“General Cheng, who exactly gave you the idea to come to the imperial palace to force Elder Sister?” Bai Qingqi asked.

Upon hearing that Bai Qingyan had made a special trip to the military camp just to resolve their doubts, yet they had staged this death remonstrance spectacle, they immediately felt overwhelming guilt. Cheng Yuanzhi, no longer caring about anything else, turned to glare at Lu Yuanpeng and said, “It was all this brat Lu Yuanpeng’s idea! He said that since the two nations had already signed an alliance, only death remonstrance could make Little Commander Bai retract her order!”

“I… I…” Lu Yuanpeng straightened his back, saw his grandfather’s furious gaze, and quickly added, “I also heard it from General Guan Zhangning of the Huying Army! General Guan Zhangning said he had followed Sister Bai for so many years and understood her deeply! Sister Bai certainly also wanted to attack Yan, but was troubled because Yan had adopted such a humble posture and used the lives of soldiers that Sister Bai cared about most as leverage! That’s why I told General Cheng that even if we died… we couldn’t let those Yan scoundrels succeed!”

Guan Zhangning… Yun Lan!

Bai Qingyan looked toward Bai Qingqi.

Bai Qingqi stepped forward and whispered in Bai Qingyan’s ear, “Elder Sister, regarding Guan Zhangning in the army… although I have abandoned using him, I haven’t yet moved to deal with him, only having him monitored. Originally, this was to follow the trail and root out other Western Liang people still lurking in our Bai Family Army. After all, since someone rescued Li Tianfu, it shows Western Liang still has people. I feared that with Western Liang gone, if these people aren’t eliminated, they might cause trouble at crucial moments in the future. I truly didn’t expect this incident to occur.”

Bai Qingqi always had his considerations in his actions, which Bai Qingyan understood.

She frowned tightly, “Handle it quickly.”

After Bai Qingyan finished speaking, she turned and walked toward the high steps. Weizhong quickly followed.

“Little Commander Bai!”

“Your Majesty!”

Seeing Bai Qingyan walking toward the steps, Cheng Yuanzhi and the others all stood up to chase after her.

The sound of soldiers’ armor scraping came from behind. Without turning her head, Bai Qingyan sternly commanded, “Kneel!”

Cheng Yuanzhi and the others quickly knelt, only watching Bai Qingyan’s retreating figure ascending the high steps while calling out “Little Commander Bai” and “Your Majesty.”

Bai Qingqi and Bai Qingyu sighed and turned to follow their elder sister.

Only after the figures of the three Bai siblings disappeared above the white jade stone steps did Lu Jinxian hurry to help his old father up.

“Generals, you have misjudged His Majesty!” Grand Commandant Lu sighed and shook his head at Cheng Yuanzhi, Shen Liangyu, and Liu Pinggao. “This strategy of gambling with nations was decided by His Majesty long before the campaign against Western Liang, already discussed with Yan. His Majesty’s heart encompasses all people under heaven, not for personal power and position. He has truly carved the Bai family’s ancestral teaching of protecting and securing the people into his very bones, living it in every word and consideration! You generals are His Majesty’s most relied upon and trusted people, so your unauthorized departure from camp and gathering that resembled forcing the palace has truly chilled His Majesty’s heart.”

“Grand Commandant Lu, please say no more. I am already beyond shame and about to die of mortification!” Shen Liangyu sat back on his heels, full of regret, feeling he had been too impulsive.

“In matters of gambling with nations, between victory and defeat lies… one nation’s ruler as precious jade, another nation’s ruler as dust and dirt! This old man understands that all you generals are worried about His Majesty!” Grand Commandant Lu said quietly. “But as people His Majesty trusts, you should not have used such methods to petition His Majesty. You generals have been away for years and don’t know that in our Great Zhou court, there has always been direct speech between ruler and ministers, perhaps just like when you generals were on campaign, discussing battle strategies in the tent of the late Duke Zhenguo!”

Cheng Yuanzhi suddenly understood.

“Generals, although His Majesty has now ascended to the supreme position, he has always been that Little Commander Bai of the Bai Family Army, never changing! Guardian generals… no matter when, please always remember this!”

After Grand Commandant Lu finished speaking, he had his son help him walk toward the outside of Wude Gate.

“Grandfather… Grandfather!” Lu Yuanpeng stretched his neck, calling for his grandfather, but his grandfather wouldn’t even look at him.

Lu Yuanpeng felt it was over!

He wasn’t afraid of Sister Bai punishing him by kneeling here, since he could still feel that Sister Bai cared about them, treating them as her own people, which was why she was angry and punishing them.

But if his grandfather stopped acknowledging him, he would lose a layer of skin when he returned home.

Coming out of Wude Gate, Grand Commandant Lu couldn’t help but sigh with emotion, “Praising the achievements of the troublemaking generals, criticizing their faults, explaining the reasoning to them, then moving them with emotion—His Majesty’s imperial techniques are now masterfully executed. After today, these punished generals will surely be even more loyal to His Majesty.”

Bai Qingqi walked to the entrance of the great hall. Just as he was about to enter, he suddenly turned to look at Weizhong and whispered, “The military generals gathered for death remonstrance, kneeling to request Elder Sister retract the Prince of Hancheng’s military authority, yet Elder Sister expressed deep trust in the Prince of Hancheng. Please, Eunuch Wei, find a way to discreetly pass this news to the Prince of Hancheng’s residence, so that the Prince of Hancheng can know and feel at ease… to serve the country with dedication.”

Weizhong quickly responded, “Prince Huguo, rest assured!”

As long as the news reached the Prince of Hancheng’s residence, the Prince’s wife would certainly tell him about the military generals’ death remonstrance requesting Bai Qingyan to retract his military authority. They could only hope that the Prince of Hancheng, having gained Elder Sister’s trust, would not betray her.

That day, twelve generals led by Yongding Earl Cheng Yuanzhi knelt through the night below the white jade high steps.

During the morning court session, officials ascending the steps from both sides saw these twelve armored generals and felt uneasy…

Some had heard that yesterday these twelve generals had left their camps without permission and knelt here for death remonstrance, requesting His Majesty to retract the nation-gambling alliance and withdraw the military authority given to the Prince of Hancheng.

Later, after His Majesty said something unknown, the twelve generals admitted their errors and continued kneeling here.

The brilliant morning light made the white jade stone steps gleam, and in the dazzling golden radiance, twelve robust military generals in armor knelt upright below the magnificent palace steps, causing court officials to frequently look back.

During morning court, Grand Commandant Lu was the first to step forward, requesting that Bai Qingyan severely punish the twelve generals who had left their camps without permission and gathered to cause trouble. This also demonstrated the Lu family’s position—they did not support Lu Yuanpeng’s troublemaking.

After morning court ended, Weizhong came to relay the imperial edict. Because Cheng Yuanzhi, Shen Liangyu, Liu Pinggao, Wang Jin, Lu Yuanpeng, Sima Ping, and the other twelve military generals had left their camps without permission and gathered to criticize national policies—which should have been a grave crime—but considering the military achievements they had established in the battle to destroy Western Liang, their death sentences were commuted. All rewards and honors were canceled, all military positions were stripped, and each would receive fifty military rod strikes.

Although Bai Qingyan knew that Sima Ping had followed Cheng Yuanzhi and the others actually to stop them… to buy time for Wei Zhaonian and prevent these troublemakers, if she singled out Sima Ping for no punishment, it would inevitably damage the brotherhood between Sima Ping and his comrades. So Bai Qingyan punished them all together.