Zhu Changyu unexpectedly burst into loud laughter when he heard this.
"Although both princes, both born in the imperial palace, one grew up pampered every day, while the other barely survived with beatings and humiliations."
"Did you hear about today's prince conferment? The favored ones got rich and fertile fiefs, while the out-of-favor ones have to go to remote poor places. Why? What on earth is the reason?"
"My mother did something wrong, but why should it implicate me? What did I do wrong? Did I willingly come into this world? Did I willingly get born in this imperial city? Did I willingly live humbly suffering insults?"
"That man, we all call him the Emperor Father, but our fates are worlds apart. I don't envy Zhu Changhong for having a loving mother, but what about Father? What has he done?"
Dereliction of duty, ignoring, no love.
Perhaps there is no justice that can be spoken of, but the pain that falls on the child is real and tangible.
And it cannot prevent that child from giving birth to dissatisfaction and hatred in endless pain day after day.
"Consort Ju's high-sounding moral principles may be able to fool you, but they cannot fool me." Zhu Changyu's expression turned indifferent again. "She did me no harm, but she took away all of Father's love. She could have chosen not to be a concubine, yet she insisted on having an everlasting love in the depths of the palace. She enjoyed it for twenty years before meeting this outcome. I even think she got off easy."
"No matter how tragic the ending, there was passion and joy once, wasn't there?"
The teenage prince asked softly, with sadness in his unremarkable eyebrows and eyes.
The commander of the Imperial Guards was at a loss for words.
Perhaps a child who grew up in humiliation only had hatred and resentment left in his heart, only wanting to stand on the highest position to comfort himself for the tears he shed in solitude.
But imperial power was solid, ancestral precepts were upright, and no matter how much discontent, it was hard to shake them.
He could only look at this prince who might have been quite outstanding but was stifled by his birth, and lightly waved to signal.
The restless Imperial Guards rushed forward and seized Zhu Changyu.
"Your Highness, there's no use being unwilling, the Crown Prince has already been invested, and the dynasty needs someone who can abide by the rules." The commander of the Imperial Guards said softly.
With Li Qiang also arrested, the Imperial Guards with blood dripping from their swords captured everyone, and the sensational struggle for imperial power seemed to come to an end.
"I really didn't expect this, one wave after another, too many unwilling people."
"I'm just unwilling about not making money, everything else is fine if it goes smoothly."
Zheng Ruqian added with a silly laugh.
Wen Zhiyun smiled with pursed lips next to him, still taciturn as usual.
Only Xu Mo's eyebrows were slightly furrowed as he said softly, "The Second Prince doesn't seem like someone who would let himself be captured obediently."
What he said, what was in his eyes, were all full of unwillingness.
A person who could put deadly poison even on a dagger would certainly not be willing to surrender.
His life was narrowed down to just black and white, and his heart was carved with being successful or dying heroically.
Chang Yan clutched the Crown Prince's investiture decree and pondered, "It depends on where the convicted traitors are to be imprisoned."
There were also prison cells in the imperial city, but they were usually used to imprison imperial concubines and consorts, also known as the cold palaces.
Members of the imperial clan who committed crimes were generally sent to the Ministry of Clans for detention, which was outside the imperial city.
The two brothers exchanged glances, sensing something wrong.
They gathered the remaining Imperial Guards at the fastest speed, crossed Feng Tian Square, and caught up with the Imperial Guards escorting the Second Prince.
But it was still a step too late.
At the East Gate of the imperial city, the commander of the Imperial Guards was confronting a team of over a thousand people ahead with hundreds of subordinates.
Zhu Changyu, who should have had his arms twisted behind his back, was sitting on a tall horse, with Fang Yuan in a cloak by his side, as well as the majestic City Guard Army.
The army that should have been guarding the imperial city had now somehow been instigated to revolt and support the rebel.
The Imperial Guards commander glared furiously and rebuked, "Aren't you tired of living, willing to follow a traitor? This is a crime of extermination of nine relations!"
"That would require having nine relations first." Zhu Changyu looked nonchalant. "They are all unfortunate people whom I secretly placed in the City Guard Army. Their will to live is to avenge their families and let the unjustly dead souls rest in peace."
Wherever there are people, there are cases of injustice, false accusations, and wrongful deaths.
The complex world of prominent families in the capital was full of schemes for wealth and murders, as well as corruption and miscarriages of justice.
Zhu Changyu knew that his own birth was ordinary and he could never win over top families.
But it didn't matter, he would save the unfortunate people of humble origins, dredge up rats from the gutter, keep each other company, and work together to overturn this filthy city sooner or later.
The number of city guards was not large, about three to five thousand.
There were only about a thousand or so Imperial Guards in the imperial city. Even with the addition of the Grand Imperial Guard, they were far from a match for the city guards.
The troops stationed in nearby cities totaled fifty thousand, but the journey was long and would take three hours to arrive.
Three hours, everything would be over by then.
Zhu Changyu glanced at the sun. Although he regretted that the civil and military officials had all left, he could still reinvest the Crown Prince.
Or he didn't even need to invest him, as long as the Emperor's other sons all died, the imperial power could only fall into his hands.
"Commander, you were right about one thing." Zhu Changyu glanced at Chang Yan who had just arrived. "It's useless to be unwilling, ruthlessness is needed to get what you want."
A few dozen Imperial Guards were just the most superficial means, the thousands of city guards were the real trump card.
Even surrendering obediently was just an act. He broke free of his restraints the moment he left the palace and got on the horse.
Fang Yuan, who had not appeared in Feng Tian Hall during the long lively time, turned out to be making the final preparations.
Even the commander of the Imperial Guards sighed in admiration, feeling that even without the Crown Prince, the Eldest Prince and his mother could not defeat this Second Prince.
To control power, to sit in that position, civil officials only served the public, while military generals were the key.
The First Emperor who conquered the world had several war gods by his side, and invincible troops.
And today, Zhu Changyu brought three thousand city guards straight to the imperial city.
"Commander, if you don't want blood flowing in the city, surrender quickly." His eyes grew colder and colder, forcing back all the reluctance. "Fifth Brother, only one of us can live in the end."
Kindness does not control the military, righteousness does not operate business.
If a person is not ruthless, he cannot stand firmly.
The rebels would die, and after the rebels succeeded, the orthodoxy would die.
From the moment when they fought for power, it was destined that it would be a fight to the death between them.
The Imperial Guards all turned around, and their eyes, along with the city guards, Zhu Changyu, Fang Yuan, the fluttering sunlight, all fell on Chang Yan.
It was up to the decision of this Crown Prince whether it would be war or surrender, bringing everyone to death together, or bravely going to death alone.
In the crowd, Jiang Sheng moistened his palms, Wen Zhiyun put away his smile, and Zheng Ruqian bared his teeth.
Only Xu Mo exchanged a look with Chang Yan, then gazed in the direction of the city gate.
There, the waves were surging, dust was flying, horses were galloping.
Who would fear who, who would surrender to whom.
Chang Yan cracked open the corners of his mouth, not sure if it was heartache or gratification. "Second Brother, now it's your turn to make a choice."
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