Kneel down!
After Ye Jingchen left, Xie Shaoling let out an angry shout.
Xie Chang'an obediently knelt down, but his back was straight and his face was calm, showing no sign of guilt or shame.
"Who gave you the courage to get involved with the Crown Prince?" Xie Shaoling walked up to Xie Chang'an and asked condescendingly.
Xie Chang'an thought to himself: The courage to have died once.
However, he dared not say such things aloud; it would be too unfilial!
"Father, it's my business that I like him, and I will never implicate the Duke of Zhenguo's mansion!" Xie Chang'an said, looking up at Xie Shaoling.
"You think you can just say you won't be implicated? Do you think you have the power to influence His Majesty's decisions?" Xie Shaoling suppressed the urge to kick him away and asked coldly.
"I have it," Xie Chang'an replied affirmatively.
"You're so arrogant and ignorant!"
“I knew it in my past life,” Xie Chang’an replied.
"You think you're so great just because you've died once?!" Xie Shaoling couldn't hold back any longer and kicked Xie Chang'an, knocking him to the ground.
"Shaoling, calm down, don't hurt the child!" Xu Jingjing quickly helped Xie Chang'an up and wiped away the footprints left by Xie Shaoling on his chest.
"Mother, don't worry, Father didn't use much force," Xie Chang'an comforted her.
"So I didn't kick hard enough?"
Xie Shaoling was furious. He wanted to deliver another heavy kick, but Xu Jingjing was now blocking Xie Chang'an's way.
"Even if you have the means to influence His Majesty's decision, have you considered His Highness's feelings? His Highness is the Crown Prince. If your affair with him were to become public, it would be an indelible stain on his reputation. What's worse, if he defends you in front of His Majesty as he did just now, he might be stripped of his position as Crown Prince!"
"His Highness has a heart full of love. If he ascends the throne, he will surely save the people from suffering! By destroying him, you are destroying the hope of the people, and you will become the sinner of the entire Great Abyss!"
Xie Shaoling grew angrier and angrier as he spoke, wishing he could beat this unfilial son to death.
Xu Jingjing's resolve to protect him wasn't as strong anymore.
“Chang’an, do you really have to like His Highness the Crown Prince? His Highness the Crown Prince is a good person, and it’s not surprising that you like him, but he doesn’t belong to you alone. You can’t put him in a hopeless situation just because you like him!” Xu Jingjing said.
Xie Chang'an: ?
Why were his parents' attitudes toward this matter different from what he had imagined?
"Do my parents think I'm so unworthy of him?" Xie Chang'an asked quietly.
"Do you think you're worthy?" Xie Shaoling retorted.
Although Xu Jingjing didn't speak, her eyes seemed to be asking Xie Chang'an the same question.
His parents' reaction was even more painful for Xie Chang'an than being beaten.
"I will not let him be stigmatized, nor will I let him lose his position as crown prince, nor will I let him suffer eternal damnation!" Xie Chang'an said irritably.
"Do you want to be His Highness the Crown Prince's clandestine lover?" Xu Jingjing asked in shock.
"Mother, what are you saying?!" Xie Chang'an was so angry at Xu Jingjing's words that the veins on his forehead throbbed.
"Unless you can keep your relationship a secret from the world, you are a stain on His Highness's reputation!" Xie Shaoling said with a sneer.
No one knows a child better than their parents. After the initial shock and panic, Xie Shaoling and Xu Jingjing quickly figured out how to deal with Xie Chang'an.
"His Majesty has always been suspicious of our Duke Zhenguo's Mansion, and there is an unresolved grudge between him and your father. If he finds out about your affair, not only will the Duke Zhenguo's Mansion suffer a catastrophic disaster, but he will also turn his anger on His Highness the Crown Prince. Is this what you want to see?"
"If you like someone, shouldn't you want what's best for them?"
"The relationship you're forcing is far too heavy a burden for His Highness the Crown Prince, and the price is too high!"
"Can you bear to see His Highness fall from the platform for your sake?"
Xu Jingjing and Xie Shaoling took turns trying to persuade Xie Chang'an, each word a knife stabbing into his heart.
If Xie Chang'an were truly an ordinary eighteen-year-old boy, he would be filled with shame and self-doubt right now.
Unfortunately, he wasn't.
His past experience in a high position taught him that rules are set by those in power, and history is written by the victors.
For ordinary people, when it comes to their own interests, even a stain can be turned into a good name.
In his previous life, on the night of the fifteenth of the first lunar month, a strange phenomenon occurred in Dayuan, where a celestial dog ate the moon. After that, it would rain in many parts of Dayuan, but the rain would not be heavy. However, the imperial city would not see the sun or the moon for more than a month.
In his previous life, he used this strange phenomenon to spread rumors that the Great Abyss's fate was sealed.
In this life, he also planned to use this unusual phenomenon to force the emperor to choose a male consort for the crown prince during the month or so when the sun and moon were not visible.
At that time, the people of Dayuan will only be grateful for his and the Crown Prince's sacrifices, so how could they regard this as a stain on the Crown Prince's reputation?
Even without this strange phenomenon, the Great Abyss has nine provinces, and there are many strange phenomena and natural disasters. He has plenty of ways to make the emperor compromise.
To maximize the effect of this unusual phenomenon, he would soon spread rumors of a "heavenly dog eating the moon" throughout the Nine Provinces, and his people in the Imperial Observatory would also remind the emperor.
After the strange phenomenon occurs, the imperial city will not see the sun and moon for more than a month. It would be reasonable to have the crown prince marry a male concubine to dispel this phenomenon, right?
Unfortunately, he couldn't tell his family about this plan, because they wouldn't allow him to commit such a deceitful act.
"Father and Mother, can you have more faith in me? Since I love Jingchen, I will naturally not let him get hurt!" Xie Chang'an said helplessly.
"Is this a matter of faith or not? You are going against the will of Heaven, shaking the foundation of the nation, and committing an unforgivable crime!" Xie Shaoling said angrily.
"Since my crimes are unforgivable, then Father, please kill me. Only when I am dead will I not disappoint Father and Mother, nor bring shame to the Duke of Zhenguo's mansion!" Xie Chang'an said to Xie Shaoling, his neck stiff.
"Do you think I wouldn't have the heart to beat you to death?"
Provoked like this, Xie Shaoling really wanted to beat this unfilial son to death for a moment, so that killing him would end everything!
“We won’t hit you, but Chang’an, you need to think this through. If you insist on being with His Highness, you’re gambling with the lives of hundreds of people in the Zhenguo Duke’s Mansion and the Xie family. If you lose, His Majesty will definitely exterminate the entire Xie family. You’d better think carefully!” Xu Jingjing stopped Xie Shaoling, her back to Xie Chang’an, and said in a heavy tone.
"Mother, rest assured, my greatest concern after being reborn is your life and death. I will not gamble with the lives of my entire family. I have my own way of making the emperor acknowledge my identity," Xie Chang'an said earnestly.
"You—" Xu Jingjing had many questions she wanted to ask him about rebirth, but when she thought of the rebirth stories she had read and the changes Xie Chang'an had undergone after he turned six, she couldn't bring herself to ask anything.
Xie Chang'an's change in attitude speaks volumes, and his previous life was definitely not a pleasant memory for him.
If Chang'an wants to speak, they will listen.
If Chang'an doesn't want to talk about it, they won't ask.
As parents, all we want is for our children to have a happy and fulfilling life!
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