The Phoenix is Back - Chapter 238

Chapter 238 There Is No Way Forward Or Backward
Li Dai stiffened.

The crime of deceiving a monarch.

These words were like the heaviest stones that ruthlessly pressed down on Zhang Shu’s heart. Sweat oozed out of his forehead continuously. He forcefully gritted his teeth and raised his head to face Chu Yanzhi’s dark eyes, forcefully propping himself up. “Crown Prince, what do you mean by this?”

Looking at Zhang Shu’s expression, Chu Yanzhi couldn’t help but chuckle. “This palace thought that pretending to be stupid and stunned these methods were the habits of those pedantic civil servants. I didn’t expect that a grand general like General Zhang would also be proficient in this way!”

The emperor valued him for his years in charge of the Divine Policy Camp. He had never been ridiculed like this in front of anyone before. He couldn’t help but look down. However, this person in front of him was the Crown Prince, the Storage Lord that the emperor had brought up. Moreover, he was guilty, so he could only lower his head and not say a word.

However, Zhang Shu did not say anything, but Chu Yanzhi did not intend to let him off lightly like this.

“Looks like General Zhang has admitted it?” Chu Yanzhi smiled and returned to his seat. He elegantly poured himself a glass of wine and looked at Zhang Shu with a faint smile.

Zhang Shu knitted his brows. Although his heart was feeling weak, he did not clench his teeth and said, “This lowly official is terrified. I really do not know what His Highness meant by this.”

Hearing Zhang Shu’s words, Chu Yanzhi’s pouring of wine paused slightly. He raised his eyes and looked towards Zhang Shu. “I thought that General Zhang had been in charge of the Divine Policy Camp for so many years. He should know that it would be useless for fish to struggle any longer.”

Chu Yanzhi’s several specious words caused Zhang Shu’s eyebrows to jump. However, if he did not make it clear, he did not dare to open his mouth. What if he was cheating him?

Chu Yanzhi frowned and looked at Zhang Shu as if he could not remember. “Let me think about it. What is the Crown Princess’ real name? Zhang … Zhang … Zhang …” He looked at Zhang Shu as if he could not remember. “General Zhang, does the Crown Princess have a girlfriend name? Why do I remember that all the masters and servants in the General’s Mansion call her girl?”

Chu Yanzhi’s words were like a bolt from the blue, completely shattering the trace of luck in Zhang Shu’s heart.

The Crown Prince, he really knew everything.

“Your Highness.” He hurriedly knelt down.

Looking at Zhang Shu, who was kneeling in front of him, Chu Yanzhi’s expression turned cold. A frightening icy coldness suddenly burst out from his pupils. He smashed the wine cup in his hand onto the ground, causing Zhang Shu’s entire body to tremble. Then, his cold voice sounded, “Zhang Shu, how dare you!”

“Your Highness … I … I …” Zhang Shu’s originally dark face turned pale, and the sweat on his forehead began to drip down.

How did the Crown Prince know about such a secret matter?

“Lord Zhang, don’t you want to explain something to me?” Chu Yanzhi looked down at Zhang Shu with an indescribable coldness in his eyes.

At this moment, countless thoughts flashed through Zhang Shu’s mind. However, this matter was of great importance, so how could he explain it clearly? Moreover, there were some things that he could not explain.

Looking at how Zhang Shu’s expression had changed several times, how could Chu Yanzhi not be able to guess his thoughts at this moment? He coldly smiled and suddenly clapped his hands.

Clear applause rang out in the quiet flower hall. Zhang Shu was shocked. He hurriedly raised his head and saw an attendant walking in with a bottle of wine. Behind the attendant were a few knife-wielding personal guards. From their footsteps, it could be seen that these personal guards were all first-class experts. Seeing such a battle, Zhang Shu suddenly had an ominous premonition in his heart.

At this time, Chu Yanzhi raised his foot and walked towards Zhang Shu. His cold gaze was fixed on Zhang Shu, and his voice was filled with a chill of fear. “General Zhang, this pot of wine was specially prepared for you by this palace.” After saying that, he turned around and slowly poured a glass of wine into the white porcelain wine glass with his own hands.

The transparent liquid slowly filled the glass.

Zhang Shu stared at the glass of wine and a chill gradually crept up from the bottom of his feet.

This wine.

Poisonous.

Chu Yanzhi actually wanted to poison him here!

“General Zhang, please.” Chu Yanzhi lowered his head and coldly looked down at Zhang Shu, who was still kneeling on the ground. A gloomy smile slowly crept onto his lips.

Zhang Shu suddenly raised his head and looked at Chu Yanzhi.

“Your Highness, even if this lowly official is guilty, he should be handed over to the Emperor for punishment. How can you abuse lynchings!” Zhang Shu said in a deep voice.

Unexpectedly, when Chu Yanzhi heard Zhang Shu’s words, a meaningful smile suddenly appeared on his lips. “Logically speaking, it is indeed as General Zhang said. However …”

‘”But what” Zhang Shu subconsciously replied.

As soon as he said that, he knew that he was wrong.

Indeed, after listening to his words, the smile on Chu Yanzhi’s face deepened a little.

“General Zhang, do you think this palace would be so stupid as to ask for help from that person?”

Zhang Shu’s eyelids twitched, and a thought came to his mind. Could it be that the Crown Prince didn’t just know about the replacement of a woman? But even though he already had this thought in his heart, he didn’t dare to easily provoke it. He could only forcefully prop it up and say, “I … I don’t know what His Highness is talking about?”

Hearing Zhang Shu’s words, Chu Yanzhi sneered, “It seems that in General Zhang’s eyes, I am indeed a fool.” He paused for a moment before continuing, “That’s right. Otherwise, General Zhang wouldn’t have dared to give a maidservant, Li Daipao, to me.”

“This lowly subject, this lowly subject does not dare.” Zhang Shu hurriedly crouched down, but in his heart, he secretly guessed how much the Crown Prince knew at this moment.

“Don’t dare?” Chu Yanzhi raised his eyebrows and a cold smile flashed across the corners of his lips. He nodded, “General Zhang, you really don’t dare. Although you and your wife love your daughter as much as you can, you still can’t bear the charge of resisting the decree and bullying the monarch unless … unless someone gives you the courage!” At this point, Chu Yan smiled. He crouched down and looked straight at Zhang Shu. His gaze was as sharp as two cold daggers, mercilessly piercing through the remaining fantasies of Zhang Shu. “If I’m not wrong, the person who gave General Zhang the courage is the current Emperor, my good father!”

Looking at the shock in Zhang Shu’s eyes that could no longer be concealed, Chu Yanzhi stood up and couldn’t help but laugh.

He said that his good father, who had always been cautious and doubtful, would point out Zhang Shu’s daughter to him. It turned out that he was waiting for him here. The so-called Crown Princess was just a scapegoat for marriage, His hint not only betrayed the Zhang Clan’s favor, but also made him think that he had already wooed the Zhang Clan. On the surface, he had even given him a great kindness. However, in reality, he did not have anything. The Zhang Clan was still under his control. More importantly, once he made a change, he would easily receive news from the Zhang Clan.

Count it all in one go.

This was truly the method used by his good father Emperor.

Zhang Shu hadn’t expected that Crown Prince Chu Yanzhi would have already seen through everything. He had originally thought that today’s banquet was just a banquet set up by the Crown Prince to further rope him in, but he hadn’t expected that this was indeed a Hongmen banquet that urged fate! However, would the Emperor, who was deeply rooted in the Temple of Virtue, know about all of this?

“Since His Highness knows that this is His Majesty’s command, why …”

“Why is it so difficult for you?” Chu Yanzhi sneered and accepted the words that Zhang Shu wanted to say.

Zhang Shu frowned and looked at Chu Yanzhi without saying anything.

Chu Yan smiled and said, “Lord Zhang has been in charge of the Divine Policy Camp for so many years under the eyes of my suspicious Father Emperor. Can’t you even see this?”

Zhang Shu’s heart sank.

How could he not have guessed.

“General Zhang, you have two choices now.” Chu Yanzhi smiled and looked at Zhang Shu.

Zhang Shu pursed the corners of his lips and looked at Chu Yanzhi without saying a word.

“Either, drink this glass of wine.” Chu Yanzhi pointed at the wine in the hand of the attendant and smiled as he looked at Zhang Shu.

Or, choose to be loyal to him. There was no need for him to say this, but he believed that he could guess.

Zhang Shu looked at the cold and cold smile on the corner of Chu Yanzhi’s lips and sighed softly in his heart. Finally, he said, “Your Highness, the Emperor is sincerely supportive of you, so I will be loyal to Your Highness sooner or later.”

He was a general, and sometimes he really didn’t understand the twists and turns of the dynasty’s power schemes.

Since the Emperor wanted to pass the throne to the Crown Prince, why did he suspect him so much and suppress him everywhere? As for the Crown Prince, as long as he waited for the Emperor to become an Emperor after a hundred years, why was he so anxious? Even some of his loyal generals were stuck in the middle of this dilemma.

“Since General Zhang knows that he will be loyal to this palace sooner or later, why not?” Chu Yanzhi smiled and looked at Zhang Shu.

After hearing Chu Yanzhi’s words, Zhang Shu paused for a moment and didn’t know how to reply.

Seeing that Zhang Shu was in a dilemma, Chu Yanzhi sighed faintly. “This palace originally thought that General Zhang was a smart and flexible person, but now it seems …” At this point, he smiled and raised his eyebrows to look at Zhang Shu. “I wonder if my good father will feel gratified for General Zhang’s loyalty when everything is revealed tomorrow?”

As soon as he said this, Zhang Shu’s expression turned extremely ugly.

If the impersonation of the Crown Princess was exposed, it would affect the prestige of the Crown Prince’s royal family, especially the Emperor’s own indescribable thoughts. If he were alive, he would be fine. If he died, the Zhang Clan would probably be relocated. And now, looking at the Crown Prince’s posture, if he didn’t come down, he probably wouldn’t be able to leave the Crown Prince’s Mansion alive today.

Thinking of this, Zhang Shu couldn’t help but feel annoyed when he felt sorrowful.

The Emperor and the Crown Prince fought, but why did they drag his family into this? He, Zhang Shu, had devoted himself to his duty for all these years, but he never expected that the father and son would end up playing with him like chess pieces, leaving him with no way to advance or retreat.

Seeing that he had finished speaking, Chu Yanzhi calmly walked back to his seat, raised his hand and poured himself a glass of wine. He drank a sip of wine with great interest, and then calmly said, “How is it? General Zhang, have you thought it through?”

Zhang Shu suppressed his anger and took a deep breath. Then, he raised his hand and said, “Everything … but according to His Highness the Crown Prince’s orders.”

So far, did he still have a choice? He could only leave one step ahead of the other.

Seeing that Zhang Shu was relieved, Chu Yanzhi smiled. He raised his eyebrows and looked at the attendant who had been guarding the door. Then, he stood up and waved to the personal guards and attendants in the room to retreat. He raised the wine cup in his hand. “Father-in-law really did not disappoint me. Come, this wine is for you.”

Zhang Shu raised his eyes to look at Chu Yanzhi’s perfection of will. Although he felt aggrieved in his heart, he still stood up and raised his wine cup towards Chu Yanzhi from the table beside him.

“Your Highness, what can I do for you?” At this time, a person suddenly walked in from outside the flower hall. As soon as he finished speaking, he saw Zhang Shu. A trace of surprise flashed in his eyes, but he quickly calmed down. “So General Zhang is also here.”