Seeing this, Nanny Qin led the maidservants serving outside to withdraw. Only then did Third Madam hurry to Dong Shi’s side and hand over the letter: “Xiao Si left a letter and ran away! She says she wants to follow A’Bao to Nanjiang! I wondered why she’d been so obedient these past few days—not causing trouble and even coming to me daily to tell me to take care of my health and look after myself… turns out she was plotting this all along! This morning, she said she felt unwell and wouldn’t go see Grandmother off, and I thought she was truly ill! Sister-in-law… what should we do?”

“Don’t panic first!” Dong Shi took the letter and read it carefully while asking, “When did you discover Xiao Si was missing? Have you questioned all the people around her?”

“Those old women and maids said that this morning, after we left to see Mother off, that little minx grabbed a bundle, mounted a horse, and ran off!” Li Shi was beside herself with panic. Her husband and son were all dead—if something happened to her daughter, how could she live?!

Dong Shi quickly scanned through the letter and said, “Don’t panic, she went to find A’Bao. I’ll immediately send people to bring her back! Nanny Qin…”

Nanny Qin responded and lifted the curtain to enter: “Have Lu Ping personally lead a team of men south, and make sure to catch up with Fourth Miss Bai Jinzhi on swift horses and bring her back!”

“Yes!”

Li Shi was startled—sending Lu Ping personally?!

“Nanny, wait!” Li Shi quickly called out to Nanny Qin, who was turning to leave. She stepped forward and grasped Dong Shi’s hand, “Sister-in-law, Lu Ping is currently the most capable and skilled fighter in our mansion. If you send Lu Ping to chase after someone… what if something happens in the capital and our mansion has no one to rely on?!”

“Besides Lu Ping, who else could bring Xiao Si back? Don’t worry… Xiao Si shouldn’t have gone far.” Dong Shi said to Nanny Qin, “Go! Tell Lu Ping to be careful and not let anyone discover him.”

“Nanny Qin!” Li Shi called out again. Her throat constricted, her eyes reddened, and tears streamed down her face. “Lu Ping cannot leave! Forget it! We won’t chase her! In any case… she went to find A’Bao! Xiao Si has martial skills, so if she encounters danger, she shouldn’t burden A’Bao. It’s good for her to learn properly by A’Bao’s side!”

Though Li Shi’s heart was reluctant and worried, she still steeled herself.

Though she wasn’t as wise as Dong Shi, who understood everything, she could still guess that Bai Qingyan’s going to Nanjiang was to preserve the Bai family.

Sister-in-law Dong Shi only had this one frail daughter left, but for the Bai family’s sake, she had no choice but to let Bai Qingyan go. Her daughter was healthy and had willfully run off on her own—should she still ask her sister-in-law to send the Bai family guards to chase her? What if something happened in the capital and the sister-in-law didn’t even have a single person with exceptional skills at hand!

Li Shi hardened her heart, tears in her eyes, and said solemnly: “Sister-in-law, please trouble yourself to send someone to find that worthless thing and tell her… to protect A’Bao’s safe return, or I’ll break her legs!”

Dong Shi’s eyes warmed, and she gently grasped Li Shi’s hand: “Jintong went to accompany Mother, and if even Jinzhi leaves, you…”

Before Dong Shi could finish, Li Shi shook her head: “Relying on her natural talents, Xiao Si has been willful and reckless for so many years. Now that father and brothers are gone, she should go experience some hardship and grow up! Moreover, with Xiao Si’s personality, even if we tie her up and bring her back, she’ll find another chance to run away.”

After a long moment, Dong Shi nodded and turned to instruct Nanny Qin, who stood at the door with reddened eyes: “Send someone to find Fourth Miss and deliver her directly to First Miss, so First Miss can protect her sister.”

—

When Bai Qingyan’s carriage reached the ten-li slope south of the city, the expedition army had not yet arrived.

Bai Qingyan, who had already changed into men’s clothing, hadn’t yet stepped down from the carriage when Xiao Ruohai came riding swiftly and said to her inside the carriage: “First Miss, Second Miss has come to see you off!”

Jinxiu?!

She lifted the carriage curtain and bent down to exit… seeing a carriage stopped beside her guard unit going to Nanjiang, with Bai Jinxiu in a cloak standing by the carriage. Seeing her elder sister in crisp men’s clothing, remembering how her elder sister once looked majestic in silver armor and cloak, her tearful eyes showed a smile as she hurried toward Bai Qingyan.

“Why did you come?” Bai Qingyan was quite surprised.

Bai Jinxiu supported her arm and walked toward the guard unit: “This is the Crown Prince’s arrangement. He had me come to see off Elder Sister. He’s doing this to curry favor with Elder Sister. After Prince Xin and Prince Liang were successively imprisoned, I find the Crown Prince has become much cleverer! For instance… this super first-rank imperial mandate was something Elder Sister exchanged for, yet it earned the Crown Prince and Emperor good reputations.”

“The Crown Prince has gained capable advisers—not surprising.” She squeezed Bai Jinxiu’s hand that was linked through her arm.

“However, now that the Crown Prince has gained capable advisers, Elder Sister’s Nanjiang expedition will likely face even greater dangers.” Bai Jinxiu paused in her steps, looking at Bai Qingyan with reddened eyes, her cold fingers gripping her hand tightly, her eyes full of worry, “Elder Sister, must you really… go?”

Bai Jinxiu feared that on this Nanjiang expedition, the Emperor wouldn’t let Bai Qingyan return alive!

She understood Bai Jinxiu’s concerns and said slowly: “Though the Bai family army was defeated, a centipede dies hard. The Bai family’s true foundation is not in the capital, but in the army! When I raise my arm and call out, hundreds respond—that’s something no other surname could achieve. I’m going to tell the remaining Bai family soldiers that the Bai family bloodline stands with the Bai family army! Through sword mountains and seas of fire, in life and death we trust each other—that… is where our Bai family should focus our efforts.”

She squeezed Bai Jinxiu’s hand firmly: “In chaotic times, military power is the foundation for survival.”

Tears immediately fell from Bai Jinxiu’s eyes, and she quickly wiped them with the back of her hand.

In the distance, the expedition army was slowly approaching. Bai Jinxiu’s heart was reluctant to part, and she choked out: “Elder Sister, be careful in all things. I await Elder Sister’s safe return!”

She looked back at the mighty expedition force approaching. The Crown Prince’s exquisitely luxurious carriage moved at the front, followed by two smaller carriages, with guard soldiers flanking both sides.

Soon, Prince Qi’s personal attendant eunuch came riding swiftly, dismounted, and paid respects to Bai Qingyan: “The Crown Prince commands that Miss Bai’s carriage follow behind the Crown Prince’s carriage to protect Miss Bai’s safety.”

“Thank you.” Bai Qingyan nodded slightly.

“Elder Sister…” Bai Jinxiu’s voice choked.

“Alright, go back!”

With that, she released her sister’s hand and boarded the carriage Xiao Ruohai had prepared.

“Elder Sister, you must return safely!”

Hearing Bai Jinxiu’s tearful voice, she lifted her hand to part the deep blue curtain and nodded to Bai Jinxiu.

Xiao Ruohai personally drove the carriage, gripping the reins with both hands, slowly leading the men and horses toward the expedition army.

The army’s messengers passed orders back and forth, having the advance troops speed up while gradually slowing down the rear marching pace, allowing Bai Qingyan’s carriage to slip into the gap and position itself behind the Crown Prince’s carriage.

This carriage was chosen by Xiao Ruohai. Though not as luxurious and eye-catching as the Crown Prince’s carriage, it was spacious, with the compartment made of compressed solid wood that even the sharpest arrows would find difficult to penetrate.