“Yes!” Zeng Shanru replied with a smile. He had always known that Miss was still the same as before.

Zeng Shanru followed her words and sat down on the soft cushion as Bai Qingyan had said. Watching Bai Qingyan admire the precious blade, he smiled and said: “By the way, Miss, Shanru originally wanted to request two months’ leave, but my supervisor wouldn’t approve it. I can only shamelessly come to Miss to plead for help through the back door…”

“What matter made you seek connections to me?” Bai Qingyan joked with Zeng Shanru with a smile.

“A few years ago, I was ordered to tend to rice fields, and there were some problems. Shanru wants to go take a look and help resolve them before returning.” Zeng Shanru smiled. “Including travel time, it would need at least two months. I hope Miss will grant permission.”

“Right…” Bai Qingyan looked up at Zeng Shanru. “You are indeed skilled at managing farmland.”

Bai Qingyan set the precious blade aside: “Shanru, do you prefer forging weapons now, or do you prefer farmland?”

“Zeng Shanru is Miss’s subordinate. Whatever Miss needs Shanru to like, Shanru will like!”

“I know your loyalty, and I know your exceptional abilities – whatever you do, you’ll do well! But our Bai family is no longer in precarious times. You don’t need to force yourself. Even if you prefer farmland, there’s nothing wrong with that. If you can increase grain yields and spread your methods, you might even earn a noble title.” Bai Qingyan had already guessed that Zeng Shanru’s heart favored farming. She smiled and said to him, “In the past, I made you all sacrifice to protect the Bai family. Now that your Miss sits in this position, if I still can’t protect you all in doing what you love, then this emperor position would be wasted. If you truly like it… Then go!”

Hearing these words, Zeng Shanru kowtowed heavily to Bai Qingyan, raised his head with a smile, then said quietly: “Then, about my mother…”

“Don’t worry, Nanny Tong will think I need you to go there!” Bai Qingyan was amused by Zeng Shanru’s expression. “Not just you – I’m also afraid of Nanny Tong.”

“Thank you, Miss…” Zeng Shanru quickly smiled and kowtowed. What he feared most in this lifetime was his mother. Even though he was already so grown up, his mother would twist his ears without a word, which truly… terrified Zeng Shanru. “But if this humble minister leaves, who will be responsible for weapons matters?”

“Now, the Great Zhou is full of capable people everywhere. Are you still worried there’s no one to handle weapons?” Bai Qingyan smiled. “Rest assured, if there truly is no one, I won’t let you go. Moreover… if you can increase grain yields and spread the methods, it would also be a good thing for our Great Zhou.”

“Yes!” Zeng Shanru was deeply grateful, repeatedly kowtowing to Bai Qingyan. “Shanru will not disappoint Miss’s trust!”

Seeing Zeng Shanru’s expression, Bai Qingyan knew that he truly loved working with farmland.

After Bai Qingping finished transferring Shouyang affairs to Shen Yan’an, he departed from Shouyang and arrived at the capital on June 17th. Just outside the city, he met with his father, Bai Qihe, and Pu Liu, who had come to welcome him. After giving his father the letter his sister had entrusted him to deliver, he hurried into the palace to see Bai Qingyan.

Now, Bai Qingping’s mother, Lady Fang, had been divorced and sent back to her maternal family, but Pu Liu had stayed behind and was now Bai Qihe’s concubine, helping him manage household affairs.

Pu Liu had originally been left in the Bai family intentionally by Lady Fang to have Pu Liu help support her children. Who would have thought that Pu Liu would become Bai Qihe’s concubine at an unexpectedly rapid pace and even become pregnant, which made Lady Fang, far away at her maternal home, grind her silver teeth to pieces in anger.

Lady Fang’s daughter was also impatient. Learning that Pu Liu was pregnant, she flew into a rage and still treated Pu Liu like an ordinary servant, striking her violently and nearly causing Pu Liu to miscarry. She was sent back to her hometown in Shouyang by Bai Qihe, and in the future, without Bai Qihe’s orders, she was forbidden from setting foot outside the family home.

Learning that her daughter had been sent back to her hometown in Shouyang, Lady Fang hurried there and begged Bai Qingping to let her see her daughter. After hearing her daughter’s tearful complaints, Lady Fang hated Bai Qihe and Pu Liu even more, especially Pu Liu… saying that the lowly woman had revealed her true claws the moment she rose to power and attacked her daughter, also cursing Bai Qihe as a heartless man who abandoned his children for new love.

Curses aside, since Lady Fang was divorced, she still worried about her children. So she thought that even though she had been divorced by Bai Qihe, she must find a new principal wife to suppress Pu Liu, lest that scheming, lowly woman, after bearing a son, mistreat her children!

Lady Fang also felt this method wasn’t reliable enough – she needed Bai Qihe’s new wife to be unable to bear children. Only then would her children be secure. Not just Bai Qihe’s new wife, but probably all the women around Bai Qihe should be unable to bear children, so that Bai Qihe’s heart would always remain with her children.

Thinking of this, Lady Fang began instigating her daughter to write to Bai Qihe, admitting fault and yielding, saying that her daughter had reached marriageable age and asking Bai Qihe for mercy. She also said that previously it was because Pu Liu had originally been her mother’s most trusted personal maid, and suddenly becoming father’s concubine was unacceptable to her, but now after punishment and reflection, she could accept it and was willing to return to apologize to Pu Liu.

After reading the letter, Bai Qihe felt his daughter had learned her lesson. After all, she was his legitimate daughter whom he had cherished since childhood. After thinking it over, Bai Qihe sent someone to Shouyang that very day to bring his daughter back.

But Bai Qihe didn’t know that his daughter, under Lady Fang’s instigation, had come to hate her father, who, with a new person by his side, didn’t even care about his daughter. This time, returning to Bai Qihe’s side, she carried a heavy responsibility – to ensure her father would never be able to have children again.

In the palace, when Bai Qingyan saw Bai Qingping, she felt that although he had become much darker and thinner, he had also grown taller. She waved her hand, indicating for Bai Qingping to sit: “Don’t kneel. We’re family – no need for such formalities. Having kept you in Shouyang for so long, now that you’ve come to the capital, I plan to have you first serve as supervisor at the Military Equipment Bureau, in charge of weapons matters.”

Since Bai Qingyan said “first,” she wouldn’t keep Bai Qingping at the Military Equipment Bureau for long. But Bai Qingping didn’t plan to just idle away time at the Military Equipment Bureau waiting for Bai Qingyan’s promotion. Since his sister was paving the way for him, he should strive even harder.

“Sister, rest assured. Qingping will do well!” Bai Qingping cupped his fists.

Actually, regarding Bai Qingyan always keeping him in Shouyang, Bai Qingping had no complaints. After all, Shouyang was the Bai family’s foundation and the foundation of the Shouyang Army. With Bai Qingyan ascending the throne as emperor, Shouyang naturally needed someone trustworthy to watch over her. Bai Qingping understood all this.

Bai Qingyan smiled and nodded, instructing Chun Tao to bring Bai Qingping a plate of refreshments, then asked: “Have you seen your father?”