Although Prince Qing's anger had not subsided after his tirade, he couldn't bear to see his son lying on the ground sobbing.
The once large Jin family has lost two of its three sons and one daughter. The daughter has committed such a grave crime that there is no way to undo it; she must atone with her death.
All things considered, once she dies, he will only have this one son left.
His current state made Prince Qing somewhat uneasy. His second son had always been rather emotional, and what would happen to the Jin family if something went wrong with him?
From now on, he will only have this one son, and no matter what, we must ensure that nothing happens to him.
Thinking of this, Prince Qing felt utterly exhausted, and his head throbbed. He knelt down and patted Jin Jiande's shoulder to comfort him:
"Don't cry, son."
“I know you are sad, but you must understand that the crime this beast committed today is too great. If she had killed someone else, let alone dozens, even if she had killed hundreds, I could still protect her.”
"But as you know, the only way we can reclaim our territory and suppress the rebels is by relying on these foreign lands."
"Without them, we will face great difficulties in the future. How can we resist the rebels when they invade Nanze?"
Jin Jiande continued to sob with his head down. Prince Qing's eyes showed a hint of helplessness, but he still continued:
"I have a pretty good idea of why Yongning killed someone today."
"It must be that the Red Tide rebels contacted her at some point and said some nonsense. This beast is young and ignorant, and inexperienced in the ways of the world. That's why she was bewitched by the Red Tide rebels and her mind was clouded, which led her to commit such a thing."
At this point, anger reignited in Prince Qing's eyes, and he said coldly:
"These scoundrels are short-sighted and utterly foolish. How could they possibly understand matters of state?!"
"That brat is young and ignorant, she just joined in the trouble. If she had just talked to me properly, I could have woken her up with just a few words!"
"But she remained silent until today, which harmed herself, us, and the entire Da Gan!"
"With her outburst, how many people will suffer, how many will die because of her? Does she even understand that?!"
Listening to Prince Qing's righteous speech, Jin Jiande pleaded:
"I don't care about anything else, Dad. I only have one sister, and I can't watch her die."
"Father, please, just let her go."
Prince Qing's brows furrowed, his heart filled with uncontrollable rage.
He believed that his son would understand what he was saying and would prioritize the greater good, but his son remained stubborn and continued to plead for the beast.
Although he was furious, Prince Qing did not lash out at this moment, but forcibly suppressed his anger. He could tell that his son was in a bad mood. If he were to develop a grudge against his son because of this beast, it would cause trouble in the future. He could only choose to continue to appease him.
So, Prince Qing sighed and shook his head, saying:
“Son, I know what you’re thinking. You and she grew up together and have a deep bond. How could I not understand?”
"To tell you the truth, I did consider protecting her, after all, she is my daughter."
Upon hearing this, Jin Jiande's eyes lit up with joy, and he hurriedly said:
"Alright, Father, as long as you want to protect Yongning, I'll figure something out!"
"I have many ways. I can find a woman who looks like Yongning and switch Yongning out with her, so that she can die in Yongning's place!"
"Or we could fake Yongning's death in prison, saying he died from excessive blood loss, and then burn his body to shut people up. There's another way..." He spoke faster and faster, becoming more and more excited as he spoke.
Seeing Jin Jiande's beaming face, Prince Qing shook his head:
"No, no, son."
"I want to protect her, but I can't. No matter what methods you use, they won't work, and you can't use them."
"The things she did today are too serious, and everyone is watching. Trying to play tricks at this time will only make Sir Michael and his men angrier. We need them to get things done."
"For the sake of this great undertaking, Yongning... must die."
As soon as he finished speaking, Jin Jiande froze, and the joy on his face vanished.
Prince Qing sighed heavily, gently stroked his son's head, and whispered:
"There's nothing we can do about it."
“We have to give an explanation, and since Yongning did this, she must have been prepared for it.”
"Father—" Jin Jiande cried out.
Prince Qing interrupted, saying, "Jiande, if you have any other request for me to do, I will grant it, no matter what it is."
"But this one thing is absolutely unacceptable. You don't need to say anything more."
He paused, then continued, "I know you can't bear it, so I've entrusted this matter to me. Let me bear this pain alone."
"And you, son, you have to learn to accept reality."
Prince Qing took off his hat, revealing a head of white hair, and his eyes gradually reddened. He choked up and said:
"To live a life like this is bound to involve all sorts of suffering... At this age, I'm already experiencing the pain of outliving my children. Tonight, I've already lost one of my sons, and Yongning will be executed soon..."
“You will be my only child, my last bloodline… Son, how can I bear this?” Prince Qing said with a sorrowful expression, holding Jin Jiande’s cold hand.
Jin Jiande's eyes were filled with tears, and he couldn't say a word.
Prince Qing pursed his lips and sighed, "I'll send someone to escort you back to Nanze. Leave things here to me."
“Prince Jing has always maintained a facade of harmony with us, but inwardly he is at odds with us. Tonight, he was injured by Yongning and has already sent someone back to report to His Majesty. The people of Nanze will soon know what happened tonight.”
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