Rebirth: The Journey of an Heiress novel Chapter 1489

Chapter 1489: Chapter 1484: Returning Home in Glory

Bai Qingyan didn’t stand on ceremony, she nodded slightly and asked, "Regarding the remains of Hancheng King of our Zhou, I wonder if the Empress has arranged for proper care?"

"Rest assured, Emperor of Zhou, the remains of Hancheng King... I have already ordered them to be carefully preserved in an ice coffin." The Empress of the Dongyi Kingdom nervously clenched her hands, feeling quite uneasy, yet she still stepped aside with a smile, making a gesture for Bai Qingyan to enter the city and take a short rest.

Bai Qingyan nodded, then turned to Bai Qingjue and instructed, "Have someone escort Minister Liu and the other envoys to settle at the posthouse first, and have an official check on them! The main army will be stationed outside the city, a thousand will take over the capital’s defense, and five thousand will follow me into the city..."

Bai Qingyan’s words immediately caused uneasiness among the Dongyi Kingdom’s court officials. Taking over the capital’s defenses, with five thousand entering the city, and the main army still camped outside, it did not seem like Zhou was just here to return the Seventh Prince to Dongyi and be done with it.

But under the current situation, Dongyi was in no position to refuse; the survival of the Dongyi Kingdom was merely a matter of a word from the Emperor of Zhou.

"This is inappropriate!" One of the Dongyi court officials mustered the courage to step forward, "After all, this is the capital of our Dongyi Kingdom. The Empress personally led all officials to greet you, showing enough sincerity on our part. Yet the Emperor of Zhou is entering the city with troops and taking over our defenses, this seems inappropriate! Otherwise, people might think Zhou is here to destroy Dongyi, not to assist us!"

Bai Qingyan’s cold gaze turned to the Dongyi court official: "Did I not make myself clear when I first sent out the troops? Originally... I intended to destroy Dongyi, however..."

Bai Qingyan turned to look at the Empress and spoke each word in the Dongyi language very clearly: "It was your esteemed Empress who declared that Dongyi was willing to submit unconditionally to Zhou, pay Zhou tenfold compensation for my soldiers, tenfold funds for this campaign, and tribute to Zhou that would be ten times what was paid to Daliang. Only then did Zhou agree to support the Seventh Prince’s ascension, leaving Dongyi a chance of survival. How is it... that the Empress, thinking the Yan Kingdom has also arrived, dares to show off before Zhou?"

She had said it before, since this Empress of Dongyi dared to utilize Zhou, she must pay the price.

The Empress’s face turned pale, yet she could only watch Bai Qingyan speak outrageous words with white teeth. She swept her gaze over the Zhou generals and the Bai family troops behind Bai Qingyan, then over to the carriage, knowing she could only silently swallow it along with her teeth and blood.

Her son was in the hands of the Emperor of Zhou, and now that Zhou’s army was at the doorstep, the Regent Prince of Yan, she feared, would simply observe Zhou’s actions. If Zhou decided to prop up a puppet emperor, Yan would prepare for its own gain alongside Zhou. If Zhou chose to annihilate Dongyi, they would aim to get a share of the spoils, the Empress understood clearly.

Dongyi’s officials listened, eyes widening, turning directly to look at the Empress.

"How... how can this be! We’ve already paid enough tribute to Dongyi, how can it possibly be tenfold again!"

"Empress, you cannot agree to this!"

"Empress, don’t do this!"

The Dongyi officials immediately fell to their knees...

The fists at the Empress’s side clenched tightly, tears brimming as she looked at Bai Qingyan with a gaze full of the wish to tear her to pieces.

Bai Qingyan raised her hand with a smile, gesturing the Empress to look at the Bai family troops behind her, her gaze growing ever colder, her voice indifferent: "To destroy or preserve the nation... let Dongyi choose itself!"

The Dongyi officials, hearing the Empress lay out the situation, lowered their heads... 𝑓𝑟ℯ𝘦𝓌𝘦𝘣𝑛𝑜𝓋𝑒𝓁.𝑐ℴ𝓂

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