Chapter 82: Emperor and Prince

Chen Yi He pressed his tongue with his lips, not wanting to miss any aroma of the fine wine, "tsk tsk tsk..."

"How is it? Not bad, right?" Ye Wuming asked Chen Yi He.

Chen Yi He raised one thumb with one hand, held the wine jar with the other and kept drinking, utterly unwilling to put it down.

"Hahaha! Bottoms up!" Ye Wuming was also a wine lover; facing this junior who was decades younger than him, he showed no weakness whatsoever.

"Burp..." Chen Yi He was full of wine and food; the alcohol in his stomach swayed, undigested.

"Had enough to eat?"

"Of course."

Ye Wuming pulled out two or three stacks of silver notes from his sleeve and gently pushed them across the table to Chen Yi He.

"Old Ye, what's this?" Chen Yi He asked, drunk.

Ye Wuming answered with a grin, "Hehe, this is a little something from the Prince. He heard you're going to try your luck at the Gate of Eternal Joy, so he specially had me bring this." He then placed a gold ingot on the table and shouted, "Waiter, settle the bill."

"Then I won't stand on ceremony." Chen Yi He pocketed the silver notes and strode out of the tavern.

The waiter ran after Ye Wuming out of the tavern, also shouting, "I'm looking for your money, you two."

Ye Wuming waved his hand, "No need for change."

Chen Yi He and Ye Wuming left the tavern; after walking no more than five hundred steps and turning a corner, they arrived at the Gate of Eternal Joy.

The capital's Gate of Eternal Joy is the headquarters of all Gates of Eternal Joy in Bei Du; its eight-story wooden tower is the tallest building in the capital.

Outside the wooden tower hung wooden plaques carved with all kinds of advertising slogans; the gold‑lacquered tiles on the ground were distinctive.

From far away, one could hear the noisy clamor coming from inside the Gate of Eternal Joy; the sound carried the gamblers' distinctive air, making listeners feel restless and itchy‑handed and itchy‑hearted.

Chen Yi He cracked his knuckles.

Now that his personal safety was secured, he would take the silver notes others had given him and clean house!

……

In the Imperial Palace.

"Let's end the morning audience here, everyone retreat." Emperor Wen, already weary of the trivialities of court, dismissed the officials without waiting for the eunuch to speak.

Eunuch Zhang did not attend today's morning audience.

The officials retreated from the hall like a tide, one after another.

Zhou Ke held high rank and power; during court he stood at the emperor's feet, so when he retired from court he was naturally the last to leave.

"Zhou Ke, stay behind." Emperor Wen, at the very end, retained Zhou Ke.

After all the officials had withdrawn, Emperor Wen rose from the Dragon Throne, descended from the elevated hall, and stood before Zhou Ke.

"Your Highness." Zhou Ke's tone was neither humble nor arrogant, yet still carried respect.

"I heard you rescued a brat a couple of days ago?"

Zhou Ke pondered a moment but gave no answer, "Oh? No wonder Eunuch Zhang didn't attend court today; he must have conferred with Your Highness."

"I know you're on bad terms with Zhang Huayu, but this matter has nothing to do with Eunuch Zhang." Emperor Wen frowned; as the Son of Heaven, having to explain things to others made him feel displeased.

"So it's Consort Xiao?" Zhou Ke's face showed an expression even more disgusted than Emperor Wen's.

Zhou Ke nodded, "Her elder brother Xiao Feng was crippled by that brat; the news spread throughout the martial world, causing an uproar. Now Clearwater City is unstable, with people constantly going to the Xiao Family Castle to cause trouble."

"Is Consort Xiao causing trouble with you?"

Zhou Ke nodded again, "She's just that temperamental; I really can't stand it!"

"Elder brother! You're the Son of Heaven—how can a woman sway your emotions like that!" Zhou Ke grew agitated. Emperor Wen had long been manipulated by Consort Xiao; above and below court, the uproar never ceased, with gossip spreading and officials growing dissatisfied.

Emperor Wen's expression turned sorrowful; he told Zhou Ke, "Brother, I can't help it either! I've already lost my beloved son; I can't afford to lose Consort Xiao now."

"You're the Son of Heaven! Only you can make others lose; no one can make you lose! To be manipulated by a woman is to forfeit the thousand‑year imperial dignity of our Great Zhou Dynasty!"

"Imperial dignity? Being played like a top by the Thousandfold Gate—is that what imperial dignity means?" Emperor Wen jabbed his finger into Zhou Ke's chest and asked.

"Still better than being toyed with by eunuchs and favored consorts!" Zhou Ke roughly shoved aside Emperor Wen's finger.

"In your eyes, am I still the emperor? Ah!"

"Our Zhou family stands on its own, not ruled by eunuchs and favored consorts; if this continues, it will surely provoke popular resentment!"

Emperor Wen forced himself to take a breath, then spoke decisively, "I won't go on about all that. This Chen Yi He—I must kill him. The Western Depot, the memorials from Clearwater City are piling up like a mountain! The turmoil of the martial world must absolutely not be dragged into the imperial court over some nobody brat!"

"Your Highness!"

"Shouting 'elder brother' does no good." Emperor Wen turned away, his mind made up, "He should already be a corpse by now."

"No wonder Zhang Huayu didn't attend court today!" Zhou Ke finally realized. "The Prince's order is useless against the emperor's edict! Surely Eunuch Zhang has already taken the edict and gone!"

"You civil and military officials are the foundation of my rule; if you cannot get along, I will eventually have to choose between you!"

Zhou Ke understood Emperor Wen's meaning—if he continued to oppose Eunuch Zhang, the emperor would act against him! Zhou Ke could never have imagined that, as a royal relative brimming with loyal devotion, he would be inferior to an outsider eunuch!

"It breaks the heart, it breaks the heart." Zhou Ke said while stepping back, retreating all the way to the gate before turning and walking out.

Zhou Ke walked with his head down, deep in thought, "Heavenly Mechanism Sword..."

Zhou Ke knew why Emperor Wen had always been wary of him as a brother; this only strengthened his resolve to obtain the Heavenly Mechanism Sword.

……

To avoid being recognized, before entering the Gate of Eternal Joy, Chen Yi He specially covered his face with a black cloth.

"Big! Big! Big!" Chen Yi He's eyes remained fixed on the dice cup on the table; a crowd surrounded him.

The house opened the dice cup—four, four, four, five, six—making it a big.

"Beautiful!" Chen Yi He clenched his fists, raised his arms! Then he swept all the silver notes, gold, and jewelry on the table into his bosom. He loved that feeling of fullness!

"Here, take this!" Chen Yi He grabbed a handful of silver notes at random, turned to hand them to Ye Wuming sitting nearby.

Ye Wuming stroked his white beard, smiled, and shook his head, "I don't need it, old man."

"Tsk..." Chen Yi He wanted others to share his joy of victory, yet he couldn't help thinking of the Dragon King.

Chen Yi He threw himself into the gambling game, played a few more rounds, his luck was off the charts, making the house and opponents shake their heads in disbelief.

"I've made a killing, there's no way I could lose! Hahaha!" Chen Yi He laughed heartily, satisfied.

At that moment, someone rushed over to Ye Wuming's side, whispered a few words in his ear, and then hurried away.

Ye Wuming's expression changed; he walked over to Chen Yi He's side, took out a black token from his sleeve, and handed it to Chen Yi He, saying, "I have some business to attend to; go ahead and play—with the Prince's order, feel free to enjoy yourself." Having said that, he hurriedly left the Gate of Eternal Joy.