Chapter 73 Shattered "I want to see Emperor Chongming."

Hu Shu slowly fell to the ground. She looked at Mr. Feng lying in a pool of blood and wanted to reach out to him. She watched as Feng Tan rushed towards her at top speed, and the familiar fragrance of his body enveloped her.

As a child, she was sent to the palace by her parents. Because they couldn't afford to bribe anyone, she could only work in the most arduous laundry department. Because of her young age, she was often bullied by others, and sometimes they wouldn't even give her leftovers. On the day she met Yongle, she had been hungry for two days and couldn't bear it any longer, so she picked up grass leaves from the ground and ate them.

The grass was awful, and she couldn't understand why cows and sheep loved eating it so much. It was so bad that tears welled up in her eyes. Suddenly, a girl a little younger than her squatted down beside her, tilted her head, and asked, "Is it good?"

After saying that, without waiting for her reply, she picked up a blade of grass from the ground and ate it. Instantly, her face contorted in a grimace, and she spat out, "Ugh, this tastes awful..."

Shang Chunxiang rushed over, exclaimed, "Oh dear, my little princess, you've made me search for you so many times!"

Hu Shu then realized that the approachable and friendly girl in front of him was actually the only legitimate daughter of Emperor Chongming, Princess Yongle of the Dahuang Dynasty, and he quickly knelt down to pay his respects.

Princess Yongle glanced at Hu Shu and said to Shang Chunxiang, "Aunt Shang, give her something good to eat."

Princess Yongle was not a kind person who would do good deeds everywhere. The several times they met later were all intentional actions by Hu Shu. She wanted to get rid of her status as someone who was bullied in the laundry department. She wanted to serve Princess Yongle, so she took advantage of the princess.

Mr. Feng said, "Since you know she's using you, why did you still go along with her wishes?"

Princess Yongle replied, "She has methods and scheming, which is not a bad thing. Moreover, apart from that, she is very sincere to me. As the master said, there are a hundred flowers in this world, and I like to be friends with this thorny flower."

Mr. Feng seemed to chuckle, a hint of satisfaction in his voice. "Does Yongle consider her a friend? Doesn't he think her status is too low?"

Princess Yongle laughed and said, "The master said that one should not judge people by their status, but only by one's own heart. I follow my heart. I like Hu Shu just as I like Yu Ruxi."

In the Great Chao Dynasty, where even her parents didn't treat her like a daughter and the practice of selling wives and daughters was rampant, there was a nobleman who treated her as a friend, tolerating and even appreciating her despicable side.

The pain of her broken throat rendered Hu Shu unable to utter a single word. Her gaze fell upon Feng Tan's eyes, which were now filled with tears again. She wanted to say that she and Feng Tan had received so many years of education from their teacher and that their lives had been worthwhile, but she couldn't utter a single word.

Feng Tan removed the white cloth that had been used to gag Hu Shu. Hu Shu's vision gradually blurred, he opened his lips, and then died from exhaustion.

She didn't leave a single word.

With trembling fingers, Feng Tan peeled off the human skin mask from Hu Shu's face. After so many years, she didn't even know what Hu Shu looked like now.

The person in my arms had two delicate, crescent-shaped eyebrows on an oval face, closed eyes, a straight nose, pale lips, and a striking and radiant appearance, just like when we first met many years ago.

Yu Ruxi drew her sword and walked to Feng Tan's side, looking at Feng Tingxiao warily, and asked, "Is the King of Chu satisfied?"

The complex emotions in Feng Tingxiao's eyes were laid bare. He couldn't even hide the emotions in his eyes. He had planned everything, but he hadn't expected that the palace maid who followed Yongle would be so fierce, willing to die to protect Feng Tan.

The loss of two close relatives filled Feng Tan with extreme grief and anger. When she stood up again, she regarded Feng Tingxiao as her enemy.

Feng Tingxiao met Feng Tan's gaze, his pupils dilated sharply, his eyes flickered, and he said, "Yongle, I'm sorry, I..."

The words were abruptly cut off by Feng Tan's gunshot. A bullet was aimed straight at Feng Tingxiao's heart. The bullet was too fast, and Feng Tingxiao dodged, narrowly avoiding the heart, but was still hit in the left shoulder.

The masked men in black behind Feng Tan quickly attacked her, while Yu Ruxi fought them behind her. Feng Tingxiao, clutching his throbbing left shoulder, shouted, "Stop!"

Yu Ruxi refused to stop easily, so Feng Tingxiao raised his voice and said, "The Jinyiwei reinforcements are coming soon. If we fight like this for a while, neither of us will necessarily escape unscathed! Let's put aside our grudges for now and stop!"

Hatred and reason clashed in Feng Tan's heart. Yu Ruxi stopped fighting and said to Feng Tan, "A gentleman takes revenge even after ten years. We will avenge Hu Shu and Mr. Hu, but Yongle, we must get out of here alive!"

Feng Tan's eyes were bloodshot. Her two closest relatives had fallen one after another. Extreme pain spread through her limbs and bones. She stared at Feng Tingxiao, with only one thought in her mind: kill him!

Undisguised hatred splattered on Feng Tingxiao. Feng Tan raised his arm once more, chambered a bullet, and spoke in a low, mocking voice, "You want it? Then take it with your life!"

Gunshots rang out. Feng Tingxiao, dragging his injured left shoulder, dodged in the dark room. Seeing this, the group of men in black he led drew their swords and thrust them towards Feng Tan. Yu Ruxi, who was engaged in combat with the leader of the men in black, shouted, "Yongle, watch out behind you!"

Feng Tingxiao also saw the long knife his subordinate was about to stab Feng Tan with, and shouted sternly, "Don't hurt her!"

The long knife aimed at Feng Tan's back suddenly stopped, but Feng Tan turned around and fired her gun behind her. At the same time, Feng Tingxiao dragged his blood-covered body to Feng Tan's back, pressed one hand down on her hand that was firing, and pressed the other hand against her neck. His breath was filled with the smell of blood.

The shots Feng Tan fired just now were all aimed at his vital spots. Although he managed to dodge them, he was still hit by three bullets. Feng Tingxiao gritted his teeth and endured the excruciating pain, threatening Feng Tan, "Put down the gun and leave with me!"

Feng Tan was clearly blinded by rage. She was just a seventeen-year-old girl. The man she had tried so hard to save for years had died protecting her, and Hu Shu, who had grown up with her, was also dead. She could no longer remain calm. It didn't matter if the Imperial Guards came; there was no point in hiding her identity anymore. Today, she was determined to fight Feng Tingxiao to the death.

To prevent Feng Tingxiao from taking the weapon for mass research and imitation, Feng Tan quickly retrieved it into the subsystem. The man tightened his grip on her neck and said, "If you want to avenge Hu Shu for a moment, what about your father's revenge? After your identity is revealed, will your father kill all of the Shen family's army for you?"

Like ice water splashed on her face, Feng Tan's boiling blood cooled down. She had placed her last bet on Xiao Yinshi, and her misplaced trust in the Shen family army had led to this catastrophe. Emperor Chongming wouldn't go to such lengths for such a deep-seated hatred...

Feng Tingxiao keenly sensed that Feng Tan's emotions were gradually calming down, and softened his voice, saying, "I will avenge your husband... hiss..."

Before he could finish speaking, Feng Tan opened her mouth and bit down hard on the arm that was holding her. The sharp teeth of the person in his arms pierced through her clothes, drawing blood. He didn't push her away, but instead watched intently as she bit him mercilessly. The other arm that was holding her neck slowly loosened. Her body, riddled with bullets, was bleeding profusely, and she collapsed to the ground, exhausted.

Feng Tan immediately made her move, intending to kill him with a single shot, but the speed at which she loaded her gun was not as fast as the speed at which the black-clad leader flicked his wrist and fired his hidden weapons. Four small, sharp blades accurately struck Feng Tan's arms and legs, forcing her to fall to the ground immediately.

Startled, Yu Ruxi swung her sword at the face of the leader of the black-clad men. The black cloth covering the leader's face fell off, and Yu Ruxi was stunned to see her face. "Princess Consort of Chu?!"

Looking at the Princess of Chu, Feng Tan suddenly realized that the illusionist who impersonated her mother in the Linzhang sea area and the old woman who once again performed the snake-controlling illusion in the dark alley in front of Xiao Yinshi's mansion were probably the same person.

Another large group of men in black rushed in. The Queen of Chu looked at the King of Chu who had fainted on the ground and signaled her subordinates to carry him on their backs. They assumed a defensive posture and quickly retreated to the upper level.

The Imperial Guard reinforcements had already stormed in, and the men in black were locked in combat with them. Yu Ruxi resolutely carried Feng Tan on her back, but Feng Tan pushed her aside, saying, "The sharp blade injured my meridians, I can't stand up. You go first! Go!"

Yu Ruxi's stubbornness kicked in. With tears in her eyes, she tried to carry Feng Tan on her back, but Feng Tan gripped her clothes tightly and said, "Yu Ruxi, I am the daughter of Emperor Chongming. Even tigers don't eat their cubs. Even if he knows I did all this, he won't kill me. At worst, I'll admit my identity and go back to being Princess Yongle. But you're different. He's suspicious. He'll suspect whether your Yu family is related to the Silver-Masked Venerable... You can't disregard your family for my sake anymore. Let's go."

Yu Ruxi looked at Feng Tan, her eyes growing redder and redder. She clenched her fingers so tightly that her fingertips sank into her palms. A moment later, she turned around angrily and strode upstairs.

The sounds of fighting from the upper levels carried down to the ground. Feng Tan gritted his teeth and pulled the sharp blades embedded in his flesh from his arm, breaking out in a cold sweat from the pain. After catching his breath for a moment, he slowly moved his fingers to his leg, cold sweat dripping from his forehead. He grabbed the ends of the sharp blades with both hands, closed his eyes, and forcefully pulled them out of his leg.

When he opened his eyes again, what came into view was a pair of dark boots with slightly upturned toes. Wei Shengxian squatted down, his body reeking of blood even more than Feng Tan's. His smile was as sinister as a devil's. "Lord Feng, so it turns out that the person who set up such a big stage to play with my Northern Garrison Command is you."

He stomped on Feng Tan's injured leg veins, grinding them forcefully, and said through gritted teeth, "Do you know that tonight the whole city is in rebellion, the imperial prison has fallen, and tomorrow I, Wei Shengxian, will be the laughingstock of the entire capital?!"

Feng Tan cried out in pain, his whole body instantly covered in cold sweat, as if he had been washed with water.

Wei Shengxian looked at Feng Youming and Hu Shu lying in a pool of blood, slowly squatted down, met the boy's broken eyes, and said with a wicked smile: "Officials who commit crimes must be tried in the Imperial Prison according to the laws of Dahuang. Lord Feng Tanfeng, you will have to taste my methods."

Feng Tan met his eyes, which were filled with a sinister light. The boyish innocence vanished in the dim light, leaving only a cold and lifeless silence. "I want to see Emperor Chongming."

Wei Shengxian paused, scrutinizing Feng Tan's expression, and said, "Who do you think you are? Do you think you can just see His Majesty whenever you want?"

Feng Tan looked up at him, his eyes filled with unwavering determination, which then flashed into Wei Shengxian's face. "You want to know where the courtesans of Hongxiu Pavilion have fled to? You want to know the location of the Imperial Dragon Camp? If I can't see His Majesty, no matter how cruel the tortures in the Imperial Prison are, I won't confess anything."

Wei Shengxian clenched his teeth. He could tell from Feng Tan's broken appearance that he was not very alive. Moreover, this man was always sharp-tongued. It would be better to hand the interrogation over to His Majesty than to let him do it. Even if he lied, he would not be blamed.

“Very well,” Wei Shengxian stood up, looked down at Feng Tan, and said, “I will go and ask His Majesty for permission.”

Author's note: In the seventeenth year of Chongming, Feng Tan was seventeen years old. Under such circumstances, he wouldn't be very rational. He still has a reckless drive and is still growing. Don't be too harsh on him!

Next chapter will be full of exciting action! I wanted to write faster, but I've been so busy with work lately! And I'm a very slow writer; even 3,000 words takes me over four hours. Sorry, everyone! I'll post it as soon as I finish writing it tomorrow!