Even she, a woman of the inner quarters, could deduce this from the military reports, let alone Bai Qingyan. Although from the overall strategic perspective, Dong Shi also believed that not lighting the beacon fires was correct, Bai Qingyan’s courage was truly too great—she was pregnant after all!

“Elder Sister-in-law…” Fifth Madam Qi smiled and reached out to pat Dong Shi’s arm, “A’Bao is the most sensible child. When you see her later, don’t scold her! The child has been weary from the long journey.”

“Yes, Elder Sister-in-law!” Third Madam Li couldn’t help but laugh, “These A’Bao and Jinxiu are the most reassuring children in our family! Not like that reckless Xiao Si!”

Second Madam Liu, holding Wang Ge’er who was nibbling on a pastry, smiled as she bent down to wipe the corner of the child’s mouth: “A’Bao is already the most worry-free child in our family. This time, regarding the Jiangzi City affair, what A’Bao did was indeed worrying. Elder Sister-in-law should just say a word or two about it! After all, A’Bao is now someone with a child!”

“Are you speaking up for A’Bao, or hoping that sister-in-law will lecture A’Bao?” Third Madam Li couldn’t help but laugh.

Second Madam Liu smiled awkwardly, then put on a stern expression: “She still needs to be spoken to! Too worrying! You tell me, how dangerous was it when Jiangzi City was under siege? A’Bao’s courage was too great. If it weren’t for that Ninth Prince of Yan leading troops to provide aid, if something had happened, we few widows and orphans would have cried ourselves to death, and it wouldn’t have mattered!”

Liu Shi was truly worried. When she heard the news of the Western Liang army besieging the city, with that old General Cui Shanzhong leading the army, and A’Bao alone in the city with none of her younger siblings there, she nearly fainted from fright. Later, learning that the Ninth Prince of Yan had received the news and led troops to break the siege, Liu Shi went to the temple that very month to light a longevity lamp and pray for the Ninth Prince of Yan.

Seeing the carriage slowly approaching, Second Madam Liu exclaimed in surprise: “They’re coming! They’re coming! They’re back! They’re back!”

“Why hasn’t Xiao Ba come yet?” Fifth Madam Qi turned to look at Nanny Zhai, smiling: “Is she still sleeping lazily? Yesterday she clearly said she wanted to work even harder than her elder sister did when she was young, and get up earlier, yet today she’s still lazy in bed.”

Behind the carriage, Fu Ruoxi was urgently chasing Bai Qingyan’s carriage with a battle report in hand.

Within the palace, unless one received orders, galloping on horseback was not permitted. Fu Ruoxi, already having only one arm left, was chasing with great difficulty.

“Your Majesty!” Fu Ruoxi called out breathlessly, “Your Majesty! Western Liang battle report!”

“Western Liang battle report, Your Majesty!”

Fu Ruoxi’s voice could be faintly heard approaching. Inside the carriage, Bai Qingyan, who was arranging her clothes, suddenly froze, her scalp immediately tightening: “Wei Zhong, stop the carriage!”

Wei Zhong, walking beside the carriage, immediately raised his hand, and the carriage stopped at once.

Wei Zhong looked back: “Your Majesty, it’s General Fu, and she seems to be carrying a Western Liang military report!”

Counting the days, the matter of Yunjing in Western Liang should be settled by now.

“Miss! It must be good news from Yunjing!” Chun Zhi said with a face full of joy.

Bai Qingyan lifted the carriage curtain: “Go meet General Fu!”

From afar, Dong Shi and the others saw the carriage stop, their hearts suddenly tightening. They hurriedly supported themselves on Nanny Qin’s hand and walked down two steps: “What’s wrong? Why did the carriage stop? Is there some discomfort? Nanny Qin, quickly… let’s go take a look!”

Dong Shi couldn’t wait a moment longer and led a group of eunuchs and palace maids toward the carriage.

Liu Shi also lifted her skirt with one hand and held Wang Ge’er with the other, following behind Dong Shi and hurrying toward the carriage.

Bai Qingyan had just bent over to emerge from inside the carriage. Before she could get down, she snatched the Western Liang battle report that Wei Zhong handed over. It was a personal letter from Bai Qingqi. As she read word by word, sentence by sentence, her pupils contracted sharply, the color gradually drained from her face, and her heart felt as if it were being torn apart. A surge of blood rushed to her heart…

At noon, the clear sky was cloudless and spotless.

Around the vast plaza where the carriage stood, all was magnificent multi-eaved architecture under the dazzling sunlight, and even the white jade steps were dyed the most brilliant golden color by the sun.

The hooves of four fine horses stamped restlessly, yet Bai Qingyan still did not emerge from the carriage.

She stared fixedly at the sheepskin military report, her knuckles white, almost piercing through the parchment, her throat tight, unable to breathe.

Chun Tao, seeing her young miss’s face pale as paper, carefully called out: “Miss…”

“Fu Ruoxi!” Bai Qingyan looked up at the breathless Fu Ruoxi, tightly gripping the military report. She stepped toward the carriage exit, her voice resounding like earth-shaking flames, like chewing through gum and blood: “Immediately mobilize the Anping army, depart immediately, and flatten Western Liang with me…”

One foot stepped into empty air…

“Your Majesty!”

“Miss!”

The world spun. Bai Qingyan fell heavily from the carriage onto the mirror-bright azure stone floor of the plaza.

Severe pain shot through her abdomen—dense, intricate pain tightly coiling around her belly and waist. She clutched her stomach tightly, crying out in pain.

But the physical pain was far less than the heart-piercing agony that made life worse than death.

“A’Bao! A’Bao!” Dong Shi witnessed her daughter fall from the carriage with her own eyes. Frightened until her scalp felt ready to split, she disregarded protocol, released Nanny Qin’s hand, lifted her skirt, and rushed toward Bai Qingyan: “Quick! Quick, summon the imperial physician! Summon the imperial physician!”

Bai Qingyan’s several aunts were also frightened. Fifth Madam Qi’s eyes widened in shock, her heartbeat nearly jumping from her mouth. Steadying herself, she turned around and spoke rapidly: “Go quickly! His Majesty is going into labor! Prepare birthing supplies, boil water! Have all the previously prepared midwives come! Quickly!”

Wei Zhong dared not delay. He stepped forward and scooped up Bai Qingyan, placing her in the carriage: “Quick! Return to His Majesty’s bedchamber!”

“A’Bao! A’Bao…” Dong Shi also climbed into the carriage.

The carriage began moving, heading straight for Bai Qingyan’s bedchamber.

Dong Shi held Bai Qingyan in her arms, seeing her daughter’s ashen face, clutching her abdomen and curled up in pain, tears streaming down: “A’Bao! A’Bao, don’t be afraid! Mother is here! Mother is here!”

Bai Qingyan was in too much pain to speak a single word. In her hand, she still tightly gripped the Western Liang battle report written personally by Bai Qingqi…

The original strategy between the Great Zhou and Yan was for Bai Qingyu to lead troops in a feigned defeat, luring the Western Liang army into Yan’s ambush site to annihilate them!

But somehow the plan was leaked. The Western Liang forces learned of it in advance. At a location before reaching Yan’s ambush site, Cui Shanzhong led troops to set an ambush. According to the Bai family soldiers who escaped and returned with the message, Bai Qingyu had been struck by multiple arrows.

By the time Bai Qingqi arrived with reinforcements, the ground was littered with corpses. Bai Qingyu was nowhere to be found, and even Xiao Qi, Bai Jinse, who had accompanied Bai Qingyu to the battlefield to gain experience, could not be located. Both their fates were unknown!

Among the Zhou family members who knew the battle strategy, only a few of the Bai family children were privy to it, and they couldn’t leak it externally. If the information was leaked, it must have been from Great Yan’s side.

Now, Bai Qingqi had already sent people to investigate whether Bai Qingyu and Xiao Qi had been captured alive by old General Cui Shanzhong.