Chapter 1099: Chapter 1093: Innocence
The Empress Dowager of Yan listened to Murong Li’s words, her pupils trembling...
If Murong Yan and the Emperor of Zhou had no children, the Empress Dowager of Yan would naturally trust Murong Yan wholeheartedly and be willing to entrust everything to him!
But... Murong Yan has a child now, she is also a mother. How can she not understand the thoughts of parents? Which parents do not want to present the best things in the world to their own children?
If Murong Yan had no children, he would treat Ah Li as his own child and cherish him, naturally willing to make sacrifices for Ah Li. But what about later? When his child is born, what will happen to Ah Li?
The Empress Dowager of Yan does not distrust Murong Yan, but she does not trust human nature, nor Bai Qingyan.
She shook her head, and after her thoughts twisted and turned in her mind, she spoke: "How could your aunt not trust your ninth uncle? Your aunt is afraid... the Empress of Zhou will use your ninth uncle’s child to threaten him!"
The Empress Dowager of Yan looked at Murong Yan and said: "By then, one side is his own flesh and blood, and the other... is his sister-in-law and nephew. Your ninth uncle... is bound to waver in his loyalty to Yan Kingdom and his affection for you."
Murong Yan remembered when the merger of the two countries was discussed, Ah Li had suggested that Murong Yan oppose it and act in front of the Empress Dowager of Yan. Initially, Murong Yan felt guilty for deceiving his own family, feeling uneasy in his heart.
Now it seems, Ah Li indeed understands his mother’s nature.
"Mother!" Murong Li felt his mother’s words were piercing, "The Bai family’s... the character of the Empress of Zhou is noble! She would never use a child for threats! The Bai family’s integrity, Ah Li deeply respects it. Mother cannot doubt the Empress of Zhou like this, nor should you let your imagination question ninth uncle! Is it possible... that ninth uncle needs to remain unmarried for life, never having his own children to be considered loyal to Yan? Is that how he shows love for Ah Li? Mother... what kind of twisted logic is this?"
"Sister-in-law, A Yan rightly feels no guilt towards Yan Kingdom. Instead, it is for Yan Kingdom... that he has wronged Qingyan several times!" Murong Yan clenched his fists by his side and spoke solemnly, "A Yan has never done anything to let down the people of Yan Kingdom and himself in the past, and he’s willing to vow that in the future... he will never do anything to let down the people of Yan Kingdom and himself. Can sister-in-law be reassured now?"
Upon hearing this, the Empress Dowager of Yan struggled to speak, "Sister-in-law does not say loyalty to Yan and Ah Li means A Yan must remain unmarried for life, never having his own flesh and blood! It’s just... your wife cannot be from the enemy country, nor can she be the enemy country’s emperor! When your brother was alive... he intended to betroth Minister Meng’s daughter, Meng Zhaorong, to you, A Yan. If you marry Meng Zhaorong and have children... that is also what your brother wanted to see! Only then can sister-in-law be at ease..."
"Mother!" Murong Li’s eyes widened, "Hasn’t ninth uncle sacrificed enough for Yan Kingdom? Why must ninth uncle sacrifice his lifelong happiness for mother to be at ease? Mother, we are ninth uncle’s family... not some court officials and enemy nations that require mutual constraints in cooperation. Why force ninth uncle like this? Mother, what’s wrong? Bai family sister and ninth uncle truly love each other, both..."
Murong Yan raised his hand to stop Murong Li from speaking further, only looking at his sister-in-law: "I thought... sister-in-law and brother’s profound affection would naturally understand that true love cannot accommodate anyone else."
The Empress Dowager of Yan tightly grasped her silk handkerchief: "You and the Emperor of Zhou have actually reached this point!"
"Back then, mother devoted herself wholeheartedly to a man and met such an end. Afterwards... brother and I made a vow that as long as it’s the wife we’ve chosen, we will only seek a sole heart for life, never wronging our wife!" Murong Yan’s expression was calm, "Otherwise, brother being the Emperor of Yan, the harem... would not only have sister-in-law and the imperial consort! The reason brother had a second prince born out of wedlock was also because sister-in-law listened to her family brother’s advice... believing that as Empress, it was her duty to bear offspring for the Emperor, tricking brother, and giving sister-in-law’s younger sister an opportunity."
Later, Murong Yu did not hold back and expelled the Empress Dowager of Yan’s younger sister from the palace until the second prince, Murong Ping, was born. To prevent the second prince from being embarrassed, only then did he bring the child back to the palace, along with the Empress Dowager of Yan’s younger sister. However, all these years... Murong Yu bestowed honor upon the birth mother of his second prince, but never set foot in her bedchamber.
On hearing Murong Yan’s words, the Empress Dowager of Yan recalled her deceased husband, her heart wrenched, clutching her chest, crying out.
"As long as Bai Qingyan is my wife in this life, A Yan will only have this one wife, I will never remarry, nor will I take concubines, so I ask sister-in-law not to trouble A Yan." Murong Yan kowtowed to his sister-in-law, "I have said all that needed to be said, and I ask sister-in-law to trust A Yan as brother and Ah Li do... If sister-in-law still cannot trust A Yan, A Yan is powerless! I can only apologize to brother after death..."
Having said that, Murong Yan stood up and bowed deeply to the Empress Dowager of Yan.
"A Yan!"
"Ninth uncle!" Murong Li’s eyes reddened as he watched his ninth uncle, seeing him turn and leave, almost unable to hold back his tears, only turning to his mother, "Mother, you have truly hurt ninth uncle’s heart."
"Mother does not distrust your ninth uncle! Mother only distrusts that Emperor of Zhou! Nowadays, your ninth uncle is profoundly attached to the Emperor of Zhou, who knows if in the future he will..." The Empress Dowager of Yan hesitated, tears in her eyes as she gazed at Murong Li, "Mother... Mother fears not being able to hold onto the kingdom your father left behind!"
"Mother! Not to mention that father originally intended to pass the throne to ninth uncle! Father and ninth uncle’s ambition... has never been to retain Yan Kingdom, but to unite the whole world!" Murong Li held his mother’s hands, "Mother, you must trust me, trust ninth uncle, because we are family, and in ninth uncle’s heart... family is most important."
The Empress Dowager of Yan looked at her son’s appearance and refrained from saying anything that would trouble her son, though her heart... still worried. After all... the current Emperor of Zhou is also Murong Yan’s family, and now carrying his flesh and blood.
The Empress Dowager of Yan hugged her son and cried mournfully for a while. After days of exhaustion from travel and poor health, she was attended to by her maid and fell asleep.
Murong Li sat by the bedside, observing his mother sleeping with tears still at the corners of her eyes, recalling that before his father had passed, he talked about planning to pass the throne to ninth uncle, saying... mother was soft and easily swayed, and if he were gone, when mother couldn’t manage and couldn’t rely on his elder brother, he should help ninth uncle.
However, later... ninth uncle burned his father’s Imperial Edict of succession, gave the throne to him, not caring about posthumous accusations or historical records, blocking all darkness and filth with his body, solely to leave him, the Yan Kingdom Emperor, a clean slate.