After all, for someone who was already treading walking on walking a traitor's path, it didn't matter what his reasons were, Zhou Sheng himself wouldn't allow any danger to befall His Majesty once again. 

His gaze turned distant and he felt the all too familiar feeling of bitterness rising in his chest once again. 

All those years ago...he had hoped and dreamed of a life together with Princess. Yet, he had never even once wondered about who was inside Princess's heart. 

And then he had lost it all in one fell swoop - his best friend, the people he had treated like his family and had been left alone to try and pick up the pieces of Zixi's broken heart - something that he had been extremely unwilling to do but couldn't shy away from because of his silent promise to Princess.

Thankfully, he had met Princess again in this lifetime. He didn't want to have her or even possess her. As long as she lived and he could see her - it was more than enough for him. 

Seeing that person die in front of him once was more than enough. He didn't even want to think that if something similar happened this time, what his own reaction would be. 

Meanwhile, Ning Fu drummed his fingers in silent contemplation. His mind whirled with ideas and plans. Planning and discarding them in the span of a breath's time.

Maybe, this could make up for all the misunderstandings that had happened between the monarch and himself all those months ago and he had always felt guilty for listening in on misunderstandings monarch's personal affairs. He would just treat eliminating the dangers lurking around the emperor as repaying and ironing for his actions.

However, the first one to break the silence was  Old Master Ning.

He voiced his thoughts, "A bird would find a good tree for shelter and a man would do anything for riches and fame.  Xie Chu is trying to be both - a bird and a man at the same time." 

His words explained everything succulently.

Xie Chu might have had grievances because his own father had died protecting Old Master Ning. But it was his greed for fame and riches that had no doubt, given him the boost to turn those grievances into a reason for his so-called vengeance. 

Xie Chu glared at the Ning patriarch at his words. If looks could kill, the old man would have died right then and there. 

However, what left Xie Chu even more disheartened was the fact that his innermost thoughts had been laid bare in front of his wife and kids in such a crude manner. 

He could see how his wife who had been struggling to get closer to him since she had been brought inside bound and gagged , stopped her futile struggles at the patriarch's words and how her lifeless eyes looked at him as if he was a stranger she wished she didn't know. 

Betraying your masters was a grave sin in most slaves heart and to know that her own husband who had been shown great benevolence from their master was the culprit, the lady would never again look at Xie Chu with an enamoured gaze. 

Zhou Sheng kicked Xie Chu savagely and then stepped on one of his hands. 

Looking at everyone present in the room, Zhou Sheng whispered, "Xie Chu, you have already betrayed one master, so what are the odds that your new master will still trust you? Isn't it more beneficial for him to do away with you after your use is over?" 

To be honest, no one could even start to guess who was the one who was pus.h.i.+ng the bellows from behind  but Zhou Sheng was just playing physiological warfare against the person who had turned his back on the Ning Clan. 

After all, if he could plant a seed of doubt  into his heart, then it would germinate all on its own and he knew that Xie Chu wasn't the only one in the manor who had thoughts that were far above his station. 

However, since they had already captured this person, he might as well try to make inroads into this pack of vultures through him. 

When Xie Chu heard those words and looked at the newest member of the Ning clan, his body shuddered in repressed fear. 

In Zhou Sheng's eyes were disdain and mockery for all the petty schemes he had been playing for the past few months. 

But more than that, there was an a.s.suredness in those set of eyes that even if Xie Chu hadn't been caught today, he wouldn't have been able to harm Zhou Sheng and in turn, the monarch through him. 

When n.o.body spoke to break the silence, Zhou Sheng mockingly asked, "Are you not planning upon begging for mercy any longer? Are you ready to give up on your life?" 

At his words, Xie Chu's wife started crying even more profusely but she didn't speak a word. 

In the end, it was her husband who had been in the wrong, so how could she even ask for forgiveness? Find authorized novels in Webnovel，faster updates, better experience，Please click for visiting.

This seemed to be the breaking point for Xie Chu because  maniacal laughter burst forth from his lips and with a sneer, he asked, "I never knew that the newest addition to the Ning clan was a ferocious tiger. Do you think that now you are in their genealogy books, you are really a member of their clan? That they will really do their utmost in your times of trouble?" 

His words brought another heavy silence in the already strained atmosphere in the study, but Zhou Sheng seemed to be completely ignorant of it. 

He gave a sardonic smile and replied, "Xie Chu, you don't need to be worried about me. You better think of your current position, instead of trying to ruffle people's  feathers." 

On the other hand, Ning Fu didn't want to watch whatever play Zhou Sheng was trying to enact in his father's study. 

His thought process had always been simple and cruelty, in essence. 

Since he couldn't rest easy while making use of a traitor, it was better to cull the traitor than to keep an eye on such a person behind their  back. 

Therefore, he simply tsked and offered, "Let's just end it here. Kill him and his family and we can throw them together  in the ma.s.s graves outside the Imperial Capital."

These callous words from Unit Commander Ning Fu really broke the camel's back and Xie Chu started snivelling and crying. 

He went on his knees and crawled towards the Ning Patriarch. Hugging his legs, he wailed, "Just give me another chance, Master. I will do everything as you say. If you point East, I wouldn't dare go West, but please show some mercy to my family." 

When Xie Chu was almost on the verge of losing his consciousness and had started mumbling his words, the Ning patriarch heaved a sigh and said, "Xie Chu, I don't need to care about the life and death of your family. But on the account of your deceased father, I am still willing to give you a chance." 

As soon as Xie Chu saw a faint glimmer of hope, he seemed energised and he once again knelt in front of everyone present in the study and proclaimed, "I will do as you command, Master." 

"Just do exactly as I say  and you can still hope to keep the lives of your wife and children," were the words uttered by the Ning patriarch.