She didn’t expose Old Gu’s pretense. Hearing Old Gu mention her grandfather, her heart also felt bittersweet: “Let’s not stand here in this windy spot. Old Gu, accompany me for a walk around the ancestral residence and tell me which courtyards Mother and my aunts have been arranged in.”
Old Gu nodded, supporting himself with his walking stick and following a step behind Bai Qingyan. After adjusting his appearance, he caught up and told Bai Qingyan about what he had accomplished these past few days since returning, and which tasks that were supposed to be completed by the end of April had been finished.
“Old Gu has arranged the ancestral residence affairs very properly. You’ve worked hard.”
“In a moment, the matchmakers and slave traders from Shouyang City will all bring people over. Does the eldest young lady want to personally take a look?” Old Gu asked.
“The ancestral hall opens at noon, so there might not be enough time. Let the people below handle it. We’ll mainly use the people brought from the capital’s Bai family. These people can be arranged in the outer courtyards, so there’s no need to be too concerned about it.” Bai Qingyan said.
“That’s natural. This old servant has it figured out. The newly purchased ones will first do some rough work in the outer courtyards, then we’ll slowly select from them later…” Old Gu said.
It wasn’t easy for the entire capital Bai family to return to Shouyang. Not to mention all the various items the masters needed, even the household-born servants with their families all had things that needed to be transported back, which was why there were these several escort trips.
“There’s one more matter. Originally, Madam intended for the eldest young lady to reside in the main residence’s Jinfeng Courtyard, but this old servant thought… although Jinfeng Courtyard is large, it’s too remote. It would be better to move to Baozhu Courtyard next to Madam’s. What does the eldest young lady think?” Old Gu consulted with Bai Qingyan.
“I’ll stay in Jinfeng Courtyard. My daily martial practice might disturb my mother’s rest and worry her. Being more remote won’t bother anyone.” Bai Qingyan said.
Bai Qingyan had once sworn an oath to all the soldiers of the Bai family army that in three years, she would lead them to avenge their fallen brothers and her grandfather, father, uncle, and younger brothers.
With the oath made, she dared not slack off for even a moment.
But she also didn’t want her mother to see her practicing martial arts, fearing her mother would feel heartbroken.
As Bai Qingyan emerged from her mother’s Qinghe Courtyard, she said to Old Gu, “Change the name of Jinfeng Courtyard. Call it… Boyun Courtyard.”
Parting the clouds to see the sun, finally achieving clear skies.
“Good! Everything follows the eldest young lady’s wishes.” Old Gu nodded.
The gatekeeper woman hurriedly ran past the ornamental gate toward Bai Qingyan and Old Gu’s direction. After bowing, she said: “Eldest young lady, there’s a gentleman surnamed Xiao outside requesting to see you, saying he’s brought the mute girl.”
Surnamed Xiao?
Xiao Rongyan?
“Please invite them in…”
“Yes!” The woman quickly ran back out.
When Bai Qingyan arrived at the front hall, she saw Xiao Rongyan had already been seated in the main hall, holding refreshments served by Bai family servants and offering them to the mute girl.
The mute girl, wearing mourning clothes, shook her head. From the corner of her eye, she saw Bai Qingyan and gently shook Xiao Rongyan’s arm, signaling him to look outside.
Xiao Rongyan turned around and saw Bai Qingyan instructing Old Gu not to follow. As she stepped over the main hall’s threshold, he put down the refreshments in his hand and bowed to Bai Qingyan: “Eldest young lady!”
“Mr. Xiao!” Bai Qingyan returned the courtesy. Seeing the mute girl beside Xiao Rongyan, she truly breathed a sigh of relief. “How did Mr. Xiao come to Shouyang?”
“I happened to have business to handle near Shouyang. Remembering that Your Highness mentioned returning to deal with clan affairs, I stayed here an extra day. There’s an extremely urgent business matter to discuss with the eldest young lady.”
Xiao Rongyan spoke unhurriedly and calmly, glanced at the mute girl, then continued: “By coincidence, that day Yue Shi encountered someone trying to harm the mute girl and rescued her. I arranged for the mute girl to stay in a newly opened shop, having the shopkeeper take her in as an adopted daughter. Just now, hearing that Your Highness was looking for the mute girl, I brought her over. After the eldest young lady finishes with the Bai clan affairs, I’ll discuss business matters with you.”
What urgent business couldn’t be discussed in the capital but required waiting for her specially in Shouyang? With the mute girl present, she didn’t ask too many questions and simply nodded.
The mute girl looked at Bai Qingyan with tears streaming down her face. She had thought that apart from her mother, no one else in this world was looking for her. She had only met this beautiful sister and handsome brother once, yet one was searching for her while the other had saved her.
Bai Qingyan hadn’t expected that Xiao Rongyan had already made proper arrangements for the mute girl. Looking at the mute girl, she knew that the one who caused the mute girl to lose her mother was a descendant of the Bai clan who relied on the capital Bai family’s authority. She felt guilty toward the mute girl.
Bai Qingyan said to the mute girl, “In a moment, the Bai family will open the ancestral hall. Sister will seek justice for your mother.”
The mute girl nodded and gestured to Bai Qingyan that she also wanted to go. She wanted to personally see the fate of that person who pushed her into the river and caused her to lose her mother.
Bai Qingyan remained silent for a long time, then nodded: “Alright!”
The news that Zhenguo Princess had returned to Shouyang, intending to open the ancestral hall to first deal with Bai family clan descendants who had committed wrongdoings and oppressed the local people according to family law, then hand them over to Magistrate Zhou for legal punishment, had already spread throughout the capital.
The common people who had suffered oppression from the Shouyang Bai clan began saying they planned to wait outside the Bai family ancestral hall to see whether this Zhenguo Princess would truly seek justice for them.
Subsequently, news spread that Zhenguo Princess was seeking the mute girl who had been thrown into the river by a Bai clan descendant that day, causing her mother to drown.
It was said that Zhenguo Princess first went to the mute girl’s neighbor’s house to look for her, only then learning that the mute girl had disappeared.
The aunts and uncles who used to set up stalls with the mute girl’s mother, upon hearing this news, also spontaneously searched everywhere for the mute girl. The matter caused quite a commotion.
The brothel madams all had their subordinates investigate, checking whether any of the newly purchased girls couldn’t speak, fearing that if they accidentally bought such a girl and offended the Zhenguo Princess, who was about to return to Shouyang, their business would be ruined.
Zhenguo Princess… was the one who had burned and killed one hundred thousand Xi Liang prisoners of war in Nan Jiang!
Moreover, everyone in Shouyang City knew that even the Crown Prince had sent personal guards back to support Zhenguo Princess. Who would dare offend such a ruthless person with such powerful backing?
Indeed, among the newly purchased girls in one brothel, there was one who couldn’t speak. The brothel madam, following the principle of “better to err on the side of caution,” quickly tidied up and personally brought the young girl in a carriage to the Bai ancestral hall.
Before noon had even arrived, the area outside the Bai ancestral hall was already surrounded by three layers of common people, with some bold young men having climbed the tall trees in front of the ancestral hall, craning their necks to look inside the Bai ancestral hall.
The Bai ancestral hall could be called the most magnificent building in all of Shouyang City, with azure tiles and vermillion eaves, carved beams and painted rafters, both splendid and solemnly dignified.
Outside the Bai ancestral hall, all the planted trees were transplanted century-old trees with lush branches and leaves, symbolizing the Bai clan’s flourishing branches and prosperity.
The clan leader sat upright in the clan leader’s seat with his walking stick, his face ashen. The various clan elders sat in their positions with grave expressions.
Descendants of the various Bai family branches all stood behind their family elders, all with worried frowns.
The clan leader’s younger brother, Fifth Master, sat in the seat below the clan leader, his elbow resting on the chair’s armrest, playing with a string of bodhi prayer beads in his hand, his gaze falling on the seat beside the clan leader.