The Prince of Ning, sensing the shift in the situation, seized the moment while everyone's attention was on Lin Zhenfan. He activated his Qinggong and darted towards the Emperor, kicking away Eunuch Li and pulling the Emperor away from the rear hall.
Prince An was the first to react, giving chase. Immediately, Lin Zhenfan also dispatched his men to pursue. Other court officials hesitated, daring not to follow.
The Prince of Ning, carrying the disoriented Emperor, grew breathless after a short while and was forced to stop. He cast a glance back at Prince An, who was relentlessly pursuing him. Though their martial arts were on par, he couldn't afford to expend his energy in a fight now. Otherwise, how would he deal with Lin Zhenfan and his men later?
Decisively, the Prince of Ning took out a small bamboo flute from his sleeve and brought it to his lips, blowing a soft tune. A moment later, the Emperor regained the ferocity he had displayed in the main hall earlier, his eyes flashing with menace. He suddenly turned and attacked Prince An.
Prince An and the Emperor exchanged a few rounds of blows. He dared not strike the Emperor forcefully, lest he injure him, so he could only dodge and evade the Emperor's attacks.
"Father Emperor, your son is the fifth prince, Jun Moyu!" Prince An attempted to awaken the Emperor's reason, but the plea seemed ineffective.
Then, Prince An continued, "Father Emperor, if you do not regain consciousness, the empire you have diligently governed for most of your life will be handed over to others." 138reading.com
At these words, the Emperor, who had been attacking Prince An with manic ferocity, suddenly stopped. The ferocity in his eyes vanished instantly, replaced by a vacant stare. Subsequently, he clutched his head and let out a cry of pain, a sight that was truly agonizing to behold.
Lin Zhenfan and the others who had caught up behind them burst into hearty laughter upon seeing the Emperor in such a state.
"Jun Haochen (the Emperor's given name), I never imagined you'd end up like this, being subjected to the Puppet Gu by your own son, hahaha..."
Prince An, overhearing Lin Zhenfan's words, inwardly cursed, "This is bad!"
No wonder his Father Emperor had become so abnormal; it turned out the third prince had afflicted him with the Puppet Gu.
Seeing the Emperor's pained expression, Prince An's rage surged to the heavens.
"Third Royal Brother, your methods are too wicked. It's a shame Father Emperor treated you so well normally!"
"Did Father Emperor truly treat me well? That's just your assumption. Let me tell you, Fifth Brother, in Father Emperor's heart, only Jun Mohan is his true son. Everyone else, including you, was an afterthought from heaven."
The more the Prince of Ning spoke, the more he harbored resentment towards the old Emperor.
In truth, Prince An knew that his Father Emperor did indeed show greater favoritism towards his second brother. However, besides his second brother, their Father Emperor didn't completely lack affection for them; often, he merely hid his love for them in his heart, and they hadn't truly understood it. But this was no reason for the Prince of Ning to harm his own father.
"Third Royal Brother, Father Emperor has his own difficulties as an Emperor, but that's no excuse for you to poison him. Father Emperor loves you dearly. Just consider, when you were imprisoned, I overheard Eunuch Li mention that Father Emperor was so distraught over your affairs that he couldn't eat or sleep for days."
Prince An tried to sway the Prince of Ning with words.
"Hmph! Fifth Brother, I know you're trying to move me with these words, but I can't turn back now."
As the two siblings exchanged words, the Prince of Ning's cronies, stationed in the palace, arrived and surrounded him.
Meanwhile, Lin Zhenfan listened with amusement to the brothers' conversation. He showed no fear as the Prince of Ning's cronies approached, as he himself had brought a substantial number of men and was not afraid of the Prince of Ning's dozens of followers. At the same time, he let out a cold, disdainful laugh.
"Heh! Prince An, stop wasting your breath trying to persuade him. Today, the three of you father and sons, along with your other brothers, must all die. However, I can offer you a chance to pledge your allegiance to me now. Otherwise, you will all perish."
Lin Zhenfan finished speaking and gave a smug smile.
Just then, the Emperor, leaning against the corridor with a pained expression, suddenly spoke.
"Yu'er, don't mind me. Quickly go find your Second Royal Brother."
At these words, everyone turned to look at the Emperor.
The Prince of Ning, seeing the Emperor regain some lucidity, felt a surge of panic. He immediately blew his bamboo flute again, commanding the Emperor and his cronies to attack Lin Zhenfan and Prince An.
Upon hearing the Prince of Ning's flute, the Emperor's face contorted into a grimace, his eyes filled with malevolence. He casually gathered a surge of internal energy and unleashed it towards Lin Zhenfan and Prince An, nearly causing Prince An to fail in his dodge.
In a flash, Lin Zhenfan decisively ordered his men to block the Prince of Ning's path while he himself engaged the Emperor.
This sent Prince An into a frenzy of worry. He was afraid of injuring the Emperor, while also needing to defend himself from the Emperor's attacks, and simultaneously prevent Lin Zhenfan from harming the Emperor and himself.
Oh heavens, who would help him?
Where were his Second Royal Brother and Second Royal Sister-in-law?
Prince An's heart cried out for help to the Cold King and the Cold King's Consort. Perhaps fate heard his plea, as the Cold King and his Consort soon appeared before him and immediately joined the fray.
"Second Royal Brother, Second Royal Sister-in-law, you've finally appeared. Your little brother is truly at his limit."
"Father Emperor is afflicted with the Puppet Gu. Let's devise a plan to control him and examine him."
With the Cold King and his Consort joining the fight, Prince An immediately felt a wave of relief, though he was still speaking breathlessly from exhaustion.
Upon hearing Prince An's words, the Cold King and his Consort immediately drew the Emperor and Lin Zhenfan into a separate battle. The Cold King and Prince An dealt with Lin Zhenfan's group, while Leng Ruoli's objective was to stabilize the Emperor, thereby reducing their combat effectiveness through targeted engagement.
"Jun Mohan, you've finally appeared. I've been waiting for you and your Consort for a long time," Lin Zhenfan said with a sinister tone.
"Lin Zhenfan, your ambition is too great. When your eldest sister and eldest brother were alive, they couldn't even swallow the Jun family dynasty. Why haven't you learned your lesson?"
Jun Mohan retorted immediately, his voice chillingly indifferent, betraying no emotion.
"Heh heh! I, Lin Zhenfan, am not like them. My goal extends far beyond this Tianwu Dynasty. I aim to become the overlord of the three kingdoms on this continent."
Hearing this, the corners of both the Cold King's and Prince An's mouths twitched involuntarily.
"Second Royal Brother, could this Lin Zhenfan have lost his mind?" Prince An couldn't help but grumble in a low voice.
"I think he's close."
As Jun Mohan spoke, he immediately drew his soft sword and attacked Lin Zhenfan.
Caught off guard by Jun Mohan's sudden move, Lin Zhenfan narrowly avoided it.
He immediately swung the long sword in his hand to meet Jun Mohan's attack. After a few rounds of fierce combat, at the next moment, both of them channeled a surge of internal energy into their swords. In the ensuing clash, their swords met, igniting a burst of colorful sparks.