“My grandmother is still the Grand Princess! My eldest sister is still the Pacifying Princess, yet you’ve bullied them to such an extent! You’ve made my grandmother vomit blood and faint! I, Bai Jinzhi, will lay down these words today – if anything happens to my grandmother, even if I have to sacrifice my life, I will ensure that you heartless, greedy, shameless scoundrels… cannot leave the capital alive!”
After Bai Jinzhi finished speaking, she called out loudly: “Steward Hao! From today onwards, if any of these clan members dare to come to our door… or cause trouble at our gates, show them no mercy! Have the magistrate’s office arrest them all on charges of unlawful assembly!”
“Yes!” Steward Hao respectfully replied.
Bai Jinzhi gripped the long whip in her hand, pointed at the clan members, then turned and entered the gate.
Steward Hao looked coldly at the completely stunned clan members and ordered, “If you don’t leave now, I’ll send someone to fetch the magistrate’s constables to arrest you!”
The common people watched the red-faced, embarrassed Shouyang Bai clan members with shock, discussing among themselves.
“This Shouyang clan is too arrogant, actually making the Grand Princess vomit blood from anger!”
“Yesterday, they were still saying the Pacifying Princess wouldn’t help the clan’s descendants and wanted to expel them from the family. I was thinking that since the Pacifying Princess was returning to Shouyang, why was she still putting on airs, not wanting help from her clan brothers in the future? Who would have thought… it turns out she was being pressured to let the local magistrate release those who harm lives! No wonder the Pacifying Princess wouldn’t help!”
“Sigh! The Bai family is just too kind-hearted. Even when the Grand Princess was made to vomit blood from anger, they still wouldn’t let anyone arrest these heartless wolves, actually letting them go!”
“Exactly! Just like the last time when the Bai family’s Fourth Miss was beaten – wasn’t it because Fourth Miss whipped those who had taken others’ silver to deliberately cause trouble, and that’s why she was punished!”
“The Bai clan is so arrogant, and this is still in the capital – they’ve made the Grand Princess vomit blood from anger. In the future, who knows how they’ll bully this household of orphans and widows in the capital. If even the clan leader is like this, they might as well leave the clan!”
“What do you know!” An elder anxiously tried to explain, “That Grand Princess, she actually didn’t…”
The clan leader grabbed the elder’s hand, stopping him from continuing.
Even if he spoke, no one would believe that the dignified late Emperor’s legitimate daughter, the current Grand Princess, would fake vomiting blood to deal with the clan. Others would only think the clan members would say any lie to shirk responsibility.
The clan leader shook his head. With the Grand Princess taking action, the clan’s reputation for arrogance would quickly spread, and the children currently in prison would probably be impossible to save.
Thinking of the vow Bai Qingyan had made in Shouyang – if those clan descendants weren’t expelled from the family, Bai Qingyan would leave the clan herself…
Just as the Grand Princess had said, without the Pacifying Princess’s protection, the clan’s bullying of the capital Bai family’s orphans and widows, making the Grand Princess vomit blood from anger, when this news reached official circles, officials who followed the political winds would ensure the Bai clan’s downfall!
But if they had to expel those children from the clan, the clan leader’s grandson, Bai Qingjie, was among them. How could the clan leader bear it?!
“Clan leader, what do we do now?” an elder asked.
The clan leader gritted his teeth, looking at the mansion guards and Steward Hao guarding the Pacifying Princess’s mansion gate, and said, “Return to Shouyang first. We’ll discuss and make plans later.”
Soon, Dong Shi, Second Madam Liu Shi, Third Madam Li Shi, and Fourth Madam Wang Shi all rushed to Changshou Courtyard upon hearing the news. Although Fifth Madam Qi Shi was in confinement and couldn’t come personally, she sent her trusted steward, Nanny Zhai, to inquire about the situation.
Fifth Miss Bai Jinzhao, Sixth Miss Bai Jinhua, and Seventh Miss Bai Jinse also hurried over. Miss Lu came carrying her medicine box upon hearing the news, extremely anxious.
Bai Qingyan watched from the side, noting that her grandmother concealed nothing from Miss Lu. After telling Miss Lu about the matter, Miss Lu looked suddenly enlightened and said: “If mother trusts me, I can perform acupuncture on mother. Though it will make the mother feel slightly panicked, it can fool the imperial physicians’ pulse diagnosis. After the imperial physicians leave, I’ll perform acupuncture again to relieve the symptoms…”
Seeing the Grand Princess nod, Miss Lu washed her hands, opened her medicine box, and took out golden needles, sterilizing them with fire.
Bai Qingyan carefully observed Miss Lu, who was concentrating on performing acupuncture for the Grand Princess, and asked: “The golden needles aunt is using appear to be ancestral?”
Miss Lu hadn’t expected Bai Qingyan to call her aunt. After a moment of surprise, she smiled: “They are somewhat ancestral. These were given to my mother by my maternal grandfather before her marriage, and my mother later gave them to me. However, my maternal grandfather’s family does have a set of golden needles that have been passed down for several generations.”
Bai Qingyan nodded and said no more, stepping aside to watch Fourth Aunt Wang Shi, who was fingering Buddhist beads and chanting sutras, praying for the heavens to protect grandmother. She touched the letter hidden at her chest.
The Imperial Medical Academy heard that the Grand Princess had been driven to vomit blood by the Shouyang Bai clan. Imperial Physician Huang brought three other master physicians to attend together.
Miss Lu attended on the side, discussing the Grand Princess’s daily habits with the Imperial Medical Academy physicians, describing in detail what the Grand Princess had eaten and used recently, and discussing medication with the physicians together. Imperial Physician Huang quite appreciated Miss Lu, feeling that… this young lady’s medical skills were no less than theirs.
Imperial Physician Huang couldn’t help but think of the rumor that Miss Lu was the reincarnation of Bai Suqiu. Looking at Miss Lu discussing prescriptions with the various imperial physicians, with her elegant and refined temperament, she truly resembled his senior brother, Physician Hong’s beloved disciple, Bai Suqiu. No wonder the Grand Princess would think she was Bai Suqiu’s reincarnation.
Indeed, now that all the Grand Princess’s children were gone, she needed something to sustain her.
Imperial Physician Huang prescribed medicine, instructed Miss Lu on the methods and dosages for brewing the medicine, and Dong Shi escorted the physicians out of Changshou Courtyard, ordering Nanny Qin to personally see them out.
Miss Lu performed acupuncture for the Grand Princess again. After settling the Grand Princess, she turned to bow to Dong Shi and the other madams, saying: “I’ll take care of mother here. Sisters-in-law should return to rest. After all, it’s not suitable to have too many people here.”
The Grand Princess leaned against her bolster, fingering her Buddhist beads, and said: “All of you, go back.”
“Mother, I’ll still stay to accompany you and care for grandmother, and learn from you at the same time.” Bai Jinse bowed to Dong Shi.
Dong Shi nodded: “Good… then I’ll trouble you!”
“Serving grandmother with filial piety is Jinse’s proper duty. How dare I call it trouble?” Bai Jinse quickly replied.
Everyone bowed to the Grand Princess before leaving the main room of Changshou Courtyard. Dong Shi frowned with a worried expression and said to Bai Qingyan, “Aren’t your iron sand pouches a bit too heavy?”
“They’re fine. A’Bao knows her limits and won’t hurt herself. Mother, don’t worry.” Bai Qingyan escorted Dong Shi to the crossroads, bowed to see her off, then said to Chun Tao: “Come… let’s go see Fourth Aunt.”
The rough servant woman sweeping at the entrance to Lishui Courtyard saw Bai Qingyan approaching their courtyard and hurriedly went inside to report to Nanny Guan.