Yesterday, the eldest miss had first summoned him into the palace, bestowing upon him numerous rewards and instructing him to treat Chun Tao well. Today, she had even left the palace to see Chun Tao off… Chen Qingsheng felt a sense of shared honor and made up his mind to repay the eldest miss properly, only thus could he be worthy of her generous favor toward their husband and wife.
After seeing off Chun Tao, Bai Qingyan did not hurry back to the palace. She sat in the main room of Qinghui Courtyard, looking at the furniture that had been wiped spotlessly clean, where not even a single small ornament had been moved, still maintaining the same appearance as when Bai Qingyan had lived there.
The heating system was also the same as when she had lived there before, lit early to create a warm and cozy atmosphere. The camellia on the tall table bloomed even more brilliantly, just like the Bai Family’s current flourishing fortune.
Though the imperial palace was majestic, it could never give Bai Qingyan the same sense of belonging as Qinghui Courtyard. She knew that one day she would return here, and by that time, perhaps the realm would be unified, or perhaps her hair would already be white with age.
She cherished the warmth this place gave her, yet also knew that now was not the time when she could set down her burdens and rest. After this brief respite here, she would have to muster all her energy to deal with the Kingdom of Tianfeng, which had never appeared in her previous life.
Shen Qingzhu stood to one side, accompanying her eldest miss. Seeing Bai Qingyan close her eyes and gently caress her abdomen, Shen Qingzhu’s gaze also fell upon her lower abdomen, and there seemed to be some warmth in her usually cold eyes.
Through the carved window lattice, Shen Qingzhu saw Wei Zhong standing outside the courtyard, appearing somewhat anxious yet not daring to urge them. She stepped forward and said in a low voice: “Eldest Miss, let’s return to the palace, otherwise the Grand Madam will worry.”
“Alright…” Only then did she slowly open her eyes, responding softly, “Let’s return to the palace!”
On the way back, Nanny Tong sat in the carriage and said to Bai Qingyan: “Chen Qingsheng said he saw the eldest miss, but since the eldest miss left the palace in disguise, he was afraid that coming over to kowtow to His Majesty would cause unnecessary trouble for the eldest miss, so he asked this old servant to apologize to the eldest miss on his behalf. He also said he would treat Chun Tao well and asked the eldest miss to be at ease.”
Hearing this, Bai Qingyan, who was leaning against the soft cushions, smiled even more deeply: “They grew up together since childhood, childhood sweethearts. All these years, Chen Qingsheng has been wandering outside and can be said to have seen the world, yet his devotion to Chun Tao remains unchanged. I have nothing to worry about.”
Chun Tao was honest and dependable, Chen Qingsheng was clever and adaptable – she thought they were a good match.
·
The Kingdom of Tianfeng had set the alliance meeting date for the fifth day of the twelfth month, but Liu Rushi informed the Tianfeng envoys to change the date… setting it for after the fifteenth day of the twelfth month, claiming that the Great Zhou Empress would reach Pingyang City at the earliest on the fifteenth day of the twelfth month, and had already sent word to the Yan Kingdom, telling the Yan Emperor not to rush his departure.
Liu Rushi knew that the Yan Kingdom and the Great Zhou were about to ally to jointly resist the Kingdom of Tianfeng. Since His Majesty had proposed that the rulers of both countries personally sign the alliance treaty at this meeting to intimidate the Kingdom of Tianfeng, the Yan Kingdom would certainly attend.
Liu Rushi’s move was to tell the Kingdom of Tianfeng: Don’t think that just because you have an elephant army, you believe Tianfeng is the best in the world. The alliance meeting is fine… but the date will be decided by the Great Zhou.
The Tianfeng envoys had no choice but to dispatch riders to gallop back and report this matter to their sovereign.
Those accompanying Bai Qingyan to Pingyang City this time included Minister Shen Jingzhong, Liu Rushi, and Shen Tianzhi. Among the military officers were Xie Yuchang and Yang Wuce. Grand Commandant Lu also sent word to the Bai Family Army far away at Qiushan Pass, ordering them to send people to Pingyang City to protect His Majesty’s safety.
With everything arranged properly, Bai Qingyan set out for Pingyang City to participate in the four-nation alliance meeting. At the same time, the Great Yan Emperor and the Regent also departed for the border between the Yan Kingdom and the Great Zhou and Xiliang.
Along this journey, Bai Qingyan did not travel quickly. Midway, she had the entourage make a detour to Yanwo to inspect how Qin Shangzhi’s canal construction was progressing.
Canal construction was a massive project, especially in winter when the soil was frozen solid, which truly delayed the construction schedule… Yet if they didn’t build it, they feared it would cause floods next year. The common people and soldiers working on the canal were all gritting their teeth and laboring in the bitter cold wind.
Bai Qingyan couldn’t rest easy and went to inspect personally, which frightened Xie Yuchang into immediately bringing people to guard closely by Bai Qingyan’s side, fearing that something might happen to her. Fortunately, Shen Qingzhu had already brought the Bai Family guards to protect Bai Qingyan completely, and only then did Xie Yuchang breathe a sigh of relief.
After winter set in, people’s bodies were not as agile as during the mild autumn weather, yet not a single soldier or commoner working on the canal slacked off.
The soldiers worked because of orders from above, while the common people didn’t want to be displaced due to floods.
Wearing a large cloak over ordinary clothes, Bai Qingyan walked against the wind with Qin Shangzhi on the uneven path above the embankment. She watched the common people and soldiers laboring hard, their whole bodies steaming with hot vapor, and had Qin Shangzhi accompany her for a stretch.
She said to Qin Shangzhi, “Pass down the order that ginger soup should be prepared daily for the laboring common people and soldiers. Most importantly, everyone must be well-fed. The weather is already bitterly cold, and they’re all doing physical labor – they cannot go hungry. I’ll have the Ministry of Revenue allocate funds to you later. Spare no expense to complete the canal before next year’s flood season arrives.”
Yanwo was bitterly cold in winter. As Bai Qingyan spoke these words, her breath formed white mist, and the howling wind made her ears ache from the cold: “Provide thick ear warmers for both the soldiers and common people…”
“Your Majesty, rest assured! I understand the priorities!” Qin Shangzhi bowed to Bai Qingyan with cupped hands. “The common people all say that after the previous floods in Yanwo, the already fertile soil of Yanwo has become even more fertile. Their enthusiasm for farming is very high. As long as we complete the canal before the flood season arrives, next year will surely be a bumper harvest.”
“Additionally…” Bai Qingyan glanced at the laboring common people, stepping on the uneven stones beneath her feet while walking forward and saying, “Since it’s already winter and the weather is cold with early nightfall, I think… we can shorten the working hours for the common people and soldiers. Set aside half an hour or an hour each day for the common people to learn to read and write! Just like with the Shuoyang Army back then, we can reward them with meat – don’t be stingy! The Ministry of Revenue will allocate the funds.”
Qin Shangzhi understood Bai Qingyan’s intention was to enlighten the people through education, assured her of this, and then asked about the current situation of the deposed Crown Prince, saying that after completing the canal work, he would go to accompany the deposed Crown Prince.
Qin Shangzhi had already spoken clearly with her earlier – even if she valued talent, she would not force the unwilling.
In her ears was the sound of hoes striking the earth, and in the distance was the cook’s shouting as he brought meals. The squad leader heard this and was the first to thrust his hoe into the soil, calling out loudly: “Time to eat!”
Hearing this, the laboring common people put down their tools one after another, used the towels around their necks to wipe away sweat, patted the dust from their bodies, and ran toward the food shelter.
After receiving their meals, the common people and soldiers sitting in the temporary shelter built outside the food tent saw a woman in a large cloak with neat attire enter the food shelter accompanied by Lord Qin Shangzhi, and they whispered among themselves, guessing Bai Qingyan’s identity.