Rebirth: The Journey of an Heiress
Chapter 405 - 402

Chapter 405: 402

Inside the grand hall, he saw palace maids kneeling on the ground, trembling like sieves, not daring to breathe heavily. They were afraid that if the Emperor got angry, anyone who displeased him would lose their life.

The Crown Prince hurriedly entered the Imperial Palace upon hearing the news. When he heard the Emperor cursing in the bedchamber, he hesitated and did not dare to go in.

It was a little eunuch who quietly told Gao Demao that the Crown Prince had arrived. Gao Demao hurriedly took small, quick steps to greet him: "Your Highness, you should go in quickly!"

The Crown Prince did not move and looked at Gao Demao: "Is Father very angry?"

"Indeed! Before the battle report came back, the memorials from the new Governor of Yanwo and the Left Prime Minister’s son Li Mingrui arrived one after another. His Highness King Liang did not handle the disaster relief properly, inciting a rebellion among the people. Now, the entire Yanwo is waiting for His Majesty to send troops to suppress the rioters! His Majesty was already furious, and within half a cup of tea’s time, news of Daliang declaring war on our Jin Kingdom arrived! How could His Majesty not be angry?"

The Crown Prince’s fingers twitched. It seemed that the people he had sent had completed their tasks. He felt great joy in his heart.

This time, the rebellion in Yanwo and the outbreak of war in Chunmu Mountain happened concurrently. Knowing his father’s temperament, King Liang would undoubtedly be blamed.

Gao Demao noticed that the look in the Crown Prince’s eyes seemed much more stable than when he first arrived, and there was an inadvertent hint of joy in his brows. He hurriedly said: "If Your Highness has a good idea, you should quickly tell His Majesty. His Majesty’s headache is acting up, and his anger is not subsiding. If this continues, something bad might happen!"

The Crown Prince cleared his throat and said: "Do not hurry, let me think it over, striving for stability."

The Crown Prince’s mind was racing. Now that Daliang and their Jin Kingdom were at war, and there was a rebellion in Yanwo, their Jin Kingdom lacked soldiers!

He thought of Bai Qingyan. The battle at Chunmu Mountain with Daliang might need a commander like Bai Qingyan to lead the troops to achieve victory with fewer forces.

As for Yanwo... since King Liang had already failed, regardless of how the mess was cleaned up, his father could not blame him. Moreover, the rebels in Yanwo were just lowly commoners, and compared to Daliang’s elite soldiers, they should be relatively easy to handle.

With his mind made up, the Crown Prince followed Gao Demao into the main hall and respectfully saluted the Emperor: "Your son, pays respects to Father."

"It was all your recommended candidates!" The Emperor angrily threw the memorial at the Crown Prince’s feet, clutching his forehead as he paced in front of the desk.

The Crown Prince shivered in fear and hastily kowtowed: "Father, please forgive me. I did not know King Liang would handle things this way. King Liang was recommended by your son. Now that something has happened, as an elder brother, it is natural for me to clean up the mess for my younger brother. I implore Father to allow me to personally lead troops to Yanwo and quell this rebellion."

Seeing the Crown Prince’s sincere and fearful appearance, and thinking that this son was also trying to help his brother, the Emperor closed his eyes: "Daliang has declared war and Yanwo is in rebellion. They are both urgent matters. It will take time to recall the troops guarding the Rong border. If we take the garrison troops from the capital, the capital would be left undefended."

The Crown Prince quickly stood up and said: "Father, I would like to recommend the Princess of Zhen. The Princess of Zhen is the eldest granddaughter of the King of Zhen and is most skilled in winning battles with fewer troops. Father could send a fast rider to Shuoyang to deliver the decree, ordering the Princess of Zhen to go to Chunmu Mountain and take over as the commander. With the Princess of Zhen there, we could deter Daliang to some extent!"

The Emperor gritted his teeth, and his headache started to throb again. He raised his hand to cover his forehead, walked around the desk, and sat on the Dragon Throne, closing his eyes to think carefully.

The Emperor had thought of sending Bai Qingyan. However, even though Bai Qingyan was a woman, the Emperor was afraid that she might become another White Weiting.

After all, Bai Qingyan’s methods were even more decisive and ruthless than the King of Zhen’s. Once she made a move, it was like a stormy sea. She would not stop until she achieved her goal.

What the Emperor feared more was, what if Bai Qingyan, under the pretext of Yanwo’s rebellion, went to Chunmu Mountain and then took the audacious step of leading a rebellion?

Back then, the King of Zhen Bai Weiting had made a vow to the Emperor. Even then, the Emperor was quite apprehensive of Bai Weiting, let alone Bai Qingyan, whose methods were more formidable.

Seeing that the Emperor had been silent for a long time, the Crown Prince looked up in the Emperor’s direction and said: "Father, I have confidence that the Princess of Zhen can resolve the threat of Daliang for our Jin Kingdom. I will also do my utmost to handle the rebellion in Yanwo."

The Emperor looked at the solemn face of the Crown Prince and tapped his fingers on the desk, asking: "Did Bai Qingyan visit your mansion before leaving the capital, and did she mention the battle at Chunmu Mountain? Did she say that if Daliang went to war with our Jin Kingdom, you should recommend her to lead the troops?"

Seeing the suspicion in the Emperor’s eyes, the Crown Prince hurriedly shook his head: "The Princess of Zhen was indeed concerned about the battle at Chunmu Mountain, but she never mentioned that I should recommend her to lead the troops. I believe her concern for the battle at Chunmu Mountain stems entirely from her loyalty to our Jin Kingdom. I swear on my life for the Princess of Zhen’s loyalty!"

The Emperor remembered the Crown Prince’s previous mention of the sacred deer and thought that his son might have become too trusting of Bai Qingyan after the sacred deer incident.

"Has Bai Qingyan ever brought up the sacred deer in front of you again?" the Emperor asked.

The Crown Prince shook his head: "No, it has been like it never happened. So, Father, I believe in the loyalty of the Princess of Zhen, and I ask that you believe it too."

The Emperor gritted his teeth, recalling Bai Weiting’s promise in the past.

Even with the promise, as Bai Weiting’s reputation grew stronger day by day, when the people at the border venerated the Bai family in the capital as saviors, forgetting he was the true Emperor of Jin, he still felt apprehensive.

The Emperor closed his eyes and said to the Crown Prince: "You can use Bai Qingyan, but you must not trust her! You need to curb her influence. If her reputation grows stronger than yours, it will be a bad thing! The art of the Emperor is to balance grace and power. The more capable a minister is, the more you cannot let them amass power. Do you understand?"

The Crown Prince was stunned. Was his father teaching him the art of ruling?

"Although I do not fully understand Father’s words, I will ponder them carefully when I return! I will not disappoint Father!"

The Emperor nodded and said to Gao Demao: "Gao Demao, convey the order. Command the Lord of Gaoyi, Bai Jinzhi, to go to Chunmu Mountain and assist General Zhang Duanrui."

The Crown Prince originally wanted to ask whether the Lord of Gaoyi should lead troops there but feared his father would think him foolish, so he refrained from speaking.

"At dawn tomorrow, the Crown Prince will personally lead troops to Yanwo to suppress the rebellion. Bring that fool King Liang back to me!" The Emperor gritted his teeth when mentioning King Liang.

King Liang could not even handle disaster relief properly. The Emperor had once thought King Liang was the white tiger from his dream, but it now seemed he had overestimated him. King Liang probably did not have the capability.