My father, Gao Huan, is an invincible prince!

Chapter 61 Physical pain is easy to endure, but mental anguish is hard to withstand.

Compared to the apprehensive guests at the table, Gao Yang, standing beside Gao Cheng, looked utterly relieved.

He wished he could rush up and take Liu Taozhi's place, and personally deliver a few punches to that old dog.

When he glanced sideways and saw that Sima Ziru and the others all had pale faces, he felt the resentment that had been building up in his chest for months instantly dissipate.

Duan Shao stood on the other side, a look of satisfaction on his face.

However, compared to Gao Yang, he was much more mature. While he felt happy, he couldn't help but have some worries.

After all, no matter how much Sun Teng deserved to be punished, he was still a close friend of the king when he was a commoner and a loyal minister who had followed the king into the new era. All the nobles and officials in the court were of the same ilk to him.

Gao Cheng's humiliation of him today was almost equivalent to repeatedly rubbing the faces of all the nobles in Ye into the ground.

How could they possibly let this go so easily?

However, considering that Gao Cheng's original intention was to stand up for him, and given that everyone was watching, he couldn't very well offer any advice.

So he could only suppress his worries and remain silent.

While everyone in the hall was lost in their own thoughts, Sun Teng's screams from the side courtyard gradually subsided until they were no longer heard.

Before long, the moon gate of the side courtyard creaked open.

Immediately, two figures slowly emerged; it was Liu Taozhi and Sun Teng who had returned.

All eyes turned to Liu Taozhi, who was dressed in dark black, walking steadily, with not a trace of blood on her body.

Sun Teng, on the other hand, was like a puppet, able to walk only with Liu Taozhi's support.

Strangely enough, after this ordeal, Sun Teng was still dressed neatly and his hat and belt were in perfect order, without a single scratch.

His face was ashen, like a ghost, and his eyes were filled with humiliation and fear, as if he had endured some unspeakable torment.

Seeing this, all the guests were secretly surprised and suspicious.

As the saying goes, physical pain is easy to endure, but mental anguish is hard to withstand.

What methods did Liu Taozhi use to humiliate this arrogant old minister so thoroughly in such a short time?

The crowd's gazes were like thorns, fixed on Sun Teng, scrutinizing him from head to toe, as if trying to find some clues about him.

Sun Teng noticed these gazes, his body trembled even more violently, and his face turned even paler.

A short while later, this Gestapo officer, who had just been stubbornly shouting "I am a loyal minister who followed the emperor," actually shed two lines of tears in public.

Upon seeing this, everyone felt a chill run down their spines and lowered their heads, not daring to look any longer.

Liu Taozhi, oblivious to the strange looks from the crowd, led Sun Teng directly to Gao Cheng's desk, knelt on one knee, and said in a deep voice, "Your Highness, I am fortunate to have fulfilled my mission."

Upon hearing this, Gao Cheng first nodded slightly to Liu Taozhi, then turned to look at Sun Teng.

Even now, his expression remained calm, without a trace of harshness.

But that one glance made Sun Teng subconsciously take a half step back, his Adam's apple bobbing violently, and his fear deepening in his eyes.

Gao Cheng took in the fear on his face before slowly speaking, his tone calm: "Master Sun, are you awake now?"

Upon hearing the word "awake," Sun Teng shuddered again, as if the agonizing experience he had just endured in the side courtyard was returning to his mind.

He opened his mouth, his lips trembling for a long time before he finally managed to squeeze out a hoarse voice: "I...I am awake now. Just now, I was old and senile, and in a moment of confusion, I spoke recklessly and offended the Crown Prince and Young Master Duan. I humbly beg the Crown Prince and Young Master Duan to forgive me."

After these words were spoken, the hall fell into an even deeper silence.

No one expected that this old minister, whom even the King of Bohai had to show deference to, would actually kneel down and submit to Gao Cheng in public.

Du Gaocheng was not surprised at all by this.

He merely gave a faint "hmm," then said expressionlessly, "Since you know you are old and senile, you should request to retire and return to your rural home to enjoy your grandchildren until the end of your days. Instead, you should stay here, relying on your past achievements and seniority, thus delaying the affairs of the state. Do you agree?"

Upon hearing this, Sun Teng's eyes widened in fury, and his fingernails dug deeply into his palms.

However, when he met Gao Cheng's calm gaze and thought of Liu Taozhi's ruthless methods, all his toughness vanished.

After a long pause, he finally lowered his head and said, slowly and deliberately, "What the young master says... is absolutely right."

Seeing this, the expressions of Sima Ziru, Gao Yue, and Gao Longzhi on the other side grew even more gloomy.

Gao Cheng's words were a veiled criticism of Sun Teng, but in reality, they were a veiled insult that included all four of them.

However, since things have already come to this point, they cannot afford to add fuel to the fire and make things worse.

Upon thinking of this, Sima Ziru suppressed his anger.

He forced a stiff smile and tried to smooth things over, saying, "Your Highness is right. Brother Sun is getting old and should indeed enjoy his retirement. Now that the misunderstanding has been cleared up and Nephew Duan's seating arrangement has been changed, may I ask if we may begin the banquet?"

Upon hearing this, Gao Cheng's expression finally softened, and he casually said, "Sima Gong is the master of this place, why ask me? If you say it can be opened, then open it."

Upon hearing this, even Sima Ziru, with his good temper, almost lost his temper, inwardly cursing the rude brat.

This brat, now he remembers he's the master here? When he ordered the guards to be dragged away, why didn't he think of him as the master?

He cursed under his breath, too lazy to continue the pretense, and immediately summoned his servants, ordering them to help Sun Teng to his seat.

He then said coldly, "Start the banquet."

With this command given, the banquet, which had been fraught with twists and turns from the very beginning, finally got down to business.

The musicians hurriedly played music, and the maids filed in, adding wine and serving dishes.

However, perhaps Gao Cheng's methods were too forceful, intimidating all the guests.

For the rest of the time, all the guests lost their appetite, focusing only on drinking and not daring to whisper to each other, for fear of accidentally saying the wrong thing and ending up like Sun Teng.

Even Gao Longzhi, who was known for his fiery temper and tendency to slam his fist on the table, lowered his brows and remained silent.

Gao Cheng remained unaffected, eating and drinking as usual, occasionally whispering a few words to Gao Yang and Duan Shao, his expression calm, as if he had just done something insignificant.

The atmosphere became extremely eerie.

After three rounds of wine and five courses of food,

Sima Ziru and his ilk couldn't help but glance frequently towards the door, their expressions clearly showing more anxiety.

The reason was that the assassins and spies they sent to the governor's mansion had long passed the agreed time, yet there was still no news of them.

This unusual silence, like a sword hanging over their heads, made them uneasy.

The four people's unusual behavior did not escape the eyes of the guests in the hall. Everyone whispered among themselves, but no one dared to ask aloud.

Gao Cheng watched their performance with a smile that he couldn't help but curl up.

He knew perfectly well what they were waiting for.

Unfortunately, what they were waiting for was destined to never come.

.....

And indeed, Gao Cheng's prediction came true.

Just as the banquet at the Sima Mansion was in full swing, a fierce battle had already come to an end in the nearby Governor's Mansion.

Bloodstains were visible on the bluestone slabs in the courtyard, and more than ten corpses lay scattered about.

Wang Hong stood leaning on his sword, blood dripping from its tip, coldly watching the leader of the assassins, whose limbs had been broken and who lay paralyzed on the ground.

The infiltrators totaled eighteen people, nine of whom were spies hidden within the mansion, and nine were assassins raised by Sima Ziru. All of them were skilled in stealth and theft.

At this moment, except for the leader, all the others have been executed.

The leader of the assassins lay on the ground, his eyes blazing with fury, and hissed at Wang Hong, "You...shouldn't you have gone to the banquet with the Crown Prince? Why did you set up this trap?"

Upon hearing this, Wang Hong immediately scoffed.

He immediately squatted down, patted the man's cheek with the back of his knife, and said disdainfully, "The young master foresaw that you villains would do this, and also knew that there were spies in the mansion. You are proud of your plan, but in reality you have already fallen into the young master's trap. This time, we are truly grateful to you gentlemen for leading all the spies out."

Upon hearing this, the leader of the assassins trembled violently, and the disbelief on his face gradually turned into despair.

"I see... I see..."

After a short while, he let out a series of bitter laughs: "Gao Zihui... such deep cunning... such ruthless methods..."

At that moment, Hexi Shele stepped forward, pressed the tip of his knife against his throat, and shouted sternly, "Speak quickly! Who instigated this? Tell the truth, and the Crown Prince may spare your life."

Upon hearing this question, the leader of the assassins' smile grew even more grim, yet his eyes revealed a resolute glint: "I eat the people's food, and I must be loyal to them. Death is death, what is there to fear?"

After saying this, he suddenly lunged forward.

With a soft "plop," the knife tip pierced his throat, and blood gushed out, splattering all over He Xi Shele's hand. He died instantly.

He Xishele was taken aback and exclaimed in surprise, "He's quite the tough nut to crack."

Wang Hong, however, seemed unconcerned, simply waving his hand and saying, "It's alright. Today's situation was originally intended to lure out the spies; whether or not there are any survivors is not worth discussing. Besides, even without such a witness, the evidence we have presented is enough to make those old scoundrels pay for their crimes."

He Xishele nodded, sheathed his sword, and asked, "The inner chambers of the Governor's Mansion have been cleared. Should we send someone to inform the Crown Prince?"

Upon hearing this, Wang Hong first looked up at the sky and estimated the time.

After confirming that the banquet at the Sima residence was nearing its end, he nodded and said, "I will go there myself. You are well-versed in the affairs of the residence, so you can leave this matter to handle."

"good."

He Xishe did not refuse and immediately nodded in agreement.

Wang Hong said no more, left the central courtyard, led out his warhorse, and galloped towards the Sima residence.