Rebirth: The Journey of an Heiress
Chapter 648 - 645: Filial Piety_1

Chapter 648: Chapter 645: Filial Piety_1

He was filled with a spirit even men could not rival, dignified and solemn.

"Princess of Zhen, go ahead and request the Imperial Edict. Before it comes, I, Liu Hong, will certainly protect these surrendered soldiers!" Liu Hong clasped his hands toward Bai Qingyan, his tone resolute.

Bai Qingyan nodded, "I entrust them to you, General Liu!"

Bai Qingyan wanted to clasp her hands toward Liu Hong, but her arms were too weak to lift. She turned her head to glance at the surrendered soldiers below the city wall who were looking up at her, then turned to walk down the stairs of the city tower.

Eighteen thousand soldiers, they were merely following orders. The struggles of those in power... they fought with their lives!

Since they were soldiers, they should die on the battlefield, they should die defending their country!

Soldiers... are the last people a nation should sacrifice to schemes and plots.

The Emperor didn’t want these men, but she did!

These eighteen thousand soldiers could go to the Southern Frontier, the Northern Frontier, even the Eastern Coast or the Western Region to fight the enemy! In any case... they must not die at the Yongding Gate of the Imperial City! They must not die in the whirlpool of the struggle between King Liang and King Xin for the throne, they must not die in the Emperor’s wrath.

"Why is she leaving?!"

Someone saw Bai Qingyan on the high wall seemingly about to leave and shouted loudly.

"Princess of Zhen! You said we would not be killed if we surrendered our weapons!"

"Princess of Zhen!"

"Bah! Damn it... they tricked us!"

Hearing the commotion below, Liu Hong feared a disturbance and shouted to the surrendered soldiers below, "The Princess of Zhen has gone to request mercy from the Emperor! The archers have already lowered their bows! Be at ease!"

Seeing this, Liu Hong’s subordinates also shouted, "The Princess of Zhen will protect you, she definitely will!"

Liu Hong turned to look at his subordinate. Originally, Liu Hong didn’t want to tell these soon-to-be-dead surrendered soldiers this, as he knew how determined the Emperor was to kill them.

His subordinate, seeing Liu Hong look at him, quickly stepped back and bowed deeply in apology, "General, if we don’t say this and let these soldiers continue crashing the gate, any mishap... you won’t be able to explain to the Emperor!"

Liu Hong’s fists tightened. He only hoped Bai Qingyan could really persuade the Emperor.

Eighteen thousand soldiers, not to mention the Nandu army, just training these imperial guards cost much silver and many years.

If these eighteen thousand soldiers were really killed, it would be the Jin Kingdom that suffered.

·

The Crown Prince had just served the Emperor his medicine and handed him a teacup for rinsing his mouth. He saw Gao Demao enter with small steps and whisper, "Your Majesty, Crown Prince, the Princess of Zhen urgently requests an audience."

The Emperor covered his mouth with his hand, spat the mouthwash into a spittoon, took the silk handkerchief handed by the Crown Prince to wipe his mouth, and said, "Let Bai Qingyan come in!"

Gao Demao responded and went out to summon Bai Qingyan.

Seeing Bai Qingyan, who had changed clothes but was still soaked, the Crown Prince was quite surprised. He placed the silk handkerchief the Emperor had used into the black lacquered tray held by the kneeling palace maid, "Princess of Zhen, what is this..."

After performing a grand ceremony and kowtowing to the Emperor, Bai Qingyan said, "Your Majesty, I have come to beg for your mercy, to plead that the eighteen thousand surrendered soldiers not be killed."

Leaning against the yellow silk cushion, the Emperor narrowed his eyes, anger welling up, and quietly watched Bai Qingyan, "What, do you think my actions are too cruel?"

"More than half of the imperial guards and Nandu army betrayed the country, attacked the Imperial City with the intent to usurp the throne. Their deaths are deserved! But... last year’s Southern Frontier battle and this year’s Northern Frontier battle, right now the Jin Kingdom is in dire need of soldiers. Newly recruited soldiers lack at least half a year of training to be battle-ready!"

On her way here, Bai Qingyan had already thought about how to speak to the Emperor. Talking about sentiments with the Emperor was useless; she needed to touch upon his interests.

The Emperor withdrew his gaze and stared at the distant flickering candle flame, pondering Bai Qingyan’s words.

"I understand your anger... your hatred. However, Your Majesty, you can send these soldiers to the Southern Frontier or Northern Frontier, or to guard the Jin Kingdom’s borders with the Rong and Yan. If you order General Liu to kill these eighteen thousand soldiers, spies from other countries might become restless, and the Jin Kingdom would be in great danger!"

Bai Qingyan didn’t give the Emperor specific suggestions to avoid suspicion. The suggestion for where to send these eighteen thousand soldiers could only come from the Crown Prince.

"Your Majesty, they are all soldiers of the Jin Kingdom! Since they enlisted, if they must die... they should die on the battlefield at the hands of the enemy, not by the arrows of their comrades!" Bai Qingyan kowtowed heavily to the Emperor.

The Emperor’s hand, which was propped on the bedside, tightened slightly. Not by the arrows of their comrades...

The Emperor suddenly thought of the Bai family men who perished in the Southern Frontier, and his heart softened a bit.

What Bai Qingyan said made sense.

But not killing these treacherous dogs would not quench the Emperor’s rage.

The Crown Prince, seeing Bai Qingyan look up at him, signaling him to plead with the Emperor, lowered his eyes in thought for a moment, remembering the Bai family army far in the Southern Frontier.

The Bai family army was now essentially under the Crown Prince’s command, so any benefits should naturally favor the Bai family army.

"Father, I believe the Princess of Zhen speaks reasonably. After all... they are soldiers of the Jin Kingdom, receiving Father’s pay and provisions. Even if they must die, they should die meaningfully! If Father truly doesn’t trust them, they can be sent to the Southern Frontier. If Xiliang stirs again, they can be the vanguard. This way... Father’s years of nurturing them won’t be in vain. They will feel grateful for Father’s mercy and amend their ways from now on."

The Emperor glanced at Bai Qingyan, who knelt on the ground with her head bowed, then at the Crown Prince, who smiled gently. Having experienced this palace coup, he trusted this son even more.

The Crown Prince could have stayed away, but he entered the palace to rescue him, showing his filial piety.

Perhaps the Emperor had aged and lost his legitimate son, King Xin, becoming softer-hearted. He nodded to the Crown Prince, "I have entrusted the state affairs to you. You will decide this matter. I am tired..."

The Crown Prince quickly helped the Emperor lie down and covered him with a quilt, "Father, rest well. I will handle the affairs properly. If there is anything I’m unsure of, I’ll seek your guidance to ease your worries."

Serving the Emperor well, the Crown Prince left the Emperor’s bedchamber with Bai Qingyan. The Crown Prince asked Quan Yu to bring a cloak for Bai Qingyan, "You should take better care of yourself. Knowing you’re not well, why would you let yourself get wet after changing clothes?"

Hearing the Crown Prince’s probing tone, Bai Qingyan replied, "Don’t worry, Your Highness. My health has improved significantly these past days."