Chapter 19

At this moment.

Zhang Ronghua thought about it a lot. What had happened tonight flashed through his mind like a flashback.

The Crown Prince said, “Are you shocked?”

“Yes.”

“I received the news that Dou Jianwu was jealous. He was afraid that his position would be snatched by you, so he betrayed me and joined forces with the palace maids to poison me. I beat them at their own game and lured them in.”

Zhang Ronghua understood. In the imperial power struggle, poisoning the other party was the worst method. If he crossed the red line and was rejected by everyone, his outcome would be tragic.

If the Crown Prince was poisoned, he would take the initiative and turn passive into active. Even if he did it too ruthlessly, no one would point fingers.

No wonder he could sit in this position for so many years. His shrewdness and schemes were top-notch.

“I wasn’t poisoned in front of you, but I was very poisoned in front of others until this matter was completely resolved. Qing’er and Shuang’er’s injuries are real.”

She got out of bed and walked over to him.

“I’ll leave the rest to you.”

They left the bedroom.

Zhang Ronghua felt very complicated. He understood now. No wonder his father was always prepared to run. The cruelty of the imperial power struggle was far more tragic than he had imagined.

He brought Feng Jingyao to the side hall and woke him up.

“So what if you capture me? When the army sent by His Majesty arrives, the Crown Prince will be finished!”

Zheng Ronghua used this guy as a punching bag to vent his frustration. He didn’t stop until he used up his energy.

After a round of interrogation, he got everything he wanted.

He took out the imperial edict from his arms and opened it. It was empty. There was not a word.

“Where are the words?”

“That’s impossible!”

Feng Jingyao felt as if the sky had collapsed. Cold sweat drenched him and he was scared out of his wits. He understood that he had been used as a pawn. He cried out, “Prince Gong gave me the imperial edict. He also asked me to do this.”

Zhang Ronghua guessed that the imperial edict was true, but the words and seal were written by the person behind it in a special potion. When the drug wore off, the handwriting would disappear, as it was now.

They left the side hall.

He went to the bedroom and told the Crown Prince the results of the interrogation before giving him the imperial edict.

He rushed towards Prince Gong’s residence with the two battalions of Flood Dragon Guards.

Zheng Fugui was still watching the East Palace, and Xia Guozhi was also guarding it. Without the Crown Prince’s order, he did not dare to move.

Zhang Ronghua had a bad feeling.

Prince Gong was probably doomed. The truth was as he had guessed.

When he rushed to the Prince’s Manor with his men, Prince Gong committed suicide by taking poison. There was only a corpse left, but some letters were found in his study. There was evidence of his collusion with the mastermind, including a fake imperial edict that instructed Feng Jingyao to lead troops to besiege the East Palace.

Back at the East Palace.

The troops of the Five City Defense Army had already dispersed, and Xia Guozhi had left.

The person in the palace was Wei Shang, the trusted aide of Emperor Xia. He represented the emperor to visit the Crown Prince.

When he left, Zhang Ronghua took out the letters he had obtained and looked at the handwriting on them. The Crown Prince was expressionless as he read them one by one. He ordered Qing’er to send these letters to the palace immediately.

As if guessing his confusion, he said, “Judging from the handwriting, the Sixth Prince wrote this.”

“It’s too easily obtained. These letters might not be true.”

“It doesn’t matter if it’s true. The Sixth Prince is very powerful. His family has a hundred-year-old heritage. Even if he didn’t do it this time, he’ll take action sooner or later. It’s just a matter of time. I don’t have any hopes of finding the mastermind, but my position will be a little more stable if I can eliminate a prince.”

The sky was already bright. The rising sun shone down.

The Crown Prince walked to the window and looked at the morning sun. “Sometimes, I have no choice!”

At noon.

There was news from the palace that the Sixth Prince’s family had been uprooted and imprisoned in the Nether Prison. His forces in the court had also been captured and handed over to the Ministry of Justice for interrogation.

However, he was not imprisoned in the Clan Manor. The Emperor had ordered the Sixth Prince to be grounded. Without his orders, he was not allowed to take a step outside. The confrontation involved was far more terrifying than a direct battle.

The palace sent someone to send a treasure to cure the Crown Prince of the poison. At the same time, they promised to strengthen his defense and expand the Flood Dragon Guard to make up for his losses.

Now, they could have two thousand guards.

Before this, although the Flood Dragon Guard was famous, there were only 500 people.

As it expanded, the Crown Prince’s power increased further.

Xuanhe Hall.

The Crown Prince sat at the head of the table with Qing’er and Shuang’er guarding him. With the help of healing pills, his injuries recovered.

Zhang Ronghua, Zheng Fugui, and Ma Ping’an stood in the hall.

The three of them contributed the most to this matter.

Especially Zhang Ronghua. After expelling the plague, he arrived in time to subdue Feng Jingyao and resolve a huge crisis.

The Crown Prince said, “Promote Zhang Ronghua to a Colonel, he will be in charge of the Flood Dragon Guards. He will be rewarded with a top-grade Earth-grade pill and 10,000 silver taels. Ma Ping’an will be the Deputy Colonel and be rewarded with a low-grade Earth-grade pill, as well as 2,000 silver taels. Zheng Fugui will be the Sima (Commander) and be rewarded with a low-grade Earth-grade pill, as well as 2,000 silver taels.”

“Thank you, Your Highness!”

“There are only 500 Flood Dragon Guards now. You have a long way to go. Expand them to full strength as soon as possible.”

Zhang Ronghua said, “Leave this matter to Deputy Colonel Ma. I’ve encountered a problem in my cultivation recently and want to apply for a period of time to resolve this matter.”

The Crown Prince glanced at him and did not agree immediately. As if thinking of something, he said, “Xueyan is going back to her hometown to worship her ancestors on behalf of the Grand Tutor recently. Bring Zheng Fugui along!”

“Yes.”

They left the East Palace.

On the street, seeing that it was not the way back to Vermilion Bird Workshop, Zheng Fugui scratched his head. “Aren’t we going back that way?”

“Let’s go home.”

“You’re not happy?”

He didn’t hide anything from his cousin and nodded truthfully.

Zheng Fugui was straightforward. “If you’re not happy with it, then quit! Go back and resign now.”

Bang!

He was rewarded with a knock on the head.

Zhang Ronghua rolled his eyes. “It’s easy to join someone but difficult to leave. We’re all marked by the Crown Prince. How can it be that simple?”

Back at the residence.

Zhang Qin was waiting for him in the hall. As if guessing that he was coming back, he chased the maidservant away. There were only three of them.

“Father, I’m so tired.”

“Tired my ass! You’re a Colonel now, in charge of the Flood Dragon Guard. I’ve never climbed to your level in my life. How can you tell me that you’re tired?”

Zhang Ronghua was only complaining in front of his family.

He explained what had happened recently in the East Palace.

“If he’s not ruthless and capable, his corpse will be cold already. We’ll have to die alongside him. Will you still have a mansion to live in?”

He patted his son’s shoulder.

“You’re even more powerful now. You’re beginning to enter the eyes of the upper echelons. That’s both a good and bad thing. Take the neighbors around you. They’re even more enthusiastic than before when they see us. They don’t even dare to speak forcefully. But you have to remember that all this power is based on the Crown Prince’s status. If he loses it, no one under him will survive.”