Sima Ping was perceptive. Seeing Bai Jinzhi’s hesitant appearance and her lack of worry, he glanced up at Bai Qingyan’s slender, upright silhouette and understood… As the Great Zhou emperor, Bai Qingyan must have already received news about Lu Fenglang. It seemed… at least Lu Fenglang’s life was not in danger.
Thinking of this, he felt much more at ease. Looking at Bai Jinzhi, he asked: “Will you board the ship with His Majesty to go to Dongyi this time?”
“Of course! How could such a major matter as annihilating Dongyi be without me, Bai Jinzhi!” When Bai Jinzhi mentioned war, she seemed ignited by sparks, her whole person becoming passionate. “Little Dongyi dares to strike at our Great Zhou while we’re engaged in the national wager. If I don’t beat them so badly their mothers won’t recognize them, I’m not Bai Jinzhi!”
“That you’ll beat them so their mothers won’t recognize them, I believe!” Sima Ping said with a laugh. “I’ll just wait and see how our Prince Gaoyi leads enemy troops with furious faces charging toward her brothers. Lu Yuanpeng… we must be ready to receive them!”
“Fine! Then you just wait for me to bring back the enemy’s thousands of troops. Don’t you dare be cowards! Don’t disappoint my good intentions of letting you achieve merit and fame!” Bai Jinzhi’s tongue suddenly became sharp.
“Then I thank Prince Gaoyi in advance!” Sima Ping looked completely sincere.
Bai Jinzhi rolled her eyes at Sima Ping, but quite enjoyed playing around with Sima Ping and Lu Yuanpeng. It was more comfortable than being in the capital.
“Originally, you two were the capital’s dandies, but now all the families use you two as examples…” Bai Jinzhi couldn’t help but feel proud mentioning this. “Saying that even you two can now have a place in the Bai family army!”
This showed that the Bai family army still held very high regard in the hearts of those noble families in the capital.
“Really!” Lu Yuanpeng didn’t hear the pride in Bai Jinzhi’s words about the Bai family army, and said thoughtfully, “Now that I’m an example, our grandfather should look at me with new eyes. Next time I go back, he probably won’t make me kneel in the ancestral hall! If I rescue my sister this time, my grandfather will love me even more! Speaking of my sister, I wonder how she’s doing now…”
As Lu Yuanpeng spoke, his voice became choked with emotion.
Bai Jinzhi: “…”
“Sister Lu is fine! Don’t think nonsense!” Bai Jinzhi couldn’t stand seeing Lu Yuanpeng like this. She had seen Lu Yuanpeng crying and sobbing before, and was afraid he would cry in front of her. She couldn’t bear other people’s tears, so she mentioned it.
“Really?!” Lu Yuanpeng immediately spurred his horse closer to Bai Jinzhi. “Does Sister Bai have some news?”
“I just won’t tell you!” Bai Jinzhi glared at Lu Yuanpeng, spurred her horse forward to ride alongside her eldest sister.
“Bai family’s Little Four, that’s not being a friend!” Lu Yuanpeng, seeing Bai Jinzhi speeding up, also hurriedly increased his pace to chase after her.
Sima Ping smiled as he watched Lu Yuanpeng and Bai Jinzhi’s backs from behind, the corners of his mouth curving up, his eyes full of amusement… If those two could make it work, he wouldn’t mind stepping back a little.
Soon, the group entered Jinwan City.
That night, Bai Qingyan stayed in Jinwan City. Bai Qingjue had already made arrangements. The Jinwan City garrison commander had cleaned up a residence, arranging the east courtyard for Bai Qingyan’s group to stay in. He had also specifically and sternly instructed his family and servants that, without orders, they absolutely could not go to the east courtyard to disturb anyone. The county magistrate had just been stripped of his official hat, and perhaps the emperor’s anger hadn’t yet subsided. He told his family to keep their wits about them and not to play clever tricks or blindly rush forward.
Bai Qingyan didn’t rush to rest. As soon as she entered the main hall, she ordered someone to invite Fan Yugan, who had been waiting for her.
“Sister Bai!” Lu Yuanpeng eagerly stepped forward, kneeling on one knee and pleading: “Sister Bai, my sister must have been captured by Dongyi. Lu Yuanpeng requests orders… to immediately lead a team to Dongyi to rescue my sister, as well as Lord Liu… and Prince Hancheng’s remains!”
“You needn’t worry about Lord Liu and Prince Hancheng’s matters! Having you lead a team there, if you’re discovered upon setting foot on Dongyi soil, that would be even worse!” After Bai Qingyan finished speaking, she told Lu Yuanpeng about Lu Fenglang: “Your sister was rescued by fishermen, but the fishermen who saved your sister… weren’t among those protected by Prince Hancheng when they went to sea. They went to sea privately. Later, the fishermen worried that if the matter became serious and the authorities found out they had disobeyed orders and gone to sea privately, and then the authorities strictly investigated spies, they were afraid of being suspected, so they concealed the matter. They’ve been using traditional remedies passed down by older generations to treat your sister, which is why your sister hasn’t awakened yet!”
Initially, when Dongyi started causing trouble, Prince Hancheng had ordered that fishermen take turns going to sea…
Those who saved Lu Fenglang were from the first group to go to sea, but they waited too long and felt their families couldn’t wait, so they secretly went to sea. They didn’t expect this incident to happen, but fortunately they secretly went to sea, otherwise… Lu Fenglang might have perished in the sea.
“Really?! Then… then where is my sister now? I’ll go bring my sister back!” Lu Yuanpeng was emotionally excited, his eyes reddening. Heaven knows how many times he had been saddened by his sister’s disappearance during this period.
“Don’t worry! The eldest sister has already brought Sister Lu back. Now, the most famous physician in Jinwan City is watching over her, and in a few more days, Physician Hong will arrive. She’ll be fine!” Bai Jinzhi, standing with hands behind her back, saw Lu Yuanpeng’s tightly clenched hands and reddened eyes, and finally spoke to comfort him.
Bai Jinzhi was reminded of when eldest sister was severely injured protecting the crown prince. Although she later learned it was eldest sister acting, at the time it had truly scared Bai Jinzhi half to death. Even someone as strong as her had held eldest sister and cried uncontrollably, let alone Lu Yuanpeng, who was essentially a girl at heart and loved to cry.
“Little Four, take Lu Yuanpeng and Sima Ping to see Lu Fenglang, so these two can feel at ease!” Bai Qingyan looked at Bai Jinzhi standing beside Sima Ping.
“Thank you, Your Majesty!” Sima Ping was the first to bow and express gratitude.
“Thank you, Your Majesty!” Lu Yuanpeng quickly followed suit.
“Alright, I’ll take them over first…” Bai Jinzhi responded, saying to the two: “Let’s go!”
Bai Jinzhi was the first to leave the main hall. Lu Yuanpeng reacted, bowed to Bai Qingyan in farewell, then chased after Bai Jinzhi: “Bai family’s Little Four, you knew all along that my sister was brought back by Sister Bai, didn’t you? You’re really not being a friend, not even telling me a word, just watching me worry. Bai family’s Little Four… you’re not being brotherly enough!”
“Who told you to be so annoying! What if I just don’t tell you? Want to have a fight?” Bai Jinzhi’s cheerful voice came from outside the door, followed immediately by the sounds of Sima Ping and Lu Yuanpeng encountering Fan Yugan and the three of them greeting each other.