With a crisp "snap".
Prince Qing glared angrily, his eyes even bloodshot, and slapped Jin Changge across the face.
"Nonsense! I think you're really crazy!"
"What crime? What trial?"
"I am innocent! And no one can judge me!"
"Throughout my life, I, Jin Weizun, have only ever acted with the aim of achieving great things. Everything I have done has been for this country, and I have no regrets towards anyone!"
Jin Changge lowered his head and breathed softly.
Prince Qing's chest heaved violently with anger as he pointed at her and shouted:
"The foreigners' fleets are about to arrive in the South China Sea. They come from many countries and have different powerful fleets! Their combat strength is outstanding, and the rebels will soon be suppressed by us!"
Prince Qing narrowed his eyes, his voice turned cold, and then he said sharply:
"So you're now siding with this traitor, huh? Ha."
"You wicked beast! Listen carefully! The traitor will soon be defeated, and when that happens, I will make sure he dies without a burial place!"
"My Jin family has been prosperous for generations, but now it has been reduced to a dwindling population because of him. I will not be able to vent my hatred until he is reduced to ashes!"
Jin Changge raised her eyes, her gaze filled with mockery.
"The collapse of this edifice is inevitable. With people like you around, I think it won't be long before this corrupt and cowardly 'Great Expedition' comes to an end."
"The future rulers of this land will be the newly born Yan Kingdom."
"The surging tide is coming, and you traitors will only be reduced to ashes."
Prince Qing was so angry he laughed:
"Fine! Go ahead and curse! Even if you curse a thousand or ten thousand times, it won't do any good!"
"You will never see this day!"
"Two days from now, I will kill you, you wicked beast, in front of the whole world!"
"This will also let everyone know that if anyone opposes us, even if it's my daughter, I won't let them get away with it!"
Seeing Jin Changge's icy gaze, Prince Qing continued with a cold laugh:
"In a while, I will send the traitors to their deaths as well!"
"When that time comes, you will understand, you beast!"
Jin Changge remained expressionless and coldly said, "Perhaps, you'll be the ones I'm waiting for in the end."
Prince Qing frowned, snorted coldly, flicked his sleeves, and turned to leave, suppressing his anger.
——
When Jin Jiande arrived at Nanze at full speed, it was already early the next morning.
By this time, he had not slept for a day and a night.
Despite the excruciating pain in his crippled leg and the bloodshot, throbbing eyes, Jin Jiande dared not rest and hurriedly entered the palace.
Before Jin Jiande returned, King Jing had already sent someone to Nanze to deliver the message.
Upon learning the news, Jin Fengluan immediately convened a court meeting with his ministers. However, the meeting had already ended, and when Jin Jiande entered the palace, the ministers were gradually dispersing.
Kim Geon-deok walked hurriedly down the road, and the ministers looked at him with extremely complicated expressions.
Jin Jiande ignored this and told the imperial eunuch that he wanted to see His Majesty. After the imperial eunuch left, someone came to tell him that His Majesty was waiting for him in a side hall.
Then, Jin Jiande hurriedly went to the side hall.
As soon as he entered the hall, Jin Jiande's heart skipped a beat when he saw Jin Fengluan's still furious face.
Before he could speak, an angry rebuke came from Jin Fengluan's mouth:
"How could my Jin family produce such a wicked child!"
"Establishing diplomatic relations with them is a national policy, which is related to the future of our country. This beast actually colluded with the Red Tide rebels to carry out a massacre on such an important day, almost ruining this great matter!"
"She...she even attacked her own people!"
"Jianzhong is diligent and conscientious, serving the court wholeheartedly. This beast even betrayed his own brother. I have never seen such a vicious person in my life!"
Jin Fengluan's face was ashen, and her eyes flashed with a cold light, causing Jin Jiande, who was sitting below the stage, to feel his heart sink to the bottom.
Even so, Jin Jiande still decided to plead for leniency:
“Your Majesty, Yongning is young and ignorant. He was deceived by the Red Tide rebels, which is why he committed what happened last night.”
"she....."
Before she could finish speaking, Jin Fengluan raised her eyebrows and coldly shouted:
"What did you say?"
Jin Jiande raised his head, his face filled with sorrow, and said, "Your Majesty, what I meant was that Yongning was young and ignorant, which allowed the Red Tide rebels to take advantage of him and deceive him, thus..."
"Jin Jiande!!!"
"Do you treat her like a three-year-old child, or do you treat me like a three-year-old child?!"
"She was well-versed in literature from a young age and also possessed excellent martial arts skills. Who could possibly deceive her?!"
“If she were crazy, that would be one thing, but she took Zhaoyang’s place in the wedding and then caused trouble last night. How does that make her seem crazy?!” Jin Fengluan’s words pierced Jin Jiande’s heart like a knife, and he couldn’t utter a single word in rebuttal.
Without a doubt, the people sent earlier had already explained the whole story of last night to Jin Fengluan.
However, Jin Jiande remained silent for only two breaths before slamming his head to the ground with a loud thud. When he raised his head again, his eyes were filled with tears.
"Your Majesty, the deed is done, and I know it is beyond redemption."
"But Yongning is only nineteen years old this year. She is still young. Please... give her another chance and forgive her this time!"
"If you spare her life, how will you punish her...?"
His words were interrupted angrily by Jin Fengluan:
"Jin Jiande, you are my trusted minister, how can you be so blind to right and wrong? At this critical moment, instead of thinking about how to maintain the relationship between Daqian and these foreign countries, you are pleading for that beast?!"
"Do you know that after I learned what happened last night, I was so angry that I couldn't eat or drink. Even now, my head is still throbbing!" She pointed to her fair forehead, then angrily lowered her hand and slammed it on the table.
Jin Jiande wept uncontrollably, sobbing as he said:
"Your Majesty, Yongning...she is still your niece."
"We're all family, we can't kill her!"
Jin Fengluan slammed her hand on the table again and scolded:
"Shut up!"
“If she considered herself a member of the Jin family, she should have obediently married him. But she colluded with those Red Tide rebels and committed such a heinous act. She is not a member of the Jin family!”
"My Jin family has no such beast!"
At this point, Jin Fengluan became even more furious. She strode off the stage and continued to yell:
"And you! As a high-ranking official in the court, I have placed such importance on you, yet you have caused me to lose face today!"
"You seem to be planning to let them go? Tell me! Is that true?!"
Jin Jiande crawled toward her, crying as he said:
“Your Majesty, I only have one sister. Her doing such a thing is my fault for not fulfilling my responsibilities as an older brother.”
“Punish me if you wish, but if you are willing to spare her life, I am willing to give my own life in return. Whatever you want me to do, I am willing!”
"If you want to return to Jinling, just say the word and I will lead my troops back today! Even if it means death, I am willing to do it."
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