Chapter 328: Stone Statue Opens Its Eye, the Zhao Clan Will Rise!

Duke of Chu's State Duke Mansion.

Thin snow lay in the courtyard, and a few old plum trees were in full bloom, their faint fragrance mixing with the snowy air and drifting in the cold wind.

On the stone table lay a half‑finished game of chess, the pieces frozen cold.

Zhao Tishou, wrapped in a fox fur coat, stood under the corridor, watching the lanterns outside the courtyard sway in the wind, then suddenly turned to the brother beside him and asked, "Qingshi, have you heard that verse?"

Zhao Qingshi was fidgeting with the fire in the charcoal brazier using a twig, and upon hearing that, lifted his eyes and said, "Do you mean the verse that the Buddha sent in a dream to Master Huineng, passing it down?"

Even though he was ransomed for a hundred thousand taels by a single person, he was then confined to the mansion.

Nevertheless, the two brothers' ears and eyes remained extremely well‑informed.....

"Exactly!"

Zhao Tishou nodded, his fingertips unconsciously tracing the carvings on the corridor column, and said, "Today, outside the city, in the Wei River, a stone statue has appeared......"

"It is inscribed: 'Do not say the stone statue has one eye; it will stir the Wei River and the world to revolt!'"

"The people of Chang'an are all saying that the stone statue refers to our grandfather!"

As soon as the words finished, Zhao Qingshi spun around sharply, a strange light flickering in his eyes, his voice trembling uncontrollably, "Doesn't this mean that Grandfather is about to ascend the throne, proclaim himself emperor, and usher in a new dynasty?"

He took a few steps to the center of the courtyard, gazed at the snow swirling in the sky, then let out a low laugh, his laughter mingled with excitement and fervor, "Then our Zhao clan will become royalty!"

It matches—the verse and the inscription both line up.....

One is coincidence, the other must be heaven's will!

Stone statue opens its eye, the Zhao clan will rise!

Zhao Tishou's eyes burned hot, he stepped forward two paces, his voice pressed down to a whisper yet unable to hide his ecstatic joy, "It is highly possible!"

He raised his hand and pressed the jade sash at his waist; his fingertips trembled slightly from the force, as if he had already felt the jade pendant that signifies imperial lineage, "In the future, the two of us will be imperial grandsons!"

His gaze swept over the red plum trees in the courtyard, and suddenly the cold winter seemed to exude warmth.

One must know that their grandfather is already advanced in age and won't live much longer.....

Soon his own father will ascend the throne.

And the Crown Prince must be one of the two of them!

"Hahaha!"

Zhao Qingshi suddenly threw his head back and laughed loudly, his laughter exploding in the silent courtyard, startling the snow on the branches to cascade down, "Heaven itself wants the Zhao clan to prosper!"

After laughing for a while, he abruptly stopped, the excitement in his eyes instantly replaced by a heavy hatred, his mouth curling into a fierce grin.

"Once Grandfather seizes supreme power, the first thing I will do is to cripple and dismember Chen Yan!" He gritted his teeth, each word seeming to be forced out between his teeth, "Avenge the past humiliation!"

Having lived over a decade, all the humiliation and setbacks were brought by that bastard surnamed Chen.....

How could Zhao Qingshi not hate him?

"That's all, it's far too cheap for him!"

Zhao Tishou's eyes also flashed with ruthlessness, "Why not follow Empress Lu?"

He paused, then continued, "Turning Chen Yan into a human pig is the only way to relieve the hatred in my heart!"

"Brilliant!" Zhao Qingshi exclaimed, slapping his hand sharply, fully agreeing.

The two grew increasingly agitated, their chests heaving violently, as if they could already see Chen Yan kneeling on the ground, pleading in pain.

"Cough cough!"

Two light coughs came from behind the Moon Gate, and the Zhao brothers turned sharply, seeing their half‑brother Zhao Xingjian draped in a half‑worn blue cotton robe, holding a medicine jar, standing in the shadow of the corridor, his brows tightly furrowed.

Zhao Tishou's harsh expression softened slightly, but his tone carried a hint of impatience, "Why are you here?"

Zhao Xingjian ignored his tone, walked over slowly, placed the medicine jar on the stone table, his voice calm yet persuasive, "Brothers, this verse and stone statue concerning Grandfather and our Zhao clan are not a good sign!"

"It might even be a disaster that wipes us out!"

The worry in his brows was so dense it could not be dispelled.

That verse, that stone statue, made Zhao Xingjian smell the scent of danger.......

It was clearly a scheme to roast the Zhao clan over fire.

The more the common folk argued fiercely, the more the Zhao family stood out—things that stand out are often the first to be destroyed.

One must know that the one now holding supreme power is Yuwen Hu!

And even more perilous signs surround......

"Zhao Xingjian!"

Zhao Qingshi slammed the stone table hard, the chess pieces jolted high, rolling into the snow, each shouting its name as it fell.

He pointed at Zhao Xingjian, his chest heaving violently, the fire in his eyes nearly burning out, "Are you cursing Grandfather?"

"Or are you speaking ill of our Zhao clan!"

"I didn't!" Zhao Xingjian, now wearing a big hat, his face flushed bright red, hurried to explain, "Qingshi, I didn't mean it that way!"

"Just reminding you..."

"If the Yuwen Clan can become emperor, can the Zhao clan not?"

"Heaven has already bestowed an omen!"

"It shows that the Mandate of Heaven lies with our Zhao clan!"

Zhao Xingjian's brows twisted into a knot, his voice tinged with suppressed urgency, "Tishou, calm down!"

"These words cannot be spoken recklessly!"

"They easily invite disaster upon Grandfather!"

"Listen to my brother's advice: be extremely careful with words outside!"

Saying that, his gaze swept over the vague silhouettes beyond the courtyard wall.

It was an old servant of the mansion, currently bending down to sweep the snow, but who can guarantee that these words won't ride the wind outward?

One must know these are all leverage!

Whenever Grand Tomb Steward Yuwen Hu hears about it, nine times out of ten he'll make a big fuss over it!

Zhao Tishou, who had been repeatedly poured cold water on, flared up in anger, his face flushed the color of pig liver, his voice sharp and cutting like a poison‑tempered blade, pointed at Zhao Xingjian and scolded, "You, born of a concubine, I'm giving you face by calling you brother; you really think you're a person of importance?"

Zhao Qingshi raised his voice toward the courtyard and shouted, "Someone! Bring the whip from the courtyard!"

Zhao Xingjian's complexion changed abruptly, and he instinctively stepped back half a step, "Qingshi, what do you intend to do?"

"Gongzi, the whip!"

The servant outside the courtyard did not hesitate, ran straight to the firewood house, and soon returned holding a glossy leather whip, handing it with both hands to Zhao Qingshi.

The whip was dark and heavy, its tip wrapped with a copper ring, clearly an implement used daily to punish servants.

Zhao Qingshi took the whip, raised his wrist, and snapped it forward with a whooshing sound, "I'll beat the hell out of you, you contrarian with elbows that bend outward!"

"Stop!"

"Ah!"

"Snap"—a crisp crack rang, the whip struck Zhao Xingjian's shoulder hard, tearing a hole in his cotton robe and exposing the thin inner garment.

Zhao Xingjian let out a muffled hum, staggered back a few steps, and the medicine jar in his hand clanged onto the ground, spilling brown medicinal liquid all over, mixing with the snow water that soaked his boot soles.

"Qingshi, give Zhao Xingjian a good lesson and make him understand what respect and inferiority are!" Zhao Tishou fanned the flames from beside, his face full of satisfaction, "What is legitimate and illegitimate!"

"Ah!"

Zhao Qingshi's eyes flashed with ferocity, and another lash of the whip flew, this time striking Zhao Xingjian's back.

Zhao Xingjian shivered with pain, cold sweat beading on his forehead.

"Today I'll teach you properly what may be said and what must not be said!"

Zhao Qingshi whipped and cursed simultaneously, the lashes falling like raindrops.

"Gongzi, you are mighty!"

Beside them, servants kept cheering.

"Stop it!"

A hoarse yet resonant shout came from the Moon Gate, sounding like thunder cracking on flat ground: "What are you doing?"

The newcomer was Zhao Qian.

"Greetings, Grandfather!"

Zhao Qingshi and Zhao Tishou exchanged a glance, dropped the whip, and hurriedly bowed to Zhao Qian.

"Greetings… Grandfather!" Zhao Xingjian forced himself to endure the pain and also bowed.

Zhao Qian glanced at his illegitimate grandson's tattered cotton robe, his back and shoulders covered with intersecting bloodstains, and asked, "Qingshi, Tishou, why are you whipping Xingjian?"

"Because he deserves it!" Zhao Qingshi blurted.

"He said things he shouldn't have, and even cursed you, Grandfather!" Zhao Tishou quickly added, his face piled with grievance.

"Enough!"

Zhao Qian cut in, his tone bearing a mild rebuke: "Brothers should get along harmoniously..."

He knew there must be embellishment involved, but he only wanted to settle the matter peacefully.

One cannot truly punish two legitimate grandsons for the sake of a single illegitimate one, can one?

"Yes."

"I will faithfully follow Grandfather's teachings!"

Zhao Qingshi and Zhao Tishou, as if granted a pardon, hurriedly rose, brushed the snow off their knees, and secretly exchanged a smug glance.

"These tumultuous times, you two must not cause me any more trouble!" Zhao Qian admonished.

"Grandson won't dare again..." the two lowered their brows obediently and replied meekly.

"Go study properly!"

Zhao Qian waved his hand.

He paused, as if finally recalling Zhao Xingjian's wound, then casually said, "Go fetch a Physician and have your injuries treated..."

Having said that, Zhao Qian led the two away, turning his back.

Snow continued to fall as Zhao Xingjian stood still, watching his grandfather's receding silhouette, slowly raising his head; no trace of the earlier restraint remained on his face, only a dense, unmelting resentment, like poison‑tempered ice shards, directly pointing toward the Ancestral Hall.

Favoritism? How is this favoritism? Clearly it's forcing him onto a dead end!

He thought of the Zhao family, worried for his grandfather, yet received only whipping, insults, and this casual "harmonious coexistence."

The legitimate grandsons twist right and wrong, strike others, and can't even utter a stern word?

Zhao Xingjian's mouth curled into a cold arc, his eyes swirling with unprecedented fury: "Fine, very fine!"

"Since you consider yourselves so self‑righteous, lofty, never treating a bastard as a person, unable to discern right from wrong, favoring to this extreme, then let's all die together!"

Snow settled on his eyelashes, melted into water, and slid down his cheek, indistinguishable whether it was snowmelt or something else.

Since the Duke of Chu's mansion is already beyond cure, it might as well be used to barter for one's own future…