Seeing the Emperor remain silent, the Grand Princess closed her eyes, tears seeping from the corners as she choked out with emotion: “Marrying into the Bai family, yet unable to give my whole heart, constantly testing and guarding against my husband and son… Your Majesty, do you know how guilty I feel in my heart? Now, please… please let the Bai family leave the capital and spare them some bloodline. After all, they also carry the blood of our Lin family! And now only daughters remain. Even if… this aunt begs Your Majesty to leave some bloodline for your aunt, is that acceptable?!”

The Grand Princess’s eyes brimmed with tears as she respectfully pleaded with the Emperor, hoping he still had a trace of compassion and would see the Bai family’s gesture of retreat without pursuing them to destruction.

The Emperor’s fingers rubbed against each other, and after a long while, he finally spoke: “Aunt, I do not wish to destroy the Bai family, but this eldest Miss Bai…”

Reviewing these past days, everything this eldest Miss Bai had done could be described as sharp and prominent! It was precisely this eldest Miss Bai who had pushed the Bai family’s reputation to its peak all along. He was the Emperor… how could he not see through this?

But this eldest Miss Bai was also the one most like Bai Suqiu…

Thinking of Bai Suqiu, the Emperor’s eyes grew moist.

The sweetheart he sought but could not obtain in his youth became easier to remember and regret as he reached middle age.

His wariness of the Bai family had long been like ice frozen three feet deep… Since he had sacrificed tens of thousands of soldiers to reach this point, even if the Bai family’s outstanding member was just a daughter, if not eliminated, the Emperor would neither be willing nor at ease.

Seeing the Emperor had murderous intent toward Bai Qingyan, the Grand Princess’s hands trembled.

She looked at the Emperor and spoke with a crying voice: “For the stability of the royal family, if Your Majesty says my granddaughter must be killed, I have absolutely no objection! But does Your Majesty know why I value this legitimate eldest granddaughter so much?”

The Emperor looked toward the Grand Princess.

“Because this granddaughter of mine is most like Suqiu!” The Grand Princess’s tears flowed like broken strings when she mentioned her daughter. “Strong in character, would rather break than bend! She’s exactly another Suqiu! The year Suqiu died… I nearly followed her! Now I pour all my feelings onto this granddaughter, hoping… hoping Your Majesty will spare this child’s life for Suqiu’s sake!”

The Grand Princess’s words undoubtedly touched the softest place in the Emperor’s heart.

Perhaps from the moment he sat on this cold imperial throne, the Emperor’s heart had gradually become cold, but only the place where Bai Suqiu was kept… remained soft and warm.

The Emperor clenched his back teeth, lowering his gaze to stare at the bloodstained bamboo slips. After a long while, as if making a determined decision, he spoke: “Help the Grand Princess rest in the side hall, have Xie Yuchang personally lead the Imperial Guards to arrest Liu Huanzhang’s entire family and put them in prison, and bring that rebellious son, Prince Xin, to me!”

After thinking, the Emperor added another sentence: “Enter and exit through Wude Gate!”

Outside the great hall, the Empress, anxious as ants on a hot pan, heard the Emperor’s furious roar and was startled into a stiff expression.

Outside Wude Gate.

Imperial Guard Commander Xie Yuchang rode out swiftly, leading the Imperial Guards straight to Liu Huanzhang’s residence with great momentum.

Soon, Prince Xin, who had received a solid kick to the chest from the Emperor yesterday, was tightly bound with hemp rope by guards and escorted through Wude Gate.

When Prince Xin saw the Bai family members and common people at the entrance of Wude Gate, his gaze was like a venomous snake staring straight at Bai Qingyan…

The words asking the Emperor to kill him had come from this eldest Miss Bai!

With all this commotion, the people discussed among themselves with heated blood, saying that at least the Son of Heaven was still wise.

Soon, another little eunuch hurried out from within Wude Gate, holding a whisk in his hands. He stood before the Bai family daughters and said in a shrill voice: “His Majesty summons eldest Miss Bai…”

Bai Jinzhi suddenly grasped Bai Qingyan’s hand, her heartbeat extremely fast: “Elder sister…”

Looking at Bai Jinzhi, whose eyes were red, she gently patted Bai Jinzhi’s hand, her gaze firm and bright: “With grandmother here, and all of you and the people waiting here, nothing will happen!”

Only after hearing this did Bai Jinzhi feel somewhat reassured, slowly releasing her grip on Bai Qingyan’s hand.

She stood up, her legs already somewhat numb, calmly straightened the mourning clothes on her body, turned to bow to the common people who had followed their Bai family to Wude Gate, then turned back to look at the eunuch who had come to deliver the summons.

“Please lead the way, Eunuch…”

Along the palace path with red walls and azure tiles, Bai Qingyan followed behind the leading eunuch, her eyes deep and unfathomable, her spine held extremely straight, completely unlike someone who had just been beaten with a stick.

Bai Qingyan lowered her eyelids. In her previous life, through Prince Liang and Du Zhiwei, she had some understanding of the Emperor.

The Emperor had no great talent for governing the world, was suspicious and jealous. Because he was not valued by the late Emperor in his youth and lived quite miserably, after ascending to the supreme position, he was very fond of luxury and ostentation, and was determined to be a more renowned wise ruler than the late Emperor.

Such an Emperor would fear the historian’s pen more than anyone else.

Otherwise, why would the Imperial Guards move through Wude Gate? Why bind Prince Xin without any face-saving and escort him through Wude Gate?

Since the Emperor summoned her for an audience through Wude Gate, it already showed that the Emperor would not kill her.

In a moment, the Emperor’s approach to her would be nothing more than… either intimidation or enticement.

Before Bai Qingyan could think further, they had already reached the entrance of the great hall.

Entering the hall, she saw Prince Xin kneeling to one side with a pale face, trembling. She respectfully performed the grand kowtow ceremony to the Emperor, quietly gazing at the azure stone floor before her, polished to mirror brightness.

The Emperor stared at Bai Qingyan prostrated on the ground without speaking, gripping a scroll of military records in his hand, tapping the desk before him intermittently with a voice so cold it sent chills down one’s spine: “Miss Bai gathering crowds before Wude Gate, what do you want?”

She slowly straightened up, kneeling in the great hall, raising her head to look at the Emperor on the high seat, and asked back: “This is also what I want to ask Your Majesty. Your Majesty, having Prince Xin, such a worthless person, supervise the army – what do you want?”

The Bai family had protected the people for a hundred years, winning the hearts of the people – this was her support, so she feared neither imperial power nor dragon’s might from the bottom of her heart.

This Emperor of the Great Jin was best at assessing situations.

Now that she stood on the side of the general trend, the Emperor… understood in his heart.

The Emperor struggled to restrain himself, the veins on his forehead throbbing, feeling that this eldest Miss Bai was not only bold and deeply scheming, but also sharp!

She had calculated that he, as Emperor, could not kill her, which was why she dared to be so arrogant before him.

The Emperor was furious and laughed coldly: “To force me to kill Prince Xin, inciting popular sentiment and anger, Miss Bai intends to shake the foundation of the dynasty to force me to submit?! What… if I don’t kill Prince Xin, will the Bai family rebel?”

“The bloodstained military record bamboo slips are still before Your Majesty’s desk. Has Your Majesty read them?” Her gaze swept over those several bamboo slips, then she raised her head to look at the Emperor with his gloomy expression, feeling utterly heartbroken for the Bai family. “I have no power, no influence, no soldiers or armor. Wearing mourning clothes without carrying weapons, I merely support myself with one life, kneeling before Wude Gate, seeking justice for my grandfather, father, uncle, and brothers. How does this relate to the word ‘rebellion’?”