Rebirth: The Journey of an Heiress-Chapter 785 - 782: Stones from Other Hills_1

Zhao Sheng felt a profound shock after hearing this. He exerted all his strength to control his trembling body and sat up straight.

The source of his shock was the idea of a family ruling over the entire nation. He never expected Bai Qingyan, a woman, to have such ambition and fearlessness at this age.

Zhao Sheng thought about the current Jin Emperor, who was obsessed with alchemy, and recalled the Crown Prince, who was once the King of Qi. Back then, the King of Qi, as Zhao Sheng remembered, never had such audacity or the ambition to unify the world.

His heart pounded as he thought about the Duke of Zhen’s Bai family, renowned across the nations.

He remembered his grandfather mentioning that the Bai family had always taken it upon themselves to assist their rulers in conquering and unifying the land.

Zhao Sheng gritted his teeth. As a general, who wouldn’t want to achieve such unparalleled glory?

But what could he do if the ruler had no such grand ambition? He, a subordinate and now one who was not even valued, could do nothing.

Zhao Sheng’s sharp gaze suddenly focused on Bai Qingyan before him, who clearly was not fragile.

All the talk of frequent illnesses, being bedridden, not surviving the year—it was all a deliberate act by the Princess of Zhen. She aimed to lessen the suspicion of the Jin Imperial Family and prevent the Bai family from meeting the same fate as the previous generation.

Yet, even in such a situation, she never forgot the Bai family’s aspiration!

Zhao Sheng boldly speculated that it was not the Jin Emperor who sought to unify the world, nor was it the Crown Prince. It was this woman, who wielded strategies with divine prowess and unmatched intellect!

She wanted to unify the land!

Suppressing his inner turmoil and controlling his emotions, Zhao Sheng spoke: "Princess of Zhen, your eloquence is commendable. But it’s not enough to make Zhao Sheng serve you. I, Zhao Sheng, do not share your grand ambition—only to protect the people at the borders of Liang Kingdom."

"The Zhao family has no such ambition? General Zhao has no such great aspirations?" Bai Qingyan raised her hand and pointed to the map of the various nations, then unfolded it. "If General Zhao has none, then why possess such a map?"

Zhao Sheng looked at the map, noticing the meticulous handwriting he had penned, tightened his fist, and lowly said: "Even if the world is unified, will there be no war? If there will be no more wars, then why do we have so many nations today?"

"General Zhao’s point is about how to govern such a vast nation after unification," Bai Qingyan responded calmly. "But now... we haven’t even glimpsed the prototype of unification. What is there to discuss about governance? General Zhao is right. Even after unification, there might still be wars and divisions. But does that mean we shouldn’t strive for unification? If no one endeavors to do so, the world will never see the day of peace!"

"Nation governance is a discipline. There are methods to stabilize the people in chaotic times and laws to govern in peaceful times. Developing beneficial strategies for the nation and its people must be done by gradually refining and amending them as history progresses, based on the country’s strength. Just as future scholars might seek to reconstruct the fragmented works left by ancient sages, even the learned scholars like Mr. Min Qianqiu wouldn’t dare claim his compiled works perfectly represent the sage’s spirit. After discussing and debating with Mr. Cui Yanshi, Mr. Min has revised many of his texts."

"Moreover, the books authored by today’s scholars might be lost in future chaotic times. Should we stop writing and rebuilding the remnants of the sage’s writings because of that?"

Zhao Sheng’s fists clenched tightly.

Bai Qingyan maintained her calm demeanor and spoke steadily: "Governance of the nation and society should be based on historical lessons. Correct mistakes. Even if it doesn’t succeed, it can serve as a useful reference for future generations. General Zhao, do you agree with Bai Qingyan’s words?"

Standing outside, Bai Jinzhi listened as her elder sister rendered Zhao Sheng speechless. Overwhelmed with emotion, her fist clenched tightly.

For generations, the Bai family spoke of uniting the world. But Bai Jinzhi only saw hope in her elder sister.

It wasn’t that the former Bai family members lacked wisdom compared to her elder sister. It was because they were too loyal to the Lin Imperial Authority in the past.

From the beginning, Bai Qingyan’s voice had been gentle and fitting, with a pleasing rhythm. Yet, every word flowed into Zhao Sheng’s heart like a stream of water.

At this moment, Zhao Sheng found no words to refute Bai Qingyan’s statements.

Even his resolve wavered. Emotionally, he was eager to switch allegiance to Bai Qingyan.

Indeed, if no one executed the task of unifying the world, such a day would never come!

Governance and policies to benefit the people should also be continuously revised as history progresses.

Zhao Sheng closed his eyes briefly. When he reopened them, he asked: "May I ask, Princess of Zhen, can the Crown Prince of Jin Kingdom become a ruler capable of governing and stabilizing the world?"

Bai Qingyan shook her head, her voice firm and resolute: "But someone will!"

Zhao Sheng then understood...

Bai Qingyan was different from the Bai family members who had been loyal to Jin Kingdom for generations. She was loyal to no one; her goal was unification!

If the Jin Emperor and Crown Prince were incapable, perhaps... Bai Qingyan might truly become that person.

His grandfather once said... those who harbor ambitions for the world must possess extraordinary talents and the power to restore order.

Observing Bai Qingyan, Zhao Sheng disregarded the fact that she was a woman; her ambition and intellect were undeniable.

In the flickering candlelight, Zhao Sheng remained silent.

But some words were like sparks. Once they fell on the heart, they spread rapidly like wildfire.

Noticing Bai Jinzhi peering in from outside, Bai Qingyan retracted her gaze and continued speaking to Zhao Sheng: "Now, General Zhao, do you genuinely believe that the Yan Kingdom attacking Wei Kingdom is solely because Wei was provoking Liang Kingdom and intending to conquer Yan, forcing Yan to defend itself? At present, Yan is thrashing Wei without resistance, capturing over thirty cities and pushing towards Wei’s capital. This is to destroy Wei! Why does Yan seek to destroy Wei?"

Zhao Sheng looked up at Bai Qingyan. With her prompting, he understood and was utterly astonished.

Once held by Empress Ji, Yan was strong, harboring unification ambitions. This was not surprising. Later, Yan struggled to survive and reclaimed Nanyan with difficulty. Now, it seeks to destroy Wei. Could it be that the ambition for unification still existed?

Zhao Sheng carefully analyzed the battle between Yan and Wei. Chilled to his core, he realized that even a weak and impoverished nation like Yan harbored unification ambitions. In contrast, their Emperor of Daliang disregarded the people for personal vendettas.

While he worried about defending the nation, other countries had begun striving for unification, fighting for this grand ambition.