Chapter 10

Mother and son looked in the direction of the sound and saw a palace eunuch leading a group of imperial guards, who had already arrived at the gate of the Prince’s mansion. The eunuch was holding a scroll of imperial edict in his hand.

Yun Lin and Song Li hurriedly knelt down, waiting for the edict.

"By the grace of Heaven, the Emperor decrees: Summon Princess Consort Yun Lin and Prince Song Li to immediately enter the palace to meet the Emperor!"

"Your subject receives the edict!"

Mother and son received the edict and exchanged a glance. Although they did not know what exactly had happened, they were sure it was related to Prince Song Xinghai. Could it be that Prince Song Xinghai had suddenly become assertive and caused some major trouble in the capital? Despite the thought of meeting the Emperor, the mother and son felt no fear, but rather a sense of excitement, as if they were secretly hoping for chaos.

In the grand hall, Emperor Song Xingtian sat on the dragon throne, wearing a ceremonial cap and dragon robe, with a short beard under his chin. His face was hidden behind the ceremonial veil, making it impossible to see his expression. Occasionally, two sharp glances would flash through the gaps in the veil, scrutinizing the civil and military officials in the hall. His figure was extremely imposing, and even sitting on the throne, he exuded a majestic aura!

What day was it today? Earlier, a eunuch had reported that the Nine Gates Commissioner Cheng Guangde and Duke Levis, along with a group of ministers, had beaten drums and filed a complaint at the Xuan德 Gate, accusing Prince Song Xinghai and his son of unprovoked violence.

He found this matter very strange. In Emperor Song Xingtian’s eyes, the sixth brother Song Xinghai was practically a "transparent person," neither helping to maintain the empire nor posing a threat to his throne. He was a dispensable figure. Therefore, Song Xingtian had never paid attention to this brother, giving him the title of Prince and letting him live a life of leisure and wealth, without any regrets about their brotherhood.

As the saying goes, like father, like son. Song Xinghai was weak and incapable, and his son Song Li was even more so, being a complete waste in cultivation. At thirteen, he was still at the second level of the entry stage. Even a six-year-old child in the capital could beat him up. Song Xingtian couldn’t understand why Song Xinghai and Song Li, who shared the royal bloodline, were so different from the rest, a disgrace to the royal family!

How could these two people cause such a stir, forcing the Nine Gates Commissioner and Duke Levis to file a complaint? Song Xingtian became interested in the matter and quickly ascended the throne to see what was going on.

"Your Majesty, I have a grievance!" Nine Gates Commissioner Cheng Guangde and Duke Levis knelt in the center of the hall, tears streaming down their faces. Behind them were two stretchers, on which their sons Cheng Zhengxiang and Little Levis lay, severely injured. From Song Xingtian’s perspective, both young men had all their bones broken and suffered severe internal injuries. Even if they were cured, they would likely become cripples.

"We also have grievances!" The Minister of Personnel, the Minister of Justice, and the Governor of the Capital also knelt, each with a look of righteous indignation.

"Your Excellencies, do not be hasty. Speak slowly about your grievances, and I will certainly do justice for you. Commissioner Cheng, you speak first. What exactly happened?" Song Xingtian’s tone was deep and powerful, as if it had a soothing effect.

Cheng Guangde, with tears and snot, recounted the events. He said that while he was handling official business in his study, disaster struck. Prince Song Xinghai burst into his mansion, attacking anyone he saw without asking questions. All forty-five of his guards had their limbs broken, including eight at the initial stage of Qi cultivation. The entire Nine Gates Commissioner’s mansion’s defense was completely destroyed! Song Xinghai claimed that his son Song Li had been beaten to near death by Cheng Zhengxiang, and he couldn’t bear the injustice, so he stormed into the Cheng mansion to seek revenge. However, soon after, his subordinates brought Cheng Zhengxiang back, reporting that Cheng Zhengxiang had been beaten by Song Li... This was too much, the father came to seek revenge, but the son had already beaten Cheng Zhengxiang so badly...

Duke Levis also chimed in, his experience similar to Cheng Guangde’s. The other ministers were slightly better off, at least their sons were not beaten, but the situation at their homes was similar to the Cheng and Levis families. Their sons had all participated in the beating of Song Li, so Song Xinghai stormed into their homes, breaking the limbs of their guards. The worst was the Minister of Personnel, whose walls were even broken by Song Xinghai because the gates were closed, and he was still looking for people to repair them.

The ministers spoke one after another, pounding their chests and weeping, staging a criticism session in the hall, all pointing the finger at Prince Song Xinghai, their words filled with hatred and a desire for revenge.

"The Holy Lion Code states that a prince who commits a crime is treated the same as a commoner. Prince Song Xinghai disregarded the empire’s laws, relying on his status as a prince, and in broad daylight, he broke into the residences of important ministers, committing violence, corrupting morals, and causing a very negative impact. We humbly request that Your Majesty impose severe punishment to demonstrate the fairness and clarity of the empire’s laws. Long live the Emperor, long live the Emperor, long live the Emperor!" Finally, Nine Gates Commissioner Cheng Guangde concluded, which was their ultimate goal.

While the ministers were making their accusations, Song Xingtian observed the sixth brother Song Xinghai standing to the side with great interest. He found it hard to believe that the man they described as a lone wolf who had single-handedly overpowered the mansions of several ministers, defeating numerous experts and causing chaos in the capital, was the same timid and weak sixth brother Song Xinghai. Was it really true?

"Prince Hai, is what they said true?" Despite his disbelief, Song Xingtian still asked.

Song Xinghai glared at the ministers, saluted, and replied, "Your Majesty, your subject did indeed storm their mansions and injure their experts. However, it was not unprovoked violence. My son Song Li was beaten to near death by Cheng Zhengxiang and his group yesterday, with all his bones broken. He probably won’t live much longer."

At this point, Song Xingtian’s voice became choked with emotion: "Your Majesty, your subject has always been kind to others and never engaged in conflict. Over the years, I have endured much bullying, but I usually don’t want to make a fuss over small matters. We are all ministers serving the Song family, working hard for the empire, so why should we fight over trivial things? However, my patience has its limits. My wife and son are my Achilles' heel. As a prince, if I can’t even speak up when my family is beaten to near death, what face do I have to stand in this world? I am Yun Lin’s husband and Song Li’s father. You can bully me, but if you bully them, don’t blame me for being ruthless and taking your lives!"

Seeing Song Xingtian’s fierce and imposing demeanor, Song Xingtian’s heart stirred. It seemed that everyone had underestimated this sixth brother. A tiger, when not showing its might, is mistaken for a sick cat. When they were fighting for the throne, Song Xinghai didn’t participate, and later he was always a good person, so they had overlooked his existence. He never expected this sixth brother to have such a side.

The emperor’s eyes flickered, and he had a vague idea. This matter seemed to have some unexpected discoveries, perhaps...

"Your son Song Li clearly injured my son on the platform in front of the Returning Goose Tower. How can you still speak such lies? A severely injured person can’t possibly cripple someone!" Cheng Guangde was so angry that his lips trembled.

Levis also fumed, insisting that his son Little Levis was injured by Song Li, and many citizens of the capital had witnessed it. Song Xinghai was clearly lying.

Everyone was furious. They had seen shameless people, but never someone so shameless. The father caused trouble at home, and the son caused trouble outside, and now he wouldn’t even admit it. What kind of people were they? They used to say that Song Xinghai was a good-natured prince, but now it seemed he was the most shameless person in the capital.

"My son’s severe injuries are something I saw with my own eyes. If you try to fabricate facts to frame him, my fists will not tolerate it! As a father, I have always felt ashamed that I couldn’t make him proud of me in his lifetime. Now that his life is in danger, if anyone dares to tarnish his reputation, even if it means bloodshed, I will make them pay a heavy price!" Song Xingtian clenched his fists, tears welling up in his eyes as he thought of his son’s possible imminent death, his heart filled with sorrow and anger. If not for being in the hall, he would have rushed forward to beat these officials to a pulp!

"Dear, well said!" Suddenly, applause echoed from the hall entrance. It was Yun Lin.

"Madam, why are you here?" Song Xingtian turned and saw Yun Lin, a bit surprised.

"I sent for them. Since we are investigating the case, all parties involved must be present to get to the bottom of things. Your Excellencies are important ministers of the court, and I do not want to favor anyone or wrong anyone." Song Xingtian waved his hand and said calmly, "Bring them into the hall."

The eunuch announced, and Yun Lin and her son were summoned to the hall.

When the people in the hall saw Song Li following behind, their expressions were very vivid! Especially Song Xingtian, with his keen eyesight, he could clearly see that his son Song Li not only showed no signs of injury but was also much stronger and more robust than before. His cultivation had also made a significant breakthrough, reaching the peak of the sixth level of body cultivation! His son, who had been lying in bed near death not long ago, was now lively and had even advanced in cultivation. The dramatic turn of events was too exciting, and the Prince’s heart almost couldn’t take it.

This... this... this... what is going on? Song Xingtian was dumbfounded, his mind completely muddled. He even began to doubt whether what he was seeing was a dream!