Even when grandfather, father, uncles, and brothers all perished and the Bai family suddenly faced overwhelming catastrophe, her granddaughter still maintained her true nature, preserving that open and upright spirit in her heart, retaining her fundamental goodness! The integrity and backbone that formed the foundation of the Bai family’s standing in the world, she possessed all of these.
The Grand Princess felt heartache but also great comfort. Though her own hands were stained with blood, fortunately… A’Bao was not like this. A’Bao was truly and genuinely a Bai family member!
“Stand up!” The Grand Princess opened her eyes, her expression weary. “Take this half jade pendant to A’Bao. From now on, I’m entrusting this trained shadow guard unit to her!”
Nanny Jiang finally wept with joy: “Yes! This old servant will certainly speak well with the eldest miss!”
“Tell A’Bao that bastard… after tomorrow’s funeral procession, she may deal with him however she wishes! I… will no longer interfere!” The Grand Princess sighed deeply, her heart aching to the extreme, her voice low and hoarse. “Tell her not to resent this grandmother of hers! I’ve grown old, and in many matters, I’m easily blinded by blood ties and guilt.”
At the hour of the Ox, Nanny Tong entered with small steps, bowed to Bai Qingyan, and said: “Miss, Nanny Jiang from the Grand Princess’s side has come, saying she wishes to see you.”
She gazed at Ji Tingyu on the bed, whose breathing had already become steady, set down the warm hand warmer she held, and said to Physician Hong, who was still keeping watch: “I trouble Physician Hong to watch over Ji Tingyu. I’ll go and return shortly!”
“Miss, you should go rest for an hour! There’s still much to be busy with for the funeral procession… Ji Tingyu’s condition has stabilized. This old man will certainly not let anything happen to him!”
She nodded and curtsied, took her hand warmer, wrapped her cloak properly, and stepped out from the room with its vigorous fire.
Cold wind hit her face directly. Seeing Nanny Jiang standing at the door, she gripped the hand warmer tightly and stepped forward.
“Eldest miss…” After Nanny Jiang approached and paid her respects, tears began streaming down her face.
“If you have something to say, speak quickly, Nanny. I’m very tired.” Her weary voice carried a hint of coldness, completely lacking the usual warmth she showed toward Nanny Jiang.
Nanny Jiang walked up to Bai Qingyan and presented a half-piece of black jade dragon pendant with both hands: “Eldest miss should know that the Grand Princess has a unit of imperial shadow guards! This is the black jade dragon pendant that commands the shadow guards – they only obey orders from whoever holds this half dragon pendant! After tomorrow’s funeral procession, Wei Zhong will come to pay respects to the eldest miss and will only follow your orders from then on. The Grand Princess had this old servant deliver this jade to you, and also said… after tomorrow’s funeral procession, however you wish to deal with that bastard, she will no longer interfere!”
Seeing Bai Qingyan not taking the jade pendant, Nanny Jiang took small steps to her side and lifted her hand to support hers: “Let me accompany you back to Qinghui Courtyard while we talk!”
“I’m going to the mourning hall,” Bai Qingyan said.
Grandfather, father, and all the uncles and brothers couldn’t be left unattended.
Nanny Jiang nodded and supported Bai Qingyan as they walked toward the mourning hall: “Eldest miss… the Grand Princess says she’s grown old and foolish, blinded by blood ties and guilt, and asks that you not resent her! Eldest miss… this old servant has followed the Grand Princess for a lifetime, and I’ve only heard her admit fault twice – both times to you! When you made the Grand Princess choose between you and that bastard, but eldest miss, you are like clouds in the sky… You are the flesh of the Grand Princess’s heart, while that bastard is as lowly as mud and dust – what virtue or ability does he have to be mentioned in the same breath as you?!”
The deep night’s cold wind was most bone-chilling, yet it couldn’t compare to the piercing cold of a human heart.
No matter how warm the words, they couldn’t revive a heart that had already died.
“This time, the Grand Princess has even handed over her shadow guard unit. Eldest miss… this is the Grand Princess showing you her sincerity. The Grand Princess will soon go to the imperial nunnery for spiritual cultivation, and you’ll return to Shuoyang. To speak unpleasantly… in the future, when grandmother and granddaughter meet again, they might be separated by life and death! The Grand Princess is old… she won’t live many more years, so please show her more understanding! All the Bai family men are gone – the remaining people cannot be alienated from each other!” Nanny Jiang spoke earnestly.
“Has Nanny ever said these words to the Grand Princess?”
Bai Qingyan’s voice was so cold it made Nanny Jiang’s fingers tremble. “Grand Princess”… not “grandmother” – was the eldest miss truly going to sever ties with the Grand Princess?!
“Eldest miss!” Nanny Jiang bit her teeth and gripped Bai Qingyan’s hand tightly. “The idea to poison Ji Tingyu was this old servant’s suggestion to the Grand Princess! If you’re not satisfied, this servant… will go back and take her own life in repayment! Just please don’t hate your grandmother anymore, alright?!”
Her footsteps paused as she looked at Nanny Jiang, suddenly thinking of Yu Lian, who had come to poison Ji Tingyu to save her mother.
She withdrew her hand from Nanny Jiang’s grasp and looked steadily at her: “Nanny, the most foolish thing in this world is to use one’s own life as the price, placing the life or future of someone precious in your heart into others’ hands! Nanny should live well and serve grandmother properly! I’ll accept the shadow guard unit, but Nanny, between grandmother and me, aside from this title, our bond certainly cannot return to what it was before.”
The Bai family still needed the Grand Princess’s protection. As long as the Grand Princess no longer protected that bastard, she need not be too decisive.
After all, the former grandmother-granddaughter bond had not been false. It’s just that now they truly walked different paths, and could never return to the past.
She took the half jade pendant from Nanny Jiang’s hand and turned toward the mourning hall.
Nanny Jiang stood under the lamp with tear-blurred eyes, watching Bai Qingyan gradually walk away with Nanny Tong and Chun Tao, and sighed. In the end, the grandmother and granddaughter had developed a rift that might never be eliminated in this lifetime.
Before Bai Qingyan reached the mourning hall, she stopped and turned to Nanny Tong: “Nanny, tell Uncle Ping to select over ten guards with superior martial arts to guard outside the mourning hall. The moment that bastard enters the mourning hall, regardless of who brings him, immediately seize and kill him on the spot – there must be no mistake!”
“Yes!” Nanny Tong nodded in acknowledgment.
She stepped into the mourning hall and saw that Bai Jinxiu, Bai Jintong, and Bai Jinzhi, who had originally returned to rest, were all there.
“Elder sister…” Bai Jinxiu stood up.
In that instant, her eyes reddened: “Why are you all here?”
“We couldn’t leave grandfather, father, uncles, and brothers unattended,” Bai Jintong said.
“Elder sister!” Bai Jinzhi walked to Bai Qingyan’s side and said solemnly, “Tomorrow… I will certainly end that bastard with one blade! Elder sister, rest assured!”
She curved her lips slightly and gently stroked the top of Bai Jinzhi’s head: “We sisters will stay here and keep grandfather and the others company.”
On the tenth day, heavy snow suddenly fell in the middle of the night, shrouding the entire capital city in deep, hazy whiteness.
At a quarter past the hour of the Tiger, when dawn had not yet broken, the Duke’s Mansion was already filled with wisps of cooking smoke, with servant women and maids bustling in and out through the side gates.
Rough-work maids from various courtyards, either carrying copper kettles with plum blossom designs filled with hot water or carrying black lacquered food boxes with gold trim, streamed in and out of the kitchen in orderly fashion, treading lightly along the winding corridors decorated with plain silk white lanterns as they returned to their respective courtyards, everything proceeding in perfect order.