Chi Zhao's estimate was correct. On the fourteenth day, Shen Wumian arrived back at the capital with his personal soldiers.
When he left, he had taken with him 60,000 troops but when he returned, he was with less than 40 elite subordinates. As soon as he reached the gate, Shen Wumian was stopped. Like many TV shows, the right prime minister stood above the city gate, looking down at Shen Wumian. He proclaimed loudly, "The prince regent's tyrannical acts of indiscriminately killing the innocent and lax ruling of the government has cause internal and external troubles to the Chen Empire and unrest among the common people. Under His Majesty's orders, we are to arrest this offending official. Offender Shen Wumian, remove your armour and kneel in submission!"
Shen Wuman sat motionlessly on his horse, holding his sword. As he looked up at the right prime minister above, mockery flashed across his eyes.
He was clearly the one being looked down upon, but the right prime minister felt that it was the other way around. The right prime minister fell silent for a moment and then repeated the lines again. He also knew that his words were nonsense, but he couldn't help it. This was the capital gate. What happens here can spread to the ears of the common people within a day. For the sake of His Majesty's reputation and prestige, he must say this.
After repeating those grand words again, Shen Wumian finally moved. He raised the hand holding the sword, his voice resonating through the tower.
"I want to see His Majesty."
There was a row of archers standing next to him in tight formation. The right prime minister frowned. Before he had the chance to speak, he saw another official next to him step forward and shout loudly, "Presumptuous! Is His Majesty someone a criminal can see so easily?"
Shen Wumian was no longer the prince regent, but he was still of high status. His title had been conferred by the former Emperor so it wouldn't be easy if the young Emperor wanted to remove it. The right prime minister frowned more deeply. Before he could say something to that pig teammate of his, Shen Wumian below lost his patience first.
His expression darkened and the armour covered in dirt and dust from the border clanged together, emitting a sharp metallic sound.
"Then I have nothing to say."
Shen Wumian raised the hand holding his sword and uttered an order, "Siege the gate!"
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The official who had just spoken widened his eyes in surprise. Was Shen Wumian seeking death? Sieging the gates? He only has a few dozen people with him, how could that go against the three thousand guards here?!
No one could tell whether Shen Wumian was truly capable of it or if he was seeking death. If they wanted to know the answer to this, they could only watch him attack the gate.
The right prime minister's expression turned unsightly. He internally cursed a few times. Tsk, His Majesty was spot on.
The right prime minister found then Wumian even more detestable, but he still stopped the imminent bloody scene, "Halt!"
Shen Wumian looked up at the right prime minister. The latter maintained his stern expression and said, "His Majesty said he will only see you if you bow your head and confess to your crimes."
The official next to him looked at the right prime minister with surprise. He didn't understand what he was going on about. If he confessed to his crimes, Shen Wumian would be completely over. There wouldn't be a chance for him to see His Majesty. Besides, Shen Wumian just now said he wanted to see His Majesty, but it was most likely just out of mockery. Right now, His Majesty and Shen Wumian are mortal enemies. Why would Shen Wumian want to see him? Shouldn't he be hoping to kill him instead?
Almost everyone else present thought this too, including Shen Wumian's subordinates. At first, they were still mocking the people above in their hearts, thinking that the right prime minister was dreaming but when they saw that Shen Wumian really wasn't moving, they started panicking.
Following that, they watched Shen Wumian purse his lips, his expression cold and gloomy. Although he wore a look that looked like he would start a massacre, he didn't do anything of that sort and instead turned and dismounted from his horse before handing his sword to the guard beside him.
"Lord!"/"Master!"
Different voices sounded and shocked looks appeared on both sides. Shen Wumian finished taking off his armour and then looked back up. The look in his eyes as he looked at the right prime minister seemed to say, 'Is this enough?"
He didn't confess to his crimes nor did he bow his head.
But he admitted to his loss.
The right prime minister was also shocked. He didn't expect Shen Wumian giving his chance of survival so easily and he was also shocked by the young Emperor's understanding of Shen Wumian.
That line just now was something the young Emperor had taught him before he came here. He had said that if Shen Wumian didn't oblige, he should threaten him with those words, and he would then definitely oblige.
Looking at Shen Wumian solitary figure in front of him, the right prime minister felt complicated.
This person....seems to be sincere to His Majesty.
But as for His Majesty...
Sure enough, the royal family had always been like this.
While the situation was tense at the capital gate, Chi Zhao on the other end was sitting quietly in the palace, fiddling with a pot of wine.
When the main system saw that Shen Wumian really walked in by himself without any weapons or armour, a part of him sighed in relief and another part of him was a little surprised.
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In all honesty, he had been waiting these past few days, waiting for Chi Zhao to suddenly change his mind or do something that would cause this task to fail again. After all, he has watched the recordings and broadcasts from the previous three worlds, and he was used to those kinds of things. This time however, Chi Zhao performed very well. Even tasks that were a little difficult to complete, he completed it. It was like he was completely reborn.
Before Shen Wumian's return, the main system was cautious and vigilant. Now that Shen Wumian had returned, the main system was completely relieved.
The entire Chen Empire, no, to be more exact, the whole world now knows that Chen Empire's prince regent had fallen. Even if Chi Zhao changed his mind, he wouldn't be able to anything about it.
Feeling pleased, the main system stretched out his data cable and patted Chi Zhao's neurons.
[Good job. Tomorrow the slag shou system will be back. I'll head off now to meet it. Will you be okay doing this alone?]
Chi Zhao immediately nodded obediently when he heard this question, "Of course. I'll be fine by myself. Bye daddy."
Main system: "...….."
[Yeah, bye.]
Shen Wumian was imprisoned. In any case, he was a former prince regent, so the right prime minister treated him pretty well and found him a cell comparable to a five-star hotel suite. It was also equipped with a luxury care package consisting of constant surveillance.
Shen Wumian sat in the cell. He didn't feel sad, annoyed or resentful. He just thought to himself, it turned out that this was what it felt like being watched all the time. No wonder Chen Yi didn't like it.
It was said that he could see the young Emperor if he confessed to his crimes, but Shen Wumian waited for a day and still didn't see the person he longed for. At midnight, there were suddenly some rustling sounds. Shen Wumian who had his eyes closed, instantly opened his eyes and saw Chi Zhao standing in front of him.
Looking down at Shen Wumian, Chi Zhao said thoughtlessly, "Does this place make you feel relaxed?"
Others may not understand, but Shen Wumian immediately understood.
Just now, before the young Emperor came in, he had fallen asleep and he only woke up when the young Emperor was already in front of him. In the past, that would be completely impossible but this time, he was really tired. He firstly had been dispatched to the border and had fought endlessly for two days and then, after hearing the news, he rushed back without rest for more than a dozen days. These past few days, he hadn't had a good night's sleep and now with him sitting in a dark cell, he could finally have a chance to rest.
The corners of Shen Wumian's lips stiffly twitched, as if he wanted to laugh, but in the end he didn't laugh. Chi Zhao looked at the dark shadows under his eyes and the stubble on his chin. Without saying anything else, he turned his head and ordered the others, "Go outside."
What Chi Zhao meant by outside was outside the cell. The cell was made up of wood. The chief guard didn't feel comfortable but after some thought, he eventually decided to wait outside.
Although they couldn't see it, both knew that there were a bunch of people outside paying close attention to the situation inside. Supporting himself, Shen Wumian stood up, restoring their usual height difference. Shen Wumian spoke up, his voice carrying fatigue and hoarseness following a long journey. There was none of that oppressiveness displayed earlier before the right prime minister and guards.
"Your Majesty, have you achieved what you wanted?"
Chi Zhao raised his eyes and answered, "Not yet."
Shen Wumian heard his answer and his gaze became a little complex. He looked around the cell indifferently and saw that there was an extra pot of wine on the table. After a short pause, he suddenly laughed.
"Yes, of course it hasn't been achieved yet."
He was still alive so how could it be considered as achieving his goals?
Hearing him laughing and saying such a strange thing, Chi Zhao glanced at him in confusion and then followed his gaze to the pot of wine. Chi Zhao pursed his lips but made no attempts to explain himself.
Seeing this, what else couldn't Shen Wumian understand? He however couldn't accept this.
Two lifetimes, all spent on the same person; two lifetimes, yet he couldn't get this person to love him back. Why....was his life such a failure?
That intricately designed pot of wine appeared in his hand in a blink of an eye. Shen Wumian picked up a cup nearby and filled up it. Chi Zhao had only brought one cup over, so it was self-evident who this was for.
A royal gift of wine was synonymous with death. As Shen Wumian watched the clear wine trickle out, even he himself couldn't describe what he was feeling.
There seemed to be some numbness, but he was already used to that. In addition to that, there was also the feeling of finally being set free.
Holding the small cup, Shen Wumian asked in a low voice, "What did Your Majesty want to tell me?"
The cell was quiet for a long time. After that silence was a voice that carried a bit of harshness belonging to the young man, "...Sorry."
Sorry.
The last thing he needed, the last thing he wanted to hear was that word sorry.
He swallowed back the bloody and bitter taste in his throat. After a few breaths, the throat that had lost its voice finally made a sound.
"I used to want your life but now you want my life. We're even now." Shen Wumian laughed mockingly at himself. He then looked at the young Emperor standing in front of him, "I wish that...in the lives after this, I won't meet you again."
Chi Zhao's expression remained unchanged. It was even a little too calm. While even the guards outside were wondering what was going on, Chi Zhao on the other hand was lost in his thoughts.
It was only when he heard Shen Wumian's last words that Chi Zhao's expression suddenly changed.
His expression was filled with disbelief as well as some pitifulness and daze. Shen Wumian didn't notice this. He drank the wine in his cup and then looked at the person in front of him.
The person in front of him finally no longer looked cold and indifferent. His face had become a little paler and the corners of his eyes drooped, as if he was brutally hurt by someone. Shen Wumian let out a low laugh. While he was thinking about what to say before the drug takes effect, the drug started working.
It was only at this moment that Shen Wumian realised that he wasn't drinking poisoned wine like he had thought.
He suddenly lost all his strength and the world in front of him began to spin. Caught unprepared, he fell forward. Chi Zhao had to use a lot of effort to support him. At this moment, Shen Wumian had not yet completely lost his consciousness so he could clearly feel the young Emperor hurriedly try and support his body, to prevent him front collapsing onto the ground. After a moment of silence, he tightened his arms. The pair of weak arms wrapped around his back also tightened little by little, like a child expressing reluctance to part with his family but also like a drowning person clinging desperately onto a driftwood to remain afloat.