The Devil's Tribulation

Time went forward a few months. Uncle Niu and the Third Prince left Fancheng together. After more than a month's long journey, they finally returned to the center of the Great Zhou Dynasty, the capital. Looking at the prosperous capital, Uncle Niu instinctively felt repulsive. This was his hometown and the place where his mother died. He didn't want to return to this so-called hometown because it was cold and ruthless. However, some things cannot be avoided, just like the Third Prince said: "If you don't take responsibility, naturally someone will help you take it." After thirty years away, he was a teenager when he left, and he was already a middle-aged uncle when he came back.

The third prince looked at his fifteenth brother, as if he knew what he was thinking, and smiled: "Fifteenth brother, do you still remember this Weixianju?" The third prince pointed to a restaurant on the roadside, a five-story attic. The first floor was the hall, which could accommodate hundreds of tables. From the second floor onwards, there were private rooms for people of status, and those who could go to the fifth floor were basically high-ranking officials and royal relatives. The third prince wanted to try to make his fifteenth brother feel a sense of belonging to the capital. Unfortunately, although Uncle Niu was born here, he only had a few years of impression of this place since he could remember. The place that impressed him the most was naturally the Defei Palace where he and his mother lived. The others were really not as good as Panjia Village.

Uncle Niu shook his head, and the Third Prince smiled and said, "Once I accompanied my mother to the palace of Concubine De, and they were talking about this Weixianju. At that time, you seemed to be only four or five years old. When you heard that there was something delicious, you started to ask Concubine De to take you there to eat. But Concubine De, as an imperial concubine, could not leave the palace casually. At that time, Concubine De asked me, as your brother, to take you there when I was free. Do you remember?" Speaking of his mother, Uncle Niu felt a pain in his heart. Thinking of his mother's miserable life, Uncle Niu seemed to have a deeper resentment towards the Emperor of the Great Zhou. Seeing Uncle Niu's look, the Third Prince thought to himself, "Oh no, why do you feel worse the more I talk? What did I say wrong?"

The two rode on the dragon horse beast and slowly walked towards the direction of the palace. In the capital, except for urgent military affairs, no one is allowed to ride a horse in the capital, including the royal family. The third prince talked to Uncle Niu about the capital, but Uncle Niu didn't hear a word. It was not until he saw a group of people wearing prince's clothes at the palace gate that Uncle Niu took a closer look.

Several princes also saw Uncle Niu and the Third Prince coming. The Fourth Prince deliberately said loudly: "Father actually wants us to pick up that loser! I really don't understand, just let that loser go to the clan house and kneel in the ancestral hall! It's a waste of my time!" The voice was loud, and everyone heard it, not to mention Uncle Niu who had physical training. Although they hadn't seen each other for many years, Uncle Niu took a quick look and recognized that the person who spoke was his "good" fourth brother, and the few people around him were also his "good" brothers.

Arriving at the palace gate, the Third Prince and Uncle Niu dismounted the Dragon Horse. The Third Prince bowed to his brothers and said, "Thank you for your hard work in coming to greet us. Let's go see father now." Unexpectedly, at this moment, a discordant voice rang out, "I'm going to Concubine De's Palace first!" After saying that, he walked straight to Concubine De's Palace without caring about other people's reactions.

When Uncle Niu passed by the brothers, he didn't even glance at them, and just ignored them. The third prince immediately tried to smooth things over, saying, "My fifteenth brother hasn't been back for a long time, so he's a little unfamiliar with everyone. Please don't be offended." Several princes were furious, "What the hell! Let's go! Let's report him to the emperor! He has no respect for his elders!" Several princes angrily left, and the third prince could only sigh, "This old fifteenth brother is really a worry." The third prince also quickly caught up with the brothers, because he needed to go to the emperor to help Uncle Niu deal with things. After all, they were now "in the same group."

In the Defei Palace, Uncle Niu saw the tablet of his mother and could not suppress his emotions. He remembered his mother's tenderness when he was a child and her care for him. This tall and strong man actually shed a line of tears: "Mother, I am unfilial. It has been so many years since I came to see you. I..." At this point, Uncle Niu knelt down with sobs.

In the palace, in the emperor's study, several princes were accusing Uncle Niu of his "big crime" to the Great Zhou Emperor. Emperor Zhou Zhixiong never raised his head, and his hands never stopped. The princes below talked for more than a quarter of an hour, until they noticed that the emperor was abnormal, and then they all shut up. Those who knew Zhou Zhixiong knew that this was a precursor to the emperor's rage, so the princes stood obediently, waiting for their father's storm. Several princes thought at the same time: "Old Fifteen is waiting for bad luck!"

The emperor kept his head down to deal with the memorials. Although he didn't look up, he listened to every word of his sons. Everyone thought that the emperor was going to lose his temper. However, Zhou Zhixiong was not thinking about Uncle Niu going to worship his mother first, but thinking: "After so many years, it seems that the resentment has not subsided at all. This character is exactly the same as mine." Crown Prince Zhou Shijun stood in front of all the brothers, but from beginning to end, the crown prince didn't say a word. The third prince wanted to speak several times, but when he saw that the crown prince didn't say anything, he simply didn't say anything and let the brothers add fuel to the fire.

Everyone saw that the emperor had not said anything, and the storm they had expected did not appear. After closing the last memorial, the emperor finally raised his head. He glanced at his sons and thought to himself, "Only the crown prince and the third son can keep their composure, and the others are just like that." When everyone saw that the emperor had finished his work, they all bowed and said, "Please take care of your health, father." The Great Zhou Emperor Zhou Zhixiong was diligent, and that was known to the whole world. His ambitions were also known to many countries, and they all hoped that the Great Zhou would quickly replace him with someone with a calmer personality as emperor.

The emperor waved his hand and asked, "Jun'er, tell your father about picking up that kid this time." This is a job report. After the emperor's mission is completed, he must report to the emperor. The third prince was well prepared. After thinking for a while, he told the whole story. Of course, the agreement between the third prince and Uncle Niu could not be told to the emperor. After listening to the third prince's narration, the emperor smiled and said, "So, I have a granddaughter outside? Did you bring her back this time?" The third prince knew that the emperor would definitely ask about this, and replied, "My sister-in-law and niece have never known the identity of the fifteenth brother, and the fifteenth brother does not want them to come back..." The third prince spoke more and more quietly.

Sure enough, when the emperor heard this, he slammed the imperial desk and cursed: "What a bullshit! How can the blood of the royal family be left on the street! Go! Bring them back to me immediately! Immediately!" Seeing that his father was angry, the third prince knelt down and replied: "Father, calm down. Before my fifteenth brother came, I had already properly arranged for them. Now, except for my fifteenth brother, no one knows where they are." This was what the third prince had thought of in advance. He knew that his father would definitely not let his fifteenth brother's wife and children be outside. The reason, one of course, is the royal blood, and more importantly, the mother and daughter are Uncle Niu's weak spot. If he can control them, how can he be afraid that Uncle Niu will not obey?

The emperor frowned and thought to himself, "It seems that this little fifteenth brother came prepared." The emperor slowly calmed down. Looking at the third prince who was kneeling on the ground with his head down and silent, he suddenly wondered if he had gone too far. This son did a good job on this mission. Now it is wrong to vent his anger on him because of the little fifteenth brother. Seeing that the emperor was still angry, everyone dared not speak. Seeing this, the prince bowed to the emperor and said, "Father, is it time to meet the fifteenth brother?" After hearing what the prince said, the emperor sighed and said, "Forget it, I will meet him tomorrow. I am a little tired. You all can go down."

The princes left one after another. After the third prince stood up, he was about to take his leave from the emperor, but the emperor said, "Jun'er did a good job this time." The third prince was excited, but his face was calm and he said, "It is my son's job to share the worries of my father." The emperor nodded and said, "You have always wanted to gain experience in the army. Now the Great Zhou is preparing to go to the State of Chu. Go find Wei Qing and learn more from him. Remember! Listen more and talk less, and don't influence Wei Qing's deployment." The third prince was ecstatic in his heart, but he said, "I have always been interested in military affairs. This time I have the opportunity to learn from General Wei, and I will live up to my father's expectations!"

The third prince stepped out of the room and turned to leave. He passed the other princes all the way until he was beside the crown prince, then he slowed down his pace. The other princes saw the third prince coming out, walking with a breeze, and it was obvious that he had encountered good things. The fourth prince teased, "Did third brother find a treasure? Why do you look so happy?" The third prince realized that he seemed to be a little too proud of himself, and quickly adjusted his mentality and said, "Fourth brother, you are joking. In the palace, even if you really find a treasure, it belongs to father." The fourth prince smiled and said, "Third brother is still so good at talking. What good things have you encountered?" The other princes also noticed that the third prince's expression was not right, and he must have encountered good things. The crown prince's heart tightened, "Could it be that father really arranged a good job for him?"

The Third Prince saw that everyone was looking at him, and he knew that he couldn't hide it, nor was there any need to hide it, as everyone would know it tomorrow at the latest. So he smiled and said, "It's nothing, it's just that my father has given me a new job, and asked me to learn from General Wei for a while." After the Third Prince finished speaking, he couldn't close his mouth, and he looked smug no matter how you looked at him. Everyone was shocked, and subconsciously thought that the Third Prince was talking nonsense, but seeing the Third Prince's expression, they felt that the Third Prince would never joke about such a thing. The Crown Prince was the first to calm down, and smiled and said, "Third brother, work hard, and don't let my father down." After speaking, he turned around and quickened his pace. The gloom on his face could no longer be hidden, and he gritted his teeth and said, "Father, do you think adding a third brother can hinder me? As long as I don't make any mistakes, the position of the Crown Prince will be as stable as Mount Tai! The civil officials in the court will support me! Wei Qing had better be sensible to this Crown Prince!"