Chapter 762: 759: Life is Short_1

Chapter 762: Chapter 759: Life is Short_1

Murong Yu’s smile gradually faded, and his gaze towards Bai Qingyan became more solemn.

“Murong Yan wouldn’t ask like this because neither Murong Yan nor I are arrogant. We both dare not claim… that in the future, only he and I will contend for supremacy. The world’s situation changes rapidly. Who dares to say they have the power to control the future? Yan dares. I, Bai Qingyan, do not dare.”

Even now, Bai Qingyan did not walk as if on thin ice as before, but she was still cautious and dared not slack off in the slightest.

Who dares to say that the various measures of the Empress of Xiliang will not push Xiliang to its peak again?

Who dares to say that the future will not be a tripartite confrontation?

Who dares to say… that he can grasp the world in his lifetime and unify it?

Bai Qingyan dared not; presumably, Murong Yan dared not either!

She had not forgotten the Bai family’s generations of ambition for peace and was exhausting all her efforts for it.

Bai Qingyan’s clear, slow voice sounded like thunder striking, awakening Murong Yu.

Perhaps, because Yan had reclaimed Nanyan and had beaten the Wei Kingdom to the point of no resistance, everything had gone smoothly. Murong Yu believed Yan could soon pacify the world, as long as… Jin Kingdom’s war god, Princess of Zhen, could be persuaded to join Yan. Unification was within reach.

Before coming, he could guess that Bai Qingyan was pretending to be ill to reduce the Imperial Family’s suspicions and thus let the Bai family survive. But he did not expect Bai Qingyan’s ambition to be so grand; she wanted Jin Kingdom… and the world!

He underestimated Bai Qingyan’s ambition. Indeed, as she said… Though he did not look down on women because of his mother, he had never truly regarded women as equals to men, capable of great achievements.

Since he had already opened the conversation and spoken such heart-piercing words, even if this future sister-in-law resented him, Murong Yu still wanted to achieve today’s purpose of visiting Bai Qingyan.

“The Bai Clan is indeed admirable, but… if you join Yan and work hand in hand with a like-minded lover, wouldn’t it be possible to achieve the Bai family’s ambition faster? Or is it that A Yan’s will has changed, seeking eternal glory for oneself rather than peace for the people? So… wanting to change the ruler of Jin and compete with Yan for supremacy!”

Murong Yu’s voice was gentle, but his words became increasingly aggressive: “Is A Yan afraid that after joining Yan… she will end up making wedding clothes for my Yan Imperial Family, making the Murong family famous rather than the Bai family?”

“Dare I ask… is Yan also seeking eternal fame for its own selfish desires?” Bai Qingyan countered.

“The Murong family is the rightful Imperial Family of Yan. It is only natural to pacify the world for the common people!”

“Why can my Bai family only make wedding clothes for the so-called rightful Imperial Family, and not leave a name for both pacifying the world and for the Bai family’s legacy? Pacifying the world is a great merit that should indeed be recorded in history. This is not a matter of choosing one over the other. As Chen Sheng said in ancient times: Are kings, nobles, and generals born with an inherent status? The Murong bloodline… their ancestors were not born emperors! Looking up five generations from Emperor Yan, the Murong Clan were usurpers and rebels! Empress Ji said she was raised by a courtesan from a brothel, did she not?”

Feng Yao raised his eyes, brimming with killing intent as he looked at Bai Qingyan.

Now considered an ordained position, the Murong Clan’s throne was indeed born from rebellion.

On this point, Murong Yu had no rebuttal.

If he argued that during his ancestors’ times, the monarchs were incompetent and the Murong Clan’s ascendancy was heaven’s will, then why couldn’t it be the same for the Bai family now?

“This merit of pacifying the world… the Murong family can achieve it, and so can the Bai family! What the Murong family can do… the Bai family can as well! This world could bear any surname! Unifying the world is a grand undertaking worthy of historical homage. It is a remarkable feat worthy of eternal praise. Anyone who accomplishes this goal, does it seem to Emperor Yan as merely a quest for fame? If so… does Emperor Yan think that pacifying the world is as simple as child’s play?”

In terms of verbal argument, Murong Yu was no match for Bai Qingyan.

Rarely in his life had Murong Yu encountered someone he admired, and Bai Qingyan was one.

“If Emperor Yan does not understand what I said today, he can go back and ask Murong Yan. If one day, only the Jin Kingdom and the Yan Kingdom remain, should we continue the war to determine the world, or cease the conflict and unite? And should the Bai family ascend to be the new rulers of the world, or should the Murong family naturally take over?”

Bai Qingyan straightened her back with a smile and bowed to Murong Yu.

“Don’t be angry, A Yan. My words were offensive. I hope A Yan won’t take it to heart.” Murong Yu also straightened and bowed. “What A Yan said was all reasonable. I am convinced! So, I ask… if one day, only the Jin and Yan Kingdoms remain, what should be done according to A Yan?”

“I never speculate on things that won’t happen within a year,” Bai Qingyan replied.

Murong Yu nodded. “I hope if that day ever comes, A Yan and Murong Yan can resolve it properly.”

Suddenly, a flash of inspiration crossed Murong Yu’s mind, and his smile deepened.

He had been worrying too much. If that day truly came, with Bai Qingyan and Murong Yan married, and heaven willing, Bai Qingyan bore children of both bloodlines, it might be swiftly resolved.

But he feared he wouldn’t live to see that day.

Murong Yu raised the tea cup before him and gestured towards Bai Qingyan: “With tea as a substitute for wine, I apologize to A Yan. Please forgive your foolish brother.”

Murong Yu humbled himself, and Bai Qingyan, considering that Murong Yu was indeed Murong Yan’s elder brother, also raised her tea cup: “In our argument, if I offended, I hope Brother Yu can be magnanimous.”

The rippling light on the lake reflected the polished carved wooden roof of the pleasure boat. Murong Yu looked at this future sister-in-law, increasingly satisfied. When the day came that he joined his mother in the afterlife, he could account for her.

Then, he would tell her that his brother Murong Yan’s wife was an extraordinary woman capable of both governance and peace, who was achieving what their mother had wanted but could not accomplish, and was of one mind and ambition with Murong Yan.

His mother would be pleased to have such a daughter-in-law.

“Life is short; why not cherish it?” Murong Yu quietly sighed. How wonderful it would be if he could live to see the unification of this world.

Bai Qingyan knew Murong Yu realized his time was short and was moved. She said: “Life is finite, merely several decades, but great accomplishments can leave a mark for generations. Brother Yu, during your tenure, led Yan, which could be bullied by other nations and constantly faced the threat of extinction, to where it stands today. This is already a remarkable feat.”

Murong Yu turned his head to look at the shimmering lake, the swaying willows on the shore, and the vibrant life under the greenery… the signs of life. The smile in his eyes grew even broader.