Chapter 469 - 390: You Who Want My Head! Come
Chapter 469: Chapter 390: You Who Want My Head! Come
Qin Jingsu led his army across the open plains.
Not far ahead lay Shu Ridge.
Although crossing Shu Ridge might offer a slim chance of survival...
But Qin Jingsu knew the Dukes of the Jin Kingdom were no fools. They wouldn’t give him that chance.
Sure enough, it wasn’t long before the pursuers behind them caught up again.
Meanwhile, at the foot of Shu Ridge ahead, a large number of Jin soldiers appeared.
Mounted on his horse, Qin Jingsu glanced ahead, then back.
Only then did he realize he was caught in a pincer attack.
Yet, there was no trace of panic in Qin Jingsu’s eyes, as if he had long since accepted his fate.
"If you surrender now, Crown Prince, we can spare your life!"
Marquis Qu of the Jin Kingdom shouted from the front of his army.
"Spare me the nonsense. COUGH, COUGH, COUGH..." Qin Jingsu coughed, wiping the blood from the corner of his mouth as he stared ahead. "Since when do the men of my Qin Kingdom surrender?"
"That truly is a pity. I quite admire you, Crown Prince." Marquis Qu shook his head. "Charge!"
The other Dukes led their armies, charging toward Qin Jingsu.
Qin Jingsu stared ahead and, with a great sweep of his arm, roared, "Charge!"
As Qin Jingsu’s command rang out, his horse surged forward, and the army charged with him!
Soon, the two armies clashed, and the sounds of battle and the clang of steel filled the wilderness.
The Qin soldiers fought as valiantly as ever, vowing never to retreat.
But ever since the siege, every soldier had been pushed to their limit.
Furthermore, throughout the long pursuit, Qin Jingsu’s army hadn’t had a single moment of rest; their nerves were perpetually frayed.
Worse still, the enemy outnumbered them several times over.
"Your Highness, the situation is dire! We’ll help you break out!"
A Vice General named Huayang shouted to him, then rallied the soldiers to escort Qin Jingsu and fight their way out to the side.
But no matter how many times Qin Jingsu tried, he could not break free of the Jin army’s encirclement.
One by one, the fine men of the Qin Kingdom fell in pools of blood.
Qin Jingsu knew. ’This time, I’m really going to die.’
Yet even knowing death was certain, he swung his sword again and again.
’If I can kill one more, then I’ll kill one more!’
...
"Big Brother... Mommy’s tummy is getting bigger and bigger. Is she going to have the baby soon?"
In the Qin Kingdom Royal Palace, a five-year-old Qin Jingyuan looked up at his older brother and asked curiously.
"Yeah, Mommy should be having the baby soon." An eight-year-old Qin Jingsu smiled, ruffling his little brother’s hair. "Jing Yuan, take a guess. Are we getting a little brother or a little sister?"
"A little sister!" Qin Jingyuan replied without a moment’s hesitation.
"What makes you so sure, Jing Yuan?" Qin Jingsu asked, smiling.
"Because I want a little sister!" Qin Jingyuan said eagerly.
"Hahaha, I want a little sister too." Qin Jingsu pinched his brother’s cheek. "When she’s born, we’ll take care of her together."
"Okay, Big Brother!"
...
「The year after their sister was born.」
Qin Jingsu and his younger brother were sparring in a courtyard of the Imperial Palace.
Qin Jingsu deliberately suppressed his Realm, trading blows evenly with his brother to guide his training.
Their two-year-old little sister squatted to one side, watching curiously as drool trickled from the corner of her mouth.
After two incense sticks’ worth of time, a defeated Qin Jingyuan was being ridden around like a pony by Qin Siyao.
The three of them played for a long time, until an exhausted Qin Jingyuan finally collapsed onto the grass.
Qin Siyao copied her brother, flopping onto the ground beside him.
Qin Jingsu, meanwhile, sat down beside his little sister.
"Big Brother, someone was talking to me recently about the ’position of Crown Prince.’ Is it really that important?"
Having caught his breath, Qin Jingyuan looked over at his older brother and asked curiously.
Hearing his younger brother’s question, Qin Jingsu paused. He reached over his little sister to ruffle Qin Jingyuan’s hair. A murderous glint flashed in his eyes, but he kept a smile on his face as he asked, "Jing Yuan, who told you this?"
"My wet nurse," Qin Jingyuan replied. "A little while ago, she said I have exceptional talent. She said that even though I’m young, the Qin Kingdom doesn’t have a rule about the eldest inheriting over the younger, so I could be the Crown Prince in the future."
"I see..."
Qin Jingsu withdrew his hand and shook his head.
"This position of Crown Prince... it’s both important and unimportant.
Once you become Crown Prince, you have to be like Father—stuck dealing with official documents every day. You have no freedom, you have to play political games, and you spend all day worrying about this and that. It’s an incredible burden."
"How much of a burden, Big Brother?"
Qin Jingyuan asked again. Even their two-year-old sister blinked, looking curiously at her big brother, though Qin Siyao didn’t understand most of it.
"How much of a burden..."
Qin Jingsu braced his hands on the grass, looking up at the vast blue sky.
"That burden is hundreds of millions of people, all looking up, staring at you, hanging on every word you utter..."
...
「In the Imperial Study.」
"Father, you sent for me?"
Qin Jingsu bowed deeply.
"Mm." The Sovereign of Qin nodded, setting down the report in his hands to look at his son. "I hear you gave Jing Yuan’s wet nurse a sum of money and had her expelled from the palace?"
"Yes, Father," Qin Jingsu admitted.
"Why?"
"Her intentions were malicious. For her own selfish gain, she dared to speak to Jing Yuan about the matter of the Crown Prince. That is why I expelled her," Qin Jingsu answered honestly.
"For a mere wet nurse to dare speak to Jing Yuan about such matters... her intentions are indeed worthy of death."