The Grand Princess, who had been on tenterhooks in the side hall, finally breathed a sigh of relief upon hearing these words. Her rigid spine softly leaned against the cushion, and two streams of hot tears couldn’t be suppressed from flowing even with her eyes closed.

Bai Qingyan’s impassioned and intense words just now had several times aroused the Emperor’s killing intent several times.

But with these words spoken, her eldest granddaughter’s life was finally secured.

Fortunately, Bai Qingyan had not been blinded by hatred after all and knew to leave herself a chance at survival.

The Emperor gazed at the woman kneeling in the center of the great hall in mourning clothes, neither servile nor arrogant, who looked remarkably like Bai Su’s proud bearing.

The most tender emotions in his heart were touched, and the Emperor stared directly at the young woman who met his gaze, like an old monk in meditation.

In this world, loyal ministers were not hard to find, but what was hard to find were capable ministers who were both loyal and righteous. Yet often, capable ministers were most easily attacked by treacherous officials… and feared by emperors.

After a long while, the Emperor finally straightened his spine and slowly spoke, his voice carrying some weakness: “Prince Xin… I will demote him to commoner status and confine him within Prince Xin’s mansion! As for Liu Huanzhang, exterminate his nine clans! Are you satisfied with this result?”

“Father Emperor?! Father Emperor!” Prince Xin widened his eyes in disbelief, crawling forward on his knees and crying out: “Father Emperor, your son is your legitimate heir!”

The Emperor clenched his teeth, extremely disappointed and furious with this legitimate son, his voice sharp: “Drag Prince Xin out! What propriety is there in such crying and wailing!”

Still reluctant to kill his legitimate son!

It didn’t matter if the Emperor wouldn’t kill him – she would kill him herself. It was merely leaving Prince Xin to live a few more days and suffer more torment.

She respectfully kowtowed to the Emperor on his throne: “I implore Your Majesty to thoroughly investigate what is written in the bamboo slips… regarding the matter of provisions and supplies not reaching Feng City, to give the heroic spirits of the Bai family justice!”

Seeing the woman bow down, her long hair sliding from her shoulders, the Emperor closed his eyes and completely suppressed his killing intent.

Never mind – a woman with the same backbone as Suqiu, let her live in Suqiu’s place.

“The matter of provisions involves Marquis Zhongyong Qin Dezhao, and your second sister just married into the Marquis Zhongyong’s mansion…”

“Your Majesty, Qin Lang has already requested to give up his heir apparent position and move out of the Marquis Zhongyong’s mansion. He is also an exemplary young man from scholarly families whom Your Majesty praised. The Bai family only seeks justice and doesn’t wish to implicate others.”

“The matter of provisions, I will thoroughly investigate!” The Emperor stepped around the desk and sat on the dragon throne with imperial dignity. After gazing at Bai Qingyan for a moment, he asked: “You just said that if Great Jin seeks peace with Nanyan and Xiliang, the Rong barbarians and Great Liang will dare to pounce and get their share. These words hit the crucial point and show great insight. If we don’t seek peace… Xiliang and Nanyan armies press at our borders. If we seek peace… the Rong barbarians and Great Liang watch like tigers.”

The Emperor pressed his lips together without speaking, quietly waiting for Bai Qingyan to speak.

The future general star praised by Duke Bai Weiting – the Emperor also wanted to see what capabilities she possessed.

Originally, Bai Qingyan had planned to rush to the southern frontier after everything settled, but unexpectedly, the Emperor had delivered this opportunity right to her.

She wanted to go to the southern frontier not only to search for and rescue Bai family survivors… but most importantly, the Bai family’s foundation was in the military!

A centipede dies but doesn’t fall stiff – the army was where the Bai family should most focus their efforts. To raise one’s arm and have hundreds respond with a single call was something no other surname in the Great Jin could achieve.

After pondering for a moment, she kowtowed: “The southern frontier battle absolutely cannot be avoided and allows no other thoughts! Ceding territory, paying reparations, seeking peace, and adopting a low posture may make Xiliang and Nanyan temporarily withdraw troops, but when the Rong barbarians and Great Liang pounce, they’ll be equally troublesome! But if we can still win despite this disastrous defeat, all nations will know that the Great Jin’s national prestige still cannot be violated.”

“These words of yours… do you have… confidence in victory?”

After asking this question, the Emperor lightly clicked his tongue. At the victory banquet after the return from destroying Shu, Duke Bai Weiting had said his granddaughter was a natural military talent. He had only smiled without speaking, thinking Bai Weiting was exaggerating. How could a daughter from the inner chambers, even if she had the reputation of beheading Shu’s general Pang Guoping, not have been helped by others?

And now, he was discussing frontier warfare and national military strategy with his daughter from the inner chambers, whom he had once dismissed.

Somehow, the Emperor again thought of military talent… Bai Qingyan had said Duke Bai Weiting claimed he had the great ambition of a Kunpeng.

He also couldn’t help remembering what he had once said to the Duke… for this entire lifetime, I entrust military power to you, never to doubt.

The Emperor’s heart immediately filled with guilt, and he closed his eyes.

Speaking of regret… losing loyal and capable ministers, he regretted it!

Speaking of no regret… the powerful influence of several generations of achievements that overshadowed the master had been dissolved, and no one could threaten his imperial power anymore – he also didn’t regret it.

The faint torment in his heart was merely the inevitable sense of loss.

“That depends on who goes to war.” Bai Qingyan heard the Emperor’s implied meaning and raised her head to look at the one in a high position. “The courage of one soldier can be easily obtained, but the talent of one general cannot be found among a hundred thousand.”

The Emperor, leaning against the golden cushion, tightened his fingers.

“Military affairs cannot be avoided; sacrifice filial piety for loyalty! If Your Majesty still trusts my Bai family, Bai Qingyan is willing to swear by the Bai family’s hundred years of honor that I will not rest until I destroy those who violate our Jin territory! If Your Majesty no longer wishes to trust the Bai family…”

The Emperor’s eyes blazed: “If I no longer wish to trust, then what?”

“Then please, Your Majesty… endure for the sake of Jin’s people and myriad citizens. Even if you send a prince to accompany, the military achievements… the Bai family doesn’t want them! After this battle is won, presumably the nations will fear Jin even more. Then Great Jin will have plenty of time to cultivate successor military talents, and I will return to my old home in Shouyang to observe mourning for my grandfather, father, uncle, and brothers.”

The Emperor’s fingers, tracing the cushion’s corners, paused. The meaning in Bai Qingyan’s words… was to present military achievements with both hands to the accompanying prince?!

The Emperor pressed his lips: “Present military achievements? Are you willing?”

“Your Majesty, at the palace banquet that day, I thought… I had already made it very clear that the Bai family has never wanted any military achievements. What the Bai family has protected with their lives for generations is the Great Jin’s clear rivers and peaceful seas, the people’s prosperous peace! The backbone of the Bai army is to never rest until destroying the bandits and thieves who violate our Jin people!”

The Emperor’s palm suddenly tightened.

Never rest until you destroy the bandits and thieves who violate our Jin people!

If she was indeed a military talent, with all the men of Duke’s mansion dead, though the Emperor felt sorrow without regret, his state of mind at this moment was completely different.

His heart felt as if stung by a poisonous scorpion.

Once, he had promised never to doubt, but he still doubted the Duke.

But he couldn’t regret it. The Duke’s achievements overshadowed the master too much. Great Jin’s rivers and mountains, the Lin family’s realm, couldn’t have problems in his hands, otherwise, he would be unworthy of the Lin ancestors.

Better to wrongly kill than let slip – he was right! As Emperor, he must be right!

The Emperor’s fingers trembled slightly. After a long while, he said hoarsely, “Go to the side hall and help your grandmother return. Let me think…”

Bai Qingyan kowtowed and withdrew from the main hall, only to see her grandmother already waiting for her at the entrance of the main hall.

The grandmother’s and granddaughter’s red eyes met, supporting each other without a word as they walked toward the palace exit.

“Are you… Striving for war and requesting to go to the southern frontier to force Your Majesty to kill Prince Xin?” The Grand Princess’s fingertips were ice-cold.

“It’s not that I’m striving for war, but that we have no choice but to fight. Today’s words between granddaughter and His Majesty were not alarmist talk.”