I picked up skill fragments in the demon world.

Chapter 1046 Historical Laws
Zhang Chen stared at the exquisitely carved doll galloping across the distance, a look of disbelief in his eyes. The North had only been developing for a few years? Zhang Xiang had only controlled the North for a few years? How could something like this have happened?
Looking at the overturned vendor and the passerby lying in a pool of blood, Zhang Chen felt a sense of bewilderment.

"Is it you, a lowly commoner, who is speaking ill of me?" Just as Zhang Chen was in a daze, trouble came knocking. The exquisitely beautiful little child rode up on horseback, holding a whip in his hand, looking down at Zhang Chen.

"You can hear it from this far away?" Zhang Chen was taken aback, then realized that since he was Zhang Xiang's child, it was normal for him to inherit some of Zhang Xiang's talent. Although he was only fourteen or fifteen years old, he already had martial arts cultivation. It was reasonable that his hearing, sight, and senses had been enhanced.

The young man, dressed in fine silk, had a sharp glint in his eyes. When he saw Zhang Chen wearing coarse linen clothes, a cold smile appeared on his lips. The next moment, he lashed out with his horsewhip at Zhang Chen's head: "You damned commoner, how dare you criticize me? I'll teach you a lesson today!"

The whip, accompanied by a sharp whistle, came crashing down on Zhang Chen's head. But before it could strike, a whooshing sound came from afar, and a sharp arrow shot out from a distance, sending the whip flying and embedding it in a flagpole not far away.

"Zhang Guan, you lowly concubine's son, how dare you meddle in my business?" The porcelain doll on horseback ignored Zhang Chen and looked into the distance. He saw a slightly smaller boy standing on a restaurant not far away, slowly putting away his longbow. It was clear that the arrow he had shot earlier was his.

"Zhang Yu, you're getting more and more outrageous. Aren't you afraid this will reach Father's ears?" The young man upstairs, Zhang Guan, had a gloomy face and furrowed brows.

Upon hearing this, the porcelain doll Zhang Yu burst into curses: "You, a concubine's son, what right do you have to tell me what to do? Get down here right now, kneel down in front of me and apologize, or I'll make you pay! I'll make sure your lowly mother is punished too."

Zhang Guan, upstairs, sneered coldly: "Hmph, isn't the Zhang family under your control? You've been acting recklessly outside. I'll definitely go back and report to my father so you can be punished."

Zhang Yu snorted coldly upon hearing this: "Just you wait! You can be arrogant all you want. The future of this northern land will ultimately be decided by me. When I ascend the throne, I will make sure you and your lowly mother go to hell together."

Although he was the legitimate son and the other party was the illegitimate son, he did not have real power at the moment and could do nothing to the other party. He turned his gaze to Zhang Chen and vented his anger on Zhang Chen: "Guards, arrest him! I will make him suffer torture to death. I want to see how you, this lowly illegitimate son, will save him."

At his command, the warriors following behind pounced forward like wolves and tigers, pinned Zhang Chen down, tied him up with leather bands, and dragged him behind the horse, disappearing into the crowd.

Zhang Chen followed behind the horse, and no matter how fast the horse was, he could keep up, being dragged behind by the horse with a blank expression.

Zhang Chen knew the terrifying power of the intelligence network of the Inspectorate. He knew that as soon as he showed up in Jinling City, the Inspectorate would report the news. He wanted to see how Zhang Xiang would raise his son.

Zhang Yu ordered his men to drag Zhang Chen along the long street, and they arrived at a brothel. He then said to the warrior, "Lock him in the dungeon first. After I finish my drink, I'll deal with him."

In prison

Zhang Gaodan sat listlessly at the desk, flipping through the documents in his hands.

Zhang Gaodan was Zhang Ga's eldest son. After Zhang Ga followed Zhang Chen to the north, his status rose steadily along with the growth and expansion of the Zhang family. Naturally, the chubby Zhang Gaodan's status also rose accordingly. However, because he had made a serious mistake some time ago, he was reprimanded by Zhang Ga and punished by being sent to the imperial prison, where he became the prison warden.

"When will this endless hell end?!" Zhang Gaodan's voice was full of helplessness. "I only made a small mistake, is it really necessary to make such a fuss? I'm over forty years old now, can't you give me a little face?"

Zhang Gaodan muttered to himself, when a warrior, following orders, escorted Zhang Chen all the way to the prison. The warrior shouted, "Warden, come out and receive the prisoner!"

Seeing this, Zhang Gaodan could only stand up and step forward to question him: "What crime has this person committed?"

"This fool dared to criticize His Highness in the street, and His Highness happened to overhear him. His Highness has ordered him to be sent to the Imperial Prison to be executed at a later date." The warrior said, dragging Zhang Chen forward.

"What an unlucky fellow, running into that little devil. He'll be lucky to escape with his life, or at least be skinned alive." Zhang Gaodan's voice was full of regret upon hearing this, but he waved his hand dismissively and said:
"Lock him up and let him die."

As he spoke, he instructed his jailers to take Zhang Chen and, pulling him along by the leather straps, walk him into the imperial prison. Suddenly, he glanced at Zhang Chen unintentionally, then paused, abruptly turning to look at him. He seemed unable to believe his eyes, scrutinizing Zhang Chen from head to toe. Zhang Chen said irritably, "Zhang Gaodan, it's only been over twenty years since we last met, and you don't recognize me?"

Zhang Gaodan stared blankly at Zhang Chen in disbelief, pointing at him with her finger. The words caught in her throat, but she stammered, "You...you..."

Zhang Gaodan looked like he'd seen a ghost and hurriedly shouted at the jailer beside him, "Are you blind? Hurry up and untie our master's ropes!"

The jailer was a shrewd man. Seeing Zhang Gaodan's expression and then looking at the nonchalant Zhang Chen, a bad feeling welled up in his heart.

Who is Zhang Gaodan? Even the current head of the Zhang family has to bow to him and call him "Uncle." Yet, seeing Zhang Chen's expression, Zhang Chen's status is quite evident. "No need!" Zhang Chen interrupted the jailer's actions, his voice full of mockery: "I'll just enter the Imperial Prison like this and see what face that brat Zhang Xiang will have to come see me in the future."

"Brother, stop joking. How could the Imperial Prison imprison you?" Zhang Gaodan was getting anxious.

"Hmm?" Zhang Chen gave a cold snort, drawing out the tone.

Upon hearing this, Zhang Gaodan's heart skipped a beat. Everyone who had experienced the great calamity that befell the Zhang family in the capital years ago had a deep-seated awe for Zhang Chen. He quickly said to the jailer, "Quickly, respectfully invite this gentleman into the imperial prison. Remember to clean the prison thoroughly and serve him the best food."

Zhang Chen nodded upon seeing this and walked into the imperial prison with the jailer. However, after taking a few steps, he looked at the warriors escorting him and said, "You lot are not allowed to leave. Stay in the imperial prison and wait for your fate."

The warriors escorting Zhang Chen were also trembling, cold sweat seeping down their backs. They stared in horror at Zhang Chen's back, then at Zhang Gaodan, who was behaving like a grandson. Everyone knew they were in deep trouble; Zhang Yu had kicked a hornet's nest this time.

"Sir, who is this person? What has frightened you so much?" a samurai asked tentatively.

Zhang Gaodan turned to look at the warrior, his face full of anticipation: "You guys have really messed up the world. Your young master has also kicked a hornet's nest. This time, even the Heavenly King himself can't save you."

Then he instructed the jailer, "Lock them up. I'll go and invite the King to come and apologize."

Upon hearing Zhang Gaodan's words, "Please invite the King to come and apologize," everyone present felt their legs go weak and their hearts filled with horror. How high must the person imprisoned in the Imperial Prison be that he could summon the Great Victory King to come and apologize in person?

The warrior dared not resist and could only let the jailer imprison him, while praying in his heart for his young prince, hoping that the prince would have a chance to get through this ordeal.

Pingbian Prince's Mansion

Zhang Xiang sat at his desk, holding a document in his hand, turning it over and over to weigh it: "Wen Yin, the ministers below have suggested that the title of the Pingbian Prince's Mansion in the North be abolished and changed to the title of the Human Prince's Mansion. What do you think?"

Opposite Zhang Xiang sat an elegant woman. After hearing Zhang Xiang's words, she said thoughtfully, "Now that the North controls the power of Huang Tiandao, it can be said that it controls the entire North, plus countless areas in Jiangnan. It is indeed no longer appropriate to call it the Pingbian Prince's Mansion of the North. Instead, it should be given a higher title. However, can we change such things as we wish? We still need to ask for the opinions of Mother and Father."

“My mother is in seclusion and doesn’t care about worldly affairs, and my father lives in seclusion in Qingcheng Mountain. He hasn’t shown his face for many years. If we want to get news about my father, we have to ask around through Huang Tiandao’s people. Where can we possibly see my father?” Zhang Xiang had a headache.

Logically speaking, the North should indeed make changes and elevate the status of the Pingbian Prince's Mansion, but he simply cannot make that decision.

"Let's put it aside for now and talk about it when Father returns. We can't make such a big decision on our own," said the woman named Wen Yin. She was Zhang Xiang's principal wife and came from the Xie family.

"There's something pressing at hand that you need to decide on soon." Xie Wenying looked at Zhang Xiang and asked, "Zhang Guan is getting on in years. What are your plans for him?"

Upon hearing this, Zhang Xiang said helplessly, "He's just a son born to a concubine. We can just give him some property and send him away. Why are you targeting him? Does he pose any threat to Yu'er's rule?"

"I just find them, mother and son, an eyesore. I don't want to leave them in the North and affect my mood." Xie Wenying refused to compromise: "Besides, he has challenged Yu'er's authority several times. How can a son of a concubine repeatedly offend the legitimate son? If word gets out, people will think that my Pingbian Prince's Mansion doesn't know the rules."

"Give him a fiefdom and send him away," Zhang Xiang waved his hand dismissively.

“No way! I think Zhang Guan is ambitious and has a lot of ambition. What if he causes trouble after being exiled? Wouldn’t that be a problem for Yu’er?” Xie Wenying refused without even thinking.

"What do you plan to do with him?" Zhang Xiang asked helplessly.

"Keep him confined and make him a leisurely prince, don't let him show his face in public," Xie Wenying said.

Upon hearing Xie Wenying's words, Zhang Xiang gasped: "Our Northern Lands are such a vast territory, why be so petty? It's inappropriate to treat a concubine's son so harshly. If word gets out, I'm afraid we'll be criticized and gossiped about by the major families. If rumors start to circulate, it will only make things worse."

(End of this chapter)