"Lord Lu, your subordinate has a good idea to keep the Third Prince quiet for a while."
The soldiers standing beside Lu Shi, upon hearing Chu Yanxi's insulting words towards Lu Shi, felt great displeasure. These words clearly referred to all of them.
If Chu Yanxi were still the high and mighty Third Prince as before, they would have endured such words and pretended not to hear them.
But now, the situation was vastly different. Chu Yanxi was nothing more than a prisoner, and they were the ones detaining him. If they were to swallow this insult, it would truly mean they were too useless.
Besides, the young general wasn't here now, and this was a desolate place. Even if they did something excessively cruel, no one would know.
Lu Shi turned to look at the soldier who spoke behind him. He had guessed their intentions to some extent, but he was still hesitant. Even in his fallen state, Chu Yanxi was a noble prince. Moreover, if the young general found out and blamed them, none of them would escape punishment.
However, upon seeing Chu Yanxi's arrogant and imperious expression, Lu Shi's mind changed.
"Tell me, what good idea do you have?"
"Lord Lu, why don't you simply stuff something in the Third Prince's mouth? If he's still not obedient, just stitch his mouth shut with needle and thread. We often use such methods when escorting enemy soldiers. Our brothers are very skilled at sewing, and we always carry these things with us."
The soldier patted the satchel at his waist. When escorting captured enemy soldiers in the past, they often encountered incessant complaints. Sewing their mouths shut was a common practice.
He wondered if the Third Prince's mouth would be easy to sew. Was there any difference in sewing the mouth of a descendant of the imperial family compared to an ordinary person? He was indeed curious to try.
Chu Yanxi's back suddenly felt a chill. The arrogance on his face disappeared, replaced by a look of fear. However, his words remained defiant: "You dare? I am a prince. You'd better not want to live if you dare to do such a thing!"
Even at this point, Chu Yanxi had not forgotten his status as a prince. He still fantasized about using his princely identity to intimidate these people, but all he received was their mocking laughter.
"What time is it now, and he still thinks he's a prince..."
"He's just a prisoner now. If you count carefully, his status is inferior to ours..."
"Exactly. Even now, he still thinks he's a high and mighty prince!"
"You... you... you dogs! I will never let you go... never!"
Chu Yanxi's hands were bound, but his eyes blazed with anger as he glared at them. Even his lips trembled slightly as he spoke!
"Enough, you few. After all, he is a prince, and his status is noble. How can you act so recklessly? And that method of sewing mouths shut is utterly absurd. If word of this gets out when we return to the capital, it will be detrimental to our young general."
Lu Shi spoke, scolding them. This finally made them reluctantly stop their laughter, and they all became a bit more restrained.
Chu Yanxi immediately felt grateful for Lu Shi's intervention. He also felt that what he had said earlier was indeed too excessive, but he couldn't open his mouth to apologize to Lu Shi, as his princely status remained.
Even though he was temporarily in disgrace, he could not abandon his identity and deign to apologize to a subordinate. He would never do such a thing.
However, Lu Shi's subsequent words completely dispelled the sliver of guilt Chu Yanxi felt towards him.
"Why don't we just stuff the Third Prince's mouth? That way, it won't be an insult to the Third Prince, and our brothers can have some peace."
With Lu Shi's casually spoken words, Chu Yanxi's fate was sealed. The soldiers standing beside him eagerly took off their socks, impatient to stuff them into Chu Yanxi's mouth, afraid of falling behind.
"You all, be gentle. Don't injure the Third Prince!"
Lu Shi stood by, speaking words of concern, yet his lips curved into a mocking smile. He relished watching Chu Yanxi's predicament.
After all, when Chu Yanxi had power, he was arrogant and looked down on everyone.
Now that Chu Yanxi was in disgrace, if they didn't seize this excellent opportunity to teach him a lesson and vent their resentment, it would be a wasted opportunity, and such a grave sin would incur divine retribution.
After they had all had their fill of teasing and felt bored, they finally stopped. They could tease, but they still had to escort Chu Yanxi to the capital within the allotted time. If they delayed the young general's important business, they would all face dire consequences.
At this moment, Chu Yanxi, after being roughly handled by them, had lost all his spirit. His mouth was stuffed with socks, and he couldn't tell whose they were, but a strong stench permeated his nose and mouth.
He wanted to vomit, but his mouth was blocked, so he couldn't. He could only endure it himself. Chu Yanxi now wished he were dead. He was already suffering such torment at the beginning, what other horrors would he face later? He dared not even imagine.
Lu Shi looked at Chu Yanxi's disheveled state and shook his head helplessly. Was this still the once high and mighty Third Prince? In this state, he was even worse off than a beggar on the street. This was his own doing, and he had no one to blame for this outcome.
"Hurry up and get moving. We must escort the Third Prince into prison before nightfall. Don't delay the young general's important affairs!"
The young general was likely nearing the capital by now, and they had already wasted a lot of time. They had to hurry. They had to safely escort Chu Yanxi into the imperial prison before dark to truly capture him.
After this minor lesson, Chu Yanxi had become much more obedient. With socks stuffed in his mouth, he couldn't make a sound, and Lu Shi's ears were much quieter.
However, Chu Yanxi's eyes appeared vacant, and his steps were unsteady. He was being pulled along by a rope as he walked.
"Lord Lu, look. Has the Third Prince gone mad? He looks so abnormal!"
"Don't talk nonsense. Hurry up and travel!"