Bai Qingyan wasn’t polite either, nodding slightly before asking: “I wonder if the Empress has properly arranged for the remains of our Great Zhou’s Prince Hancheng.”

“Great Zhou’s emperor can rest assured. Prince Hancheng’s remains… this palace has ordered them to be properly preserved in an ice coffin.” The Dongyi Empress nervously gripped her hands, feeling very uncertain inside, yet still smiled as she stepped aside and made a gesture of invitation to Bai Qingyan. “Your Majesty, please enter the city first to rest.”

Bai Qingyan nodded, then turned to Bai Qingjue: “Have people escort Minister Liu and the other envoys to settle in the guesthouse first, and call for physicians to examine them! The main army will camp outside the city. One thousand men will take over the capital’s defense, and five thousand will follow me into the city…”

These words from Bai Qingyan immediately made the Dongyi court officials anxious and uneasy. Taking over the capital’s defense, bringing five thousand into the city, with the main army still camped outside—this didn’t look like Great Zhou would complete their mission just by returning the Seventh Prince to Dongyi.

But given the current situation, it wasn’t a matter of Dongyi not allowing it—Great Zhou’s emperor would do this regardless. Now, Dongyi’s survival or destruction was just a matter of the Great Zhou’s emperor saying a word.

“This is improper!” A Dongyi court official still mustered the courage to step forward. “This is, after all, our Dongyi’s capital. The Empress personally leading all officials out to greet you already shows our Dongyi’s sincerity. But for the Great Zhou’s emperor to bring troops into the city and take over our Dongyi’s city defenses—this seems inappropriate! Those who don’t know might think Great Zhou came to destroy our Dongyi rather than help us!”

Bai Qingyan’s cold gaze looked toward that Dongyi court official: “Did I not speak clearly when I originally sent troops? Originally… I intended to destroy Dongyi. However…”

Bai Qingyan looked at the Empress again, speaking each word in Dongyi language very clearly: “It was your country’s Empress who claimed that Dongyi was willing to submit to Great Zhou unconditionally, and would pay ten times the compensation for all our Great Zhou soldiers, ten times our Great Zhou’s expedition costs, and that the tribute paid to our Great Zhou would be ten times more than what Dongyi originally paid to Great Liang. Only then was our Great Zhou willing to support the Seventh Prince’s ascension and leave Dongyi a way to survive. How is this… does the Empress think that because Yan has also come, she can now act boldly before our Great Zhou?”

She had said long ago that since this Dongyi Empress dared to use the Great Zhou, she would certainly have to pay a price for it.

The Empress’s expression was ugly, yet she could only watch helplessly as Bai Qingyan spoke such brazen lies. Her gaze swept over the Great Zhou generals and Bai family army soldiers following behind Bai Qingyan, then over that carriage, knowing she could only swallow this bitter pill now.

Her son was in the Great Zhou’s emperor’s hands, and now, Great Zhou’s army was at the city gates. The Regent of Yan… would probably just watch Great Zhou’s decisions and act accordingly. If the Great Zhou wanted to install a puppet emperor, they would scheme for Yan’s benefit from within. If the Great Zhou wanted to destroy Dongyi, they would want a share of the spoils—the Empress understood this clearly.

The Dongyi ministers heard this with wide eyes, staring directly at the Empress.

“This… how can this be! The tribute to Dongyi is already plenty, how can it be… ten times the amount!”

“Empress, this cannot be agreed to!”

“Empress, you must not do this!”

The Dongyi ministers immediately knelt in masses…

The Empress clenched her fists at her sides, tears swirling in her eyes as she looked at Bai Qingyan with a gaze that seemed to want to tear her apart.

Bai Qingyan smiled and raised her hand to indicate the Empress should look at the Bai family army behind her, her eyes growing even colder, her voice casual: “Destroy the country, or preserve the country… let Dongyi choose for itself!”

“All of you, get up! The Great Zhou originally intended to destroy our Dongyi. The Bai family army is unstoppable—don’t you know our Dongyi’s situation is hopeless? Now the Bai family army is already at our city gates. Either we retreat into the city now and fight to the death with Great Zhou and Yan, then face national destruction, or we submit and pay a great price!” The Empress maintained her dignified and steady appearance, speaking slowly. “How do the ministers choose?”

Hearing the Empress speak thus, the Dongyi ministers all lowered their heads…

Some military generals weren’t afraid of death, but before they could speak, they heard the Dongyi Empress continue: “As long as the country exists, we still have homes. If the country is destroyed and families perish, Dongyi will cease to exist!”

Hearing these words, the military generals also lowered their heads one after another.

Bai Qingjue, standing with hands behind his back, saw this and whispered something to Liu Rushi beside him. Liu Rushi then urged in Dongyi language: “Our Great Zhou soldiers’ patience is limited. Please, Empress, make a quick decision.”

The Dongyi Empress straightened her spine and declared loudly: “Everyone, step aside and respectfully welcome Great Zhou’s emperor… into the city!”

Upon hearing this, the smile at the corner of Bai Qingyan’s lips turned cold. She then led her brothers and sisters and the Bai family army generals to leap onto their horses, then turned to Bai Qingjue: “A’Jue, you and Xiao Qi lead troops to remain outside the city to guard against unexpected events! Cheng Yuanzhi… take people to take over the city defenses. Bai Jinzhi and Shen Liangyu lead five thousand cavalry to follow me into Dongyi’s imperial palace.”

“Yes!”

The Bai family army generals responded loudly with voices like great bells, creating a tremendous sound.

Bai Qingyan pulled the reins and looked at Cheng Yuanzhi, whispering in his ear: “Later, you go to the west gate. If Yan’s Regent comes, let him bring one team of cavalry into the city, but the main army must not enter the city!”

Cheng Yuanzhi knew his Xiao Bai Marshal was guarding against Yan, nodding repeatedly: “Xiao Bai Marshal, rest assured!”

Soon, Bai Qingyan rode into the city leading the Bai family army. Cheng Yuanzhi took over the four city gates’ defenses of Dongyi’s capital, and the five thousand cavalry Bai Qingyan brought into the city also took over the imperial palace’s security. Shen Liangyu was sent by Bai Qingyan to find people according to Prince Hancheng’s list, notifying them to meet secretly today while taking advantage of the chaos.

Since Bai Qingyan wanted to arrange for Tuoba Yao to become Dongyi’s emperor, she naturally had to consider his safety. In the future, those managing the city defenses… including the Imperial Guard commander, would naturally all need to be replaced with her people.

Taking advantage of Xiao Rongyan not yet entering the city, Bai Qingyan needed to meet these people beforehand. At this time, Dongyi was in chaos, and the more something needed to be kept secret, the more it should be done while taking advantage of the disorder.

This time, Bai Qingyan personally came to bring Prince Hancheng’s remains home, and also personally meet these spies, letting these people know that Bai Qingyan knew all their details completely. Either they would betray Great Zhou… and their entire families would die without burial places, or they would grit their teeth and persist for three years, after which they would return home in glory.

If Bai Qingyan couldn’t gain complete control of this Dongyi, she would rather destroy it!

After Bai Qingyan entered Dongyi’s imperial palace, she met with the Dongyi Empress alone in the great hall. The Dongyi court officials waited outside the great hall, all anxious in their hearts, not knowing what the Empress and Great Zhou’s emperor would discuss…

Bai Qingyan looked at the Dongyi dragon throne that had just been cleaned and still seemed to retain the smell of blood. She didn’t sit on it, instead standing on the high platform carved from white jade with one hand behind her back and one hand gripping the sword at her waist, looking down at the Dongyi Empress standing in the center of the great hall.