Bai Qingyan looked up with a smile toward Shen Qingzhu, seeing him nod.

The brazier in the main tent burned vigorously. Shen Qingzhu used copper-wrapped long tongs to tend the glowing red charcoal, his entire figure bathed in warm light.

Bai Qingyan smiled and lowered her gaze to focus on her mother’s letter, slowly speaking: “Back then, I had the female guard unit protecting me, with Grandfather, Father, Uncle, and younger brothers behind me, so naturally I dared to charge forward without any worries. But now… how could I still act so recklessly?”

She still had to protect the Bai family and fulfill the aspirations passed down through generations of Bai ancestors. How could she let herself die?

Looking at Bai Qingyan, who had grown noticeably thinner recently, Shen Qingzhu felt deeply guilty. As Miss’s guard, when Miss came to the battlefield, he hadn’t followed, instead remaining in the peaceful capital, letting Miss venture into danger alone – it was truly inexcusable.

In her letter, Dong Shi told Bai Qingyan that all was well in Shouyang and she needn’t worry. She discreetly informed Bai Qingyan that Steward Liu and the others at home were conducting affairs prudently and had handled everything Bai Qingyan had entrusted very well.

“What did Madam say?” Shen Qingzhu couldn’t help but ask curiously.

“Mother wrote in her letter that Bai Qihe, the clan leader of the Shouyang Bai clan, knowing I needed Great Liang medicinal materials here, led the Bai clan members to unite as one. They not only purchased many medicinal materials to support the army attacking Great Liang, but the entire clan donated money and goods… purchasing a batch of grain that was also sent along this time. Even if it’s just a drop in the bucket, it represents the clan members’ heartfelt intentions.”

Bai Qingyan turned a page of the letter: “The rest are just various trivial reminders.”

Bai Qingyan carefully read every word of her mother’s reminders, then touched the fox fur cloak her mother had personally sewn in the bundle beside her, her eyes full of gentle warmth.

Seeing Bai Qingyan fold Dong Shi’s letter, Shen Qingzhu took out another letter from his chest and handed it to Bai Qingyan: “This is a letter Second Miss asked me to bring to Miss.”

Bai Qingyan quickly took the letter and opened it, sitting under the lamp to read carefully.

“Ever since Second Miss learned of Fan Yuhuai’s suspicious activities, she’s deployed sufficient personnel to watch Fan Yuhuai and those who associate with him…” Shen Qingzhu spoke in a steady, methodical voice, reporting what he knew to Bai Qingyan. “This Fan Yuhuai, whether from caution or truly just maintaining camaraderie with colleagues, has been regularly gathering with his old patrol camp subordinates and his subordinates in the Imperial Guards every few days.”

“When I first learned of this, I bribed a tavern server wanting to infiltrate and observe, but encountered someone Second Miss had sent to investigate. Whether from what the server said or from Second Miss’s investigators, nothing unusual was discovered. Apart from reminiscing about old times, they never said anything inappropriate.”

Shen Qingzhu had remained in the capital not only to care for his master, but also to investigate unusual matters for Bai Qingyan when he detected them.

Beyond what Shen Qingzhu mentioned, Bai Jinxiu’s letter also said… even the number of banquets Fan Yuhuai hosted and the silver spent calculated to roughly match his salary.

But this careful matching aroused Bai Jinxiu’s strong suspicion. The Fan family naturally had some income-generating businesses, and being able to control the frequency and scale of social gatherings within his salary limits showed… obvious careful calculation.

Though no concrete evidence had been found yet, fortunately… among those Bai Qingyan had originally planted in the Imperial Guards without giving their names to Fan Yuhuai, two had recently been invited by Fan Yuhuai to participate in his “small gatherings.” If Fan Yuhuai made any moves, those two, believing themselves loyal to the Crown Prince… would surely report it.

“There’s another matter…” Shen Qingzhu put down the copper-wrapped charcoal tongs and looked at Bai Qingyan across the glowing brazier. “Following Miss’s previous orders, General Fu Ruoxi found an excuse to switch positions – a high-ranking captain close to Fan Yuhuai was exchanged with a lower-ranking centurion more distant from Fan Yuhuai. Fan Yuhuai hasn’t distanced himself from the demoted captain.”

Bai Qingyan nodded and looked up to ask: “What about… the centurion who was promoted to captain? Has Fan Yuhuai deliberately tried to get close to him?”

Shen Qingzhu shook his head: “Not before I left.”

Bai Qingyan turned a page of the letter. Bai Jinxiu had written that she’d discovered who had recommended Fan Yugan and Zhang Duanning to escort the grain supplies…

It was Fan Yuhuai who had given gifts to Hong Mei, currently the Crown Prince’s most favored concubine, seeking advancement for his son. Hong Mei told the Crown Prince about this, and the Crown Prince summoned Fan Yuhuai to show favor, saying Fan Yuhuai was his own man and could personally request advancement for his son from the Crown Prince.

As for Zhang Duanning, Chancellor Lu, not trusting Fan Yugan, had recommended Zhang Duanning to accompany him for safety.

After detailing these matters, Bai Jinxiu also wrote about something concerning Qin Lang…

Now that the Crown Prince was in power, mindful that Qin Lang was Bai Qingyan’s brother-in-law, he was sending Qin Lang, who had been compiling books and writing history, far away to serve as a county magistrate in Baishui City. Before the orders came down, the Crown Prince had called Qin Lang aside to explain clearly… that, considering Qin Lang was Bai Qingyan’s brother-in-law, as long as he spent a few years away… and achieved political accomplishments, the Crown Prince would transfer Qin Lang back to the capital for important appointments.

Qin Lang had already packed and would take office in Baishui City after the New Year.

Additionally, the Nine-Tiered Platform was nearing completion. The Minister of Works said it would be finished by June next year. Now rumors throughout the capital claimed the Emperor would summon five hundred boys and five hundred girls to ascend the Nine-Tiered Platform seeking immortality elixirs starting in March after the New Year. This matter would be handled by Li Mingrui. Though no official decree had been issued, the Crown Prince had indeed given Li Mingrui personnel.

Already in the capital, noble families were secretly buying boys and girls for alchemy. Though done discreetly, since the purchased children had indenture contracts and their lives belonged to their masters, the matter hadn’t caused a stir.

Bai Jinxiu was so worried because she feared the Emperor, in seeking immortality, might be led astray and bewitched by that demon Taoist Imperial Teacher into evil thoughts.

Because Qin Lang had been praised by the Emperor as a model among noble sons and had performed well in the spring examinations, the Emperor sometimes summoned Qin Lang to organize bamboo scrolls and books about seeking immortality.

Qin Lang said he had seen records in those bamboo scrolls about the First Emperor seeking immortality elixirs. One scroll claimed that Xu Fu, taking five hundred boys and girls to sea, was a pretense – in reality, he used these five hundred children’s lives to make elixirs, transferring their lifespans to those who consumed the medicine.

Bai Jinxiu feared that the Emperor’s plan to summon five hundred boys and girls was influenced by that demon Taoist and these miscellaneous records, intending to use these children’s lives for alchemy.