43: Chapter 43 Beautiful women have always had tragic fates (14)

It was not addressed directly to Bai Zhaoyan; the imperial envoy first arrived at the Jiangnan Palace to meet with the King of Jiangnan.

After returning from his travels, the King of Jiangnan had heard about the reclusive Bai Clan descending the mountain to choose and support an enlightened ruler, and how they had proven themselves by breaking an ancient formation at his training grounds in the suburbs of Jiangnan. At that time, his long-lost ambition had been rekindled, and he had even intended to meet that member of the Bai Clan, but after being pestered by the concubines in his harem, he had forgotten all about it.

By the time he remembered, the imperial edict from the Emperor Liang had arrived.

The imperial edict from the Emperor Liang was worthless—he was merely a puppet, and the King of Jiangnan feared him not at all. However, the edict bore the royal seal of the Prince of Beichuan, which was a very intriguing detail.

Do not mistake his indulgence for stupidity; he certainly recognized the two large characters, "Pei Ji," on the seal.

"Tsk, tsk, tsk... This is going to be tricky!"

The King of Jiangnan thought for a moment and immediately found a cowardly excuse for himself: he was giving face to Pei Ji, giving face to Beichuan. His ambition to unify the world had not lasted even the time it takes for an incense stick to burn before it was ruthlessly crushed by reality.

By the time Li Nanxi found out, the King of Jiangnan had already ordered the officials from Yandu to go to Wanlin Pavilion, where Miss Bai was staying, to deliver the edict.

Li Nanxi rushed there as fast as he could, but when he arrived at Wanlin Pavilion, he saw that Bai Zhaoyan had already received the imperial edict with both hands and was holding it.

The official delivering the edict stood by and asked cordially, "Miss Bai, when do you think we can depart?"

"Please trouble yourself to wait one day for me, sir. Once I have arranged the matters here in Jiangnan, I will accompany you to Yandu."

"Good, good, no rush, no rush." As long as she agreed to go, that was all that mattered!

The official who had asked was named Liu Wenying. He had just been promoted to imperial envoy when the Prince of Beichuan ordered him to Jiangnan to deliver the edict.

He had known before coming that this was not a good job! The Prince of Beichuan had heard the news of the Bai Clan descending the mountain and breaking the formation in Jiangnan, so he ordered him to come to Jiangnan to invite her to Liang State's Yandu to provide assistance.

His legs were trembling. He felt that this trip was merely an excuse for the Prince of Beichuan, who disliked him, to kill him! Why did this member of the Bai Clan only appear in the areas of East Lake, Wuzhong, and Jiangnan, and not in Beichuan or Liang State?

Did he not have any self-awareness?

Considering his reputation for being bloodthirsty and prone to beheading people at the slightest disagreement, what did he expect?

When had the Bai Clan lowered their standards for choosing an "enlightened ruler" so much? He was afraid of death, but that was exactly what he was thinking.

And he was asked to deliver an edict inviting the Bai Clan member to Liang State?!

—Since ancient times, scholars have possessed backbone, fearing neither power nor death.

Before arriving, he had already accepted the outcome that the Bai Clan member would refuse to go to Yandu and would rebuke him angrily. If he forced her to go to Yandu and provoked public outrage, the other nations would certainly not agree, but if she did not go, he would fail his mission—it was a dead end either way. Therefore, before leaving, he had settled his family, and on the way, he had even bought a rope for hanging himself.

Unexpectedly! This Miss Bai was truly a beautiful and kind-hearted little fairy!

Her soft and gentle voice sounded like celestial music to his ears! Liu Wenying was overjoyed, and he was on the verge of kneeling down to kowtow to her.

He came looking like a man attending his own funeral and left with a spring in his step; that was him exactly.

Seeing the Heir of the King of Jiangnan standing at the door, Liu Wenying even bowed happily before withdrawing.

Li Nanxi's gaze fell on the imperial edict in her hand. "You cannot go."

"Hmm?" Zhao Yan raised her eyes to look at him.

Those beautiful peach-blossom eyes should have been coquettish, but coupled with her clear and pure gaze, it made one unable to harbor a shred of profanity.

"This is not the Emperor Liang wanting to see you; it is the Prince of Beichuan, Pei Ji. You may not understand Pei Ji's character. He followed his father onto the battlefield at the age of eleven and has been fighting for years. Not only did he inherit his father's immense strength and bravery in battle, but his personality is also extremely extreme. Whether it concerns the governance of Beichuan or the methods used to attack other nations, he is extremely hardline. He is bloodthirsty and capricious, acting entirely on his own whims without any reason. Beichuan shares borders with East Lake and West Chu, and there are always frictions every year. East Lake and West Chu have long been plagued by this, yet they are powerless to do anything about it."

"Thank you for informing me, Heir Li. I understand."

Li Nanxi reached out and grabbed the arm of Zhao Yan, who was walking inside.

"Let go," Zhao Yan said in a cold tone.

"Apologies, I was just anxious for a moment." Li Nanxi sheepishly let go.

"Do you think I can refuse to go?" she asked him in return.

Li Nanxi mumbled, but in the end, he did not say it, his eyes instantly dimming.

That's right, since Pei Ji had already spoken, how could she not go?

He was no match for Pei Ji; likewise, Jiangnan could not withstand the most powerful military force, Beichuan. Moreover, regarding other matters, his father would listen to him and indulge him, but once it concerned his position as the King of Jiangnan, his father would never make an enemy of Beichuan for the sake of a woman, even if that person was from the Bai Clan.

Zhao Yan curled her lips in a cold mockery and turned to instruct Bai Ke to escort Ming Xia back, and for Ye Chen to accompany her and Hong Yun to go to Yandu with the imperial envoy.

"Wei Qingli will not agree to you going to Yandu to see Pei Ji either!"

"Why should I need his agreement?"

"Aren't you..." He couldn't say what they were. He had originally just wanted to stop her from going to Yandu, but upon reflection, it seemed she had never shown any intimacy toward Wei Qingli. From beginning to end, it was Wei Qingli who had been trying to get close to her, so they actually had nothing between them. The little joy in his heart hadn't even had time to ferment before it was trapped by the problem at hand.

"Heir Li, I understand that you and Wei Qingli, or perhaps others, have some little ulterior motives, whether it is for me as a person or for the talent of the Bai Clan. But I did not come down from the mountain to engage in romance or matters of the heart."

Li Nanxi felt as if he had nowhere to hide under that clear gaze.

"The mission of my Bai Clan is to 'uphold the state and bring peace to the world.' In the past, the Liang State court was corrupt, and power was decentralized, leading to generals wielding power abroad, acting independently, and declaring themselves kings. If the current situation of five nations standing was beneficial to the people, I would have nothing to say. But the fact is: even if the Liang State has fallen and exists only in name, the various kings within the Central Plains are constantly fighting and scheming against each other. There are frequent wars at the borders of each nation, and they are constantly seizing able-bodied men for the army; the people still cannot find peace. Local officials are looting and plundering, seizing land on a large scale, and taking the opportunity to squeeze the people. And outside the Central Plains? The barbarians are eyeing our fertile land, waiting for an opportunity to strike! With internal strife and external threats, the people are suffering. That is why my Bai Clan has descended the mountain."

"I have traveled through Wuzhong and East Lake, and then arrived in Jiangnan. The King of West Chu has deep prejudices against me; he acts recklessly and is not a candidate for an enlightened ruler. My next step is to travel to Liang State and Beichuan."

"But Pei Ji, he—"

"What the Prince of Beichuan is like, I will know once I go."

Hearing her evaluate Chu Yao and seeing that she had no romantic feelings for Wei Qingli, he suddenly became curious about what he was like in her heart.

As he thought this, the question slipped out.

He felt her focused gaze on him and suddenly felt nervous, fearing it might not be good, especially since he had previously mistaken her for someone else from the Bai Clan.

Zhao Yan deliberated for a moment, her voice as light as smoke and soft as water: "Li Nanxi, I admit you have the talent to govern. The way to govern a country starts with enriching the people. The people of Jiangnan under your rule live better than those in any other nation."

Upon hearing this, Li Nanxi could barely suppress the joy in his heart; she approved of him.

"But can you protect it?" she asked softly. "Right now, the people of Jiangnan are living in peace and contentment, but behind the prosperity, one must be prepared for danger. Without a matching military force, you cannot protect your Jiangnan."

These words were like a blow to the head.

Seeing his face turn pale, Zhao Yan remained unmoved and continued, "Although Jiangnan is wealthy, in terms of military force, it is inferior to East Lake, not to mention the most powerful Beichuan. The reason Beichuan has been having frictions at the borders of East Lake and West Chu, but does not harass Jiangnan, is not because he doesn't want to, but because of its geographical location; it is not convenient for him. But tell me, if he sees that Jiangnan is so wealthy yet so vulnerable, would he not attack Jiangnan first?"

"Conquering Jiangnan is equivalent to finding a treasury for himself, which would ensure that the front-line wars have no worries about food and supplies. Viewed this way, even if Beichuan makes a grand effort to go around half the Central Plains to attack Jiangnan, it would still be worthwhile."

Li Nanxi was not stupid; he knew the stakes, but he had not figured out how to strengthen his military training in a short time to be able to resist an attack from the Beichuan Army or the Donghu Army. He could only comfort himself, thinking, fortunately, fortunately the five nations had reached a peace agreement of non-aggression.

But how long this peace agreement could last, no one knew, especially when one side was the ruthless Pei Ji, and the other was the unfathomably scheming Wei Qingli.

"If I were you, strengthening soldier training is one aspect, but it won't yield immediate results. You can also seek allies."

Li Nanxi's eyes lit up instantly. His tone revealed a hint of urgency: "Then Zhao Yan, who do you think is suitable as an ally?"

"Beichuan is the strongest; he doesn't need allies, only subordinates. East Lake is in a similar situation to Beichuan. Both places are much stronger than you, so naturally, they won't pay much attention to Jiangnan." She stopped there.

Li Nanxi lowered his head to consider the feasibility.

Zhao Yan was not in a hurry; haste makes waste. He had to figure it out for himself; the bait had already been cast.

Geographically, Wuzhong is located between East Lake and Jiangnan; if they allied, troops could be deployed extremely quickly. In terms of military force, Wuzhong and West Chu actually share the same predicament as Jiangnan, but because of the relationship between the King of West Chu, Chu Yao, and Bai Qingxue, Li Nanxi would definitely not choose to ally with Chu Yao, so that left only Wuzhong.

She had effectively placed the answer in front of Li Nanxi.

Once Jiangnan allied with Wuzhong, she would have to speed up the pace to drive Xiao Chengyuan off the throne and push Xiao Mu to power. With Xiao Mu in power, it would mean Wuzhong was already in her hands. As for Jiangnan, which was allied with Wuzhong, she would first cut off its purse, then seize its military power—perhaps she could take it without even needing to fight a battle.

If it really came to that, she believed that Wan Xianzhi was a smart man who would assess the situation and make the most correct judgment.

Wei Qingli wants Jiangnan? Not a chance.

Jiangnan, she wanted it too!

The bait given to Li Nanxi was enough. She believed that her words would have a certain influence on him, and it was only a matter of time before he figured it out. If he really couldn't figure it out, she wouldn't mind using Wei Qingli's ambition to put pressure on Li Nanxi to urge an alliance between Jiangnan and Wuzhong.

By then, it would be a three-legged standoff between the alliances of Beichuan, East Lake, and Wuzhong-Jiangnan.

She would leave Beichuan to herself this time. Once Beichuan was taken, she would unite with Wuzhong and Jiangnan, and the others would be nothing to fear.

She had to rebuild the Liang State in the shortest possible time, reunify the Central Plains, return a prosperous and peaceful era to the people, and fortify the borders. She would never allow the events of the original body's second life—barbarians invading the Central Plains, burning and killing at will, causing the people to live in misery and leaving the land devastated—to happen again.

Seeing that her decision to leave was firm, Li Nanxi knew he couldn't persuade her anymore, so he had to say a few more words of caution before leaving Wanlin Pavilion, looking back at every step.

That was the first time he had fallen for someone, yet he could only watch helplessly as she stepped into a pit of fire; his state of mind could well be imagined.

But for now, this was not the time for melancholy. After hearing her words, he felt as if he had been enlightened. He needed to go back to sort out his thoughts before deciding where Jiangnan should go from here.

After Li Nanxi left, Hong Yun jumped down from a large tree nearby. She was a secret guard, so it was not strange for her to be hiding in all sorts of nooks and crannies to protect her master.

She leaned in and asked, puzzled, "Young Master, how come I don't see that Li Nanxi is so great? Talent for governing? Did you really need to offer him advice?"

Zhao Yan smiled, "The predicament of Jiangnan is real. Jiangnan is innocent, but because it is far wealthier than the other four nations, that is its original sin—'an innocent man is guilty of a crime because of his treasure.' But—"

Zhao Yan raised an eyebrow and said casually, "That Li Nanxi has the talent to govern is something I just said casually."

It was just to brainwash him, to make him think he could do it, that he was capable, and that the Bai Clan thought highly of him.

"The wealth of Jiangnan is not solely due to Li Nanxi's efforts; it is a combination of favorable weather, terrain, and unity of the people. The topography, climate, and geographical location of Jiangnan itself destined it to be prosperous. Speaking of which, if one were to trace back a few generations, Li Nanxi and my Li family were of the same branch; otherwise, our ancestors would not have granted such a large and fertile piece of land to the Li family as a fief."

"But after enjoying the protection of our Li family, instead of being loyal to the emperor and serving the country, he has been lying about natural disasters year after year, constantly reaching out to the imperial court to demand disaster relief funds. My father, mindful that he was of the same branch of the Li family, naturally took care of him a bit."

"He has the talent to govern? Jiangnan is wealthy, but his wealth was initially built on the foundation of constantly reaching out to ask our Liang State for money." Zhao Yan's voice became cold.

The late Emperor Liang was kind and had ambitions. He tried hard to change the mess left by the previous two ancestors of the Liang State. He thoroughly investigated corruption in the court and also realized that the power of the vassal kings was too great, so he announced the abolition of the vassal system, wanting to centralize power. However, he abolished it too quickly, causing dissatisfaction among the five vassal kings. The five vassal kings united in rebellion and fought all the way to the gates of Yandu. In the end, under the deception of Bai Qingxue and Chu Yao, Li Hong opened the city gates and let in spies, which led to the southern gate of Yandu being captured by the armies of the five kings, with their troops pressing straight toward the imperial palace.

What kind of person was the late Emperor Liang?

He was diligent in government affairs and strove for restoration, but his personality determined his fate: he was soft-hearted, valued feelings too much, and even disregarding the law was fatal. If, the first time he discovered that the Li family of Jiangnan had lied about natural disasters to defraud disaster silver, he had arrested and imprisoned the Li family instead of considering their kinship and letting him off, the King of Jiangnan would not have been so greedy, and the territory of Jiangnan would not have grown to such an extent.

If he had not trusted Xiao Chengyuan implicitly because he considered that Wuzhong was the fief of his aunt's husband, the Xuanjia Army of the Situ family would not have been attacked from both sides when the Wuzhong Army defected at the critical moment of the war, suffering heavy losses, and his grandfather would not have died in battle.

The late Emperor might have been a good father, a good brother, and a good husband, but he was not a good emperor.

By the time Wei Qingli received the news, Zhao Yan was already on her way to Yandu of the Liang State with the imperial envoy Liu Wenying.

He crumpled the letter in his hand into a ball and said angrily, "What is Li Nanxi doing? Just letting Pei Ji's people take her away so unscrupulously!"

Xu Yan rarely saw his prince get angry. Anxiety clouds judgment; how could Li Nanxi stop the Prince of Beichuan, Pei Ji, when he came to demand someone? Looking at the Central Plains, the only force that could rival the iron cavalry of Beichuan was the Xuanjia Army of the former General of the Nation, Situ Ming. But everyone knew that the Xuanjia Army had been severely damaged in the battle to defend Yandu more than two years ago and had been incorporated into the Beichuan Army, merely living under others' breath and no longer having its former prestige.

Now, the Beichuan iron cavalry was the only dominant force.

"If the Prince had been able to bring Miss Bai back to East Lake in the first place, there wouldn't be so much trouble." Xu Yan said with regret. He also heard the news of the Bai Clan breaking the formation and sighed that the Bai Clan was indeed proficient in military strategy and formations, and perhaps even in planning and governance. If Miss Bai were on their side, with such help, why worry about not achieving great things?

How could Wei Qingli not know? It was just that he couldn't bear to force her.

He had originally intended to return to East Lake before the New Year to handle government affairs and pick her up immediately after the New Year. But who would have thought that the old man still had not given up, coveting the throne and gathering a group of rabble to assassinate him.

By the time he finished dealing with these matters and stabilized the East Lake court, and wanted to go pick her up, it was already near the third month. Unexpectedly, Pei Ji had beaten him to it.