mtl008 Chapter 1219 Once the arrow is released, there's no turning back.
Chapter 1219 Once the arrow is released, there's no turning back.
The Phoenix Descent Dress she wore, her only nightgown, seemed to sense the overwhelming rage within its owner.
Under the bright and solemn candlelight of the Zichen Palace, the extremely dark black Suzhou brocade seemed to transform into a furious black ocean about to unleash a raging storm!
The colossal phoenix embroidered with real gold thread had its eyes wide open, exuding a chilling, supreme imperial majesty that was impossible to look directly at!
"What kind of behavior is this, crying and wailing?!"
Her gaze, like two extremely sharp ice blades, slowly swept over the dark mass of kneeling figures below the prince.
"With the nation in peril and a formidable enemy at our doorstep, you, as the pillars of our Great Qian Dynasty, do not think of how to share the nation's burdens and relieve the emperor's troubles, but only know how to cry and wail, obstructing our sovereign and father!"
"Is this the way of loyalty to the emperor and patriotism that you've learned after studying the classics your whole lives?!"
"I am truly ashamed of you!"
Murong Yan's words were resounding and powerful; every word was like a loud slap in the face to all the civil officials!
They were all blushing with shame, so ashamed they wanted to disappear.
The entire hall fell silent instantly.
Seeing that the group of stubborn old men had finally quieted down, Murong Yan's anger subsided a little.
She knew they meant no harm.
They just cared too much and were too afraid of losing her and Lin Zhen.
She took a deep breath and her voice softened: "Your Excellencies and the Prince understand our intentions."
"But once the arrow is released, there's no turning back."
"Once the battle flag of our Great Qian is raised, there is absolutely no reason for us to retreat without a fight!"
"This battle is not only related to the fate of our Great Qian Dynasty, but also to its national prestige!"
"We must fight! And we must win!"
"But..." Her tone shifted, and a deep worry and reluctance, which she herself did not realize, flashed in her beautiful phoenix eyes.
She glanced at the man beside her, who, though still trying to hold on, had become noticeably paler.
"His Highness has just recovered from his illness and it is indeed not advisable for him to travel to the Western Regions again, as it would be too arduous."
Upon hearing this, the hearts of all the officials jumped into their throats!
Your Majesty... Is Your Majesty about to give in?
However, they didn't even have time to be happy.
Murong Yan's next words, however, made everyone's eyes almost pop out of their sockets once again!
"Therefore, I have made my decision!"
"The western expedition will be postponed for now."
"I will go with the Prince!"
"The Emperor will personally lead the expedition!"
"Crossing eastward to Japan!"
Murong Yan's decision was more insane and incomprehensible than any of her previous ones.
Like a super depth charge detonated on the calm surface of a lake!
In an instant, the entire Zichen Palace fell into an eerie, deathly silence.
All the civil and military officials seemed to have been collectively frozen in place, kneeling there dumbfounded, mouths agape, eyes wide open, their minds buzzing and completely blank.
What...what did they just hear?
Should the western expedition be postponed?
Her Majesty the Empress is going to lead an expedition with His Highness the Regent to fight that damned Japanese country.
This... this... this...
What's the difference between this and what they just objected to?
Do not!
The difference is huge!
The original plan was to split the troops into two groups, one to defend the home base and the other to go on the expedition.
Although the risks are high, at least there is someone to rely on in the family.
But this plan is terrible!
The couple went straight home... oh no, they went to the battlefield together!
This is a damn gamble where the entire future of the Great Qian Dynasty, and the lives and fortunes of everyone involved, are staked on a single, utterly hopeless gamble!
crazy!
Their Empress must be insane!
He was driven to complete madness by the prince's coma and the crushing defeat in the Western Regions!
"No! Your Majesty! This is absolutely not allowed!"
After a long, deathly silence.
Led by Wang Anshi, the Minister of Personnel, a group of veteran officials once again erupted in cries and remonstrances that were more poignant and desperate than ever before!
"Your Majesty! You...you can't go! You are the ruler of our Great Qian! And moreover...you are a person of immense value carrying the imperial heir!"
"The East China Sea is turbulent with high winds and rough waves, and the Japanese pirates are fearless and extremely cruel! If something happens to you on your journey... if anything is to happen to you, then... then how can we, your subjects, explain ourselves to the people of the world! How can we explain ourselves to our ancestors in the afterlife!"
Wang Anshi was in tears, and he was almost crying so hard he passed out.
"Yes, Your Majesty!" Zhou Xing, the Minister of Revenue, disregarded all etiquette between ruler and subject. With snot and tears streaming down his face, he crawled to Murong Yan's feet and clung tightly to the train of her magnificent phoenix-themed dress.
"Your Majesty, please heed this old minister's advice! You cannot leave! You and the Prince are the two pillars of our Great Qian! Now the Prince is already... already in poor health. If you leave too, our Great Qian will truly collapse!"
"I beg you! Please stay in Chang'an and oversee the central government! Leave that minor matter of the eastern expedition against Japan to General Yue and his men! This old minister believes that with General Yue's abilities, he will surely... surely he will..."
He couldn't continue speaking after saying this.
Because even he himself didn't believe that Yue Fei alone, and that newly formed "makeshift" navy with no experience in even one ocean voyage, could conquer Japan, a country that even the prince and the emperor valued so much.
In an instant, the entire Zichen Palace was once again shrouded in a gloomy atmosphere filled with helplessness, pessimism, and despair.
However, just when everyone thought that the Great Qian Empire was at its wit's end and was about to disintegrate and be completely destroyed in this unprecedented crisis.
The man who had been sitting on the steps, eyes closed, seemingly indifferent to everything before him.
Lin Zhen suddenly opened her eyes slowly.
He didn't speak.
He simply swept his gaze, calm to the point of being terrifying, slowly across the prince's face, a face etched with fear and despair.
Finally, his gaze fell on the woman he loved, whose beautiful face was filled with helplessness, anxiety, and a deep weariness as Zhou Xing held her skirt tightly.
His heart suddenly ached.
He knew that his little wife was putting on a brave face again.
The reason she made such a "crazy" decision.
It's not because she's really crazy.
It was because she was afraid.
She feared she would die in the Western Regions.
She feared that she would end up like the 100,000 Anxi soldiers, never to return.
So she was willing to risk the wrath of the world to force herself to stay by her side.
Even if it's just about facing the unknown and dangerous East China Sea together.
She was willing to do it.