Li Shi glared at Bai Jinzhi and forcefully poked her forehead, swallowing back thousands of words. Who goes to war without getting injured?

Of all the girls in this household who had been to the battlefield, which one didn’t have scars? Being able to keep their lives was already a blessing from Buddha!

“Third Aunt, it’s nothing serious. Imperial Physician Huang prescribed medicine and said if I apply it on time after returning… the scars won’t be too obvious in the future!” Bai Qingyan comforted Li Shi.

Li Shi nodded and said, “Don’t all stand at the entrance. Let’s go inside to talk!”

Dong Shi grasped Dong Tingzhen’s hand, dabbing at her tears with a handkerchief while smiling and nodding.

The whole family walked inside in high spirits. Nanny Qin heard Lu Ping ordering servants to carry Dong Tingzhen’s luggage first, so she hurried down from the high steps to personally welcome the nanny and maids who had accompanied Dong Tingzhen from the Dong family.

Not seeing Dong Tingzhen’s personal maid Haitang, Nanny Qin was slightly startled and glanced at Dong Tingzhen who was entering the Bai residence, but didn’t ask much and led the Dong family’s nanny and maids inside with a smile.

The whole family gathered together, asking about the situation on the battlefield. Seeing that Bai Qingyan was holding little Eighth Miss Bai Wanqing and wouldn’t let go, Fifth Madam Qi Shi smiled and had the wet nurse take the child, urging Bai Qingyan and Bai Jinzhi to go rest quickly.

Li Shi dragged Bai Jinzhi back to her courtyard, ordering servants to prepare bath water while checking if Bai Jinzhi had any other injuries.

Now that Dong Tingzhen had come, Dong Shi couldn’t neglect her, so she accompanied Dong Tingzhen to see the small courtyard prepared for her. Chun Tao accompanied Bai Qingyan toward Boyun Courtyard.

Along the way, Chun Tao’s little mouth never stopped, first asking if Bai Qingyan was injured anywhere, then telling Bai Qingyan about the commotion at clan head Bai Qihe’s household.

Nanny Tong led all the servants of Boyun Courtyard waiting at the gate. Seeing Bai Qingyan from afar, she ran forward to greet her, and after bowing, she grasped Bai Qingyan’s hands, looking her up and down: “Miss, was your journey to the northern frontier smooth? Were you injured anywhere?”

During this time, Chun Tao and Nanny Tong had been worried sick, fearing something might happen to Bai Qingyan.

After all, going to the northern frontier battlefield wasn’t like going to the southern frontier, where at least the Bai family army was present. Going to the northern frontier, Miss only had the twenty Bai family guards she brought with her.

“No, Nanny! I wasn’t injured! Not at all!” Bai Qingyan smiled at Nanny Tong, grasping her hand as they walked toward Boyun Courtyard. “During my absence, you and Chun Tao worked hard.”

“Miss!”

“Miss!”

The maids and servants of Boyun Courtyard were all at the gate, smiling as they bowed to Bai Qingyan.

Some little maids chattered to Bai Qingyan, saying that Nanny Tong had gotten up early to make Miss’s favorite pastries, and there was still chilled sour plum soup for Miss in the small kitchen, asking if Bai Qingyan wanted to secretly drink a few cool sips.

Bai Qingyan had a cold constitution, and sometimes in summer she would secretly drink a few sips of chilled sour plum soup. As long as it wasn’t excessive, Nanny Tong would turn a blind eye.

“Good!” Bai Qingyan smiled and nodded.

“The bath water has been kept warm. Does Miss want to bathe first, then drink the sour plum soup, or drink the sour plum soup first, then bathe?”

“Let me bathe first!”

“Excellent!”

Only when returning to a place with family and loyal servants could it truly be called coming home. Bai Qingyan was happy to sit there watching Nanny Tong and Chun Tao bustling about.

After bathing and changing clothes, Bai Qingyan sat at her writing desk reading a letter that Bai Jinxiu had just sent from the capital, while Chun Tao stood behind her, wringing out her hair.

In Bai Jinxiu’s letter, she mentioned that the marriage between Prince Liang and Liu Ruofu had been settled.

But strangely, while rumors outside claimed that someone saw Liu Ruofu seeing Prince Liang out of her maternal grandfather Minister Wang’s residence, with the two being intimate at the gate… Bai Jinxiu heard from several madams that initially Liu Ruofu had declared she would rather die than marry Prince Liang. But Liu Ruofu’s virtue had indeed been lost, Old Madam Wang had fainted from anger several times, and the Wang family madams were all secretly cursing Liu Ruofu. After all, since something happened to Liu Ruofu at the Wang residence, the reputation of all the young ladies in the Wang family would be ruined, yet Liu Ruofu still said she wouldn’t marry.

Old Madam Wang asked Liu Ruofu who had ruined her virtue if she wouldn’t marry Prince Liang, but Liu Ruofu didn’t know who had taken her virtue. Under the persuasion of Old Madam Wang who had always doted on her, Liu Ruofu finally nodded in agreement. Now they were just waiting for Prince Xian to come from Nandue to the capital, and once the marriage was settled, they would probably marry soon.

Additionally, regarding the relationship between Prince Liang’s residence and the Wang residence on Jiuqu Lane, probably due to Prince Liang’s incident, the two families hadn’t been in contact recently, making it difficult to investigate. They would need to wait a bit longer.

After reading the letter, Bai Qingyan wasn’t surprised by the rumors of Liu Ruofu seeing Prince Liang out of the residence, since she had arranged for those rumors to be spread.

But… had Liu Ruofu’s virtue been lost?

Logic dictated it shouldn’t have happened…

For safety’s sake, the Crown Prince’s people would have knocked out both Liu Ruofu and Prince Liang. Moreover, Prince Liang wasn’t someone who could be controlled by aphrodisiacs. As long as he had a moment to catch his breath and woke up to see Liu Ruofu, he would understand it was a trap. Would he stay at the Wang residence until that time to be schemed against?!

Absolutely not!

Could it be… that the Crown Prince had deliberately ordered someone to defile Liu Ruofu’s virtue?

Bai Qingyan lit the letter and placed it in the brush washer in front of her…

The Crown Prince absolutely wouldn’t want Prince Liang to marry Liu Ruofu, so he definitely wouldn’t have someone defile Liu Ruofu’s virtue and frame Prince Liang.

But it was indeed the Crown Prince’s people who had brought Prince Liang and Liu Ruofu together.

Could it be that the Crown Prince’s man was overcome with lust?

That would be quite bold!

This matter would take some effort to investigate. Since Bai Jinxiu was now pregnant, she didn’t want Bai Jinxiu to worry about it anymore. She picked up her brush to write a letter to be sent directly to the Grand Princess, entrusting this matter to Wei Zhong to investigate.

Just as Bai Qingyan finished writing the letter, Nanny Tong lifted the bamboo curtain and entered, walking around the screen to bow to Bai Qingyan: “Miss, Bai Qingping and Shen Yancong are outside requesting an audience.”

“Our Miss just returned and hasn’t even caught her breath yet…” Chun Tao felt sorry for Bai Qingyan.

“It’s probably about military training matters. Miss has been away these days, and those two should have a pile of things to report to Miss,” Nanny Tong could understand.

Originally, Nanny Tong’s son Zeng Shanru also wanted to see Miss as soon as she returned to report on mining matters, but Nanny Tong firmly held him back, telling him to come tomorrow instead.

Bai Qingyan sealed the letter and said, “Nanny, have them wait in the front hall. I’ll be right there!”

“Yes!”

Just as Nanny Tong turned around, she heard Bai Qingyan say again: “Nanny, if Zeng Shanru is available, send someone to call him to see me. I have something to ask.”

“Yes!” Nanny Tong responded.

Bai Qingyan changed clothes, simply tied up her hair, and went to the front courtyard to see Bai Qingping and Shen Yancong.

When Shen Yancong saw Bai Qingyan enter, he quickly knelt and kowtowed: “Greetings to Princess Zhenguo!”