"The crucial thing is he insists I ordered him to do it, but how would I know about such a thing..." Xu Dalang's eyes darted around evasively. Based on her understanding of him, Xu Ruyi knew this matter was definitely tied to Xu Dalang.
"You really went too far this time," Xu Ruyi scolded. "Who is handling the case?"
"Who else could it be? It's the Prince of Chu's people..."
Xu Ruyi paused. That made sense.
Although these princes all had their own factions, the world ultimately belonged to the Emperor. No matter how much they jumped around, they didn't dare cross the line. It seemed the Prince of Chu wanted to seize this leverage to wring some benefits out of Fang Zhiyi...
She glanced at Xiaocui, who was still groaning, and ordered Xu Dalang to follow her to find Fang Zhiyi.
At this moment, Fang Zhiyi was comfortably humming a little tune while basking in the sun, acting as if he didn't see the aggressively approaching Xu Ruyi at all.
"Brother-in-law! Save me!" Xu Dalang had already received his sister's hints on the way here, and he immediately fell to his knees as soon as he saw Fang Zhiyi.
Fang Zhiyi opened his eyes slightly. "Oh, isn't this my highly capable brother-in-law?"
Xu Dalang offered an apologetic smile. "Brother-in-law, I've run into some trouble, and I absolutely need your help..."
"Don't be a stranger, we're all family. Tell me."
Looking at Fang Zhiyi's serious expression, Xu Ruyi felt a little relieved. It seemed Fang Zhiyi was just having a sudden fit of madness earlier today; she would settle the score with him later.
After Xu Dalang finished explaining what happened, Fang Zhiyi suddenly stood up and ran outside without looking back.
The Xu siblings were completely bewildered.
About a quarter of an hour later, Fang Zhiyi returned, followed by several officers in patrol uniforms.
"There, that's him. How do you handle your duties? A death is a major matter, yet you let the main culprit wander outside? What if he killed me?"
The officers swallowed hard. Who would dare take the blame for such a heavy accusation from the Crown Prince? Someone immediately stepped forward to arrest Xu Dalang.
Xu Ruyi blocked their way. "I'd like to see who dares! Fang Zhiyi! My brother is innocent, how could you treat him like this?"
Fang Zhiyi's face was entirely solemn. "The founding Emperor said that if the Son of Heaven breaks the law, he is guilty of the same crime as the common people! Not to mention he isn't even the Son of Heaven. As an imperial relative, he indulged his subordinate in beating a commoner to death. I am the Crown Prince, at the very least; how could I possibly shield him?"
In the original plot, Fang Zhiyi fell ill at this point. In order to save this brother-in-law, he didn't hesitate to promise to do the Prince of Chu a favor, only to be punished by the old Emperor later on.
"You..." Xu Ruyi was momentarily at a loss for words to refute him.
Fang Zhiyi put his hands on his hips. "What are you still standing around for? Is this how you handle your duties? Aren't you afraid I'll tell the Prince of Chu?"
Hearing this, the officers no longer hesitated. They stepped forward, pinned Xu Dalang down, and tied him up.
"Fang Zhiyi! You'll regret this!" Xu Ruyi stomped her foot.
"Why would I regret it?"
"Because..." Xu Ruyi opened her mouth but forcibly swallowed the rest of her words. She couldn't reveal her pregnancy just yet.
"Crazy." Fang Zhiyi watched the officers drag Xu Dalang away and even waved with a smile.
Meanwhile, when the Prince of Chu first received the news that the Crown Prince's brother-in-law had indulged his subordinate in beating someone to death, he was quite excited. He specifically gave Xu Dalang enough time to find the Crown Prince, while he himself timed it perfectly to prepare for a coincidental encounter.
However, when he saw the officers dragging Xu Dalang out, the Prince of Chu was a bit dumbfounded.
Wait, is this right?
He stared at the plaque of the Crown Prince's estate for a good while, then silently left. Originally, his eldest brother had angered the old man yesterday, and today if he submitted a memorial about this matter, he figured the Crown Prince's position would have to be relinquished...
It was night time again, and the eunuch Zhang Dafu arrived once more. Fang Zhiyi felt somewhat helpless. "What? Does our law stipulate that we can only discuss matters at night?"
Zhang Dafu smiled. "Your Highness, hurry up, and wear some extra clothes today." He paused. "The Emperor doesn't look too happy. You should be mentally prepared, and please don't anger the Emperor again."
Fang Zhiyi didn't reply, so Zhang Dafu assumed he understood. In fact, from this eunuch's perspective, Fang Zhiyi was indeed the best candidate for the heir apparent among the princes. He was generous, diligent in politics, and loved the people; his only flaw was his weak constitution.
By the time Fang Zhiyi arrived at the study, there were already several people there. Seeing him enter, the princes all looked at him with varying expressions.
"Eldest brother, you're wearing so many layers? You need to take care of your health," the Prince of Chu said.
Fang Zhiyi knew what he meant. Wasn't it just to remind the old man that his health was failing?
"Greetings, Imperial Father. Greetings, my brothers." After speaking, Fang Zhiyi casually plopped down right opposite the old Emperor, leaving the kneeling princes stunned. Wait, was he really acting that naturally?
They didn't notice that as soon as Fang Zhiyi sat down, the old Emperor subconsciously shifted the quilt he was sitting on behind him.
"Crown Prince, has your anger subsided?" It was the same sarcastic tone as always.
The princes all showed expressions of wanting to watch a good show.
"Anger subsided? What anger?" Fang Zhiyi looked bewildered.
The old Emperor snorted, not bothering about the fact that he was sitting there. "I heard that your Crown Princess's brother indulged his subordinate in beating a commoner to death. Do you know about this?"
Fang Zhiyi nodded. "I know! I was the one who reported it to the authorities and had him arrested." Saying this, he looked at the Prince of Chu. "Old Fourth, tell me, how do you manage your subordinates? How could you let a major suspect run over to my place? What if he slaughtered me too? Would that be on your head or his?"
"I..." The Prince of Chu hadn't expected the Crown Prince to immediately bite back at him right from the start. However, when he met the old Emperor's gaze, he instantly lowered his head. "It was my incompetence... Please quell your anger, Crown Prince."
"Why would I be angry? We are brothers, it doesn't matter to me."
A strange feeling rose in everyone's hearts.
"Ahem, so you mean you placed justice above family loyalty? The Crown Princess didn't have any objections, did she?" The old Emperor looked at Fang Zhiyi. He felt he was starting to find this honest son of his a bit unfathomable.
"She had plenty of objections. She cried and made a fuss, and even said she would make me regret it." Fang Zhiyi simply sat cross-legged on the couch, making Zhang Dafu's heart clench, but fortunately, the old Emperor didn't mind.
"That sister-in-law of yours is truly a magnet for trouble. She's either pulling strings for this relative of hers or issuing documents for that one. Previously, I felt it was hard to talk about family matters, but well, since everyone is here today and we are all family, I'll just say it."
"It's only human nature..." Prince Qi tried to smooth things over. Had the Crown Prince really gone mad, actually self-destructing right here?
Fang Zhiyi frowned. "Bullshit, what human nature? I'm the most reluctant to cause trouble, yet I'm stuck with a wife who stirs up trouble. Isn't this..."
"Are you blaming Us for arranging this marriage for you?"
The gossipy atmosphere immediately dissipated.
Fang Zhiyi raised his head. "Otherwise what? It's a good thing it's me. If it were someone else, I'd like to see what you would do, Imperial Father. For example, if it were Old Fifth, and his brother-in-law got involved in a murder case, wouldn't he have to resort to some shady methods to protect his brother-in-law? He might even get caught by someone else with leverage against him."
agon king storylines. At the start, I obtained the "Ultimate Lackey System" - the more I act as a lackey, the stronger I become. What else could I do? I chose to become the personal henchman of the ultimate villain, Su Muwan. I provoke all sorts of chosen ones, snatch away their opportunities, and commit every evil deed imaginable. You ask who's behind me? Hmph! You're not worthy of knowing my lady's name! ...... ....... I am Su Muwan, the eldest daughter of the Su family. Since childhood, I've possessed extraordinary talent in martial arts, which led to my arrogant and domineering personality in my past life. I was even foolish enough to repeatedly challenge those favored by heaven, ultimately resulting in a tragic death. In this life, I must behave and absolutely cannot walk the same path again!! However... SLAP!! "So you're the Dragon King, huh?!" When I saw my little lackey swagger over and viciously slap the Dragon King who was hiding his identity, I felt my heart sink. Su Muwan's suspended heart finally died as she watched Qin Luo, her utterly loyal lackey, standing before her. She fainted on the spot from shock. Heaven is determined to destroy me!! (Pure love 1v1, light-hearted, no angst, single female lead, villain, reincarnation, lackey)
lity and could only live as an ordinary mortal. He only wished to live a peaceful life. Yet he didn't know— The dog he adopted, because it ate his food, became a legendary demon king. The kitchen knife he casually forged became a peerless divine weapon, causing numerous experts to fight desperately for it. The young disciple he took in became an immortal lord that led an era, due to cultivating the techniques Ye Feng taught him. Even the skeletons he looked down on the most were ominous demon kings that suppressed countless worlds. Many years later, looking at the void shattered with a punch, Ye Feng murmured to himself: It turns out the peerless kings were myself all along...
tions: attribute allocation, analysis, proficiency, and simulation. Specializing in mechanical alchemy, from crafting sorcerous battle armor to handcrafting mechanical maidens, his mechanical legion conquers endless realms... Relying on his wits, he begins with a student-teacher romance, wins over a female director, enslaves a female assassin and a underworld queen, becoming the husband of a Grand Duchess... He enslaves the Goddess of Magic from the divine realm, developing his power simultaneously in both the Wizard World and the Realm of Gods...
ut it can buy an entire year of absolutely perfect training results! Su Yu stared at his empty wallet and decisively opened up various online loan platforms. “Borrow a thousand bucks! Recharge my vitality!” Boom! His vitality broke a hundred points, shattering the limits of the human body! “Borrow ten thousand bucks! Recharge my combat skills!” Boom! A basic punching technique so common it was everywhere instantly maxed out, revealing the ultimate assassination technique of Five Elements Unity—Inner Force! When a rich kid hired assassins for a midnight ambush, aiming to break both of his legs, they instead ran headfirst into a monster—a human-shaped tyrannosaur, brimming with dragon-like vitality. With just two fingers, Su Yu snapped a steel staff reinforced with alloy. Staring at the killer’s stash of stolen cash—a staggering quarter-million dollars—he showed a corporate-sincere smile: “Thanks for the pre-exam gift pack, Mr. Zhao! I’m gonna go re-invest this!” Three days later, at the National Martial Arts College Entrance Exam, while everyone else struggled just to reach the passing line, Su Yu threw a single punch—and more than a thousand vitality points literally detonated the entire arena!
