Chapter 6: Prince Fu

"Commander, we’re surrounded on all sides—there’s no way out."

"But the stairwell is guarded by men with knives; the upper floor must be occupied by high-ranking officials of Dayu."

"If we can capture one as a hostage, we might still have a chance!"

Hearing the news from his subordinate, the old man did not hesitate—he immediately ordered:

"Song Maoliang, you shout out to the outside demanding negotiations; delay them as long as possible."

"Gongxi Jianyong, lead a squad to set an ambush downstairs; when negotiations fail, hold off the Embroidered Uniform Guard’s advance."

"Zhuo Erke, lead your men to drive these people forward as cannon fodder—storm the third floor!"

As he spoke, the old man’s gaze turned toward the southwest corner.

Amid the chaos of the teahouse, the barricades formed by tables, chairs, and benches were far too conspicuous.

"Friends inside, fate has brought us together—why not come out and speak?"

"The Embroidered Uniform Guard always arrests suspects—better to catch the wrong one than let the guilty go."

"Since you’re here today, even if you have nothing to do with us, you’ll still have to pay a visit to the Zhao Prison."

"Rather than sit and wait for death, join us—cut a path through blood!"

Mistaken for a man of the Jianghu, Li Mu blinked in surprise.

He looked nothing but a noble young master—where was the Jianghu aura?

But after glancing at the burly men beside him, he instantly understood.

In the capital, nobles valued appearances—even their bodyguards had to be handsome.

Unlike him, who prioritized practicality—he chose his retainers for sheer fighting ability, each one looking like a demon out of hell.

"Filthy dogs, shut up! We, sons of Dayu, would never serve the barbarians like you!"

Li Mu immediately cursed back.

In another setting, he might have played along—but here, now, he had to declare his stance.

Any hesitation was a political error.

"Brat, you’re asking for death!"

The old man roared in fury.

Had the battle on the third floor not been at its critical juncture, and had enemies not been watching from outside, he would have ordered Li Mu cut to pieces on the spot.

Deep inside, he had already decided: once he captured the high-ranking official upstairs, he’d kill this annoying brat.

"Old corpse, you who serve the barbarians like a dog—when you die, you’ll have no face to meet your ancestors. Stop barking like a cur."

"I advise you to turn back now—just slit your own throat and bow to your ancestors in repentance. You’ll suffer less that way!"

Since he’d already offended them, Li Mu had no qualms about pushing further.

The situation on the third floor was growing dire—the killings had failed to hold the stairwell.

Using tea guests as shields, the barbarian spies had surged upward, mingled among the crowd, and now fierce fighting raged.

Rushing out to help was too risky—but shouting to distract the old man and boost the defenders’ resolve was still feasible.

"Your Highness, here are the servant’s clothes—we beg you to change into them."

"If our guards can’t hold back these Tartars, hide inside the cabinet and pretend to be a waiter."

The eunuch’s words filled the young prince with disgust.

At thirteen or fourteen, he was at the peak of youthful pride. To force him to cower as a servant and flee—was worse than death.

"Enough."

"I am Prince Fu of Dayu—I will not flee from battle."

"Reveal my identity! Order the Embroidered Uniform Guard to attack immediately—I refuse to believe they’d let their prince fall into traitors’ hands!"

Deep inside, he had already cursed the entire family of the Embroidered Uniform Guard commander.

The barbarian spies were surrounded—why delay? Why negotiate? This was an insult to Dayu’s officials.

"Your Highness, if your identity is exposed, these traitors will surely..."

Before the middle-aged eunuch could finish, the boy shouted:

"I am Prince Fu of Dayu! Order your men to kill the enemy immediately! Anyone who dares to side with the traitors—shall die!"

His childish proclamation shook the entire building.

Zhou, the hundred-man commander of the Embroidered Uniform Guard outside, nearly wet himself upon hearing it.

Had he known chasing barbarian spies would drag this prince into it, he’d have refused the mission outright.

In fact, he’d chosen to negotiate earlier precisely because too many hostages were trapped inside.

The Embroidered Uniform Guard was permitted collateral damage—but this was beneath the Son of Heaven’s gaze.

Killing a few civilians he could handle; if the number exceeded a hundred, it would become a scandal of imperial proportions.

The memorials from civil officials would bury him alive.

"What are you waiting for? Charge in and rescue Prince Fu!"

"Order the Five City Military Command to attack from behind immediately—no matter what, ensure the Prince’s safety!"

As he gave the order, Zhou drew his brocade saber and charged forward first.

Clearly, he was terrified.

If he injured civilians, he’d lose his post—that was all.

But if Prince Fu was harmed, execution would be the least of it—he might drag his whole family down with him.

Since trouble had found him, he could only try his best to prove himself.

Inside the teahouse, Li Mu, hearing the shout, was also stunned.

He’d merely entered a teahouse, and being caught in the Embroidered Uniform Guard’s chase of barbarian spies was bad enough—he never imagined the Emperor’s own brother was trapped on the third floor.

"Break out! Rescue Prince Fu!"

Saying this, Li Mu kicked aside the table blocking his path; his retainers immediately grabbed chairs and charged out.

Fortunately, he possessed the mindset of a general—he’d rigorously trained his retainers since his reincarnation, and now their discipline paid off.

Facing armed traitors, his retainers wielding chairs showed no fear.

They hurled handfuls of lime powder—several gray-clad men, caught off guard, screamed in agony.

At almost the same instant, chairs crashed onto their heads.

In the blink of an eye, three were dead; weapons seized, the entire scene stunned into silence.

"Cowardly!"

The lead old man cursed.

He was about to order retaliation—but awkwardly realized he had no men to spare.

"Crash!"

A flying chair was the best reply—he dodged as best he could, but still took the blow to the head.

Once fighting began, action spoke louder than words—that was Li Mu’s rule.

His retainers clearly absorbed this philosophy: they said nothing, merely fought in grim silence.

"Don’t get bogged down with the enemy—climb the stairs and rescue Prince Fu!"

Li Mu decided instantly.

Whether the barbarian spies lived or died was the Embroidered Uniform Guard’s concern—he only needed to ensure Prince Fu’s safety.

Though this accident wasn’t his fault,

There existed another crime in this world—scapegoating.

The Emperor's only brother was caught in this incident—no matter the cause, if it happened on Li Mu's watch, he was doomed.

Now, he wasn’t just saving Prince Fu—he was saving himself.

High risk carried high reward.

He could’ve simply climbed the stairs—but he shouted loudly on purpose, so Prince Fu upstairs would hear.

Workplace experience told him: a merit only counted if your superior saw it.

To emphasize the difficulty, he added, "Don’t get bogged down with the enemy," as if climbing the stairs was nearly impossible.

(End of Chapter)