Ministers Begging Me to Ascend the Throne

Chapter 724: Chapter 356 Prince Chu is Dead_2

"Fortunately, it’s cool in the mountains at night, so we can get a good night’s sleep."

Prince Chu didn’t speak, quietly walking beside Uncle Zhang.

Lin Geng did not follow behind Prince Chu and the others. After sneaking in with Prince Chu, he pretended not to know him in public, and they never exchanged a word in front of others.

Prince Chu and Uncle Zhang walked for about ten to fifteen minutes before arriving at the entrance of a very large cave.

As soon as they reached the entrance, a wave of heat hit them. Immediately, the sound of pounding filled the air, very loud.

Entering the cave, they found it was even larger inside, with more people. Some were busy stoking fires, others refining copper, and others forging iron...

The older ones were responsible for keeping the fire going, while the younger ones were refining copper and forging iron.

Uncle Zhang went to the stove to tend the fire, while Prince Chu moved to another side to forge iron.

The cave was bustling with activity, but besides the sounds of iron forging and copper refining, there wasn’t a single voice. The people there seemed unable to speak, not because they couldn’t, but because they dared not. If the manager caught them speaking, they would be whipped.

They kept their heads down and worked, and if their work wasn’t good enough, they would be beaten as well. They could only sleep for eight hours a day, starting work from morning ’Mao’ time until evening ’Hai’ time.

At ’Hai’ time, Prince Chu returned to their house with Uncle Zhang.

The houses, once homes for the villagers of Guihua Village, had become the residences for people like Prince Chu. Normally, they would only return to these houses to sleep at night.

Back in the house, Prince Chu and the others lay down to sleep. Washing up or bathing was out of the question.

Every day, after finishing their work, they would be exhausted to the point of having only a single breath left, with no energy for anything extra.

There were not only Prince Chu and Uncle Zhang in the house but also several others, including Lin Geng.

At midnight, after everyone else was asleep, Prince Chu and Lin Geng opened their eyes in the darkness and silently left the house.

After they left, Uncle Zhang, who had been snoring, woke up. He climbed out of bed, looked in the direction Prince Chu and the others had gone, sighed softly in his heart, then sat up, bowed to the moon in the night sky, and prayed for the gods to protect Prince Chu and his companions from being discovered.

Every midnight, after Prince Chu and Lin Geng left, Uncle Zhang would pray for the gods to protect them.

Uncle Zhang did not want to die; he wanted to leave Guihua Village alive, so he hoped Prince Chu and the others would succeed.

Generally, Prince Chu and his companions would return after two hours, but tonight they were late, causing Uncle Zhang great concern, fearing they had been discovered by the managers.

Just as Uncle Zhang was anxiously worried, Prince Chu and his group finally returned.

In the following days, Prince Chu and Lin Geng worked diligently during the day, and at night, after everyone was asleep, they would sneak out.

A few days later, deep into the night, a group of people arrived at Guihua Village. They moved very efficiently and soon took control of Guihua Village. Most of the managers and guards stationed there were killed, and the rest were captured.

The workers were also rounded up. They didn’t know what was happening, each face showing a look of fear.

Even though they knew long ago they would die, when death truly approached, they couldn’t help but feel afraid.

Uncle Zhang, on the other hand, stood among the crowd with a smiling face because he knew Wang Si and his team had succeeded. They were saved and wouldn’t have to die.

Wei Mian looked at the workers and told them there was no need to fear. They were there not to kill them but to rescue them.

After saying a few words, Wei Mian instructed the workers to return to their houses and rest. The next morning, arrangements would be made for them to return home.

Upon hearing the words "return home," a light flashed in the previously dull, vacant eyes of these people, a light called hope. Their expressions became expectant, and they grew excited. Could they really go home? Could they really go home? But, out of fear, they didn’t ask aloud.

Wei Mian saw what they were thinking and firmly assured them once more that they could go home and that they could do so safely.

With joy and excitement in their hearts, the workers returned to their houses.

Uncle Zhang also returned to the house with a face full of smiles.

Meanwhile, Prince Chu and Lin Geng were counting the copper and weaponry in the cave.

Over the years, the Crown Prince’s people had stolen a lot of copper and forged many weapons. It was impossible to finish counting them overnight.

"Your Highness, please freshen up," Wei Mian said, feeling distressed seeing Prince Chu looking like a beggar. "I have already asked people to prepare hot water, and I will assist you with your bath."

Prince Chu nodded slightly and returned to the house he had been staying in during this time.

When Uncle Zhang saw Prince Chu return, he quickly stood up and bowed in greeting.

"Commoner..." These people had not told him Wang Si’s real identity, but he suspected Wang Si’s identity was certainly not simple.

Prince Chu reached out to support Uncle Zhang, speaking gently, "Uncle Zhang, your legs are not good, you don’t need to bow." Prince Chu’s tone returned to normal.

"Sir, I’ve already heated up the water for you, please go and bathe quickly."

Prince Chu looked deeply at Uncle Zhang, "Uncle Zhang, I have something to ask you later."

Uncle Zhang respectfully replied, "Yes, Sir."

Once Prince Chu had bathed, Wei Mian had prepared a good meal for him.

Prince Chu called Uncle Zhang over to join him for the meal.

Uncle Zhang sat down gingerly, accompanying Prince Chu while eating and answering his questions.

Prince Chu asked about the forging of copper and weaponry. Uncle Zhang was among the first batch taken to work there; he knew the most about Guihua Village’s affairs. He reported everything he knew to Prince Chu in detail.

"Uncle Zhang, there’s something I need to trouble you with."

Hearing this, Uncle Zhang was taken aback and quickly said, "Sir, please just give your orders, and this commoner will surely obey."

"I would like to ask you to come with me to the capital and then go before the emperor to recount what you just told me."

Uncle Zhang was stunned, his mouth open wide as he said, "To the capital, to see the emperor?"

"That’s right. I want you to accompany me to the capital as a witness to report the situation here to the emperor," Prince Chu smiled gently at Uncle Zhang, "Rest assured, I will protect you and ensure you are not put in any danger."

"I... I... I..." Uncle Zhang was flustered for a moment, unsure of what to say.

Prince Chu glanced at Wei Mian, who immediately understood.

Wei Mian helped Uncle Zhang step back, and Prince Chu also left the house to continue counting things in the cave.

Far away in the capital, the Crown Prince and Duke Zhen were oblivious to everything happening at Guihua Village. Prince Chu and his group controlled Guihua Village, preventing any of the Crown Prince’s people from informing them about what had occurred there.

The Crown Prince was not worried about Guihua Village. His current concern was the condition of Prince Wei’s injuries.

Just a couple of days ago, Prince Wei and the governor of Peng City were attacked and gravely wounded.

The governor of Peng City wrote to the Crown Prince, informing him that they had found Prince Chu. During the attempt to capture him, they were injured by Prince Chu’s people. However, Prince Chu did not fare well either; he was also injured by their people, and his injuries were quite severe.

The Crown Prince, learning that Prince Chu had fled Peng City with serious injuries, instructed people in Jinling to search for Prince Chu and leave no survivors once found.

The people from Jinling quickly found Prince Chu and succeeded in killing him.