Among adult men, the Crown Prince wasn’t short, but Jiang Zhan’s tall, straight stature forced him to look up.
This made the Crown Prince even more displeased.
Even though Jiang Zhan wasn’t particularly perceptive, he could sense this displeasure.
He hesitated for a moment, then knelt on one knee. “Please forgive me, Your Highness.”
As a member of the Golden Crow Guard on duty in the imperial city, Jiang Zhan knew he couldn’t act freely. He was well aware that he couldn’t clash with the Crown Prince head-on; at this moment, bowing his head was the only choice.
Kneeling on the cold, hard stone floor, a sense of humiliation welled up in his heart.
Jiang Zhan clenched his fist tightly, lowered his gaze to the ground, and apologized again.
The nearby Golden Crow Guard couldn’t help but plead, “Your Highness, Jiang Er—”
The Crown Prince’s icy glare silenced the guard.
“I’m truly puzzled how someone as reckless and careless as you managed to join the Golden Crow Guard!” the Crown Prince sneered.
Jiang Zhan remained kneeling on one knee, head bowed in silence.
In the face of absolute power, any struggle would not only disgrace oneself but also trouble one’s family. This was a principle he was beginning to understand.
How he wished he could punch the Crown Prince’s face into a pig’s head…
The Crown Prince raised an eyebrow.
He had heard that Seventh Brother’s brother-in-law was a hothead, but now it seemed he was quite capable of enduring.
Looking down at the kneeling man, the Crown Prince’s lips curved into a cruel smile. He raised his foot and stepped on the other’s hand, grinding down with his short boot embroidered with five-clawed dragon patterns.
Intense pain shot through Jiang Zhan, but he bit his lip and didn’t make a sound. The back of his hand was torn open, blood flowing freely.
The Crown Prince was increasingly surprised, and after the surprise came a sense of frustration.
If this guy had cried out in pain, he could have accused him of startling the Crown Prince.
Jiang Zhan knelt ramrod straight, cold sweat beading on his forehead from the pain.
Stupid Crown Prince, did he think he could catch him with such a small trick? Keep dreaming!
The Crown Prince didn’t lift his foot; instead, he increased the pressure.
The nearby Golden Crow Guard turned pale, averting his eyes, unable to bear the sight.
Suddenly, a fist flew towards the Crown Prince.
The Crown Prince stumbled forward.
The owner of the fist wasn’t done; he raised his leg and kicked the Crown Prince, sending him tumbling.
The Crown Prince fell face-first onto the cold, hard stone floor in a most undignified manner, nearly passing out from the pain.
A scream like that of a slaughtered pig rang out.
Yu Jin kicked the Crown Prince’s backside twice more, then grabbed him by the collar with one hand and, without hesitation, slapped him hard across the face twice.
The stunned attendants finally shouted, “Protect the Crown Prince! Protect the Crown Prince!”
Jiang Zhan, pressing his bleeding hand, stared in disbelief.
His brother-in-law had just beaten the Crown Prince?
Uh, and made him howl in pain…
More than a dozen Golden Crow Guards rushed over, surrounding Yu Jin with drawn swords.
The Crown Prince was the heir apparent; even though the King of Yan was a prince, offending the Crown Prince was still a serious crime.
“Oh, it’s Second Brother?” Yu Jin lowered his fist, looking bewildered.
The Crown Prince, his vision blurred from the beating, pointed at Yu Jin, unable to speak.
Yu Jin regretfully held his forehead. “If I had known it was Second Brother, I wouldn’t have raised a hand. Does it hurt?”
The Crown Prince grabbed Yu Jin’s collar, gritting his teeth. “Come with me to see Father Emperor, ouch—”
He trembled in pain as he spoke.
In an instant, the Imperial Study was filled with kneeling figures.
Emperor Jingming’s face turned ashen as he slammed the dragon desk heavily. “Tell me clearly, what exactly happened?”
This year had been devoid of good news. Just as he was looking forward to the winter solstice and the chance to leave the palace for some fresh air—ahem, to perform the heaven-worshipping ceremony—another problem arose.
Glancing at the Crown Prince’s swollen face, then at Yu Jin’s apprehensive expression, Emperor Jingming felt his anger rising.
It was Seventh Son again!
Last year on his birthday, this boy had beaten all his brothers except the Crown Prince. Was he making up for it today?
Seeing Emperor Jingming’s murderous glare towards Yu Jin, the Crown Prince suddenly felt less pain.
Seventh Brother’s assault on him today was a serious offense against the heir apparent. If the Father Emperor punished him severely, the suffering would be worth it.
Feeling he had the upper hand, the Crown Prince spoke first, “Father Emperor, Seventh Brother nearly beat your son to death today. Please uphold justice for me.”
“Tell me the details!” Emperor Jingming demanded.
“As I was going out, a young guard bumped into me. I had just reprimanded him when Seventh Brother rushed over and, without a word, beat me to this state…” The Crown Prince, emotional, described the incident in detail, wincing and gasping in pain.
Emperor Jingming listened with a cold expression. When the Crown Prince finished, he swept his gaze over the kneeling attendants and eunuchs. “Is this what happened?”
The Crown Prince’s eunuch quickly replied, “Yes, Your Majesty, that’s exactly what happened.”
The guards nodded in agreement, though one Golden Crow Guard hesitated slightly before lowering his head in silence.
The King of Yan striking the Crown Prince was beyond their ability to intervene; Jiang Er’s offense against the Crown Prince paled in comparison.
Having received confirmation, Emperor Jingming asked Yu Jin with fury in his eyes, “Seventh Son, what madness possessed you today?”
Yu Jin adopted an honest expression. “I didn’t recognize Second Brother. From afar, I saw someone bullying my brother-in-law. In a moment of anger, I rushed over and beat him, only realizing afterward it was Second Brother!”
Emperor Jingming pressed his fingers to his brow, asking through gritted teeth, “And what’s this about your brother-in-law?”
Yu Jin quickly pointed to the kneeling Jiang Zhan. “Father Emperor, my brother-in-law is Jiang Zhan, who serves in the Golden Crow Guard. When I arrived, I saw someone stepping on his hand…”
Emperor Jingming’s gaze lowered to Jiang Zhan’s hand, indeed seeing a bloodied and mangled back of the hand.
“Crown Prince, what’s the explanation for this?” Emperor Jingming’s gaze returned to the Crown Prince.
The Crown Prince suddenly felt panicked and hurried to explain, “Father Emperor, I had no idea this man was Seventh Brother’s brother-in-law. Today, as I was going out, this guard bumped into me. He knelt before me to apologize, and I reprimanded him briefly. As I was hurrying away, I accidentally stepped on his hand…”
Jiang Zhan’s lips twitched, but he remained silent.
Yu Jin, however, had no such reservations. He asked in surprise, “Second Brother, does your shoe have nails on the sole? How could an accidental step cause such damage?”
Emperor Jingming narrowed his eyes.
He naturally didn’t fully believe the Crown Prince’s explanation, but for this troublemaker to dare speak up now—did he think assaulting the heir apparent would go unpunished?
“Seventh Son, do you acknowledge your crime of offending the Crown Prince?” Emperor Jingming asked coldly, truly angered.
Yu Jin knelt properly, lowering his gaze. “I know that offending the heir apparent is a grave crime of disrespect, but Second Brother wasn’t wearing his Crown Prince attire today. I didn’t recognize him when I struck…”
“Father Emperor, don’t listen to Seventh Brother’s nonsense. Just because I changed clothes, he couldn’t recognize me? Does that mean if you changed clothes, he wouldn’t recognize you either and might even strike you?” the Crown Prince interjected.
Seventh Brother was trying to claim ignorance as a defense. No way!
Emperor Jingming rarely found himself agreeing with the Crown Prince.
It made sense; Seventh Son’s excuse was too far-fetched. This time, there was no way he could escape punishment.
“Father Emperor, no matter what you wear, you will never crush someone’s hand,” Yu Jin said calmly.
Emperor Jingming raised an eyebrow.
Hmm, that seemed to make even more sense.