Chapter 45: As Long as Liu Chen Lives, I Shall Never Rest Easy

However, when he looked up, he found Liu Chen looking at him with a half-smile, which turned his face pale and made his lips tremble uncontrollably. He was truly terrified.

The man before him was not someone easy to deal with; a single disagreement could lead to drawn swords.

Perhaps someone would avenge him after he was killed, but once dead, everything would be reduced to nothingness.

Liu Xuan, Liu Yong, and the others no longer dared to speak.

They knew all too well how powerful Huang Hao was. Yet, he had just been killed by Liu Chen like this, and even the emperor did not dare to object. If they provoked the other party and were killed with a single sword strike, wouldn't that be an unjust death?

"Your... Your Highness, His... His Majesty has summoned you to see him!"

At that moment, a young palace attendant walked over tremblingly, speaking in a stammering voice.

"Lead the way."

Liu Chen glanced coldly at the crowd and vaulted onto his horse.

"Lead the way."

Daring not to delay in the slightest, the young attendant hurried to lead the way ahead.

Outside the gates of Chengdu, the stench of blood had not yet dissipated.

The moment Liu Chen's figure vanished around the corner of the city gate, the courtiers, who had been suppressing their panic for so long, erupted into an uproar like a boiling cauldron. Liu Yong violently ripped off his official cap, which was splattered with drops of blood, and stamped his foot with a livid face. "Arrogant! Simply arrogant to the extreme! Huang Hao was a favored minister of His Majesty, yet Liu Chen dared to execute him in broad daylight! Is there still any imperial law?"

In truth, he was secretly quite pleased that Huang Hao had been killed, but Liu Chen was simply too arrogant. Committing murder in plain view of the public showed complete disregard for his dignity.

The crucial point was that he had been frightened by the other's ferocious aura, which was why he was now flying into a rage out of embarrassment.

"Fifth Brother is trying to rebel!" Liu Xu pointed a trembling hand in the direction where Liu Chen had departed, though his voice was kept extremely low for fear of being overheard by Liu Chen, who had not yet gone far. He growled in a low voice, "To commit murder in front of so many people, does he still regard His Majesty as his father?"

Several ministers crowded around, denouncing the act in a flurry of voices. Though their voices were loud, their eyes darted about restlessly, frequently glancing toward the palace gates as if ready to change their tune at any moment.

Liu Xuan stood in the center of the crowd, his face as pale as paper. He looked down at the few drops of blood staining the hem of his brocade robe, splattered there when Huang Hao was executed. His fingers unconsciously rubbed those dark red stains, and a chill surged from the soles of his feet straight up his spine.

"Your Royal Highness the Crown Prince..." A soft, sycophantic voice sounded beside his ear. Liu Xuan turned his head and saw Qiao Zhou's wrinkled face leaning in close. His graying beard bobbed up and down as he spoke in a bitter tone, "This old minister has something to say, though I do not know if I should speak of it."

Liu Xuan managed to steady his nerves. "Grand Master Qiao, please speak."

Qiao Zhou looked left and right, pulled Liu Xuan aside to a secluded spot, and lowered his voice. "The Prince of Qin's return to the capital this time is probably not as simple as merely reporting on his duties. The matter of Huang Hao is merely the beginning."

"What do you mean?" Liu Xuan's heart sank heavily.

"Your Highness, think about it." Qiao Zhou narrowed his eyes and sighed. "The Prince of Qin forced Deng Ai and Zhuge Xu to surrender, defeated Zhong Hui, and preserved the great Han. He commands deep loyalty within the army. Now, upon returning to the capital, he executes the Emperor's favored minister on the spot to establish his prestige across the court and the country. This posture clearly aims at the position of the Crown Prince."

Qiao Zhou's eyes flickered, filled with a look of profound worry.

"Damn it! I have done nothing wrong; how can he depose me?" Liu Xuan felt as though he had been struck by lightning. He staggered back half a step, clenched his fists, and cursed viciously.

Qiao Zhou quickly supported Liu Xuan and tried to console him. "Your Highness, calm your anger. This old minister is only guessing, and it may not be true. But one must guard against others. Since the Prince of Qin dared to kill Huang Hao today, tomorrow he will dare to..."

He left the sentence unfinished, but Liu Xuan already understood the underlying meaning. An unprecedented terror seized his heart—Liu Chen's cold and merciless eyes, that blood-dripping sword, and their father's tacit approval of all this... Everything made his blood run cold.

"What... what should I do?" Liu Xuan's voice trembled, completely devoid of the dignity befitting a Crown Prince.

A trace of smugness flashed through Qiao Zhou's eyes before he immediately put on a deeply worried expression and said, "The most urgent priority lies with His Majesty. No matter how many faults Huang Hao had, it was not the Prince of Qin's place to execute him arbitrarily. Once this precedent is set, the state will cease to be a state! It would be best if Your Highness could persuade His Majesty."

Liu Xuan took a deep breath, forcing himself to calm down. He recalled the half-smile Liu Chen had given him before leaving, which seemed to say: You are next.

"Let's go, to see Father." Liu Xuan gritted his teeth and moved to walk toward the inner palace.

Qiao Zhou hurriedly stopped him. "Your Highness, wait! Right now, the Prince of Beidi is having an audience with the Emperor; if you go rashly, it might be inappropriate. Instead... why not first contact several high-ranking ministers and jointly submit a memorial impeaching the Prince of Qin for the crime of arbitrarily executing a minister? The law cannot punish the multitude; even if His Majesty favors the Prince of Qin, he cannot ignore the opinions of the court."

Liu Xuan hesitated upon hearing this. He glanced at the Tiance troops slowly entering the city gate, a look of dread appearing on his face.

"What use is having elite troops in hand? Back then, General-in-Chief He Jin also had elite troops, yet did he not die at the hands of the eunuchs? Did Dong Zhuo not have elite troops guarding him, and did he not die by Lu Bu's hand?" Qiao Zhou said gloomily.

Recalling the look Liu Chen had given him upon leaving, a sense of ominous foreboding gripped his heart.

If Liu Chen did not die, he himself would surely die. Therefore, Qiao Zhou prepared to strike first to gain the upper hand.

Liu Xuan's expression stirred at these words, but he still could not make up his mind.

Seeing this, Qiao Zhou spoke even more viciously, "Your Highness, if the Prince of Qin does not die, Your Highness will not only lose the position of Crown Prince, but you will also lose your life. Have you ever seen a deposed crown prince retain his life?"

Hearing this, Liu Xuan trembled all over, a fierce glint flashing in his eyes. He suddenly grabbed Qiao Zhou's wrist and lowered his voice. "Does Grand Master Qiao have a brilliant plan?"

Qiao Zhou glanced around and lowered his voice even further. "Does Your Highness remember the Gaopingling Incident of Cao Wei all those years ago? Sima Yi succeeded entirely because Cao Shuang was indecisive. Now the Prince of Qin holds military power; if you let him firmly establish his footing..."

"You mean..." Liu Xuan's pupils contracted sharply. "Strike first to gain the upper hand?"

Qiao Zhou smiled sinisterly. "Tonight, a banquet will be held in the palace to celebrate the Prince of Qin's achievements—it is a heaven-sent opportunity. This old minister will immediately go contact Xiang Yi, commander of the Feathered Forest Guards. As long as Your Highness nods, this old minister will forge an imperial edict, ordering Xiang Yi to storm the Jiade Hall and execute him."

Cold sweat beaded on Liu Xuan's forehead, and his fingers unconsciously twisted the hem of his robe. He thought of the days when he and Liu Chen used to study and practice martial arts together in their youth, but that image was instantly replaced by the scene of Huang Hao's blood splattering the ground.

"He who hesitates is lost." Liu Xuan finally gritted his teeth and said, "Leave this matter to Grand Master Qiao to arrange. Remember, it must be done cleanly and neatly, leaving behind no incriminating evidence."

Qiao Zhou bowed to accept the order, a trace of triumphant joy flashing in his eyes.

What they did not know was that at that very moment, inside the imperial palace, columns of Tiance troops had already marched in. Deng Chong and Liao Shan were beginning to take over the palace's defense. As for Xiang Yi, though he wanted to resist, upon sensing the murderous aura emanating from the Tiance soldiers, he dared not fight back and meekly relinquished the defense of the imperial palace.