After the departure of the miscellaneous people,
Li Chengding's dignified demeanor suddenly faded away, and he angrily shouted, "Sir, please teach me, how could there be such foolish people in my princely mansion?
Trash!
Idiots!
Wei Zixian, Yang Erlang, Qian Sangao, they're all damn idiots!
Can stupidity be contagious?
Ah!"
After venting, Li Chengding sat desolately on the throne, his eyes bloodshot!
He was never known for his strategizing.
Becoming the prince relied on one's military achievements.
Guarding the northern wilderness back then, he achieved great military exploits, returned south with unparalleled glory, and became the prince of the Eastern Palace in one fell swoop.
He thought becoming the prince would allow him to showcase his abilities and ambitions to unify the world.
But unexpectedly, he encountered great changes upon his return.
I was becoming a prisoner trapped in Chang'an.
His profound cultivation was useless.
The emperor was still in his prime, with a long lifespan.
He could only sit on the dragon throne and watch coldly; Li Chengding dared not move beyond his boundaries.
A grandmaster of the Return to Truth realm.
Except for a few people in the world, no one could rival him!
Otherwise, according to Li Chengding's temperament, whoever the second, third, fourth, or even the possible fifth or sixth...
Would all be killed cleanly, naturally clearing his path.
"Your Highness, there's something I'm not sure if I should say!"
Seeing Li Chengding gradually calm down, Zhu Wuchang said as he fanned himself.
"Speak!"
"In my opinion, Your Highness doesn't need to target the Marquis of Chenliu!"
Zhu Wuchang spoke confidently, "Tiger Lord, Dog Son, Rat Grandson, Chen Aman, just a mediocre practitioner at the Hollowing Void realm.
With no successors, he's just an idle marquis.
Let them live or perish on their own; there's no need to lower your status to provoke them.
Even if we add the West Viscount's Mansion, it's just two ants huddling together for warmth, not even worth Your Highness's intervention!"
"To be blunt, provoking them not only displeases His Majesty but also brings no benefit!"
"I am well aware of that."
Li Chengding sighed, "Chen Aman is not to be feared, but as long as he holds the eight hundred Chenliu soldiers, I cannot live in peace!"
Zhu Wuchang was slightly surprised.
He was a newcomer who had only recently emerged in recent years, still in his early fifties.
He had no idea what the Chenliu soldiers were.
There was no record in the history books.
Li Chengding's face showed a reminiscing expression, saying, "Those skilled in war may not have illustrious achievements; the Chenliu soldiers may not have a prominent reputation, but they are the most elite force of the Great Tang. Compared to the Divine Strategy Army and the Xuan Armor Army, they're not even worthy to carry their shoes.
Hundreds of years ago, wherever the Chenliu soldiers went, all beasts fell silent, and a thousand armies retreated.
They harvested lives on the battlefield like ghosts, even their own lives.
Unafraid of death, even embracing it.
Once they raided a thousand miles, slaughtering a hundred thousand barbarian army of the Northern Wilderness in one night, making the Northern Throne dare not venture south for centuries.
Due to excessive slaughter, not even a trace was left in the history books."
Here, Li Chengding's expression turned eerie, "You must have heard that Chenliu King ascended to the throne through improper means, merely by flattering the late emperor's buttocks!"
Zhu Wuchang did not answer; after all, it involved certain private matters of the late emperor, he just blinked his eyes!
"Here in my palace, there's no need to be so cautious!"
Li Chengding taunted, "If Chenliu King's throne was obtained by licking the gutter, probably all the princes and lords of the Great Tang would have queued up to do so."
"Because Chenliu King was the first master of the Chenliu soldiers..."
Here, Li Chengding looked into the distance towards the north.
In a daze, he seemed to see eight hundred armored soldiers, clad in black robes, solemnly standing in a straight line on the boundless grassland.
Facing the iron cavalry surging like a tide, there was silence on their faces.
As Chenliu King's battle flag waved,
The eight hundred soldiers raised their butcher knives, their mounts roaring, and the enemy forces retreated, falling like grass!
Bodies littered the fields!
Rivers of blood flowed!
Zhu Wuchang remained silent.
The prince praised the Chenliu soldiers so highly, yet he was obsessed with burying them completely.
Most likely, this involved unresolved grievances...
Li Chengding sighed slowly, "Not long after the late emperor's passing, Chenliu King also left with his mother to join the heavenly crane. That child is the Marquis of Chenliu, Chen Aman!"
The emperor intended to emulate the late emperor, forming a bond as sworn brothers with Chen Aman, with mutual loyalty between sovereign and subject.
Originally, everything was fine. Although Chen Aman's cultivation aptitude was mediocre, he held the Chenliu soldiers and was not weaker than Chenliu King in reputation.
However, fourteen years ago, a sudden incident caused many of the emperor's plans to come to nothing.
My foolish mother somehow learned about the true identity of Chenliu King's consort.
Taking advantage of Chenliu King's return home to pay respects to his ancestors and the vulnerability of the marquis's mansion defenses, she mobilized two clan grandmasters to assassinate Chenliu King's consort!
Enraged, Chen Aman mobilized the eight hundred Chenliu soldiers to the capital, causing rivers of blood to flow, and the relatives of the empress were slaughtered!
If not for the emperor's intervention, perhaps even my mother and I would have been buried with Chenliu King's consort.
After that,
Chenliu King was deposed, and the aging eight hundred Chenliu soldiers laid down their arms and retired, never to return to the capital."
"I see!"
Zhu Wuchang was full of astonishment.
Fourteen years ago, chaos erupted in the capital, and the empress's relatives rebelled, leading to a massacre of their entire family.
The Crown Prince Li Chengding knelt in the study for three days and nights.
Finally, the emperor took pity and did not execute them all but instead sent Empress Xu to the cold palace.
It was also from that day on.
Instead of being implicated, the Crown Prince not only ascended to regency but also gained the emperor's favor.
This incident was widely known throughout the city, causing a sensation!
They said the empress's relatives were foolish.
They had a throne within easy reach but messed it up.
The glorious household collapsed overnight, with blood flowing like rivers.
They also praised the Crown Prince for being both loyal and filial, and the emperor for being wise and benevolent!
Zhu Wuchang joined Li Chengding's faction precisely because he saw the emperor's special expectations for the Crown Prince from this incident.
Never did he expect that the chaos fourteen years ago concealed such truths.
After a long silence, Zhu Wuchang said softly, "It's only been fourteen years. Your Highness, aren't you worried that the Chenliu soldiers will return to the capital and shed blood once again?"
"No matter how foolish my mother is, she's still my mother!"
Anger flashed in Li Chengding's eyes as he looked at the cold palace in the palace, "As her only son, I cannot watch her wither and die alone in the cold palace, becoming a lonely ghost!"
"The Chenliu soldiers have been hidden in the darkness for over three hundred years. They are old and should be thoroughly buried!"
"I've waited for fourteen years, and I've seen it for fourteen years!"
Li Chengding suddenly turned his head, his eyes crimson like blood, "I can't wait any longer, sir, do you understand?"
Zhu Wuchang was slightly stunned, bowing deeply to the ground, "Wuchang is willing to offer his life to present the sword and behead the heads for Your Highness!"