He sat upon his horse, looking down at her from his elevated position. His gaze was as deep as a cold pond, unfathomably profound with no discernible emotion, yet his eyes carried the pity that those in high positions show toward the weak. He handed her the jade cicada, letting her escape on her own.

Such a man had told her he feared being abandoned by her…

She had once thought that in Xiao Rongyan’s world, the word “fear” had never existed.

He was the strongest person in the world in Bai Qingyan’s heart.

Her eyes reddened with moisture. She repeatedly pondered over what Xiao Rongyan had said… if her younger brothers or sisters and he were simultaneously surrounded, whom would she go to rescue?

She thought she would definitely go save her younger brothers and sisters first, then go rescue Xiao Rongyan. But this was absolutely not a choice where she would abandon one or the other—it was because she believed in Xiao Rongyan’s capabilities, knew his strength, knew he would certainly be able to achieve victory.

Because in her previous life, at least before her rebirth, this world had belonged to the Yan Kingdom… it was the general trend. The situation Yan Kingdom achieved was all brought about by Xiao Rongyan. He had led a Yan Kingdom that was on the verge of destruction and made all the nations tremble at the mere mention of his name.

But if she answered this way, Xiao Rongyan would think she was making excuses and would surely be heartbroken!

This time, she had truly wounded Xiao Rongyan’s heart.

Seeing that Xiao Rongyan had already walked far away, Weizhong finally slowly stepped forward and called out in a low voice: “Your Majesty, the Ninth Prince has already left. This old servant will help you return to rest…”

“Mm.” Bai Qingyan responded while watching Xiao Rongyan’s departing figure, her hand gently covering her abdomen. “Make preparations—we’re returning to the Capital City!”

Bai Qingyan had set the palace examination date for March 15th. The journey back would likely consume considerable time, so it was indeed time to depart.

“Yes!” Weizhong responded.

·

At the front lines, Bai Qingyu received Bai Qingyan’s letter, which mentioned that Old Master Cui Shanzhong had taken command for Jiangzi City, but fortunately Xiao Rongyan had arrived in time with the Yan army as reinforcement. Jiangzi City’s predicament had been resolved, and she was already preparing to depart for the Capital City. She told Bai Qingyu and the other younger siblings not to worry and to focus on attacking the city.

The letter also informed Bai Qingyu that since Old Master Cui Shanzhong had suffered defeat at Jiangzi City, he would certainly regroup his forces. She warned Bai Qingyu to be careful of rear attacks, as Old Master Cui Shanzhong’s battlefield methods had never been conventional. This defeat was only because Xiliang lacked troops and supplies, and Old Master Cui Shanzhong had wanted too much.

But having suffered this defeat, Old General Cui would surely develop extremely deep wariness toward the Great Zhou army, guarding against Great Zhou while also guarding against Yan Kingdom. If they encountered Old General Cui next time, they must be extremely cautious. They could coordinate and interact with the Yan army, and must ensure that in this great battle, they completely pacify Xiliang.

After Bai Qingyu finished reading, he passed the letter to Bai Jinxiu, feeling somewhat frightened in his heart: “Given elder sister’s temperament, she definitely wouldn’t let news reach the front lines. If the Yan Kingdom’s Ninth Prince hadn’t arrived in time, the consequences of Xiliang’s early assault on the camp would have been unthinkable.”

Reading Bai Qingyan’s understated description in the letter, Bai Jinxiu also felt it was heart-stopping and thrilling.

Bai Qingqi rubbed his fingers, squinting as he said: “If I remember correctly, the Yan Kingdom’s Ninth Prince was previously leading troops to attack Anfen. How did he know about the eldest sister being trapped at Jiangzi City? How could he… turn around and lead troops to Jiangzi City instead? This doesn’t seem profitable for Yan Kingdom.”

Because the Great Zhou had many troops and capable generals with strong momentum, Xiliang focused their resistance mainly on the Great Zhou, while the Yan army’s path forward encountered relatively little obstruction.

Yan Kingdom’s Ninth Prince Murong Yan had already led troops to attack Anfen at that time, which meant Yan Kingdom had the opportunity to reach Yun Jing before Great Zhou. But why did the Yan Kingdom’s Ninth Prince give up continuing to advance on Yun Jing and instead turn his troops around to rush to his eldest sister’s aid?

“It seems this Yan Kingdom’s Ninth Prince has arranged quite a few spies in our Great Zhou!” Bai Qingjue held a teacup in his hand. “To know so quickly about the eldest sister being trapped at Jiangzi City! Regardless, this time our Great Zhou owes Yan Kingdom a tremendous favor, since Yan Kingdom saved our Great Zhou’s Emperor.”

If Bai Qingjue was simply looking at this from a political angle, thinking this way was indeed correct.

But Bai Qingyu understood in his heart that Xiao Rongyan’s decision to abandon Yun Jing and choose to lead troops to Jiangzi City to save her eldest sister included reasons of deep affection and loyalty toward her eldest sister.

Previously, no matter how Bai Qingyu looked at this Yan Kingdom Ninth Prince, he found him disagreeable. After this incident, his opinion of Xiao Rongyan had somewhat changed.

If Xiao Rongyan could abandon Yun Jing for her elder sister’s sake, such a person was qualified to become his brother-in-law.

“The favor of the Yan Kingdom’s Ninth Prince saving eldest sister can be repaid by our Great Zhou in other ways, but… Yun Jing must never yield.” Bai Qingqi slowly spoke. “Xiliang has deep-seated grievances with our Bai family, so the ones to destroy Xiliang can only be our Great Zhou!”

“What the third brother says is very true!” Bai Qingjue nodded.

“Then let’s all gather our spirits. The eldest sister is already safe and sound. Bailong City is our Bai family army’s territory—they will protect the eldest sister across the Jing River, and after that, she’ll be safe…” Bai Qingqi stood up and said, “We’ve delayed here too long. Tonight we must take Luquan, pass through Jingrong, and head straight for Yun Jing!”

“Yes!” Bai Jinzhao, Bai Jinhua, and Bai Jinse responded in unison.

·

By the Jing River, Bai Qingyan paid respects to the Bai family army soldiers who had once died in battle here.

After crossing the Jing River to City Feng, passing through Fengming Mountain, and approaching Tianmen Pass, Bai Qingyan calculated that there was enough time to return to the Capital City before March 15th. She decided to travel light, bringing only Bai family guards along with Weizhong and Chun Zhi, disguising themselves as merchants to see how the people’s lives had improved since the implementation of administrative reforms throughout Great Zhou territory.

Just before entering Tianmen Pass, Weizhong arranged for them to rest at a post station during noon, have lunch, and then continue.

After spending several days repeatedly thinking about Xiao Rongyan’s matter, Bai Qingyan finally picked up her brush to write him a letter. She told Xiao Rongyan that he had left too hastily that day, so she hadn’t had time to speak. After deliberating for several days, she felt she couldn’t wait until Xiao Rongyan returned safely to say it, so she picked up her brush to write this letter.

She promised Xiao Rongyan that in the future, when encountering situations, she would consider her safety more and think more about their child. She also asked Xiao Rongyan to make sure he never let himself get injured again.

During these past few days, she couldn’t sleep well. She said she had never before thought about what would happen if Xiao Rongyan were gone. She had never thought about it before because in her heart, Xiao Rongyan was so strong as to be indestructible, and she had always been striving to measure up to him.

Now, she had thought about it but dared not think deeply, because she didn’t want to experience the pain of losing a beloved again. She also asked Xiao Rongyan to please take care of himself for her and their child’s sake.

Bai Qingyan’s brush tip lingered on the paper for a moment. In the end, she still put down her brush—some words, when written out, made her heart ache as if it were being ground back and forth by a millstone.

In her letter, she had no way to tell Xiao Rongyan that she had always been striving to accomplish what Xiao Rongyan had achieved in her previous life, just in her way.

The deaths of her grandfather, father, uncle, and younger brothers, along with the deaths of her mother and aunts in her previous life, had once tormented her constantly.