After all, it was Xiao Wu's birthday banquet. Emperor Xuanwu had no desire to sour the occasion with temper. He gave a perfunctory response to the Eldest Prince, neither warm nor cold, before turning to inquire about the gifts from the Third and Fourth Princes.
The Fourth Prince's offering was much like the man himself—proper, predictable, and painfully conventional.
Fortunately, the Third Prince was present.
A man whose name was synonymous with indulgence across the capital could hardly be accused of lacking entertainment value. To claim he did not know how to play would have been absurd.
He was naturally smooth-tongued and full of wit, and today he had come with the clear intention of pleasing Yun Shu. His words and gestures, deliberately crafted for levity, swiftly livened the mood. The earlier chill cast by the Eldest Prince's antics dissipated like mist under the morning sun.
Laughter and cheerful banter filled the Hall of Linde.
But just as merriment reached its peak, an unusual commotion stirred from outside.
Yun Shu's smile gradually faded.
She lifted her gaze across the hall and locked eyes with Tang Xinhua, who sat near the end of the banquet table. Tang Xinhua returned her look with a calm and reassuring nod, silently signaling that all was proceeding as planned.
Only then did Yun Shu lower her eyes once more, releasing a quiet sigh deep within her heart.
At the same moment, Emperor Xuanwu, having also sensed something amiss, turned a cold and measured gaze toward the tightly closed grand doors.
Then—Bam.
With a thunderous crash, the doors were kicked open.
A flood of black-armored soldiers poured into the hall, their entrance swift and silent. At the center strode a man clad in black and gold armor, a sword held casually in one hand. His lips curled into a sneer as he stepped across the threshold.
"It's the—"
No. It was no longer the Crown Prince.
It was the deposed Crown Prince.
A man who ought to have been confined to house arrest had now appeared at the palace in full battle regalia.
There could be no doubt about his intent.
The entire hall erupted into alarmed whispers and fearful gasps.
The deposed Crown Prince swept his hawk-like gaze across the gathered nobles, his eyes pausing ever so slightly as they passed over Yun Shu.
Then, slowly, he met Emperor Xuanwu's eyes directly.
"Today is Fifth Sister's birthday. Father Emperor, you are here, along with the Imperial brothers—even Eldest Brother has come. And yet Gu alone was excluded. Is that not rather strange?"
"And what of it?"
Emperor Xuanwu stared impassively at the son who had once been the object of so many of his hopes, only to bring him disappointment again and again. His voice was flat, as though he did not even see the bloodstained sword in the other's hand.
"You lack the virtue befitting your station. We have already stripped you of your title as Crown Prince. You hold no standing in this place—and certainly no longer possess the right to refer to yourself as 'Gu.'"
"Gu has no right?"
The deposed Crown Prince had entered the hall with arrogance, believing himself a predator among mice. Yet now, Emperor Xuanwu's words struck him like a whip, and rage flooded his face.
"From childhood, Gu labored without rest to prove worthy. Every task you entrusted to Gu was met with diligence. Gu endured every hardship, striving to win your favor, to live up to the weight of your expectations.
And for all that, what does Gu receive? One sentence? You say Gu has no right?
If not Gu, then who does? Her?"
With a sudden motion, his sword swung out, its tip aimed straight at Yun Shu. The deposed Crown Prince spat his words out one by one, voice seething with hatred.
"A mere daughter born of a concubine dares to stand as Gu's equal? She is not even worthy of comparison!
Had Gu's Empress Mother not once shown mercy in the past, deeming her a harmless little princess, she would never have lived to adulthood. And now, she dares to rise above Gu?
Very well. Tonight, Gu shall send her to the place she should have gone long ago."
As the final word fell, he lunged.
The sword in his hand flashed toward Yun Shu with murderous intent.
The cold glint of steel hissed through the air, a metallic streak that made Yun Shu's hands clench slightly beneath her sleeves.
Across the hall, Tang Yuanlin instinctively tried to leap forward to protect her, only to be yanked back by Tang Xinhua, who remembered Yun Shu's earlier instructions and clung tightly to her grandfather's arm.
Yun Chuhuan's eyes widened in terror. He clutched the Third Prince's sleeve, ready to cry out for help.
Everything happened in a blink.
Most assumed Yun Shu had frozen in fear, for she remained seated, unmoving, her posture unyielding.
Some even shut their eyes, unable to bear watching.
But in the next instant, a dark figure dropped from above.
With a single stroke, the sword in the deposed Crown Prince's hand was knocked aside. It sailed through the air and embedded itself into the long banquet table in front of Marquis Xuanping with a vibrating hum.
The hall fell deathly silent.
As the crowd slowly opened their eyes, they saw a cold-faced young man clad in black robes standing before Yun Shu, shielding her without a flicker of fear. Though surrounded by a dozen drawn swords, he stood firm, unmoved.
The deposed Crown Prince flexed his numbed wrist. His eyes narrowed as he studied the black-clad figure before him. After a moment, his lips curled into a scornful smile.
"A Dragon Shadow Guard. Father Emperor, you truly are biased."
"That is hardly Father Emperor's fault."
Yun Shu lazily poked her head out from behind Ah Ku, her voice nonchalant as she added lightly,
"This Princess did not have a Dragon Shadow Guard before either. It was thanks to Empress Mother, causing This Princess to fall seriously ill that I finally got some. I was so frightened when I woke that I begged Father Emperor for a few guards."
A few.
Not one. Several.
The deposed Crown Prince's face twisted.
Fury, envy, resentment—all manner of dark emotions surged up from the depths of his heart.
"Silence!" he roared. "Gu is speaking with Father Emperor. You have no right to interrupt!"
"Now that," Yun Shu said, clicking her tongue, "is a line This Princess finds most displeasing."
She turned directly to Emperor Xuanwu and asked with studied innocence,
"Father Emperor, did you not say that today is your daughter's birthday, and that she may do as she pleases?"
"…Mm."
Though not his exact words, the meaning was close enough. Emperor Xuanwu gave a faint nod.
That was all Yun Shu needed.
She turned back, offering the deposed Crown Prince a careless smile.
"In that case, let us begin by silencing you."
"You?"
The deposed Crown Prince had finally sensed that something was amiss.
Still, his plan was foolproof. He had surrounded the Hall of Linde with his black-armored guards.
"There is no one here to save you now."
"Is that so?"
Yun Shu raised an eyebrow and suddenly lifted her voice.
"Commander of the Imperial Guards, Ye Yunhu, where are you?"
"Your servant is here!"
A firm, resonant voice rang out from beyond the hall. A moment later, the doors burst open once more. A black-armored soldier was kicked inside like a sack of grain.
Ye Yunhu strode in at the head of the Imperial Guards, his entrance every bit as grand—if not more so—than the deposed Crown Prince's earlier display.
Yun Shu tilted her head to admire the scene, then turned to the deposed Crown Prince with a radiant smile.
"Well? Not bad, right?"
"...Gu underestimated you."
The deposed Crown Prince's face was like stone. He stared at Yun Shu for a long while before letting out a cold laugh.
"But you truly believe this means you have won?"
"Second Brother must be referring to the remnants of Marquis Xuanping's forces, the ones you summoned as backup?"
Yun Shu blinked innocently.
"Well… it appears they shall not be arriving after all."
"…"
She knew.
How could she possibly know?
Someone had betrayed him.
Was it Marquis Xuanping?