Chapter 597: The Time Has Come

Soon, a group of soldiers escorted dozens of women and children from behind.

The children were frightened and wailed loudly:

"Father! Father, save me!"

"Mother! I want Mother!"

Duoshi's mouth twitched a few times, his clenched hand making a cracking sound: "Don't move!"

His voice trembling: "Father is here, Father will save you!"

The several dozen guards who had been besieging Bailuo and his son also spoke up to comfort them: "Don't be afraid!"

The guards pulled three crying boys and two young women, tears streaming down their faces, from the pile of children and pushed them to the front.

The Eldest Prince's face changed abruptly: "What are you doing?"

He hadn't finished speaking when Bailuo's glare forced him back.

Xiao Ningxun's heart sank; he turned to a woman beside him whose expression showed reluctance and asked, "Who are these children?"

The woman lowered her voice: "They are the young princes of the King… and their mothers."

Xiao Ningyuan sucked in a breath of cold air.

Bailuo's gaze swept over the three children's faces; a flicker of warmth flashed in his eyes and then vanished.

He said in a low voice: "Silence! You are members of the royal family; do not lose your status!"

The two women hurriedly covered the mouths of the three children.

Tuan Tuan's eyes widened: "They're bullying the children!"

Xiao Ningyuan's gaze turned cold: "Despicable!"

Bailuo looked over the guards who had besieged him: "I see, you really had no choice."

Duoshi's eyes filled with tears: "Your Majesty!"

Yufi's voice icy: "Your Majesty, please abdicate in favor of the Second Prince before all the people."

She paused, her gaze sweeping over the women and children: "Otherwise, every moment, one of them will die."

The crowd erupted in an uproar.

"Are you going to kill these young princes?"

"This this this!"

Yuchi Guang shouted: "The princes are of noble status; we naturally dare not harm them!"

The crowd fell silent.

Guli Han, however, laughed: "Then let's start with the guards' families."

Having said that, he held up a blood-stained dagger, stepped down from the carriage, and approached a little boy: "Bailuo, if you refuse, he will be the first to die."

Duoshi jerked his head up: "You! I did exactly as you said; you promised to let them go!"

Guli Han sneered: "You followed my words? Then why is Bailuo still alive and well?"

Duoshi was speechless.

Kang An clenched his fists, grinding his teeth: "I want to kill him."

Xiao Ningxun looked around: "If they succeed today, killing him won't be easy."

Yuchi Guang nodded satisfactorily: "These guards have followed Bailuo for years, sharing life and death with him; you can watch closely!"

"Will he relinquish his throne because of their lives?"

"But rest assured, the Second Prince is benevolent; he only asks him to yield the throne, not to take his life!"

As soon as the words fell, Guli Han took a small wine pouch from his waist, walked to the royal carriage, and respectfully presented it with both hands to the Second Prince.

The Second Prince took it, looked at Bailuo, and spoke unusually calmly: "Father, rest assured."

"Although you have treated me unfairly, I will certainly not become a patricide."

"After you abdicate, you need only drink this wine; though your martial arts will be lost, your life will be safe."

He paused: "I will personally ensure you live in comfort and honor in the royal palace for the rest of your life."

Bailuo didn't even glance at him.

He stared steadily at Yufi: "You say you saw corpses covering the ground; that is indeed true."

"But those were the soldiers who fought to the death in resistance."

"In the Yueshuang Kingdom, aside from the King, no members of the royal family or common people died."

Yufi blinked in surprise.

"They were merely demoted to commoners and sent to Yundu Valley on the border."

"If you don't believe me, you can go see for yourself."

Yufi's eyes kept flickering, her expression wavering, the dagger in her hand steady against his neck: "I don't believe you! You're surely lying to save your life!"

Bailuo gave a soft snort: "Believe it or not, it's up to you."

"The small states I destroyed were all settled in this way."

He paused: "If they hadn't overreached and repeatedly opposed Qiuzi, I wouldn't have sent troops to destroy them."

Tuan Tuan blinked: "This King doesn't seem like a bad guy."

Xiao Ningyuan nodded: "If what he says is true, that's acceptable; it's not wanton slaughter of the innocent."

Xiao Ningxun frowned: "But given today's situation, his throne is likely unsalvageable."

As they spoke, Guli Han had already walked back to Duoshi's son: "Your Majesty, from this moment on, in a moment this child will lose his head."

He raised the knife, hovering over the child's head: "You'd better think it through."

"Kill me if you must, but spare my son!" a woman screamed hysterically, lunging forward, only to be firmly blocked by two guards.

Duoshi could no longer hold on.

He jumped down from the carriage, and with a thud knelt on the ground:

"Gu Li Han! I beg you! Release my son! Let him go!"

Gu Li Han looked down at him, a cold smile playing at the corner of his mouth, saying nothing.

Duo Shi turned again to Bai Bu Luo, his forehead striking the ground heavily, once, twice, three times…

"Great King! Please, step down!"

"What do these matters have to do with us little guards!"

Moments later, blood flowed down his forehead.

He kept kowtowing, over and over, with thuds.

Bai Bu Luo's expression was solemn, he said nothing.

Duo Shi alternately begged Gu Li Han and Bai Bu Luo, his kowtowing grew heavier and the blood flowed more.

The woman's shrill wail and Duo Shi's pleas mingled together, echoing in everyone's ears.

Tuan Tuan reached into her waist's small embroidered pouch and pulled out a dried fruit pit.

Xiao Ningyuan lowered his head to glance at his sister's hand, then held her tighter.

Xiao Ningxun leaned over, and the two little ones huddled together.

Tuan Tuan whispered: "Xiao An'an, these people and Gu Li Han are in cahoots; they're surely not good people!"

"This Great King is better than them; we can't let them win, right?"

Kang An nodded: "Right!"

Xiao Ningxun stared intently at Bai Bu Luo: "Wait, let's see how Bai Bu Luo decides, then rescuing won't be late."

"They each hold their own version; truth and falsehood are hard to discern."

"But regardless of what happened before, if Bai Bu Luo yields his position for the life or death of Duo Shi's child, that would be enough to prove his words are true."

Xiao Er and Lu Qi led the guards to surround them: "Good!"

Time trickled by, the wails and pleas gradually weakened.

Everyone stared fixedly at the knife in Gu Li Han's hand.

After a while, "The time has come!" Gu Li Han shouted, exerting force with his arm, the blade slowly rose.