315. Many people will die 'accidentally'.

Xie Wenling looked at Dou Shichen with a hint of disgust: "What an incurable fool, still can't figure it out?"

"Do you think that by upholding your so-called loyalty, your father will survive?"

"He is now suffering defeat after defeat and won't last more than a few days. When he is defeated, he will be torn to pieces by the angry people."

"If you can provide important information, His Majesty can defeat him faster and capture him alive, instead of killing him outright."

"Moreover, His Majesty has always had a policy of appeasement. If he can capture your father alive, he might spare your lives in light of your confession."

"Although you will be under house arrest, without freedom, and unable to live the life of luxury as before, at least your family will be able to live and reunite."

"You can still see your father and your mother. That's better than this, where everyone dies in the end and you can't even see them again."

"Do you really want to wait until His Majesty sends troops to break through your father's camp? By then, our side will have suffered heavy losses. Do you think His Majesty will still be able to appease us? Even if he agrees, his men will not."

“At that time, everyone else in the Zhennan Prince’s Mansion will also be buried with you, and your family will be completely wiped out.”

Dou Shichen sat blankly on the ground, his eyes filled with bewilderment, which replaced his previous fear and stubbornness.

He opened his mouth, but no words came out.

He wanted to believe that his father would save him, and he didn't want to betray him.

But Xie Wenling's words made his psychological defenses crumble.

He knew that Xie Wenling hadn't lied to him; the consequence of a failed rebellion was the extermination of his entire clan.

He didn't want to die, and he didn't want to never see his father and mother again.

Seeing this, the little girl wanted to take a few steps forward, but Xie Wenling held her back.

She paused for a moment, then took Xie Wenling's hand and stepped forward.

This time, Xie Wenling didn't stop her; instead, he followed her forward.

The little dumpling tugged at Dou Shichen's hand, her voice soft and sincere: "Shining Bean Prince, don't be stubborn."

"Yue'er knows you don't want to betray your father, but if your father knew, he would definitely want you to live!"

"Living is the most important thing. If everyone dies, then nothing is left, don't you think?"

"Think about it, if you can live to see your family again, even if you can't play with toys or ride horses like before, it's still better than not seeing them at all!"

Dou Shichen looked at the little dumpling, then at Xie Wenling, and tears welled up in his eyes again, but he didn't cry out loud, only sobbing softly.

After a long while, he slowly nodded, his voice trembling with tears: "I...I confess..."

Xie Wenling nodded and said to the soldier beside him, "Take him away and keep a close watch on him. Take him to see His Majesty and tell him that he is willing to confess and begs His Majesty for mercy."

"Yes!" The soldier immediately stepped forward and helped Dou Shichen up.

Dou Shichen did not resist, but turned to look at Xie Wenling and the little dumpling: "I confess, Your Majesty really won't kill us?"

“No, it won’t,” the little dumpling said confidently, her eyes sparkling. “His Majesty is very kind. As long as you confess properly, you will definitely live!”

Xie Wenling also spoke calmly: "His Majesty always keeps his word. As long as the information you provide is true and can be of help, he will not kill you."

Dou Shichen felt a little relieved and followed the soldiers outside. After taking a few steps, he turned back to the little dumpling and said, "Thank you..."

The little dumpling waved its hand: "No need to thank me! Just talk to His Majesty properly, everything will definitely be alright!"

The room only quieted down after the soldiers and Dou Shichen had all left.

The little dumpling looked up at Xie Wenling with its head held high: "Brother Xie, you were so fierce just now! You scared Prince Bright Bean so much that he almost cried himself to death. But you did it for his own good, right?"

Xie Wenling's tone was much gentler than before, but very frank: "Actually, in my opinion, it's best to cut the weeds and eliminate the roots, so that he won't hold a grudge and cause any more trouble in the future."

"But in the current situation, making him confess will not only allow us to capture the Prince of Zhennan more quickly and reduce the bloodshed and sacrifice of soldiers on the front lines, but also give His Majesty a reputation for appeasement."

"It can be said to be a win-win situation, using the least cost to obtain the greatest benefit, which is more cost-effective than killing him directly."

The little dumpling was stunned for a moment, blinked, and then slowly nodded: "So that's how it is... Yue'er thought that Brother Xie was just being kind to him and that's why he didn't kill him."

"Pitying is useless. There are too many pitiful people in this palace and court. If everyone were pitiful, the rules would have been in chaos long ago. What I do is always based on whether it is right or wrong, not on whether someone is pitiful or not."

The little dumpling nodded as if she understood, then sighed softly and shook her head like a little adult: "Actually, Yue'er also thinks that Prince Zhennan is really a bad person. He has harmed so many people. Yue'er thinks he should be punished, and she also feels sorry for Prince Bright Bean..."

Xie Wenling said calmly, "Yes, he is indeed not a good person. You don't need to worry about him surviving."

"Presumably, many people will die 'accidentally' in this battle."

"For example, his wicked cronies, and himself."

"After all, what His Majesty wants is the reputation of a benevolent ruler, not to keep a rebellious prince by his side."

"Since we're going to appease him anyway, it's better to keep his incompetent family than to leave him alive as a potential threat."

The little dumpling said "Oh" and didn't ask any more questions.

Although she was young, she vaguely understood.

The two walked out without mentioning Dou Shichen and the Prince of Zhennan again.

The little dumpling started chattering to Xie Wenling about Lin Fuman's orphanage and girls' school, saying that she would help Lin Fuman take care of her younger sisters in the future, her eyes shining as she spoke.

Xie Wenling didn't say much, but listened attentively the whole time, occasionally responding with a few words.

-

At the entrance of the Marquis of Beiding's residence.

Xie Wenling had just dropped the little dumpling off at the door when he saw Marquis Beiding, Jiang Xiyue, Jin Qizhi, and his second brother all come out to greet him.

As soon as Jiang Xiyue saw the little girl, she quickly walked over, took her hand, and looked her up and down: "My good daughter, you're finally back. Were you frightened when you went to the palace with Grand Tutor Qu and then went out with Lord Xie?"

"No!" The little dumpling immediately shook her head, proudly saying, "Yue'er went to the Prince's residence with Brother Xie and even helped persuade the bright and shiny Prince Dou. He finally agreed to confess! Brother Xie also told Yue'er that there's hope for Sister Fufu's idea!"

She spoke incoherently, but everyone could at least tell from her proud tone that she hadn't been bullied.

Everyone breathed a sigh of relief.

Marquis Beiding stepped forward and bowed to Xie Wenling, saying, "Thank you very much for taking care of Yue'er, sir. You've gone to a lot of trouble."

"You're welcome," Xie Wenling replied.

Jiang Xiyue smiled and pulled Xie Wenling over, warmly inviting him: "Lord Xie, we'd like to hold a small banquet for Yue'er in a few days. Firstly, to celebrate her becoming a princess, and secondly, we'd like to invite some familiar faces to make it more lively. We hope you'll definitely come."

Upon hearing this, the little dumpling also looked up at him expectantly.

Xie Wenling naturally wouldn't refuse: "Then I'll accept without hesitation. I'll definitely come."

"That's great!" The little dumpling cheered immediately, grabbing Jiang Xiyue's hand and jumping up and down, saying, "Mommy! Yue'er wants to write the invitations herself! Yue'er wants to write one for Xiaoyunduo and the little prince, one for Sister Fufu, and one for the Grand Tutor!"

"Okay!" Jiang Xiyue smiled and nodded, then gently pinched her nose. "I'll let you write it yourself. It doesn't matter if the invitation is well-written or not, as long as the sentiment is there."

Jin Qizhi smiled and said, "Little sister, I'll teach you how to write it. I know the format of invitations. Just follow my lead and it will look great."

"I'll teach you too!" The second brother immediately came over, patting his chest and saying, "Although my handwriting isn't very good and I don't know the format, I can cheer you on!"

The family bid farewell to Xie Wenling and entered the mansion chatting and laughing.

Jiang Xiyue had someone fetch paper and a pen and laid them on the table.

The little boy picked up the calligraphy brush, held the handle with his tiny hands, and clumsily dipped it in ink. He looked at Jin Qizhi and asked, "Big brother, what should we write first?"

"First write 'Respectfully yours,' then write the name of the invitee, then the reason for the invitation, and the date..." Jin Qizhi patiently explained to her, writing a template next to her as he spoke, his handwriting neat and beautiful.

The little dumpling followed the template carefully, writing stroke by stroke with great concentration and seriousness.

Jiang Xiyue stood beside her, smiling, and said, "Write slowly, no rush, we have plenty of time. If you make a mistake, we'll just use another sheet of paper."

Marquis Beiding also came over, looked at the little dumpling's writing, and praised, "Not bad, not bad, our Yue'er is becoming more and more capable."

The little dumpling wrote a piece and asked Jin Qizhi to take a look. Jin Qizhi immediately praised it: "It's very well written! There are still a few people left, let's write one together, okay?"

"Okay!" The little dumpling nodded immediately, picked up another piece of paper, and began to write seriously.

The whole family was very supportive, and the little girl wrote one invitation after another, making them more and more beautiful.