"Your Majesty, this humble general, together with the three sons of the Yu family, has co to plead guilty. We beg Your Majesty to grant the Yu family one chance to atone for our sins!"
General Yu’s voice echoed through the Imperial Study as he knelt heavily on the floor, his forehead pressed low. Behind him, his three sons followed suit, their postures rigid, their expressions tense. The four of them ford a solemn line, two generations of generals, once proud and commanding, now kneeling in submission.
Earlier, when Jiang Jiamian t with Jiang Qingshan and his son, Xiao Jinan had not stayed. There had been no need. But now, within the Imperial Study, he faced the Yu family directly, and the situation was entirely different.
Xiao Jinan narrowed his eyes slightly. The Yu family’s reaction and their decision were completely within his expectations. Chen Tangqing was already dead. With the collapse of their forr backing, they had nowhere else to turn. Coming to him, the newly enthroned emperor, was their only remaining path to survival.
"Oh?" Xiao Jinan said lightly. "Apologizing?"
He lifted the hem of his robes and seated himself calmly behind the imperial desk. He did not tell them to rise. Instead, he picked up a morial, unfolded it unhurriedly, and began to read. His gaze never once landed on the four figures kneeling before him. With deliberate indifference, he dipped his brush in ink and started reviewing the docunt.
"How strange..." He continued in a casual tone. "I don’t recall the Yu family committing any cri. When I entered the capital, it was your army that opened the gates promptly and surrendered without resistance. I was even considering promoting the Yu family in rank within the next few days."
"Your Majesty..."
Cold sweat slid down General Yu’s temples. He raised his sleeve and wiped his forehead before forcing himself to speak. "This humble general is unworthy of such praise. I failed in educating my daughter. I did not know she was secretly colluding with the remnants of the previous dynasty. Fortunately, Your Majesty is wise and discerning and discovered the matter in ti, preventing her from committing a grave offense. I have already severely reprimanded her. If Your Majesty believes this is still insufficient, I will beat her to death the mont I return. I beg Your Majesty to calm your anger!"
"Father!"
The mont the words ’beat her to death’ left his mouth, the three brothers cried out in unison, their composure instantly shattered.
These were the sa three brothers who, in the original storyline, doted excessively on their sister. For her sake, they had once thrown themselves wholeheartedly behind the Seventh Prince. Later, after rebirth, when Yu Miaomiao changed her allegiance to the Fourth Prince, they had followed her again without a single complaint.
"Shut up!"
General Yu spun around and shouted at them, his expression fierce. "That wretched girl committed an unforgivable offense. If the three of you dare plead for rcy again, I will request His Majesty’s decree to punish you alongside her!"
Xiao Jinan watched the scene coldly, irritation rising in his chest. One played the role of the ruthless father, while the others acted as the anxious, soft-hearted brothers. Did they truly think such a performance would move him? Did they take him for a fool?
"Enough."
The vermilion brush in Xiao Jinan’s hand struck the desk with a sharp sound. His patience had clearly worn thin.
"There’s no need for this kind of acting in front of . Since I have already sent Yu Miaomiao back, I have no intention of pursuing this matter further. As for the Yu family, as long as you remain loyal and serve the court wholeheartedly, I can pretend I know nothing of this affair."
His gaze finally lifted, sharp and cold.
"However, there is one condition. Keep a close watch on Yu Miaomiao. If she dares to do anything outrageous again, don’t bla for showing no rcy."
The three kingdoms were still at war, and the Yu family’s military strength remained considerable. This was precisely the kind of force that could not be wasted at such a ti.
Hearing these words, the four n let out a collective breath of relief. They imdiately kowtowed again, voices overlapping in hurried pledges.
"Yes! Yes! We will absolutely remain loyal to Your Majesty and serve with all our hearts! We would never dare harbor the slightest disloyalty!"
"I was blind! I could not distinguish right from wrong! I wronged a loyal minister! I am guilty!"
On the high stone platform, the forr emperor scread hoarsely, his voice cracked and desperate. The dignity he once held as the Son of Heaven was long gone.
His hair hung loose and tangled, obscuring half his face and making his appearance utterly wretched. Though he still wore the dragon robe from the day Xiao Jinan forced him to abdicate, he had never changed it since.
Now, that robe was torn, filthy, and stained with dried blood. Instead of symbolizing imperial authority, it only made him look more pitiful than any common prisoner.
"The Jiang family was filled with loyal generals! Yet because of your suspicion and distrust, they were nearly exterminated! If I had not cooperated with the Jiang family in ti, not only General Jiang, but also his son would have been killed by you, you tyrant!"
Even as the old emperor repeatedly slamd his head against the stone platform, Xiao Jinan only grew angrier the more he thought about what had been done, wishing he could tear both him and the treacherous minister Liu Fu to pieces.
"Guards!" Xiao Jinan said coldly, his voice echoing across the square. "Carry out the execution!"
He paused, then added without hesitation, "Liu Fu, sentence him to death by lingchi."
Seeing the solemn expressions on Jiang Jiamian and Jiang Qingshan’s faces, Xiao Jinan said nothing further. Before assembled officials and countless commoners, the new emperor personally issued the order.
With the public execution of the forr emperor, the era of Great An ca to an end, its na buried forever beneath the turning wheels of history.
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