Rebirth: The Journey of an Heiress

Chapter 97: Chapter 96: Spy from the Enemy Country_1

This response seemed to disregard Xiao Rongyan’s true identity.

Xiao Rongyan couldn’t figure out if this Miss Bai wanted to form a good relationship with him or… wanted to please everyone.

He deeply understood this Miss Bai’s abilities and was aware of her methods. Even though Bai Qingyan with a fierce cape and horse in the Shu Imperial Palace left a lasting impression on him, and even though he once regarded Bai Qingyan as his mother’s confidante at the Jin Kingdom palace banquet, it inevitably made him more cautious.

What he bore on his shoulders was not just his own achievements; if he failed in his pursuits, he could simply bide his time and try again.

What he shouldered was the responsibility of the revival of Yan. In the contest for dominance among the heroes, failure meant the fall of the country.

If he failed, he couldn’t bear it!

“Chivalrous heart, chivalrous person, Miss Bai, are you trying to tell me that the warning that day was just out of a chivalrous heart?” Xiao Rongyan’s well-defined fingers rubbed the teacup, looking down without meeting Bai Qingyan’s gaze, his eyes growing deeper, “Having a chivalrous heart for a spy of an enemy country… Are you just trying to gloss over this, or are you deliberately evading?”

Xiao Rongyan bit the words “spy of an enemy country” heavily.

Since they had run into each other today and brought everything into the open, Xiao Rongyan couldn’t allow the now enlightened Bai Qingyan to evade the topic.

Seeing a fierce intent manifest in Xiao Rongyan’s eyebrows, she steadied her mind and also decided to make things clearer with him.

“A minor act of chivalry is to draw the sword to help the weak. A major act of chivalry is to save the people.”

The woman’s clear and steady voice came through, and Xiao Rongyan’s grip on his wine glass tightened as he raised his eyes.

She stared straight at the handsome man opposite her without flinching, her eyebrows clear and her gaze solemn and respectful.

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Seeing the smile in Xiao Rongyan’s eyes gradually deepen, she continued slowly: “Therefore… a chivalrous heart is precious. A major act of chivalry is even more precious, irrespective of one’s class or nation, whether Jin or Wei. In this chaotic world today, anyone who can bring peace to the world and has the ability to govern and lead troops is considered a chivalrous hero in the eyes of the Bai family.”

No matter who… this naturally included the Yan Prince Xiao Rongyan before her, that’s why she called him a chivalrous hero.

These words were said very boldly.

She was plainly telling Xiao Rongyan that now, in this turbulent world with the chaos of the warring states, any monarch who had the ambition to unify the world, who aimed to bring peace to the chaotic times and had the virtues and abilities to bring lasting peace, deserved the respect of Bai Qingyan or the Bai family. The Bai family even looked forward to their success.

Reaching this point, Xiao Rongyan no longer hid anything and asked, “The Bai family has guarded the Jin Kingdom for generations, their loyalty known to all. Are your words driven by the anger over the Bai family’s sons dying in the southern border?”

“The Bai family’s loyalty through generations is true, but we are loyal to the common people of the Jin Kingdom who sustain the Bai family with their taxes. ‘Protecting the land and securing the people’—those four words are the faith passed down through Bai generations!” Her voice was leisurely and tranquil, “As for anger…”

She lowered her eyes, hiding the sharpness within, the pain deeply buried in her heart, “Merit varies in depth, life’s quality in length, all are predetermined. Where is there room for anger?”

She did not finish her last words. The rise and fall of the world and the fortune of nations are also predestined.

In the previous life, the Bai family that protected the Jin Kingdom was ostracized by the Emperor and framed by treacherous officials. After the Bai family was destroyed, within a mere ten years, this Yan Regency Prince Xiao Rongyan led the iron cavalry to open the gates of the Jin Imperial Palace, just as the Jin Kingdom had flattened the Shu Imperial Palace earlier.

So the Bai family must not risk their entire clan’s lives for the waning Lin family’s imperial power.

Her grandmother, the Eldest Princess, was right; now the priority was the living. She had to plan and strategize for the long-term survival of the Bai family.

She never forgot how Xiao Rongyan took down the Wei Kingdom in the previous life. The Gongsun family, loyal to the Wei Kingdom, was eradicated with no survivors in one night.

With his cunning and ruthless methods, Xiao Rongyan was indeed an expert. Facing such a brilliant and merciless individual, Bai Qingyan dared to gamble when the Bai family was at its peak.

But now, she neither had the strength to contend with Xiao Rongyan nor the confidence to ensure the Bai family would remain unscathed in a battle of wits against him.

At this time, the Bai family needed to lie low, to bide their time and plan, rather than to engage in machinations and conflict.

Since that was the case, there was no need to place each other as adversaries at this moment.

At least, not before the Bai family had fully navigated through the current crisis should they allow the Yan Regency Prince Xiao Rongyan to think… that the Bai family was foolishly loyal to Jin, willing to support the Jin Kingdom or the Lin family’s imperial power to the death, even if only women were left.

Thus, Xiao Rongyan, who still had some goodness in his heart, would not completely destroy the Bai family at this moment.

Xiao Rongyan, being extremely intelligent, understood Bai Qingyan’s implications clearly.

He smiled and poured that warm cup of tea before Bai Qingyan, picking up the teapot to pour her a hot cup of tea instead, “What you mean is that the Bai family doesn’t care who ultimately conquers the land.”

Bai Qingyan already knew his identity and had spoken so directly. He saw no need to beat around the bush.

Her gaze swept over the steaming hot tea, her demeanor calm and composed, her words resolute and firm: “I am fortunate to be born in the Duke of Zhen’s mansion, a family that never belittles women. In my youth, I studied the classics under the old master Guan Yongchong and followed my grandfather into battle. Though not wise, I understand… only a unified world can bring everlasting peace to the people.”

She knew Xiao Rongyan had such ambition and would have the capability in the future.

The Bai family was just an ephemeral existence in the grand span of history, why engage in foolish acts like trying to stop a rolling chariot with their arms?

Xiao Rongyan felt a jolt in his heart, his eyes as if hiding a deep, profound well. How old was she, yet she could speak with such calm and poise about how only a unified world could bring eternal peace to the people?

Over these years, Xiao Rongyan had traveled around for Yan, meeting with the monarchs of the three great powers, Xiliang, Wei, and Jin. Each of them, in their magnificence, spoke of bringing peace to the world but could not comprehend the essence of it.

Even he only gained this insight after many years of traveling among the nations.

He was momentarily unable to fully see through the woman before him… seemingly gentle in nature yet steadfast and upright.

Was it the drastic change in the Bai family that made her lose loyalty to Jin? Or was her heart and vision this vast from the beginning?

Thinking about how this young lady advised Qin Lang to request to relinquish his heir position, showing boldness and vision! Her demeanor of standing resolute in front of Manjiang Tower, treating that son of a concubine with impeccable poise! In the palace, she carried an unyielding spirit with a profound love for the people, brimming with righteousness.

Xiao Rongyan believed that Bai Qingyan belonged to the latter category.

The transparency and wisdom of this Miss Bai blurred the lines of her age and gender. Sitting across from her… what sprouted in Xiao Rongyan’s heart was not a sentiment of not underestimating the young but an inner respect and admiration.