Rebirth: The Journey of an Heiress novel Chapter 1588

Chapter 1588: Chapter 1583: Defeat

Xiao Rongyan, acting as if he hadn’t heard anything, lifted his foot and walked towards the jade platform...

Murong Li saw his ninth uncle, his nostrils flaring, but he held back, reminding himself that he was the Emperor of Yan.

He lowered his eyes to look at his mother’s breathless body in his arms. Suppressing his tears, he first took his mother’s body back to the bedchamber to settle her in, then ordered the Ministry of Rites to arrange the funeral. Without even having time to change his clothes, he returned to the hall to discuss the matter of the Zhou’s army attacking Yan Kingdom.

When Murong Li returned, he heard the officials who accompanied Xiao Rongyan back to Yan Capital speaking with the court officials about the danger the Regent Prince faced on this trip.

"Fortunately, the Regent Prince had his carriage follow the original designated route, while he traveled incognito to other cities to inspect the epidemic, thus thwarting the King of Jiujiang. Otherwise... the Regent Prince might not be standing here now!" The accompanying officials, speaking of this, still wore expressions of lingering fear.

Those oil and feather arrows from the Jiujiang army headed straight for the Regent Prince’s carriage, nearly destroying it completely.

If the Regent Prince had been in that carriage, he would likely have had no chance of survival.

"The Imperial Clan allied with the Vassal Kings to create chaos, aiming not only to kill me but primarily to assassinate the Emperor of Zhou. I’ve received information that after seizing Xiping, the Emperor of Zhou has taken over Jiujiang and has already dispatched troops towards the borders of Yan Kingdom..." Xiao Rongyan, sitting in the Regent Prince’s seat below the Emperor, rotated a thumb ring with a heavy voice, "Perhaps, as we speak, the armies of Zhou have already invaded Yan territory!"

The court officials recalled previous reports from Xiping stating that the Regent Prince captured the family of the King of Xiping and killed the king’s two sons and Crown Princess Consort to save the Emperor of Zhou. The ministers wanted to ask... but did not dare, so they could only discuss the possibility that Zhou had already begun to attack Yan Kingdom.

"Now, with the epidemic in Yan Kingdom still ongoing, and war erupting, this is my fault!" Murong Li entered from the back of the hall, lifting the hem of his garments as he walked towards the jade platform, "Back when Yan Kingdom had no choice, we sent envoys to Zhou to seek peace, establishing a strategy of wagering the nation. Now, it is again the Yan Imperial Clan and the Vassal Kings causing chaos, seeking to control me internally, and secretly ambushing externally... nearly costing the Emperor of Zhou his life! My fault lies in... failing to restrain the Imperial Clan and the Vassal Kings as Emperor, and not discovering the hidden dangers of Yan Kingdom sooner as Emperor."

"Your Majesty..." The court officials of Yan Kingdom hurriedly said when they heard their Emperor speak this way, "If not for Your Majesty proposing the strategy of wagering the nation, Yan Kingdom might not have lasted until now. How can this be Your Majesty’s fault!"

"Indeed, Your Majesty! Although Your Majesty is young, you have already shown the demeanor and vision of a great ruler; it is we, your ministers, who have failed to properly assist Your Majesty, it is our failure!"

The ministers kneeled across the room, confessing guilt one after another.

Murong Li glanced at his ninth uncle, seemingly making a significant decision, his fist tightly clenched, his mouth filled with the taste of blood before he quietly spoke: "Now is not the time to assign blame because once war breaks out, it is the common people who suffer, and the soldiers who sacrifice! Therefore... I’ve decided to send envoys to seek peace with the Emperor of Zhou, and to cede territory to secure peace! If... Zhou is unwilling, then Yan Kingdom will retreat, henceforth paying tribute to Zhou and acknowledging it as sovereign."

"Your Majesty! Your Majesty, you cannot!"

"Tribute and submission... our great Yan will become a vassal state like the Dongyi Kingdom!"

Ignoring the officials’ cries, Murong Li spoke again: "I... will issue an edict confessing my sins, praying for the heavens’ forgiveness, hoping the epidemic will be eradicated soon, freeing the people from suffering."

Murong Li knew he might not be a qualified Emperor, but he was striving to be a good one, one who could reduce the suffering of the people.

The mistakes of the past had already been made, and Murong Li couldn’t let this lead to his downfall. Since he was the Emperor of Yan Kingdom, he had to take responsibility, unable to rely on his ninth uncle for everything.

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