novelaction Chapter 392 Pampering
Chapter 392 Pampering
Chapter 392
"If that's the case, where is Protector Zhou?" As the second-in-command of General Wuwei's faction, and now holding the tiger talisman, Zhou Duhu naturally wouldn't be left behind in the crowd. He was also among the group during this operation. Upon hearing this, General Wuwei immediately called out to him.
Hearing the call, Zhou Duhu moved, swiftly pushed through the crowd and stepped out, saying in a deep voice, "Your Majesty!"
General Wuwei pointed his finger, his eyes wide with anger, and shouted, "I order you to arrest these traitors immediately!"
However, after a breath or two, Zhou Duhu stood still, staring at him calmly, but never gave any orders. The scene fell into a strange stagnation.
General Wuwei became furious upon seeing this and was about to explode when the Third Prince stopped him.
The Third Prince assumed that Protector Zhou's disobedience stemmed from his disdain for possessing the Tiger Tally, perhaps even a rebellion against his former superior. He gestured for him to withdraw and stepped forward alone. "Protector Zhou, I've heard you're prudent and methodical. If you achieve great success in apprehending the traitor today, and upon my ascension to the throne and the downfall of the Ye clan, I will hand over command of the Northern Di military and appoint you a general. I will treat you with due respect!"
Upon hearing this, Zhou Duhu's eyelashes trembled slightly and his expression seemed to relax.
Seeing this, the Third Prince struck while the iron was hot and said, "I heard that your daughter has a fierce temper and might have trouble finding a good husband. But that's all right. When I ascend the throne, your daughter will definitely have a place as a noble concubine!"
With his character, which was cultivated by Concubine Zhuang since childhood, he always disdained women like Zhou Duhu's daughter who were vulgar. He loved women with beautiful appearance and gentle personality. Now, the benefits he promised were like a great blessing from heaven for ordinary people.
They surrounded the new emperor and made his daughter their concubine. If his daughter gave birth to a child, then he, Zhou Duhu, would surely become a royal relative. With such kindness, how could an ordinary person not be moved?
Little did he know, his words would backfire.
While the title of Imperial Concubine sounded appealing, she was ultimately no more than a concubine, forever subordinate to the wife. Just like the other concubines in his palace, they endured constant oppression from the wife, only able to shed tears in secret, never daring to object. Furthermore, the Third Prince's words were filled with contempt for his own daughter; how could he bear to push her into this pit of fire? As the saying goes, "When the cunning rabbit dies, the running dog is cooked." With the Third Prince's vindictive nature, following him wouldn't end well.
Protector Zhou's already wavering heart instantly gathered like a bird in flight. He said in a deep voice, "This tiger talisman was bestowed upon you by His Majesty himself. Although you, Third Prince, are His Majesty's biological son, without His Majesty's will, you are ultimately unjust and unjust. I hold the tiger talisman, and my duty is to guard the border. I will obey His Majesty's orders only. Without His Majesty's personal orders, I would never dare to act on my own."
"You!" The third prince was furious.
At this point, how could he not understand that Protector Zhou might have harbored ulterior motives? His initial confidence in victory was shaken again. It seemed that his plan to kill Ye Yunzhou today would be in vain.
But it doesn't matter. Since Zhou Duhu has stated that he only obeys his father's orders, it means he won't turn against me. Let him leave this palace first. Once he makes his plans and ascends the throne, I will definitely not let him go.
He remained expressionless as he continued, "Since you only obey the Emperor's orders, and I am his biological son! Even if I can't order you around, you should at least protect me, right? Now, I order you to escort me out of the palace immediately."
"Otherwise, if someone takes the opportunity to harm me, you will be derelict in your duty!" After saying this, he glanced at Ye Yunzhou with a sinister look and a meaningful look.
This made sense. After all, if one was truly loyal to the Emperor, then naturally they should also be loyal to the Emperor's descendants. Although Protector Zhou had disobeyed his orders to apprehend the traitor, he certainly wouldn't fail to protect the prince, much less openly disobey his orders to stop him. The Third Prince was quite confident of this.
Sure enough, after hearing what the Third Prince said, Protector Zhou just looked at Ye Yunzhou silently, with his lips tightly closed, and did not refute.
The Third Prince felt relieved a little. He raised his hand and waved, and his personal guards, General Wuwei and others followed behind him and slowly retreated together.
The guards behind him, responsible for the siege, saw that the commander had not given any orders, so they consciously separated, forming two passages, allowing them to retreat. After retreating to more than ten meters away, the Third Prince saw that Ye Yunzhou and others did not make any other moves, and suddenly felt relieved and turned to leave.
By this time, they had slowly retreated to the main entrance of the Taiji Hall. The Third Prince knew the paths through the palace like the back of his hand, and he secretly thought that even if he walked from here, he would still be able to leave the palace. Unexpectedly, as soon as he turned around, he was frozen in place as if under a spell.
The rest of the people followed him closely, and when they saw him like this, they all looked forward in the direction he was looking.
At the entrance of Taiji Hall, Emperor Yuanzhen was seen in his pajamas, with Eunuch Su following closely beside him, staring at the Third Prince expressionlessly.
The sigh of relief that had just been released suddenly rose again. The long-held awe they held for Emperor Yuan Zhen made them tremble uncontrollably. Then, they all fell to their knees, crying out, "Your Majesty! Spare me!"
Emperor Yuanzhen's gaze did not linger on them for even a moment, nor was there any anger in his eyes. He just stared at the Third Prince steadily.
The Third Prince's face was as pale as paper, and his lips were trembling. He wanted to beg for mercy, but because he was too scared, he didn't know how to make Emperor Yuanzhen soften his heart, so he could only retreat.
He hoped that what he was seeing was a dream, not reality. However, he took a few steps back before bumping into something. He turned stiffly and saw Ye Yunzhou standing behind him, along with the dense mass of imperial guards.
The Third Prince’s eyes went dark and he fell to the ground. Where was his previous arrogance left?
"I really don't know. My good sons want to take my place before I die." Emperor Yuanzhen said in a cold voice.
Looking closely, his eyes seemed calm, but in reality, they were swirling with dark energy. He was clearly furious, yet he appeared calm. The Third Prince crawled forward two steps, clinging to Emperor Yuanzhen's legs as if he were a child. "Father, I was simply confused for a moment. No... no, I fell into someone's trap. I hope you will see clearly and forgive me this time."
His mother, Consort Cheng, had always enjoyed the emperor's favor and held a high position. Compared to his brothers, he was closest to Emperor Yuanzhen during his childhood. Emperor Yuanzhen treated this son, who would be so affectionate and spoiled, very differently from his other sons. He doted on him. Without this, how could Consort Cheng alone have nurtured his rebellious character?
So he thought about it for a long time and made a decision. He used the same throwing tantrums as when he was a child to try to arouse Emperor Yuanzhen's memories of the past and make him soften his heart.