching his thin back and sighing softly: "Too thin."

He was clearly eleven years old, but the clothes of people his age seemed too big for Chu Boyu.

While waiting, General Zhong had already learned from other officials about Chu Boyu's situation over the years.

From the age of six when he could not remember anything, to the age of eleven now, for a full six years, the Zhong family's bloodline had been living a life of being bullied, hungry and cold.

In name, Chu Boyu was the prince of Shu City, but with the order of Emperor Shuncheng, Chu Boyu became someone who could be bullied at will.

Perhaps at the beginning, many officials were more restrained.

But bullying Chu Boyu, a superior who had nothing, made them feel a vague sense of pleasure, and from then on they became more and more unscrupulous.

General Zhong said coldly, "Raise your head! What are you doing by being so timid?"

Chu Boyu looked up at him.

"I am your uncle. You will be the emperor in the future. You must not act like a coward anymore."

Chu Boyu murmured, "Uncle?"

General Zhong nodded and ordered someone to bring the food. Chu Boyu had never seen so many exquisite meals before. He didn't understand what General Zhong meant by that, but just thought about it.

Even if General Zhong wanted his life, it didn't matter.

Chu Boyu wanted to eat some of every dish, but he had been starving over the years and could not eat anything more than a bowl of rice.

Chu Boyu wanted to put the food into his mouth with chopsticks, but he felt a sour taste in his abdomen, which made him retch.

Chu Boyu coughed for a long time, tears streaming from the corners of his eyes.

General Zhong ordered his men to take the food away and said, "We can eat it every day from now on, so why worry?"

Chu Boyu followed General Zhong out of Shu City. Before leaving, General Zhong punished a group of local officials who had bullied Chu Boyu.

General Zhong didn't know what tricks to use, so he just ordered his men to tie up several officials and send them to Chu Boyu.

General Zhong handed a machete to Chu Boyu and said, "Kill them."

The machete was very heavy, and Chu Boyu felt a little unstable just holding it.

He followed General Zhong's orders, walked up to a trembling official, and raised his machete.

Chu Boyu didn't do it after all. His arms were shaking badly and the machete fell to the ground with a bang.

General Zhong's face was gloomy and he picked up the machete again. He held Chu Boyu's hand tightly and used his hand to chop off one head after another.

On the way back to Beijing, Chu Boyu developed a high fever and fell into a coma.

The doctor said it was caused by fright. General Zhong felt sympathy for Chu Boyu, but he was more disappointed in him.

——Chu Boyu is going to be the emperor, and his cowardly character is really worrying.

The carriage drove slowly in. When it arrived at the city gate for inspection, the coachman pulled the reins and was about to speak.

When General Zhong lifted the curtain, the soldier guarding the city gate immediately said with a stern expression, "General Zhong."

The soldiers immediately let them go.

There was a long queue at the city gate. Because the previous emperor had passed away, in order to prevent people with ill intentions from sneaking into the capital, everyone needed to have their identity checked. Only after their identity was confirmed to be a person from the capital could they enter the city.

Chu Boyu opened his eyes drowsily and saw General Zhong lifting the curtain, revealing the scene outside.

In the queue waiting for inspection, there was a little girl in a goose yellow dress, who met the eyes of Chu Boyu who had just woken up.

Chu Boyu was momentarily stunned. General Zhong had already closed the carriage curtains and instructed Chu Boyu, "Go see your mother first, then plan your ascension to the throne."

Chu Boyu nodded calmly.

And from behind the carriage, a childish voice called out from the team, "Bao Shan, what are you looking at?"

Bao Shan, dressed in a goose yellow dress, withdrew her gaze and said softly, "That carriage is so gorgeous."

"It must belong to some high-ranking official in the capital. There's no need to even check it."

Baoshan agreed with this.