“Unfortunately, Prince Yao…”
Him? What happened to him?
A flash of anxiety flickered through Bai Mengmeng’s eyes, gone as quickly as it appeared. It had taken her months to finally win back White Tiger General’s forgiveness, and in front of him, she never dared reveal her true feelings, her true thoughts!
She still loved Jun Beiyue!
She still loved him, and still hated Hongyi just as much, still hated those Shadow Guards who had gotten her family killed!
But in front of White Tiger General, she concealed it flawlessly, playing the part of the perfectly obedient daughter through and through. She knew that if White Tiger General ever learned she still carried feelings for Jun Beiyue in her heart, she would never hear another word about him again for as long as she lived!
Bai Mengmeng’s heart clenched tight, but outwardly she showed no strong reaction at all, only asking with feigned suspicion, “What happened to Prince Yao?”
White Tiger General let out a sigh. He probably shouldn’t have said so much to Bai Mengmeng in the first place, given that she was, after all, a woman of Eastern Qin, and now a prisoner besides.
But over the past dozen or so years, he had talked with his daughter nearly every day, sharing anything that wasn’t a military secret!
After all, a lonely man needed someone to talk to.
“Sigh…” White Tiger General let out a long sigh, hesitating, clearly wanting to say more. This was the first time he’d ever seen Prince Yao so badly wounded—he truly had no idea what had happened, what it had all been for.
Bai Mengmeng waited tensely, terrified that White Tiger General wouldn’t say any more.
But she didn’t dare press him, could only stay silent.
White Tiger General glanced at her and shook his head repeatedly. Prince Yao was so badly hurt, and none of the army physicians had any idea what to do. He didn’t know whether Imperial Physician Gu might have some solution.
They’d already sent someone riding through the night to fetch Imperial Physician Gu, and could only hope he’d arrive soon.
They absolutely couldn’t afford to let this affect the peace conference—after all, wasn’t the entire war being fought for the sake of that very conference?
Seeing White Tiger General’s brow knit with worry, Bai Mengmeng’s heart couldn’t help but pound faster and faster. What on earth had happened—surely nothing had happened to Jun Beiyue himself?
Finally, unable to hold back any longer, she carefully started to ask—but White Tiger General only sighed helplessly. “Ah… it’s nothing too serious, really. There’s just something we can’t figure out a solution for.”
White Tiger General still kept his sense of discretion—Prince Yao’s injury was something that could be either minor or serious, and not something to be discussed carelessly.
But the matter of delivering the sealed letter, that he could mention—after all, one more mind thinking it over meant one more possible solution.
Besides, Mengmeng was clever. Perhaps she could think of something, and maybe redeem herself in the process.
With that thought, White Tiger General hurried to explain. “Mengmeng, is there any way to get something from here to Xijing in the shortest possible time?”
“Is this something Prince Yao needs sent?” Bai Mengmeng asked boldly, her heart full of suspicion. Was this what it was about? What could possibly have Father this anxious?
“Mm. Think about it—it needs to be faster than a hawk!” White Tiger General said.
A flicker of suspicion crossed Bai Mengmeng’s eyes. She glanced at White Tiger General, then turned away, thinking hard.
Faster than a hawk.
Could it be a sealed letter—meaning, some piece of news that needed sending?
From her adoptive father, she’d learned that Han Ziqing was fighting a war in Xijing. Could this be about sending a message to Han Ziqing?
And urgently, too!
Bai Mengmeng mulled it over, unconsciously biting her lip, a flash of malice she couldn’t quite hide flickering in her eyes.
An urgent sealed message to Han Ziqing—that left only two possibilities: it either concerned military strategy, or it concerned Han Ziqing’s… safety.
Han Ziqing’s safety—what did that have to do with her? She’d have been thrilled if Han Ziqing died on the battlefield, never to return to Jun Beiyue’s side again.
And as for military strategy—that, too, would be Han Ziqing’s strategy. What did that have to do with her? She’d have loved nothing more than for Han Ziqing to lose Da Zhou’s western frontier, to be disgraced for a thousand years.
Why on earth would she help with something like this?
A cold smile curved at Bai Mengmeng’s lips, but she turned back around and immediately put on a look of disappointment instead. “Father, I… I can’t think of anything right off the bat, either.”
“Ah well, I was only asking on a whim. Come on, let’s eat—the food’s getting cold.”
White Tiger General hadn’t held out much hope anyway. Bai Mengmeng nodded and deftly began serving the rice. “Father, stay and eat with me a while longer—it’s been so long since I’ve had a meal with you.”
White Tiger General’s heart warmed, and he stayed. Father and daughter ate and talked together, all the way into the late night!
“Get some sleep. I should get going—as for Prince Yao… sigh.”
White Tiger General trailed off, then added almost offhandedly, “If you manage to think of a way to help Prince Yao, it would count as making up for your mistakes, you know.”
Hearing this, Bai Mengmeng’s heart skipped a beat—so her father was still willing to let her redeem herself!
White Tiger General was about to leave when Bai Mengmeng suddenly stopped him urgently. “Father, wait—I just thought of something!”
In truth, while they’d been eating, she’d already been turning the problem over in her mind—faster than a hawk. She could think of quite a few possibilities.
White Tiger General froze for a moment, then broke into a delighted smile. “What idea?”
“Father, it’s a bit complicated to explain. Why don’t… why don’t I just tell Prince Yao myself? I promise it’s a good idea!” Bai Mengmeng said, very earnestly.
Given how urgent things were, White Tiger General had no time to worry about propriety. “Alright, I’ll take you to him.”
With White Tiger General escorting her, the guards naturally had nothing to say about it—after all, Prince Yao had long since entrusted the authority over the prison camp’s supervision to White Tiger General, out of consideration for him.
Bai Mengmeng was overjoyed. With one hand held firmly by White Tiger General, her other hand couldn’t help but fuss with her hair and clothes—she wanted Jun Beiyue to see her looking her very best.
She had endured so much, all for a day like this!
She knew her adoptive father would never give up on her—and as long as he didn’t give up on her, that meant her chance would surely come!
All the way to Jun Beiyue’s central command tent, Bai Mengmeng’s heart pounded wildly. She would finally see Jun Beiyue again, finally be able to enter his central command tent again!
This time, she absolutely had to seize the opportunity!
She quickened her steps to keep up with White Tiger General, taking deep breaths, telling herself to stay calm, no matter what, to keep her composure, to hold herself together.
At last, they arrived.
White Tiger General, ever mindful of proper conduct, stopped outside the tent, and Bai Mengmeng stopped as well, right behind him. She felt as though her heart might leap straight out of her chest, she was so nervous, so incredibly nervous.
It had been months since she’d last seen him—was that man still the same as before, still the same temperament? What she loved most about him, more than anything, were those deep, sea-dark eyes of his.
White Tiger General was clearly hesitating, but with the situation so urgent, he steeled himself, took a deep breath, and said, “Your Highness, this humble general has found someone… someone who might know a way to get word there faster than a hawk.”
White Tiger General paused for a long moment before adding, “It’s… it’s Mengmeng. She knows.”
Bai Mengmeng couldn’t help but press a hand to her chest—but inside the tent, there was no sound at all.
What was happening…