“It doesn’t matter. Although you weren’t by my side when I gave birth, after the realm is settled in the future, you can accompany me and the children every day to make up for us three, mother and children.” Bai Qingyan said with a smile.
Xiao Rongyan moved several steps closer to Bai Qingyan, bent down to press his forehead against hers, and said earnestly word by word: “When the realm is settled, I will accompany A’Bao and the children every day. If I violate this oath, may I be struck by lightning and die without a burial place!”
The smile in Bai Qingyan’s eyes deepened. She stood on her tiptoes, kissed the corner of Xiao Rongyan’s lips, then said in a low voice: “I’m prepared to keep you, the Regent of Yan, in the capital as a hostage, along with Prince Murong Ping of Great Yan who has not yet been enfeoffed… and General Xie Xun, all staying in Great Zhou. This way, I can convince the Great Zhou court ministers to accept this gambling strategy that currently sounds like it offers no benefit to our Great Zhou.”
Xiao Rongyan was stunned. Seeing Xiao Rongyan’s expression, Bai Qingyan chuckled softly: “This gambling strategy of Yan… benefits Yan while harming Great Zhou’s interests. Did you think our Great Zhou would readily agree? If I truly agreed readily, I’m afraid the court ministers would all suspect whether I, the Great Zhou Emperor, had been bewitched by you, the Ninth Prince of Great Yan.”
“You want to use this opportunity to keep me in Great Zhou…” Xiao Rongyan’s hand holding his daughter tightened slightly, and he lowered his gaze to look at the children in their arms.
“Are you worried about Yan?” Bai Qingyan knew what Yan meant to Xiao Rongyan. “Or… are you worried about Murong Li?”
“I’m worried about both Yan and A’Li!” Xiao Rongyan’s brows furrowed tightly. “Yan is Mother Empress’s life’s work. Before she passed, she entrusted it to my brother, and before he passed, he entrusted it to me. As for A’Li… if I’m not there, only Sister-in-law will be supreme in court. A’Li has always been filial, and even though he’s precocious, I’m afraid he’ll find it difficult to cope!”
“Moreover, A’Bao… I want to compete with you once, not on the battlefield, but in state governance!” After Xiao Rongyan finished speaking, he gazed at Bai Qingyan. “A’Bao, before the realm is settled, I’m afraid I… can only wrong you and the children.”
Originally, for stability… the two countries’ gambling agreement should have been for five years, but Xiao Rongyan was too anxious, too eager to quickly stay by Bai Qingyan and the children’s side, so he set it for three years.
“I understand!” Bai Qingyan’s expression carried a very faint smile as she said softly to Xiao Rongyan: “However, making this request is just to make things difficult for Yan, to make things difficult for you, so that your sister-in-law knows that even if you come to Great Zhou… trying to facilitate this gambling matter is still very difficult!”
“A’Bao…” Xiao Rongyan’s eyes reddened slightly. Both he and A’Bao understood that the more difficulties Xiao Rongyan faced in Great Zhou, the more his sister-in-law, the Yan Empress Dowager, would trust him in the future, and when he handled court affairs in Yan, his sister-in-law wouldn’t interfere much.
A’Bao had thought of this for him long ago, and had even already done it for him…
She proposed keeping him as a hostage in Great Zhou, but A’Bao actually never truly intended to detain him in Great Zhou.
“However, I intend to detain Murong Ping and Xie Xun!” Bai Qingyan said in a low voice. “I don’t trust your sister-in-law. I’m afraid that when Yan loses, your sister-in-law might feel that Yan has already passed through the most difficult times and wants to fight desperately against our Great Zhou.”
After Xiao Rongyan nodded, he said: “Since Yan provides hostages, to show sincerity… Great Zhou should also provide hostages!”
The two held children in their arms, standing face to face in an extremely intimate posture, yet standing on different positions discussing peace negotiations.
“Great Zhou can… offer Yun Jing as a gift to show sincerity in agreeing to this gambling strategy, but will not provide hostages!” Bai Qingyan said seriously to Xiao Rongyan. “Our Great Zhou could swallow Yan in one bite right now, but since Yan has proposed this gambling strategy, to show sincerity and ensure no future regrets, naturally, you must place capable generals as hostages in our Great Zhou!”
Xiao Rongyan asked Bai Qingyan in return: “If our Yan generals are held as hostages in Great Zhou, how can our Yan ensure that Great Zhou won’t renege?”
“Ninth Prince, when the two countries allied… the one who violated the alliance and secretly bit the allied country was not Great Zhou, but Yan…” Bai Qingyan’s expression carried a light smile. “And when the two countries allied, our Great Zhou could be said to have fulfilled the duties of an allied nation toward Yan, taking extra care! With this precedent… if Great Yan wants Great Zhou to agree, besides placing capable generals as hostages in Great Zhou, there is no other way, not even the slightest room for negotiation!”
Xiao Rongyan was immediately speechless. Bai Qingyan’s words were correct. During the alliance… Yan had betrayed the Great Zhou, which had taken such good care of Yan. This was an indisputable fact.
Even though he had made some amends later, betrayal was betrayal—this was an indisputable fact.
“So, what the Ninth Prince should be thinking about now is what Yan can use to exchange for your return as Regent…” Bai Qingyan’s smile deepened. “Naturally, speaking of state matters, since the Ninth Prince has come, Great Zhou naturally won’t easily let the Ninth Prince return. It depends on… what price the Yan Emperor and Yan Empress Dowager are willing to pay.”
Bai Qingyan’s expression carried some cunning, as if it would suit her perfectly if the Yan Emperor and Yan Empress Dowager were unwilling to ransom Xiao Rongyan back.
Seeing Bai Qingyan’s expression, Xiao Rongyan’s dark eyes seemed to be tinged with a warm golden glow from the candlelight. He wanted to reach out and embrace Bai Qingyan, but afraid he couldn’t hold his daughter with one hand, he lowered his head to gently touch her nose and kissed her lips, unable to help but move half a step closer to Bai Qingyan.
Suddenly, Xile in Bai Qingyan’s arms moved and began crying loudly…
Xiao Rongyan thought he had squeezed the child and quickly stepped back two paces, looking nervously at Xile in Bai Qingyan’s arms. Unexpectedly, Kangle, in his arms, also began crying loudly along with her brother.
Xiao Rongyan looked at the children helplessly, then looked to Bai Qingyan as if seeking help.
He saw Bai Qingyan skillfully holding the child with one hand, testing with her finger at the child’s lips, and smiled: “It seems they should be hungry.”
“Chun Tao…” Bai Qingyan called out toward the door.
Chun Tao responded and entered with Chun Zhi, walking with small steps to Bai Qingyan’s side, smiling: “By the time, the little prince and little princess should be hungry. This servant will take the little prince and little princess to find the wet nurse first.”
“Good…” Bai Qingyan handed the child in her arms to Chun Tao.
Chun Zhi also stood before Xiao Rongyan, reaching out to take little Kangle: “Master Son-in-law, please give the little master to this servant.”
Xiao Rongyan was somewhat reluctant, but couldn’t bear to watch the child cry like this, so he could only carefully hand the child to Chun Zhi’s arms, whispering: “Be careful!”
“Master Son-in-law, rest assured!” Seeing Xiao Rongyan being a father for the first time with such a nervous appearance, Chun Zhi couldn’t help but steal a smile.