She's skilled in medicine, martial arts, and even understands animal language—the abandoned dau

About fifteen minutes later, Xiao Anzi, like a frightened bird, staggered back.

Upon reaching Chu Zhisheng, his legs went weak, and he knelt heavily on the ground with a thud, trembling like a leaf, his voice even shaking.

"Second, Your Highness, the Emperor... he really made the First Prince the Crown Prince and even let him rule the court!"

"What?!" Chu Zhisheng suddenly stood up, his eyes widening instantly, filled with disbelief and burning rage.

"My father is the ruler of the country; his word is law. How can he go back on his word?! Where is he now? I want to go and ask him in person why he is treating me like this!"

His voice, hoarse with anger, echoed through the empty palace, carrying a hint of desolation.

Xiao Anzi lowered his head even further, almost touching the ground, his voice trembling as if an invisible hand was gripping his throat. "Your Highness, His Majesty... has already gone to the Five Elements Temple to recuperate. He's probably already out of the city by now."

Upon hearing this, Chu Zhisheng felt a surge of heat rush to his head, and his rationality was instantly overwhelmed.

He turned around abruptly and kicked the chair next to him hard.

The chair, originally made of fine sandalwood, was now utterly vulnerable. It arced through the air before crashing heavily to the ground with a dull, alarming sound. The palace maids and eunuchs serving nearby were terrified and quickly moved aside, hiding in corners, not daring to even breathe.

"No, I can't let this go! I'm leaving the palace and I'm going to bring Father Emperor back!" Chu Zhisheng roared, his voice so loud it seemed to shake the glazed tiles of the palace.

Immediately afterwards, he strode out of the palace, each step filled with determination and resentment, and the ground seemed to tremble slightly with his anger.

Xiao Anzi hurriedly scrambled to his feet and stumbled after him, pleading as he ran: "Your Highness, you mustn't! If you rashly leave the city and offend His Majesty, that's a grave offense of disrespect, punishable by death!"

Chu Zhisheng wouldn't listen to a word. He turned around and glared fiercely at Xiao Anzi, his eyes seeming to devour him. "Shut up! How can I swallow this insult if I don't get to the bottom of this!"

Having said that, he quickened his pace and arrived at the entrance of Chengqian Palace in the blink of an eye.

However, just as he stepped out of the high threshold of Chengqian Palace, a tall and imposing figure suddenly appeared before him, like an insurmountable wall, blocking his way.

Chu Zhisheng was filled with anger and had nowhere to vent it. He looked up and saw that the person blocking his way was Chu Zhiyi.

In an instant, his eyes became bloodshot, and his aura suddenly became violent, like a raging beast. "Chu Zhiyi, what are you doing here?"

Chu Zhiyi remained calm, as if nothing had happened. He stood with his hands behind his back, his posture upright, and a faint, enigmatic smile played on his lips.

"Second Prince, I heard you were unwell, so I came to visit you. But judging from your hurried appearance, where are you going?"

His tone was as calm as if he were discussing the weather, but to Chu Zhisheng, it sounded like a series of sharp knives.

Chu Zhisheng, enraged, laughed coldly. He took a step forward, almost touching Chu Zhiyi, and pointed at him, saying, "Stop pretending! The Emperor made you the Crown Prince, and now you've gone to the Five Elements Temple to recuperate. You're the one pulling all this strings behind the scenes!"

Chu Zhiyi raised an eyebrow slightly and said slowly, "Second brother, be careful what you say. How can I control Father's decision? It's just following the will of Heaven."

Chu Zhisheng trembled with rage. "Destiny? I think it's all your doing! Now that you're acting as regent, are you planning to kill me and my mother?"

A cold glint flashed in Chu Zhiyi's eyes, disappearing in an instant. "Second brother, do not make wild guesses. The situation in the court is complicated right now. As the crown prince, I am only concerned with the country and its people. How could I possibly harm my own brothers? Unless you have done something to harm the country and its people..."

Hearing Chu Zhiyi repeatedly refer to himself as "this palace," Chu Zhisheng felt as if those two words were thorns piercing his heart. He was so angry that his eyes turned red, as if they were about to bleed.

"Chu Zhiyi, what underhanded methods did you use to get Father Emperor to change your name to Crown Prince? This position should have been mine from the very beginning!"

Chu Zhiyi sneered, his eyes full of disdain, as if looking at an unreasonable child. "Methods? Second brother is probably used to being pampered in this deep palace and doesn't understand Father's thoughts at all."

The position of Crown Prince carries the weight of the rise and fall of the empire and the well-being of the people. Only someone of both virtue and talent can shoulder this immense responsibility. How could someone like you, who only knows how to use petty tricks and acts impulsively, be competent for it?”

Chu Zhisheng clenched his fists so tightly that his knuckles turned white, and the veins on his forehead throbbed more and more noticeably with anger.

"Virtue and talent combined? Stop bragging! Although I am younger than you, I began my formal education at the age of three and could recite the Four Books and Five Classics fluently by the age of five. In terms of literary and military prowess, in which aspect am I inferior to you?"

"If you hadn't secretly used underhanded means to bewitch Father, how could the position of Crown Prince have fallen into your hands!"

Chu Zhiyi's expression hardened, and her originally calm face was now covered with a layer of frost. "Insolence! Second brother, you are openly slandering me and spouting nonsense, completely disregarding brotherly affection and royal dignity."

"I spared you earlier out of spite, but if you continue to spout such nonsense, I will show no mercy!"

Chu Zhisheng, however, seemed to have gone mad, completely ignoring Chu Zhiyi's warnings, and continued to roar: "Tolerate? Now that you hold power, you can naturally manipulate me at will."

"If you don't explain yourself clearly today, I'd rather die than swallow this insult!"

Seeing Chu Zhisheng's loss of composure, the guards behind Chu Zhiyi gripped their sword hilts tightly, ready to subdue him at Chu Zhiyi's command.

Chu Zhiyi raised his hand to signal the guards to calm down, stared coldly at Chu Zhisheng, and said, word by word, "Second brother, it seems that you have truly been blinded by the position of crown prince."

"Since that's the case, for your safety and to prevent you from committing any further treasonous acts, from this day forward, you will reflect on your actions in Chengqian Palace. Without my order, you are not to step outside the palace gates!"

Upon hearing this, Chu Zhisheng was struck dumb. He never expected that Chu Zhiyi would be so heartless as to order him to be confined to his quarters.

"Chu Zhiyi, how dare you! You are abusing your power! I'm going to report you to Father!" he roared hoarsely.

Chu Zhiyi remained unmoved and turned to the guards behind him, ordering, "Keep a close eye on the Second Prince. If he disobeys, kill him without mercy!"

After saying that, he strode away surrounded by a group of guards, leaving Chu Zhisheng standing there, struggling angrily but powerless.

The palace gates of Chengqian Palace slowly closed, isolating Chu Zhisheng's roar within this world.