The Eldest Daughter Is Beautiful and Saucy
Chapter 1295: promise
Chapter 1295: A Word of Truth
The flickering orange-yellow flames could not be seen in Xiao Rongyan’s dark pupils.
In fact, Xiao Rongyan had prepared for this conversation. When he gave up Yunjing to save Bai Qingyan, he indeed placed Bai Qingyan in a more important position than the State of Yan. He could not refute this point.
However, in order to ensure the smooth implementation of the merger of the two countries, Xiao Rongyan had already come up with a set of countermeasures on his way back. Even if… his sister-in-law told her brother about it, he would not be able to find fault with it.
“Sister-in-law, do you think that if our Yan army had arrived in Yunjing earlier, we would have been able to successfully capture Yunjing?” Xiao Rongyan retracted his gaze from his sister-in-law, playing with the goose hairpin in his hand, and said calmly, “Yes, Yunjing did not have so many troops at the time, but even so, after our Yan army broke through Yunjing, could we successfully occupy Yunjing?”
Queen Mother Yan looked at Xiao Rongyan in confusion and said, “Didn’t Great Zhou and our Yan Kingdom agree that whoever enters the Yunjing Palace first will get Yunjing?”
“Sister-in-law, have you forgotten that there is a general named Cui Shanzhong from Xiliang? Xiliang Yunjing is not something that can be easily taken by Yan and Zhou. Whoever arrives first will get it.” Xiao Rongyan squinted his eyes and stared at the increasingly heavy rain in the halo of lanterns outside. “The reason why Cui Shanzhong chose to besiege Jiangzi City is because he knew that Zhou was stronger than Yan. He wanted to force the Zhou army to return to rescue the emperor of Zhou, so that Yan would think that… the main force of Xiliang was in Jiangzi City, so we can attack the city without worry.”
Xiao Rongyan tapped the table with his finger and said, “If I had led the troops to attack the city at that time, it would have been exactly what General Cui Shanzhong wanted.”
“Sister-in-law, don’t forget…” Xiao Rongyan turned to look at Queen Mother Yan, his whole body deep and solemn under the light, “Old General Cui Shanzhong of Xiliang is the most cunning.”
Queen Mother Yan was stunned. She was not very clear about what was happening on the battlefield, but after listening to Xiao Rongyan’s analysis, it seemed to make sense. Moreover, Queen Mother Yan had also suffered a loss at the hands of Cui Shanzhong, so she agreed with Xiao Rongyan’s words that Cui Shanzhong was full of cunning.
“Besides, our Yan State… did make an agreement with the Great Zhou that whoever enters the Yunjing Palace first will get Yunjing! But even if we break through Yunjing City, can we really enter the Yunjing Palace? How much does General Cui Shanzhong like Yan State that he is willing to spend the troops of Xiliang to hold back the Great Zhou for us so that Yan State can get Yunjing?” Xiao Rongyan shook his head. “We sacrificed the lives and blood of countless soldiers and broke into Yunjing City. If General Cui Shanzhong leads his troops to make a surprise attack and cooperate with the Xiliang Imperial Guards in the Yunjing Palace, the main force of our Yan State will be destroyed there! General Cui Shanzhong left a lot of troops in Yunjing City!”
When Queen Dowager Yan heard Xiao Rongyan’s analysis, she was immediately horrified.
“And I chose to lead the troops to Jiangzi City to rescue the Great Zhou Emperor because… I once had a friendship with the Great Zhou Emperor and I was worried about her safety and the safety of her children, but… more importantly, Yan State can take this opportunity to repay the friendship that the Great Zhou gave us! And rushing to Jiangzi City… can also explain to our Yan soldiers why we are almost in Yunjing but not attacking Yunjing City!”
Xiao Rongyan said in a gentle voice: “Otherwise, if we stay where we are and wait for the Great Zhou army to arrive and join forces with the Great Zhou to attack the city, it will inevitably make the soldiers think that our Yan State cannot win the battle without the Great Zhou army! It will damage the morale of our Yan State! Instead of staying there and keeping the troops still, it is better to lead the troops to rescue the Great Zhou Emperor. This can repay the favor… and give me peace of mind. It’s a two-birds-with-one-stone move!”
“Ayan…” Queen Mother Yan looked guilty.
“I once said clearly that when it comes to my relationship with the Emperor of the Great Zhou Dynasty, I will not let personal feelings alone when it comes to major events!” Xiao Rongyan paused and continued, “What’s more, with my mother’s example, A Yan… puts the State of Yan first in his heart and before his feelings!”
Queen Mother Yan burst into tears: “Ayan, it’s my fault. I shouldn’t have doubted you! It’s all my fault! I’m just a woman. I really don’t understand what’s going on on the battlefield. Every time I hear what others say, I get so upset!”
Zhong Xingxiao taught his sister-in-law to use the mother’s back to persuade him, and today he also wants to use the mother’s back to persuade his sister-in-law… He hopes that his sister-in-law will never doubt him again from today on. Although Xiao Rongyan still feels a little guilty about lying to his sister-in-law, he believes that when the world is unified without war, his sister-in-law will definitely understand.
After all, his sister-in-law was not an ordinary woman in the harem, but the empress dowager of Dayan. She was of great importance to Emperor Xiao Ali of Yan and to the Yan court.
“Sister-in-law, I have nothing to do with the Emperor of the Great Zhou anymore. A Yan hopes that you can trust A Yan a little more in the future. In this way… A Yan can lead little A Li and go further!” Xiao Rongyan’s voice was gentle, “And you can contribute more to the State of Yan during your lifetime, instead of… spending your energy on dealing with your sister-in-law all day long.”
Hearing Xiao Rongyan say this, Empress Dowager Yan realized that Xiao Rongyan had no intention of dethroning Murong Li, and she couldn’t help but feel relieved.
Queen Mother Yan nodded repeatedly, wiped away her tears with a handkerchief, and choked up and said, “In the future, sister-in-law will never doubt you again! It’s all sister-in-law’s fault. It’s sister-in-law who brought trouble to Yan State! What should we do now? Ali has already sent an envoy to Zhou. Although I don’t want Ali to use this method, we in Yan State really have no other way at the moment!”
“And…Ali is the emperor of our Great Yan. The emperor’s words…are as good as gold! Now the whole Yan court knows that Ali said that if you don’t obey his wishes, he will be deposed!” The more the Queen Mother Yan spoke, the more tears she shed. “How can the emperor be deposed and enthroned so easily? If this gets out…there’s no guarantee that other people with other ideas will take the opportunity to cause trouble! Our Yan State will become even more unstable!”
Xiao Rongyan seemed very annoyed when he heard Queen Mother Yan say this… His brows furrowed even deeper: “This is a problem!”
“So, A Yan, why don’t you just agree to A Li’s method?” Queen Mother Yan looked at Xiao Rongyan with pleading eyes, “For now, A Li’s method can prevent the Great Zhou from attacking our Great Zhou immediately. In the long run… who knows, in a few years, our Great Yan may be able to conquer the Great Zhou without bloodshed!”
“Sister-in-law, I haven’t thought about what you said…” He frowned and looked at Queen Mother Yan, his face full of embarrassment, “But sister-in-law, this is just thinking on the bright side. What if our Yan Kingdom loses in a few years? It’s not that I think mother’s national politics is not as good as the Great Zhou, but we have to be prepared for everything. If we really lose… will we hand over the Murong family’s kingdom to the Great Zhou?”