Even though the Tianfeng people could control the giant elephants with bone whistles, once the elephants were choked and unable to breathe, they couldn’t pay attention to the whistle sounds and only cared about trumpeting wildly and trampling about. This point… had already been proven in the battle at Hanwen Mountain.
“As long as Yan cooperates well, we can make Tianfeng’s elephant army annihilated here!” Bai Jinxiu gripped the sword at her waist, her voice solemn.
At this time, Bai Qingyan had already joined up with the Bai family army led by Bai Qingqi, Bai Qingjue, and Wei Zhaonian.
Bai Qingqi and Bai Qingjue had brought Bai Qingyun and their three sisters, along with General Wei Zhaonian, and had been waiting for Bai Qingyan outside the military camp long ago.
Bai Jinhua, also dressed in a full set of silver armor, was extremely anxious: “Why hasn’t eldest sister arrived yet? Could something have happened on the road?”
“Bah, bah, bah!” Bai Jinzhao quickly said, “Don’t talk nonsense!”
Bai Jinse adjusted the blanket for Bai Qingyun, who was sitting in a wooden wheelchair. Just as she was about to ask their ninth brother if he was cold, she faintly saw the outlines of troops and carriages dimly visible in the distant winter fog.
“They’re here! Third brother! Seventh brother! Ninth brother… they’re here!” Bai Jinse pointed into the distance.
Bai Jinzhao broke into a smile: “Brother… I’ll go meet eldest sister!”
After speaking, Bai Jinzhao whistled, and a brown stallion charged out from the military camp. She grabbed the horse’s reins in one motion and leaped up, galloping into the distance.
Shen Qingzhu, riding at the front, first heard the sound of copper bells from someone riding through the thick fog. As they drew closer, she saw a figure galloping swiftly on horseback. Before she could identify who it was, she heard Bai Jinzhao’s loud call for the eldest sister.
Shen Qingzhu released her hand from the sword at her waist, turned to a Bai family guard, and said: “Go tell the eldest miss that the fifth miss has come to meet her!”
The Bai family guard responded and turned his horse around, riding to the carriage side and saying in a low voice to Bai Qingyan inside: “Eldest miss, the fifth miss has come to meet you…”
Bai Qingyan, who was leaning against a cushion reading bamboo slips, smiled at the corners of her lips. She put down the bamboo slip in her hand and said: “Have the fifth miss come into the carriage.”
“Yes!”
Bai Jinzhao came galloping on her horse, and the first person she saw was Shen Qingzhu. Her swift horse flew past like a wild goose, leaving only a very crisp “Sister Qingzhu” before charging madly toward the carriage.
Shen Qingzhu raised her hand to signal the convoy to stop.
“Whoa…” As soon as Bai Jinzhao reached the carriage, she reined in her horse.
Chun Zhi had already emerged from the carriage compartment, smiling as she watched Bai Jinzhao nimbly leap down from her horse with graceful movements: “Fifth miss!”
Bai Jinzhao smiled at Chun Zhi, casually tossed her riding whip to a guard, and got into the carriage: “Eldest sister!”
Bai Qingyan had already sat up. Seeing Bai Jinzhao, who had grown taller again, she lifted the fine wool blanket covering her legs and handed the hand warmer she was holding to Bai Jinzhao, her eyebrows showing a gentle smile: “Our little fifth seems to have grown quite a bit taller!”
Bai Jinzhao took the hand warmer, afraid that her cold aura might affect her eldest sister, so she sat by the brazier and stretched out one hand to warm by the fire: “It’s not just me who’s grown taller. Eldest sister hasn’t seen little seventh… This little girl can endure more hardship than I and little sixth. In just these few short months on the southern frontier, her height has simply changed day by day. Now she’s even taller than me!”
Although she had come to the frontier and had become thinner and darker, Bai Jinzhao looked much happier than she had in that bustling, prosperous capital city and Shouyang, her eyes sparkling brightly.
“Eldest sister can see that you’ve also grown quite a bit!” Bai Qingyan reached out to pull Bai Jinzhao to her side, raising her hand to touch Bai Jinzhao’s cold little face.
Looking at the little girl who once wore two fortune buns in her hair, was fair and tender, acted coquettishly toward her, and picked red plums for her, now grown tall and slender, wearing silver armor with her long hair bound at the top of her head, heroic and spirited—there was a feeling of “my family’s daughter has just come of age.”
“Fifth miss, drink some hot oil tea to warm up!” Chun Zhi smiled as she brought a bowl of oil tea to Bai Jinzhao.
Bai Jinzhao smiled and took the oil tea, drinking it down in gulps. Indeed, her whole body warmed up.
“Eldest sister, while we haven’t reached the military camp yet, I need to secretly tell eldest sister something!” Feeling that the cold aura on her body wasn’t so heavy anymore, Bai Jinzhao moved closer to Bai Qingyan and said in a low voice: “Eldest sister, when Aunt Lu came to the southern frontier with us, she rescued a girl who had fallen from a carriage on the road. When that girl woke up, she couldn’t remember anything, not even her name. Aunt Lu took that girl as her disciple and gave her the name Lu Liaochen, teaching her medicine. She’s a very clever girl, kind-hearted but very bold. This girl… has taken a fancy to the third brother!”
Bai Jinzhao looked as if she was gloating, her eyebrows dancing with excitement as she tattled to Bai Qingyan: “Now the entire military camp knows that this Miss Liaochen likes third brother. She likes the third brother with such vigor and determination that even though the third brother always gives her the cold shoulder and cold looks, Miss Liaochen hasn’t retreated one bit! Little seventh says… Miss Liaochen’s temperament is like fire, which pairs well with our third brother’s iceberg-like temperament. Moreover, although she can’t remember anything, her accessories and the mannerisms ingrained in her bones suggest she’s not from an ordinary, wealthy family. When I heard little seventh say this, I thought it looked very promising! Eldest sister, we’ve recently been trying to matchmake Miss Liaochen and the third brother. Now that the eldest sister has come, please talk to the third brother properly and tell him to be more polite to the young lady!”
Bai Qingyan became interested upon hearing this. Bai Qingqi was indeed not young anymore. Before she left the capital, mother had intended to arrange Grand Commandant Lu’s granddaughter for Ah Qi, but Fifth Aunt had said that since their Bai family was already imperial family, she didn’t want Ah Qi’s in-laws to have too high a position, otherwise it would inevitably cause court officials to speculate. She only wanted Ah Qi to find a girl he fancied.
Bai Qingyan understood that Fifth Aunt was thinking of her. With her female body sitting in Great Zhou’s emperor position, Fifth Aunt was afraid that if Ah Qi’s in-law family background was too prominent, if someone harbored thoughts of pulling her down from the throne, they would necessarily support another Bai family son.
“A temperament like fire—if that’s the case… she indeed complements your third brother’s temperament. However…” Bai Qingyan raised her hand and tapped Bai Jinzhao’s forehead, “The one marrying a wife is your third brother. It still depends on whether your third brother likes her himself. You must not take matters into your own hands and randomly play matchmaker!”
“But I can see that third brother quite likes Miss Liaochen. He’s just being stubborn like a duck with a hard beak, especially in front of us younger brothers and sisters—he likes to put on airs! The eldest sister must talk to the third brother properly. The third brother only listens to the eldest sister!” Bai Jinzhao squeezed in front of Bai Qingyan like a child, “If eldest sister doesn’t believe me, just wait and see when we arrive! If I’m talking nonsense, eldest sister can punish me however you want!”
The smile in Bai Qingyan’s eyes deepened: “If you’re talking nonsense, I don’t need to punish you—I’ll just send you back to Fourth Aunt’s side!”
While the two sisters were talking, the convoy had already reached the entrance of the military camp, and the swaying carriage came to a stop.