She suppressed the anger in her heart, curtsied shallowly to Xiao Rongyan, and restrained her murderous aura: “Master Xiao has shown great kindness to the Bai family. Bai Qingyan will never forget this debt. Master Xiao need not explain.”

After speaking, Bai Qingyan turned to look at Murong Yu and curtsied: “Where Bai Qingyan has given offense, I also ask the Yan Emperor’s forgiveness.”

Murong Yu’s smile deepened: “Today, there is no Yan Emperor. If there were, the Princess would not act thus. I, too, have given offense—let us… Forgive each other!”

Before the atmosphere in the painted boat could lighten, Yue Shi entered and clasped his fists: “Master, there’s a painted boat approaching, claiming to be the Dong family’s boat.”

“In that case, Bai Qingyan will take her leave first.” Bai Qingyan curtsied and looked toward Dong Changsheng, “Cousin!”

Dong Changsheng smiled awkwardly. Since the atmosphere had already become so tense, it was better to leave early. He clasped his fists and bowed to the Yan Emperor and Xiao Rongyan: “Then we shall take our leave first!”

Murong Yu’s eyes darkened. He nodded and then walked upstairs with Murong Li.

Dong Tingzhen watched the Yan Emperor go upstairs, then led her two concubine-born sisters to bow before walking toward the painted boat’s exit. Bai Jinzhi also pressed her lips together, clasped her fists toward Xiao Rongyan, and walked outside.

Dong Changsheng boarded his family’s painted boat first and extended his hand to help his sisters down from Xiao Rongyan’s boat.

Bai Qingyan nodded to Xiao Rongyan and was about to step out of the painted boat when Xiao Rongyan suddenly grabbed her wrist and pulled her back inside.

Bai Qingyan’s back lightly collided with the wooden planks, causing her pain, but she showed no fear. Suppressing her anger, she looked up at Xiao Rongyan, who was extremely close to her. She knew that Xiao Rongyan had exceptional hearing—he must have heard her threatening words to the Great Yan Emperor.

She glanced outside and saw that Dong Changsheng and Dong Changyuan were helping Dong Tingzhen onto the Dong family’s painted boat without noticing them. Only then did she lower her voice and say: “Master Xiao knows that I, Bai Qingyan, always keep my word. If the Yan Emperor dares to set his sights on my fourth sister, don’t blame me for showing no mercy.”

Xiao Rongyan tightened his grip on Bai Qingyan’s slender wrist, his fingers stroking her wrist bone as his rich voice was kept extremely low: “This was not my intention.”

“Regardless of whose intention it is, it’s all the same to me! Everyone has their reverse scale… You, Great Yan people, should not push others too far! Behind me is merely one Bai family, but behind you is all of Great Yan!” Bai Qingyan struggled to withdraw her hand from Xiao Rongyan’s grasp, but couldn’t break free no matter how hard she tried. Her anger intensified: “Let go!”

Xiao Rongyan stepped closer to Bai Qingyan. With nowhere to retreat, she gritted her teeth tightly and pressed her hand against Xiao Rongyan’s chest, which was inappropriately close.

“This anger of yours—is it because my elder brother had designs on Fourth Miss, or… because you thought I had designs on Fourth Miss?” Xiao Rongyan’s eyes held an indescribable smile.

“Is there a difference?” she asked back.

Xiao Rongyan stepped even closer, so close it was improper. He lowered his hoarse voice: “There is a difference! A very big difference! Miss Bai is such an intelligent person—surely you’re not pretending to be foolish with me?”

Xiao Rongyan’s crisp, clear aura pressed close, and Bai Qingyan held her breath lightly, her eyelashes trembling slightly.

He was just short of breaking through that layer of window paper.

The former was to protect her sister; the latter… was because of him.

“Where is elder sister?” Bai Jinzhi turned back and didn’t see Bai Qingyan.

Bai Qingyan started and pushed Xiao Rongyan away, straightened her clothes, and came out from inside the painted boat.

As soon as Dong Changyuan saw Bai Qingyan, his eyes filled with unconcealed joy. He excitedly stepped forward and extended his hand to Bai Qingyan: “Cousin…”

Bai Qingyan took hold of Dong Changyuan and Dong Changsheng’s hands and stepped from Xiao Rongyan’s painted boat onto the Dong family’s boat.

Xiao Rongyan narrowed his eyes, looking at Dong Changyuan with slightly hostile eyes, and smiled calmly.

Feng Yao stood beside the Yan Emperor, who was drinking tea, and said in a low voice: “Your Majesty, this Bai Qingyan—should we find a way to deal with her…”

Feng Yao had heard about the Southern Border battlefield and was still quite wary of this Bai Qingyan.

“We came to Jin this time to seek peace, not to make enemies…” Murong Yu carefully pondered the meaning in Bai Qingyan’s words. It seemed that as long as Bai Qingyan’s family members weren’t harmed, Bai Qingyan had no intention of being an enemy to Great Yan.

Moreover, the method for bloodlessly recovering the Southern Border was indeed pointed out by Bai Qingyan.

This meant that Bai Qingyan also didn’t care about Jin’s interests.

Murong Li turned to look at the Dong family’s painted boat moving farther away and pressed his lips together. He hadn’t had a chance to speak with the Xiao Bai commander of the Bai family army today.

“Father Emperor, is the Xiao Bai commander angry because Father Emperor wants to seek marriage with Fourth Miss for Ninth Uncle?”

As soon as Murong Li finished speaking, he saw that Xiao Rongyan had already come upstairs.

“Ninth Uncle!” Murong Li smiled and stood up.

After Xiao Rongyan bowed to Murong Yu, he said solemnly, “Elder brother, please don’t play matchmaker randomly.”

At this point, if Murong Yu still didn’t know who Murong Yan truly fancied, he would be stupid.

“This Princess Zhenguo—elder brother has no way to seek marriage for you. The Great Jin Emperor would never allow Princess Zhenguo to marry outside the Kingdom.” Murong Yu put down his teacup and looked at his younger brother with gentle, smiling eyes.

Having just seen Bai Jinzhi’s spirited personality, Murong Yu had been puzzled about how Bai Jinzhi could say such words as “A lesser hero draws his sword to help the weak; a greater hero saves all people.”

Later, when Bai Qingyan showed her edge because of Bai Jinzhi and spoke about how Great Yan taking Southern Yan benefited the people of Southern Yan, Murong Yu began to suspect that Yue Shi might have gotten the wrong person.

Now, hearing Xiao Rongyan tell him not to play matchmaker randomly, Murong Yu completely understood.

“So, Princess Zhenguo knows your identity and has developed feelings for you, which is why she was so angry?” Murong Yu asked.

“Elder brother, you are an elder brother, and she is an elder sister… Given the heart to protect younger siblings, I thought you could understand her anger.” Xiao Rongyan’s lips curved in a smile.

“Ah… Ninth Uncle likes the Xiao Bai commander!” Murong Li looked like he had just realized this. “Ninth Uncle, will the Xiao Bai commander become my ninth aunt in the future?”

Murong Yu tapped his fingers on the table intermittently, thought for a moment, and sighed: “A’Yan, if you fancied someone else, elder brother could think of ways to help you. But if it’s this Bai Qingyan… just think about her title—Princess Zhenguo… How could the Jin Emperor easily let her marry outside the Kingdom?”

“I know what I’m doing.”

Seeing that Xiao Rongyan seemed to have made up his mind, Murong Yu didn’t want to make his younger brother unhappy. He smiled and patted Murong Li’s head: “It seems I need to find an opportunity to properly apologize to your future ninth aunt, lest I implicate your ninth uncle’s lifelong happiness! Your ninth uncle found you such a formidable ninth aunt—I’m afraid he’ll have diminished husband’s authority in the future!”

Although he said this, Murong Yu remained uneasy in his heart. Bai Qingyan had a special status and extraordinary abilities. His younger brother’s lifelong happiness… probably couldn’t be resolved anytime soon.

Feng Yao suddenly understood—so the young master liked Bai Qingyan.

Xiao Rongyan sat down and picked up his teacup, changing the subject: “Has elder brother sent someone to meet with the Rong Di envoys?”