He looked up at his Ninth Uncle: “I thought the Bai family elder sister would at least wait until three years later, when the national wager between Great Zhou and Yan ended, before taking action. At that time, either we, Yan, would deal with Dongyi, or the Great Zhou would deal with Dongyi!”

But just when Murong Li thought that their Yan had gained the advantage, the Bai family elder sister unexpectedly decided to destroy Dongyi and launched Great Zhou government bonds. This not only won over the hearts of the naval forces but also the hearts of the former Great Liang people.

Such an emperor who wouldn’t let her own people and generals grow cold-hearted—even Murong Li admired her, let alone others.

Xiao Rongyan used a cloth to hold the teapot and poured a cup of hot tea for Murong Li: “So you supported that Dongyi Second Prince who has the reputation of being a madman to ascend the throne, even continuously having people by that Second Prince’s side incite him to wage war against Great Zhou! You even provided Dongyi with grain and weapons despite our food shortage?”

Murong Li’s hands, resting on his legs, tightened as he nodded and lowered his eyes: “When Prince Han died in battle and his body was brought back, originally those Dongyi soldiers brought Prince Han’s body back intending to use it for some advantage in future negotiations! But the people I sent to Dongyi collaborated with Tianfeng’s people to have the new Dongyi naval commander say they would dismember Prince Han’s body and feed it to dogs. When these words were heard by Great Zhou naval soldiers and former Great Liang people, if the Bai family elder sister still swallowed her anger and chose to deal with Dongyi after the national wager, Great Liang territory would have problems. If she chose to fight now, it would also be very troublesome! Either outcome—whether fighting or swallowing anger to give benefits and appease Dongyi—would be advantageous to our Yan!”

“You hoped that Great Zhou and Dongyi would fight, then you would support Dongyi from behind, ideally keeping Great Zhou entangled in warfare for all three years!” Xiao Rongyan hung the teapot back up, his deep, profound eyes gazing at his nephew. “But you didn’t expect that this time, Great Zhou’s military expedition aims to destroy Dongyi! And they simultaneously launched Great Zhou government bonds, turning Great Zhou’s disadvantage into an advantage, establishing trust for Zhou among the Yan territories.”

Murong Li lowered his eyes to look at his hem: “Ninth Uncle… I know my methods are more underhanded compared to the Bai family elder sister, but… A’Li doesn’t regret it. This is originally a struggle for national survival. If we’re unwilling to have soldiers sacrifice their lives and people become displaced, then what we’re competing with is each sovereign’s methods!”

In Murong Li’s heart, he truly admired Bai Qingyan. No matter what situation she encountered, the Bai family elder sister always maintained such an aura of righteousness, using open strategies and righteous paths, yet each time she could turn the tide and transform disadvantages into advantages. Such ability was something others didn’t possess.

Xiao Rongyan nodded: “Ninth Uncle doesn’t mean to blame you. You two—one is Great Zhou’s emperor, one is Yan’s emperor. Only secondarily are you aunt and nephew, just as she and I… first comes the nation, then personal feelings! Ninth Uncle came today to ask you, since you’ve made your move and Great Zhou’s emperor has also acted, turning the obstacles you designed for Great Zhou into advantages, what methods do you have to recover?”

Murong Li pressed his lips tightly, and only after a long while said: “At this time, sending troops to aid Dongyi wouldn’t be wise—it would drag down our Yan. If we follow Great Zhou’s example and promote government bonds, then we, Yan, wouldn’t need to wager our national governance against Great Zhou, which would make the people think we’ve lost! So we can only introduce national policies that the Great Zhou hasn’t introduced! I’ve been thinking about this for several days, but no matter how I change the approach, it has a suspicion of imitating others poorly. This isn’t beneficial for uniting our Yan people’s hearts and would undoubtedly make the people think that although we haven’t been defeated, we’ve already lost first.”

“So we can only steel ourselves to the end and secretly support Dongyi!” Murong Li straightened his back and bowed to Xiao Rongyan. “Ninth Uncle understands the Bai family elder sister best. A’Li wants to request that Ninth Uncle… help Dongyi resist Great Zhou.”

“You want me to go to Dongyi, strategize for Dongyi’s forces, and confront Great Zhou?”

Seeing Murong Li nod, Xiao Rongyan continued: “Do you know that the longer Great Zhou fights this time, the more Great Zhou government bonds will be promoted, or rather… the more the people in Yan’s territories buy, the easier it will be for Great Zhou to win when the two countries finally tally the people’s assets for settlement? Hmm?”

Xiao Rongyan didn’t directly tell Murong Li the solution but guided him step by step to solve the difficulties himself.

Murong Li’s palm tightened: “A’Li has also considered this point. A’Li… wants to drain Great Zhou’s treasury!”

Xiao Rongyan picked up his teacup and shook his head: “A’Li, you cannot judge Great Zhou’s treasury by our Yan’s treasury. Although our spies always send back news of the Minister of Revenue crying poverty, Great Zhou is not truly poor—Ninth Uncle hopes you understand this! The Great Zhou has not only the accumulation from the former strong state of Jin, but also the accumulation from Rongdi and Xiliang! Moreover… The Great Zhou’s emperor is not extravagant. Since her ascension, have you ever heard of her building imperial tombs or creating any grand displays? Great Zhou’s treasury strength must far exceed our imagination!”

Murong Li was still a child after all. Hearing his Ninth Uncle say this, his back sagged slightly.

“After the Great Zhou destroyed Dongyi, it would be fine if they incorporated it as their territory, but what if they install a puppet emperor specifically to trouble our Yan? Or drag Yan into warfare? What if Great Zhou’s emperor does exactly what you’re doing today—providing Dongyi with grain, weapons, and even all the support Dongyi needs from behind…” Xiao Rongyan gazed steadily at Murong Li, who looked up at him. “At that time, tell me, could our Yan muster the same boldness as the Great Zhou to fight Dongyi again?”

“Thus, the dilemma you originally prepared for the Great Zhou would become our Yan’s dilemma!” Xiao Rongyan understood Bai Qingyan and knew that she would do this—using someone’s methods against them was Bai Qingyan’s specialty.

Moreover, when Jin still existed and the Bai family faced trouble, Xiao Rongyan had experienced firsthand that once Bai Qingyan made a move, there were always follow-up strategies, interlocking and never giving opponents a chance to breathe.

Now Yan and the Great Zhou were opponents, and Yan had struck first. In matters of state, Bai Qingyan would certainly show no mercy.

Based on Xiao Rongyan’s understanding of Bai Qingyan, she would install a puppet emperor specifically targeting the Great Zhou. This way, she wouldn’t need to legitimately use the national treasury—the Great Zhou could simply provide secret support.

Murong Li straightened his back and bowed to Xiao Rongyan: “Ninth Uncle, please teach me!”

“Since we’ve reached this point, we must think about how to maximize Yan’s interests in this matter!”