I Built a Territory in Ancient Times Chapter 101

Chapter 101

Ming Yu’s hands were busy dealing with Ming Chao, but he had more than enough skill to handle him. He was well aware of Ming Zhen’s cunning ways, so he naturally remained alert.

When Ming Zhen signaled to the guard, Ming Yu caught it immediately. The moment the guard made his move, Ming Yu sensed something was wrong. Reacting swiftly, he tackled Ming Chao to the ground, narrowly dodging the attack.

Before the guard could strike again, Ming Yu’s expression turned ice-cold. He tossed Ming Chao aside, grabbed the crossbow he always carried with him, and fired without hesitation.

A sharp cry rang out as the guard collapsed, killed instantly. Everyone was stunned. Ming Zhen’s face turned deathly pale—he couldn’t believe that Ming Yu had dared to kill someone within the palace walls.

Ming Yu stared at him coldly, raising his crossbow to aim at Ming Zhen.

Ming Zhen trembled. He had seen it clearly—this small weapon in Ming Yu’s hand required only a slight movement of the fingers to deliver a swift and lethal strike, impossible to defend against.

Now, with it aimed at him, he knew that if Ming Yu’s hand so much as twitched, he might meet the same fate as the guard. How could this fool dare? How could he point a weapon at him? He was a prince!

“Ming Yu, you… what are you doing?” Ming Zhen forced himself to stay calm. No matter how reckless Ming Yu was, he wouldn’t actually dare to attack him, right?

Ming Yu rose to his feet, stepping closer with every word, a sneer on his lips. “What am I doing? Ming Zhen, don’t you know better than anyone?”

Ming Zhen’s face was ashen as he retreated step by step. He forced himself to sound confident, “Know what? Fourteenth Brother, you just killed someone and now you’re trying to intimidate me? Don’t think that just because Father favors you, you can do as you please. I’ll go to him right now and let him judge this fairly!”

Ming Yu chuckled, picking up the iron caltrop from the ground. “Go ahead. Attempted murder of a prince is a crime punishable by death. Surely, Royal Brother knows exactly whose man this was?”

“You…!” Ming Zhen was at a loss for words. He had never intended to kill Ming Yu, only to teach him a lesson. But now, with Ming Yu framing it this way, he couldn’t escape responsibility.

Meanwhile, Ming Chao finally managed to scramble up from the ground, grumbling as he did so. That push from Ming Yu had been far too strong. Caught off guard, the back of his head had slammed hard against the floor, leaving him dizzy and disoriented.

He hadn’t yet figured out what had happened. Just as he was about to start cursing at Ming Yu, he noticed the guard lying lifeless on the ground. Confused, he asked, “What’s going on? Why is this guy dead?”

A palace attendant cautiously stepped forward and whispered to Ming Chao about what had just happened. Ming Chao was completely dumbfounded at first, but once he understood the situation and saw the iron caltrops in Ming Yu’s hand, what else was there to be confused about?

Judging by Ming Yu’s stance, it was clear that he was convinced this was Ming Zhen’s doing. Thinking back to the previous scene—if Ming Yu hadn’t pushed him aside, who knows where those iron caltrops would have landed? Although Ming Chao was reckless by nature, he had still grown up in the palace. No matter how well-protected he was, he knew that the palace harbored its fair share of dirty schemes.

It only took a little thought to grasp the whole picture. In the end, it all started with Ming Zhen approaching him and sowing a few provocative words about Ming Yu, which had riled him up enough to storm over. Hadn’t he just fallen right into Ming Zhen’s trap? A wave of disgust surged in his heart. Damn it, Ming Zhen! And to think he had considered him a good brother, only to be schemed against like this.

“Ming Zhen! You dare to harm me? Watch me tear you apart!” Ming Chao lunged forward, but Ming Yu sidestepped nimbly. Well, at least this would make him see Ming Zhen’s true colors. Let’s see if he would keep falling for people’s manipulations after this.

The matter eventually reached the Emperor’s ears. Dressed in only his inner robes, he had barely lain down to rest when a frantic eunuch came to report that the Eleventh and Twelfth Princes had gotten into a fight, the Fourteenth Prince was involved, and a guard had died in the process.

The Emperor listened to the entire account, his expression dark as he stared at the three kneeling before him. Ming Chao looked the most miserable—his robes were in tatters, his face was swollen with bruises, almost unrecognizable.

Of course, Ming Yu and Ming Zhen hadn’t fared much better either. Ming Yu, however, had at least been mindful enough to protect his face during the fight. Plus, thanks to the fighting techniques he had learned, though he appeared disheveled, he hadn’t actually suffered any real injuries. Ming Zhen, on the other hand, had been completely caught off guard when Ming Chao turned on him. He was no match for Ming Chao’s brute force, so he had taken several punches to the face, even splitting his lip.

“Well, well! Looks like you’ve all grown quite capable. Picking up the habits of street ruffians now? Resorting to fists to solve your problems? Who gave you the audacity to make a mess of my palace?” The Emperor’s fury flared at the sight of them.

Ming Chao, still unwilling to back down, protested, “Father, if not for Ming Zhen, how could I have—ugh!” His sentence was cut off as the movement tugged at his injuries, making him wince in pain.

“You still dare to speak?!” The Emperor grabbed a paperweight from the table and hurled it at him. Ming Chao flinched in fear, and Ming Yu discreetly tugged him aside, saving him from disaster.

The three of them dared not even breathe too loudly, shrinking their necks like quails. The Emperor finally calmed down after venting his anger and picked up the iron caltrops and crossbow from the table. “Explain this to me,” he demanded.

Ming Yu took two steps forward, straightening his back as he said, “Father, I don’t know what that man’s intentions were, but a guard ambushed me and Ming Chao with iron caltrops. If we had been hit, it wouldn’t have ended without bloodshed. I was so terrified at the moment that I thought it was an assassin. When I saw him about to strike again, I instinctively acted to kill him.”

The Emperor let out a neutral “Hmm” before turning his sharp gaze to Ming Zhen. Ming Zhen was so terrified that he could barely breathe. His body trembled as he stammered, “F-Father… I… I knew nothing about this! That guard must have harbored ill intentions on his own. I… I did nothing!”

At that moment, Ming Zhen had only one thought—pin everything on the dead guard. After all, that man belonged to him, but a dead man couldn’t speak. As long as he stuck to his denial, no one could do anything to him. At worst, he might be punished for failing to manage his subordinates properly, but that was still far better than being accused of plotting against his own brothers.

Ming Yu frowned, and after a brief moment of thought, he understood Ming Zhen’s plan.

Before he could say anything, Ming Chao had already shouted, “You didn’t know? He was your man! If no one ordered him, where would he get the courage to attack a prince?”

Ming Zhen ignored the accusation, instead kowtowing repeatedly to the Emperor. “Father, though this person was indeed under my command, the human heart is unpredictable. I couldn’t possibly know his true thoughts. I knew Twelfth Brother had past grievances with Fourteenth Brother, so I followed them with the intention of mediating if things escalated. I never imagined something like this would happen…”

His words were so sincere that, had Ming Yu not been involved, he might have actually believed him.

Did the Emperor believe him? His expression remained unreadable as he sat in silence. Ming Chao wanted to refute Ming Zhen again, but Ming Yu stopped him. The Emperor would make his own judgment. Without solid evidence, if they kept accusing Ming Zhen too aggressively, it would only make the Emperor displeased with them instead.

The Emperor valued brotherly harmony above all else. It was normal for siblings to quarrel and even scuffle occasionally, but if their enmity escalated to a life-or-death grudge, that would be crossing the line.

This incident was neither too minor to ignore nor too major to take lightly. If investigated thoroughly, the consequences could be severe.

Ming Yu had always been mischievous, but he knew his limits—he never committed serious wrongdoings, though he frequently made small mistakes. Because of this, the emperor often turned a blind eye and let matters slide.

But today, the emperor had to make an example out of someone. He immediately ordered, “Pass down the decree—this man dared to plot against a prince; his crimes are beyond forgiveness. Investigate all those involved and eliminate them without delay. All the guards around Ming Zhen must be thoroughly inspected and replaced. Additionally, since Ming Zhen failed to manage his subordinates properly, he will go to the ancestral temple to receive his punishment—thirty strokes of the rod—and reflect in isolation for half a year.”

“Father! Your son dares not do it again. Please, Father, spare me just this once!” Ming Zhen trembled, crying pitifully.

The old men at the ancestral temple would show no mercy. Spending half a year there would be pure suffering. It was infuriating and unfair—he hadn’t done anything! Besides, Ming Yu and Ming Chao weren’t even injured, so why should he be punished? Ming Yu had committed far worse offenses in the past, yet nothing had ever happened to him, while he, Ming Zhen, was being treated so unjustly.

Seeing that the emperor had no intention of changing his mind, Ming Zhen angrily questioned, “Father, aren’t you being too biased? Ming Yu is just a fool—what’s so good about him? Why do you always take his side? He wasn’t even hurt—why should I be punished?”

The moment he spoke, Ming Yu gave him a look of sympathy. Did he still not understand the situation? The emperor was already going easy on him. Anyone with a brain could see that a mere guard would never have the guts to harm a prince unless someone had ordered it.

By pushing all the blame onto the guard, the emperor was closing the matter, choosing not to investigate further. If he continued digging and found the mastermind, things wouldn’t end with just a few months of punishment in the ancestral temple.

Hearing Ming Zhen’s reckless words, the emperor was furious. He struck Ming Zhen on the forehead and scolded, “Your heart is filled with treachery!”

Ming Zhen was stunned and wanted to argue, but the emperor had already made up his mind and had no interest in listening further. With a wave of his hand, he ordered for Ming Zhen to be taken away. It was time to discipline this impulsive son of his.

Once Ming Zhen was gone, the emperor turned to look at Ming Yu and Ming Chao. By now, Ming Chao had realized he had been used to create trouble for Ming Yu. Even so, he had been the one to start the fight. Now that Ming Zhen had been sent to the ancestral temple, he had no idea what kind of punishment awaited him, making him feel uneasy.

“Father, I was wrong. I won’t fight again,” Ming Chao admitted before the emperor could speak. Ming Yu had just taught him this tactic—since the emperor was bound to be angry, it was best to admit fault first. Although Ming Chao was reckless, he wasn’t completely brainless; he understood the situation and knew that apologizing was the safest option.

Since Ming Yu had helped him this time, he decided to let go of their past grudges. As long as Ming Yu didn’t provoke him again, he wouldn’t deliberately cause trouble for him.

The emperor was exasperated with this son of his. He was already an adult, yet he spent his days fighting, causing trouble, and behaving nothing like a royal prince.

“Go home and stay confined for a month. If you dare step out even once, I’ll break your legs.”

Ming Chao let out a breath of relief. As long as he didn’t have to go to the ancestral temple, anything was fine. He immediately kowtowed and said, “Your son obeys. I’ll return home and reflect on my mistakes right away!” Afraid that the emperor might change his mind, he scrambled out of the hall as fast as he could.

Now, only Ming Yu remained. With an innocent expression, he said, “Father, your son is fine. Ming Chao just wanted to practice some moves with me, so I went along with it. We’re brothers—this is nothing serious, right?”

The emperor was utterly disappointed. “Brawling? Is that something a prince should be doing? Look at you—you just got back and you’re already causing trouble.”

“Father, I’m being wronged! I’ve already turned over a new leaf and stopped causing trouble. No one could have predicted this, right? I’m a victim too,” Ming Yu said, looking pitiful. He had perfected the art of playing the innocent with the emperor—it worked every single time.

He wiped away his tears and said, “I traveled thousands of miles to visit Father, exhausted from the long journey. How could I have the energy to cause trouble? If I hadn’t had a lifesaving tool today, I fear the one lying here would be me. But I must admit, I was at fault. It’s late, yet I still made Father worry—this was my mistake. Once Father enjoys a long and prosperous life and I return to Liangcheng, I imagine he will have one less thing to worry about.”

Seeing Ming Yu’s tear-filled eyes, the emperor couldn’t help but soften for a moment. This matter wasn’t entirely Ming Yu’s fault, so his tone relaxed as he said, “Get up and speak.”

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