Bai Qingqi had not given orders forbidding harm to civilians…
Xiliang had fierce folk customs, and civilians could also serve as soldiers. Moreover, capturing Xiliang cities was different from capturing their cities. After all… in the eyes of Xiliang people, the Great Zhou people were considered foreigners.
So they would inevitably resist with all their might, and any Xiliang person who picked up weapons was no different from wanting to resist the Great Zhou. If they ordered that Xiliang civilians must not be harmed, and these Xiliang civilians picked up butcher knives to attack Great Zhou soldiers, wouldn’t that mean Great Zhou would lose soldiers’ lives for nothing?
But as long as Xiliang civilians gave up resistance, the Great Zhou would be very willing to accept the Xiliang people. After all… the Bai family’s generations-long ambition was to unify the world, not to exterminate all foreign peoples and leave only Great Zhou citizens.
Wei Zhaonian, along with Bai Qingjue, Bai Jinzhao, Bai Jinhua, and Bai Jinse, led troops into the city to clear out remaining Xiliang scattered soldiers, having their men clean out officials’ mansions for Bai Qingyan to reside in.
Near dawn, the carriage carrying Bai Qingyan and Bai Qingyun slowly entered the city. Soldiers stood on both sides of the city gate, respectfully welcoming the Great Zhou’s emperor into the city.
Lu Ninggui brought Lu Liaochen into Bai Qingyan’s carriage, but saw her foolish disciple constantly staring at the eldest miss and enthusiastically taking over the work of the personal maid Chun Zhi, serving tea to the eldest miss. This left Chun Zhi not knowing whether to laugh or cry. She was acting exactly like when she previously declared her love for the Bai family’s third young master and wanted to marry him, while constantly asking the eldest miss how the battle at Qingxi Mountain pass was fought—it was simply unwatchable.
Bai Qingyan was gentle with Lu Liaochen and didn’t scold her, but Lu Ninggui felt very uneasy. The eldest miss hadn’t had proper rest since arriving, and yet this girl was being so noisy.
“That song was so stirring! When Master and I passed through the border town, almost all the townspeople could sing it… In the Yinghu boat with charming guests, only hearing the pipa, no person was seen. Silk, bamboo, and fine wine intermingling, suddenly turning urgent like thunderous music. Heavy strings clang, toppling five peaks, light strings surge, severing river flow. Fingertips gather lightning, wind, and clouds, ears hear clanging sounds of weapons. Song ends, hot blood rushes skyward, the general has broken through Qingxi Mountain!”
After singing, Lu Liaochen clenched her fists: “Your Majesty, I also want to be like Your Majesty, to become a general! Fight on battlefields! Become a female general! Does Your Majesty think I still have hope if I start learning martial arts now?”
Bai Qingyan adjusted the wool blanket over Bai Qingyun’s legs, her expression gentle with a shallow smile, but her words startled Lu Liaochen: “So, you deceived Aunt Lu about your amnesia just to stay in the army and become a female general?”
Bai Qingyun lowered his eyes and replaced a cup of hot tea for his eldest sister, seeming to understand this matter clearly and not finding it strange at all.
Lu Liaochen froze, her large, blinking eyes flickering somewhat. Lu Ninggui’s brow tightened, and she became completely alert. If this girl was pretending to have amnesia to stay in the army, she mustn’t let her moment of kindness bring trouble to the Bai family army.
Seeing Lu Ninggui’s appearance, Bai Qingyan waved her hand, signaling Lu Ninggui not to worry.
Bai Qingyan picked up the teacup Bai Qingyun had placed before her, used the lid to press down the floating tea leaves, and took a sip: “No rush, I don’t mean to force you. You surely have your difficulties in doing this. Think it over slowly… when you’re willing to speak, you can tell me then.”
The saying “speak much and err much” was indeed true. Throughout the journey, Lu Liaochen’s little mouth hadn’t stopped moving, but when Bai Qingyan casually mentioned to Lu Ninggui the capital’s dandies, Lu Yuanpeng and Sima Ping, saying she hadn’t expected these formerly avoided playboys to have grown up and become capable generals worthy of important responsibilities, the usually talkative Lu Liaochen fell silent for a while. She didn’t ask about Lu Yuanpeng and Sima Ping’s identities, nor did she use this topic to continue discussing with Bai Qingyan—it was very abnormal.
However, Bai Qingyan couldn’t be certain that Lu Liaochen was definitely lying. She had merely harbored suspicions and tested her, just like when she had tested that Tianfeng great shaman’s disciple. She hadn’t expected the girl was indeed pretending to have amnesia.
The reason she didn’t force Lu Liaochen to speak immediately or leave was truly out of fondness for this little girl. They say you can’t know what’s in someone’s heart… but eyes can reveal many things. Bai Qingyan saw in this little girl’s eyes the same bright light she had once seen in her own sisters’ eyes, so she was willing to believe this little girl harbored good intentions.
Even if she was pretending to have amnesia and infiltrating the Bai family army with ulterior motives, someone as cautious as Ah Qi had been having people watch this little girl all along without finding any flaws. She could simply have people keep even stricter watch—it wouldn’t cause any major chaos.
When the carriage stopped in front of the local officials’ mansion, Wei Zhaonian, Bai Qingqi, and Bai Jinse were already waiting at the entrance. Bai Qingqi took Bai Jinzhao and Bai Jinhua to settle the wounded soldiers and conduct inspections everywhere.
“Eldest sister!” Bai Jinse stepped forward, extending her hand to help Bai Qingyan.
Shen Qingzhu smiled: “Seventh miss, let me do it!”
Bai Qingyan supported herself with Shen Qingzhu’s hand as she got down from the carriage. Seeing that Bai Jinse’s complexion had recovered, she raised her hand to touch Bai Jinse’s head: “This time, you got your wish to follow your third brother onto a real battlefield. Are you still somewhat unaccustomed to it?”
“Mm!” Bai Jinse nodded. She felt too embarrassed to tell her eldest sister that when she truly saw corpses and severed limbs, she had vomited terribly. Even now, thinking of the sound of arrows whistling past her ears made her feel lingering fear, and she couldn’t help shivering.
If the third brother hadn’t pulled her aside, her eyes would have been shot blind by now.
Bai Jinse had originally thought that fighting on the battlefield like eldest sister, second sister, third sister, and fourth sister was a very impressive thing, but behind that impressiveness hid danger. She was still unskilled and needed to work harder to avoid being a burden to others on the battlefield.
A Bai family guard rode swiftly into the city, leaped down from his horse, whispered in Shen Qingzhu’s ear, then withdrew. Shen Qingzhu hurriedly stepped forward to tell Bai Qingyan, “Eldest miss, Akxie’s elephant army knows that the Bai family army has attacked Suining City and has already moved!”
Bai Qingqi helped Bai Qingyun down and, together with Wei Zhong, helped him sit in his wheelchair.
Bai Qingyan’s expression showed a smile. She had been afraid Akxie wouldn’t move—now that Akxie had moved, Ah Yu and Jinxiu could quickly finish the battle at Liuxiang Mountain.
She turned to look at Bai Qingqi and Bai Qingyun: “Have the soldiers reorganize. Rest for one day today. Tomorrow morning, leaving the wounded behind, we’ll depart for Yecheng Pass to join up with Ah Yu and Jinxiu! Yecheng Pass will be the hardest bone to crack in all of Xiliang. Once we’ve taken Yecheng Pass, have Ah Jue and little fifth and little sixth return so we can discuss how to break through Yecheng Pass.”
“Yes!” Bai Qingqi clasped his fists toward Bai Qingyan.
Lu Ninggui pulled Lu Liaochen along, planning to drag this little girl aside later to question her clearly about her true background, what she was scheming by infiltrating the Bai family army through such elaborate means, and what she wanted to accomplish by making such a big show of saying she liked the Bai family’s third young master!