Chapter 371 - The Emperor’s Resolve
His Majesty chuckled. "Therefore, I don’t, for the slightest bit, doubt the truth of this matter. There’s simply no room for such lack of faith!"
Qiu Jianhan sighed but could not help feeling the surge of warmth in his heart.
It was the paramount achievement to have this sort of trust exist between an emperor and his official; it was the epitome of a gentleman dying for his confidant!
"About this child who has suddenly made his appearance…"
The question had been swirling in Old Marshal Qiu’s heart and he finally found the courage to ask, "Your Majesty, what is your plan? You should know what you both will face once this child is shown to the public… what the Yutang dynasty is bound to experience!"
His Majesty’s expression slowly turned somber. He took another two steps to slowly sit down on his chair, tapping on the table with a finger and a deep frown.
Old Marshal Qiu’s heart lurched in his chest.
He had to ask the question, he could hold it back. He had to tear this wall down to know what the emperor wanted to do, and what his next step would be!
Would his thinking be the same as that of Supreme Wind?
The old marshal felt an ominous premonition surrounding him.
"Old Qiu, what do you think of the crown prince?" His Majesty turned and asked very seriously.
Old Marshal Qiu immediately froze into an unmoving statue.
"Can you two not ask similar questions?"
"If you two came to a similar decision, then it would really be a merry affair!" the old marshal thought with a hint of amusement.
Regarding the question, he could answer frankly when it was Supreme Wind asking; he need not avoid responding to Supreme Wind’s straightforward replies. Now, when he faced the emperor though, he had to try a different tack.
"I can't truly answer Your Majesty’s question…" Old Marshal Qiu carefully tossed the question back to the emperor and tried controlling the expression he was showing on his face.
"Let's just talk about the other princes first. Is there anyone who is actually capable?" His Majesty asked.
Old Marshal Qiu’s facial muscles spasmed. He felt a sense of déjà vu; Supreme Wind had sat down in front of him to raise the same questions. Perhaps he had gone back to the moment when Supreme Wind was asking him those questions.
The emperor obviously did not need him to answer, unlike Supreme Wind. His Majesty stood up with arms behind his back and said in a low voice, "I know you find it hard to answer, but how can I not be aware that among my princes, there’s isn’t a single one who can shoulder the burdens of Yutang!"
"If I really had to make a choice among them, I can assert now that when I’ve passed on, Yutang will crumble in an extremely short time. It could be faster, perhaps a year or two, it could be even three months or five!"
"It would be a great challenge to pick a conservative emperor among these sons of mine. To become one who has great talent and the bold vision to be an authoritative emperor, they may need to undergo several reincarnations to achieve that. With the current state of the world, how can a chary emperor be able to guard and maintain his empire?"
"The nations of Tianxuan Continent are packs of wolves. Only through continuous attacks and the act of conquering other nations will Yutang be able to obtain peace and long-term stability."
The emperor’s gaze was dark, with a matching expression.
"I can guarantee that my officials work well with me, the warriors fight hard, and Yutang remains safe and sound in the years of my living; I can also guarantee that I can build a team that can dominate and triumph in the world while defending attacks from all sides. However, I am certain that before this team truly takes form, I won’t be here anymore."
The emperor extended an arm, stopping the old marshal who was about to speak words of comfort.
"If my successor were to be only a chary emperor, not only will this team be useless to him, it’ll be harmful. If the successor were a fatuous emperor, the team will rebel instead. Whether the team tears down the emperor or the emperor tears down the team, it will only result in self-sabotage in the end. There’s nothing but woe left for Yutang!"
Old Marshal Qiu listened, quietly stunned.
His Majesty’s words were basically the same as what Supreme Wind had said. It was only the difference in the choice of words and sentence structure; one was analyzed from an outsider’s point of view while another was dissected from his own opinion!
"If my heir and Yutang’s next emperor is one of great talent, bold vision, wit, generosity, and benevolence… he can totally make use of the team I’ve built and gone a step further! Step out from Empire of Yutang towards the path of uniting the world and conquering Tianxuan!"
His Majesty’s gaze was shining. "There will be an immense hope to unite the world and Tianxuan within the twenty years that this emperor holds the throne! To complete the foundation of Yutang and remain prosperous forever! That’s the biggest unfulfilled wish of Empire of Yutang’s generations of royals!"
"Sadly, this wish can never be fulfilled by the sons I have right now. If I pass the throne on to them, not only will this wish become a popped bubble, the bloodline of Yu might even be severed. You can then forget about conquering anything."
His Majesty stared straight at Qiu Jianhan, but Old Marshal Qiu dared not meet the emperor's eyes at all and could only tilt his head away.
"My eldest prince was such an emperor! My most ideal successor!"
There was agony in the emperor’s voice. "It’s a pity that the vicissitudes of life are never constant and destiny plays us like fools…"
He paused, raised his head and shut his eyes.
After a long, long time, he slowly reopened his eyes. "I have the biggest debt of guilt to my eldest prince! I owe him too much."
Qiu Jianhan felt his scalp tingling. It looked like the choice, the decision, was the same.
"Since I owe my child, I shall think of ways to compensate him."
"Those that are supposed to be his, I shall pass them on to his son – to the only one who has the right to all these!"
The emperor’s voice was low, but his tone was resolute and allowed no room for arguments.
Qiu Jianhan felt his thoughts cracking into pieces and drifting into the sky. Vaguely, he could hear his own voice speaking weakly, "Still, this boy is only two and a half years old…"
The emperor’s voice sounded like the heavy bell, resonating from the farthest place yet each word sounded terribly clear, "It is a good age. It allows me to recompense my eldest prince wholeheartedly and secondly, it’s my last effort for Yutang and Yu’s bloodline!"
"I don’t have time to cultivate a second successor, but to hold out for another twenty years shouldn't be a problem. As long as he grows to become the successor I wish him to be in this twenty years, everything will be worth it!"
"The existence of this child is equal to god bestowing me, bestowing the royal Yu, and Yutang, a hope, a future – one that is unlimitedly bright!"
"God bless Yutang, God bless the line of Yu, God bless… me, that I might have a chance to atone for the biggest regret in my heart!"
Qiu Jianhan realized that he had nothing to say.
The head of an empire had always been a regal loner who was assertive and peremptory. What he had decided could not be changed nor would it allow for the comments of others. One didn't even dare interrupt his train of thought.
Those who defied him would face the same fate as a man touching a dragon’s reverse scale – only death awaited!
A very long time later, Qiu Jianhan mumbled, "Your Majesty, this old official can understand your choice intellectually, but emotionally… isn’t it too cruel?"
His Majesty said lowly, "Of course I know that this choice is cruel to my princes."
"Still, this is the only choice that my heart agrees with. Besides, only this choice benefits the hundreds of millions of people in this empire! Most importantly, only this choice will give hope to the Empire of Yutang – a hope to remain unconquered!"
Qiu Jianhan could only sigh quietly at his words.
Just like the emperor had said, other than this choice, which would benefit the people and fulfill the emperor’s wishes, it was the most hopeful and opportune choice right now.
What stood out glaringly was the Nine Supremes!
The bloodline of the Nine Supremes represented too much of a bargaining chip.
There was something that His Majesty did not say out loud but Old Marshal Qiu was well aware of.
If this child was not in the picture, everything did not matter. Supreme Wind, as the sole survivor of the Nine Supremes, would still help the Empire of Yutang wholeheartedly, as usual.
However, with this child now – not only was he royalty, he was the orphaned child of two Supremes; what choice Supreme Wind would make due to this relationship was worthy of pondering.
If the current crown prince or the other princes had ascended the throne, it was not hard t surmise, even with one’s buttocks, what these people would do to the bloodline of the Nine Supremes with their callous natures.
Would Lord Supreme Wind endure such a man of authority – such an emperor of Yutang?
It was completely impossible!
Whether it was the emperor or Old Marshal Qiu, they had naturally arrived at the same answer after putting themselves in each other’s shoes!
Only by making the child the next heir of Yutang could Yutang possible have a future. Otherwise, Yutang might fall faster than anyone expected.
Upon deciding, the emperor seemed to lighten up, speaking softly, "Old Qiu, say, with our ability and foundation – with you, me, and Supreme Wind’s teaching, will this successor be qualified enough to become the future overlord of the world? Just thinking of the sense of achievement now makes me inexplicably thrilled!"
Qiu Jianhan could only wear a bitter smile on his face.
The old marshal really could not understand where the emperor’s confidence came from – could a world’s overlord be thought or made?