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Chapter 4498: 5.0250 A Ruthless Man

The Second Prince looked up and met the gaze of the trembling Third Prince who was cautiously stepping forward. Both froze.

"Third Imperial Brother, come and sit by me," Duan Yue said with a smile, waving to the shaking Third Prince.

Both of them were drenched in cold sweat, feeling as if they were sitting on pins and needles.

"Have some tea." Duan Yue poured another cup for the Third Prince and pushed it towards him. He then looked at the Second Prince opposite him with a beaming smile. "Second Imperial Brother, are you... refusing me to my face?"

The Second Prince was scared half to death, cold sweat pouring down like a waterfall. "I, I, I'll drink, drink, drink it." The Second Prince reached for the teacup, his hands trembling so much that half the tea sloshed out, leaving only a quarter in the cup. The Second Prince, with a look of martyrdom, glanced at Duan Yue, then tilted his head back and swallowed the remaining tea.

"Third Imperial Brother, it's your turn." Duan Yue raised his finger, pointing at the tea in front of the Third Prince.

"Your Majesty, the Second Imperial Brother's rebellion has nothing to do with me! You cannot accuse your subject without evidence like this," the Third Prince's cold sweat also streamed down. Ever since he was brought from his residence, he had been thinking of a countermeasure the entire way. The tragedy was that even after entering this waterside pavilion and seeing His Majesty smiling before him, he still didn't know how to secure his life from his hands.

Their Majesty, though young, had incredibly ruthless methods. The Hou family, dozens of lives, were exterminated without a blink of an eye. Now, was it the Second Imperial Brother's turn? But, but he truly hadn't participated this time! Could this young monarch simply not tolerate his remaining uninvolved, insisting on dragging him into this muddy water too?

"Third Imperial Brother?" Duan Yue lifted his eyes, the smile on his face slowly receding. "Are you defying my imperial decree to my face?"

The Third Prince gritted his teeth, picked up the teacup with a trembling hand, and drank it in one gulp. He heavily set down the cup, and upon looking up, saw that the monarch had suddenly changed back to a smiling face, his handsome features now looking gentle.

"That's more like it," he said with a smile, turning to the sweating Second Prince. "Second Imperial Brother, the crime you committed is heinous, and I cannot pardon you."

"As for your over seven hundred retainers, I believe they were incited by you. I have executed a few of their leaders, and the rest have been exiled to the Land of Thorns."

Upon hearing this, both the Second Prince and Third Prince involuntarily trembled.

What kind of place was the Land of Thorns? It was a hell. Besides endless deserts and desolation, there were only thorns everywhere. No other greenery, no flowers, no food, no water. The most terrifying thing was that once you were banished to the Land of Thorns, there was no way to return. That place had a powerful Heavenly Dao barrier; though they didn't know how it was formed, they knew one thing! Once you entered, you couldn't come back, couldn't come back! In the Land of Thorns, anything could happen for a mouthful of food. The vast, boundless wilderness, without hope or dawn—this was the ultimate nightmare.

"Thud." A heavy, dull sound hit the ground. The Third Prince snapped back to reality and looked, only to see the Second Prince convulsing on the ground, his limbs shaking uncontrollably.

"Your Majesty!!" The Third Prince turned back in horror.