Upon receiving the letter, Prime Minister Yan quickly read it. The letter stated, "Do not harm Jia Hua; everything is negotiable."
"A-Yin and I grew up together. I know A-Yin best. He would never amount to what he has today. Father, please rest assured." Empress Yan said calmly.
Prime Minister Yan hesitated for a moment: "Your elder brother is no longer here. The Yan family line cannot be broken. Your nephew is still young. Send your nephew to the palace."
Empress Yan frowned, but still picked up her pen and wrote down the requirements.
Princess Jia Hua, standing to the side, was so angry at the familiar handwriting on the letter that she was about to vomit blood. She was willing to risk her life to make the Seventh Prince make up his mind.
But the seventh prince actually led his troops into the city, only to retreat at the last minute.
Just as Princess Jiahua's soul floated into the air, she unknowingly arrived beside the Seventh Prince, who was currently at the Yan family mansion.
The courtyard was filled with the elderly, women, and children of the Yan family, huddled together, with the occasional cry of a young child and the sobbing of the lady.
"Your Highness, this must be a misunderstanding. The child is innocent. You can't harm the child."
In the crowd, a lady was holding a child of about three years old, crying her eyes out. The child was also staring at the Seventh Prince with wide, timid eyes.
Princess Jia Hua stood in front of the Seventh Prince, watching his every move.
The seventh prince's eyebrows furrowed slightly as usual.
“Your Highness, when the Yan family attacked the Xu family, the Xu family also had children of this age. Why didn’t the Yan family show any mercy to the Xu family?” Changwei advised.
General Zuo nodded in agreement: "That makes sense. There are no young or old on the battlefield. One general's success is built on the bones of ten thousand. If Your Highness compromises today, countless innocent children will be forced to their deaths in the future."
The seventh prince withdrew his gaze and turned his head away, trying his best not to look at the child.
“The battlefield is the enemy’s territory. We are just innocent women and children. We are all from the southern border. How can we compare ourselves to the people on the battlefield?” the lady shouted.
General Zuo frowned: "Could it be that the Xu family is an enemy?"
"You!" The lady was speechless.
"Your Yan family has enjoyed wealth and honor, but you've lost today. You should take life and death less seriously," General Zuo said dismissively.
The Yan family committed too many evils, and when they enjoyed their good fortune, no one stood up to offer a word of advice.
General Zuo pointed to his wife's attire: "Your luxurious clothes are enough to feed an ordinary family for ten years."
The lady was choked with embarrassment and irritation, her face flushed red. She could only look at the Seventh Prince with hopeful eyes. But General Zuo said, "Wildfire cannot burn it all, the spring breeze will bring it back to life. If we spare one person today, this child will surely seek revenge when he grows up. Who knows how many people will die then?"
Princess Jia Hua agreed with this statement.
Being soft-hearted at this critical juncture is irresponsible towards the future.
"Enough!" The Seventh Prince, annoyed by what he heard, interrupted with a sullen face, touching the jade thumb ring he was holding in his palm, savoring the lingering fragrance on it.
This jade thumb ring was a gift from Princess Jiahua's mother when she got married.
She never took it off.
The seventh prince carefully examined the patterns on it, a peony flower and a jade ruyi.
At this moment, a guard came out to deliver a message.
The Seventh Prince eagerly unfolded the letter, while General Changwei, standing to the side, felt his eyelids twitch violently. Following the gaze, his expression darkened slightly.
The notice stated the requirement to send the eldest grandson of the Yan family to the palace.
"Your Highness, the Seventh Prince's Consort's handwritten letter has not been brought out in the palace for a long time, which clearly means it has already..." Changwei had not finished speaking.
The Seventh Prince rebuked, "No way! Jia Hua is so smart, he'll definitely have a chance to turn things around."
Changwei frowned.
"Someone, take the child to the palace."
Upon hearing this, General Zuo's thick, long eyebrows furrowed tightly. How could this be so different from what he had expected?
Even at this point, the Seventh Prince still thinks about reconciling with the palace.
General Zuo was both angry and anxious, and felt an indescribable disappointment, sighing repeatedly.
"General, perhaps His Highness is waiting for twelve hours. After all, we can't act rashly. What if the Seventh Prince's Consort is still alive?" Changwei advised softly, "Even if we send her to the palace, so what? We're in Jincheng. Can they really escape?"
Upon hearing this, General Zuo could only nod: "That's the only way to think about it."
There are only twelve two-hour periods left, and three two-hour periods remain.
Princess Jiahua stood opposite the Seventh Prince, her hands clenched tightly. She felt no pain, but the anger emanating from her body was almost suffocating her.
If I had known this would happen, I would have preferred to have been humiliated and killed by the Southern Xinjiang Emperor the first time I entered the Southern Xinjiang Palace.
At least, Empress Yan wouldn't harbor such deep hatred towards her.
Therefore, they would not send anyone to Northern Chu.
It's better than living five years in a daze, full of self-righteousness and high expectations.
Princess Jiahua wished she could slap the Seventh Prince awake, but she felt powerless and had nowhere to vent her anger.
Another half hour passed
A brocade box was sent from the palace.
Princess Jiahua suddenly noticed that her left hand was gradually becoming transparent and then slowly disappearing.
When the brocade box was opened, it contained a blood-soaked left hand with a small red mole on its back. Princess Jiahua recognized it as her own left hand at a glance.
It was actually cut down by Empress Yan.
"Hiss!" The Seventh Prince gasped, his expression changing drastically.
"Her Majesty the Empress said that if the Seventh Prince does not withdraw his troops from the city, a brocade box will be sent every half hour. What's inside the box is anyone's guess," the messenger said.
The seventh prince slammed the brocade box shut, veins bulging on his forehead.
General Zuo said angrily, "Your Highness, we don't need to waste words. Let's just storm the palace. Once we take action, they will naturally be afraid and will definitely try to stop the Empress."
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