My Years in the Jianghu with the Prince: A Time of Unethical Conduct

Xie Yan had just placed her hand on the scroll when she suddenly listened as if she heard something. She immediately rolled up the things on the table and flicked out the candle flame with her finger.

"somebody is coming."

Dong Feng, his face ashen, led his men straight here, but unusually, the Five Eccentrics of Youzhou were not with him.

Because Chu Ling used the excuse of traveling incognito and not making a fuss, he didn't bring many attendants with him. Instead, he left his men at the inn to wait for an opportunity to act, so Dong Feng rushed in without much resistance.

He suppressed his anger and, barely retaining a sliver of reason, stopped at the door of Chu Ling's bedroom and knocked: "Excuse me, is the master resting?"

The room remained silent for a while. Just as Dong Feng was about to push the door open, Chu Ling's slightly angry voice came from inside: "Disturbing you so late at night, Lord Dong, you'd better have something important to say."

Upon hearing this, Dong Feng anxiously rubbed his hands, "I am truly sorry to trouble Your Highness, but tonight there are assassins plotting against you, and I have come here out of concern for your safety."

The room fell silent again. No one knew what Chu Ling was doing inside. After a while, there was a response: "I have nothing to do. You may leave."

But Dong Feng's doubts only deepened, and he hesitated at the door for a long time. Thinking of the hard-won treasure, he gritted his teeth, hardened his resolve, and pushed open the door: "My lord, please forgive me!"

The door was pushed open with a thud, and the room was dimly lit. Dong Feng squinted and looked carefully, then waved to stop his men from moving forward. He took the lantern from one of his men and walked a few steps closer.

He looked around the room but didn't find anything unusual, only vaguely seeing a shadowy figure moving on the bed.

Dong Feng rubbed his eyes, took a deep breath, and nervously prepared to walk over.

"Dong Feng, that's enough."

The figure on the bed sat up, and by the candlelight, Dong Feng could see that it was Chu Ling, whose face clearly showed displeasure.

Chu Ling sat leaning against the headboard, a brocade quilt covering his waist, wearing only an undergarment. On his inner side, a petite figure with long, flowing hair and one bare shoulder lay on her side.

Dong Feng was startled and dared not look any further, so he quickly took a few steps back.

Chu Ling glanced at him casually: "Is Lord Dong satisfied?"

Dong Feng's heart tightened. Realizing what he had done, he immediately knelt down and kowtowed, trembling as he apologized, "Yes, it was my fault for being so disrespectful! I was just too worried about Your Highness! I beg Your Highness's forgiveness!"

"roll."

Chu Ling flicked his hand, and Dong Feng felt a tremendous force slap him in the face, sending him flying and hitting his head on the door frame.

The crowd outside the door exclaimed in surprise: "My lord!"

Dong Feng, covered in blood, got up without saying a word, hurriedly covered his head, and left with his men.

The room fell silent again, and the two people on the bed remained motionless for a moment. Then the window was pushed open, and Yu Bai climbed in, saying, "They're all gone."

The candlesticks were relit, and Yu Bai leaned on the windowsill, studying the scroll ends. Inside, the two people were silently changing clothes with their backs to each other.

Xie Yan changed his face several times throughout the day, honing his acting skills, but unfortunately no one could give him an Oscar for Best Actor.

He loosened his neck and back, still maintaining Xiao Cui's appearance as he dressed the maid. When he turned around, he found that Chu Ling was only wearing a bathrobe and had been secretly watching him for a long time.

Chu Ling noticed Xie Yan's unfriendly gaze. Her eyebrows curved into a smile, and she said with an ambiguous tone, "You just saw me naked too, so it's only fair to return the favor."

Xie Yan raised an eyebrow at him, a half-smile on her face, "So you molested me?"

Chu Ling pondered for a moment, then agreed: "You could say that."

"Click."

A sound came from the windowsill. The two looked over and saw Yu Bai staring blankly at them, holding up the scroll he had broken in two: "...I felt something inside when I shook it, so I broke it..."

Xie Yan took it and glanced inside. "There really is something... a piece of paper?"

After taking the items out, Xie Yan and Chu Ling exchanged a glance, and their expressions both became serious.

It was half a tattered piece of paper, half a treasure map with the words "Emperor Ai's Private Treasury" written on it.

“Emperor Ai? Isn’t that…” Yu Bai’s words were about to come out when he suddenly stopped, and he subconsciously looked up at Chu Ling timidly.

Twenty years ago, the person sitting on the throne did not have the surname Chu.

In the second year of Emperor Ai's reign, barbarian tribes invaded the border and captured three cities in one night. At that time, the Chu clan was ordered to fight the barbarians. The war lasted for fifteen years, until only Chu Wanshan remained of the Chu clan, before the barbarians were driven back home.

In this war, the Chu family army was not as invincible as later generations described; in fact, they suffered repeated defeats at times.

The culprit behind all of this was Emperor Ai.

From the moment he ascended to the throne, he revealed his incompetent, tyrannical, and cruel nature. He favored sycophants and suppressed loyal officials, cultivating a horde of corrupt officials over several decades.

He allowed those people to plunder the national treasury, increase taxes, and line their own pockets. They were blind to the shortage of soldiers and food on the battlefield, and blind to the deaths and ruin of families.

Fearing the Chu family, they secretly murdered Chu Wanshan's brothers even before the war was over. After the war, they imprisoned his two young children, Chu He and Chu Ling, in the capital as hostages.

Those who commit many unrighteous acts will surely perish. In the seventeenth year of Emperor Ai's reign, the Chu family rebelled.

That was the easiest battle Chu Wanshan had ever fought in his life. He commanded a large following and entered the capital city with almost no effort.

That night, fireworks lit up the imperial city, while the people outside cheered with joy.

Legend has it that Chu Wanshan stormed into the Golden Palace, only to find Emperor Ai had committed suicide on his dragon throne. A subsequent search of the palace revealed that not only had all the concubines and princes been executed by Emperor Ai, but the national treasury was also completely empty…

Perhaps it was the dim candlelight, but Chu Ling's features appeared dark and gloomy. No one dared to ask him what he was thinking; who could have imagined that investigating a minor county magistrate's alleged rebellion would uncover such a shocking event?

Chu Ling pressed a deep mark on the table with his hand. He seemed to wake from a dream and said sternly, "Bring Dong Feng to me!"

Yu Bai slid out with a "whoosh," and Chu Ling rubbed his temples, seeing Xie Yan still looking at the half of the treasure map with great interest.

"Look," Xie Yan put down the picture and pointed to the lower left corner for Chu Ling to see, "this looks like a totem."

The paper was yellowed and the edges were worn, indicating it had been there for quite some time. The spot Xie Yan was pointing to was also blurry, but it looked somewhat familiar at first glance.

Distracted by Xie Yan, Chu Ling's tightly furrowed brows relaxed slightly.

The two of them stared at the totem for a long time, but before they could figure it out, the window opened again, and this time a person Xie Yan didn't recognize came in.

The man rolled twice after landing, and before anyone could see him clearly, he kowtowed violently towards the wall, saying in a solemn tone, "Your Highness, Dong Feng is dead!"

The two looked up abruptly, and both saw shock in each other's eyes.