After the battle at Jiangzi City, General Cui Shanzhong would certainly be extremely cautious and would send people to watch the Great Zhou military camp.

Only by making the Xiliang people truly believe he was accidentally captured and that the Great Zhou military camp was in chaos could he operate effectively on his end!

Otherwise, if General Cui Shanzhong detected even the slightest suspicion, he would certainly be strictly guarded and unable to act.

This plan required making all of Xiliang believe that the Great Zhou and the Yan Kingdom had been driven apart.

Since time was urgent then, Bai Qingyu didn’t explain to Seventh Miss Bai Jinse, simply having Yue Shi take Seventh Miss away while he continued leading the Bai family army to lure the pursuing Xiliang soldiers. Unexpectedly, the Xiliang soldiers came so quickly that Yue Shi was also drawn into the battle. By the time he fought desperately out of the encirclement and galloped out, Bai Jinse’s figure was no longer on the horse whose reins he held.

Xiao Rongyan said he had already dispatched large numbers of people to search. Perhaps Bai Jinse had also been captured alive by Xiliang. He would certainly do everything in his power to rescue Bai Qingyu and Seventh Miss Bai, telling Bai Qingyan not to worry. He swore to heaven that he would use his own life to protect Bai Qingyu and Bai Jinse’s safety.

General Chu had already been executed for the crime of collaborating with the enemy, displaying his severed head publicly. After the great battle to pacify Xiliang was over, he would have Yan Kingdom give Bai Qingyan an explanation.

He also told Bai Qingyan to trust him once, to rest peacefully in the capital during her pregnancy. He would certainly rescue Bai Qingyu and Seventh Miss Bai safely before Bai Qingyan gave birth, bringing them back safely to the capital to accompany Bai Qingyan through childbirth.

After reading the letter, Bai Qingyan’s emotions rose and fell. A’Yu knew about this matter and deliberately let himself be captured by Xiliang. Being hit by several arrows was perhaps also A’Yu’s tactic. But what about Xiao Qi?

Xiao Qi had always listened to A’Yu, especially on the battlefield. Xiao Qi understood what “military orders are like mountains” meant. If A’Yu told Xiao Qi to leave, Xiao Qi would certainly follow Yue Shi without asking a single question.

For Xiao Qi to disappear without Yue Shi noticing anything, perhaps… she had fallen from her horse! Perhaps someone had directly pulled her down from the horse…

Just thinking about these possibilities made Bai Qingyan’s head buzz incessantly.

Yue Shi raised his head to glance at Bai Qingyan inside the inner hall through the silk gauze curtains, his hands gripping his clothes tightly, his heart overwhelmed with guilt…

He had been anxious to return and report Fifth Young Master Bai’s newly formulated battle strategy to his master, so he hadn’t paid much attention to the horse behind him. When he originally discovered that Seventh Miss Bai was missing, he should have immediately gone back to search!

But he… but he feared delaying Fifth Young Master Bai’s plan, so he first returned to report Fifth Young Master Bai’s battle strategy to his master before turning back to search for Seventh Miss Bai.

He had led people to search the entire area but found no trace of the Seventh Miss Bai. Thinking she had returned to the Great Zhou military camp, he hurried to the Great Zhou camp to inquire, only to be beaten out by Bai Jinzhao, leading the furious Bai family soldiers. Later, his master had to go personally before learning that the Seventh Miss Bai hadn’t returned at all.

Bai Qingyan remained silent for a long while, remembering what Bai Jintong had written in her letter… about the Yan Empress Dowager’s close dealings with Xiliang people.

Only after a long pause did she raise her head to look at Yue Shi, who was kneeling obediently outside: “The Ninth Prince pushed out a General Chu. Did this General Chu truly have such audacity to dare collude with Xiliang, or… is your Ninth Prince protecting the Yan Empress Dowager?!”

Her tone rose at the end as she casually threw Xiao Rongyan’s letter out.

Yue Shi shuddered and quickly kowtowed: “No, First Miss, it truly was General Chu’s doing. Please, First Miss, see clearly…”

Chun Tao stepped forward to pick up the letter Bai Qingyan had thrown out and handed it to Dong Shi…

After Dong Shi finished reading the letter, her heart lifted again. So her son had known!

She understood that her son was risking himself to enable the Great Zhou and the Yan Kingdom to take Yunjing with minimal casualties, but he was putting himself at risk! And Xiao Qi was also missing!

Dong Shi covered her lips with her handkerchief, forcing herself not to cry out loud.

So, being hit by several arrows was also to gain Xiliang’s trust!

Fortunately, knowing her son was prepared, he certainly wouldn’t let himself be too severely injured; otherwise, how could he still operate within Yunjing?

Dong Shi truly hated war!

She not only felt sorry for her own son and daughter, but also for all the Great Zhou soldiers – those young men… who wasn’t their parents’ precious child!

From marrying into the Bai family until now, Dong Shi finally understood… why the Bai family’s ancestors had, generation after generation, aimed for the unification of all under heaven.

Because only with the unification of all under heaven could warfare truly end and battles truly cease!

“Then let me ask one more question: does this General Chu serve Xiao Rongyan loyally, or the Yan Empress Dowager?” Bai Qingyan’s heart burned with unstoppable fury. Suppressing her rapid breathing, her eyes cold and clear, she spoke: “Go back and tell your Ninth Prince that I will immediately depart for Xiliang! When I arrive in Xiliang… if the Ninth Prince still hasn’t explained, my Great Zhou army will march directly to Yan Kingdom. At that time… when my Great Zhou breaks down the gates of Yan Kingdom’s imperial palace, I will certainly have the Yan Empress Dowager herself brought before me. I will personally ask the Yan Empress Dowager whether this collusion with Xiliang was General Chu’s audacious unauthorized action… or the Yan Empress Dowager’s doing!”

What was Bai Qingyan going to Xiliang for? To rescue A’Yu and Xiao Qi and pacify Xiliang was true! But to trap the main Yan forces currently in Xiliang, led separately by Xiao Rongyan and Xie Xun, and then have Great Zhou’s army march directly to Yan’s capital was equally true!

Yue Shi’s throat rolled. Though First Miss’s voice was steady and controlled, he could still hear that First Miss was already furious beyond measure.

“Before Yue Shi left, my master also had Yue Shi tell First Miss that my master guessed First Miss would suspect our Yan Empress Dowager. My master said that if First Miss suspects the Empress Dowager, to have Yue Shi should tell First Miss that my master will investigate this matter thoroughly. If the investigation truly leads to the Empress Dowager, my master will certainly give First Miss an explanation.” Yue Shi couldn’t help but speak for his master, “First Miss, the Ninth Prince would never deceive you! You should know this!”

Bai Qingyan sneered coldly: “Whether your Ninth Prince would deceive me or not, I don’t know, but I know for certain about the Yan Empress Dowager’s dealings with Xiliang people. Go back, Yue Shi! If it weren’t for you today, the messenger’s head would be gone!”

“First Miss, it’s all Yue Shi’s fault! When my master sent Yue Shi to report to Fifth Young Master, Yue Shi should have brought a few more people… but… but Yue Shi thought others were too slow and would drag down Yue Shi’s speed, so…” Yue Shi’s voice choked with emotion, “So I went alone. If I had brought a few more people, I wouldn’t have lost Seventh Miss! First Miss… please beat Yue Shi with boards! It’s all Yue Shi’s fault! Please don’t blame my master! My master… my master…”

Their master, caught between First Miss and his sister-in-law, was truly in a difficult position! Following his master’s daily routine, he saw it all and felt the pain in his heart.