spend time

The poisoned wine was extremely toxic. After drinking it, Prince Dongping and his son died instantly from the poison.

He didn't suffer too much and died quickly and cleanly.

The expression of the Prince of Dongping was frozen at the moment before his death, one of fear, despair, unwillingness, and a deep attachment to life.

The Prince of Dongping, however, was calm and composed, as if he was asleep.

Jiang Shaohua silently stared at the corpses of Prince Dongping and his son, and without turning his head, he ordered: "Go and invite Prince Huaiyang and Prince Wu'an over."

Liu Hengmao was stunned, and Song Yuan had already opened his mouth to respond.

The prison was not small, but at most it had only a few dozen cells. In less than a cup of tea, Song Yuan "invited" the Prince of Huaiyang and the Prince of Wu'an to come over.

The depressed Prince Huaiyang said nothing along the way, but the Prince Wu'an was like a mad dog, shouting all the way: "This Prince is innocent and has never plotted treason."

"Let me out immediately!"

"Where are you taking me? Are you going to torture me and force me to confess? I am not such a spineless person..."

When that familiar figure came into view, the shouting of Wu'an County Prince automatically weakened a lot, and quickly turned into crying: "Shaohua, you are finally here. I am really wronged! Please let me out quickly, I will definitely support you in the future..."

He was old and had poor eyesight, but the Prince of Huaiyang beside him had very good eyesight and could clearly see the Prince of Dongping and his son lying on the ground.

Prince Huaiyang's expression suddenly changed, and he quickly pulled Prince Wu'an's sleeve.

Prince Wu'an didn't know what was going on. He turned around and glared at Prince Huaiyang: "Why are you pulling me here? If you hadn't been making random accusations, I wouldn't have been locked up in this dark place. You and I will never coexist!"

Prince Huaiyang was in no mood to argue with this foolish man. After entering the prison, he knelt down with a plop and said, "Your Majesty."

Prince Wu'an: "..."

Prince Wu'an was completely shocked and almost blurted out "What's wrong with you?" He glanced and saw the bodies of Prince Dongping and his son.

Prince Wu'an felt a chill on his back. His legs went limp and he could no longer stand, so he knelt beside Prince Huaiyang.

He was asked to call Jiang Shaohua "Emperor", but he couldn't say it. His old face turned red, and he finally squeezed out a sentence: "Spare my life!"

Jiang Shaohua finally turned around.

She was already four months pregnant, and her belly was slightly bulging. Logically speaking, pregnant women tend to be gentle and maternal, and are not aggressive or harmful. Jiang Shaohua's expression was not really cruel, and he just looked at the Prince of Huaiyang and the Prince of Wu'an calmly.

Such indifference chilled the hearts of the two princes more than harsh words or cruel threats.

In order to save his life, the King of Huaiyang kowtowed three times without caring about his face. He said, "I didn't know people well and trusted my own soldiers by mistake, which almost led to a disaster."

"I feel deeply guilty. Please, Your Majesty, decree that I be stripped of my title and demoted to a commoner."

"I have lived in Huaiyang County for many years and have accumulated some wealth. I am willing to give it all to Your Majesty. I only ask that Your Majesty spare my life." Prince Wu'an wanted to scold Prince Huaiyang for being a coward, but before Jiang Shaohua could say anything, he had already thrown away his weapons and fled, and even said that he would give up his wealth and ask to be demoted to a commoner.

However, in this dark prison, lives were in Jiang Shaohua's hands. Jiang Shaohua didn't have to do it himself. With just a glance, countless strong and trusted guards would rush in and take their lives!

As for the aftermath, they could just announce to the public that the two of them had died of illness in the palace prison. Even if there were officials in the court who had close ties with them, how could they redress their grievances?

Revenge was out of the question. In front of the throne, what was the death of two vassal kings? There were many bloody events during the change of dynasties.
If he were in Jiang Shaohua's position, he would never show mercy. Cutting the roots of the trouble would be the wisest decision.

Life and death are right before our eyes, in this small space.

The more Wu'an County Prince thought about it, the more terrified he became. His whole body began to tremble uncontrollably. His eyes wandered and accidentally fell on the wine pot beside him. His eyes seemed to be burned and he quickly moved away.

"Me too." Wu'an County Prince thought he was calm, but in fact he was crying: "Jiang Shaohua, if you forgive me, I will give up all my family property. I don't want the position of county prince either. I am also willing to be a commoner. As long as you spare my life, I am willing."

Jiang Shaohua's eyes passed over the trembling Wu'an County Prince, and then fell on the humble Huaiyang Prince who was begging for mercy: "The father and son of the Dongping Prince and Jiang Yi conspired to kill my cousin. I must avenge my cousin, so I took their lives."

"As for the two of you, it is unclear who ordered Wu Weisiwu to assassinate Prince Ping in the imperial mausoleum."

"You all know the temper of the Empress Dowager. Someone has to be held responsible for this matter."

Prince Huaiyang always reacted faster than Prince Wu'an, and immediately said, "Wu Weisiwu was a death soldier planted by Prince Wu'an beside me. It was Prince Wu'an who ordered them to do it and framed me. Your Majesty, please understand!"

Prince Wu'an: "..."

Prince Wu'an was so angry that he almost fainted. He gasped a few times and stared at Prince Huaiyang with a look of resentment: "God sees everything you do. You pushed me into the fire pit just to save your own life. Even if I become a ghost, I will drag you down with me."

Then he shouted at Jiang Shaohua, "Jiang Shaohua! At my age, how many years can I live? If you let me go and take away my title, I might die in three to five years."

"But the Prince of Huaiyang is in his prime, with five young and strong sons and six grandchildren. Moreover, he is so good at forbearance and has a deep mind. Do you feel comfortable letting him live in this world?"

"It is only natural for you to deal with him now, and no one will say anything against it. If you let him go, there will be endless troubles!"

Prince Huaiyang's brows twitched heavily.

Of course, what the Prince of Wu'an said was the truth. From Jiang Shaohua's point of view, killing one and keeping one was the best option. Keeping one prince was just a pretense, so as not to make it too ugly in the history books. As for who to kill, there was no need to think too much.

Of course, we should take the opportunity to eliminate the one who poses the greatest threat.

Because he had thought this through long ago, he never straightened his back after entering the prison. He just kept his head down and begged for his life.

"Your Majesty, the Prince of Wu'an is irritable, narrow-minded, and very vengeful. If you let him go, he will definitely rebel." In order to survive, the Prince of Huaiyang was completely desperate, not caring about his face at all: "I am different. I am good at judging the situation and knowing the importance of things. In order to survive, I will never do anything that I shouldn't do, and I will never talk nonsense."

"I will do whatever the emperor asks me to do. I only ask the emperor to spare my life!" (End of this chapter)