Bai Qingyan placed the letter sent by Bai Qingyu on her desk, her fingers tapping intermittently. Could it be that Xiao Si’s favorite was Sima Ping?

But A’Yu hadn’t mentioned anything about Xiao Si and Sima Ping in her letter.

Bai Qingyan narrowed her eyes. Since Lu Yuanpeng was already engaged, why would he want to follow Bai Jinzhi to the Great Zhou cities in Yan?

As for young people’s romantic matters, even Bai Qingyan, as the eldest sister, couldn’t interfere too much. She trusted that Xiao Si was a child with a clear sense of right and wrong—since she knew Lu Yuanpeng was engaged, she wouldn’t entangle herself with him anymore.

Now that both men and women in the Great Zhou could serve as court officials, the two of them working together in the future was inevitable. Could it be that just because Lu Yuanpeng had once been infatuated with Xiao Si, the two would never have anything to do with each other again?

After thinking this through, Bai Qingyan picked up the letter in her hand and lit it with the flickering candlelight, watching the flames consume the paper as she thought of Bai Jintong…

This time, a hidden guard had risked life and death to steal the formula that Yan had developed to treat the epidemic and deliver it to Bai Qingyan. He said that… it wasn’t Bai Jintong who had ordered it, but that he had acted on his initiative. Still, she remained uneasy.

Bai Jintong was in Yan’s capital, so there was no worry about her contracting the epidemic, but she feared that ordering someone to deliver the epidemic treatment formula was too likely to expose Jintong.

The Great Zhou physicians who examined Yan’s formula felt that while it was indeed strong medicine for the epidemic and could treat the disease, it was too eager for quick results and caused too much damage to the human body, not as gentle as Physician Hong’s formula.

Bai Qingyan pretended not to have obtained Yan’s formula and ordered people to simultaneously provide Physician Hong’s prescription to the ring of Yan cities bordering Great Zhou. The generals defending these Yan cities felt both surprised and grateful to Bai Qingyan, the Great Zhou Emperor. Especially during this time of national wager between the two countries, they hadn’t expected the Great Zhou Emperor to be so magnanimous as to share the prescription.

The people Bai Qingyan sent also said that they knew Yan’s physicians had already developed a treatment formula for the epidemic one step earlier, but they had also heard that patients who recovered would suffer aftereffects. Physician Hong’s formula was gentler and could serve as a reference, hoping both countries could suppress the epidemic early in the new year.

According to their thinking, the Great Zhou should have hidden the formula, just as Yan had hidden their formula when they developed it without giving it to the Great Zhou.

This was exactly what Bai Qingyan wanted to see.

Wei Zhong brought in a cup of milk tea, saying softly to Bai Qingyan: “Your Majesty, please have some!”

“Mm…” She responded, using a small silver spoon to take a sip, and said to Wei Zhong, “This year we spent New Year in Yan, and everyone didn’t have a proper celebration. Go tell the soldiers that when we return to Great Zhou, there will be rewards for all!”

“Yes!” Wei Zhong responded with a smile. “Once the two countries merge, everything will get better.”

Bai Qingyan nodded.

Now, whether in Great Zhou or Yan, officials and common people in both countries hoped for the merger, naturally… all hoping the other country would be absorbed into their own.

But looking at things now, the Great Zhou seemed to have the greater chance of winning.

“Wei Zhong, go rest. Now I only have you by my side, so many things require your hard work.” Bai Qingyan set down the silver spoon, seeming unwilling to continue.

Wei Zhong responded and took away the milk tea. Bai Qingyan wiped her mouth with a handkerchief, wrote a letter, sealed it with her seal, and called out: “Weisu…”

After the lamp shadows flickered, Weisu appeared before Bai Qingyan’s desk: “This subordinate is here!”

“I’m afraid I must trouble you again to take the Dong family’s death warriors on another trip to Yan’s capital. First, investigate how the wealthy merchant Cui Fengnian is faring in Yan. If the situation is bad…” Bai Qingyan pressed her lips together and took out the gold medallion she had been carrying for Prince Han, placing it on the letter. “If the situation is bad, find a way to rescue him. If you can’t rescue him, don’t fight to the death. Take my letter and gold medallion and go see the Yan Emperor as a Great Zhou envoy. Tell them that this Cui Fengnian is someone I want, and if they release Cui Fengnian, I’ll return their Yan general Xie Xun to them. Do you dare?”

Weisu had only recently returned to Bai Qingyan’s side and shouldn’t be sent on another mission, but truly speaking of martial arts ability, aside from Xingchen, it would be Weisu. Moreover, Weisu had always been a hidden guard with an unfamiliar face, avoiding recognition, so Yan couldn’t investigate any useful information about him.

Weisu was stunned. He was just a hidden guard, yet… acting as a Zhou envoy?

“If anyone in Great Zhou’s court questions your identity, you say… You are a Great Zhou special envoy with no official position for now!” Bai Qingyan tapped the gold medallion and letter with her finger. “No matter what, prioritize Cui Fengnian’s life and yours. You are not permitted to fight to the death!”

Weisu looked up, directly meeting his master’s gaze for the first time, and saw his master’s eyes were clear and bright.

Even though Weisu had never served in court, he understood the significance of keeping Yan’s Second Prince and Yan general Xie Xun detained in Great Zhou. Weisu instinctively said, “Master, Weisu will complete the rescue mission!”

He was a hidden guard and also a death warrior. Death warriors were born for missions, and even if they died… they would complete their mission before dying.

But Bai Qingyan shook her head: “Your lives are… more precious to me than Xie Xun. Go! Do as I said. Thank you for your hard work!”

She tapped the letter and medallion on the desk: “Go!”

Whether it was Bai Jintong’s life or the lives of Weisu and the Dong family’s death warriors, Bai Qingyan valued them all highly.

If she could exchange Xie Xun for their safety, Bai Qingyan felt it was entirely worthwhile.

“Yes!” Weisu stepped forward, took the letter and gold medallion from the desk with both hands, and withdrew.

Bai Jintong, carrying the faint scent of alcohol, sat with eyes closed in a carriage enclosed by elm wood panels, wrapped in a fox fur cloak. A sheepskin lantern with the character “Cui” written on it hung from one corner of the carriage, swaying wildly in the cold wind mixed with snow pellets. Light and shadows cast through the carriage window illuminated Bai Jintong’s stern features in alternating brightness and darkness.

Since winter began, the cold wind in Yan had never stopped. The carriage driver, wrapped tightly with only his eyes exposed, was forced to squint while driving.

Today, Bai Jintong had received news that the Yan Empress Dowager was departing for the traveling palace…

At the drinking gathering, those nobles had said too much after drinking heavily.

Previously, they had said that Yan’s young Emperor Murong Li had fallen ill with the epidemic, which forced the Empress Dowager to reluctantly take over state affairs. Unexpectedly… the young Emperor hadn’t contracted the epidemic at all, but had been drugged and placed under house arrest by the Empress Dowager.

This Yan Empress Dowager was truly a ruthless character, though her mind didn’t seem particularly sharp.

No wonder ever since news came from the palace that the Emperor had fallen ill with the epidemic, no more news had emerged. It turned out that after Yan’s Regent Murong Yan returned, the young Emperor was rescued, the Empress Dowager cleaned out the entire palace, killing those who should be killed and placing under house arrest those who should be confined with the Empress Dowager.