Chapter 26: Cast into the Dungeon

Zhou Hao spread his hands, his demeanor remarkably relaxed.

"Your Third Highness, surely you should be reasonable? I let go of your hand, yet you blame me because you couldn't stand steadily?"

"In the future, if you find yourself unable to sire heirs, will you blame me for that as well?"

Zhou Hao stepped back twice, moving to the side of the Great General.

With the Great General now present, the Third Prince suppressed his earlier tyrannical air. However, the resentment in his eyes did not fade; instead, it grew even more intense.

"Great General, this matter cannot simply be left at this. I hold an imperial decree from the Emperor to arrest Zhou Hao, yet I never expected him to humiliate me to such an extent."

"Hand him over, and this will be no concern of yours for the rest of the night."

The Third Prince reached out, the ferocity in his eyes almost as if he intended to tear Zhou Hao to pieces. Hand him over, and nothing further would happen tonight. But if they refused, even with the Great General standing there, the Imperial Palace Guards would draw their blades.

The Great General smiled, his expression natural and at ease.

"Certainly. Under the Emperor’s decree, how could I refuse to hand him over? However, there is a difference between how one goes about that handover."

With that, the Great General clapped his hands, and several soldiers clad in armor emerged from the manor. They looked grim, clearly veterans who had crawled their way out of piles of corpses. Though their armor was not as polished or ornate as that of the Imperial Palace Guards, their mere presence was enough to overwhelm them.

"Great General, what is the meaning of this? Do you intend to commit treason here in the Imperial City?"

A flicker of apprehension surfaced in the Third Prince’s eyes, and his gaze toward the Great General grew increasingly uneasy. He could understand the General being here, but where did these fully armored soldiers come from? Was the General actually mobilizing his own private troops?

Seeing the Third Prince’s wariness, the Great General chuckled and patted Zhou Hao on the shoulder.

"Third Prince, the First Prince is, after all, my son-in-law. The Emperor’s decree orders the Imperial Palace Guards to throw him into prison, and naturally, I must comply."

"But as an old man concerned for his son-in-law, surely you cannot forbid me from having these soldiers accompany him to the prison?"

"It is not as if we are trying to break him out; I am simply worried that my son-in-law might not fare well in there."

Though he spoke with a smile, his eyes were like cold arrows, piercing the Third Prince’s composure. With those soldiers guarding him, how could he possibly deal with Zhou Hao inside the prison? Would he die of a sudden illness? And would those soldiers also die of a sudden illness alongside him? If he were to use such an excuse, the influence of the Great General would be enough to make it impossible for him to maintain his current standing.

"Does the Great General not trust the prisons of our Great Zhou?" The Third Prince narrowed his eyes, his face devoid of any smile.

"I do not."

"You may not understand what the inside of those prisons is like, but I certainly do."

"Furthermore, the Emperor’s decree only orders his detention; it does not authorize his summary execution in the street. You, disregarding the bonds of brotherhood, attempted to murder an Imperial Prince in broad daylight. You must admit to that, must you not?"

The Great General’s words revealed his fangs. The Third Prince’s earlier outburst had provided the General with a perfect opportunity for a counterattack. As long as he seized upon this point, the Third Prince could not hope to take Zhou Hao away.

The Third Prince snorted coldly and turned to leave. It was clear now that even with the imperial decree, he could not kill Zhou Hao. It would be better to make a clean break, leave Zhou Hao behind, and avoid giving anyone ammunition against him. As for that forged decree... he would simply burn it. Relying on the favor of the Emperor and the Empress, he did not believe this would cause any real trouble. Since it hadn't succeeded, whether the decree was genuine or not mattered little.

"Are you not planning to take me with you?" Zhou Hao asked with a grin, gesturing for the Imperial Palace Guards to place the shackles on him.

"Go! Have I not made myself clear enough?" The Third Prince glared at the guards, his eyes filled with gravity. If he took Zhou Hao now, it would be a true disaster.

Yet the Imperial Palace Guards did not look at the Third Prince; instead, they fastened the shackles onto Zhou Hao. Then, one whispered, "First Prince, please forgive us."

Zhou Hao walked toward the guards with a beaming smile, his expression so relaxed it looked as if he were heading home rather than to prison. The soldiers followed closely behind him, forming a wall that separated Zhou Hao from the Imperial Palace Guards. Even so, the guards offered no protest.

"You... are you all trying to rebel?"

"Do you not listen to my orders? I have the Emperor's decree in my hand!" The Third Prince glared at the guards, his whip raised as if he might strike them at any moment.

"Third Prince, it is true that you have the imperial decree, but it does not instruct us to follow your personal orders," the lead guard replied. "The decree says to hold the First Prince in the prison, and that is what we must do."

"Otherwise, that would be a failure to obey the Imperial Will."

The guard spoke with neither arrogance nor servility, but to the Third Prince, it was like a thunderclap that shocked him into complete realization. No! He could not let Zhou Hao enter the prison. Once he was inside, it would be a public admission of failure. Even with the Emperor’s favor, it wouldn't be enough.

"Brother, you are my own blood brother, please, do not go to the prison." The Third Prince fell to his knees, clutching Zhou Hao’s leg, his eyes filled with pathetic desperation. "It is all my fault. I should not have come looking for you with that decree."

"You are a generous man—won't you just go back home today?"

Listening to the Third Prince’s plea, Zhou Hao grinned, a flicker of a smile crossing his eyes.

"Of course not. We must do exactly as the Emperor’s decree states. Or are you suggesting that you do not listen to the Emperor?"

As he spoke, Zhou Hao kicked the Third Prince away and, following the guards, walked step by step toward the prison.

The Third Prince scrambled up, intending to pursue, but the Great General stepped forward and grabbed his arm.

"Your Highness, why bother? I am not worried about my son-in-law, so why are you so concerned?"

"Since the Imperial Palace Guards have taken him, let them. By tomorrow’s morning court, news concerning my son-in-law will naturally emerge."

Hearing the Great General’s words, the Third Prince’s eyes filled with despair. What news? That would be his death knell! His plan had been to simply dispose of Zhou Hao. Once he was dead, any previous overstepping of his authority could be overlooked. The Emperor did not like Zhou Hao anyway; he could have claimed he was taking the blame for the Emperor’s sake. Even if the Emperor were displeased, he would have let the matter slide.

But look at how it had turned out! The Third Prince dared not even imagine the fury of the Emperor come tomorrow. He lowered his head, his eyes darting away.

"Great General, perhaps you should just take the First Prince back."