Bai Qingyun was the concubine-born son of Bai Jinzhi’s father, Bai Qiyu, making him Bai Jinzhi’s half-brother.
“Fourth Miss, saving people is urgent! Go see General Shen Liangyu first!” Xiao Ruojiang said.
Learning that Shen Qingzhu had been ordered to bring the Tiger Eagle Battalion to Qiu Mountain Pass for a rescue, Bai Jinzhi didn’t dare delay. Without another word, she led Shen Qingzhu to see Shen Liangyu.
Shen Liangyu was so excited upon suddenly learning that the Bai family’s young general Bai Qingyun was still alive that his hair practically stood on end.
Shen Qingzhu had once been the captain of Young Marshal Bai’s guard unit, accompanying Young Marshal Bai through life and death, so Shen Liangyu had complete faith in Shen Qingzhu’s words.
“I am under orders from the Eldest Miss to take the Tiger Eagle Battalion to rescue him!” Shen Qingzhu’s features were stern, her eyes cold as frost. “But I intend that we must act covertly and quietly take the person away. After rescuing the Ninth Young Master, we absolutely cannot bring him back to the Jin army camp. Xiao Ruohai and I will escort the Ninth Young Master back to City Feng for placement, while General Shen takes the men back to Youhua Road. It would be best if we could accomplish this without anyone knowing! If we’re truly discovered… then say you were acting under the Eldest Miss’s orders to go to Qiu Mountain Pass to spy on the situation. You must not mention the rescue.”
Xiao Ruohai and the Dong family’s loyal retainers were currently inside Qiu Mountain Pass, closely following the troops that Li Zhijie had assigned to escort Bai Qingyun.
Earlier in the peace negotiation tent, Bai Qingyan had waited until Li Zhijie indicated he wouldn’t use Bai Qingyun in the peace talks before ordering Shen Qingzhu to take the Tiger Eagle Battalion for the rescue!
Having followed Bai Qingyan for many years, Shen Qingzhu and she had a perfect understanding. Shen Qingzhu naturally knew why Bai Qingyan had to wait for Li Zhijie to declare the “assassin’s” fate before giving orders, and naturally couldn’t bring the Ninth Young Master back to Youhua Road for the Crown Prince to know he was still alive.
The Tiger Eagle Battalion’s movements should also be kept silent; otherwise, if the Crown Prince learned of the Tiger Eagle Battalion’s activities, it would inevitably cause trouble for the Eldest Miss.
Since Bai Qingyan had ordered Shen Qingzhu to come and take the Tiger Eagle Battalion for the rescue, Shen Liangyu would naturally obey Shen Qingzhu. He clasped his fists in acknowledgment, selected over twenty Tiger Eagle Battalion elites, and quietly led them away with Shen Qingzhu while avoiding watchful eyes.
Xiao Ruojiang didn’t accompany Shen Qingzhu. He had to stay here to provide cover for Shen Liangyu and the others, and Bai Qingyan couldn’t be without her people nearby! But for a rescue, naturally, the more experts the better. He took it upon himself to split half of the Dong family’s loyal retainers under his command to give to Shen Qingzhu, and also dispatched two men to race to City Feng to bring Physician Hong.
The Ninth Young Master was the assassin who killed the Xiliang Emperor – he had probably already been tortured and would need a physician.
Among all the physicians Xiao Ruojiang knew in this world… there was absolutely none more skilled than Physician Hong.
Lu Tianzhuo stood alone guard south of the Jin army’s encampment, completely unaware of Shen Qingzhu, Shen Liangyu, and their group, who had already circled the mountain road from the north heading straight for Qiu Mountain Pass.
Lu Tianzhuo gazed at the Jin army camp with its vigorous campfires, carefully recalling the maid who had quietly infiltrated the Jin army earlier.
All the maids in their peace negotiation party had been selected by him from Xiliang. He had seen that maid and was certain she was one he had chosen – absolutely no mistake!
Could it be that the maid was a deep-cover agent Jin Kingdom had planted in Xiliang long ago? But why did she suddenly emerge to go to the Jin army camp? And why use such a secretive, eye-avoiding method? It didn’t make sense…
Suddenly, Lu Tianzhuo’s pupils constricted. Could it be for the Bai family son they had captured alive?!
But… was it possible? Prince Yan and he had guarded so strictly, and that Bai family son hadn’t traveled with the peace negotiation party. Even if that maid was a deep-cover agent… how could she have learned about the Bai family son?
After all, when the Bai family son had assassinated and was severely wounded, he had leaped from the city wall into the moat. Everyone thought that assassin was already dead and gone. It was he who recognized that youth’s striking resemblance to Bai Weiting’s third son Bai Qiyu and secretly saved that assassin, planning to make use of him in the future.
The fact that the assassin was still alive, besides him and Prince Yan Li Zhijie, absolutely no third person knew.
Lu Tianzhuo’s mind was in chaos, feeling something was wrong… yet unable to figure out exactly what was wrong.
Should he ask Prince Yan to send people back to guard against someone rescuing that Bai family son?
In the wind, Lu Tianzhuo, hidden behind trees, closed his eyes and calmed down…
Just looking at Bai Qingyan’s battle with Yun Poxing, one could tell that Bai Qingyan was extremely resourceful. What if this was Bai Qingyan setting a trap, aimed at testing out the Bai family son’s location?
Lu Tianzhuo thought it over – then he should send people back to set up defenses at Qiu Mountain Pass, strictly preventing anyone from entering or leaving the checkpoint.
With this thought, Lu Tianzhuo returned to the peace negotiation site and quietly entered the great tent where arguments were raging, whispering in Li Zhijie’s ear.
Li Zhijie shook his head at Lu Tianzhuo, signaling him to sit aside.
Once he entered this great tent, Jin Kingdom’s people probably wouldn’t let Lu Tianzhuo leave unless this peace negotiation was settled.
Lu Tianzhuo was slightly stunned, then nodded and sat properly behind Li Zhijie.
Li Tianfu didn’t even glance at Lu Tianzhuo, lowering her eyes to fidget with her handkerchief. In just this short while, she had already drunk several cups of tea. Listening to the two countries’ peace negotiation envoys arguing back and forth with the same few phrases was giving her a splitting headache.
For this peace negotiation, the Xiliang Empress had given Li Zhijie tremendous authority. The Empress told Li Zhijie… no matter what, they couldn’t fight another war. As long as Jin Kingdom’s conditions were ones Li Zhijie considered acceptable, he could agree on the Empress’s behalf directly – this was known to everyone in the Xiliang peace negotiation delegation.
The two countries’ peace negotiation envoys argued until the end of the fifth watch, finally settling the peace negotiations.
Xiliang would cede twenty cities, including Qiu Mountain Pass, Zhongshan City, and Bailong City, to the Jin Kingdom. From now on, Xiliang’s natural stronghold of Qiu Mountain Pass would belong entirely to the Great Jin! Xiliang would compensate the Jin Kingdom double the military expenses consumed in this war, and also pay the Jin army pension funds. The Bai family army’s pensions would be ten times higher than ordinary Jin army pensions, and they would also bear all expenses for building the Bai family’s Seventeenth Son’s mausoleum.
Thus, Xiliang’s vitality was severely damaged.
But Xiliang could only end external troubles this way, so they could free their hands to organize Xiliang’s domestic chaos and deal with those who didn’t submit to the Empress… the scheming troublemakers with hidden agendas.
The envoys of both countries signed and sealed the documents.
The Crown Prince took the alliance treaty signed by both countries, his eyes and brows full of smiles: “Thus, our two countries turn weapons into jade and silk. I hope Xiliang can complete the handover of these twenty cities before the Prince and Princess accompany us to the capital… only then can our two countries have no more warfare and form an eternal alliance.”
Li Zhijie heard the hidden meaning in the Crown Prince’s words – this was worry that their Xiliang would delay and renege. He felt this Jin Crown Prince was too cautious. After all, their Xiliang’s internal chaos was unresolved – where would they have energy to entangle with Great Jin over these matters?
If not for the internal chaos, why would their Xiliang need to humble themselves and sue for peace like this? They would just fight!
This so-called peace talk was nothing more than the Jin Kingdom bullying the weak while Xiliang knelt and begged for peace.
Above Youhua Road and Qiu Mountain Pass, bright stars and moon shone, the night wind cold and refreshing. As soon as one left the tent, it hit one’s face, immediately bringing considerable refreshment.
Bai Qingyan felt slightly uneasy in her heart as she looked up at the sky full of stars, wondering whether Shen Qingzhu had already rescued the person.