Rebirth: The Journey of an Heiress novel Chapter 1283

Chapter 1283: Chapter 1278: Flourishing Prosperity

The common people feel that Yan Kingdom is the kind of country that, if given even the slightest opportunity, will, once recuperated, become the most formidable and terrifying enemy. If Yan is not destroyed, any future war against Yan will surely consume more manpower and resources. It’s better to annihilate Yan now while it’s in the wrong, thus capturing the public opinion and moral high ground.

However, a minority of the people do not understand why the two countries cannot coexist. With Xiliang already vanquished, the two nations are allies. Peace and mutual repair, allowing both the people and soldiers to recuperate, seems to be the best of both worlds. Why resort to war games and insist on a life-or-death struggle to achieve national unification?

Not only the common people, but even the students are divided into two camps: one favored war, the other advocated peaceful coexistence.

Although Bai Qingyan is still in confinement, she has heard that several debates have been held at the Imperial College, allowing students with differing opinions to argue with one another.

Upon hearing this, Bai Qingyan felt quite relieved. Whether in the royal court or outside it, what she desired was this kind of open and free exchange of opinions, a prosperous scene of contention and splendor.

Involving the common people in the discussion of national affairs would make them love this country more. From the king to the commoners, only by working together could the country be built better.

While reading the books left by Empress Ji, Bai Qingyan was particularly fond of her phrase "return power to the people," suggesting that the people should voluntarily participate in national affairs. Pooling wisdom would inevitably make a country better.

Moreover, if the people are willing to engage in political affairs, it indicates that the nation’s system at least provides for their basic needs; otherwise, they would be preoccupied with mere survival, and who would have the leisure to worry about national affairs?

At this moment, Bai Qingyan realized that she had almost paved the way for the merger of the two countries. Presumably, when Xiao Rongyan arrived in Yandu, Murong Li would announce the union of the two countries to the Yan court officials. Since it had reached this point, Bai Qingyan decided not to conceal it from Commandant Lu, Minister Shen, and Minister Dong any longer.

At noon that day, Empress Dowager summoned Commandant Lu, Minister Shen, and Minister Dong. The three arrived at the Mulan Pavilion in the Bai Mansion and were not surprised. Previously, when Bai Qingyan had yet to ascend the throne, she had summoned them to discuss affairs in the Mulan Pavilion at the Bai Mansion.

After Zhenming led the three inside and they passed the screen, they did not see the Empress Dowager but the Emperor of Zhou, Bai Qingyan.

Bai Qingyan was kneeling beside the low table, reading a letter from Murong Li and memorials sent by Qin Lang from Hancheng. The three exchanged surprised glances, and seeing Bai Qingyan looking toward them, they hurriedly bowed.

"Commandant Lu, Minister Shen, and Minister Dong, no need for formalities." Bai Qingyan put Murong Li’s letter and Qin Lang’s memorial aside, picked up the small teapot on the red clay stove next to her, and poured tea for the three, "Please sit..."

Bai Qingyan’s uncle, Dong Qingping, was the first to rise, followed by Commandant Lu and Minister Shen. They lifted the hems of their official robes and knelt opposite Bai Qingyan at the low table. 𝓯𝓻𝓮𝙚𝙬𝓮𝙗𝒏𝙤𝒗𝙚𝙡.𝒄𝒐𝓶

"Your Majesty has returned, why not return to the palace and instead stay at the Bai Mansion?" Commandant Lu asked with concern as soon as he was seated, "Is Your Majesty in good health?"

Bai Qingyan rested her elbow on the low table, noticing the three men still reading. She then slowly spoke: "This time... coincidentally, the Empress Dowager of Yan stabbed us in the back, selling our Zhou’s secrets to Xiliang, leading to A Yu’s capture. Taking this opportunity... our Zhou deployed troops to Yan, and our Zhou’s soldiers and the Bai family army, together with the Zhao family army, contained the Yan army in Xiliang. All these were preparations and pathways laid for the merger of our two countries!"

After saying this, Bai Qingyan smiled at the three officials: "I hadn’t informed the three of you earlier because the grand plan was uncertain. I feared that any unforeseen events would lead the three of you to false joy along with me, so I had made contingency plans."

At the end of the letter, Dong Qingping saw that Emperor Yan Murong Li mentioned having dispatched an envoy to Zhou, with intentions to inform the Yan court officials only if he failed to persuade them, requesting Bai Qingyan to ensure the safety of the envoy Wang Hanbing en route. She looked up to Bai Qingyan, waiting for her to elaborate.

"This time... the Ninth Prince of Yan returned to Yandu with General Cui Shanzhong’s confidants, implicating the Empress Dowager of Yan. Emperor Yan could therefore claim it was to protect the Empress Dowager of Yan, and thereby to protect Yan Kingdom, establishing the policy of merging the two countries through political measures, to secure a slim chance for Yan Kingdom to survive, a breather!" Bai Qingyan’s brows were lightly marked with a smile, "Naturally, Emperor Yan and the Ninth Prince dared to propose this policy battle for fusion because they indeed have great confidence in Yan’s policies, and also... to reduce the soldiers’ bloodshed and sacrifices."

She looked up at the three officials who had finished reading the letter and asked: "May I know, do the three of you have confidence in our Zhou’s new policies?"

Commandant Lu was the first to bow toward Bai Qingyan, affirming with a face full of conviction: "When Your Majesty wanted to promote new policies, this old minister had studied the policies currently implemented in Yan. Yan’s policies were those initiated by Empress Ji during her reign. Though I also thought then... the policies of Empress Ji seemed more stable, Your Majesty’s policy strides were too large, it seems now... this old minister believes Your Majesty’s policies surpass theirs!"

Commandant Lu spoke from the heart, especially allowing women to study and participate in the imperial examinations. These measures indeed attracted numerous truly talented people to Zhou.