“Your Highness!” Before the Crown Prince could finish speaking, Bai Qingyan bowed once more and said, “Qingyan must return to Shouyang soon, and there won’t be many opportunities to come to the capital in the future. Before leaving… I only wish to do more for Your Highness while I can. Let the Left Chancellor bring his hatred and resentment against me, Bai Qingyan! But Your Highness’s future ministers must never learn from the Left Chancellor—showing no respect for their sovereign, scheming for personal gain, and perverting justice for personal favors.”

The Crown Prince pressed his lips together. Bai Qingyan truly treated him wholeheartedly as her master, thinking only of his future. Deeply moved, he bowed deeply to Bai Qingyan, thanking her for her thoughtful consideration.

“You’re weak in health, go back. The wind is cold…” the Crown Prince said with concern. “I’ve already sent people to Shouyang to notify the local officials there. When you depart for Shouyang tomorrow, they will listen well to your instructions and assist you in peacefully handling clan affairs.”

Bai Qingyan bowed again: “Thank you, Your Highness, the Crown Prince!”

Watching the Crown Prince’s carriage depart, when Bai Qingyan raised her eyes again, her gaze had turned cold and solemn.

Seeing that events had unfolded exactly as Bai Qingyan had predicted, Bai Jinzhi was overjoyed and hurried down the high steps: “Elder Sister, it went just as you expected!”

“Let’s talk when we get back.” Bai Qingyan took Bai Jinzhi’s hand, smiling as she turned around with Bai Jinzhi to look at Dong Shi, who was still angry.

Before the Crown Prince arrived, Dong Shi had been scolding Bai Qingyan, saying that breaking the Left Chancellor’s son’s legs was too excessive.

Bai Qingyan had not told Dong Shi about having evidence against the Left Chancellor, but when the Crown Prince came and spoke of how the Left Chancellor had wept and confessed his mistakes before the Emperor without speaking ill of Bai Qingyan, Dong Shi understood that her daughter must have grasped Li Mao’s vital weakness.

Bai Qingyan supported Dong Shi’s arm as they walked back to the courtyard. Along the way, Dong Shi couldn’t help but nag: “It’s better to offend a gentleman than a petty person, but you… You had to offend Li Mao, such a powerful petty person!”

“Mother, A’Bao would never carelessly bring trouble to the Bai family. Mother, just watch—Li Mao will come to submit and curry favor before our entire family returns to the capital. When that time comes, Mother just needs to be polite.”

Dong Shi looked sideways at her daughter, who was specifically instructing her to be polite: “What scheme are you plotting?”

“Someone needs to play the harsh role, and someone needs to play the kind role. A’Bao has played the harsh role, so naturally Mother needs to play the kind role! This way, the Left Chancellor will think there’s a breakthrough he can exploit in the Bai family, and won’t fight the Bai family to the death.”

“So you do have evidence against Li Mao?” Dong Shi asked.

Bai Qingyan nodded: “Grandmother gave it to me to protect the Bai family. A’Bao will use it properly.”

“As long as you have good judgment!” Dong Shi patted her daughter’s hand.

Dawn had not yet broken, and the mist had not dispersed.

The red lanterns along the long street remained lit, and the capital city was quiet all around, with only occasional dog barks.

Early-rising street vendors carrying shoulder poles hurried through the thin mist to set up their breakfast stalls, immediately getting busy upon arrival.

The woman nimbly tied on her apron, lit the hanging lanterns and stove, and added water to the pot. The man used bamboo poles to set up the oiled cloth canopy and arranged tables, chairs, and benches. Just as he was about to wipe the tables, he heard the clip-clop of horse hooves from the western end of the long street.

A cavalry emerged from the mist—Shen Qingzhu leading more than ten light cavalry in front, followed by a luxurious four-horse carriage befitting a county princess’s status.

Bai Jinzhi rode a white horse alongside the carriage, moving slowly.

Behind the carriage followed nearly forty Bai mansion guards dressed in black casual clothes with swords at their waists.

For this trip to Shouyang, Bai Qingyan used the county princess’s carriage. Dong Shi had wanted Bai Qingyan to take most of the Bai mansion’s guards for handling important clan affairs, but Bai Qingyan said the Crown Prince would provide guards for her, and taking forty to fifty people would be sufficient. The fewer people she brought, the more at ease the Crown Prince would be with the Bai family.

Taking more would make the Emperor suspicious if he learned of it.

Just as they exited the city gate, Bai Jinzhi saw the Crown Prince’s guards waiting outside the city, along with the Crown Prince’s carriage.

Bai Jinzhi bent down and whispered to Bai Qingyan inside the carriage: “Elder Sister… the Crown Prince is already waiting outside the city.”

Inside the carriage, Bai Qingyan had been leaning against soft pillows reading by the light of a glass lamp. She closed her book, sat up straight, and asked: “How many guards did the Crown Prince bring?”

Bai Jinzhi quickly scanned the area: “About a hundred or so.”

Standing beside the Crown Prince’s carriage, Quan Yu saw the Bai family procession leaving the city and quickly boarded the carriage, offering hot tea to the Crown Prince: “Your Highness! The County Princess has arrived. Have some tea to refresh yourself.”

The Crown Prince, who had been resting with his eyes closed in the elm wood carriage, opened his eyes at these words and perked up, reaching for the hot tea and taking a sip: “Let’s go…”

“It’s cold outside, Your Highness, please put on a cloak.” Quan Yu brought a cloak for the Crown Prince and helped him down from the carriage.

Bai Jinzhi had already stopped the Bai family carriage train and stepped forward to bow to the Crown Prince: “Bai Jinzhi greets Your Highness, the Crown Prince.”

The Crown Prince smiled and told Bai Jinzhi to rise, then looked up to see Chun Tao helping Bai Qingyan down from the carriage as she walked toward him.

“Qingyan greets Your Highness, the Crown Prince.” Bai Qingyan bowed.

Shen Qingzhu stood beside the foremost jet-black horse, his gaze sweeping over the guards the Crown Prince had brought, all mounted, which wouldn’t delay their journey.

“County Princess, no need for such formality.” The Crown Prince smiled at Bai Qingyan, his gaze sweeping over her caravan, his brow furrowing slightly. “County Princess, you’re returning to Shouyang on important business, yet you bring so few people—how will you intimidate the clan?”

“Recently, there have been frequent bandit troubles around Shouyang, and the Bai mansion only has so many guards. On the 26th, we still need to escort the second batch of furniture being sent back to Shouyang. I originally intended to bring only ten people—that would be sufficient. For dealing with the clan, Qingyan doesn’t need to rely on numbers, as I have His Majesty’s granted county princess title for authority.” Bai Qingyan seemed quite helpless. “But Mother was worried, so she made me bring this many people. For Qingyan, this is already too many.”

“You’re still too young!” The Crown Prince spoke to Bai Qingyan in an intimate and natural tone, truly like an elder brother. “The Bai clan members dared to anger Imperial Aunt Grandmother to the point of coughing blood right here in the capital. With only a county princess title and just a dozen people, how could you intimidate those clan elders who rely on their age and seniority?”

“It’s also my fault…” The Crown Prince looked quite self-reproachful. “Back then, I petitioned Father Emperor to grant you the title of princess, but Father Emperor granted county princess instead. I should have argued more forcefully for you! With your achievements… if you were a man, you should inherit the position of Duke Zhenguo.”

These words were meant to bestow favor upon Bai Qingyan, which she well understood.

“Qingyan doesn’t care about such empty titles! To Qingyan, Your Highness’s kindness is far more precious—Qingyan will remember it always!” Bai Qingyan’s words were extremely well-crafted.

The Crown Prince smiled and said, “Very well, I know you don’t care about such empty titles. However, you’ve truly brought too few people for this return to Shouyang. Fortunately, I came prepared…”