The clan families crouching beneath the rockery in the courtyard trembled uncontrollably.

There were no more screams, no more fighting, not even anyone speaking. Only heavy footsteps echoed from outside the courtyard as guards continuously poured in.

This government office had originally been quite spacious, but at this moment, looking up, there were people everywhere. Layer upon layer surrounded the hall, shields, armor, bows, crossbows, and long blades gleaming.

“Sir.” A young man from one of the clans couldn’t help pleading again. “So we don’t get in the way, please let us leave first.”

Hearing the plea from this side, a general looked over, his gaze fierce.

“Sir, this has nothing to do with us.” An elder hastily explained. “We know nothing. The Crown Prince said he wanted to see us, but we hadn’t seen him yet when these people—”

They truly weren’t accomplices!

“Shut up.” The general rebuked. “Right now, no one can leave here.” Saying this, he sneered coldly. “Don’t worry, we won’t let you get in the way.”

The clan families naturally understood the threat in those words. Their faces turned deathly pale, their hearts cold. Too late—once fighting started, they’d be the first to die.

If they’d known that coming to pledge allegiance to Xiao Xun meant death, they might as well have not pledged and stayed hidden at home instead.

“You people inside, listen!” The general stepped forward, gripping his blade and shouting sternly. “Surrender now and you still have a slim chance at survival.”

Inside was silent as death, but figures could be seen at the doors and windows. Earlier, the criminals in the courtyard had killed the soldiers, seized their weapons, and flipped into the hall, sealing the doors and windows shut. They’d announced that anyone who dared approach would have a piece of flesh carved from Xiao Xun—piece by piece. If they didn’t want their crown prince to suffer the torture of death by a thousand cuts, they should back off.

A soldier hurried forward and whispered a few words to the general.

The general’s expression showed surprise, then he sneered coldly: “So they’re Empress Chu’s family. I see—no wonder they’re so bold—Chu Lan!” He raised his voice, the vibration making the doors and windows rattle. “Surrender immediately!”

……

……

Chu Lan sat on the ground. This shout was like thunder, nearly making him jump up. He wanted to cry but had no tears.

Heavens, why were they shouting at him!

He hadn’t done anything!

Even if he wanted to surrender, he couldn’t!

“Father, don’t be afraid.” A female voice came from behind. “They don’t dare come in. They can’t hurt us.”

Don’t be afraid? Chu Lan slowly turned his head, looking at the girl seated at the desk behind him—he almost didn’t recognize her. Was this his daughter Chu Tang?

A’Tang, what was she doing?

And these people—Chu Lan looked at the servants in the hall—he didn’t manage household affairs; all household matters were decided by his daughter. But even a fool would know their family didn’t have such formidable servants.

Even a ten-year-old child could kill?

That child sat on a corpse.

The corpse was the general who’d led them in. After being struck down, he’d pretended to be unconscious, then tried to attack. The moment his hand moved, that child casually flicked their wrist and a throwing knife slit his throat. He no longer needed to pretend unconsciousness and would never move again.

Then that child had retrieved their throwing knife and sat on the corpse, wiping the blade clean.

Was this human!

What on earth was happening? Hadn’t they come to seek refuge with Xiao Xun? A’Tang had explained it to him clearly and plainly, even envisioning what kind of good life everyone would have.

“This trip of ours is called turning back from the wrong path—our future is bright.”

How was it that after arriving, his daughter had directly severed that future?

Chu Lan didn’t dare shift his gaze further. If he did, he’d see that Prince Zhongshan’s crown prince who was approaching the capital and about to become crown prince, bound hand and foot to a chair with a rag stuffed in his mouth.

His daughter, Chu Tang, had done it.

He wanted to ask but didn’t dare. The deed was done—what use was asking now? Should he kill his daughter to apologize to the Crown Prince?

He’d traveled here through a thousand hardships precisely to secure a good future for his children.

How bitter—all his heartfelt intentions—

What on earth was happening?

……

……

“There, finished writing.” Chu Tang put down her brush, breathed a sigh of relief, and came over with the paper slip. She pulled the rag from Xiao Xun’s mouth and asked, “Crown Prince, where is your personal seal?”

Xiao Xun looked at her—not startled, not panicked, not angry. He said gently: “On my belt, in the auspicious pouch.”

Chu Tang reached out and pulled off the auspicious pouch from Xiao Xun’s belt. She poured out a small seal from within, not forgetting to smile at Xiao Xun: “The Crown Prince’s seal is very beautiful.”

Xiao Xun smiled and nodded, accepting her praise.

“Miss A’Tang, I underestimated you,” he said. “I thought you’d planned for your parents to come seek refuge with me. I didn’t expect you came to kidnap me. You even kept it from your parents and used them. I truly admire you.”

Hearing this, the bound Ning Kun struck his head against the ground in frustration—he didn’t have Xiao Xun’s good treatment of being bound to a chair. He was tied up and thrown on the ground. Tie Ying was even worse off—not only securely bound, but still unconscious from some kind of drug—they had been so careless precisely because they’d seen how naive, sincere, and candid the Chu Lan couple appeared.

If the Chu Lan couple had shown even a hint of anything unusual, he wouldn’t have let them enter.

Chu Tang only said: “My parents are honest people and timid too. I was afraid of frightening them.”

Xiao Xun’s expression was somewhere between a smile and not, watching Chu Tang stamp the seal on the paper slip.

“What did Chu Zhao promise you?” he asked.

By now, what didn’t Xiao Xun understand?

The Chu Lan family—or rather, Chu Tang bringing her parents—hadn’t come seeking refuge because they had nowhere to turn, but had come to capture him.

What was this called?

Walking into the tiger’s den?

Whose scheme was this? Deng Yi’s? Xie Yanfang’s? The court first proclaimed that Chu Lan had colluded with Prince Zhongshan, then Chu Lan fled here, with Old Master Zhou adding fuel to the fire. Missing any single step would have made it hard to gain his trust. He wouldn’t have let them come. Of course, there was also the most crucial person—

Chu Zhao.

Without Chu Zhao, Chu Tang would never have been persuaded.

Without Chu Zhao, even with those three’s conspiracy, after arriving here, Chu Tang absolutely could have been convinced by him.

Chu Zhao! Xiao Xun clenched his bound hands behind him. Was his plan going to be ruined by her again?

Chu Tang said: “Eh, what promises or not—she and I are family. When her life isn’t good, I don’t have a good life either. No choice.”

Because they were family? Chu Tang was this kind of person? Xiao Xun didn’t question or refute, only saying: “Compared to Chu Zhao, I’m still not enough to make Miss A’Tang believe.”

He looked at Chu Tang.

“The position of empress—I wasn’t deceiving Miss Chu Tang. I can obtain such a vast empire—would I still need to rely on an empress’s family to support my court? Or rather, Miss A’Tang with your thin family background is more suitable to be my, Xiao Xun’s, empress. With you as empress, I won’t be torn apart or coerced by other families either. This way, we each get what we want—Miss A’Tang.”

He looked at Chu Tang with a smile, his dimples deep.

“You don’t believe you can be a good empress, do you? Compared to her, what do you lack? A good father?”

Chu Lan sitting on the ground shed tears.

Chu Tang chided: “Crown Prince, my father is also a good father.”

Xiao Xun said: “Yes, any father who dotes on his children is a good father. It shouldn’t be judged by power and position.”

He looked at Chu Tang.

“Compared to Chu Zhao, you just lack troops. I said before, I can have your father command the border army. The border army will still be in your hands. If Miss Chu Tang still isn’t assured, I’ll give you half the tiger tally. You’ll hold military authority. Then Miss A’Tang will surely be able to be a good empress, won’t she?”

The tiger tally—this was real military authority. Chu Tang clutched the paper slip, her eyes flickering.

“Miss A’Tang.” Xiao Xun sighed softly. “What I need is an empress—nothing to do with romantic love, but a companion, an assistant, a—”

Before he could finish, Chu Tang suddenly raised her hand and slapped his face.

Smack—a crisp slap echoed through the room.

Xiao Xun froze, his voice cutting off abruptly. He looked at the girl before him in disbelief.

He, Xiao Xun, had grown this large, and even his father had never struck him once.

She had hit his face?

While he was smiling and speaking with her gently and amiably, she hit his face?

His face!

The girl’s strength wasn’t great. The slap on his face didn’t hurt that much. But it was his face!

Slapping someone’s face was never about causing pain, but about humiliation.

This was humiliation—

“You!” Xiao Xun’s dimples vanished, his eyes darkening.

Before he could finish, Chu Tang stepped forward and raised her hand. This time she didn’t hit him but stuffed the rag back into Xiao Xun’s mouth.

Xiao Xun’s voice was blocked. Only his eyes blazed as he glared at her.

Only then did Chu Tang pat her chest and say to Xiao Xun: “Crown Prince, don’t be angry. I had no choice either.”

“Sister A’Tang, why are you dithering and muttering about?” Little Rabbit couldn’t help asking.

He’d been crouching on that general’s corpse the whole time, tossing his small knife, staring at Chu Tang.

“If you want to hit him, call me. I can hit hard enough to hurt.”

Chu Tang looked at him: “I’m not trying to make it hurt. And I’m not hitting him for his sake.”

What did that mean? Even more incomprehensible.

Chu Tang sighed deeply: “I hit him to cut off my own escape route.”

What Crown Prince Xiao said was too tempting. If she kept listening, she really couldn’t control herself from siding with him.

She understood these powerful nobles best. They seemed magnanimous but were actually very petty.

With this slap, even if Crown Prince Xiao made her empress, this slap would be carved into his heart and could take her life at any time.

Slapping Xiao Xun this once was to make herself give up and stop thinking about becoming Xiao Xun’s empress.

She closed her eyes and thrust out her hand.

“Quickly take this to Chu Zhao. Any later and I’ll regret it.”