“Sister-in-law…” Xiao Rongyan raised his head. Though his expression was calm, his pitch-black eyes inevitably revealed sorrowful emotions. “The Great Zhou emperor and I were wrong from the beginning. Now let this mistake end completely. Those two children’s father is the world’s richest merchant, Xiao Rongyan, and has nothing whatsoever to do with me, the Great Yan regent. If my sister-in-law truly wishes me well, please don’t mention this matter again.”

“Good, good, good! Sister-in-law won’t mention it anymore, won’t mention it!” Empress Dowager Yan repeatedly agreed. “A’Yan, don’t think about it. If you don’t like Concubine Meng, later… sister-in-law will certainly find you a gentle and virtuous princess consort.”

“This matter can be discussed later!” Xiao Rongyan said.

Hearing Xiao Rongyan speak thus, though Empress Dowager Yan felt somewhat relieved, she couldn’t help but worry about Murong Li again. She frowned tightly, clutching her handkerchief, and after composing herself, said to Xiao Rongyan, “A’Li was indeed terribly wrong this time, but today I thought carefully—our Yan’s current predicament seems to… have no better solution! A’Yan, don’t you think so?”

Xiao Rongyan turned to look at Empress Dowager Yan: “Sister-in-law means… A’Li has persuaded you?”

Empress Dowager Yan tightly gripped her handkerchief, pretending to be relaxed as she used it to wipe the sweat from her palms: “It’s not that A’Li persuaded me, but I truly can’t think of a better method! Great Yan’s main forces are now blocked by Great Zhou at Yunjing, while Great Zhou’s army stands at our Yan’s borders, ready to march into the Yan capital at any moment!”

Thinking of this filled her with genuine fear. She couldn’t help but dab her tears with the handkerchief, then looked at Xiao Rongyan: “When that time comes, if Xie Xun’s main forces can’t return and Great Zhou’s army approaches the Yan capital, A’Yan… I don’t want to tell your brother after death that I failed to help him preserve his territory! A’Li’s method, if the Great Zhou emperor agrees, could not only gain a thread of hope for our Yan, but might even fulfill your mother’s and your brother’s wish to unify the world!”

“Sister-in-law…” Xiao Rongyan frowned deeply, very disapproving. “Ever since the Great Zhou successively took the Great Liang and the Rong Di’s natural horse grounds, it can be said their soldiers’ combat strength has greatly increased, and they are strong in troops and horses! The Great Zhou… emperor is also ambitious, determined to unify the world. Even if they agree to A’Li’s method, our Yan has only recently reclaimed Nanyan, and our foundation is too weak. In three or five years… we may not be able to catch up to Great Zhou.”

“A’Yan, do you lack confidence in the national policies mother left behind?” Empress Dowager Yan asked Xiao Rongyan according to what her brother Zhong Xingxiao had taught her. “Do you think our Yan’s national policies will lose to the Great Zhou?”

Indeed, Empress Dowager Yan saw that these words had stunned Xiao Rongyan. She hurriedly continued, “I’ve also roughly looked at the new policies Great Zhou is implementing. Many of them are new policies that my mother once practiced in our Yan but failed to implement. Without exception, they all failed in our Yan. I believe the Great Zhou won’t be an exception either. Things that such a great person as a mother couldn’t accomplish—I don’t believe the Great Zhou emperor can succeed!”

Xiao Rongyan lowered his eyes, lifted the hem of his robe, crossed his legs, and drummed his fingers intermittently on the chair’s armrest. He could guess this was taught by his sister-in-law’s brother.

Seeing Xiao Rongyan silent and seemingly thoughtful, Empress Dowager Yan adjusted her sitting position to face him, gazing at his distinct profile, and said in a choked voice, “A’Li’s method—sister-in-law knows it’s meant to protect me, his mother! Sister-in-law was originally… afraid that after destroying Xiliang, the Great Zhou would turn to attack our Yan. With the Great Zhou’s numerous troops and generals, the sister-in-law thought of grasping the Great Zhou emperor’s weakness to at least protect our Yan. Who would have thought… it would cause great disaster, actually personally delivering leverage into Great Zhou’s hands, allowing Great Zhou to legitimately send troops. Sister-in-law has failed Yan.”

Xiao Rongyan didn’t lift his head, listening to the increasingly heavy pattering rain outside. He lowered his eyes, took out a white jade goose hairpin from his sleeve to play with in his hands. So even now, his sister-in-law still didn’t understand where she had truly gone wrong.

“Sister-in-law… your mistake was in drawing your blade against Great Zhou first while our Yan’s alliance with Great Zhou was still intact!” His features didn’t move; only his voice was indifferent. “Once Xiliang was destroyed, Great Zhou and Yan would face each other as two opposing nations, and since both countries were originally allied, so… whoever draws their blade first becomes the target of all arrows!”

“Not to mention… the character of all the Bai family sons is that they would rather commit suicide than become a burden to family and country!” Xiao Rongyan’s voice carried barely perceptible sighs. “Has your sister-in-law forgotten your sighs when you heard that Bai family army’s deputy commander Bai Qishan shot and killed the Bai family’s fifth son with an arrow? Have you forgotten your amazement when you heard that… the Bai family’s seventeenth son shouted before death to kill him, that he wouldn’t become a burden to the Bai army, and sang the Bai army’s military song as he died—you marveled that even a ten-year-old Bai child had such spirit, no wonder the Bai army was invincible!”

“So even if the sister-in-law captured the Great Zhou emperor’s brother and sister, all you could get would be corpses, unable to make the Great Zhou emperor throw caution to the wind, but instead invite crazy revenge!” Speaking here, his voice paused, his throat working, and after a long while, he said hoarsely, “The Great Zhou emperor, she… for her brother and sister’s sake, could even abandon her newborn children. Sister-in-law should understand… if you truly obtained the Bai family’s corpses, Great Zhou would spare no effort to annihilate Yan.”

Empress Dowager Yan’s hand gripping the handkerchief tightened forcefully.

He turned to look at the tear-streaked Empress Dowager Yan: “Actually, A’Yan knows sister-in-law did this to grasp the Great Zhou emperor’s weakness as a precaution, but more importantly… You probably wanted to see A’Yan and the Great Zhou emperor break apart, didn’t you? Sister-in-law still doesn’t trust A’Yan.”

Empress Dowager Yan’s expression changed abruptly. She hadn’t expected her thoughts to be so easily seen through by Xiao Rongyan.

Her eyes darted about, about to frantically deny it, but she swallowed back the lie, lowered her eyes to look at the handkerchief in her hands, tears streaming down continuously, and said in a low voice, “Yes, sister-in-law indeed harbored such thoughts! But A’Yan… search your heart—you could once abandon Yunjing to go to Jiangzi City to save her. In the future, couldn’t you abandon Yan? After your brother died, your sister-in-law and A’Li only have you to depend on. It can be said… sister-in-law and A’Li have entrusted the entire Yan to you. Sister-in-law truly feared you would be blinded by emotions and hand over our Yan to Bai Qingyan!”

The main hall fell silent.

A gust of wind carrying the dampness of rain swept in from the open carved partition doors. The gauze curtains in the hall swayed, and the candlelight dimmed before brightening again.