Chapter 54: A Husband’s Rage
Rong Shuyan’s eyes immediately fell on Lin Xueyi’s swollen cheek.
He knew exactly how strong Rong Yunzhou was. Even a casual slap from someone who used qi carried far more force than an ordinary strike.
That wasn’t a slap meant to teach her a lesson. It was meant to seriously hurt her.
"How dare you slap my wife, Rong Yunzhou," Rong Shuyan said, his eyes never leaving the Second Prince.
Rong Yunzhou let out a cold laugh. "So what if I did? She should be grateful I held back."
Everyone knew Rong Shuyan’s qi had become unstable after he was poisoned. If he forced himself to use it now, he would be the one who suffered the consequences.
But what happened next stunned everyone even more.
Without saying another word, Rong Shuyan reached for the long wooden command stick resting beside the military map.
Before anyone realized what he was about to do, he swung it with all his strength.
Bang!
The stick slammed into Rong Yunzhou’s stomach.
"Ugh!"
The unexpected blow sent the Second Prince stumbling back several steps. He doubled over, one hand clutching his stomach while the other caught the edge of the table to keep himself from falling.
Everyone in the command tent stared in disbelief.
After all, they all knew Rong Shuyan’s qi had been damaged by the cold poison. For him to knock Rong Yunzhou back like that without using any qi at all was incredible. It meant he had relied on nothing but pure physical strength.
But the price was obvious.
The single strike left Rong Shuyan breathing hard. The command stick slipped from his hand and clattered onto the floor. He gripped the armrest of his wheelchair tightly, his knuckles turning white as he struggled to keep himself from collapsing.
"Rong Yunzhou..." Rong Shuyan said through gritted teeth, forcing down the pain surging through his body. "Ruining the military plan is one thing. Hurting my wife is another."
He stared at the Second Prince coldly. "I may not be able to throw you into the ravine myself, but there are still plenty of people here who can."
Rong Shuyan might no longer be an active general, but if he gave the order, there would still be a handful of soldiers who respected him enough to carry it out without hesitation.
However, those words only made Rong Yunzhou even angrier. His face twisted with rage, and the veins on his forehead bulged.
"You think they would obey a cripple over me?" he roared.
A surge of qi burst from his body, sending a powerful pressure through the command tent. Papers scattered across the table, and the candles flickered violently.
Several officers instinctively stepped back.
Rong Yunzhou took one step forward after another, his murderous gaze locked onto Rong Shuyan.
"Since you dare threaten me..." he said coldly, his hand slowly reaching for the sword at his waist. "Then I’ll make sure you never speak another word again."
[He’s going to kill him!] Lin Xueyi’s heart nearly stopped. [No, no, no! This is bad!]
Her head was spinning so badly that even keeping her eyes open had become difficult.
[Should I pretend to faint again? Maybe if I collapse, they’ll stop fighting!]
She had just made up her mind, but before she could even act, the dizziness suddenly became overwhelming.
Her vision blurred and the people in front of her became nothing more than hazy shadows.
"Shu...yan..."
That was all she managed to say and in the next second, her body went limp without warning.
"Princess Consort!" Mei Lu cried out.
She quickly reached out to catch Lin Xueyi, but the sudden weight threw her off balance, so the two of them fell to the floor together.
Mei Lu immediately wrapped her arms around Lin Xueyi to keep her from hitting her head.
She looked up at Rong Shuyan, panic filling her face. "Your Highness!" she shouted. "The Princess Consort has lost consciousness!"
Rong Shuyan’s pupils shrank. He pushed against the wheels of his chair without thinking, ignoring the sharp pain spreading through his body.
"Take the Princess Consort back to our tent immediately!" he ordered the soldiers. "Be as gentle as possible."
"Yes, Your Highness!"
Two trusted soldiers stepped forward without hesitation. Together with Mei Lu, they carefully lifted the unconscious Lin Xueyi into their arms, making sure not to put any pressure on her injured face.
He turned to another soldier. "Go find Physician Liu and tell him the Princess Consort has been injured."
"Yes, Your Highness!"
The soldier immediately rushed out of the command tent and sprinted toward Physician Liu’s tent.
Amid the chaos, Rong Shuyan slowly turned his gaze back to Rong Yunzhou.
His eyes were as cold as ice and there wasn’t the slightest hint of fear on his face, even if his second brother chose to draw his sword against him.
The Second Prince’s face was still filled with fury. His hand remained on the hilt of his sword, and it was clear he had not completely given up on the idea of attacking.
Seeing that, several officers quietly moved between the two princes, afraid the situation would become even worse.
Rong Shuyan finally spoke. "If you kill Lin Xueyi today..." His voice was calm, but every word echoed through the silent tent. "...you won’t be able to live in peace after we return to the capital."
Rong Yunzhou narrowed his eyes. "What do you mean?"
"You know exactly what I mean."
Rong Shuyan met his gaze without the slightest fear. "She is the daughter of Grand General Lin Zhengfeng and the Princess Consort personally appointed by His Majesty."
"If she dies here because you hurt her, do you really think Father Emperor will overlook it?"
"The Grand General will demand justice. The Imperial Court will investigate. Every officer standing in this tent today will become a witness."
Rong Shuyan knew Lin Zhengfeng had never shown much compassion toward Lin Xueyi.
But with his eldest son already becoming the laughingstock of the capital and his second son soon to stand trial for mistreating his own sister, Rong Shuyan was certain the Grand General would not allow a third scandal to stain the Lin family’s name.