Chapter 447: The Last Card

“Which way?”
As Ma Chun took a few steps forward, Liu Yuchang’s voice rang out.
Without stopping, Ma Chun ignored Liu Yuchang’s words and strode toward the door.
“Leaving like this? How bold!” Liu Yuchang suddenly stood up and slapped the table hard as Ma Chun pulled open the door.
Behind him, two of the six guards quickly drew two gleaming spirit knives. At Liu Yuchang’s signal, they would instantly make Ma Chun’s blood splash five steps away.
“Your Highness, please forgive them! These simple villagers don’t understand the rules and shouldn’t be treated seriously,” Fu Tongshan hurriedly stood up to intervene, but his tone was no longer as deferential as before. It was understandable he felt resentful.
It might have been tolerable if just the innkeeper had been so bold, but by biting his teeth and approaching Liu Feng to offer some benefits, the matter could have been settled. But now, with a reckless manager following suit, such behavior couldn’t be allowed to continue—otherwise, it would be a great humiliation for Liu Yuchang.
To calm Liu Yuchang’s anger, who knew how many benefits Liu Feng would have to offer? If Liu Yuchang lost control on the spot, things would get even worse. Fu Tongshan was actually afraid that the violent prince might, in a fit of anger, order his guards to kill him too.
Having spent forty years in the officialdom, Fu Tongshan didn’t dare imagine how future generations would judge him if he died unjustly like this.
Before Liu Yuchang could react, Ma Chun stepped out of the room and shut the door behind him.
“A bunch of country bumpkins!” Liu Yuchang was furious, unable to contain his anger. He had witnessed true recklessness—those who dared to despise a prince. Even the Grand Tutor Fu Tongshan wouldn’t dare show such disrespect so easily.
Those two who ran the inn weren’t just bold—they were downright audacious.
“Your Highness, please calm down. I will surely resolve this matter for you today,” Fu Tongshan said, his own teeth clenched in frustration. From this banquet, he was almost certain that not only would he not get Fu Zizhou’s confession back, but he would also have to offer many benefits to settle things. Moreover, the information revealed by Liu Yuchang had angered him as well.
Liu Yuchang sat down, took several deep breaths, glared at Lin Dong, and reached for his wine cup toward Fu Tongshan. “Grand Tutor Fu, out of respect for you today, I won’t bother with these country bumpkins. Let’s drink!”
“Your Highness, please!” Fu Tongshan raised his cup, suppressing his irritation.
The atmosphere gradually improved as Liu Yuchang couldn’t help but occasionally mock Lin Dong, Fu Tongshan kept appeasing him, while Lin Dong remained indifferent.

“For drinking, Fenglin Restaurant is still the best,” Liu Yuchang glanced around the private room and said insincerely, “This place is only suitable for ignorant commoners.”
Fu Tongshan was about to respond as usual when Lin Dong suddenly muttered, “Of course, Lin’s Inn isn’t suitable for bloodthirsty beasts!”
“What did you say?” Liu Yuchang was stunned but quickly understood Lin Dong’s meaning. He flew into a rage, his face turning red and his gaze blazing. Seeing his furious state, Fu Tongshan hesitated and dared not dissuade him any further. This Ninth Prince wasn’t Liu Feng—his chances of losing his mind in a fit of anger were extremely high.
It was already the third time. Although Liu Yuchang was a prince, his patience was barely better than that of an ordinary person.
“Deaf beast!”
Lin Dong muttered again. Years of running a business had greatly improved his patience. He could endure Liu Yuchang’s killing orders on the first floor and his insults for most of an hour. Now, he couldn’t hold back—not because he didn’t want to, but because he hadn’t left the room.
“How dare you! You…!” Liu Yuchang was so enraged that he could barely speak clearly. A prince being called a beast in front of others—probably only him had ever suffered such humiliation in thousands of years.
Knock, knock…
Just as Fu Tongshan decided to leave temporarily and find a way to obtain Fu Zizhou’s confession after Lin Dong was killed, and Liu Yuchang was on the verge of complete madness, an untimely knock sounded.
“Owner, the other private rooms are full. I’ve brought a guest here.”
Outside, Ma Chun’s voice acted like a fuse, accelerating Fu Tongshan’s retreat, which he had been reluctant to make due to pride, and pushing Liu Yuchang’s anger to its peak.
The other rooms were full, yet they brought a guest here. What did that mean? Did everyone inside have to give way to make room for others? Or could they just squeeze in, since the table was big enough?
A prince dining had to give up his seat for others? Had to share a table with them?
“Get out! For every one who enters, one dies! Execute their entire family!”
Liu Yuchang roared. If not for his madness, no one present would have doubted he would add that everyone in the room should be killed as well.
“Zhang Kun, cover our retreat! Cover our retreat!”
Father and son Fu rushed to the door like rabbits, turning around every few steps, and flung open the door to the private room.

The next moment, Fu Tongshan’s body froze. Standing in front of him was an old man in his seventies, with a faint frost on his face. That frost was heavy and dense; even Fu Tongshan, who was used to handling tough situations, was stunned into silence.

Bang!

Behind him, Fu Zizhou, in a hurry, failed to stop in time and bumped into Fu Tongshan’s back. The two of them almost fell over, especially when Fu Zizhou also saw the old man. Father and son both stood there like frozen statues, too stunned to get up, let alone speak.

The old man glanced at Fu Tongshan and his son before stepping into the private room. Behind him, a thin young man with an arrogant expression followed in, his voice shrill and harsh as that of a duck.

“What audacity! Killing an entire family just for one person to enter. Ninth Prince, your anger is beyond what I can bear.”

An iceberg seemed to fall from the sky and hit Liu Yuchang on the head. Dazed, trembling, terrified—frightened to death by the old man, his legs gave out, and he collapsed to the ground.

“Your humble servant pays respects to the Emperor!”

Fu Tongshan finally regained his senses, got up, and knelt before the old man.

“Your humble servant, Fu Zizhou, pays respects to the Emperor!”

Fu Zizhou’s legs were weak, and it took him over ten seconds before he knelt down beside Fu Tongshan. Not far away, Zhang Kun hesitated for a moment before kneeling as well.

“Get up! The current Grand Tutor is in a panic. A prince should be composed. It’s rare to get out for a meal, yet they can’t even stay calm,” Emperor Qianwei said with a wave of his hand.

Before the four of them could thank him and stand up, Yang Shun, standing slightly behind Emperor Qianwei, glanced at Lin Dong, his gaze cold and menacing. “Dareful slave! How dare you not kneel before the Emperor! Bring him in—execute him without mercy!”

“A eunuch’s role is to serve the Emperor well. When did he become entitled to give orders on behalf of the Emperor?” A disdainful, even vicious voice came from the door. “The Emperor isn’t in a hurry. It’s the eunuch who’s dying of anxiety!”

Lin Dong looked in shock toward the door. The owner of that voice was beyond his expectations. Afraid that the skilled men around Emperor Qianwei would notice his thoughts, he had been relying on his hearing to gather information from outside the room. From the sound of footsteps, he could tell there were four people. Besides Ma Chun, Emperor Qianwei, and Yang Shun, he thought the fourth was another eunuch who had come along. Unexpectedly, it was an old friend.

“Zhou Zhengye, you’re going too far!” Yang Shun glared at the door.

Taking a few steps forward and stepping aside to open the door, Zhou Zhengye ignored Yang Shun’s murderous gaze and knelt before Emperor Qianwei: “Brother Lin has always been careless about formalities. Having trained in martial arts since childhood under reclusive masters, he is unaware of such rules. I am willing to take the punishment on behalf of Brother Lin.”
Lin Dong was somewhat moved. Disrespecting the emperor’s authority and, moreover, Emperor Qianwei clearly being in a bad mood—this was no small offense. Zhou Zhengye was now a rising star in the court; to risk his future by stepping in like this was not something ordinary people could do.
“Enough, enough. One is talented but lacks courage. The other is upright but overly bold. My judgment is getting worse and worse,” Emperor Qianwei said impatiently.
“I am guilty!”
Fu Zizhou and Zhou Zhengye quickly bowed even lower.
At the door, Ma Chun and two middle-aged men with calm expressions entered.
“Father, Your Majesty, why have you come?” After Emperor Qianwei waved again for everyone to stand up, Xie En got up carefully and approached him, reaching out to support his arm.
Emperor Qianwei gave Liu Yuchang a indifferent glance, causing him to freeze mid-reach.
“Your Majesty, please sit!” Fu Tongshan forced himself forward. He had arrived at Lin’s Inn early that morning; he naturally couldn’t attend the morning court, claiming he had a slight cold. Now, here he was, coming all this way to drink with the Ninth Prince at Lin’s Inn, only to witness such a chaotic and embarrassing scene. Even with his thick skin, he felt somewhat awkward.
Emperor Qianwei didn’t make things difficult for Fu Tongshan. He nodded and took the seat that originally belonged to Fu Tongshan but had been occupied by Liu Yuchang.
“Everyone, sit down! I just want to be a guest now. Don’t disturb me with other matters,” Emperor Qianwei said, waving his hand.
Fu Tongshan took a deep breath, adjusted his mindset, glanced at Lin Dong, and strode over to sit next to Emperor Qianwei. This time, Liu Yuchang didn’t dare compete with Fu Tongshan. Not to mention making the trembling Liu Yuedun sit in front of Fu Tongshan, even he didn’t dare complain about Fu Tongshan occupying the second-best seat after the emperor’s.
In terms of status, any prince could rank higher than Fu Tongshan, the crown prince. But when it came to his position in Emperor Qianwei’s heart, Liu Yuchang knew his place.
“Brother Lin, please sit!” Zhou Zhengye stepped forward first, blocking Yang Shun, who was about to sit next to Liu Yuchang.
Yang Shun gritted his teeth, glared hatefully at Zhou Zhengye, but said nothing.

Lin Dong didn’t hesitate either and nodded before taking his seat. Soon after, Zhou Zhengye plopped down next to him. Compared to Zhou Zhengye, Fu Zizhou, as Emperor Qian Wei had said, was much less bold. Only after politely inviting Yang Shun to sit down did he dare to carefully lower himself onto the chair, resting half of his buttocks on it. Later, seeing that Liu Yue Dun was still trembling, Zhang Kun sat down next to Fu Zizhou. This scenario, one filled with huge risks and astonishing rewards, ultimately had to be arranged after Fu Tongshan failed to deal with Liu Yuchang. Ma Chun glanced at the situation on the table, turned, and left the private room to arrange for the staff to rearrange the dishes, his expression calm. But his palms were already sweating profusely.