Bai Qingyan and Shen Qingzhu rode away from the Crown Prince’s mansion. She slowed her pace, and Shen Qingzhu understood, keeping up alongside her.
She lowered her voice and said to Shen Qingzhu, “Qingzhu, I’m afraid I must trouble you to take some people to Chun Mushan. Perhaps before long, Great Liang and Jin Kingdom will go to war, so we must prepare in advance!”
Shen Qingzhu’s expression grew serious. “This subordinate will pack quickly and depart immediately!”
“Take several more people with you,” Bai Qingyan said, turning her head to look at Shen Qingzhu.
“Yes!”
Just as Shen Qingzhu finished speaking, Lu Yuanpeng’s voice called down from the upper floor.
“Sister Bai!”
Bai Qingyan looked up to see Lu Yuanpeng leaning against the red wooden balustrade, waving at her. “Sister Bai, wait for me!”
“You go back and prepare first!” Bai Qingyan said to Shen Qingzhu.
She dismounted, watching Lu Yuanpeng rush anxiously out of the wine house, nearly tripping over the threshold, and couldn’t help but smile, her eyes lighting up with amusement.
“Sister Bai!” Lu Yuanpeng ran to Bai Qingyan. “I heard that the Bai family’s caravan returning to Shouyang was robbed by bandits. These bandits are getting too bold! I was thinking, since Sister Bai is returning to Shouyang on the first of the fifth month, I’ll bring our Lu family’s guard unit to escort Sister Bai back and see how those petty bandits dare to be so arrogant.”
“That’s unnecessary. Having you escort the Bai family members to Shouyang… would only cause worry about your return journey,” Bai Qingyan said, looking at Lu Yuanpeng. “Besides, there may be conscription soon. If you’re interested, you could try it, though I don’t know if Chancellor Lu would let you enlist.”
With Chancellor Lu as his backing, Lu Yuanpeng would surely have smooth sailing in the military with no great danger.
“Conscription? Are we going to war? With Great Liang?”
Lu Yuanpeng was quite perceptive.
“Not necessarily, but conscription is certain. The Southern Border campaign cost Jin Kingdom too many troops—it’s time for conscription,” Bai Qingyan said.
Lu Yuanpeng nearly blurted out that he wanted to join the Bai family army in the Southern Border, but swallowed the words back. This was the first time he planned to enlist under an assumed name without relying on anyone. If he told Sister Bai, she might think he wanted special treatment!
He wanted to make a name for himself in the Bai family army, then stand before Sister Bai and openly win that red-tasseled spear from her hands.
Bai Qingyan mounted her horse and said to Lu Yuanpeng, “Take care!”
“I’ll come to see Sister Bai off on the first of the fifth month! It won’t be too late to say farewell then!” Lu Yuanpeng stepped back and bowed formally.
Seeing Lu Yuanpeng’s clear, clean eyes filled with smiles, Bai Qingyan nodded gently and rode away.
Lu Yuanpeng watched Bai Qingyan leave, then ran upstairs with an excited heart, bringing news to the group of wastrels who played with him: Great Liang… might be going to war.
·
In the Imperial Library, the emperor sat reclined under bronze crane lamps, watching the young eunuchs seated on either side below him going through bamboo scrolls one by one, his brow full of impatience.
Today the emperor had summoned all the literate young eunuchs in the palace, having them search through the ancient texts in the Imperial Library for records and legends about immortality, rejuvenation, and resurrection.
Gao Demao, having served the emperor for many years, knew the emperor had developed an interest in the resurrection elixir held by that woman who had caused such a commotion before the Duke’s mansion.
Gao Demao was somewhat moved himself. Though he dared not dream of immortality, he also hoped there truly was medicine that could resurrect the dead and remake the human body.
As a eunuch, Gao Demao’s greatest pain in life was his incomplete, broken body.
If he could have a whole corpse for burial, that would be good too.
Outside the Imperial Library, a young eunuch entered with lowered head, taking small steps along the red lacquered columns to quietly approach Gao Demao’s side. Covering his mouth with one hand, he whispered, “Eunuch Gao, His Highness the Crown Prince has arrived and is waiting outside the hall.”
Hearing the commotion, the emperor opened his eyes and said, “Let the Crown Prince enter.”
“Yes!”
Soon, the Crown Prince entered, bowed to the emperor, then spoke about the military report from Chun Mushan, seeking the emperor’s opinion.
The emperor’s fingers rubbed the edge of his round cushion, remaining silent, studying his son with probing eyes, guessing that this idea wasn’t his son’s own.
The Crown Prince steadied himself and said, “Your son believes that the Liang soldiers entering our Jin territory might be Great Liang testing us. If we don’t respond in kind, Great Liang might think our Jin Kingdom fears them.”
After a long while, the emperor spoke: “This time, Great Liang’s commander Xun Tianzhang has always been a warmonger in the Liang court…”
The Crown Prince knelt beside the emperor, quietly waiting for his father’s continuation. The emperor picked up a bamboo scroll and tapped it on the table before him. “But not killing those Liang soldiers would indeed damage Jin Kingdom’s prestige.”
“Then father’s intention is…”
“Follow your method. Have Zhang Duanrui send those Liang soldiers’ heads over!” the emperor said unhurriedly.
The emperor didn’t mention sending troops, and the Crown Prince didn’t dare ask again. He acknowledged the order and withdrew from the Imperial Library.
“Your Majesty, do you not plan to send troops to Chun Mushan? What if Great Liang’s Xun Tianzhang attacks Jin Kingdom?” Gao Demao asked in his thin voice. “Will Your Majesty use the Duke?”
The emperor half-closed his eyes and spoke slowly: “If Great Liang truly dared to use military force, they wouldn’t have waited until today. Even if they truly dare fight our Jin Kingdom, then… send Princess Gaoyi instead. That person Bai Qingyan… unless necessary, I will never use her again.”
Bai Qingyan’s Southern Border campaign had already established her prestige among the court’s military officials. He certainly didn’t want to give Bai Qingyan another opportunity.
Rather, the Bai family’s fourth daughter, Bai Jinzhi, was also a Bai family woman who had studied military strategy from childhood. Though she surely couldn’t compare to Bai Qingyan, she was at least a Bai family descendant and certainly wouldn’t be lacking. More importantly, she was naive and easier to control.
When Qin Shangzhi received the news and saw that the emperor’s handling was exactly as Bai Qingyan had predicted, he fell silent for a long time.
·
When Ji Langhua was invited by Chun Tao to Chunhui Garden, Bai Qingyan had just finished practicing with her silver spear.
Seeing Ji Langhua arrive, Bai Qingyan returned the silver spear to its rack, wiped the sweat from her face with a handkerchief, and invited Ji Langhua to sit.
After bowing, Ji Langhua said, “Little Marshal Bai need not persuade me further. Langhua very much hopes Little Marshal Bai can take my cousin away from this place of right and wrong. Having Langhua alone with the emperor is enough.”
Seeing Ji Langhua’s stubborn expression, Bai Qingyan untied the iron sand weights wrapped around her forearms, placed them on the stone table, and sat down. “Killing the emperor and having the Crown Prince ascend the throne… wouldn’t necessarily be much better than the current sovereign.”
Chun Tao stepped forward to pour tea for both Bai Qingyan and Ji Langhua.
Bai Qingyan picked up her teacup, her tone gentle and mild: “Now that the great threat of Western Liang has just been resolved, war with Great Liang is imminent. If the emperor dies at this time… if the Crown Prince can smoothly ascend the throne, that’s good, but if not, Jin Kingdom will have frequent internal strife like Western Liang. Western Liang will certainly take the opportunity to counterattack. Jin Kingdom’s current national strength is insufficient to fight two countries simultaneously. Those who will suffer are the border people, not the imperial court in the capital. You’re killing the emperor… would not be contributing to Jin Kingdom, but causing disaster.”