SMASH!
An exquisite piece of porcelain was viciously thrown to the ground, shattering with a crisp sound.
The young man's handsome face was twisted into a savage mask, full of malice. He gritted his teeth, his whole body trembling.
There was no one else in the vast room, only the young man himself.
"Idiot!"
"Fool!"
"Damn it!"
"Bastard!"
"AHHHHHHH, I'm furious! Absolutely furious! This is infuriating!"
The young man vented his hysteria, a lingering trace of terror still haunting his eyes.
He couldn't forget the scene from just moments ago, when he was summoned to the palace to see his father, the Emperor.
In his eighteen years of life, he had never seen his father so enraged. He never imagined that his normally calm and magnanimous father could look so terrifying with such a savage expression on his face.
"Huangfu Chongxiao, you have disappointed me immensely! Look at this damn mess you've made!"
"Father... I... I am terrified. I don't know how I angered you. Please, Father, enlighten me."
"Enlighten you? Enlighten my ass!"
Huangfu Haoran's imperial might radiated from him, pressing down on the Sixth Prince until he could barely breathe. Pointing a finger at the kneeling prince, he roared, "Who told your men to cause trouble at that shop on Cyan Dragon Avenue? Causing trouble is one thing. Taking a small loss as a lesson learned would have been fine. But what about all these rumors and gossip flooding the Imperial Capital?"
"That... I truly do not know!"
"Shut your mouth!"
The Emperor cut the Sixth Prince off with a cold shout. "Trying to deceive me? You're still too green! Back when I was a prince, I also played at political intrigue, won hearts and minds, and charged into battle to cut down enemies! Do you dare say the rumors demanding Xu Ji be held accountable weren't spread by your people? Do you dare say you didn't know?"
At this point, the Sixth Prince didn't dare talk back. He knew in his heart that if he didn't admit his mistake now, he would likely lose his chance to contend for that position forever.
Without hesitation, the Sixth Prince slammed his head on the hard golden bricks of the great hall. With reddened eyes and a tearful voice, he cried, "Father, I was wrong! I was just indignant that the National Guardian General's household servant was so arrogant, openly trampling the Empire's laws and showing no respect for the Royal Family! I... I know I was wrong! I beg you to punish me!"
Seeing his son finally relent, the Emperor's anger subsided somewhat. Panting slightly, he sat on the Dragon Throne and looked coldly at the Sixth Prince, whose forehead was now bleeding from the kowtow. "Household servant? Heh. You truly are ignorant, spouting whatever nonsense you please. If Xu Ji heard you say that, he could slap you half to death and I wouldn't stop him!"
A thought flashed through the Sixth Prince's mind, but he feigned ignorance. He looked up, his eyes brimming with tears, and said to the Emperor, "I beg you to help me understand, Father."
"Chongxiao, you are one of my favorite sons. Do you know what I appreciate most about you?"
The Emperor looked down at Huangfu Chongxiao and said faintly, "You have ambition. You don't need to deny it; I don't mean it as a criticism. You have ambition... but you never recklessly curry favor with the powerful officials of the court. That's very good. However, you must also understand that there are some people you cannot afford to offend."
"I know I was wrong." The Sixth Prince lowered his head obediently, but a flash of deep shame and indignation crossed his eyes.
The Emperor looked at the kneeling Sixth Prince and thought to himself, 'That shop on Cyan Dragon Avenue is an elite unit of my trusted confidants, shared between Xu Ji and myself!'
'I am the Commander, and Xu Ji... is the Vice Commander. This elite force is the Royal Family's greatest trump card, and it has existed for over a thousand years. But most of these people came from under the Xu Family's wing... Comparatively, they are more willing to listen to Xu Ji... than to me!'
The Emperor seemed a little weary, gently rubbing his forehead with his hand.
The Sixth Prince now understood. That shop must be a property of the Grand General of National Guardian's family!
The Sixth Prince was no fool. He knew that at a time like this, it was pointless to even bring up the topic of the National Guardian General's family abusing their power to maintain a private army. Doing so would only make him look stupid.
'National Guardian General Xu Ji is using this method to give my father leverage over him, to show that he has no treasonous intentions!' The Sixth Prince's heart sank. He knew he had truly screwed up this time.
"The number of people in the entire Imperial Capital who know the background of that shop can be counted on one hand. And now you've caused such an uproar that it's practically common knowledge. Tell me yourself, aren't you an idiot?"
The Emperor glanced at the Sixth Prince. He knew his son had jumped to the wrong conclusion, but he had no intention of correcting him.
He said lightly, "Especially after what happened a while ago. I casually directed my anger at the Xu Family's Xu Luo over the failed Star Festival, and it caused a huge uproar. Those close to the Xu Family were already dissatisfied with me... Forget it. Let's just consider this incident an opportunity for them to vent."
"But didn't you already appease the Xu Family, Father...?" the Sixth Prince said, blinking as he mustered his courage.
"That title? Chongxiao, if this is the extent of your political acumen, then I advise you to just go quietly to your fief and be a Prince." After saying this, the Emperor waved his hand, dismissing the Sixth Prince.
It was this very sentence that threw the Sixth Prince into turmoil, filling him with a fear so great he couldn't control his emotions. He had intended to feign incompetence to put his father, high on his Dragon Throne, at ease.
But he never expected that due to recent events, combined with his deliberate performance just now, he had overacted.
Because of his stupidity, the Emperor was now truly disappointed in him!
'Xu Luo... Xu Family... One day, if I ascend to the throne, I swear I will execute your entire clan!' the Sixth Prince vowed, gritting his teeth. Then, after taking a few deep breaths, his expression finally returned to its usual calm.
"Someone, attend me."
"My Lord, what are your orders?" An old man in gray robes appeared from seemingly nowhere, standing before the Sixth Prince and ignoring the complete mess on the floor.
"Go to the upper treasury and select several of the most precious treasures. Send them to the Xu Family's second young master. Just say... say that I was not strict enough with my subordinates and that he was frightened. These small gifts are to express my apologies," the Sixth Prince said, his face devoid of expression.
"My Lord... Is this... appropriate? With Your Majesty...?" The old man in gray hesitated.
"Just do it," the handsome young man, a bruise already forming on his forehead, said with a dismissive wave of his hand.
"Yes." The old man in gray didn't know what had provoked his master at the Emperor's court to make him fly into such a rage, only to follow it up with this gesture.
He dared not speculate on his master's intentions. Seeing the Sixth Prince had made up his mind, he could only follow his orders.
After the old man left, the Sixth Prince sat back down in his chair. A helpless smile slowly spread across his cold face as he murmured, "I'm doing this for him to see!"
Then, he sneered. "I'm sure many people are waiting to see me make a fool of myself. Well... I refuse to give you the satisfaction!"
...
That day, after Xu Luo and Lianyi left Cyan Dragon Avenue and returned home, Xu Luo's face was cold. He ignored Lianyi at his side, didn't ask any questions, and simply headed straight for his own small courtyard.
Lianyi followed behind him like a timid, scolded wife, treading carefully. She looked nothing like the impressive, cold-faced killer she had been just a moment ago.
"Young Master, I'm sorry, I was wrong..."
"Young Master, please don't ignore me. Lianyi knows she was wrong."
"I'll never do it again, I promise. Lianyi truly knows she was wrong."
"Young Master, just yell at me..."
Xu Luo stopped abruptly and spun around.
Lianyi, who had been muttering apologies behind him, almost crashed into him. She immediately swallowed the rest of her words and looked at Xu Luo timidly.
"I'm sorry, Young Master. This servant shouldn't have acted on her own, and I especially shouldn't have shown off in front of you. Whatever you want to know, I will tell you everything..."
"Enough! You have no idea what I'm angry about!"
"You think I'm mad because you didn't tell me the reason?"
"You think I don't know that the people in that shop are actually my father's men?"
"You think I'm mad about that? That's all bullshit! Power, schemes... what does any of that have to do with me?"
"You're a girl. Wielding swords and spears is fine—we're a Military Family, after all. But when danger strikes, who told you to rush forward?"
"Your young master might be a bit weak, and everyone in the Imperial Capital might call me useless—oh, right, now they call me the 'Civil Servant's Rice Bowl'..."
"But I'm still a man, aren't I? Or even if I'm not a full man yet, I'm at least a boy, right?"
"When there's danger, I should be the one standing in front of you, shielding you from the wind and rain! Why is a little girl like you trying to show off?"
"Showing off that you know how to kill? Afraid people don't know how fierce you are?"
"You're a girl! Do you think having a fierce reputation sounds good? Is it glorious? Will it make you happy?"
"Next time something like this happens, if you dare rush in and kill someone before I do, I'll... I'll... Ugh, forget it! There's no getting through to you!"
"Hey, I'm talking to you! Can you at least give me some kind of reaction?"
"Did you hear me?"
Lianyi stared dumbly at her frantic, agitated young master, looking as if she had been scared silly.
She was stunned, but a mist was gathering in her eyes, and... across her brow, an undeniable look of pure happiness.
She nodded, her "Yes" as faint as a mosquito's buzz. "I heard you."
"Alright, alright. Stop following me. After everything that's happened, you should go tell Mother first." Xu Luo turned, waved his hand, and walked back to his own courtyard.
As he walked, he grumbled, "I'm so mad. It was a perfect chance for a hero to save the damsel in distress..."
But Xu Luo didn't see that behind him, the pretty little Maid's face was already streaked with tears, though the corners of her mouth were turned up in a smile.
'Young Master, I'll never show off in front of you again... I'll leave all the impressive opportunities to you. Mmm, and you just said something about a hero saving a damsel... Am I a damsel? Am I pretty? Ah, how embarrassing...'
The charming little Maid ran toward the mistress's courtyard, laughing through her tears, her face tilted upwards, radiating happiness. In her heart, she was screaming: 'My young master has finally become a real man who can stand tall and face the world!'
Back in his room, Xu Luo shut himself inside and let out a long breath in front of the mirror.
He had been genuinely angry just now, and every word he said had come from the heart.
More importantly, back in that clothing shop, he had been holding his breath, circulating the Shadow Shaking Heart Method, and preparing to unleash a punch—the first kill of the Breaking Army Seven Kills, Broken Tendons and Bones... only for Lianyi to suddenly intervene, forcing him to hold it all back!
It had almost given Xu Luo an internal injury!
This wasn't a joke; he had truly been on the verge of suffering an internal injury from holding back.
He had forcibly restrained himself and not attacked.
The Breaking Army Seven Kills was immensely powerful. Once unleashed, it would inevitably cause injury, and there was no calling it back.
Now that he had suppressed it by force, that astonishing killing intent had built up inside his body.
That was why he had held it in the entire way home, until he could finally bear it no longer and had given Lianyi a harsh scolding.
However, what still baffled Xu Luo was that the girl seemed quite happy about being scolded. Though her eyes were filled with tears, the joy on her face was impossible to hide.
"Does someone actually enjoy being told off?" Xu Luo scratched his head and muttered, "Women really are strange creatures!"