“Mm…” Bai Qingyan nodded. She lowered her eyes to hide the tears overflowing from her eye sockets and supported Dong Shi as they walked down from the city wall.

At this southern gate of the capital, Bai Qingyan, her mother, and her aunts had once welcomed the remains of her grandfather, uncles, and little Seventeen here. Now they stood here again, but to welcome their younger brothers and sisters returning in great victory from Xiliang.

Though mother and aunts were all shedding tears, the tears from these two occasions… were different.

Bathed in brilliant morning light, the smile at the corners of Bai Qingyan’s lips became increasingly radiant, especially seeing her blood brother no longer wearing a mask and showing his true face, unafraid to let people see the burn scars on one side of his cheek. This made Bai Qingyan’s heart feel relieved.

Not concealing the prominent scars on his body meant that her brother had truly let go of this matter in his heart.

Bai Qingyu, leading at the front, raised his hand. The army obeyed orders absolutely – steeds and boots all stopped in unison.

He looked at his mother’s tearful but smiling face, saw his elder sister with a smile on her lips and tears glistening in her eyes, then dismounted.

Bai Qingqi, Bai Jinxiu, Bai Qingjue, Bai Jinzhi, Bai Jinzhao, Bai Jinhua, and Bai Jinse followed suit and dismounted.

Bai Qingyun was also helped down by Xiao Ruohai and stood leaning against him, unwilling to sit in a wheelchair again.

Today, with the Bai family returning in triumph to the capital, Bai Qingyun wanted his mother, his eldest sister, and everyone in the capital to see all the Bai family sons dressed in military attire. He wanted to tell his mother and eldest sister that although the elders were all gone, the Bai family sons would never fall. Even he, with his crippled legs, would live standing up.

Bai Qingyu removed his helmet, leading the Bai family members as they walked toward their mother, aunts, and elder sister.

Bai Jinxiu held back her tears, looking at her mother, then at her eldest sister.

Bai Jinse was quite happy, her smile revealing white teeth. She had become much darker, looking like a dark little boy, no longer comparable to the pretty Fourth Miss of the Bai family from before.

Bai Qingyu and his elder sister’s eyes met for a long moment, then he knelt on one knee…

Bai Qingqi, Bai Jinxiu, Bai Qingjue, Bai Jinzhi, Bai Jinzhao, Bai Jinhua, and Bai Jinse followed and knelt. Bai Qingyun also knelt with difficulty, supported by Xiao Ruohai.

“My child!” Fourth Madam Wang Shi gripped her collar tightly, looking at Bai Qingjue with tears streaming down her face, sobbing aloud.

Third Madam Li Shi looked at Bai Qingyun with such heartache that she wanted to rush over and help him up immediately.

They placed their helmets beside their feet. Bai Qingyu, with tears in his eyes but a straight spine, spoke first: “Fifth son of the Bai family, Deputy Commander of the Bai family army, Bai Qingyu… safely returned to the capital!”

With grandfather and father gone, originally Bai Qingyu should have become the main commander of the Bai family army, but in Bai Qingyu’s heart… in all the Bai family army’s hearts, his elder sister… their young commander, was the true commander of the Bai family army!

“Third son of the Bai family, Huying Army of the Bai family army, Bai Qingqi, safely returned to the capital!”

“Second daughter of the Bai family, Mengshe Army of the Bai family army, Bai Jinxiu, safely returned to the capital!”

“Seventh son of the Bai family, Youlong Cavalry of the Bai family army, Bai Qingjue, safely returned to the capital!”

“Fourth daughter of the Bai family, Shouyang Army of the Bai family army, Bai Jinzhi, safely returned to the capital!”

“Ninth son of the Bai family, Youlong Cavalry of the Bai family army, Bai Qingyun, safely returned to the capital!”

“Fifth daughter of the Bai family, Shouyang Army of the Bai family army, Bai Jinzhao, safely returned to the capital!”

“Sixth daughter of the Bai family, Menghu Army of the Bai family army, Bai Jinhua, safely returned to the capital!”

“Seventh daughter of the Bai family, Mengshe Army of the Bai family army, Bai Jinse, safely returned to the capital!”

Hearing the Bai family sons calling out “safely returned to the capital,” the five Bai family madams began crying aloud before they had even finished speaking.

Fourth Madam Wang Shi began crying uncontrollably when Bai Qingyu started speaking. If Second Madam Liu Shi hadn’t supported Wang Shi, she would have collapsed to the ground.

These four words “safely returned to the capital,” were the most precious and anticipated words in the world for the Bai family members, more valuable than any treasure.

Bai Qingyan, who had been holding back her tears, finally couldn’t maintain her composure when she saw her younger brothers and sisters kneeling and calling out for their safe return. Tears streamed down her face. She bit her teeth hard to keep from sobbing aloud.

She couldn’t help thinking how wonderful it would be if Jintong were also here.

Many citizens seeing the current Bai family sons kneeling and calling out “safely returned to the capital” remembered the scenes when Duke Zhenguo Bai Weiting was alive, how every time the Bai family army returned in triumph, the Bai family sons would kneel outside the capital gates calling out “safely returned to the capital.”

Although the Bai family had suffered great calamity and there weren’t as many Bai family generals kneeling outside the capital gates calling out their safe return now, these surviving young Bai family generals still maintained their imposing presence, making the people feel… as long as the Bai family existed, as long as the Bai family army existed, their Great Zhou could enjoy eternal peace.

Many citizens also wiped away tears, feeling that it was truly not easy for the Bai family, who shouldered the responsibility of protecting and securing the people with hearts embracing all the world’s citizens, to go from suffering great calamity to reaching this point today.

After hearing the children’s safe return, Fourth Madam Wang Shi could no longer restrain herself and rushed over to embrace Bai Qingjue, Bai Jinzhao, and Bai Jinhua: “Are you injured anywhere? If you’re hurt, don’t hide it!”

Third Madam Li Shi also embraced Bai Jinzhi and Bai Qingyun, raising her head and crying aloud…

“Mother…” Bai Jinzhi called to her mother with red eyes.

Third Madam Li Shi looked down at Bai Jinzhi, who had become much darker, not knowing whether to cry or laugh. She stroked Bai Jinzhi’s small face with one hand and spoke chokingly: “How did you get so much darker? Your face has become as rough as tree bark…”

“Mother, why do you always complain that I’m dark?” Bai Jinzhi cried and laughed at the same time.

Li Shi’s tears flowed even more fiercely as she pulled her daughter into her arms and held her tightly.

Fifth Madam Qi Shi walked to Bai Qingqi, reached up to touch her son’s head, pulled him into her embrace, closed her eyes as tears fell like broken strings, and said chokingly: “If your father knew you had taken up the banner of the Huying Army, he would be so happy!”

Second Madam Liu Shi also embraced her daughter, but despite having a belly full of words, she couldn’t speak them. Seeing that other branches all had children returning, why… did their second branch still have no news at all? If Second Madam Liu Shi said she wasn’t sad in her heart, that would certainly be a lie.

Previously, when Bai Qingyan ascended the throne, at that time… A’Yu hadn’t returned yet, so Second Madam Liu Shi felt that she and eldest sister-in-law Dong Shi could support each other while waiting for the children to return, and they would surely wait successfully. But now even A’Yu had returned, and their second branch still had no movement at all. Liu Shi inevitably felt anxious.

“Mother…” Bai Jinxiu, kneeling on the ground, looked up at Liu Shi. She knew the suffering in her mother’s heart and only held her mother tighter. Thinking of her brother who had already been beheaded by Lu Tianzhuo, she couldn’t bear to tell her mother and only said chokingly: “Mother still has your daughter, and daughter also believes that our Bai family sons who are still alive just currently have no way to return!”