The Battle of the Noble Ladies (Book 1)

Chapter 177 - Confrontation

Xing'an had never felt so directly confronted before. He had always known how to appreciate beautiful women and wealth, but at this moment, his mind was filled with the reflections of Shi Tongzhou and Cen Biliang—Cen Biliang, that old scoundrel! He hated him so much that he clenched his fists and ground his teeth, feeling as if his heart was in chaos like rolling lantern balls, yet somehow also clear as day. Even if he didn't like to think, he could guess that Cen Biliang had made up his mind to oppose his uncle.

Clearly, just yesterday when his uncle had sent him to deliver gifts to that old scoundrel, Cen Biliang had greeted him with a smile. Yet in the blink of an eye, he had turned against them and allied with the King of Zhennan! That brat Ye Jingchuan had really grown capable, managing to snatch people away from Chen Xiang first, and now teaming up with Cen Biliang to seize them...

Cen Biliang, surrounded by the Ministry of War officials, faced off against Xing'an, who was protected by the Jinyiwei. He shouted with piercing eyes, "The court's wanted criminal, Shi Tongzhou, has been captured! I will personally deliver him to the Emperor!"

Chen Xiang's gaze flickered with undercurrents as he coldly stared at Shi Tongzhou, who was shrinking back beside Cen Biliang, and felt a pang of anxiety—Yang Xian still hadn't returned. This guy, Shi Tongzhou, was being a bit too complacent by staying next to Ye Jingchuan. Something must have gone wrong over there... With this thought, his gaze towards Ye Jingchuan turned even colder. This barely twelve or thirteen-year-old youth had such deep schemes and capabilities, able to snatch people from his hands and even know how to shake off his pursuit. Moreover, he had even taken care of Shi Tongzhou's sister and brother-in-law in advance, abducting them.

But the question remained: how did the King of Zhennan's residence know about this? The information was in his hands? They even knew all of Shi Tongzhou's background? They knew more than the Jinyiwei!

"This criminal was captured by us first. Does the Ministry of War want to forcefully intervene and take him from us?!" Chen Xiang slammed his hand over Xing'an's mouth, which was ready to protest, his ferocity suddenly revealing itself: "The Jinyiwei has been ordered to apprehend him. Today, no one can take him away!"

At his command, dozens of Jinyiwei, armed with embroidered spring blades, drew their weapons in unison, their movements impressively coordinated.

Ye Jingchuan was not afraid of him and raised his eyebrows to glance at Cen Biliang: "Uncle, they're specifically here to oppose you." Today, it wouldn't be easy for anyone to enter the city; they had anticipated this and prepared for whatever tricks Chen Xiang and Xing'an might employ.

Cen Biliang's usually expressionless face remained unchanged, but his words were unyielding and indisputable: "I don't care about who came first or second; all I know is our Ministry of War has discovered him, it's our duty to bring him before the Emperor. The incident in Tongzhou is closely related to him. The Emperor has personally said he wants to address the matter in Tongzhou himself. Are you Jinyiwei trying to overstep your authority?!"

Xing'an, with his lips already slightly swollen from the slap, could no longer hold back and jumped up, pointing at Cen Biliang with a cold laugh: "You old scoundrel, don't make it sound so grand. Who doesn't know that your Ministry of War made a huge blunder in the Tongzhou incident? If it weren't for your incompetence, would there have been any issues in Tongzhou?! You didn't contribute anything back then; now that we've worked hard to capture the person, you come out to steal the credit. Who knows if you'll collude with those vermin and even resort to killing to silence people?!"

Cen Biliang, who despised anyone who tarnished his reputation, was now red-faced with rage, his beard trembling in anger, emanating an intense aura: "Whether or not I collude with others is for the Emperor to decide, and it's not up to a mere brat like you to slander me!"

He ordered his subordinates to escort Shi Tongzhou forward, but the Jinyiwei lined up in front, blocking the way and effectively sealing off the city gate. They couldn't move an inch.

Although Cen Biliang had anticipated that today's events would be difficult, he hadn't expected it to be this challenging. Yet, this only strengthened his resolve to personally take Shi Tongzhou before the Emperor—whether the Ministry of War would take the blame for this incident or be able to capture the real culprit depended entirely on Shi Tongzhou.

If today he allowed the Jinyiwei to take Shi Tongzhou away, that man would certainly die in the imperial prison, and then the Ministry of War would be implicated on all fronts. As the Minister of War, he was already under immense pressure and had been cautiously managing affairs. If the Ministry of War was saddled with this disgrace, he would find it difficult to retire peacefully.

Xing'an was so furious he was jumping up and down, exasperated as he looked at Chen Xiang: "Are you dead?! If they take him away today, no one will have it easy!"

Chen Xiang had reached his limit with this troublemaking fool. He casually struck him at the nape of the neck, knocking him unconscious with a flip of his eyes before turning to look at Cen Biliang and Ye Jingchuan.

"Since Master Cen is determined to take Shi Tongzhou, then...," he said coldly, casting a glance at Shi Tongzhou without blinking, "for the sake of fairness, I will also take away Young Master Ye. After all, Young Master Ye and Yuan Hong are the direct responsible parties for the Tongzhou incident. How is it that they can remain at large until now? It seems Master Cen has been quite helpful in this matter, hasn't he? I understand your desire to protect your subordinates, but treating suspects with double standards will hardly be convincing. If your Ministry of War insists on taking Shi Tongzhou, then leave Ye Jingchuan behind!"

At this point, Cen Biliang began to believe the rumors in the capital that Chen Xiang, the commander of the Jinyiwei, was cunning. He acted decisively and was unyielding, and even if he appeared to make concessions, he would still take a large bite out of his enemies. He was indeed extremely difficult to deal with.

However, no matter how one looked at it, Cen Biliang could not hand Ye Jingchuan over to Chen Xiang—this man was ruthless and might even kill Ye Jingchuan out of spite. After all, he was the commander of the Jinyiwei and had blood on his hands, even of those from the royal family. Moreover, Ye Jingchuan was already implicated in the Tongzhou incident and had yet to clear his name.

If Ye Jingchuan died because of Shi Tongzhou, the King of Zhennan's residence would blame him for handing the person over to Chen Xiang.

He stubbornly refused to back down, while Chen Xiang was equally insistent. The subordinates of the Ministry of War and the Jinyiwei stood firm, staring at each other like fighting cocks. The two sides were locked in a stalemate, unable to determine a victor.