Rebirth: The Journey of an Heiress-Chapter 93 - 92: Never Doubt_1
Chapter 93: Chapter 92: Never Doubt_1
The Emperor suddenly stood up, bypassed the desk, and harshly threw the bamboo slip in front of Bai Qingyan.
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“Discuss? You received the military records on this bamboo slip and didn’t submit it quickly. The entire population of Dadu City knew about it before I did. Vowing at the spirit tablet, with agitated and angry people blocking the Wude Gate, you almost forced a palace coup. And you still dare to talk about discussion? Do you really think I’ve grown too old to notice the Bai family’s filthy tricks?”
She bent down to pick up the bamboo slip from the floor and wiped it with her plain white sleeve. The last line of the script came into view… “Vice Commander Bai Qishan has been besieged in Fengcheng for five days without food, Nanyan Army captured and humiliated the five sons of the Bai family in front of the troops, attempting to force Bai Qishan to surrender.”
Raging anger boiled in Bai Qingyan’s chest like hot oil, and she finally couldn’t hold back, gritting her teeth as she spoke. “The Bai family’s tactics to seek justice and self-preservation are indeed filthy. But wasn’t it also filthy for Your Majesty to send an incompetent overseer… and bestow the gold medal command order to this incompetent? Isn’t that purpose just as filthy?”
“You’re insolent!” the Emperor’s eyes bulged with rage.
“Xiliang and Nanyan watch us like tigers. Daliang and Rong have ulterior motives. The sharp soldiers of our country fight to the death against Xiliang and Nanyan’s armies, fearless of dying shrouded in horsehide, of dismemberment, or burial in heaven and earth, spilling blood for their home and country. But during such a critical time in the southern battlefield, Your Majesty instead feared ministers’ achievements eclipsing your own. You ordered a prince, unversed in military affairs, to oversee the campaign with a gold medal command order to rob credits. Isn’t that the height of filth?”
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“A fool threatened with a gold medal command order! Now all the men of the Bai family are dead. The Jin Kingdom no longer has a Duke of Zhen to deter Daliang and Rong for the next ten years. There are no more valiant generals in the court! Hundreds of thousands of troops are gone… The Jin Kingdom has essentially cut off its own arm!”
Seeing the Emperor’s ferocious expression, she couldn’t help but laugh coldly. “Once the Jin Kingdom bows and seeks peace with Nanyan and Xiliang, Daliang and Rong will pounce to take their share. This situation… will Your Majesty be satisfied with it?”
The Emperor clenched his teeth and his eyes turned red. Bai Qingyan’s words hit right at the heart of the matter. This was why the Emperor was furious after seeing the bamboo slip and regretted his former actions.
“Even if Your Majesty wishes to exterminate the Bai family, let it be a warning to everyone. No matter how loyal you are to the country, never commit so wholeheartedly that you leave no path for yourself! Else, all the men will be annihilated… and even when brought back, their coffins are as thin as paper, unsuitable even for an ordinary ten-year-old child to hold a complete body!”
Before the Emperor could speak, King Xin shouted angrily, “Your Bai family is nothing but dogs our Royal Family raised! Your grandfather and father, those two old farts, wielded military power arrogantly. Does your Bai family have any regard for my father the Emperor or our Lin Family’s authority?! How can this Lin Family’s dynasty tolerate comments from a watchdog?! Bai Weiting, that old scoundrel, pretended to be a man of high morals for the country and people! Do you dare say… that your Bai family never plotted to usurp our Lin Family’s kingdom and pave the way for rebellion against my father?!”
“Did my father resist to the end in Fengcheng without water and food to rebel?!” She stood up and unfolded the bamboo slip, her bloodshot eyes filled with tears. The bamboo slip in her hand trembled loudly. “My five brothers were captured alive. To prevent Xiliang people from using the humiliation of Bai family offspring to shake military morale, my father tearfully drew an arrow and killed my five brothers. Is that rebellion?!”
“My full-blooded brother Bai Qingyu was left at the rear. He could have escaped under the pretext of protecting King Xin, yet he fought to the death at Bailing, leaving no bones behind. Is that rebellion?! My seventeenth brother was only ten years old, trapped in Fengcheng without food for five days. After he died, Xiliang bandits gouged out his heart and liver, filling his stomach with soil and tree roots! Is that rebellion?!”
Her high-pitched voice, carrying a murderous air, reverberated shockingly within the grand hall.
“My seventeenth brother was only ten years old! His life hadn’t even begun! But his deeply ingrained loyalty and integrity, passed down through generations, led him to pick up a sword and kill enemies knowing it was a dead end! Who else in the world could match the loyalty of my Bai family?!”
“The Jin Kingdom has dominated the nations for decades, yet distinguished generals are as rare as phoenix feathers! To train successors capable of deterring other nations, my grandfather and father took all men of the Bai family to the front lines, leaving no room for the family. Such undying loyalty was ignored by Your Majesty! My Bai family has pledged life loyalty, generations broken heads and bodies. What did it achieve?! It’s the framing and slanders by treacherous officials in the court! It’s Your Majesty’s suspicion! Your Majesty’s distrust and fear!”
She endured the searing pain in her heart, looking at King Xin while the anguish burned within her. “If the Bai family wanted rebellion… the gold medal command order in your hand, King Xin, would just be a scrap of iron, unable to command my grandfather! How could you have returned to Dadu alive?!”
The eunuch knelt, trembling like a leaf, as the Emperor’s wrath made everyone anxious.
King Xin’s lips quivered. The Emperor pursed his lips tightly.
In the grand hall where the atmosphere was imposing, the silence was so deep a pin drop could be heard.
She held the bamboo slip and slowly knelt again, choking up as she spoke. “Your Majesty, do you remember what you said to my grandfather when you were first made Crown Prince, in the red-bricked, green-tiled Eastern Palace? You said… ‘Uncle, you are ten years older than I. From childhood, I have regarded you as a father and elder brother, not as a court official. Uncle, you hold the well-being of the nation’s people dear and strive for peace. So do I. In the court, I am here; on the battlefield, there is you. For the rest of our lives, I entrust military power to you and will never doubt you.'”
The Emperor clenched his fists by his side, his thoughts drifting back to the deep winter of that year when snow fell thickly. Bai Weiting’s stern features were respectful, his eyes red, and his deep bow reached the ground as he vowed firmly, “I will never fail the Crown Prince’s expectations.”
Those words… were just a calculation of a neglected Prince when he first climbed to that near position, seeking a pillar of support!
Did Bai Weiting… take it seriously?!
The Emperor’s thoughts were hazy.
“This is why my grandfather dedicated the entire family to serve, leaving no retreat for the Bai family… taking all Bai family men to the southern border!”
Seeing the Emperor’s expression, she continued, “My grandfather said, since ancient times, warriors were most feared by kings. But with Your Majesty’s trust, he feared nothing! My grandfather said, with Your Majesty’s great aspirations, wanting to dominate the world while he pursued peace for all. If he couldn’t achieve this in his lifetime, Bai descendants should take it as their goal! When four seas unite and peace prevails, Bai descendants must return the military power bestowed by the Emperor to the Imperial Family proactively. For weakening powerful ministers and centralizing power are actions every emperor takes after unifying the country. As long as the Bai family remains loyal and just, without clinging to power, no matter which royal sits on the throne, they will protect the Bai family with the gentlest means.”
The Emperor’s lips trembled as he realized he had not known Duke of Zhen Bai Weiting held him in such high regard.
She looked up at the Emperor, subtly gripping the agarwood table. “Your Majesty, my grandfather trusted you so much. But have you… fulfilled the promise of never doubting him?”
