On the tenth day of the fifth month in the eighteenth year of Xuanjia, Prince Liang brought the Emperor and Crown Prince up to Wude Gate.

The Crown Prince was bound with rope and pushed up onto the city gate. The moment he saw the Emperor, he couldn’t help but burst into tears, broke free from the imperial guards restraining him, rushed toward the Emperor’s direction, fell to his knees and cried out: “Father Emperor! Prince Liang, you beast! How could you treat Father Emperor like this!”

The Emperor was helped up onto the city tower by Prince Liang, feeling both humiliated and furious. His bone-chillingly cold gaze glanced at the ceaselessly weeping Crown Prince, and the intense disgust in his eyes startled the Crown Prince.

The Crown Prince’s tears seemed to freeze on his face, never expecting his Father Emperor to look at him with such eyes.

The Crown Prince didn’t know if the Emperor was blaming him for being useless, for failing to rescue him, and was angry with him.

As soon as the Emperor appeared atop the city wall, the generals of the Yuanping army, led by Bai Jinxiu, dismounted one after another, kneeling on the ground to pay respects to the Emperor.

“Bai Jinxiu, who gave you the audacity to besiege the Imperial City?!” The Emperor loudly scolded Bai Jinxiu, “The Crown Prince’s rebellion has already been captured by Prince Liang, yet you still dare to gather troops and cause trouble. Do you still have me, the Emperor, in your eyes?!”

Bai Jinxiu glanced toward Prince Liang, clasped her fists, and said: “Your Majesty… Bai Jinxiu knows that Your Majesty must be threatened by Prince Liang using the Crown Prince’s life as leverage! Bai Jinxiu has failed Your Majesty and failed the Crown Prince! Although Your Majesty and the Crown Prince instructed Bai Jinxiu to capture Prince Liang at any cost, Bai Jinxiu cannot order an immediate assault on the city! Bai Jinxiu cannot watch helplessly as that dog Prince Liang harms Your Majesty and the Crown Prince in the slightest! Please rest assured, Your Majesty and Crown Prince, Bai Jinxiu will surely find a perfect solution. Even if it means death… I will rescue Your Majesty and the Crown Prince first!”

Bai Jinxiu performed the same act that Prince Liang had once staged at the gates of Wude Gate, but in reverse for the Emperor and Prince Liang.

The Emperor felt a mouthful of old blood stuck in his throat, nearly losing his breath again. What kind of situation was this?

Prince Liang’s expression was even more unsightly, not expecting Bai Jinxiu to have such an ability to learn and imitate.

The bound Crown Prince, upon hearing these words, was moved to tears, once again struggling free from the soldiers restraining him and rushing forward, shouting loudly to Bai Jinxiu below the city wall: “Lady Qin, don’t worry about me! Please, you must rescue Father Emperor!”

The Emperor’s face turned azure with anger, glared at the Crown Prince, and shouted: “Who asked you to save me! Withdraw your troops immediately! Otherwise, all of you will be treated as traitors! Where are the Yuanping garrison generals?!”

“Your Majesty, the Yuanping garrison generals have already died in battle!” After Bai Jinxiu finished speaking, she raised her head toward the Emperor’s direction and shouted, “The Crown Prince gave Bai Jinxiu the imperial edict written in Your Majesty’s hand… to mobilize troops to eliminate the rebel Prince Liang. Bai Jinxiu is following orders to lead the Yuanping army to serve the king! Now, the Shuoyang Bai family army has also come to provide reinforcement. Bai Jinxiu and all the Bai family army and Yuanping soldiers will not give up until we rescue Your Majesty and the Crown Prince and execute the rebel Prince Liang!”

The Emperor’s eyes widened – Bai Jinxiu was threatening him!

And there was also the Bai family army?! Prince Liang calculated in his mind the numbers of the Yuanping army and Shuoyang Bai family army that could be mobilized, but… he didn’t know how many of the Shuoyang Bai family army had come.

He gritted his teeth, stepped forward, looked at Bai Jinxiu, and shouted: “Father Emperor has already said that the Crown Prince is a treacherous rebel minister. Bai Jinxiu, will you still not retreat?”

“If the Crown Prince is truly the treacherous rebel minister, why don’t we see the loyal and devoted Chancellor Lu accompanying Your Majesty up the city wall? Why don’t we see Xie Yuchang, Fu Ruoxi, and other loyal generals protecting Your Majesty? We only see Prince Liang! We only see the rebel Fan Yuhuai! We only see Li Mao, the Left Chancellor, who first instigated the Second Prince’s rebellion and later conspired with you!”

Bai Jinxiu looked at Li Mao: “Li Mao! The letters you wrote instigating the Second Prince’s rebellion, the evidence is in my hands. Lord Shoushan and Imperial Teacher Old Tan have already verified them. Now the entire world knows that you instigated the Second Prince’s rebellion back then! Someone… bring the items up!”

Li Mao’s palms tightened, his throat constricting wave after wave.

Ji Tingyu followed the order, commanding people to bring up the silk banner signed by officials remaining in the capital city, certifying Prince Liang and Li Mao’s rebellion, and had people unfurl it…

Imperial Teacher Old Tan’s vigorous and powerful calligraphy was on the silk banner, stating that there were letters as evidence… Li Mao first conspired to instigate the Second Prince’s rebellion and failed, then later incited Prince Liang to rebel, truly a treacherous minister and rebel of the Jin state.

Beside those large characters on the silk banner were the signatures of officials currently remaining in the capital… or those deemed unimportant by Prince Liang, who had not yet been imprisoned.

Li Mao’s fists clenched tightly behind his back. With this petition led by Imperial Teacher Old Tan and signed by hundreds of officials, if Prince Liang could not succeed this time, he would face eternal damnation.

“Li Mao, if you think the letters verified by Lord Shoushan and Imperial Teacher Old Tan are not enough, would adding your son carry sufficient weight? Li Mingrui was captured in Shuoyang! If he comes forward to testify that you initially conspired to instigate the Second Prince’s rebellion and now similarly encouraged Prince Liang, will you acknowledge it or not?!” Bai Jinxiu asked again.

After Ji Tingyu brought the captured Li Mingrui to the capital, Shen Baizhong returned to see Bai Jinxiu once, wanting to ask Bai Jinxiu to spare Li Mingrui. Shen Baizhong wanted to take Li Mingrui away, far from the capital’s troubles and disputes.

Bai Jinxiu then went to see Li Mingrui once. Bai Jinxiu neither threatened nor bribed him, but simply told him about her husband Qin Lang’s personal experience, telling Li Mingrui… that when Marquis Zhongyong Qin Dezhao had tampered with military provisions in Nan Jiang, Qin Lang brought all the evidence to expose his own father Qin Dezhao, thus preserving the lives of everyone in the Qin family.

After hearing this, Li Mingrui understood what Bai Jinxiu meant – sacrifice one father’s life, righteously eliminate relatives to preserve the lives of the rest of the Li family.

According to reason, Li Mingrui, as the eldest legitimate grandson of the Li family, had been educated from childhood in this way – to prioritize the entire clan’s interests, and when necessary… sacrificing one person was not unthinkable.

This was also what Li Mao often taught Li Mingrui, but Li Mingrui didn’t understand why Bai Jinxiu came to tell him these things.

It was only at this moment that Li Mingrui learned… that the old man who had saved his life was a close friend of Bai Qishan.

He suddenly understood why Prince Liang had acted, yet Bai Jinxiu was prepared. He was worried about the old man and told him to leave first… but the old man had gone to inform Bai Jinxiu instead.

While Li Mingrui felt heartbroken and saddened by the old man’s betrayal, he also felt fortunate.

Because he understood that for him, what was now a devastating defeat was also an opportunity.

His father stood with Prince Liang, while he stood with the Crown Prince. In the end, regardless of whether Prince Liang won or the Crown Prince won, at least the Li family could be preserved because of one person. The person to be sacrificed would simply be chosen between him and his father!

Li Mingrui was brought up. He was not bound or escorted under guard. His clothing was clean and neat. He walked out from among the soldiers, looked up at his father: “Father! Turn back and reach the shore…”