Chapter 111: Defeat the scheming boy and tease the sultry general (21)
Chu Heng's voice was filled with ice, carrying a murderous and cold aura stained with blood. Wen Zhu only knew that this man was dull and upright, but she had forgotten that no one who had come down from the battlefield had not been stained with blood.
That year, Chu Heng spotted him among the refugees and brought him into the military camp, making him his military advisor. Everyone had to respect him. He thought he was special, but now he realizes that it was all just wishful thinking. He thought too highly of himself.
Chu Heng's eyes and voice were like a sharp blade, peeling off Wen Zhu's indifferent and hypocritical mask bit by bit, almost revealing the dark and dirty thoughts in his heart.
Wenzhu only felt that her whole body was cold and her heart was trembling.
"I don't……"
"Don't make me feel like everything I did before was wasted."
"I..." Wen Zhu looked away. He had destroyed all the evidence, and there was no witness. As long as he insisted that he knew nothing, Chu Heng would not be able to do anything to him. "I'm telling the truth. I don't know what happened. When I entered the room, I saw the prince and the King of Southeast sitting together with their hands folded. The next second, they were knocked unconscious."
Not only did he refuse to admit it, but even when he was about to die, he wanted to throw a basin of dirty water on Li Ziyan. Chu Heng's eyes flashed with a cold light. He took a step forward, hooked his five fingers into claws, and pinched Wen Zhu's neck.
He had gained this strength from practicing martial arts and joining the army since he was a child. With a slight exertion, Wenzhu's face turned the color of liver, and his eyeballs were bloodshot, as if he was about to explode and die in the next second.
"Is he really that good? He's already been tainted, and you're still going to kill me for him?" Wen Zhu forced these words out of her throat, her voice mournful. "I fought with you on the battlefield, gave you advice, and in the end, you're going to treat me like this?"
Chu Heng approached, lowering his voice like a ghost, "I tell you, no matter how much you learn, you will never be able to compare to even a hair of his in this life. You'd better pray that this matter doesn't get exposed, otherwise, you won't have enough lives to live."
Wenzhu was like a dead fish thrown on the bed. Chu Heng turned and left without any reluctance.
Looking at the man's departing back, Wen Zhu felt sad and speechless. He covered his neck with his hands, his eyes blank, but he did not regret anything he had done.
Rong En had been waiting outside. Seeing Chu Heng come out, he hurried over to greet him, "General."
"Keep an eye on him," Chu Heng raised his hand and lowered his eyes to hide the murderous intent running in his eyes. "Where is the clothes he was wearing yesterday?"
"General, it was put away. After he woke up, we said it was burned."
"Well done," Chu Heng nodded, "Find someone to check him out for me. Come to the palace anytime if you have any questions."
"Yes." Rong En glanced at the door, wanting to say something but stopping himself. In the end, he didn't speak. He felt complicated. After all, they were people he had worked with before. He could never have imagined that such an ambitious person at the beginning would become like this.
Perhaps he had been wrong from the beginning.
Wenzhu had actually done it very covertly, and even thought of a way to get herself out even at the cost of hurting herself, but who is a fool?
He did this in a fit of rage, without considering whether he could keep up the lie.
Chu Heng sat in the carriage with a sinister look in his eyes. This incident was just the beginning. The King of Southeast would not take action just for... Li Ziyan.
The Southeast King's action this time made Chu Heng and Li Zihan nervous, and everyone in the palace was even more tight-lipped, saying only that the prince had caught a cold and was recuperating at home.
However, as they expected, the King of Southeast did not stop at all, and soon rumors began to spread.
"Your Majesty, the Prince of Southeast proposed to marry the Holy Prince at the state banquet. Forgive me for being so bold, but the Holy Prince went to Southeast as a hostage before. Who can guarantee that they didn't secretly fall in love at that time?"
"Yes, Your Majesty, we know that you value brotherhood and are kind-hearted, but this matter is of great importance. If the Holy Prince and the King of Southeast are truly having an affair, it is a disgrace to our dynasty!"
"emperor!"
"Your Majesty! Please reconsider." Chu Heng knelt down in his official uniform, his eyes fierce. "Your Majesty, I can guarantee that the Holy Prince has no second thoughts! It is even more impossible for him to have an affair with the King of Southeast. Please understand!"
The senior official in the lead looked at Chu Heng and snorted coldly, "General Dingyuan has only been in contact with the Holy Prince for a short time, how could you even make such a guarantee? Could it be true, as the rumors spread, that you and the Holy Prince are also unclear, colluding with each other, and engaging in shameful activities?"
"Shut up!" Li Zihan's face was gloomy, and he glared at the old minister who had just spoken. "It's not your turn to interrupt the affairs of the Holy Prince! Prime Minister Wang, as an important official in the court, you can't be unaware of such a thing, right?"
Prime Minister Wang knelt on the ground, his body trembling and sweat oozing from his forehead. He had the upper hand and was so proud of himself that he forgot that Li Ziyan was Li Zihan's most favored younger brother.
"Your Majesty, please calm down! Your Majesty, please understand! I, an old minister, have devoted my life to our dynasty, and it is all for this country and this nation!"
"Your Majesty, please enlighten me!"
Those standing on Prime Minister Wang's side shouted that the emperor was wise and wanted to cry out to the sky. They all wanted to carve the word "loyalty" on their faces, but Li Zihan only felt irony and headache.
At that critical moment when the court was in chaos, no minister was willing to stand up. Only Li Ziyan volunteered to be a hostage in someone else's fiefdom, and only Chu Heng volunteered to lead troops to quell the war. Now, look what happened. This group of people have caught other people's weaknesses and are using some unfounded rumors to show their loyalty.
"Whether the matter is true or false, I will make the final decision. No further discussion is allowed regarding food. I am dismissing the court!"
"……promise."
All the ministers withdrew. Those who had guilty consciences lowered their heads and wiped their sweat, while those who were open-minded had a look of contempt and anger on their faces.
Chu Heng looked at the group of people who appeared loyal but were actually selfish leaving with cold eyes.
"General, the emperor invites you to the imperial study."
"Yes, please lead the way, sir."
"promise."
Inside the imperial study, Li Zihan looked at Chu Heng kneeling on the ground, his heart filled with indescribable complexity. If he hadn't asked Chu Heng to take care of Zi Yan, they wouldn't have developed such a relationship today...
"Huanzhi, you and Ziyan..."
"Your Majesty, I love you, and I am willing to marry you as my concubine."
If he didn't really like her, no one would say this. Chu Heng was a great general of the dynasty. With his status, he could have any beauty he wanted, so how could he be reduced to being someone else's concubine? Even if he wanted to marry a man, he should marry someone else as his wife.
"Huanzhi, you know that the current situation does not allow us to make a choice."
Chu Heng knew that the Southeast King's move was risky but vicious enough. From the beginning to the end, his desire for Li Ziyan was just an excuse, or in other words, what he did to Li Ziyan was just what he wanted to get. His real purpose was to spread rumors and make these ministers and even Li Zihan suspicious of him and doubt their relationship.
Presumably, he had already discovered the hidden feelings between Li Ziyan and Chu Heng, which is why he also considered Chu Heng as one of them.
Once Li Ziyan arouses everyone's suspicion and estrangement, Chu Heng, who has a good relationship with him, will naturally be taken into consideration by everyone, and his goal will be achieved.
"Your and Ziyan's identities are both too sensitive. If this hadn't happened, I could still have allowed you to get married despite everyone's objections. But if I really let you get married now, I'm afraid the Great Jin Dynasty will be in chaos."
Continue read on readnovelmtl.com