Chapter 1163: Chapter 731: Shackles

“You want me to start calling myself ‘Zhen’?”

“Yes.”

“With such audacity, I thought you would directly seek to change the dynasty.”

“Facing the Sects, the Prime Minister’s Mansion needs the Imperial Family, needs a Li-named Emperor who holds real power and is willing to continue Jiaying’s governance as a collaborator.”

“Interesting suggestion, you must have approached others before, right?”

“Yes.”

He looked directly into her eyes, waiting for a response.

In this Golden Throne Hall, discussing such treasonous matters, Li Qingyan’s expression gradually took on an interested look. She shifted her gaze from Xu Yuan to the dragon throne on the golden steps, her long eye-tails slightly curved, and she chuckled softly:

“This coveted position of authority, and yet now no one dares to take it. Changtian, why do you think that is?”

“Because to be the ruler of the world, one must bear the responsibilities of the world.”

On this matter, Xu Yuan did not hesitate.

Though his father was like the martial Wei, the Dayan Royal Family were not the sons of heaven at the end of Han, and to say they feared ascending the throne only to become a puppet emperor is sheer nonsense.

With the Imperial Faction at their side and righteousness in their stance, from any perspective, the Emperor of Dayan remains the most powerful person in the world.

Hearing this, Li Qingyan’s delicate eyebrows slightly furrowed, murmuring softly:

“It seems those who refused you before me think themselves unworthy of bearing the responsibilities of the world….”

Xu Yuan reminisced slightly, saying:

“Li Yucheng is an Imperial Family member born at the wrong time, and as for Li Yunqing… he simply should not have been born into the Imperial Family.”

“So, you now think I have the ability to bear the responsibilities of the world?”

“Yes.”

“Alright.”

“…Ah?”

“I agree. What do you want to do?”

“…..”

Amidst the dim and profound palace, Li Qingyan sat at the low table, her phoenix eyes squinting in amusement, looking up at him intently. Her dark pupils were deep in those phoenix eyes.

This direct answer momentarily stunned Xu Yuan’s thoughts, but recalling her nature made him relieved.

The person before him was neither the cautious Li Yunqing nor the self-aware Li Yucheng, but the Dayan God of Death who dared to stake everything in a desperate battle to charge at the enemy’s main camp.

After considering his words slightly, Xu Yuan opened his lips, but Li Qingyan raised her hand to interrupt him. She had asked, not for his answer, because he couldn’t provide one.

Even if forced to answer, he could only utter platitudes and empty words.

Under Xu Yuan’s gaze, Li Qingyan’s calm voice rustled like turning pages of a book:

“Back in the capital, away from the war, I couldn’t sit idle but had nothing to do, so I always pondered randomly over various things in the palace. Thinking about the world, the Imperial Chancellor, bloodlines, and all sorts of miscellaneous matters, including the possibility of my own ascension as Emperor. But can you guess what conclusion I finally reached?”

Hearing this, a slight sense of unease settled in Xu Yuan’s heart, and he asked:

“Are you going to refuse as well?”

Li Qingyan didn’t directly answer his question but spoke of all sorts of trivial matters:

“Changtian, do you know why from the royal family to the humble trader all avoid deposing the eldest and establishing the young?”

As Xu Yuan contemplated the motives of the woman before him, he replied:

“Each dynasty has its own court, whether merchant retainers or noble courtiers, they all need a certainty. Having a legitimate heir gives them confidence to stake everything on the table. Without it, every power transition could lead to struggle and turmoil.”

“Then why, in this world, did your Prime Minister’s Mansion and my Imperial Family not follow this principle?”

“….”

Faced with this question, Xu Yuan’s brows slightly furrowed.

The answer could be simple: the current Emperor and Prime Minister’s prestige is so overwhelming that everything about the Imperial and Ministerialist factions revolves around the two of them. Even if they deposed the eldest and established the youngest, it wouldn’t meet much resistance, but this clearly wasn’t what Li Qingyan was implying.

The depth of her question alluded to something deeper.

In times of peace, everyone pursues their small piece of land. Yet the foreseeable future will not be peaceful. As the two largest ship vessels in the world, both the Prime Minister Party and the Imperial Family need a better helmsman.

To preserve themselves, to navigate toward a future fraught with surging waves.

At times of life and death, survival becomes the primary principle, and ancestral systems, stability, all ethical norms must be set aside.

Courtiers of the Prime Minister’s Party do not favor the overly rigid Xu Changge, and the nobility of the Imperial Family doubts Li Yucheng’s kindness and benevolence. This is the deepest reason why the Prime Minister’s Mansion and the Imperial Family could depose the legitimate without hindrance.

If the Emperor were to establish an infant, if the Prime Minister were to set forth the fourth daughter, no matter how esteemed their prestige, the ministers and nobles below would surely rebuke them as ‘disorderly commands.'”

With this in mind,

Xu Yuan immediately understood the meaning behind Li Qingyan’s words.

He did not respond, nor could he.

Li Qingyan could not obtain the support of the Imperial Faction.

It could be said that she couldn’t gain the trust of the Imperial Faction.

Even if Li Yaoxuan personally commanded to establish a female Emperor, the Imperial Faction would denounce it as a chaotic decree.

Because of Xu Yuan.

Because of his marriage engagement with her.

Both the Prime Minister’s Mansion and the Imperial Family are entrenched in the center, with too many conflicts and interests between them.

Xu Yuan was already identified as the future master of the Prime Minister’s Mansion,

How magnanimous would the people of the Imperial Faction have to be, to allow Li Yaoxuan to hand the throne to the companion of the future master of the Prime Minister’s Mansion.

Listening to the surrounding silence, Li Qingyan slowly stood up from the low table, gazing at the Dragon Throne, sighed softly:

“Throughout the ages of the Imperial realm, marriage alliances were never in shortage. During the millennia of the Yan Dynasty’s reign, the Emperor has welcomed Tartar Princesses into the palace countless times as consorts. But even in defeat, forced into the depths of the Great Desert, the Tartar Royal Court never agreed to send their Goddess into the Dayan Palace.”

Speaking of this,

Li Qingyan ascended the golden steps, her footsteps echoing, her eyes as clear as water, her words rippling:

“In all the world, is there ever a notion of an Emperor engaging in a marriage alliance? You told me to change my address to ‘I’, have you ever considered how you should comport yourself?”

At the top of the golden steps, she turned to look at the man below them:

“Are you prepared to take your own life, or to set sail to the sea like my royal brother?”

Xu Yuan’s gaze followed the graceful figure of the woman, solemnly replied:

“This is the optimal solution; otherwise, even if we joined forces to pacify the sects, disputes would still arise between the Imperial Chancellor.”

Standing atop the golden steps,

with the Nine Dragon Screen as her backdrop,

Li Qingyan suddenly smiled, dazzlingly enchanting:

“For personal matters, I can follow the future you depicted, but national affairs are not child’s play. Even if I choose to trust you, others do not believe in me.

“Moreover,

“Changtian, even if you loathe Li Zhaoyuan, you shouldn’t have asked such a question. Acting so impulsively is contrary to your behavior of bearing the world’s sins before the throne.”

As these words fell,

the gloomy light cast by the dome reflected through the cracks, accompanied by scattered raindrops, falling around the red-robed woman.

For a moment, silence filled the hall,

for a long, brief moment,

Li Qingyan looked at him, as if contemplating a way to break the stalemate, gently shook her head, softly said:

“Let’s leave that aside for now; it’s been too long since we’ve met. Will you walk with me?”

Hearing her subtle change in address, Xu Yuan sighed softly, didn’t say much more, and ascended the golden steps:

“You are indeed the same as before, unchanged.”

Upon hearing this, Li Qingyan’s phoenix eyes lowered, staring at the cracked pit beside the low table:

“You… have changed quite a bit.”

Approaching, Xu Yuan glanced at the empty Dragon Throne atop the golden steps, accompanying Li Qingyan as they walked out of the Golden Throne Hall from behind the Nine Dragon Screen, and returned along the artistically crafted corridors leading to the inner palace.

Li Qingyan looked at the gloomy sky outside, calmly asked:

“Previously, you always gave people the impression of unpredictability, difficult to trust. Seeing you today no longer brings such a feeling, is this change because of the deceased Commandery Princess?”

“….”

At the mention of Li Junwu, Xu Yuan’s emotions swelled, momentarily silent:

“Why… suddenly mention her.”

Li Qingyan watched his profile, smiling softly:

“Those who like to act alone and turn away are often introverted, preferring to keep everything to themselves. In the past, you had no one to talk to. The Sword Sect’s chief disciple is cold-hearted; at most, seeing your sadness, will quietly stay by your side. As for the Saintess… ha, when it comes to affairs between men and women, she might even give you a few sharp remarks. As for the people in your Prime Minister’s Mansion, the Prime Minister is also introverted, and as for your elder brother… I truly cannot envision Xu Changge comforting you….”

Accompanied by the gentle stream beside the corridor, the woman gently held his hand, her long, dense eyelashes trembling slightly, her voice subtly complex:

“Changtian, keeping some things in your heart can lead to long-lasting distress, but expressing them can bring much relief.”