Rebirth: The Journey of an Heiress-Chapter 905 - 902: Going with the Flow

The Eldest Princess nodded but didn’t seem to care, only smiling as she beckoned Bai Qingyan: "Come..."

Bai Qingyan heard and walked towards the Eldest Princess, obediently kneeling down beside her.

Gao Demao saw the maid bring hot tea, stepped forward to receive it, looked up carefully at the maid to ensure there was no problem, and then stepped forward to personally place it on the table before Bai Qingyan and retreated to the side.

The Eldest Princess held back the sourness in her nose, smiling as she surveyed her granddaughter, lovingly raised her hand to touch Bai Qingyan’s long hair tied on top of her head, then reached out to touch her small, delicate face, just as she once did at the Bai Mansion, and spoke to Bai Qingyan with a smile: "You’ve gotten thinner!"

"Marching and fighting is indeed a bit bitter, but don’t worry, Grandmother... I’ll recover in a few days."

The Emperor behind the screen listened to the idle chatter of the grandmother and granddaughter, feeling somewhat impatient, but enduring it when he thought about his Nine-Tiered Terrace.

"Kid, you knew coming into the city this time is attending a Hongmen Banquet and still came..." The Eldest Princess gently grasped Bai Qingyan’s hand, speaking amiably and compassionately, "Is Kid planning to accept Grandmother’s advice and exhibit the greatest sincerity by bowing as a minister?"

But if her granddaughter hadn’t come, it would have been better. If Kid hadn’t come... although she would inevitably feel lonely, she wouldn’t feel such remorse.

Bai Qingyan looked at Grandmother’s smiling gaze and shook her head: "I came... because I had to account to Grandmother. Grandmother is my grandmother, and more importantly, the Eldest Princess of Jin Dynasty. Grandmother defending the Lin family royal power is no different from us sisters defending the Bai family."

She deeply stared at the elderly woman before her, hiding all the sorrow beneath her eyes, present a smiling facade: "Grandmother and I ought to be the closest of people in the world, now because of different stances... we are at odds. Grandmother’s heart is like cutting meat with a dull knife, thus... Granddaughter had to come so that Grandmother would know that regardless of how different our stances are, the blood ties and familial love between Grandmother and me cannot be faked."

Upon hearing Bai Qingyan’s words, tears suddenly streamed down the Eldest Princess’ face, her pride and dignity could not withstand a single sentence from her granddaughter.

The salty tears flowed into her mouth, and her deep apology to her granddaughter was almost spoken, yet she swallowed it back, raising her withered hand to gently stroke Bai Qingyan’s head, and then resting it on Bai Qingyan’s shoulder armor: "Kid, if you truly rebel and declare yourself the Empress of Zhou, in future history books... you’d be labeled a treacherous minister."

"Grandmother, calmly speaking, do you believe that the current Emperor, or the current Crown Prince, cannot achieve the task of expanding territories and unifying the realm as their ambition? If only, they could hold onto the vast estates of Jin Kingdom, would they be able to maintain it?" Bai Qingyan candidly expressed to the Eldest Princess, "Grandmother... one who holds the hearts of millions can become a Monarch! But is this Monarch such a ruler? Yan has already annihilated Wei southlands have no worries, the next step is the road to unifying the realm, Grandmother, do you think the Jin Kingdom Emperor and Crown Prince can hold onto it? How long can they persist, and how many generations can they pass it on before it perishes?"

"The Imperial Family remains elevated because people hope the Imperial Family can shoulder the responsibility of protecting the people, yet has the current Imperial Family accomplished such protection and love for the people? Forcibly taking children to the Nine-Tiered Terrace for the Emperor’s alchemy, not sending children results in punishment extending to neighbors, forcibly recruiting citizens to arrive at the Nine-Tiered Terrace within the deadline, or else it’s death! Enforcing tyranny for personal desire, causing revolts in many areas."

"Grandmother... the Lin family royal power has come to an end, even if it’s not Bai Qingyan... there would be Zhao Qingyan, Li Qingyan, Wang Qingyan uprising, weak outside forces, chaos within governance, this is the essence of a nation’s fall, Granddaughter merely acts according to situation!"

Seeing the Eldest Princess’ lips trembling, Bai Qingyan continued: "Perhaps Grandmother would say the Bai family can strive to support the Lin family Monarch, but Grandmother... did Grandfather not strive to support the Jin Kingdom’s Emperor? What kind of ending did our Bai family receive? When Monarch lacks ambition, and ministers have too great aspirations, it will inevitably lead to a situation where suspicion arises between Monarch and ministers, and the ministers are destined to die! Therefore... only by holding great power can one avoid restraint, threats, and realize the Bai family’s long-standing ambition of unifying the realm."

"Grandmother once said this world doesn’t have heavenly fairness, people are born with distinctions in status, indeed this world is like this now, but Kid is willing to dedicate life’s efforts to give the people a peaceful and fair world!"

Sitting under the light, Bai Qingyan’s gaze was clear and steadfast, seemingly never to be defeated, her aura mighty and stable: "As Monarch... if nourished by the blessings of the people, must shoulder the responsibility to control national decisions and propel national advancement, court officials eat the taxpayers’ money, must bear the responsibility to plan the people’s livelihood and security, soldiers if nourished by the people’s grace, must take up the duty to guard borders and protect the people from the distress of war, Generals must bear not letting soldiers die in vain! Kid wants this world... regardless of being scholar, farmer, worker, merchant, everyone can live and work in peace and enjoy prosperity, everyone can seek fairness, which is something the Lin family royal power cannot provide!"

The Emperor behind the screen, his heart burned with anger, yet appeared anxious and restless due to lacking confidence.

Unifying the world, how could a mere girl possess such grand ambition?

If Bai Qingyan truly decided like this, he will not hold Bai Qingyan back.

"The Bai family’s generations of loyalty and righteousness, respected by nations, can you bear letting the Bai family’s century-old fame be blemished like this?" The Eldest Princess spoke with a lack of confidence.

Her granddaughter inherited the Bai family’s long-standing aspirations and character, continued Bai family’s compassion for the world, in Kid’s presence... the Eldest Princess saw a ruler’s spirit and ambition, which is precisely what the Jin Kingdom’s Imperial Family currently lacks.

"The Bai family’s generations have had no regrets to Monarchs, nor to the common people beneath them, and do not fear history’s judgment." She looked at Grandmother with a frank expression, "Moreover, if truly able to return peace to the people, what harm is carrying the name of a traitor to the nation, even if infamous through eternity? Grandmother and Grandfather’s decades together, ought to have ended Grandfather, if Grandfather were still here... he would surely make the same choice as Kid. In Grandfather’s eyes... a person’s honor, the Bai family’s honor, compared to the lives and peaceful days of countless people, it counts for nothing."

Yes...

If her husband Bai Weiting were still here, and Jin Kingdom had come to today’s state, with an Emperor who only sought immortality by using children across the nation to make elixirs, with a cowardly Crown Prince wagging his tail and seeking favor from King Liang, Bai Weiting surely wouldn’t sit idle and would surely... lead Bai Family troops to rebel for the protection of the people.