Zhang San, please behave yourself!
Chapter 713 - 653: The Crown Prince’s Hatred!

Chapter 713: Chapter 653: The Crown Prince’s Hatred!

The Crown Prince, kneeling on the ground, hurriedly explained to Kaihuang.

"Father Emperor, listen to me, today’s events were really not my fault. I merely took Cui Wenjun out for drinks, and then..."

Slap—

Kaihuang swung his lance, striking the Crown Prince’s back with it.

"You begged me to spare the people of the Cui Family, and I agreed. But what happened then? So ostentatious? Are you afraid that the entire Capital doesn’t know of your overwhelming authority as the Crown Prince, that you can easily pull out whoever the Town Martial Office captures?"

At that moment, the Crown Prince nearly cried.

"Father Emperor, we really didn’t. At that time... at that time I was just..."

The Crown Prince, recalling everything that had happened at the entrance of the Town Martial Office, realized that the deeds performed by the Martial Artists there were superficially righteous, but in reality, they were setting him up.

"Father Emperor, it’s a misunderstanding, all misunderstandings. Really, listen to my explanation!"

Slap—

Kaihuang did not listen to the explanation, striking the Crown Prince again with the lance.

"If the incident at the Town Martial Office is a misunderstanding, then let me ask you, is the matter with your sister Qionghua also a misunderstanding?"

"In order to win over the Cui Family, you let Cui Wenjun flirt with your own sister, is that a misunderstanding too?"

At that moment, the Crown Prince really wanted to burst into tears.

"Father Emperor! I didn’t! I really didn’t! How could I possibly let someone flirt with my own sister! I merely sent Cui Wenjun over, pretending it was a chance encounter, hoping the two of them could get to know each other a bit. Really, I... I... Ah!"

Before the Crown Prince could finish speaking, Kaihuang struck him again with the lance.

After all, in Kaihuang’s eyes, every word the Crown Prince spoke at this moment was an excuse.

"Because of you, your Royal Mother has fallen ill! And yet you still make excuses! Still make excuses!"

Kaihuang said, swinging the lance in his hand, continuing to smash down on the Crown Prince.

Although Empress Dugu’s illness actually had nothing to do with the Crown Prince.

But now, in Kaihuang’s enraged state, naturally, he blamed the Crown Prince for everything.

At that moment, the Crown Princess Consort threw herself over, pressing atop the Crown Prince.

"Father Emperor, have mercy, Father Emperor, have mercy..."

Kaihuang could beat the Crown Prince as if striking his own son, but he naturally couldn’t treat his daughter-in-law the same.

Combined with the few previous strikes, much of Kaihuang’s anger had also subsided, so he directly threw the lance to the ground, looking toward the kneeling couple.

"During this time, Crown Prince, you should reflect well in the Eastern Palace! As for the Crown Princess Consort, you need not visit your Royal Mother frequently anymore. The Princess Consort of Jin will take care of her. You better make the Crown Prince understand more about responsibility!"

Having said this, Kaihuang left with his entourage, fuming with rage.

While the Princess Consort of Jin sighed, returning to Empress Gudu’s resting chamber to continue looking after Empress Dugu.

At that moment, the Crown Prince watched everyone disperse, and in front of the vast expanse before the Royal Mother’s chamber, there was only himself and his Crown Princess Consort.

At this point, the Crown Prince was desperate.

He didn’t understand why his father refused to listen to his explanations. Was he no longer his child?

Moreover, what made the Crown Prince even more desperate was that he didn’t know how he had lost this time.

Now, he understood that Zhang San must have done something secretly to put him in such a passive position.

But what exactly had Zhang San done, and how had he been defeated by Zhang San this time?

The Crown Prince still couldn’t figure it out even now.

That night, the Crown Prince returned to the Eastern Palace to reflect behind closed doors.

Kaihuang also sent someone to replace the defensive forces of the Eastern Palace to prevent the Crown Prince from not reflecting properly in his own Eastern Palace.

The Crown Prince’s heart was filled with hatred for Zhang San and his associates!

He knew that now he had to rely on the power of the Li Clan, his Crown Princess Consort’s family.

Meanwhile, at Zhang San’s residence, everyone was celebrating.

Zhang San hadn’t really celebrated properly with everyone since his return.

Today, the Crown Prince was confined within the Eastern Palace. Although it was not a severe punishment, this incident was enough for all the court officials to sense an important signal—that the Crown Prince was in trouble.

Yang Lihua raised a glass to toast Zhang San, smiling as she asked, "I don’t quite understand the situation this time. Why did you have my people bribe the junior eunuch and deliberately say it was King Jin who wanted to bribe him?"

Zhang San answered softly, "How could Kaihuang not notice that King Jin also has designs on the position of Crown Prince? Especially since the Crown Prince has disappointed him time and again, while King Jin’s performance has been so exemplary. Naturally, Kaihuang might consider replacing the Crown Prince. So, if Kaihuang doesn’t notice later, it doesn’t matter. But if someone does investigate, they would only find out from the junior eunuch that it was King Jin’s men who bribed him."

"For King Jin to bribe someone to deal with the Crown Prince is quite normal, right? Such investigation findings, even if trouble arises, would be covered by King Jin. But sister, if it were discovered that you were behind this, many would overthink and complicate matters. Therefore, it’s best if the whole situation appears to be just a struggle between King Jin and the Crown Prince. And I, am just the loyal Zhang San of Town Martial Office under Kaihuang!"

Yang Lihua felt that Zhang San had become more capable than before.

In the past, Zhang San often took matters into his own hands, but now he had learned that oftentimes, he could step back and let others fight it out in the open.

"However, my second brother is not a simple character either. You should be more careful as well,"

Yang Lihua kindly reminded him.

Zhang San shook his head, his face indifferent as he said, "It doesn’t matter. If he can deal with the Crown Prince and eventually win, it proves that he is indeed much more capable than the Crown Prince. Wouldn’t I know that such a person is not easy to handle?"

"But the Crown Prince is my enemy, and at this time, I naturally need to support someone else to rise. And King Jin is undoubtedly my best choice. Of course, he’s actually my only choice since I don’t really have any other options."

"Besides, the Crown Prince still wants to take away my younger brother’s wife, which is unacceptable."

Zhang San and Yang Lihua spoke, both glancing over at a table nearby.

At that moment, Wang Junwu and Princess Qionghua were whispering sweet nothings to each other and feeding each other.

Their affectionate manner, even if seen by deities, would invoke a touch of envy.

Seeing her sister find her own happiness made Yang Lihua very happy too.

But she knew that the Crown Prince’s setback this time was just that—a setback, not a defeat.

After all, someone who had stood in such a significant position in the court for so long would not be out of options.

"Brother, what do you plan to do next?"

Zhang San sighed, resignedly saying, "Next, naturally anyone who is close to the Crown Prince, I will target. Everyone is not blind; seeing one after another around the Crown Prince face misfortune, I doubt anyone would dare continue to get close to him."