Third prince was overjoyed to know that the emperor was unharmed, "Elder brother, imperial father and Yongning are alright. We made it in time!"
"En, the heavens are by imperial father's side."
Crown Prince nodded, looking calm, but when he saw the second prince, he barked, "Second brother, you stand accused of inciting rebellion. Give yourself in and let us take you before the imperial father for your sentence!"
Second prince mocked, "You've got another thing coming if you think it'd be that easy. I may have failed, but I still have my guards, my Radiant Stage experts. It'd be easy to get through you!"
"Would it?"
Crown Prince looked down on him with a smile and shouted at the crowd, "Officers of the city guard, have you forgotten whose men you really are? You have taken up arms against your lord, but your name is still on the record. You may run, but what about your families? Will you condemn them to annihilation?"
Every city guard shuddered on hearing this and their morale plunged.
Frowning, second prince picked up on the Crown Prince's trick and his eyes spat fire.
Crown Prince snickered, addressing the men once more, "You are all loyal soldiers of the nation, tough and hard working. This is not how you should go down in history. You are also victims in this mutiny. Stand down, turn back, and I promise, in my name as Crown Prince, that His Majesty will overlook this act of yours. You will keep your jobs, you will stay as city guards…"
"Crown Prince!"
Second prince snapped, jumping at him with a 5th-grade spiritual weapon.
Crown Prince was firm, facing him with a 5th-grade spiritual weapon of his own.
Bam!
Under the screeches of metal grinding on everyone's ears, they saw a terrible explosion as the second prince was pushed back and started spurting blood. He lay on the ground, pale and haggard.
Crown Prince stood up with his weapon out, just like before, a cold smile on his lips. The only testament to his power was the cracked pavement underneath.
"Second prince!" The Radiant Stage experts helped him up. While the city guards stayed away, as did the commander.
Crown Prince had given them a way out. Picking up arms now would doom not only them but their families, their entire clans.
The warm smile of Crown Prince showed them how much he appreciated their intelligence and he now turned to the Radiant Stage experts, "Every single cultivator only fights for resources, spirit stones and pills. Now that he has failed in his rebellion, what could he possibly give you? Give up and stand beside me. I will make you Venerables!
"Or would you rather be on the run with my retarded brother? Ha-ha-ha, inciting a rebellion is a heavy crime, not something even a Radiant Stage expert would dare commit on a whim. Or he'd soon find himself hunted down by the empire. Of course, if you think you're Gu Santong who could fight a nation, then by all means."
With a shiver, the experts felt a desperate fear run through their blood.
They were just average, not freaks of Zhuo Fan or Gu Santong's caliber to flip the table in the emperor's face on a whim.
It was all about power, something they sorely lacked.
Without much suspense, they all sighed and left with hands behind their backs, towards the Crown Prince.
Watching his men leave him one by one left the second prince with a sinking feeling, his gaze empty.
"Ha-ha-ha, see that? The moment you lose is the moment you have nothing. The experts, the city guards, they didn't do it for you, but for that thing hovering over your head, the title of prince. Now that even that is taken away, you are nothing, just a lonely rebel. Your only choice now is to give up, ha-ha-ha…"
Crown Prince laughed at the second prince frozen on the ground. Not only was ruling out of reach, even his status was threatened.
Third prince shook his head, sending two men to tie him up. His mind was still in shock, walking around like an empty shell only capable of regret and dread…
The emperor was back at his desk, lamenting. Yongning poured him tea, urging, "Imperial father, please cheer up. Second brother's merely blinded by greed, the power having gone to his head. He'd never willingly hurt you."
"Ha-ha-ha, I would've been happier if he did. A pity this is as far as my child can go." The emperor shook his head.
Yongning started, "What… does that mean?"
"Nothing. This is a man's game, something you don't understand and hope you never will." The emperor patted her head with a fond gaze, "I wish for you to stay like this forever, pure and unmarred by the world's corruption."
Blinking her big eyes, Yongning nodded clueless.
The emperor smiled, "I just love that silly look on your face, ha-ha-ha…"
"Report!"
A sharp voice announced the arrival of a servant, "Your Majesty, Crown Prince and third prince's timely intervention has captured second prince's rebel army. The two princes are wishing to see Your Majesty with the rebel prince!"
"Humph, impeccable timing too." The emperor snorted, "I'll allow it!"
"Yes!" The servant left.
Yongning watched in worry, "Imperial father, what are you going to do with second brother?"
The emperor's eyes flashed, the silence weighing heavy on Yongning's innocent heart. They were kin, born of the same parent. How could she bear seeing her father kill her brother?
But even she realized the gravity of rebellion. A prince would suffer the same fate as the next criminal, the gallows. The fact that she could do nothing to plead his case only burdened her heart more.
Crown Prince and blobby brought in a tied up second prince, "Imperial father, I ask that you forgive me for my late arrival to your rescue!"
"Crown Prince, how did you handle your brother and the guards?" The emperor asked.
Crown Prince was candid, "Forgive me, imperial father, I have taken the liberty to let them go. To let them return to their posts!"
"With troubled times upon us, you cannot blame them. There was no need to exacerbate. Crown Prince, you've done well." The emperor nodded.
Crown Prince bowed with gratitude, "I thank imperial father for his kind words."
The emperor turned to the captive, "Son, I've told you before. You can only have what I give you and never take what I don't give you. Do you finally see the wisdom in my words? "
"Humph, what use does wisdom have to a defeated general?" Second prince sighed, "I never considered the fact that the reason behind my rebellion was all due to my title as prince, the title imperial father gave me. Now that you've taken it away, I will be worse than nothing, ha-ha-ha. Imperial father, is this what you wanted me to see?"
The emperor shook his head, "The sky is boundless and the lands vast, but the power of the emperor goes beyond them all. I only wished to tell you that I am the true ruler of Tianyu. You can pull any stunt you like, as long as you don't rebel."
Second prince sighed, hanging his head.
Crown Prince's eyes glinted.
"Imperial father, may I ask what is the second prince's sentence?" The fatty probed.
All eyes turned to the emperor. Only second prince's head was still down, in the pits of despair.
The emperor took a deep breath, "Guards, throw second prince Yuwen Yong in prison, where he shall spend the remainder of his days!"
Second prince shuddered, incapable of believing his ears. He had rebelled and should've been given the noose, so why…
"A father's love is boundless. You may find it in you to take my life for the throne, but I will never think for a second to kill my son. Take him away…" The emperor mocked and sighed.
Second prince never spoke a word even as he was dragged away by the imperial guards, but his eyes reddened.
The fatty and Yongning perked up. Crown Prince looked happy, but the emperor picked up on the discontent in his eyes.
"Crown Prince, a lord needs to show mercy. He can no longer stand in your way." As both a warning and advice, the emperor spoke with a flick of his sleeve, sending them all away.
Crown Prince shuddered, his face gloomy as he shuffled away with a lowered head…