If you traveled back to ancient times, while others ate Guanyin clay, you would actually have giant

"Do you know why Li Zheng went to the South China Sea? His Majesty sent him there personally, hoping that I could educate Li Zheng and help him to reform. I thought he had indeed changed, but I didn't expect him to revert to his old ways after returning to the capital. He even sought the help of a senile old man like you."

As luck would have it, Li Zheng came to pay his respects to the Emperor Emeritus at this time. When he saw Zhou Wu holding a sword to his grandfather's neck, he was so frightened that he quickly asked what was wrong.

"Zhou Wu, what are you doing?"

"Hmph, you're quite the actor. You deserve an Oscar!"

Seeing that Li Zheng still had an innocent expression at this moment, Zhou Wu got angry. This kid was an ungrateful wretch.

"What little golden man? You'd better release your imperial grandfather right now, and I'll plead for you."

"Plead for mercy? Plead my ass! If you hadn't asked this senile old man for help, would things be like this now?"

Since things have come to this point, Zhou Wu has nothing to fear anymore.

Rumor has it that Li Tiancheng used some underhanded methods to ascend to the throne, which is why the father and son have been at odds ever since. Now, Zhou Wu plans to put all his eggs in one basket with the emperor to see if he can save his life.

"What do you mean? I didn't ask my grandfather for help!"

Li Zheng realized there must be some misunderstanding; it seemed his imperial grandfather was behind it all.

"Haha."

The retired emperor suddenly burst into laughter, leaving everyone bewildered.

"You all stand down."

He then ordered all the guards to leave, a move that left Zhou Wu completely baffled.

"What do you mean?"

"Grandpa, what's going on?"

Zhou Wu and Li Zheng stared at each other, wide-eyed.

"I was just testing you, but I didn't expect you to actually have guts. Hey, can you take that thing off my neck?"

Zhou Wu quickly withdrew the sword from his hand.

At this moment, the retired emperor had lost his imperial aura and was just a carefree old man.

"Both of you sit down."

The retired emperor sat down first, and then let Zhou Wu and Li Zheng sit down as well.

"Grandpa, what happened just now?"

Because Zhou Wu had misunderstood him, Li Zheng felt it necessary to clarify the situation and clear his name.

"I'm an old man, bored to death in this deep palace. It's so rare for someone to come. I just wanted to scare him a little, but I didn't expect this kid to be so bold."

The retired emperor raised his wine cup and drank it, whether to calm himself down or to bolster his courage, it was unclear.

“Zhou Wu, listen, this has nothing to do with me.”

"Humph."

Zhou Wu was unsure whether the Emperor Emeritus was telling the truth or not, so he was also skeptical of Li Zheng.

"Hey kid, you're pretty petty. It was just a joke, why are you holding such a grudge?"

"You make it sound easy. You try it. Imagine being surrounded by a group of guards, and the supreme ruler of the country saying he wants to kill me. How would you feel?"

Although the crisis had been resolved, Zhou Wu's anger remained, so he couldn't help but unleash it.

This is also because the retired emperor has been under house arrest for so many years and has long lost his former imposing manner. Now his dignity has been worn down by time. If Zhou Wu had dared to speak to him like this when he was still in power, he would have been beheaded long ago.

Moreover, whether it's because he's been in the palace for too long or something else, the retired emperor is now nothing more than a cynical old man.

Still not satisfied with what Zhou Wu said, he also started acting like a rogue.

"Oh dear, I'm just a lonely old man, not only do I have no one to keep me company, but I'm also being criticized by others. I can't go on like this."

The most surprised was Li Zheng. In his memory, his grandfather, like his father, was a very dignified emperor. How could he now act like a shrew on the street?

“Uh~~”

Zhou Wu, who was initially furious, is now at a loss for words.

Zhou Wu could ignore it, but Li Zheng couldn't. After all, this was his imperial grandfather, and since he had been wronged, he naturally had to comfort him.

But Li Zheng is terrible at comforting people. He used to be the one being comforted, but now? He doesn't need anyone to comfort him at all.

Seeing that all her attempts to coax him had no effect, she could only look to Zhou Wu for help.

"Hey, Your Majesty, aren't you bored in the palace? I'll teach you a game."

"Game? What game?"

Zhou Wu hit the nail on the head, speaking to the Emperor Emeritus's sore spot. Li Tiancheng placed him in the deep palace, providing him with the best food and drink, and even the palace he lived in was newly renovated, unlike the old palace where Li Tiancheng was currently staying.

Even so, the retired emperor, having lost his freedom and facing stern-faced palace maids and eunuchs every day, had long lost his enthusiasm for life. So he entertained himself all day long, almost driving himself insane.

"I have a crucial item for this game, and I need someone to make a trip to retrieve it."

"It's nothing. Someone, hurry up and go to Zhou Wu's residence to fetch something."

"promise."

The retired emperor immediately summoned his guards, who promptly accepted the order and turned to leave.

However, after that person left, he whispered to another person in a place out of sight before leaving the palace and heading towards Zhou Wu's residence.

"Zhou Wu, can you now prove my innocence?"

While waiting, Li Zheng shamelessly tried to curry favor with Zhou Wu.

Whether you are innocent or not is none of my business.

Actually, after what the Emperor Emeritus said, Zhou Wu understood that this matter probably had little to do with Li Zheng.

Because of the Emperor Emeritus's special status, these princes and grandsons rarely saw their grandfather, so Li Zheng could not possibly ask the Emperor Emeritus for help in dealing with him.

Moreover, the retired emperor himself had a grudge against Li Tiancheng, and he wouldn't go against the emperor's favorite minister over such trivial matters.

"Hey kid, aren't you being a bit petty? I've never seen Li Zheng back down to anyone before. You're making my royal family lose face."

"Humph."

Zhou Wu snorted coldly, which was considered a reconciliation.

Since the retired emperor had brought up the entire royal family, Zhou Wu couldn't say anything. In case someone with ulterior motives used it to stir up trouble and he got himself into a mess.

"Hehe~"

Seeing Zhou Wu breathe a sigh of relief, Li Zheng shamelessly smiled ingratiatingly to the side, which completely baffled the retired emperor.

He knew Li Zheng well; he had always been arrogant and disdainful of everyone since childhood, and he was never convinced by anyone. Why was he now fawning over Zhou Wu like this?

The retired emperor is becoming increasingly curious about Zhou Wu.

"Your Majesty, the things have been brought."

The eunuch's voice broke the silence between the three.

"Is this what you were talking about? It doesn't look particularly special."

The Emperor Emeritus looked at the eunuch holding a very ordinary wooden box. The surface of the box was neither carved with dragons nor painted with phoenixes, and it looked very plain.

Li Zheng showed no surprise, and Zhou Wu noticed both of their expressions perfectly.