Rebirth: The Journey of an Heiress
Chapter 452 - 449: My Life Will Not Last Long_1

Chapter 452: Chapter 449: My Life Will Not Last Long_1

She furrowed her brows and said to the Emperor: "Your Majesty, yesterday, Aunt Lu took my pulse at the Royal Qing Temple and advised me to rest and not to overexert myself. Otherwise, I may harm my health. Jinzhi wanted to take on the task of eradicating the bandits from my hands. However, as Jinzhi is still young, I was worried and did not agree. I did not expect this child to be bold and reckless. Today, he even dared to show off his cleverness before Your Majesty, wanting to take on this task through Your Majesty’s words."

"Eldest Young Lady deceives the Emperor! Aunt Lu clearly said... If the Eldest Young Lady continues to overexert herself, she might not live long!" Bai Jinzhi, with tears in her eyes, kowtowed to the Emperor and the Crown Prince. "Uncle Emperor, Cousin Crown Prince! It’s not that Jinzhi is bold and reckless. Grandfather, father, and uncles have all died on the battlefield, and Jinzhi doesn’t want to lose the Eldest Young Lady! Please, Uncle Emperor, make a decision and entrust the task of eradicating the bandits to Jinzhi! Jinzhi will surely do a good job! It won’t be worse than how the Eldest Young Lady would handle it. Please give Jinzhi a chance to prove herself!"

The Emperor trusted Lu Ninghuan’s medical skills.

Not much time left to live? The Emperor fondled the round pillow, thinking carefully.

"Jinzhi, it was I who promised the people of Shuoyang to eradicate the bandits. By crying to His Majesty and the Crown Prince in this manner, aren’t you putting them in a difficult situation?" Bai Qingyan scolded Bai Jinzhi.

"The Lord of Gaoyi has good intentions too!" the Emperor spoke slowly. "After the Princess of Zhen returns to Shuoyang, she must take good care of herself. Health comes first! The task of eradicating the bandits will be entrusted to the Lord of Gaoyi."

"Thank you, Uncle Emperor!" Bai Jinzhi quickly kowtowed, fearing any delay might bring change.

In July of the sixteenth year of Xuanjia, the Jin Kingdom won a great victory against Daliang.

The Princess of Zhen, Bai Qingyan, was conferred the title of Princess of Zhen, becoming the only woman in Jin Kingdom’s history to be conferred the title of princess through her martial achievements.

The Lord of Gaoyi, Bai Jinzhi, was conferred the title of Princess of Gaoyi.

Commander Liu Hong was conferred the title of Great General of Pacification, and other participating commanders were all rewarded.

The Crown Prince personally escorted Bai Qingyan and Bai Jinzhi out of the palace, smiling: "When the Imperial Edict comes later today, you will have to address each other as Princess of Zhen and Princess of Gaoyi."

"Uncle Emperor is truly too generous! I was originally planning to exchange the title of Princess for silver taels. I didn’t expect... Uncle Emperor to give me both the title and silver! From now on, won’t I walk sideways in Shuoyang City..." Bai Jinzhi said casually.

"Bai Jinzhi..." Bai Qingyan looked at Bai Jinzhi.

Bai Jinzhi quickly forced a laugh: "Just joking! Just joking!"

The Crown Prince was also amused by Bai Jinzhi: "The Imperial Edict hasn’t arrived today. The Princess and the Lord cannot set off for Shuoyang. If the Princess can still manage, why not... visit the Crown Prince’s residence? I have something to ask the Princess."

Bai Qingyan nodded and turned to Bai Jinzhi: "You go back to the mansion first."

Bai Jinzhi looked to the Crown Prince for help: "Cousin Crown Prince, remember to say good things about me to my Eldest Young Lady, so she won’t scold me!"

The Crown Prince smiled more deeply and nodded: "Rest assured, Lord. I will!"

Bai Jinzhi bowed and boarded the carriage.

·

Once at the Crown Prince’s residence, the Crown Prince ordered Quan Yu to send someone to invite Mr. Xiao. He also specifically instructed that Xiao Rongyan should ride a horse. He then arranged for a vegetarian feast at the residence.

The Crown Prince had not given up on matchmaking Bai Qingyan and Xiao Rongyan.

Every time Xiao Rongyan came to Dadu, he brought rare treasures for the Crown Prince, making it hard for the Crown Prince not to be greedy.

After all, with such a big wealth bag there, how could the Crown Prince not be tempted?

The Crown Prince invited Bai Qingyan into the study and sent someone to call Fang Lao, Qin Shangzhi, and Ren Shijie.

The last time Bai Qingyan saw Qin Shangzhi was before she left Dadu. Qin Shangzhi’s complexion was not good then. This time, he looked even thinner, whereas Fang Lao, though aged, appeared lively and vigorous.

Seeing Bai Qingyan, Qin Shangzhi and Ren Shijie hurriedly saluted her: "Greetings, Princess!"

"Both of you are too courteous!" Bai Qingyan nodded and looked at Fang Lao, nodding slightly. "Fang Lao..."

Fang Lao then slowly saluted Bai Qingyan and called out, "Princess!"

"Please have a seat," the Crown Prince sat down first.

Quan Yu brought the maid to serve tea and personally placed a cup of rose tea in front of Bai Qingyan, whispering: "The Princess is weak. It is better to drink some floral tea."

"Thank you, Eunuch Quan Yu," Bai Qingyan nodded in thanks.

Seeing Bai Qingyan’s pale and slender figure, Quan Yu was very worried and waited outside the door obediently.

"The Wei Kingdom envoy secretly entered Jin and met with my father, presenting a national letter stating... ’The Yan Kingdom is despicable, yet harbors ill intent. Over the years, it has quietly strengthened itself, hiding its true strength. It annexed Nanyan and aided the Rong to resist Nanrong, aiming to acquire the Rong’s natural pastures, revealing its wild ambition to conquer the world. If Yan is allowed to exist, it will eventually grow strong and endanger other nations. In today’s world, only the Wei and Jin Kingdoms can destroy Yan. The Wei Kingdom proposes forming an alliance with Jin to jointly destroy and divide Yan! What do you all think?’"

Bai Qingyan picked up the teacup without any change in her expression. So, Wei had insightful individuals who could see through Yan’s ambitions.

Qin Shangzhi no longer spoke forthrightly to the Crown Prince as he used to. Like Ren Shijie, he sat silently, sipping tea.

"What did your father say?" Fang Lao asked.

"Father seemed to want me to gain experience and instructed me to think it through and tell him how I would handle it within three days," the Crown Prince frowned, worried that his answer might differ from what the Emperor wanted and earn him a scolding.

Bai Qingyan looked down at the floating rose buds in her cup, not thinking the Emperor was trying to train the Crown Prince, but rather that the Emperor’s mind might no longer be on state affairs.

Stroking his goatee, Fang Lao squinted his eyes and, after some deliberate contemplation, said: "Your Highness, in my opinion, our Jin Kingdom has just gone through the Southern Border War and fought battles against Daliang to the north. It is truly not advisable to engage in another war. We should rest and recuperate. The Wei Kingdom recently stationed troops at the Yan border but hesitated to engage Yan. Now they send an envoy to Jin... merely to gather allies and boost their courage."

The Crown Prince nodded, intently listening to Fang Lao.

"Jointly destroy and divide Yan! It sounds promising, but how should it be divided? The most fertile lands of Yan are in the south! Nanyan borders Wei. If Yan is destroyed, Nanyan will certainly go to the Wei Kingdom! The northern lands of Yan are barren, impoverished, and plagued by disasters every winter. What use is half of Yan’s land to our Jin Kingdom? Is it to allocate silver taels for disaster relief every year and weaken our national strength? If we join forces with Wei to destroy Yan and divide it, we will end up making clothes for others, helping Wei Kingdom gain the coveted fertile lands of Nanyan."

The Crown Prince suddenly realized, nodded, and looked at Bai Qingyan: "Princess, what do you think?"

Bai Qingyan put down the teacup and slowly spoke: "Fang Lao’s words are reasonable, but... the scope is too narrow!"

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