Rebirth: The Journey of an Heiress

The Emperor remained silent. The Eldest Princess closed her eyes, tears welling up at the corners, and spoke chokingly, “Married into the Bai family but could not be wholly devoted. To test my husband and sons constantly, to guard against them at every turn… Does Your Majesty know how guilty I feel? Now let the Bai family leave Dadu City, leave a bit of their bloodline. They carry our Lin family’s blood too! They’re only daughters left; even if… Aunt begs Your Majesty to leave some bloodline for me. Can you?”

Tears filled the Eldest Princess’s eyes as she humbly pleaded with the Emperor. She hoped he had a shred of mercy left, seeing the Bai family’s retreating stance, and would not eradicate them entirely.

The Emperor’s fingers were rubbing together. After a long pause, he spoke, “Aunt, I do not wish to annihilate the Bai family, but this Miss Bai…”

In the past days, the actions and conduct of this Miss Bai were extraordinary. It was she who had pushed the Bai family’s reputation to its peak. He was the Emperor… How could he not see through this?

But this Miss Bai was the one most resembling Bai Suqiu…

Thinking of Bai Suqiu made the Emperor’s eyes slightly moist.

The deep-seated desire from his youth, the regret and remorse recurring more often as he reached middle age.

His fear of the Bai family had long been growing, like freezing over time. Having now sacrificed tens of thousands of soldiers to reach this point, he was unwilling and uneasy to leave the extraordinary, even if they were daughters, untouched.

The Eldest Princess saw the Emperor’s intent to kill Bai Qingyan, and her hands trembled.

She looked at the Emperor and, choking with tears, began, “For the stability of the imperial family, if Your Majesty says my granddaughter must die, I have no objections! But does Your Majesty know why I value my eldest granddaughter so much?”

The Emperor looked at the Eldest Princess.

“Because my granddaughter is the most like Suqiu!” The Eldest Princess mentioned her daughter, and tears streamed down, “Strong-willed, unyielding! Another living Suqiu! The year Suqiu died… I almost followed her! Now I pour all my emotions into this granddaughter. I hope… Your Majesty, for Suqiu’s sake, spare this child’s life!”

The Eldest Princess’s words touched the Emperor’s softest spot.

Perhaps since sitting on this cold throne, the Emperor’s heart had gradually turned cold. But the place where Bai Suqiu resided remained soft and warm.

The Emperor gritted his teeth, lowered his eyes to the bloodstained bamboo slip, and finally spoke as if making a decision, “Escort the Eldest Princess to the side hall to rest. Have Xie Yuchang personally lead the Imperial Army to arrest Liu Huanzhang’s entire family. Also, bring that rebellious King Xin to me!”

After some thought, the Emperor added, “Enter and exit through Wude Gate!”

Outside the main hall, the Empress was like an ant on a hot pan, pale with fear at hearing the Emperor’s furious roar.

·

Outside Wude Gate.

The commander of the Imperial Army, Xie Yuchang, rode out swiftly, leading the Imperial Army straight to Liu Huanzhang’s residence with great momentum.

Soon, King Xin, who had taken a solid kick from the Emperor yesterday, was tied up firmly with hemp rope and escorted through the Wude Gate by the guards.

King Xin saw the people of the Bai family and the citizens at the Wude Gate. His gaze, like that of a viper, stared directly at Bai Qingyan.

The plea for his death to his father came from this Miss Bai!

This series of events caused the citizens to discuss fervently, boiling with excitement, declaring that the Emperor was still enlightened after all.

Soon, a young eunuch hurriedly walked out from Wude Gate, carrying a dusty duster in his hand. He stood in front of the Bai family girl, raising his sharp voice, “His Majesty summons Miss Bai…”

Bai Jinzhi grasped Bai Qingyan’s hand tightly, her heart racing, “Eldest Sister…”

Looking at Bai Jinzhi’s red eyes, Bai Qingyan gently patted her hand, her gaze firm and bright, “With Grandmother here, and you and the people waiting here, nothing will happen!”

Bai Jinzhi felt somewhat reassured by her words and slowly loosened her grip on Bai Qingyan’s hand.

She stood up on legs that were already a bit numb, calmly straightened her mourning clothes, bowed to the citizens who had come with the Bai family to Wude Gate, then turned to the eunuch who had come to deliver the summons.

“Please lead the way…”

On the palace path paved with red walls and glazed tiles, Bai Qingyan followed behind the eunuch, her expression deep and inscrutable, her back straight, showing no sign of having just taken a beating.@@novelbin@@

Bai Qingyan lowered her eyelids. In her previous life, she had learned a bit about the Emperor through King Liang and Du Zhiwei.

The Emperor had no great abilities in governance but was suspicious and distrustful. Raised in hardships and not favored by the former Emperor, he longed for luxury and grandiosity after gaining the throne. He desperately wanted to be a more renowned wise ruler than the former Emperor.

Such an Emperor feared the historian’s pen more than anyone else.

Why else would the Imperial Army move through Wude Gate? Why was King Xin bound and escorted in from Wude Gate without any face-saving effort?

Since the Emperor summoned her entry through Wude Gate, it indicated he would not kill her.

In a while, the Emperor would either threaten or entice her.

Before Bai Qingyan could think further, they reached the hall entrance.

Entering the hall, she saw the pale-faced King Xin trembling and kneeling on one side. She respectfully performed a grand salutation before the Emperor, quietly gazing at the mirror-like bluestone floor.

The Emperor stared at the prostrate and silent Bai Qingyan, clutching a roll of military records, tapping it against the desk in front of him, his voice icy and spine-chilling, “Miss Bai, gathering people at Wude Gate, what do you want?”

Slowly, she straightened up, kneeling inside the hall, looking up at the Emperor on the high seat, and retorted, “This is also the question I want to ask. Why does Your Majesty make King Xin, such a waste, the monitoring officer?”

The Bai family had protected the people for a hundred years and had the people’s hearts as her support. She was not afraid of imperial power from the bottom of her heart.

The Emperor of the Jin Kingdom was the best at assessing the situation.

Now that she stood on the side of the trend, the Emperor comprehended.

The Emperor strained to suppress his anger, his temple veins throbbing, feeling that this Miss Bai was not only bold and deeply cunning but also sharp-witted!

She had determined that he, the Emperor, could not kill her, which gave her the courage to be so arrogant before him.

The Emperor was furious, coldly laughing, “To force me to kill King Xin and incite public sentiment, Miss Bai intends to destabilize the country’s foundation to compel me? What… If I do not kill King Xin, the Bai family will rebel?”

“The blood-stained military record bamboo slips are still before Your Majesty’s desk. Have you read them?” Her eyes glanced at those slips, then back at the Emperor, feeling deeply disheartened for the Bai family, “I hold no power or soldiers, dressed in mourning without weapons, merely kneeling before Wude Gate with my life, seeking justice for my grandfather, father, uncles, and brothers. How can that be considered a rebellion?”