"How could this be possible..."

It took the prince a long while to find his voice, but when he opened his mouth, he was trembling so much that he couldn't even form a sentence.

Qiao Jiaojiao felt sad. She saw that the prince's eyes were red, and the veins on the back of his hand holding the letter were visible, as if he was holding back something.

The prince could not describe his feelings at this moment. He felt as if a big hand was tightly grasping his heart, and then resolutely pulling it out of his chest, and then ruthlessly crushing it into the ice and snow.

At this moment, he seemed to feel the bitterness and despair as the poison wine passed through his throat and permeated his body.

Father...

Is this your choice? Is this the final outcome you want for your son?

The contents of the letter were so horrifying that he shouldn't have believed it.

But Meng Guxue said that in her dreams, Xiao Si would drown on his birthday, the Dragon Boat Festival.

Looking back now, he realized that if Qiao Jia's Erlang had not rescued Xiao Si in time that day, Xiao Si would have drowned alone in Yuhua Lake.

As for his second brother's life experience and the secret of the young assassins, Meng Guxue spoke so confidently that he could hardly help but believe it.

What tore his heart the most was that sentence -

"The fourth prince was born after the emperor got drunk and forced the queen into thinking she was Princess Yu Liu!"

The prince suddenly remembered the scene when he learned that his mother was pregnant with the fourth child.

At that time, the relationship between his father and his mother had reached its lowest point. He had high hopes for his father, while at the same time he hoped that his mother would be able to regain her confidence.

When he learned that his mother was pregnant, he could not wait to rush to Yiku Palace and shouted joyfully that he was finally going to have a younger brother or sister.

Now that I think about it, every word he said, every expectant look in his eyes, was like a sharp knife piercing my mother's heart...

Thinking of this, the prince could no longer hold back his trembling shoulders. He covered his face with his hands, his heart aching!

What kind of struggle did his mother, his most kind and selfless mother, go through before she convinced herself to accept the child in her belly?

How he swallowed all the grievances, let go of past grudges, and hurt Xiao Si to the core.

When Qiao Tianjing saw this, he winked at Qiao Jiaojiao.

Qiao Jiaojiao shook her head silently.

Qiao Tianjing understood what he meant, and quietly stepped out, gently closing the door.

Qiao Jiaojiao hesitated for a while, but still raised her hand and pulled the hem of the prince's shirt.

The prince seemed to be completely immersed in his own world. He was so startled by Qiao Jiaojiao's pull that his whole body froze.

Qiao Jiaojiao raised her head and said in a warm voice, "Brother Crown Prince, Jiaojiao wants to be hugged."

The prince knew that Qiao Tianjing had left.

He lowered his head and slowly removed his hands from his face.

Qiao Jiaojiao saw that the prince's eyes were already red, with tears on his face, making him look so fragile and helpless.

This is the first time His Royal Highness the Crown Prince has lost his composure.

Seeing this, Qiao Jiaojiao's eyes suddenly soured, and she said with a pursed mouth: "Brother Crown Prince is crying, Jiaojiao wants to cry too."

These words almost made the prince burst into tears again.

He was such a gentle person. Even though his heart was broken at this moment, he still squatted down patiently and touched Qiao Jiaojiao's head.

"Jiaojiao, don't cry. Brother Crown Prince just feels that... he is really useless."

"No one can protect my prince, no one can protect him..."

The prince never easily reveals his thoughts to anyone, but he thinks Jiaojiao knows nothing, so he can say some things without any scruples.

"Jiaojiao, I am really a failure in my life..."

When the prince said this, he burst into tears again.

He blamed himself so much, why he still had expectations for his father until the end, why he never discovered his mother's difficulties, why he didn't protect Xiao Si, why he didn't accomplish anything!

“That’s not the case!”

Qiao Jiaojiao suddenly spoke loudly, then walked forward without hesitation, stood on tiptoe and hugged the prince's neck.

She leaned close to the prince's ear and said firmly in a childish voice:

"Brother Crown Prince is the best brother, the most gentle and kindest brother. Jiaojiao and Xiaosi both like Brother Crown Prince very much!"

"Brother Crown Prince, don't cry. Jiaojiao will wipe your tears for you!"

Qiao Jiaojiao stepped back slightly. Just as she was about to raise her sleeves to wipe the prince's tears, the prince suddenly hugged her.

He lowered his head and rested his face on Jiaojiao's little shoulder. At this moment, he took off all his disguises and let the tears roll down.

Qiao Jiaojiao noticed that the prince's body was trembling, and her heart ached at this moment.

The prince is actually still a teenager.

But this young man has already shouldered too much, and today may be the last time he sheds tears.

When he steps out of this door again, he will abandon all unrealistic fantasies and become completely cold-hearted, even if there are wars between father and son or quarrels between brothers!

After a long time, the prince finally calmed down.

He patted Jiaojiao's back gently and said in a hoarse voice: "Jiaojiao, the prince will desperately protect everything he wants to protect."

"Never again..."

This sentence seemed to be a murmur, but it seemed more like he was talking to himself.

Qiao Jiaojiao smiled and said, "Jiaojiao knows that the prince is the best!"

Hearing such innocent words from a child, the gloom on the prince's brow finally dissipated.

There's still time for everything.

He couldn't dwell on a tragic future that hadn't yet happened.

What he has to do now is to nip all signs of trouble in the bud!

He stepped back slightly and faced Qiao Jiaojiao.

Qiao Jiaojiao smiled innocently and raised her hand to touch the prince's eyes.

"My prince's eyes are swollen from crying. Shame on you!"

The prince was shy when he heard this. He poked Jiaojiao's little face and said with a smile:

"Then Jiaojiao, can you keep this secret for Brother Crown Prince?"

Qiao Jiaojiao blinked her eyes. "Keep it a secret? You mean you can't tell anyone else. Is the prince crying in secret?"

When the prince heard this, he finally couldn't hold back his tears and burst into laughter.

"yes."

Qiao Jiaojiao's eyes curved, "Then the prince must give Jiaojiao lots of delicious food!"

The prince saw Qiao Jiaojiao's cute little appearance and pinched her little nose with great curiosity.

"You are such a smart kid. Xiao Si is already very smart, but when he was your age, he couldn't speak so fluently."

Qiao Jiaojiao immediately put her hands on her hips and raised her head proudly, "How can Xiao Si compare to Jiaojiao!"

The prince couldn't help but burst out laughing, and only then did the depression in his heart finally disappear.

Looking at the young and ignorant Qiao Jiaojiao in front of him, the prince felt extremely grateful.

If Jiaojiao hadn't been there to make jokes, he would have almost drowned in self-blame and despair.

"Thank you Jiaojiao, and thank you Qiao family."

The prince thanked him very seriously, and it didn't matter even if Jiaojiao didn't understand.

The Qiao family is a rare loyal and righteous family in the world, and they have helped him so much.

If he can succeed in the future, he will definitely learn from the wise and benevolent emperors in history, keep his original aspirations, treat his loyal ministers well, and lead the Yong Dynasty to a great prosperity!

At this moment, the young crown prince solemnly expressed his lifelong ambition in front of a young child.