There was a hustle and bustle of people in front of the city gate.

It was a warm day with a spring breeze blowing. There was an endless stream of luxury cars and carriages going out of the city to enjoy the scenery. At a glance, there was red dust rolling and colorful curtains stretching across the sky.

Along the long road, the convoy of merchant cars waiting to enter the city formed a winding line that twisted and turned so much that there was no end in sight.

A prosperous scene of peace and prosperity.

When Duke Wei Li Zhongqian's carriage drove into the imperial city, the common people on the road recognized the Xie family's flags and stopped their carriages and horses to make way. The common people could not help but stop and watch.

The sword-bearing guards riding in front and behind the carriage were all dressed in mourning clothes, with grim expressions.

They were mourning for Princess Wen Zhao.

The common people whispered to each other: We heard that Duke Wei was seriously injured, his martial arts skills were completely destroyed, and he will never be able to fight on the battlefield again. His only sister also died outside the Great Wall. It's really pitiful!

Amid the discussions, the curtains of the carriage remained motionless and remained hung low. The second prince, who liked to ride a tall and mighty horse into the city every time he made a triumphal procession, seemed to be ashamed to see people and did not show up from beginning to end.

The people watched the carriage go away, thinking back to the high-spirited and heroic Second Prince, looked at each other, shook their heads and sighed.

The news soon reached Taiji Palace, and the eunuch entered the hall to report.

Li De frowned and said, "Let the Qianniu Guards watch him."

The eunuch agreed and ordered the Qianniu Guards. The Qianniu Guards were caught off guard and quickly gathered their men and rushed out of the inner city in a panic to welcome them.

An hour later, hundreds of gate guards, left and right Qianniu guards, and left and right Xiaowei guards in military uniforms were standing guard in front of the gate of the Duke of Wei's mansion, waiting in full formation. Swords flashed in the doorway, and guards were ambushed everywhere from the long street to the square.

Zheng Jing and Xue Wu hurriedly responded to the call and waited at the steps of the mansion.

The young man who rode a horse and chased the Seventh Princess in the past is now an official in the same court, all wearing green round-collared official robes.

Xue Wu looked nervous and kept wiping the sweat off his face.

Zheng Jing glanced at him and asked, "What are you afraid of?"

Xue Wu rolled his eyes in response: "Zheng San, aren't you afraid of the Duke of Wei? Who was almost frightened off his horse by the Duke of Wei?"

Hearing him talking about the old days, Zheng Jing was stunned.

Yes, he was also afraid of Li Zhongqian - among the noble sons who admired Princess Wen Zhao, which one was not afraid of Li Zhongqian?

Princess Wen Zhao was graceful and elegant in her manners. Li Zhongqian, like her, was born to Consort Xie, but he was overbearing and unruly. He was the eldest son in the world and the third son in the world. He often did things that shocked the world and were despised by the world.

During those two years, most of the young men from noble families who proposed to Princess Wen Zhao were beaten half to death by Li Zhongqian.

Not to mention the distant past, for example, Xiao Balang, a son of the prime minister, kept several beautiful concubines and had three or four children with them. Yet he had the audacity to ask for Princess Wen Zhao's hand in marriage, causing Li Zhongqian to be greatly troubled.

The eldest grandson of the Cui family in Boling swore that he had no concubines, no mistresses, and no illegitimate children, but it was discovered that he liked Longyang. Li Zhongqian was furious and broke one of Cui Dalang's legs in front of the emperor Li De and the civil and military officials.

Zheng Jing was also present at the time. Cui Dalang's screams lingered in the air for three days. He felt pain for Cui Dalang just thinking about it.

So when Zheng Jing went to the palace to propose marriage, his mother burst into tears and almost knelt down to beg him: Everyone knows how much Li Zhongqian loves Princess Wen Zhao. He has no merit or fame, but he dares to ask for the princess' hand in marriage. Does he want to die?

Zheng Jing was born with a reserved temperament and never did anything out of the ordinary, but that time he proposed marriage on his own initiative.

He thought he was fearless, but when Li Zhongqian looked at him coldly with his phoenix eyes, he was still frightened out of his wits and wanted only to find a crack in the ground to hide in.

Zheng Jing had a very clear memory of that cold look; he still felt a chill down his spine when he thought about it now.

At that time, he sincerely asked to marry Princess Wen Zhao, but Li Zhongqian looked as if he wanted to chop off his head immediately.

Now, Princess Wen Zhao is dead.

He died alone thousands of miles away, and no one knows how much torture he went through before his death.

Can Li Zhongqian, who broke Cui Dalang's leg, let it go?

Officials in the court all knew the answer: No.

Taiji Palace and Dong Palace stepped up their security, and the royal guards were dispersed and transferred to various government offices. Only the Xie family's guards were left by Li Zhongqian's side. The officials were still worried, so they sent the Xie family's guards away as well, and only allowed Li Zhongqian to bring twenty people into the city.

Just twenty people can't cause any trouble.

Moreover, Li Zhongqian had become a useless man, unable to even lift the golden hammer he was good at using. Otherwise, how could Li De dare to let him return to Beijing?

Zheng Jing remained calm, but Xue Wu just couldn't keep calm.

He stood on tiptoe and looked in the direction of the long street. He spat and whispered, "You and I are new officials with shallow foundations, so we were sent here to welcome Duke Wei. Those people did it on purpose! When Duke Wei arrives later, he will chop you and me with a knife. Will the emperor blame him? We are here to vent Duke Wei's anger!"

Zheng Jing lowered his eyes and said nothing.

Xue Wu smiled and said sarcastically, "Zheng San, have you never heard of He Lanyang?"

Zheng Jing shook his head.

Xue Wu came closer and lowered his voice, "When the emperor and Nanchu fought for Jingxiang two years ago, they suffered a great defeat. The conspirator He Lanyang proposed to marry Princess Wen Zhao to him in exchange for the support of the Jingxiang nobles. Duke Wei was on the battlefield at the time. He was furious when he heard the proposal and led 3,000 light cavalry to break through the siege, saving Jingxiang from danger. He then rushed into the tent with a knife and killed He Lanyang in front of the emperor. With one strike of the knife, the tent was full of blood."

"Since then, no one has dared to advise Princess Wen Zhao on her marriage. Otherwise, how would we have a chance to propose marriage?"

Xue Wu started shivering again, sweating profusely.

"I'm not trying to scare you. This time when Duke Wei returns to the capital, he will definitely kill a few people to vent his hatred. His Majesty feels guilty towards Princess Wen Zhao and will never punish me. I have offended Duke Wei before, and today I might be the one who gets hammered by Duke Wei!"

Just as he finished speaking, the sound of a carriage rolling over bricks was heard on the long street, and a group of white-clad guards drove slowly towards him in a carriage.

Xue Wu was so frightened that he jumped three feet high.

Zheng Jing went to meet him.

Xue Wu was stunned for a moment, secretly cursing Zheng Jing for not fearing death. He gritted his teeth, signaled the guards lying in ambush around to be alert, and followed him.

The carriage drove all the way to the stone steps before stopping. The Qianniu Wei Wei officer asked the eunuch holding the imperial edict to wait on the side, and stepped forward with a long sword in hand and shouted, "The emperor's order is here, why doesn't the Duke of Wei get off the carriage and listen to it?"

The guard said nothing.

The lieutenant frowned and repeated loudly: "The emperor's order is here, Duke Wei, why don't you get out of the car to receive it?"

The curtains didn't move, and the guards said nothing.

The lieutenant was furious. He stepped forward, lifted the curtain, and saw the scene inside the car clearly. He was stunned for a moment, and subconsciously took two steps back.

Zheng Jing and Xue Wu followed his line of sight.

A frail and thin figure got off the carriage with the help of the guards, stood on the ground, swayed a few times, and raised his head.

There was no sound in front of the government gate.

Zheng Jing's eyes were filled with surprise. Xue Wu's reaction was even more intense than his. His eyeballs almost fell to the ground.

The once brave, tall and strong Li Zhongqian had become emaciated and could not even stand steadily. Even his sharp eyes were gone. He looked listless and decadent.

It was as if all the spirit had been sucked away, leaving only a walking corpse.

Everyone was shocked and didn't know what to say for a moment.

It is said that Duke Wei was poisoned and became a useless man. It turns out to be true!

After a while, Qianniuwei put away his sword.

Xue Wu recovered from his shock and let out a sigh of relief: The current Duke Weiguo can't even kill people to vent his anger, he even needs people to protect and support him when he walks, so how can he kill people?

He took a step forward and whispered, "Duke Wei, the emperor has issued an order."

Li Zhongqian raised his eyelids and glanced at him indifferently.

"Get lost."

The voice is weak.

Xue Wu hesitated for a moment, not knowing what to say. Li Zhongqian had already walked past him with big steps. He was out of breath after only a few steps. His personal guards hurriedly stopped. He growled a few times. The personal guards did not dare to say anything and helped him climb the stone steps.

Qianniuwei stared at Li Zhongqian's trembling back for a while, and said loudly: "Duke Wei, do you want to disobey the order?"

The eunuch came forward holding the imperial edict.

Li Zhongqian paused and glanced at the soldiers around him.

The personal soldier understood, turned around and ran down the stone steps, drew his sword, and chopped at the box in the eunuch's hand.

With two loud clangs, the box broke into two pieces and fell to the ground. The imperial edict in the box was also chopped into pieces.

The eunuch was so frightened that he screamed and backed away.

Qianniu Wei was furious: "Duke Wei, how dare you disrespect His Majesty!"

Li Zhongqian ignored him and walked into the mansion without looking back.

With a bang, the door closed from the inside.

Everyone looked at each other in bewilderment.

Zheng Jing and Xue Wu looked at each other and returned to the palace to report.

Although Duke Wei was extremely treasonous and refused to accept the order, it was fortunate that no one was killed.

Xue Wu said a few good words for Li Zhongqian.

Shangguan frowned and asked, "Did Duke Wei really become a useless person?"

The two nodded: "Yes, we saw it with our own eyes."

Xue Wu clicked his tongue a few times and sighed, "You haven't seen it, Duke Wei has become as thin as a bamboo pole! He can fall down with a gust of wind, and he is panting like a bellows after walking a few steps."

A general who was as famous as Crown Prince Li Xuanzhen became a useless person just like that.

Shangguan nodded and went into the palace to report to Li De.

The next day, East Palace.

The maid reported to Zheng Biyu the news she had heard: "Last night, the emperor sent the imperial doctors to the Duke's Mansion to check the pulse of Duke Wei. Several imperial doctors said that Duke Wei's martial arts were indeed useless and he was shaking with fear when he held a pair of chopsticks. The emperor issued an edict to commend Duke Wei, but Duke Wei refused to obey. His guards beat up several eunuchs, and several ministers from the Council of State went to visit him, but were also driven away by his guards. No one dares to go to the Duke's Mansion now."

Zheng Biyu breathed a sigh of relief.

If Li Zhongqian had not been injured, he would have caused a big disturbance in Chang'an. His current behavior is actually good for everyone.

Wei Ming was worried and continued to send people to investigate.

The spies reported that Li Zhongqian would fly into a rage whenever someone from the palace came to visit him. Several times, the maids saw him trying to pick up the golden hammer to hit someone, but the person fell to the ground before he could lift him up.

The officials of the Eastern Palace secretly rejoiced in their hearts: this evil spirit would never be a threat to the prince's position again.

Wei Ming reported the good news to Li Xuanzhen.

Li Xuanzhen's injury had not healed yet. He leaned against the chair and hummed expressionlessly. He then transferred Wei Ming to study at the Pope's grandson's place.

Wei Ming was stunned for a moment, then he kowtowed to Li Xuanzhen with a wry smile and walked out.

Everyone was confused: What happened to the prince? Why did he send away Wei Changshi, the person he relied on the most?

Someone came to Zheng Biyu and asked her to help Wei Ming.

Zheng Biyu refused politely, saying that she was a woman in the inner palace and it was inconvenient for her to interfere in the affairs of the Eastern Palace.

Everyone could only comfort Wei Ming: When the prince's anger subsides, he will definitely be summoned back!

Wei Ming was a little depressed. Before leaving, he told everyone: "If there is any change in the matter of Princess Wen Zhao, you must let me know!"

Everyone agreed verbally, but they didn't take it seriously in their hearts.

Princess Wen Zhao is already dead, what else could happen?

They are now worried about another thing: Zhu Luyun ran away secretly and her whereabouts are unknown. They have searched everywhere, but there is no trace of Zhu Luyun.

Fortunately, Li Xuanzhen was still seriously injured and in a trance, so he did not ask about Zhu Luyun.

Li Zhongqian's return to the capital made the civil and military officials in the court nervous, but now that he had lost his martial arts skills and did not cause any major waves, everyone felt relieved.

The next day, a grand banquet was held in the palace to celebrate the triumphant soldiers.

The banquet was held in the west pavilion of the Linde Hall, with loud singing and dancing and brilliant candles.

Li Xuanzhen, who had not appeared in public for a long time, attended the banquet with a pale and gloomy face.

The official approached him with a glass of wine in hand and tried to talk to him, but he responded coldly, unlike his usual friendly self. The official retreated in embarrassment.

Zheng Jing was sitting in a corner. He looked at Li Xuanzhen a few times, as if thinking about something. Then he stood up and walked towards him.

"Your Highness." Zheng Jing raised his glass and looked around. "I remember the night when Princess Wen Zhao asked for marriage, there was also a banquet like this. She attended in a gorgeous dress, looking extremely beautiful. Envoys from various countries were all wondering which princess she was."

Li Xuanzhen closed his eyes, lowered his head and poured himself a glass of wine.

Zheng Jing smiled meaninglessly and turned back to his seat.

All the civil and military officials in the room were half drunk. Li De stood up, dipped his fingernails in wine, and flicked them into the air a few times. He was about to open his mouth to encourage the soldiers when there was a sudden commotion outside the palace gate.

The music stopped abruptly.

The atmosphere suddenly became stiff and heavy.

Everyone was stunned, not knowing what had happened, and looked in the direction where the sound came from.

In the flickering candlelight, a tall figure slowly climbed the stone steps and walked into the hall step by step.

It was Li Zhongqian who was completely useless in martial arts.

He was dressed in a snow-white robe and was skinny. He stood in the hall, his narrow eyes scanning the surroundings gloomily.

Everyone couldn't help but feel their hair stand on end and their hearts beating fast. Their eyes dropped to his waist and they saw that he was dressed in white and had no sword or the pair of terrifying golden hammers. They breathed a sigh of relief.

A useless Li Zhongqian is not worth worrying about.