Seeing her daughter’s anxious expression, Ye Yingwan quickly patted her daughter’s hand: “Don’t worry, your mother isn’t to be trifled with either. When my daughter marries, she’ll naturally marry the most outstanding man in their royal family! But if it doesn’t work out… You can’t blame Mother! This is all for our entire family’s survival!”

Seeing her daughter bite her lower lip, Ye Yingwan added, “Having disabled legs has its advantages too. Such a husband… won’t he be completely under your control in the future!”

“Mother…” Ye Yingwan’s daughter gripped her mother’s hand, glanced at her father standing nearby with an anxious face but not daring to hurry her mother, then walked aside with her mother and whispered: “Mother, daughter has an idea…”

“Speak…” Ye Yingwan nodded.

“Mother, you’ve always said that when women become pregnant and give birth, they’re stepping into the gates of death. You say… if I could marry the Great Zhou Emperor’s blood brother, and this Great Zhou Emperor fails to safely deliver the child in her womb, if it becomes a case of both mother and child dying, mother… who do you think the Great Zhou throne would fall to?”

Ye Yingwan’s daughter whispered to her mother. She knew her grandmother had many such methods that left no trace; otherwise, when grandmother was still alive, she couldn’t have remained as stable as Mount Tai in her lowly position in the Ye family, making grandfather feel that grandmother was virtuous and gentle, maintaining his favor without decline.

Ye Yingwan was stunned, turning to look at her daughter. Seeing she still had that young girl’s appearance, she chuckled softly: “Mother didn’t realize you had such ambition!”

She hurriedly put on a panicked expression, stepped back, and bowed to her mother: “Daughter is only speaking her thoughts for mother to hear. For the lives of our family of four and future glory and wealth, if mother thinks it’s not feasible, just consider it daughter’s wild rambling.”

“Madam, the people who came to summon us have been waiting outside for quite a while!” the prefect urged timidly.

Ye Yingwan patted her daughter’s hand, straightened her clothing, put on airs, and glanced at her husband from the corner of her eye: “Let’s go!”

After all, this was the prefect’s residence, the prefect’s wife’s home. The prefect’s wife also considered herself the key to helping Bai Qingyan capture Yecheng Pass. Without waiting for Bai Qingyan to arrive, the prefect’s wife had already taken the main seat, arranging her sleeves.

The prefect wanted his wife to get up, but didn’t dare be too forceful. He just stood beside his wife, tugging at her sleeves and whispering: “Get up quickly! Their emperor will be here soon. Even if we have a solution, being so discourteous – what if we’re dragged out and beheaded!”

Ye Yingwan glared at her useless husband: “Look at your lack of backbone! We’re in our own home! Besides… hasn’t she arrived yet?”

As soon as she finished speaking, Bai Qingyan and Xiao Ruohai had already arrived at the front hall.

The prefect couldn’t care about fearing his wife anymore. He pulled his wife up and stepped forward to bow: “Greetings, Your Majesty!”

Ye Yingwan also smiled and bowed to Bai Qingyan: “Greetings, Your Majesty! Please take the seat of honor!”

Bai Qingyan glanced at the respectful and proper prefect, then looked at Ye Yingwan, and sat down in the main seat: “I heard the prefect’s wife is the sister of General Ye Shouguan, the defender of Yecheng Pass?”

“That’s correct…” Ye Yingwan smiled in response, then continued: “This subject’s wife has a method to help Your Majesty capture Yecheng Pass.”

After Ye Yingwan finished speaking, she pursed her lips in a light smile, as if waiting for Bai Qingyan to ask for details.

But Bai Qingyan only glanced at her once, took the hot tea that Wei Zhong brought up, and slowly blew on the tea in the cup, seemingly having no intention of asking further questions. Ye Yingwan’s palms tightened, and she smiled as she stepped forward to bow again: “This subject’s wife can also tell Your Majesty the method to capture Yecheng Pass, but… only hopes Your Majesty can grant a favor.”

“It seems the favor the prefect’s wife wants is not small,” Bai Qingyan’s voice was indifferent.

Ye Yingwan glanced at her husband, and the prefect immediately stepped forward, bowed respectfully, and said to Bai Qingyan: “Your Majesty, you may not know that my humble wife is the blood sister of Ye Shouguan, the defender of Yecheng Pass. The favor my humble wife seeks is closely related to capturing Yecheng Pass. Yecheng Pass is easy to defend but hard to attack, and there are granaries inside the city. Even if they close the gates and defend, Yecheng Pass could hold out for several months without problem!”

“My humble daughter calls Ye Shouguan uncle…” The prefect secretly glanced at Bai Qingyan, then lowered his eyes and continued: “If… Your Majesty could grant a favor and let my humble daughter marry Your Majesty’s brother, then… our two families would be related by marriage. Then let my humble wife take my humble daughter back to Yecheng Pass to persuade Ye Shouguan to surrender.”

“Do you think I’s brothers’ marriages are something anyone who wants to climb high can climb?” Bai Qingyan stirred the tea leaves floating in the clear tea, her voice still as gentle as usual, but when she raised her eyes again, her gaze was like icicles hanging from the eaves – chillingly cold.

The prefect was so frightened that his knees went weak, and he knelt directly.

Bai Qingyan narrowed her eyes: “Moreover, I heard that when Old General Ye favored his concubine and destroyed his wife, the relationship between Ye Shouguan and your wife could be described as hatred deep as the sea. And you want to persuade Ye Shouguan to surrender? I think… you’re trying to treat me as a fool to deceive!”

The prefect hurriedly kowtowed and said anxiously: “Your Majesty, this humble official would never dare deceive Your Majesty! If Ye Shouguan is unwilling, with my humble wife’s status, she also has her network of relationships cultivated in the Ye family. She can certainly turn these people to open the gates of Yecheng Pass and allow the Great Zhou army to enter!”

Hearing this, Ye Yingwan also hurriedly stepped forward to bow: “Your Majesty, the Ye family has guarded Yecheng Pass for generations. When this subject’s wife’s father was still alive, his most beloved was this subject’s wife. Before he passed, he was still worried that this subject’s wife would be bullied and retaliated against by Ye Shouguan, so he left this subject’s wife some connections, precisely so that if her father passed away and Ye Shouguan dared to retaliate, this subject’s wife would have the ability to protect herself! This subject’s wife dares to swear to the heavenly gods… There are absolutely no false words; otherwise, may the entire clan die with pierced intestines and burst bellies! May this subject’s wife’s son die without offspring, may her daughter become a prostitute, never to be reborn!”

Bai Qingyan adjusted her sitting position, leaning her back against the chair, coldly observing this Xiliang woman who dared swear to the heavenly gods. Xiliang people worshipped heavenly gods, so daring to swear by the heavenly gods was somewhat believable, especially using such a vicious oath involving her children.

Moreover, what this prefect’s wife said about Old General Ye leaving her connections was also credible. Her mother, as a favored concubine… would naturally cultivate relationships in many ways while alive. It was reasonable that the mother and daughter held one or two connections in their hands.

However, even so, the Bai family had no reason to trade their descendants’ marriages for convenience. But what this prefect’s wife said gave Bai Qingyan other ideas.

“The prefect and prefect’s wife just move their lips up and down, wanting our Bai family men to trade their marriages for this.” Bai Qingyan held the teacup in her hand, her fingers rubbing the rim of the cup.