Jiang Yingcheng was utterly shocked.
Although Imperial Father had not managed to finish speaking, the meaning in his tone had clearly been that he wanted to reject the proposal!
[Has Crown Prince Brother gone mad?!]
Her tone rang with astonishment, loud enough to shake the deaf.
Even if Crown Prince Brother did not know Xu Suxue's true colors, her handsome Imperial Father really had been grooming him as his heir. How could he possibly not know what Zhujin Kingdom was plotting?!
Even Kan Nianzhen could not help asking, "Tinghuai?"
Jiang Tinghuai's gaze remained resolute, not wavering in the slightest at the reactions around him.
He had thought it through very clearly.
A spy hidden in the shadows was the enemy kingdom's spy.
But a spy exposed for all to see was a perfect pawn they could plant in the enemy kingdom!
"Great Rui and Zhujin have always been branches of the same tree, sharing the same breath. If this could forge an even closer bond between us, it would be a fine thing indeed." Jiang Tinghuai rose and walked before Emperor Mingze, his head held high as he spoke.
Jiang Yanchuan understood all of Jiang Tinghuai's considerations. He raised his eyes and gazed steadily for a long while at this eldest son, who brought him both joy and worry.
Jiang Tinghuai was gentle, upright, and humble, nothing like him.
An heir like him belonged in an age of peace and prosperity, yet he had been born into these turbulent times of conflict. That was precisely why Jiang Yanchuan had never stopped Jiang Huai'an's underhanded little maneuvers.
Jiang Tinghuai needed to understand that a measured dose of iron-blooded ruthlessness was the way to survive in the long run.
He was gratified that Jiang Tinghuai could make such a decision, but-
"No."