Chen Zhan’s eyes flared with a murderous light, his voice a jagged bark that shattered the heavy silence of the hall.

“You insolent wretch! Who taught you to speak such treasonous, unfilial filth?”

“No one taught me,” Chen Chang’an replied, his voice unnervingly steady. “It is merely a lowly subject speaking from the heart.”

He did not flinch, nor did he shrink from the Prince’s towering rage. Instead, he crawled forward two steps on his knees, the sound of his movement echoing on the cold floor. “Prince of Huainan, sign the document—or let me die here!”

“Do you truly think I lack the resolve to kill you?”

Chen Zhan’s hand tightened on the hilt of his sword until his knuckles turned bone-white. The air in the room grew heavy with the scent of impending violence.

“Naturally, you would,” Chen Chang’an nodded, his expression one of eerie calm. “With a single word of anger from Your Highness, ten thousand heads roll. I have long heard of your formidable reputation. This lowly subject believes he has committed no crime. *The snow in the sixth month* will prove my innocence. If Your Highness wishes to strike me down, I shall accept my death with gratitude!”

He was using his own life as leverage, a desperate gamble that left no room for retreat.

Chen Zhan felt a surge of rage so potent it numbed his limbs; the hand gripping his sword trembled with the effort of restraint. Seeing that Chen Chang’an was truly beyond the reach of threats, Chu Yanran snatched the Severance Agreement from the table, her face contorted with irritation.

“Chen Hanzhi, enough! I’ll sign it!” she spat. “But mark my words: do not come back crawling and begging. Once you cross that threshold, there is no place for you in the Huainan Manor!”

At those words, a massive weight seemed to lift from Chen Chang’an’s chest. He looked at Chu Yanran, his face lighting up with a flash of unbridled joy. “Thank you, Princess Consort, for your boundless generosity!”

He turned his gaze back to the Prince. “Prince of Huainan, once this agreement is signed, you will no longer have to endure the mockery of the court. No longer will the other nobles whisper that you sired a useless son. Long live Your Highness! Long, long live Your Highness!”

He chanted the phrase repeatedly, the monotonous, mocking repetition driving Chen Zhan to the brink of madness.

“Rebel son! You think your wings have finally feathered enough for flight?” Chen Zhan roared. “Fine! I’ll sign! Without the protection of the Prince’s name, you won’t survive a week in Jiangdu. There will come a time when you kneel in the mud and beg for my mercy!”

Consumed by fury, Chen Zhan scrawled his signature across both documents.

Chen Chang’an’s heart soared. Leaving one copy of the Severance Agreement on the table, he stood and bowed with exaggerated grace. “Prince of Huainan, thank you for your great benevolence. This lowly subject takes his leave!”

Wiping the drying blood from his face with a sleeve, Chen Chang’an turned and ran toward the gates.

Uncle Hu gritted his teeth and stepped into his path, his eyes full of sorrow. “Ninth Prince, what are you doing? Please, reconsider!”

“Do not call him the Ninth Prince!” Chen Zhan’s roar followed them like a thunderclap. “The agreement is signed. Hanzhi is no longer one of us! I will pretend I never sired this rebel. Let him starve! Let the wild dogs devour his remains!”

Chen Zhan wasn't merely blustering; the venom in his voice was absolute.

Chen Chang’an felt an indescribable lightness in his soul. He laughed, a sound of pure, jagged liberation. “Uncle Hu, don’t stop me. Remember what I told you! Wait for me—when I have built a life for myself, we shall live together!”

He sidestepped the old butler and sprinted out of the Huainan Manor. He hadn’t gone far before he burst into unrestrained laughter. In his previous life, he had spent nine years in servitude to this family, groveling for scraps of affection only to be dismembered in the end. But now, the caged bird had finally flown free.

***

Hearing that laughter from the distance, Chen Zhan’s face darkened. There was a sense of profound relief in that sound, a sweeping away of years of misery. The boy had left the manor without a shred of regret.

*How could this be?*

Chen Qiuyue looked down at her manicured nails, her voice bored. “Third Sister, let’s make a bet. How long do you think Hanzhi can last?”

Chen Chunhua didn’t believe for a second that he would stay away. “At most, three days. He’ll go hungry, and his empty stomach will bring him crawling back. I guarantee it.”

Initially, Chu Yanran had felt a sharp pang of maternal regret. But hearing her daughters, she let out a cold, dismissive laugh. “Hmph, I agree. Three days, and he’ll be back begging like a dog. How dare he threaten me with this ‘severing ties’ nonsense... This time, I won’t indulge his tantrums!”

Chen Zhan frowned. Would he really come back? Why did this time feel so final?

Chen Fusheng, ever the opportunist, dropped to his knees with a heavy thud. “Father, Mother, please don’t be angry. I’ll go beg Ninth Brother to come back. It’s just... he might not like me. That’s probably why he claimed I broke the Snowflake Steed’s leg. I’ve made up my mind—no matter what he says to me, I won’t talk back.”

Seeing how ‘sensible’ his eleventh son was, a thin smile finally returned to Chen Zhan’s face. Chu Yanran pulled Chen Fusheng into a protective embrace. “My biological son is the only one with any sense. You are the one who truly cares for the unity of this house. You don’t need to find him. He’ll be back soon enough. And when he does, none of you are to acknowledge him. I gave birth to him; does he think he can just walk away? Dream on!”

Uncle Hu looked at the Severance Agreement, then at the pool of blood staining the floor. He let out a heavy, weary sigh. *Your Highness, you have made a grave mistake. You are rarely home, so you do not know how the Ninth Prince truly lived. This manor may appear harmonious, but it is a nest of vipers. He had no backing, no one to turn to. This time, he will not return.*

Chen Zhan noticed the desolation in the butler’s eyes and hesitated. “Steward Hu... the rebel is still my son. I may have been too harsh. Go find him and have a physician tend to his wounds.”

Uncle Hu’s heart lifted, but Chu Yanran’s sharp voice cut him off. “Your Highness, aren’t you tired? Military affairs are busy enough. I will handle Hanzhi; nothing will go wrong. Uncle Hu, attend to your duties. I will teach Hanzhi how to be a proper man!”

Chen Zhan nodded slowly. The man handled the state; the woman managed the house. They had lived this way for years. Surely, she knew best.

***

By nightfall, the air was cool and crisp.

In the slums of Jiangdu, Chen Chang’an had already purchased basic supplies—pots, pans, and simple bowls. He had managed to buy some cheap, pungent fish and was currently boiling a humble meal, humming a tune to himself. The freedom was intoxicating.

Just as he was about to eat, a dull, throbbing pain bloomed in his chest. He clenched his teeth, pressing a hand over his heart.

In his previous life, Chen Fusheng had viewed him as a threat to his eventual control of the Southern Garrison Army. To eliminate him, Fusheng had employed the most subtle of methods: chronic poisoning. Chen Chang’an’s own fourth sister, Chen Shuting—a master physician at the Imperial Medical Hall—had been the one to provide the toxin.

Chen Chang’an stood up and gathered a bundle of *Zheergen*, also known as Fish-mint. The poison Fusheng had used was *Shengma*, and this pungent herb was the only thing that could neutralize it. He endured the nauseating, fishy odor, eating it bite by bitter bite.

“Chen Fusheng, your plan ends here,” he whispered.

He didn't dwell on the betrayal. He had a more pressing concern: repaying the five hundred taels of silver. “I have eight taels left. My capital is too small. But if I remember correctly, in seven days, the wealthy Yuanwai of Yuyang City celebrates his birthday. His steward will be desperate for six jin of carp. And immediately after, the plum rain season begins—three days of torrential storms that will keep every fishing boat off the river.”

A slow smile spread across his face. He would use this knowledge to earn his first pot of gold. Once he had capital, the rest would follow. He had the memories of a lifetime; he had the confidence to survive.

*Work hard. Repay the debt. Live.*