Rebirth: The Journey of an Heiress novel Chapter 678

Chapter 678: Chapter 675: Self-preservation by Shrinking Back_1

Xiao Rongyan sat in the open window of the study, brow furrowed as he carefully read the secret letter sent by his imperial brother. Just as he set the letter on fire, two birds chirped noisily, flying in and landing on the window, pecking at each other and flapping their wings playfully.

Xiao Rongyan reached out to take one of the birds into his hand, gently stroking its feathers, his eyes deep as he spoke to Zhang Yan. "Wei and Daliang have joined forces, intending to attack our Yan Kingdom from both the north and the south. In truth, this move is to intimidate the Jin Kingdom."

Previously, when Bai Qingyan led troops, the Jin Kingdom had defeated Daliang thoroughly. With Wei and Xiliang intending to join forces against Yan, it was the Jin Kingdom that sent troops to the Xiliang and Jin borders to deter Xiliang. Wei had been thwarted by the Jin Kingdom at every turn, naturally leading to discontent.

Daliang, having suffered a defeat, also harbored grudges.

Therefore, they did not dare to directly act against the Jin Kingdom but thought to use what they perceived as the weaker Yan Kingdom to kill the chicken to scare the monkey and thus intimidate the Jin Kingdom.

Not to mention, Wei had long been coveting the fertile southern lands of Yan.

Despite Yan secretly growing stronger over the years, it was no longer the impoverished, weak nation that Wei and Daliang presumed it to be, where anyone could come and bully Yan at will.

The current situation forced Yan to unsheathe its sword.

Yan had to let the world know that the Yan Kingdom after more than a decade was no longer the Yan of the past. Anyone who dared provoke Yan had better think twice about whether they could bear the consequences.

Xiao Rongyan made up his mind and raised his head to ask Zhang Yan. "Where is the Yan envoy now?"

"I estimate he should arrive in Dadu City within two days!" Zhang Yan reported respectfully.

"Go and tell the Yan envoy that there is no need this time to seek aid from the Jin Kingdom. Tell the Crown Prince of Jin directly that Daliang and Wei plan to join forces to attack Yan. The Emperor of Yan, upon hearing this, had a fit of rage and is now critically ill. The envoy is here to escort Prince Li back to Yan to see His Majesty for potentially the last time!" Xiao Rongyan spoke steadily.

"But master, this..." Zhang Yan raised his head, his gaze filled with astonishment.

Since Yan had decided to unsheathe its sword, Xiao Rongyan said each word clearly, replying: "Our Prince cannot stay in the Jin Kingdom, lest he be used as leverage against us in the future."

Hearing this, Zhang Yan understood Xiao Rongyan’s meaning. Yan could no longer grow stronger in secret. If Yan continued to hide its sharpness, other nations would assume Yan was weak and could be easily bullied, using it as a stepping stone to enhance their own power, taking cities from Yan piece by piece.

Especially since Yan had helped the Rong previously, other strong nations saw that a country they considered weak had the margin to assist the Rong, igniting a desire to quash Yan’s spirit and impose dominance so that Yan would retreat and protect itself.

Therefore, Yan must make it clear that the Yan of today was no longer the Yan of the past.

The once strong Yan Kingdom was back.

"I understand! I will go and meet the envoy to deliver your master’s message!" Zhang Yan clasped his fists, retreating from the inner chamber, then exited through the side gate, riding off quickly.

Xiao Rongyan caressed the bird’s feathers, lowering his gaze to its leg, sighing as he found no note from Bai Qingyan. He released the bird.