314. Do you think your father loves you very much?
Qu Zijin nodded repeatedly: "That's a thoughtful idea! This way, we can protect those children and let those parents who prefer sons to daughters know that abandoning daughters will have consequences. Maybe fewer people will abandon their daughters in the future."
Just then, the palace doors opened, and Xie Wenling walked out.
The little dumpling immediately went over, and Qu Zijin also stepped forward, his eyes full of anticipation.
"How did it go?" Qu Zijin spoke first. "How did the talk with His Majesty go?"
Xie Wenling said in a relaxed tone: "The talks went very smoothly. His Majesty has actually wanted to promote equal rights for a long time, but he didn't want to be too radical. He didn't agree just now because he was afraid of provoking opposition from conservative officials."
"We have already discussed it. The first step is to legislate to clarify that women have inheritance rights, without forcing them to do so. For families who are willing to share their inheritance with their daughters, the court will reduce or exempt their taxes."
“Set up a few more positions for female officials in the palace, starting with miscellaneous tasks and paperwork, so that everyone can gradually accept it.”
"That's great!" The little dumpling cheered immediately, grabbing Lin Fuman's hand. "Sister Fufu, look! There's hope!"
Lin Fu's eyes also lit up as she nodded vigorously, her disappointment completely gone.
Although the goal wasn't achieved immediately, at least we took the first step. If we keep going step by step, we'll succeed someday.
Qu Zijin also breathed a sigh of relief and said with a smile, "Good, good! This way of proceeding is safe and won't easily cause trouble."
“Thank you, Little Moon,” Lin Fuman said, holding the little dumpling’s hand, her eyes a little moist, sniffing. “Thank you for supporting me so much. When I was about to give up, you resolutely continued with this idea and put it into action.”
"You're welcome, Sister Fufu. It's because Yue'er also wants to help others!"
"You're so kind. I'm so glad to have met you. You've made me realize that I'm not fighting this battle alone." Lin Fuman hugged her tightly.
The little dumpling stretched out its short arms and hugged her tightly: "We're friends!"
Xie Wenling looked at them, then at the sky: "I have some business to attend to, and I need to make a detour to the Prince of Zhennan's residence, so I won't keep you company any longer."
"The Prince of Zhennan's residence?" The little dumpling was taken aback.
Isn't that where Shining Bean Prince is?
She hadn't seen Shining Bean Prince in a long time and wondered how he was doing.
So she turned and tugged at Xie Wenling's sleeve: "Brother Xie, can Yue'er go with you?"
Qu Zijin was a little worried: "The situation at the Prince's residence is special right now. Would it be unsafe to take the Princess with us?"
“It’s alright,” Xie Wenling thought for a moment and agreed. “The Prince of Zhennan’s residence is heavily guarded now, so it’s very safe. Besides, I’m just going to see Dou Shichen, nothing will happen. It’s fine to take her with me.”
When Qu Zijin heard Xie Wenling say this, and looked at the little dumpling's expectant eyes, he finally agreed: "Then you should take good care of her and make sure she doesn't run around."
"Okay!" The little dumpling cheered immediately, took Xie Wenling's hand, and said goodbye to Lin Fuman and Qu Zijin, "Sister Fufu, Grand Tutor, Yue'er is going with Brother Xie!"
-
The residence of the Prince of Zhennan.
The Crown Prince's residence was indeed heavily guarded.
The soldiers, clad in armor, stood in neat rows, creating a solemn atmosphere.
The mansion gate looked exceptionally luxurious, with exquisite carvings, but it was deserted and exuded a sense of desolation.
It's a far cry from the bustling crowds of the past.
Once inside the mansion, it was even quieter. There were few servants moving around, and only the occasional sound of soldiers' footsteps could be heard. The usual liveliness was completely gone.
The little dumpling tugged at Xie Wenling's sleeve and whispered, "Brother Xie, why is no one at the Prince's residence?"
Xie Wenling naturally wouldn't tell her that most of them had been killed.
He simply patted the little girl's hand gently, led her into the inner courtyard, and pushed open the door to a room.
Inside the room, a little boy dressed in a brocade robe was sitting on a chair. He was about six years old. His face was round but pale, and his hair was a bit messy. All his former arrogance was gone, and he was crying his eyes out.
The little dumpling was a bit confused and asked Xie Wenling in a low voice, "Brother Xie, why is he crying?"
"Ignore it," Xie Wenling said.
He walked straight up to Dou Shichen, his tone cold and devoid of any warmth as he added fuel to the fire: "Stop crying, it's no use crying. His Majesty has already sent troops to attack your father. Your father is suffering defeat after defeat, losing several cities. It won't be long before he is completely defeated."
"Wow--!"
Dou Shichen cried even harder, his heart breaking, pointing at Xie Wenling between sobs: "It's all your fault! It's all your fault! If it weren't for you, how would I be here? How could my father have lost?!"
He cried and became more and more agitated. He jumped off the chair and tried to pounce on Xie Wenling, but the soldiers held him down by the shoulder and he couldn't move.
Xie Wenling's eyes remained cold, and his tone remained unchanged: "Your father's rebellion was his own choice, and it has nothing to do with me. Instead of crying and blaming me here, you should think about how you're going to live from now on."
"I don't want to think about it! I want my father! I want to kill you!" Dou Shichen struggled, his face covered in tears, his voice hoarse. "You bad person! The emperor is a bad person too! You all bullied me! I want my mother! I want my father!"
Seeing Dou Shichen crying so sadly, the little dumpling felt a little sad and tugged at Xie Wenling's sleeve: "Brother Xie, he's so pitiful."
Xie Wenling glanced at the little boy, his tone softening slightly, but he still didn't let Dou Shichen off the hook: "He may be young, but he will understand sooner or later what his father did. Rebellion is no small matter, and it can't be resolved with a few tears. His Majesty's decision not to punish him immediately is already a mercy. If he continues to be ungrateful, his future will only be more difficult."
Dou Shichen was still crying, but he stopped struggling. He just collapsed to the ground, hugging his knees, sobbing intermittently, "I don't care... I want my father... I don't want to stay here... I want to go home..."
Looking at Dou Shichen, who was lying on the ground crying, Xie Wenling began to kick him while he was down, speaking bluntly and cruelly: "Do you think your father loves you? When he rebelled, he was well aware of the consequences of failure."
"If he wins, you will die. If he loses, you will die too."
"You, the heir apparent, and everyone in the manor will be buried with you."
"He knows you will be implicated, but he still chooses to go down this path."
"In the end, he didn't love you that much; what he loved most was always his own ambition."
Dou Shichen suddenly looked up, tears streaming down his face, his cheeks flushed red, his voice breaking with anguish: "No! That's not true! Father loves me very much! He buys me the best toys, he rides horses with me, he wouldn't abandon me! You're lying! You just want me to hate Father!"
Xie Wenling glanced at him with downcast eyes, his appearance still handsome even though he was speaking cruel words: "I have no reason to lie to you. Treason is a crime punishable by the extermination of an entire clan. Your father should have foreseen this when he raised his army."
"If he truly loves you, he should give up his ambitions and settle down to live a peaceful life with you, instead of dragging you into this dead end."
Dou Shichen was speechless, his tears falling even more fiercely, but he didn't refute anymore. He just hugged his knees, sobbing uncontrollably, his voice breaking intermittently: "Impossible... Father wouldn't abandon me..."
The little dumpling stood to the side, feeling a pang of heartache seeing Dou Shichen crying so pitifully.
Xie Wenling turned to the soldier beside him, his tone as indifferent as if he were talking about something trivial: "According to the rules of the court, since the Prince of Zhennan rebelled, Dou Shichen, as a direct relative, should be eliminated to prevent future troubles and chaos."
Upon hearing this, Dou Shichen's body began to tremble with fear.
Although Xie Wenling had said many times that he wanted to die, none of that had as much impact as Xie Wenling's direct order for his soldiers to kill him.
Because this time he was truly facing death: "You...you want to kill me? Don't kill me! I didn't rebel! I didn't do anything!"
“I know you didn’t do it,” Xie Wenling looked at him, his tone unchanged, “but rules are rules. Unless you can provide crucial information to help His Majesty take down your father faster, there might still be a glimmer of hope.”
The little dumpling got anxious too: "Shining Bean Prince, hurry up and tell me!"
Dou Shichen became wary and shrank back. Although he was still trembling, he gritted his teeth and said, "I...I don't know anything! Even if I did know, I wouldn't say anything! I would never betray my father!"
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