Chapter 19 — TVF Chapter 19

Love-Brained Empress (19) If it were Third Miss Xiao, Qin Jingzhou would have asked a few more questions.

But Second Miss Xiao was decisive and clever. The fact that she didn’t avoid Prince Lu at a time like this already said everything.

After his wounds were bandaged and he drank a bowl of blood- and spirit-restoring medicine, Qin Jingzhou planned to rest for a while. Seeing this, Prince Lu—no matter how much he might want to say—considerately took his leave.

After all, according to the scouts’ continuous reports, the Emperor’s borrowed few thousand light cavalry and his last remaining Imperial Guards had set up camp outside the city and temporarily settled down. Using light cavalry to attack a city… no matter how stupid the Emperor was, he wasn’t a complete idiot.

So there probably wouldn’t be any further trouble tonight.

Once Prince Lu left, Third Miss Xiao returned with a face full of delight. “Father, you’re amazing! Everyone in the palace is saying you’re a god descended to the mortal world, unrivaled in this age!”

Qin Jingzhou smiled faintly and had his two daughters sit by his side. He glanced at his eldest son, who had finally relaxed and was leaning back on the couch, eyelids drooping with exhaustion, before speaking slowly.

“I personally killed Prince Jing. As long as none of you rebel in the future, our family can rest easy for at least twenty or thirty years.”

Third Miss Xiao wasn’t quite satisfied. “That’s so short! Father, you put in so much effort to eliminate Prince Jing in one stroke!”

Qin Jingzhou replied calmly, “Hard to say it was difficult, but it certainly wasn’t easy either. Prince Jing was mediocre at mounted archery, and his ability to lead troops was… a complete mess. I just kept weakening him, step by step, until I forced him to face me on the battlefield. As the commander-in-chief, when two armies face off, he should have honestly stayed in the central command. Instead, he got hotheaded and ran to the vanguard to face me head-on. If I didn’t cut him down, I’d be letting him off.”

Third Miss Xiao burst out laughing. “He really was terrible! The only reason he ever looked competent was because the Emperor—”

Qin Jingzhou chuckled and finished the thought. “Because the Emperor was truly pathetic. An unrelated prince sleeping with the noble consort, even having a child with her—and only the Emperor could believe that the noble consort loved him and that Prince Jing had no ambitions. When the Emperor ordered Lady Mi into the palace, the imperial clan completely gave up on him. Just look at Prince Lu’s reaction—you can tell everything from that.”

Third Miss Xiao nodded. “So that’s why not only the border armies refused to come to his aid, but even the imperial princes wouldn’t help him.”

Qin Jingzhou rubbed Third Miss Xiao’s head.

His eldest son and Second Miss Xiao both smiled.

At this moment, the family of four tacitly avoided mentioning Xiao Shi.

Third Miss Xiao suddenly yawned. Qin Jingzhou sent the children off to rest, not forgetting to praise his eldest son. “You did very well.”

The eldest son couldn’t stop the corners of his mouth from lifting.

Less than a quarter hour after the children left, Second Miss Xiao returned.

Qin Jingzhou smiled. “I knew you’d have something to say.”

Second Miss Xiao quickly sat beside her father and carefully hugged his arm. “Father… about Eldest Sister… You loved her so much before. Are you really not going to care about her anymore?”

Xiao Shi’s safety wasn’t a concern. If the Emperor wanted to use her to threaten him, he wouldn’t do anything to her beforehand.

Qin Jingzhou smiled lightly. “How could I not care? But I was wrong before. I agreed to everything she wanted and spoiled her until she didn’t know her place. Later, to please the Emperor, I disciplined her a few times in the palace. You saw the results. It’s better to let her fall hard a few times—once she knows pain, she might learn what’s right.”

His answer was close to what Second Miss Xiao had guessed. That was why she dared to slap Eldest Sister several times while dragging her out of the palace.

Facing her father now, Second Miss Xiao explained honestly, “Eldest Sister probably ran away from home to look for… that foolish ruler because I hit her and she no longer had the final say after returning home.”

“So she can endure the Emperor’s flattery, humiliation, scolding, and exploitation, but can’t endure a slap from her younger sister who was angry at her lack of sense?” Qin Jingzhou rubbed Second Miss Xiao’s head. “Alright. Even if she comes back, she still won’t have the final say. I’ve always believed that many things can’t be taught—you have to realize them yourself. You and your elder brother realized it. That truly comforts this old man.”

That was exactly what the original owner had thought. Among three sons and three daughters, one son and one daughter had succeeded through self-realization. Unfortunately, before they could fully grow up, the original owner had died suddenly—and they had been buried along with him.

Second Miss Xiao pressed her lips together in a smile and leaned directly against her father’s shoulder.

Sensing that the knot in his second daughter’s heart had mostly loosened, Qin Jingzhou asked, “What’s going on between you and Prince Lu?”

Second Miss Xiao’s face instantly flushed red.

Qin Jingzhou lowered his voice. “Father’s fief isn’t large. I may be good at fighting, but I don’t have the makings of an emperor. And the imperial clan still has considerable strength. If the Emperor is deposed, that’s a different situation altogether.” In other words, he didn’t truly have the conditions to rebel.

Second Miss Xiao nodded gently.

Qin Jingzhou trusted that his clever daughter understood the unspoken meaning and continued, “Don’t give up eating altogether just because you ran into a piece of trash, and don’t learn from your eldest sister, putting blind devotion above everything. If you’re willing, you can spend some time with Prince Lu. If you feel you can’t get a handle on him, I’ll cut him down and find you someone you can handle—”

His words were full of killing intent, but Second Miss Xiao felt nothing but warmth. Her nose tingled, yet her smile was sincere. “Mm.”

Watching his second daughter, eyes glistening as she leaned against his shoulder, Qin Jingzhou couldn’t help complaining to the system, “If only the mission target were Second Miss Xiao.”

The system replied matter-of-factly, “As long as you complete the mission, we won’t interfere with anything else.”

Fair enough.

Qin Jingzhou thought that after facing the Emperor one more time, the mission would be basically complete.

To be fair, even after Qi Langhuan had done her utmost to lower his intelligence, the Emperor—stupid as he was—still hadn’t gone so far as to use his so-called ‘elite troops’ to assault the city.

He was full of confidence, convinced he could force Duke Cheng’en out of the city for a decisive battle. Once he eliminated the only famed old general, Duke Cheng’en, Prince Lu and the others would be nothing to fear! With the ten thousand elite troops in his hands, he could at least pacify the capital region.

So he ordered his loyal confidant to drag Xiao Shi outside the North Gate, blade pressed to her neck, and bellowed, “Does Duke Cheng’en dare come out and fight to the death?!”

With his eldest daughter’s life used as a threat, how could Qin Jingzhou sit idly by?

He led troops out from the North Gate to meet the aggressive Emperor. Marquis Antai volunteered to go first, and Qin Jingzhou didn’t refuse. As for Prince Lu—despite being buried in official duties and having already ordered Prince Jing’s residence and the Qi family confiscated the night before—he was willing to continue as a deputy, and Qin Jingzhou agreed as well.

When cutting down the Emperor, it was good to have a few witnesses of stature present.

Having repeatedly demonstrated his still-formidable might—cutting down enemy commanders amid chaos—the soldiers trusted him deeply. As he led the army out of the North Gate, morale was sky-high and formations so orderly that even the Northern Di general frowned.

The Emperor had always refused to acknowledge Duke Cheng’en. Now, watching Duke Cheng’en personally lead troops into battle while he himself sat protected in the central command, he let out a barely audible sigh.

After fleeing twice, he had at least grasped some superficial understanding of military matters.

So how had he ended up here?

A flash of insight struck him, and his expression twisted with hatred. Qi Langhuan!

He finally understood what was wrong. Over the past year, he had obeyed Qi Langhuan almost without question. In the past, he had favored her—but never to the point of doing whatever she said!

Qi Langhuan had long been entangled with Prince Jing, and Prince Jing must have harbored treasonous intentions early on… Because of Qi Langhuan, he had nearly killed Emperor Taizong’s most trusted general!

How was that any different from destroying his own Great Wall?

Regret and fury passed in an instant. The Emperor glanced at Xiao Shi, held by his confidant, and signaled another subordinate.

That confidant gathered his breath and roared, “Xiao Jingzhou, you disloyal and unrighteous villain! You bear imperial favor yet betray Emperor Taizong’s trust! Kill yourself at once—His Majesty will show mercy and spare others! Otherwise, your entire clan will be exterminated!”

The battlefield fell silent once more.

The soldiers beside Qin Jingzhou exchanged looks, biting back curses.

Prince Lu raised a hand to his forehead. Marquis Antai stared at the Emperor, tightly surrounded by guards, and sank into deep thought—how had he ever believed such a thing could reclaim power…

Qin Jingzhou gauged the distance between himself and the Emperor. Both armies were outside each other’s effective range. If he went all out, disregarding further injury, he could attempt a miracle strike—but it required a prerequisite: the Emperor not running.

At that moment, Xiao Shi—face streaked with tears—suddenly cried out, “Father, I know I was wrong! I regret it!”

So she only woke up when death was at her door.

Qin Jingzhou ignored her and looked straight at the Emperor. “You dare mention Emperor Taizong? If he knew in the afterlife, he’d hack you and your father to pieces.”

With that, Qin Jingzhou grabbed his custom longbow and fired two arrows in quick succession. One struck the Northern Di cavalry general; the other hit the Emperor’s confidant holding Xiao Shi.

He wanted to give the Emperor a quick end, but the Emperor was truly beyond his effective range.

The two arrows were fast, far, and precise. Only when the Northern Di general and the Emperor’s confidant fell did everyone finally snap back to their senses.

Xiao Shi fell from her horse and was rescued by two captains Qin Jingzhou’s eldest son had planted among the Imperial Guards.

Chaos erupted on the Emperor’s side.

Seeing this, Marquis Antai led his personal guards in a charge straight at the Emperor—this was his chance to redeem himself through merit.

Qin Jingzhou watched as Marquis Antai and his men were shot into pincushions by the light cavalry behind the Emperor.

Rushing for quick success was never wise.

He tightened his grip on his long blade. “Charge with me!”

Why fight one-on-one when ganging up was the righteous path?

Over twenty thousand elite troops instantly clashed with the Emperor’s remaining few thousand cavalry.

When the Emperor was cleanly cut down by Qin Jingzhou, even he felt a trace of satisfaction. Before all eyes—especially those of the imperial clan—he personally brought down the Emperor, and they would still have to applaud him…

Yet even as the Emperor lay utterly defeated, rolling on the ground in misery, the scene still felt strangely sloppy.

Qin Jingzhou had smashed him down with overwhelming force. The Emperor would be a cripple for the rest of his life.

He wondered whether his troublesome eldest daughter would be satisfied with this expression of her old father’s devotion.