Chapter 219 The Caning of Tu You
Wang Qiang cried out, "Princess! Just kill me!"
Qin Jinzhi told him to throw it on the ground and then drew Tu You's sword.
You think I wouldn't dare kill you!
Tu You quickly stepped forward and said, "Princess! This matter needs to be reported to the Prince before a decision is made. Wang Qiang is an important witness and cannot be killed!"
Qin Jinzhi looked at Tu You with a cold smile, her eyes red.
“I knew long ago that you and General Huo were at odds. Now that such a treacherous villain has slandered him with ulterior motives, instead of investigating the truth, you have joined him in his evil deeds and kicked him when he was down!”
Tu You immediately knelt on the ground, "Princess! This humble general had absolutely no intention of kicking someone when they're down! All the evidence points to General Huo, which is why we arrested him and interrogated him."
Qin Jinzhi stared coldly at Tu You, "Disrupting the morale of the army, what is the punishment?"
Upon hearing this, the soldiers behind Tu You also knelt down.
"Princess, please forgive General Tu. He was only acting under orders. You cannot protect General Huo just because you have a special relationship with him! What wrong has General Tu done!"
Qin Jinzhi ignored everyone's explanations and shouted, "Guards, drag this person who is disrupting morale away and give him fifty strokes of the cane!"
"Princess!!!"
After hearing this, Tu You got up and went directly to the training ground.
The executioner looked anxiously at Qin Jinzhi as Tu You, who had already taken off his shirt, stared at him.
Qin Jinzhi stood not far from the execution site and shouted, "Strike!"
The soldiers in the camp all knelt down on the ground.
"Please, Your Highness, have mercy!"
Tu You remained expressionless as the military baton struck his back again and again.
Blood began to seep out within moments.
One of the generals who had seen Qin Jinzhi at the Prince's residence stepped forward and said, "Princess, how can you punish General Tu without even knowing the facts? What will the other soldiers think? You cannot let down the hearts of a million soldiers! Please, Princess, stop the punishment immediately!"
Qin Jinzhi stared into his eyes and asked, "Since when have you been able to make decisions for me?"
No matter how much the soldiers pleaded, Qin Jinzhi remained silent.
After the fifty strokes of the cane were finished, Qin Jinzhi rode away from the military camp.
Tu You was carried back to the camp.
He developed a high fever in the middle of the night and was taken back to the city by soldiers for treatment overnight.
News of Qin Jinzhi's cover-up of Huo Tingshan's severe punishment of Tu You quickly spread throughout the army.
Upon receiving the news, the sixth prince entered the palace overnight.
"Royal sister! Just as you predicted, Qin Jinzhi severely punished Tu You in order to protect Huo Tingshan, and now many soldiers in the Zhenbei Army are dissatisfied with her!"
Xiao Linglong looked at what was written in the letter and sneered, "Qin Jinzhi is nothing special. However, judging from her style of doing things, she shouldn't be that simple. Send people to keep an eye on Huo Tingshan and Huo Qing, who is close to Father Emperor. Also, keep a close eye on the military."
The Sixth Prince nodded. "Sister, what should we do next?"
Xiao Linglong smiled gently, "Isn't this the perfect time to win people over when morale is low? Send people to contact the soldiers who are starting to have grievances against the Qin family."
The sixth prince frowned and thought for a moment, "It's not that our people haven't made contact, but they've all been rejected."
Xiao Linglong picked up her teacup. "Times have changed. Now that the war is over, we have to consider our future. If we fail to win people's hearts, it just means we haven't given them enough. As long as you, my brother, throw away plenty of money, you won't have to worry about not winning people over."
The sixth prince thought for a moment, "While money may tempt people, those who are won over in this way may not necessarily be loyal to me in the future."
Xiao Linglong put down her teacup and laughed, "Brother, you are too naive. These people are just pawns to deal with Qin Jinzhi. Do you really intend to bring them under your command? The morale of the Zhenbei Army is unstable and it is falling apart. Only then can military power return to our maternal grandfather's hands. Once military power is in hand, whether he lives or dies is up to you, brother."
The Sixth Prince nodded. "Your Highness is right."
Xiao Linglong glanced at the Sixth Prince with a hint of impatience in her eyes, then said, "Brother, let me add one more thing: those who achieve great things do not concern themselves with trifles. You must have a broad perspective. In the future, this world will be yours. Don't be stingy with material possessions!"
The Sixth Prince gritted his teeth. If Qin Jinzhi hadn't visited his residence, he could have listened to Xiao Linglong without hesitation. Now, the thought of his private treasure trove made his heart ache.
Xiao Linglong then added, "By the way, don't send anyone to contact Tu You."
The Sixth Prince was puzzled. "He was punished with fifty lashes by Qin Jinzhi. He must be resentful. Isn't this a good opportunity to get in touch with him?"
Xiao Linglong explained, "Tu You might have a grudge against Qin Jinzhi, but he would never have a grudge against Qin Ye. He only obeys Qin Jinzhi's orders because of Qin Ye. If you send someone to contact him about this matter, he might become wary and tell Qin Ye. At this time, the Yang family cannot confront the Qin family. Just have our people in the army keep an eye on things."
The sixth prince nodded in agreement.
After the Sixth Prince left, Xiao Linglong said impatiently to Consort Xian, "Mother, how come my brother has only grown older but not smarter over the years? He can't even handle such a simple thing."
Consort Xian tapped her head, "You mustn't talk about your brother like that. It just shows how smart you are."
Xiao Linglong picked up a pastry and said, "By the way, Mother, my sister's husband is keeping another woman outside. I heard he dotes on her very much, and she even gave birth to a son for him."
Consort Xian's eyes turned cold. "The Lu family's son is nothing special. If it weren't for the marriage alliance between the Yang and Lu families, how could your sister have married a second son of the legitimate wife? Men are all like this, fickle and unfaithful. I'll send someone to deal with him right away."
Xiao Linglong smiled and said, "Mother, even if there isn't one, there will be another. What if my brother-in-law finds out and the Yang and Lu families become enemies?"
Consort Xian looked at Xiao Linglong, "Do you have a solution?"
Xiao Linglong smiled gently, "People in love always want to have children. Since she likes to have children so much, let her have as many as she wants. Childbirth is always a life-or-death situation for women, and it's not uncommon for both mother and child to die."
Consort Xian nodded. "I will send someone to handle this immediately. Don't let your sister know about such a sordid matter."
Xiao Linglong stood up. "Then I will take my leave."
As Xiao Linglong stepped out of Consort Xian's palace, her eyes turned desolate.
Her elder sister, who shared the same mother, was quite intelligent, yet she fell in love with the son of the Lu family, with whom she was to be married.
She wouldn't bother dealing with the women in the backyard if she weren't afraid of upsetting them.
And then there's my elder brother, who hasn't made any progress all these years.
Qin Jinzhi made a slight mistake and threw him into a panic.
If she weren't a woman, that position would have been given to her elder brother.
But it's all for the best. His elder brother isn't very clever, which will help him seize the throne in the future. Dealing with his elder brother will be like manipulating a puppet.
In the future, she will be the most powerful princess in the world!
Qin Jinzhi wanted to support the legitimate heir, but even if the crown prince inherited the throne, she would have to agree to it.
So what if the Qin family were meritorious officials of the Jin state?
Anyone who blocks her way will die!
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