"Punishment? Why do you say that, envoy?"
Fu Zhun sat quietly in his wheelchair and spoke, his demeanor like a cold, aloof iceberg. His deep, narrow eyes swept across the room, inspiring awe and fear.
The imposing presence of the imperial envoy suddenly paled in comparison.
The man's face immediately darkened, and he shouted, "Prince Zhenbei, you still show no remorse even now! You killed Xia Yuandao without authorization, which is suspected of silencing witnesses and disobeying the imperial will. Do not confess your crime!"
"Xia Yuandao plotted a rebellion and attempted to assassinate me. There are witnesses to prove it. I did this for the safety of Great Chu. What crime have I committed?" Fu Zhun replied slowly and deliberately, without raising an eyebrow.
This made the envoy's face turn even paler, and his hostility erupted completely. He stared intently at Fu Zhun, as if the two were mortal enemies.
Su An frowned secretly. Was it really necessary? Was this so-called envoy actually Fu Zhun's mortal enemy?
"Hmph, you say he's plotting a rebellion? Do you have any real evidence?" The envoy sneered.
"His Majesty has ordered that Xia Yuandao be escorted back to the capital for interrogation by the court. Your actions are clearly disrespectful to His Majesty!"
After saying this, he took out an imperial token and held it high: "By order of His Majesty, you have the authority to act expediently if you encounter any obstacles."
"The Prince of Zhenbei has disobeyed the imperial decree and is highly suspected of murdering him to cover it up. Arrest Fu Zhun immediately! If he resists, kill him without mercy!"
Upon hearing the order, the royal guards behind the envoy rushed towards Fu Zhun without saying a word.
It was as if they had been preparing to launch a sneak attack all along; their speed was extremely fast.
Upon seeing this, the soldiers around Fu Zhun also turned cold and drew their swords to meet the enemy. For a moment, the sound of clashing swords filled the hall.
The black-clad messenger wasn't idle either. Taking advantage of the chaos, he suddenly rushed towards Fu Zhun, his five fingers forming claws and pointing straight at vital points. "If Your Highness obediently surrenders, that's fine. But if you resist, don't blame me if you get hurt or killed!"
"You think you can take me?" Fu Zhun sneered, exuding an aura of authority without anger. He also retaliated with his fists, without using any swords.
The two fought bare-handed, and the "bang bang" sounds made Su An feel a pang of pain. He stared at Fu Zhun with considerable tension.
After all, it's inconvenient for Fu Zhun to be in a wheelchair. If things don't look good, she might as well go up and give him a surprise attack.
Anyway, the other party was the one who lacked sportsmanship first!
Unexpectedly, a royal guard was suddenly knocked away during the fierce exchange and crashed straight into Su An's direction.
The guard's long sword was too fast to retract and was swinging wildly in the air, its cold light flashing. It looked like it was about to hurt Su An, but Su An, with his back to him, was completely unaware.
Fu Zhun and the envoy had been watching this side in tacit agreement while they were fighting, but when they saw what was happening, their pupils both contracted.
"Su An!"
Fu Zhun was about to launch a hidden arrow to knock away the long sword when, at the critical moment, the envoy's figure appeared behind Su An.
He suddenly reached out and tightly embraced Su An's waist, trapping her in his arms and instantly dashing away to avoid the flying guards.
"Hmph, be careful, don't lose your life at this time." The envoy's hoarse whisper came from above Su An's head.
His tone lacked any concern; instead, it carried a mocking and sarcastic tone, and the hand around her waist teasingly caressed her.
"You—" Su An turned her head in shock, only to be met with a pair of vicious eyes.
His eyebrows were thick and messy, slanted towards his temples, giving him an inexplicable sinister look.
What stunned Su An was that she felt she had seen those eyes before, but she couldn't remember where she had seen them.
"What, Miss Su, are you deeply moved by the life-saving grace? Why not repay it with your body?"
Seeing Su An staring blankly at him, the envoy's hands became increasingly frivolous as he pulled her closer to his chest, his breath spraying intimately onto her neck.
Su An felt a wave of disgust wash over her, shoved the person away, and quickly backed away, saying, "The envoy is really joking."
If this person hadn't attacked me out of the blue, especially with a sneak attack, I wouldn't have been scared to death!
Fu Zhun, on the other hand, was already filled with jealousy and a strong sense of envy.
He coughed lightly a few times with his brows furrowed, the coughs unusually clear in the noisy environment, as if each one was filled with pain.
Then her body trembled slightly, as if she was trying her best to endure some kind of discomfort. She gripped the wheelchair armrest with one hand and covered her chest with the other, making her appear weak.
Su An was still staring at the envoy, pondering, when he suddenly heard the cough and was startled.
He immediately put aside his doubts about the envoy and ran over in a flash.
"What's wrong? What happened?"
When she saw the fine beads of sweat on Fu Zhun's forehead, she immediately thought to herself, "Your face has turned pale again. Has your injury relapsed?"
"No, cough cough... It's nothing, I'm sorry to have worried you again." Fu Zhun raised his eyes slightly, a hint of smugness flashing in his eyes.
But hearing that hoarse voice made Su An's heart clench.
Turning his head to look at the two sides still locked in a standoff, he took a deep breath and shouted angrily, "Stop! Stop fighting! Can you take responsibility if something happens to the Prince!"
“Your Excellency, you have come today regarding Xia Yuandao’s matter, but you have no conclusive evidence to prove that the Prince is guilty. It is unfair to arrest the Prince based solely on your word.”
Su An stared intently at the envoy, speaking each word carefully.
"Since you represent His Majesty's will, how will the people view His Majesty if this matter gets out? I urge you to act prudently, investigate thoroughly, and produce concrete evidence to convince the world!"
These words successfully brought both sides to a complete halt.
The envoy stared at Su An, his eyes flickering as if he were weighing the pros and cons, his expression dark and complex.
Seeing how worried she was about Zhun, I couldn't help but feel a pang of jealousy.
Su An didn't want to delay, so he took advantage of the moment to turn to the soldiers beside him and order, "Quickly find a divine physician to examine the prince. It wouldn't be good if the injury worsened!"
“Xiao An, you still care about me the most.” Fu Zhun subtly curled his lips into a smile.
He then slightly raised his eyelids and gave that side a cool, provocative look.
"You!" The envoy clenched his fist suddenly, a look of anger appearing on his face. He pointed at Su An and shouted, "His aura is calm and restrained, solid and powerful. Any injury he has is obviously faked. You have been deceived by his self-inflicted injury!"
"Hmph, does the dignified Prince of Zhenbei think he can escape this matter by feigning illness? I will stay here today to investigate the truth of this so-called injury!"
The voice was chilling, and the eyes were fixed on Fu Zhun like a venomous snake eyeing its prey.
Fu Zhun frowned, looked at him coldly and said, "The envoy is acting so recklessly, using His Majesty's token to bully others. He is committing an act of insubordination and deserves to be executed."
"But considering that the envoy has served the country, I will not pursue the matter for now. If the envoy has any evidence, he can investigate and then come back to question me."
"Jian Yi, see the guest out!"
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