Crown Prince of the Empire, I quit!

Capital city, Huangji Palace.

Qin Ming sat upright on the throne, his dark dragon robe accentuating his stern expression. His Highness, all the civil and military officials stood in a solemn atmosphere. The urgent military report from Beiting and the surrender document from Shenmu City lay quietly on his desk.

There had been a debate about this matter in the hall for a while.

The hardliners, led by the Minister of War, made an impassioned speech: "Your Majesty! Hua Yunhong is ambitious and erratic! Xueshen Gu faked his own death and brought disaster to the capital. He is truly the culprit of ten unforgivable crimes! Now at the end of his rope, his false surrender is insincere! If such a traitor is not punished according to the law and torn into pieces, how can we intimidate the world? How can we comfort the souls of the fallen soldiers? I implore Your Majesty to issue an order to the Northern Court to capture and kill Hua Yunhong immediately and send his head to all corners of the country!"

However, some civil officials, led by the prime minister, were much more cautious. "Your Majesty, we believe that although Hua Yunhong's crimes are worthy of death, the Shenmu territory has just been annexed, and the people's hearts are still uneasy. Yao Chang and others took the initiative to report it, and their words were sincere. If we refuse his surrender now and kill his leader without authorization, we may frighten the remaining people in the northern border and make them think that Your Majesty will not tolerate surrender, which may lead to greater unrest. It would be better to... allow his surrender temporarily, summon Hua Yunhong to the capital, and detain him. This would show the emperor's leniency and at the same time reassure the people in the northern border."

"Mercy? Why should we show mercy to such a traitor?"

"However, maintaining stability in the North is our top priority right now!"

"Raising a tiger as a threat will only bring endless troubles!"

The sound of argument echoed in the hall.

Qin Ming remained silent, his fingers unconsciously tapping the surrender document on the imperial desk. His gaze was deep, as if penetrating the paper, seeing the withered and hopeless figure in Shenmu City, the traumatized land of the north, and the distant future.

Finally, he slowly raised his hand.

The hall instantly became quiet, and all eyes were focused on the emperor.

"Hua Yunhong must die." Qin Ming's voice was calm, but it carried an unquestionable determination, which instantly boosted the morale of the killing faction.

But his next words made everyone slightly stunned.

"Of course, he didn't die in the swordplay of Beiting."

Qin Ming's gaze swept over the ministers. "The northern border has just been settled, and stability is paramount. Yao Chang and the others have offered to surrender, and their intentions are clear. If I refuse and kill them, I will force the remaining people of Shenmu to be buried with Hua Yunhong. Not only will this be futile, it may also provoke unrest and bring unrest to the northern border forever."

He paused, his voice turning cold, "However, Hua Yunhong's crimes are too numerous to list, and they are absolutely unforgivable."

"Convey my decree." Qin Ming's voice echoed clearly in the hall. "Approve the request of Yao Chang and others from Shenmu and accept their surrender. Remove the Shenmu Kingdom name, and the area will be permanently under the jurisdiction of the Daqian Beiting Protectorate. Pardon the crimes of the local military and civilians for their treason, and order the Protectorate to properly resettle them and resume production."

The decree seemed magnanimous. But then, Qin Ming's tone suddenly became cold and sharp:

"However, the ringleader of the crimes will not be forgiven. Order the Northern Court Protector, Meng Zhi, to immediately dispatch an elite brigade to Shenmu City to 'escort' Hua Yunhong and his immediate royal family members to the capital to await punishment! They must be strictly guarded along the way and no one should make any mistakes!"

"Escort"? "Go to Beijing to await punishment"?

The ministers immediately grasped the stark difference. This wasn't surrender, but a prisoner's escort! His Majesty wanted to bring Hua Yunhong to the capital and execute him. This would completely end the Shenmu legal system, while also maximally calming the people of the northern border and avoiding unnecessary unrest there.

"Your Majesty is wise!" The Prime Minister was the first to bow, inwardly impressed. This plan achieved both the appearance of appeasement and the reality of execution, combining kindness and severity, and combining firmness and flexibility.

"Your Majesty is wise!" All the ministers echoed in unison. The Minister of War also had no objections. Executing Hua Yunhong in the capital's execution ground would undoubtedly better demonstrate national prestige and comfort the heroic spirit.

"Draft the decree." Qin Ming said lightly, his eyes looking towards the north again, as if he had seen the final road leading to the capital, which was paved for Hua Yunhong.

That is not the road of surrender that leads to life, but the prisoner's road that leads to the end.

……

The decree was transmitted back to Beiting as quickly as possible.

Meng Zhi received the imperial edict and read it carefully three times. His eyes, like copper bells, gleamed with excitement and ferocity. "Hahaha! Excellent! Your Majesty is wise! I'll go and 'invite' that king of a fallen nation to leave!"

He personally assembled a thousand elite cavalrymen in black armor, all of whom were fierce soldiers in the army, and marched towards Shenmu City in a mighty force.

Inside Shenmu City, Yao Chang and his companions received the decree from the Daqian Emperor, their emotions mixed. On the one hand, the emperor's acceptance of the surrender, pardoning the soldiers and civilians, and preserving the ancestral temple (in name only) brought them relief. On the other hand, the words "return to the capital to await punishment" felt like an icy yoke, leaving them terrified about Hua Yunhong's fate and uneasy about their own future.

But when he saw Meng Zhi leading the murderous cavalry into the city, all his uneasiness turned into obedience.

Hua Yunhong's residence was "guarded" by layers of black-armored soldiers.

Meng Zhi strode into the slightly shabby palace room and saw Hua Yunhong sitting by the window, looking at the desolate courtyard outside. He had changed into a plain cloth robe without any patterns, and his expression was calm, almost numb.

"Hua Yunhong!" Meng Zhi's voice was like a bell, filled with undisguised contempt and murderous intent. "His Majesty has decreed that you depart immediately for the capital... to await your punishment! Go!"

Hua Yunhong slowly turned his head and looked at Meng Zhi with empty eyes. Without any resistance or anger, he just stood up silently.

Two tall soldiers in black armor came forward and did not put shackles on him. Instead, they held his arms tightly on the left and right, one on each side, as if escorting a prisoner.

As we walked out of the palace gate, a black carriage with no royal markings and only a simple canopy was waiting there. It looked more like a prison carriage.

Hua Yunhong was "invited" into the carriage. The curtains were lowered, blocking out the outside light and the complicated gazes from those in Shenmu City hiding behind the windows.

Meng Zhi jumped on his horse and swung his huge axe.

"set off!"

A thousand cavalrymen, guarding the black carriage, slowly drove out of Shenmu City and embarked on the long official road leading to the southern capital.

The wheels rolled over the frozen soil of the northern border in late autumn, making a monotonous and heavy rumbling sound.

Hua Yunhong sat in the dim carriage, his body swaying slightly with the carriage. He slowly closed his eyes, his face expressionless.

Go to Beijing to await punishment.

He knew that at the end of the road, what awaited him was not forgiveness, but judgment and the end.

He lifted a corner of the curtain and took a last look at the gray sky outside the window, which belonged to his homeland.

The wind from the north blew his gray hair, and it was icy cold.

This road, opened up by a letter of surrender, will eventually lead him to the end of his destiny.

The official road leading to the capital was long and dreary. The chill of late autumn blew up withered yellow leaves, whipping them against the cold armor of the marching black-armored cavalry, making a rustling sound. In the center of the procession, the black carriage, devoid of any royal insignia, stood like a silent cage, moving southward under the strict "guard" of elite cavalry.