371 The Emperor’s Resolve (1/2)

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… whatthe 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!”