Ji Tingyu!

Her scalp tightened. She gripped Chun Tao’s hand tightly, glanced up at the Marquis Dingyong’s family members still performing their ceremony, and, taking advantage of everyone’s distraction, forced herself to stand on legs that had gone numb, nearly falling over.

Bai Jintong’s quick reflexes caught Bai Qingyan, not daring to cry out, whispering: “Elder sister?”

She gripped Chun Tao’s hand tightly: “Let’s go!”

Chun Tao lowered her head and firmly supported Bai Qingyan, quietly retreating from the crowd.

Bai Jintong sensed something was wrong. She turned her head and whispered in Bai Jinxiu’s ear: “Second sister! Please take care of the younger sisters! I’ll go check on my elder sister!”

Bai Jinxiu was also worried that Bai Qingyan’s body couldn’t hold out, nodding repeatedly. Bai Jintong hurriedly rose and quietly chased after Bai Qingyan.

Bai Qingyan, her legs numb, stumbled down the steps to see Lu Ping approaching with a grave expression. Just as he was about to speak to Bai Qingyan, he noticed Bai Jintong following closely behind and respectfully cupped his hands in salute: “First Miss, Third Miss!”

“Where is he?” Her heart was in turmoil, her voice involuntarily trembling. She feared that Ji Tingyu had brought news that something had happened to Shen Qingzhu, yet hoped that Ji Tingyu could tell her there were still survivors from the Bai family on the Nan Jiang battlefield.

“The rear courtyard. Silver Frost discovered him. Physician Hong is stopping the bleeding,” Lu Ping said.

“Let’s go…” Bai Qingyan’s feet moved like the wind, wishing she could sprout wings and fly there.

Though she had mentally prepared herself, when she reached the rear courtyard and heard Ji Tingyu’s muffled groans of pain as he bit down on a wooden board, her heart still jumped with shock.

Pushing open the door, Physician Hong was pressing a fire-heated blade against Ji Tingyu’s severed limb to stop the bleeding. Ji Tingyu gripped the table corner with one hand, biting hard on the wooden board. His face was flushed red, veins bulging all over his body, large beads of sweat and fresh blood continuously rolling down.

“Good! Good! It’s done now…” Physician Hong moved the blade away, using a bloodied towel to wipe his sweat.

The smell of burned flesh entered her nostrils, terrifying to the core.

If not for having experienced battlefields and being familiar with such scenes, not only young ladies from noble families, but even grown men would probably go weak in the knees.

Bai Jintong’s eyes widened, not understanding what Ji Tingyu had been doing to… lose an entire arm!

“First Miss!” Ji Tingyu’s eyes were bloodshot. His entire body was soaked in blood, his clothes too tattered to change out of. He knelt on one knee, seeming unsteady from missing an arm, choking out: “Miss Shen led Wei Gao and me in a swift horse dash to Nan Jiang. On the road, we encountered Third Young Master’s guard Yue Zhizhou. General Yue entrusted me to bring back three volumes of military campaign bamboo records, but… Tingyu failed in his duty. Fleeing and hiding in hardship, I could only preserve one volume! Please punish me, First Miss!”

After speaking, Ji Tingyu hurriedly untied the blood-soaked bundle from his back, inside which was tightly wrapped a single bamboo scroll.

Her eyes swelled red as she helped Ji Tingyu up, saying earnestly: “It’s good that you’re alive!”

Only then did Bai Jintong realize – so, elder sister had already sent people to Nan Jiang?!

Bai Jintong stepped forward to take the bamboo scroll from Ji Tingyu’s hands, unfolding it and reading aloud: “Fifteenth year of Xuanjia, twelfth month, twelfth day. Swift Courage General Bai Qingming destroyed a small force of Xi Liang cavalry, leading one thousand troops back to camp for reinforcement. The camp had been leveled to the ground. Swift Courage General rescued four surviving soldiers… The survivors reported that one day prior, Prince Xin, seeing fifty thousand Nanyan troops approaching, abandoned camp and fled with three thousand men. Camp-defending Swift Wind General Bai Qingyu dispatched five hundred soldiers to evacuate civilians from the rear, leading fifteen hundred soldiers in battle. Swift Wind General died in battle, his body burned.”

“Fifteenth year of Xuanjia, twelfth month, thirteenth day. Swift Courage General defended Feng County to the death as Nanyan’s great army attacked the city. Swift Courage General Bai Qingming declared that millions of people were behind them – the Bai family army would fight with their backs to the water, vowing not to retreat until the last man!”

Bai Jintong glanced at Bai Qingyan, whose face was iron-blue as she supported Ji Tingyu. Her eyes reddening, she continued: “To disrupt the Jin army’s morale, Nanyan’s commander, Yun Poxing, hung Deputy Commander Bai Qishan’s corpse in front of his chariot! He severed the heads of the seventeen Bai sons…”

Reading the text that followed, Bai Jintong’s eyes split with rage, tears bursting forth like a dam breaking. A surge of blood rushed to her head, her face suddenly turned deathly pale, her chest felt pierced by a sword, making it impossible to breathe, her killing intent shaking the heavens.

Bai Qingyan snatched the bamboo scroll, gritting her teeth as she carefully read what was written. The handwriting was hurried…

To disrupt the Jin army’s morale, Nanyan’s commander, Yun Poxing, hung Deputy Commander Bai Qishan’s corpse in front of his chariot, severed the heads of the seventeen Bai sons, and cut open their bellies to humiliate the corpses. The bellies of the seventeen Bai sons contained no grain, only tree roots and mud. Yun Poxing was greatly shocked! The Bai family army’s killing intent was aroused, and they fought the enemy valiantly! Even ten-year-old children showed such spirit – I am deeply ashamed. At this point, though I am but a scholar, I dare cast aside my brush to take up the sword! Wrapped in horse leather… I go!

Her heart felt as if it had been brutally pierced by countless awls. A fishy sweetness surged from her chest to her throat. The sharp, deadly pain made her entire body tremble, nearly collapsing to the ground.

“First Miss!” Chun Tao quickly supported Bai Qingyan, tears falling like broken beads.

Even having already seen little Seventeenth’s tragic state, she had never imagined… that when little Seventeenth died, it was so horrific!

She closed her bloodshot eyes, biting down hard on her tongue to keep herself alert. At this moment, she absolutely could not sink into this endless grief. The Bai family’s wounds, the Bai family’s tragedy – the whole world must see! She would tear off Prince Xin’s face, this emperor’s legitimate son, for all the world to see! She would use popular resentment and fury to force that lofty emperor… to have no choice but to kill Prince Xin!

The Bai family’s vengeance – she, Bai Qingyan, would repay with her life!

At this moment, following the memorial visits of Cui Shiyan and Old Master Guan Yongchong, the nobles of the capital had all come in succession. The timing was perfect.

She opened her bloodshot eyes, her burning gaze fixed on the blood-covered and wretched Ji Tingyu: “Ji Tingyu, I have something I need you to do! Can your body… hold out?!”

“At First Miss’s command! Ji Tingyu will not refuse even unto ten thousand deaths!” Ji Tingyu clenched his teeth.

“Chun Tao, go fetch the five bamboo scrolls that Wu Zhe brought back from my room!”

“Yes!” Chun Tao rushed out at a fast pace.

Seeing Chun Tao leave, she gritted her teeth and solemnly instructed Ji Tingyu: “I want you to carry these six bamboo scrolls and enter through the main gate of my Duke’s mansion! Right there in the spirit hall… present these bamboo scrolls with your pitiful, wretched appearance!”

“You went to Nan Jiang before New Year to deliver winter clothes to grandfather, father, uncles, and brothers for me! At Chongluan Ridge, you encountered Fang Yan, commander of the Bai family army’s Tiger Battalion, who was being pursued by assassins. All the guards who went to Nan Jiang with you died saving General Fang Yan. General Fang Yan said Liu Huanzhang betrayed them, colluding with Nanyan and Prince Xin. Prince Xin, seeking military glory, forced his grandfather into battle, causing the deaths of hundreds of thousands of soldiers. When the front lines collapsed, Swift Wind General Bai Qingyu fought desperately to hold the line while evacuating civilians. Prince Xin abandoned the civilians and forcibly took most of the troops to protect his cowardly escape! You were pursued and hunted all the way, hiding and dodging, risking your life to protect these six bamboo scrolls and return, only seeking that Heaven grant justice to my Bai family’s heroic spirits!”

Bai Qingyan spoke with clear logic, her words nine parts truth and one part fabrication, having arranged the origin of these six bamboo scrolls crystal clear.