The news that Duke Zhenguo Bai Qingyan had ordered her mansion’s guard army to drag Left Chancellor Li Mao’s youngest son from Huaman Lou and beat him half to death spread throughout the entire capital in less than half an hour.

Lu Yuanpeng, who had originally been curled up in bed unwilling to get up, sat up in shock upon hearing the news.

He widened his eyes at Sima Ping: “What did you say?! Is it true or false?! Sister Bai dealt with that shameless Li Mingtang?”

“Would I lie to you! I saw it with my own eyes! It’s just that I was too far away… I didn’t hear what Sister Bai said to the Left Chancellor!” Sima Ping spoke extremely rapidly, “Last time when the Crown Prince took a secondary consort, Sister Bai’s swordsmanship… was so fast I couldn’t even see it! So heroic and valiant! Today, she didn’t even dismount her carriage when facing the Left Chancellor. That bearing of hers truly befits the granddaughter raised by Duke Zhenguo and the Grand Princess. She’s completely different from those young ladies in the capital who consider themselves refined daughters of noble families!”

Lu Yuanpeng chuckled with delight, straightening his back, his expression inevitably becoming animated: “Sister Bai still cares for me! Sister Bai must have known that Li Mingtang bullied me!”

Sima Ping didn’t hear Lu Yuanpeng’s last sentence. His mind was full of the image of Bai Qingyan standing imperiously atop her carriage. Though a delicate woman, she seemed to possess the power to move mountains and cross seas, proud and aloof, majestic and awe-inspiring, making people dare not look directly at her.

This couldn’t help but remind Sima Ping of the late Duke Zhenguo and Duke, that kind of sharp yet restrained bearing. Only those who had been baptized by blood on battlefields, experienced countless battles, and stood tall without fear of life and death could possess such presence.

“Yuanpeng… I’ve decided. On the twenty-fifth of this month, I’ll go with you to Nan Jiang, assume a false identity, and join the Bai family army!” Sima Ping suddenly blurted out.

Upon hearing this, Lu Yuanpeng was so startled he bounced directly off the carved wooden bed. Shuffling in his shoes, he rushed to the window, stuck his head out to look left and right, then quickly shut the window and lowered his voice to scold Sima Ping: “Keep it down! Keep it down! If you’re going, just go. Why are you shouting about it? If my parents or Weng Weng find out, neither of us will be able to leave!”

“You can’t leave, but I can!” Sima Ping came to his senses, looking at the nervous Lu Yuanpeng with a half-smile. He sat down on the window-side soft couch, crossed his legs, picked up a teacup, and after taking a leisurely sip, spoke: “My father originally hoped my eldest brother would enter government service and my second brother would join the military, so as for me… I’ve always been a wastrel with you! Now, if I could do something proper, my father would be overjoyed!”

“But you can’t drag me down with you!” Lu Yuanpeng also sat on the soft couch, rolling his eyes at Sima Ping, “With my parents’ temperament, if they find out… they’ll lock me up at home! And my Weng Weng… if he finds out I’m going to join the Bai family army, he’ll skin me alive!”

Just as Lu Yuanpeng finished speaking, the door was suddenly pushed open. Lu Yuanqing, wearing moon-white robes with cloud patterns and trim, stepped into the room with a stern face and asked: “You want to join the Bai family army?”

Lu Yuanpeng was so frightened that his whole body shuddered. Seeing his usually stern older brother, his throat rolled as his heart filled with thoughts of being doomed.

Sima Ping was also quite intimidated by Lu Yuanqing, who was known as the “Cold-faced Young Master.” Frightened, he put down his crossed legs, stood up, and bowed respectfully with embarrassment: “Well, Brother Yuanqing… I’ll take my leave first!”

Sima Ping hurriedly skirted around Lu Yuanqing and jogged out of the Lu mansion.

Lu Yuanpeng gave his brother two awkward laughs. Seeing Lu Yuanqing walking toward him, he spineless slid down from the soft couch and knelt on the ground: “Brother! Good brother… please don’t tell Weng Weng. I was just speaking casually!”

Seeing that Lu Yuanqing’s steps didn’t stop, Lu Yuanpeng quickly covered his ears with both hands, shrinking his neck, afraid that Lu Yuanqing would grab his ears again.

Who knew Lu Yuanqing had no intention of grabbing his ears at all? He walked quickly around him and opened the cabinet door.

Inside the red lacquered wooden cabinet lay the bundle Lu Yuanpeng had already packed.

Lu Yuanqing turned to look deeply at Lu Yuanpeng, then reached out to take the bundle.

Lu Yuanpeng immediately lunged forward, pressing down on his bundle: “Brother! This is meaningless! Can’t I promise not to go?!”

Lu Yuanqing pushed Lu Yuanpeng away. When Lu Yuanpeng tried to grab the bundle again, Lu Yuanqing simply pointed, and Lu Yuanpeng deflated, standing there not daring to approach, only able to watch helplessly as his brother unwrapped his bundle.

Inside the bundle were several of Lu Yuanpeng’s clothes, along with a large handful of banknotes and loose silver.

Lu Yuanqing picked up Lu Yuanpeng’s wrinkled clothes: “You want to take these clothes and still hope to hide your identity?”

What Lu Yuanpeng had packed were all his favorite daily clothes. Not only were they exquisitely embroidered, but the fabric was luxurious. No noble family would use such materials for ordinary clothing.

“Even the clothes our Lu family servants wear would be rarely seen among common people! If you want to hide your identity…” Lu Yuanqing confiscated Lu Yuanpeng’s banknotes, “These can’t be brought! Change the clothes to those of ordinary commoners!”

Lu Yuanpeng looked at his brother with considerable surprise: “Brother, you mean… You won’t tell Weng Weng?”

“Repack your travel gear properly and bring it for my inspection. Don’t make the departure date too hasty either. Set it for after grandmother’s birthday in June. Otherwise… if you dare run away privately, I’ll send people to drag you back and break both your legs! Do you remember?”

Lu Yuanqing asked with a cold face.

“I remember! I remember! Brother, don’t worry!” Lu Yuanpeng quickly stepped forward and carefully retrieved his bundle, hugging it to his chest while grinning at Lu Yuanqing.

Lu Yuanqing looked at his foolish brother as if looking at an idiot, sighed, and left.

Only after Lu Yuanqing left did Lu Yuanpeng realize that his brother… had taken away all the silver he had painstakingly saved over so many years, hadn’t he?

Li Mansion.

In Li Mingtang’s courtyard, maids carried basins of hot water in and basins of blood-stained water out.

The Left Chancellor’s wife’s hysterical cries for her son and Li Mingtang’s screams continued without end.

All the servants in the Li mansion were silent as cicadas, not daring to breathe heavily, tiptoeing around with lowered eyes while working, afraid that a single careless move might implicate them.

Li Mingtang’s legs were ruined.

But what Left Chancellor Li Mao was worried about now was no longer his son’s legs, but the lives of his entire family… even his entire clan!

Remembering Bai Qingyan’s bone-chillingly cold gaze before she left…

Remembering her words telling him to find a way to explain the matter before sunset without harming the Bai family, or else have his entire family wash their necks clean and prepare to explain those letters to His Majesty and the King of Hell, the Left Chancellor couldn’t help but feel his spine turn cold.

What kind of logic was this? Breaking his son’s legs and still requiring him to find a way to explain the matter!

The Left Chancellor closed his eyes and shook his head almost imperceptibly. He couldn’t panic.

He clenched his fists, forcibly suppressing his rage and fear.