All Heavens: A Role-Playing System Starting from Tianlong

Chapter 119 The Pledge of Allegiance

Murong Fu's face darkened, and he said in a deep voice, "What exactly is it that you want to say, sir?"

"I observe that you, young master, have entered my First-Rank Hall incognito and stirred up trouble. You must be someone who cannot bear to be idle. Have you not heard that those who achieve great things do not concern themselves with trifles?"

The woman in white's voice suddenly turned cold, "Why not offer these people, along with the heads of the Wang family, as a pledge of loyalty? I will certainly report this to His Majesty to demonstrate your loyalty and decisiveness, young master."

Murong Fu remained silent for a while, his gaze sweeping over the bound retainers before returning to the white-clad woman's face.

"Why are you helping me, sir?"

The woman in white said calmly, "It's because I, too, am not one to be lonely. The king is getting old, and the princess is no longer able to manage the overall situation."

"I only wish to be a powerful minister, and whether that powerful minister belongs to Western Xia or Great Yan is of no concern to me."

Murong Fu's eyes flickered, and he pressed on, "How can I believe that you, sir, truly possess such power to influence the decisions of the King and the Queen?"

The woman in white seemed to have expected this, and calmly said, "Knowing that you had this question, I specially obtained this item before my trip south."

She took something out of her sleeve and held it in her palm. It was a seal carved from warm, white jade, with a phoenix spreading its wings as if about to take flight on the knob. The carving was exquisite and lifelike.

Murong Fu's gaze sharpened. Although he hadn't seen it with his own eyes, he could guess a bit: "This is—the Phoenix Seal? You—" "That's right, this is the Empress's Phoenix Seal."

The woman in white spoke calmly, "This humble official is but a capable servant of Her Majesty."

"The King is known for his filial piety, and the presence of the Phoenix Seal is sufficient proof of my abilities, as well as demonstrating His Majesty and the Empress's sincerity in recruiting the young master; it is by no means empty talk."

Murong Fu's gaze fell on the phoenix seal. After a moment of contemplation, he suddenly spoke: "These words are quite moving."

"If Your Excellency intends to become a powerful minister, why not find a more easily controlled pawn instead of coming to me? Aren't you afraid that I'll grow too powerful and then abandon you?"

Upon hearing this, the woman in white suddenly sighed, her tone becoming bitter: "I only regret that I am a woman."

If I were a man, I could take advantage of my position to get close to Princess Yinchuan and gain the upper hand; or I could go further and establish myself as king when the new rulers of Western Xia changed.

Unfortunately, I am a woman, and my current position is the limit of what I can achieve.

She paused, her tone returning to its usual calm, as if the emotion she had just felt was merely an illusion: "However, this humble official has no complaints."

"Having held a position, I have fulfilled my duties, been loyal to my superior, and shared his burdens. I believe I have done a good job."

Murong Fu listened to this explanation but remained indifferent.

He had already heard the white-clad woman reveal her ambition, so he naturally wouldn't easily believe her so-called "loyalty to the Lord" rhetoric.

The woman in white didn't care about his reaction and continued, "Young master, please don't think of me as an ambitious and reckless person."

Now, in Western Xia, my position is second only to His Majesty and Empress. But when a new ruler ascends the throne, I, a former official of the previous dynasty, will inevitably be suspected.

Rather than waiting to be purged, it's better to support a monarch you can trust as soon as possible.

She looked up at Murong Fu and said calmly, "The king only has one son, Princess Yinchuan, so the choice of a successor for Tsushima must be the best of the best."

"Young master, your appearance, martial arts skills, and talent are all excellent; naturally, you are my top choice for investing in the new emperor."

Murong Fu sneered, "It sounds like you're just trying to use me, sir."

The woman in white smiled slightly: "It's a cooperation. After all, I am a woman and cannot usurp the throne."

"If you, my lord, are still uneasy, then when you become a horse, I can petition His Majesty to allow me to marry the princess as a concubine. In this way, we will share both honor and disgrace; surely then you will have no more doubts, will you?"

Murong Fu remained silent for a moment upon hearing this before saying, "My lord asks me to kill members of the Wang family as a pledge of loyalty, and I can agree. But these men are my retainers; killing them..."

The woman in white raised her hand to interrupt him: "Young master, you're pretending to be ignorant when you know the truth. Let me be frank."

"I ordered you to kill your retainers to weaken you and cut off your escape route. Only when you've lost all your power base and have nowhere to rely on in Western Xia will you truly need me. Only then can our cooperation last."

She paused, her tone turning cold: "Otherwise, if you bring your trusted followers to marry into the Western Xia, after His Majesty and the Empress pass away, there will inevitably be a fierce battle between us."

I dislike that kind of situation and am not used to leaving myself with future troubles.

After saying that, she took out a document that had been prepared in advance from her sleeve and handed it to Murong Fu: "I had already prepared the document before I came."

If you find this reasonable, then please sign and stamp it. I suppose you still carry the seal of the Great Yan with you?

Murong Fu looked down at the document but did not act immediately.

Seeing that Murong Fu was still hesitant, the woman in white said again, "I wonder what you are hesitating about, young master."

"You have slaughtered the entire Wang family to show your sincerity, and I can immediately petition His Majesty to bestow upon you the imperial surname and adopt you as his son. From then on, you can truly be called Li Yanzong, with a legitimate and justifiable title, rising to the top in one step."

She glanced at Deng Baichuan and the others who were tied up to the side, and said contemptuously, "As for your subordinates, they are nothing but a bunch of lapdogs, loyal enough but incompetent."

"I, your humble servant, am confident in my might as a tiger; no matter how many dogs there are, they cannot match the tiger's power. Can't you, my lord, discern which is more important?"

Murong Fu took a deep breath and said in a low voice, "How do I know I'm not dealing with a tiger for its skin?"

Upon hearing this, the woman in white suddenly laughed and said sarcastically, "Holding the country is like riding a tiger."

If you wouldn't even dare to negotiate with a tiger, then you shouldn't even think about restoring your kingdom. You should go home, get married, have children, and raise your kids.

This world is not for you.

Murong Fu's face turned ashen, and he remained silent for a long time.

Finally, he made up his mind. He bit his right index finger, and in the blank space at the end of the document, he carefully signed the three characters "Murong Fu" and pressed down the bloody mark heavily.

Then, he took out a black jade seal from his bosom, dipped it in the blood from his fingertip, stamped it next to his name, and then handed the document back.

The document clearly states that Murong Fu voluntarily surrendered the lives of the entire Murong and Wang families of Gusu as a pledge of loyalty, handing them over to the other party for disposal.

Therefore, by signing this document, he was giving others a handle to use against him. If the cooperation soured in the future, the other party could simply make this document public, and he would be ruined and have no place to stand, making the revival of the Great Yan Dynasty a pipe dream.

But he really didn't want to miss this once-in-a-lifetime opportunity. Although the Western Xia was not as powerful as the Song and Liao dynasties, it still had hundreds of thousands of soldiers and countless elite generals.

If, as the other party says, one can become a horse and inherit the throne, thus reviving the Great Yan Dynasty, it will be just around the corner.

As for this document, we can try to retrieve or destroy it once we have established a foothold in Western Xia.

Anyway, the other party is after power, and since their interests align in the short term, he has plenty of time to plan slowly.

Unexpectedly, after carefully examining the signature, bloodstain, and seal, confirming their accuracy, and carefully folding them into her sleeve, the woman in white laughed.