Nanny Qin approached, holding the rosewood brocade box, and opened it.

She wiped her hands with a handkerchief and, seeing that the brocade box contained a thumb ring, her pupils suddenly constricted. This was the second brother Bai Qingqiong’s thumb ring, one that Bai Qingyan had originally given him.

She picked up the thumb ring to examine it, clutched it tightly in her palm, and unfolded the neatly folded letter. There was only one line of text on it.

At the hour of You, come to the guesthouse alone for a detailed discussion. Wait for no one past the appointed time.]

The hour of You…

It was already the end of the hour of Shen’s now.

Bai Qingyan closed her eyes, clenched her jaw, and her mind raced through calculations.

When Li Zhijie was in the Southern Border, he had suffered a great loss. Now he was sending the thumb ring asking her to meet him at the guesthouse at the hour of You—it was either an assassination attempt, or some conspiracy awaiting her.

But what if the second brother, Bai Qingqiong, was truly still alive and in Li Zhijie’s hands?

For Bai Qingyan, nothing was more important than Bai Qingqiong.

She had to go! The letter specified that she come alone. If she brought others, Li Zhijie probably wouldn’t tell her any news about Bai Qingqiong.

In that case…

She would go alone first to see what Li Zhijie had to say, then have Bai Jinzhi bring people to follow shortly after. She would also send someone to deliver the gift Li Zhijie had sent to the Crown Prince. If it were a frame-up, she would have already informed the Crown Prince in advance.

“Nanny Tong, Chun Tao… send people separately to summon Xiao Si and Lu Ping. I have matters to instruct!” Bai Qingyan spoke while removing the iron sandbags from her wrists.

Nanny Tong and Chun Tao immediately sent people to summon Fourth Miss Bai Jinzhi and Lu Ping.

“Nanny Qin… don’t tell Mother about this matter for now. I can handle it, no need to make Mother worry along with us.” Bai Qingyan looked at Nanny Qin. “There’s also another matter I need Nanny Qin to do!”

“Whatever First Miss commands!” Nanny Qin had watched First Miss grow up. If First Miss said she could handle it, then she certainly could. She trusted First Miss.

“In a moment, I’ll have Uncle Ping ask the Crown Prince to go to the guesthouse where Prince Yan of Western Liang and the Princess are staying. Nanny, send a few trustworthy people to mingle among the common people outside the guesthouse. When you see the Crown Prince arrive…” Bai Qingyan leaned close to Nanny Qin’s ear and whispered instructions.

Bai Jinzhi arrived quickly. Upon entering, she saw that Bai Qingyan had already changed into practical clothing.

“Elder sister?” Bai Jinzhi was breathing heavily, looking at Bai Qingyan in confusion.

Bai Qingyan strapped the quiver to her back, took her Sun-Shooting Bow, and instructed Bai Jinzhi: “After I leave for half an incense stick’s time, you bring the Bai mansion guards to storm the guesthouse, claiming you’re looking for Li Zhijie for your second brother! Make a big commotion—it’s best if everyone knows about it!”

“Elder sister, what are you saying?! Second brother?! Second brother is also in Li Zhijie’s hands?!” Bai Jinzhi’s eyes widened.

“Don’t ask! I’ll explain in detail later! Remember elder sister’s words!”

Bai Jinzhi felt her heart pounding violently and nodded forcefully: “Elder sister, rest assured! In one incense stick’s time, Xiao Si will make it known throughout the entire capital!”

“First Miss, Guard Lu Ping has arrived,” Chun Tao reported with a bow.

“Take the rosewood brocade box that Li Zhijie sent and give it to Lu Ping.”

Bai Jinzhi nodded, picked up the rosewood brocade box from the table, and followed Bai Qingyan out of the main room.

Lu Ping waited respectfully outside Qinghui Courtyard. Seeing Bai Qingyan emerge, he hurried forward two steps. Before he could bow, he heard Bai Qingyan say: “After half a cup of tea’s time, Uncle Ping, you take this brocade box straight to the Crown Prince’s mansion. Say… this is a congratulatory gift from Prince Yan of Western Liang, and I asked you to deliver it to the Crown Prince. If the Crown Prince asks you anything else, just say you don’t know.”

Seeing Bai Qingyan holding the Sun-Shooting Bow, Lu Ping understood the gravity of the situation and nodded hurriedly: “First Miss, rest assured!”

Li Zhijie stood by the guesthouse fish pond, holding fish food and feeding the fish. Lu Tianzhuo stood respectfully behind Li Zhijie, occasionally glancing toward the outside.

“A’Zhuo, how can you be so certain that Bai Qingyan will come to the appointment, rather than… tell the Crown Prince?” Li Zhijie stared at the plump koi fighting for fish food in the water, his eyes squinting from the shimmering light. “This prince feels that the friendship between Bai Qingyan and the Crown Prince is not ordinary.”

“This subordinate wagers on the matter of Bai Qingyan’s rescue mission to Qiushan Pass—the Crown Prince doesn’t know about it! Even now, the Crown Prince doesn’t know that Bai Qingyan brought people to Qiushan Pass to rescue someone.” Lu Tianzhuo kept his eyes half-lowered. Upon entering the capital, this subordinate met with our planted agents in the capital and made many inquiries. I heard that this eldest daughter of the Bai family had previously done many shocking things in the capital, such as beating the Dengwen Drum to force the Jin Emperor to execute his legitimate son, Prince Xin. This subordinate doesn’t believe the Jin Emperor would trust such a subject unconditionally, much less believe the Crown Prince wouldn’t be wary.”

Seeing Li Zhijie lower his eyes without speaking, Lu Tianzhuo continued: “Even if Bai Qingyan tells the Crown Prince, and the Crown Prince inquires… Your Highness can say that because you offended Bai Qingyan severely in the Southern Border, this time you sent the thumb ring of the Bai family’s second young master to trick the eldest daughter of the Bai family into coming, merely to find an opportunity to make peace with Bai Qingyan and to seek marriage with the fourth daughter of the Bai family! This doesn’t differ from our original purpose.”

Li Zhijie curved his lips in a shallow smile, concealing the dangerous cold light in his eyes, and asked in a low voice: “Then A’Zhuo, tell this prince… when did you secretly capture the Bai family’s second young master Bai Qingqiong behind this prince’s back?”

Li Zhijie scattered all the fish food in his hand into the fish pond, turned around with his peach blossom eyes smiling charmingly: “If it weren’t for this scheme of yours requiring this prince’s help, how much longer did you plan to hide it from this prince?”

Originally, Li Zhijie had been quite willing to trust Lu Tianzhuo, but recently he had discovered one secret after another that Lu Tianzhuo was hiding from him…

For instance, Lu Tianzhuo had somehow gotten involved with Li Tianfu without his knowledge.

For instance, Lu Tianzhuo had Bai Qingqiong in his custody.

This made Li Zhijie inevitably wonder whether his initial decision to give Lu Tianzhuo complete trust and let him mobilize his own forces… was wrong.

He even suspected whether Bai Qingyan’s group learning that the Bai family son was in his hands might also have been Lu Tianzhuo deliberately leaking information to Bai Qingyan behind his back, planning to use the Bai family son as bait to kill Bai Qingyan.

Li Zhijie had always had one principle: trust those you employ, don’t employ those you don’t trust.

But correspondingly, when Li Zhijie gave someone his trust, he also needed that person to reciprocate with unreserved loyalty.

And the result? The things Lu Tianzhuo was hiding from him were far more than just one matter.

Lu Tianzhuo had followed Li Zhijie for many years and knew his temperament. He unhurriedly knelt to request punishment, his voice firm and calm: “Your Highness, this subordinate did not intentionally deceive Your Highness. Over these years, Your Highness has taken great care of this subordinate. This subordinate’s life belongs to Your Highness. It’s just… Your Highness knows that this subordinate owes his adoptive father a life debt. This subordinate wishes to avenge his adoptive father. This subordinate can swear to his adoptive father’s spirit in heaven that he has never done anything to betray Your Highness.”

Li Zhijie’s beautiful, profound peach blossom eyes stared at Lu Tianzhuo kneeling on the ground, his voice slow and cold: “After the Jin matters are concluded, you will remain by the Princess’s side to serve her. You need not follow this prince anymore.”