Ninth Royal Uncle Is Ruthless and So Are His Men

Having found a solution, Prince Terrence’s eyes lit up. He strode forward, ready to send someone to fetch Serena Feng, but before he could take more than a single step, a guard’s broadsword blocked his path.

Prince Terrence silently cursed Ninth Royal Uncle for being excessive, though he showed nothing on his face. Feigning ignorance, he asked with a dissatisfied look, “What does Ninth Royal Uncle mean by this?”

"If a giant python could get in, so could other prey—or people. The Menagerie is unsafe. For your own safety, Prince Terrence, I must ask you to stay here for now and not wander off." Ninth Royal Uncle waved his hand, signaling the guards to step back.

Prince Terrence was no fool; Ninth Royal Uncle knew he wouldn’t dare force his way through…

That’s right—Terrence absolutely wouldn’t try to break through by force. He was well aware that Ninth Royal Uncle wouldn’t kill them here in front of so many people, but to just cooperate obediently? That was hard to swallow.

The dignified Crown Prince of Lyndaria, being treated like a criminal by an Eastlyn prince—where was his dignity? "Is Ninth Royal Uncle planning to imprison us?"

Knowing full well that the Crown Prince and Prince Rowan wouldn’t dare clash with Ninth Royal Uncle, Terrence still clung to a sliver of hope and dragged the two of them into the situation.

"Prince Terrence, you’re overthinking. I’m only protecting you. Crown Prince, Prince Rowan—do either of you object?" Since Terrence had pulled them in, Ninth Royal Uncle laid his cards on the table.

"We leave it to Ninth Royal Uncle to decide." The Crown Prince and Prince Rowan had nothing to say; there was no way they’d side with Terrence.

Ninth Royal Uncle nodded. "Sit down. Who knows how long the investigation will take."

The meaning was clear: if the investigation didn’t turn up anything, no one was leaving. Prince Terrence’s face darkened. Prince Rowan and the Crown Prince were furious but didn’t dare speak out—they sat quietly, just hoping the Emperor would hear of this and come to their rescue.

No sooner had the three sat down than shouts erupted outside: "Your Highness, Your Highness, you must stand up for us!"

"This is outrageous, absolutely outrageous! Your Highness, save us!"

……

"Go see what’s going on," Ninth Royal Uncle ordered. The guards immediately rushed out and soon returned at a brisk pace: "Reporting to Ninth Royal Uncle, it’s the imperial physicians from the Imperial Medical Directorate. They say they need to fetch medicine for Young City Lord Reid and insisted on leaving the Menagerie. After being blocked, they came to find the Crown Prince and ask him to uphold justice."

"Oh…" Ninth Royal Uncle responded, glancing at the Crown Prince. The Crown Prince hurried to distance himself: "Uncle, this has nothing to do with me—I truly know nothing about it."

The Crown Prince looked utterly sincere, as if this alone could mend his relationship with Ninth Royal Uncle.

Ninth Royal Uncle responded, whether he listened or not: "Since they came to ask the Crown Prince for justice, let them in—otherwise people will say I’m being unreasonable."

"Yes, sir."

"Hypocrite," Prince Terrence muttered, turning away, unwilling to look at Ninth Royal Uncle’s fake expression. But as he turned, he came face to face with the python’s severed head—and nearly threw up all over again.

Five imperial physicians were shoved in by the guards, their clothes in disarray, hair messy, looking utterly miserable—one even had only socks on, his shoes lost somewhere along the way. Clearly, Ninth Royal Uncle’s men hadn’t gone easy on them.

When the five imperial physicians entered, they didn’t see Ninth Royal Uncle, who had his back to them; all they saw were the Crown Prince, Prince Rowan, and Prince Terrence. The physicians immediately knelt, facing the Crown Prince and Prince Rowan.

The Crown Prince and Prince Rowan desperately shot warning glances at the physicians, urging them to be smart and keep quiet. But the beaten physicians were too angry to care—they only wanted to complain.

"Your Highnesses, you must stand up for us! These guards are out of control, falsely claiming to act on your orders and refusing to let us leave the Menagerie. We explained again and again that we needed to return to the Imperial Medical Directorate to prepare medicine for Young City Lord Reid, but the guards still wouldn’t let us pass. We argued, and they responded with a beating.

Your Highness, being beaten is nothing, but if Young City Lord Reid’s treatment is delayed, what are we supposed to do? We beg you to punish the reckless troublemaker who dared to fake your orders—let her understand the consequences of delaying medical care."

"Oh? Who was bold enough to fake a prince’s order?" Ninth Royal Uncle asked, clearly interested.

The physicians, still kneeling with heads bowed, didn’t notice anything amiss. Hearing the question, they eagerly replied, "Reporting to Your Highness, it was definitely Serena Feng. She must still resent Young City Lord Reid for calling her a wretch and trying to throw her out and humiliate her, so she incited the guards to block us and keep us from treating Young City Lord Reid.

Your Highness, we saw Serena Feng chatting intimately with those guards when we left—she must have persuaded them to fake your orders and deceive everyone. Please, Your Highness, punish that wretch severely."

The physicians grew more and more animated, while Prince Terrence, the Crown Prince, and Prince Rowan could only grimace. These fools were more trouble than help—what were they saying? Now Ninth Royal Uncle would never let Young City Lord Reid off the hook.

The Crown Prince and Prince Rowan were too exhausted to even speak. How could people be so clueless? Couldn’t they see something was wrong here?

Even if they couldn’t see it, they should have smelled the stench of snake blood. But all these imperial physicians cared about was making accusations and using the opportunity to drag Serena Feng down.

You’re on your own now! Prince Rowan and the Crown Prince turned away—not out of coldness, but because they could barely protect themselves.

"So that’s how it is. Young City Lord Reid really knows how to throw his weight around." Ninth Royal Uncle had known all along—he was just pretending not to.

At that moment, the complaining physicians finally realized something was wrong and started to look up, just as a guard reported, "Ninth Royal Uncle, the ice water is here."

What? Ninth Royal Uncle?

Thud… One timid physician looked up and saw the snake’s remains. Faced with the current situation, he fainted on the spot. The others weren’t much better—they collapsed, only now noticing the overpowering stench.

Disaster—absolute disaster. The ones who remained conscious were pale as death, their eyes blank, all their earlier energy and excitement gone.

"Douse them." Ninth Royal Uncle ignored the terrified physicians. He was furious about their false accusations against Serena Feng; their lives could be spared, but punishment was unavoidable.

"Drag them out. Later, send them to General Warren Yu at North Gate Pass. Tell him these are criminal physicians I’m delivering—if he finds any worth keeping, let him keep them; if not, he can execute them."

"Yes, sir." The guards stepped forward and dragged them away.

"Ninth Royal Uncle, have mercy! Have mercy! I know I was wrong, I know I was wrong—my family depends on me…" The physicians howled in terror at the punishment, but Ninth Royal Uncle’s heart was stone; nothing they said could move him.

Splash! The guards did their job well—the ice water they brought was full of chunks. They dumped it over Young City Lord Reid’s head, and when he was jolted awake, they didn’t waste the rest but poured it over his body and bed, making sure not a single spot stayed dry.

Ninth Royal Uncle was ruthless, and so were his men. Prince Terrence looked at Young City Lord Reid with sympathy, just hoping he was tough enough to endure it…