“Miss!” Chun Tao bit her lower lip in shy embarrassment, pretending to be annoyed as she picked up the black lacquered square tray from the small table and fled from the main room of Boyun Courtyard as if escaping.

Once back in her room, Chun Tao took out the jade pendant to examine it carefully, her eyes growing misty and red…

In truth, Chun Tao didn’t want any precious jade pendant. To her, a precious jade pendant wasn’t as reassuring as a single letter of safety from her cousin.

She knew her cousin had gone with the Third Miss to handle important matters. She didn’t dare ask for her cousin to return early, only praying that Third Miss and her cousin could remain safe and smooth in their endeavors away from home.

It was already mid-August. Since Bai Qingyan couldn’t use ice during the summer, Little Five and Little Six would always bring Little Eight, Bai Wanqing, to invite Bai Qingyan to Shaohua Courtyard to escape the heat.

Shaohua Courtyard was filled with tall trees and drooping willows, famous flowers and fragrant grasses, with ancient branches grown thick over the years, their shade covering the entire garden.

The entire Shaohua Hall’s pavilions and towers were surrounded by dense greens and light azure, with faint light penetrating through layers upon layers of tall tree branches and leaves, swaying and falling upon the unclosed window lattices.

The clear breeze penetrating through the gauze curtains brought the sweet fragrance of blooming flowers in wisps, accompanied by the soft chiming sounds of gold-plated copper hooks and copper bells hanging from the Xiang bamboo curtains under the corridors, harmonizing with the cicadas’ singing in the tall trees, making one deeply feel that midsummer had arrived.

Military reports from Great Liang were delivered to Bai Qingyan’s hands every few days. The deeper this war progressed, the more difficult it became for Jin to fight. Capturing cities was no longer as smooth as at the beginning, and every victory in taking a city was pyrrhic, consuming too much manpower, resources, and time.

News from Bai Jinxiu in the capital arrived, letting Bai Qingyan know that court officials, including the Crown Prince, were already voicing complaints about Liu Hong and Bai Jinzhi’s slow pace in capturing cities. The most recent military report had particularly enraged the Crown Prince, who declared that this war’s losses were too great. Yet sending envoys for peace negotiations again would greatly damage their dignity. Caught between a rock and a hard place, the Crown Prince was extremely vexed.

Bai Qingyan reclined on the soft couch, holding an embroidered butterfly bamboo-handled round fan, fanning herself intermittently. The fine, fragmented golden light penetrating through layers of green branches fell upon her eyelids as she looked down at Bai Jinzhao and Bai Jinhua, who had removed their shoes and knelt on the ivory mat soft couch, using a jade bell to tease Little Eight, Bai Wanqing, whose hair was tied in two small blessing buns on top of her head.

There was extremely faint amusement in Bai Qingyan’s eyes.

After entering summer, Mother had ordered people to hang white gauze curtains adorned with five-blessing tassels on both sides of the corridors and long galleries to block mosquitoes and insects. Fortunately, this effort hadn’t been in vain – Little Eight hadn’t been bitten by mosquitoes or insects once throughout this entire summer.

Bai Qingyan’s gaze fell upon a painting hanging beside the sandalwood screen depicting landscapes in Shaohua Hall – a portrait of the Bai family sisters. This had been painted by a palace artist that Grandmother had summoned the day before Second Sister Bai Jinxiu’s wedding, but Bai Qingyan hadn’t been present that day, so she wasn’t included in the portrait.

Her gaze settled on Bai Jinzhi, whose hands were clasped behind her back, her expression bright and clean with a clear smile, as Bai Qingyan lowered her eyes to pick up the jade cup and sip the fermented milk drink inside, contemplating deeply…

Currently, the battlefield in Great Liang was difficult, all because the death of Great Liang’s Fourth Prince had stirred the fighting spirit and resolve of Great Liang’s soldiers and common people.

Generally speaking, such wars would be fought with extreme hardship, unless there could be a battle that would maximally crush Great Liang’s fighting spirit.

She needed to think of a way…

Before Bai Qingyan could think further, Nanny Tong came walking with small steps into Shaohua Courtyard. A maidservant quickly lifted the gauze curtain for Nanny Tong, watching as she stepped up onto the corridor platform before hastily letting the gauze curtain fall again, afraid that mosquitoes might fly in and bite their young ladies. If they accidentally bit someone’s face, that would truly be a grave offense.

Nanny Tong lifted her skirt hem as she entered, paying respects to the several young ladies before saying to Bai Qingyan: “Miss, Physician Hong has returned. He’s currently outside Shaohua Courtyard and seems to have something to discuss with you. Oh… and that young man who escorted Physician Hong back, the one called Yue Shi, is waiting in the front hall, saying he wants to see you.”

Physician Hong had returned, which meant Emperor Yan should be much better. Bai Qingyan nodded and straightened up from the ginger-yellow silk-flowers-embroidered hidden pouch. Chun Tao immediately stepped forward to help Bai Qingyan put on her shoes.

“Please trouble Nanny to have someone escort Yue Shi to Xianren Pavilion. I’ll go there immediately.”

After putting on her shoes and rising, Bai Qingyan looked at her three sisters on the ivory mat and smiled as she adjusted her sleeves: “Little Five, Little Six, stay here and play with Little Eight for a while. Elder Sister will return shortly.”

“Elder Sister, rest assured, we’ll take good care of Little Eight!” Bai Jinzhao said with a smile.

Bai Qingyan nodded lightly, supporting herself on Chun Tao’s hand as she stepped out of Shaohua Hall, walking out through the white gauze curtain that a maidservant held open, approaching Physician Hong who stood outside the door bowing deeply to her: “Physician Hong, you’ve had a hard journey.”

Physician Hong looked considerably thinner, suggesting that taking care of Emperor Yan during this period had indeed been exhausting.

Physician Hong straightened up and walked alongside Bai Qingyan toward the outside while saying: “This old man is fine, but Emperor Yan’s condition is not very good…”

Bai Qingyan nodded and asked: “Is Physician Hong also powerless to help?”

Physician Hong nodded: “Emperor Yan’s poison has penetrated his bone marrow. When this old man first treated Emperor Yan, I already said… if Emperor Yan took good care of himself, he might still be able to wrestle ten more years of life from Heaven. Yet, over these recent days, not only has he exhausted both his mind and body, but this arrow wound has also severely drained his vital essence. Even if he were to lay down his court affairs now and rest with all due diligence, at most… he may have but a year left! And that’s without mentioning that, even in his gravely wounded state, he could not bring himself to relinquish the matters of the Yan Kingdom.”

“Compared to quiet recuperation, Emperor Yan probably hopes to use all his remaining strength on Yan’s affairs!” Bai Qingyan said softly.

Emperor Yan was a good emperor, but unfortunately… Jin and the Bai family, along with the Bai army, hadn’t encountered such an emperor. If the Bai family of the past had met such a ruler, with monarch and minister united in purpose, why would they worry about not being able to unify the realm?

Physician Hong nodded in agreement: “By the way, that Yue Shi also came, on Emperor Yan’s orders… requesting to meet with you, Miss.”

Bai Qingyan’s steps paused as she turned to look at Physician Hong: “Emperor Yan has come?”

“Exactly. Emperor Yan is in plain clothes, currently waiting by Ying Lake outside Shouyang City,” Physician Hong said.

“I understand! Physician Hong, you’re travel-worn and dusty – go back and rest. That little girl Yin Shuang misses Physician Hong. She came to me just two days ago, asking where Grandfather Hong had gone and why he hadn’t brought back delicious plum strips for her yet.” When Bai Qingyan mentioned Yin Shuang, her voice was filled with tenderness.

Little Yin Shuang hadn’t only asked about Physician Hong, but also about Shen Qingzhu.

It’s just that currently, Shen Qingzhu’s master, Shen Baizhong, had only recovered partial memories and hadn’t fully remembered the past. Moreover, he was extremely concerned about Li Mingrui. Shen Qingzhu feared that his master might be used by Li Mingrui, so he had to remain in the capital to care for Shen Baizhong.

Physician Hong’s eyes also showed amusement: “That little silly girl only remembers food!”

After speaking, Physician Hong bowed deeply to Bai Qingyan, watching her leave before hurrying toward his courtyard.

If she were to leave the city to meet Emperor Yan, going out in women’s clothing would probably attract too much attention, especially since she was currently claiming illness to the outside world… outsiders all believed that Bai Qingyan was languishing on her sickbed, unable to rise.