The Grand Princess gripped Bai Qingyan’s hand tightly, turned her head, and gazed at several daughters-in-law with calm, composed eyes, saying: “Eldest daughter-in-law, the household is entrusted to you, second daughter-in-law, and third daughter-in-law! Take good care of the fourth daughter-in-law and the fifth daughter-in-law! Guard the Bai family well!”

Dong Shi suppressed the grief in her heart and bowed respectfully toward the Grand Princess: “Mother, rest assured. With us in the household, there will be no chaos!”

The Emperor’s aunt, the reigning Grand Princess, accompanied by her granddaughters, walked on foot toward the palace gates, followed by the people.

“Let’s go! We’ll go too! Join the Grand Princess in filing an imperial complaint! Seek justice for the heroes!”

“Go! Let’s go together!”

The people were filled with righteous indignation.

The Grand Princess held her ebony walking stick in one hand and gripped Bai Qingyan’s hand tightly with the other as they moved forward, her steps extremely firm, her voice resonating as if from within bronze vessels: “A’Bao, this matter of forcing Prince Xin’s death – you are too impatient, too eager, too hasty! Do you know you are forcing His Majesty to kill his only legitimate son? Are you not afraid… that this popular sentiment and resentment, while killing Prince Xin, will also become a sharp blade piercing your heart?! In the end… A’Bao, you still don’t trust this grandmother of yours, do you?!”

She gripped her grandmother’s already withered and trembling hand tightly, saying: “Within the capital city, over a hundred citizens walk with me. The military record bamboo slips have been made public. If the Great Jin Emperor is not afraid of the people’s endless gossip, if he is not afraid of completely losing popular support, let him take this head of mine! I once fought for the Jin kingdom, suffered severe injuries that left me unable to bear children! My grandfather, father, uncle, and younger brothers all died in Nan Jiang. Under the bright sun and moon and clear heaven and earth, I wager that the Emperor dare not kill me…”

“As a daughter of the Bai family, if A’Bao lacks the courage and will of a warrior cutting his wrist, what revenge can she speak of?”

The Grand Princess’s steps paused momentarily. She closed her eyes briefly, then lifted her feet again, her throat trembling slightly: “A’Bao, when will you understand that those who are alive are the most important?! Grandmother… cannot lose any more of you!”

The Grand Princess’s voice showed her full age, with clear brown spots visible within the deep wrinkles, like the disappointment and worry in her tone.

The guards outside the palace gates saw from afar that on the road with snow piled on both sides, people were suddenly coming in groups toward the palace gates.

The momentum was grand and eye-catching.

The gate guards were fully on alert. Guards had already run back to the barracks to inform the gate commander. When the gate commander hurriedly dressed and emerged from the barracks, the Grand Princess, accompanied by the eldest, second, third, and fourth misses of the Bai family in mourning clothes and a crowd of people, had already arrived before Wude Gate.

The gate commander stepped forward to bow to the Grand Princess. After straightening up, he asked: “This humble general pays respects to the Grand Princess. May I ask why the Grand Princess has…”

Before the gate commander could finish speaking, Third Miss of the Bai family took down the drumstick and struck the drum with all her might…

The sound of the Denunciation Drum, which had sat quietly outside the palace gates for hundreds of years, unnoticed and already rusted, rang out, startling flocks of birds into flight within the palace.

The Grand Princess, supporting herself with her tiger-head walking stick, tremblingly knelt outside the palace gates. The gate commander was so frightened that he also knelt down.

The Bai family daughters, along with loyal Bai family servants and the people, all knelt down following the Grand Princess, creating a wave-like momentum that caught everyone off guard.

At this moment, the Emperor, who was reclining on a soft couch, drinking tea while watching a delicate beauty play the pipa, faintly heard drum sounds and frowned, shouting: “Gao Demao…”

Gao Demao, the most favored head eunuch beside the Emperor, hurriedly entered and knelt: “Your Majesty…”

“Where is that drumming coming from?! Can’t even listen to music in peace!” The Emperor was quite displeased.

“Replying to Your Majesty, this old servant heard it coming from the front. A young eunuch has already been sent to investigate,” Gao Demao said.

Outside Wude Gate.

Bai Jinxiu knelt beside the Grand Princess, holding the bamboo slips with clear articulation, reading word by word through tears…

Bai Jinxiu spoke with perfect pronunciation. Though her voice carried a crying tone, her enunciation was extremely clear and rapid, allowing everyone present to hear distinctly.

Six volumes of bamboo slips, clearly just military records, yet as Bai Jinxiu read them with cadence and rhythm, it made people feel as if they were placed in that battlefield of thunderous killing sounds, flashing swords and blades, spurting blood, and life-and-death struggles.

The already traitorous Liu Huanzhang falsely transmitted news claiming grain supplies had just been transported to Feng City, but were ambushed by Nanyan cavalry – fifty thousand iron cavalry besieging the city! The grain supplies and baggage were trapped in the city. Without waiting for Duke Zhenguo’s orders, the arrogant Prince Xin commanded Duke Zhenguo Bai Weiting’s second son, Cavalry General Bai Qiying, to lead forty thousand elite troops to rush aid to Xinzhou.

Duke Zhenguo, with years of rich military experience, suspected trickery, but Prince Xin produced the Emperor’s bestowed golden token and commanding arrow to force compliance. Duke Zhenguo had no choice but to agree despite his reluctance. Later, scouts reported that Xiliang’s main force of 250,000 was ambushed in the Chuanling mountain terrain, trapping Bai Qiying’s 40,000 reinforcement troops within.

Prince Xin, seeing he had fallen into the trap, was inwardly panicked and frantically ordered Bai Weiting to lead the entire main force to rush to Chuanling mountain terrain, coordinating with Bai Qiying from inside and outside to annihilate Xiliang’s main force. Bai Weiting suspected trickery, but Prince Xin commanded the battle under the Son of Heaven’s orders, forcing Bai Weiting into battle, claiming that if Bai Weiting did not comply, he would report to the Sacred One that Bai Weiting’s disobedience to the golden token and commanding arrow constituted defying imperial orders, punishable by exterminating nine generations.

Duke Zhenguo Bai Weiting could only take risks in deployment, commanding Cavalry General Bai Qijing to lead twenty thousand troops to circle Feng County and assault Xiliang’s military camp, while Deputy Commander Bai Qishan led five thousand elite soldiers to rush aid to Feng City.

Bai Qingming and Bai Qingqi led ten thousand Bai family elite troops to station at Linggu strategic point to coordinate all directions.

Bai Weiting personally led fifty thousand troops to rush to Chuanling mountain terrain, commanding Deputy General Liu Huanzhang to lead the main force of 180,000 soldiers to hide in Heixiong Mountain, waiting for the opportunity to assault Chuanling mountain terrain.

As Bai Weiting predicted, when he led fifty thousand troops into the Chuanling mountain terrain, he fell into the trap. The forty thousand elite troops led by Bai Qiying were annihilated. Xiliang’s 450,000 army was fully prepared, waiting for Duke Zhenguo. Duke Zhenguo could only pin his hopes on Deputy General Liu Huanzhang, leading troops in a desperate battle.

On the sixth day of the twelfth month, the Jin army fought bitterly for three days. The fifty thousand troops were nearly completely exhausted, yet still no reinforcement from Deputy General Liu Huanzhang was seen.

Xiliang’s main commander requested to see Duke Zhenguo Bai Weiting, claiming that Liu Huanzhang had betrayed Duke Zhenguo Bai Weiting for power and position, systematically informing Xiliang and Nanyan of the marshal’s troop deployments and formations. Xiliang devoted the entire nation’s strength to deploy 700,000 troops, while Nanyan also mobilized the whole Kingdom’s 400,000 elite forces. This time, they were determined to annihilate the Bai family army and the Bai family, breaking the Great Jin kingdom’s backbone.

Xiliang’s main commander also informed Duke Zhenguo that Liu Huanzhang, falsely using Duke Zhenguo Bai Weiting’s name, had lured and captured five sons of the Bai family. Now leading troops in retreat under the pretext of Duke Zhenguo’s treason, he turned to directly attack Feng City. The Jin army, originally still struggling desperately, immediately had their military morale collapse upon hearing this news, like a flock of sheep surrounded by wolves with no strength left to resist.

Marshal Bai Weiting, pierced by several arrows, before dying commanded Tiger Camp’s Bai Qinghui and Bai Qingyang to take the military situation records to meet Prince Xin, reporting to Prince Xin to guard against Liu Huanzhang’s betrayal! He ordered all troops at any cost to fight a bloody path for the two men.