She walked around the desk and instructed Chun Tao to fetch her fox fur cloak. Chun Tao hastily wiped away her tears and draped the fox fur over Bai Qingyan. Only after they left the room did she hesitantly ask, “Miss, what should we do with Chun Yan? Should we… dismiss her?”

She took a deep breath, barely managing to suppress the rage in her heart. It wasn’t time yet—Chun Yan still had her uses.

She understood Prince Liang’s vicious nature all too well, and she knew the methods of Du Zhiwei, the strategist by Prince Liang’s side. If she dismissed Chun Yan now, Du Zhiwei and Prince Liang would immediately approach other people in the Duke’s mansion, tempting them with benefits. Human nature couldn’t withstand such tests, and at this critical juncture, she couldn’t afford to gamble.

How foolish she had been in her previous life, thinking herself clever! She had been blind to believe that Chun Yan, this treacherous creature who ate from within while helping outsiders, was speaking well of Prince Liang for her master’s benefit.

She stood under the covered walkway, gripping the hand warmer tightly in her hands. After pondering for a moment, she raised her eyes with a cold gleam: “I won’t take her life. Bring her to the front courtyard.”

Hearing this, Chun Tao’s eyes immediately filled with tears, thinking that her previous plea for mercy had put Bai Qingyan in a difficult position. She choked out, “Miss, I…”

Her head ached terribly, and intense fatigue washed over her. Not wanting to entangle herself further with Chun Yan’s affairs, she pulled her cloak tighter, gathered her spirits, and headed toward the front courtyard.

Prince Liang had first sent someone with a jade pendant, promising the position of principal consort, and now, despite his serious injuries, he had personally come to call. It was clear he wouldn’t give up on using her to gain military merit.

A frail, sickly woman like herself, Prince Liang’s “persistent pursuit” was truly troublesome. But she would rather dash her head against a wall and die than willingly serve as his beast of burden again!

To prevent Prince Liang—that ruthless, shameless scoundrel—from resorting to underhanded methods and using her reputation as leverage to force her into Prince Liang’s mansion when gentle approaches proved ineffective, she had to bring his bribing of their household servants and his repeated requests for meetings into the open today. She needed to make it known to everyone, leaving no room for doubt, so all could see her disgust toward Prince Liang’s shameless tactics and schemes. Only then could she crush and extinguish Prince Liang’s intentions, preventing him from daring to act rashly.

Outside the back gate of the Duke’s mansion, an ordinary-looking carriage stopped beside a tree, with occasional coughing sounds coming from within.

Tong Ji had his hands tucked in his sleeves, his head pressed against the back gate of the Duke’s mansion, eagerly peering through the crack in the door. Seeing no sign of anyone coming, he grew anxious and cold, stamping his feet.

Another bout of heart-wrenching coughing came from the carriage. Tong Ji hurriedly returned to the carriage, gently patting Prince Liang’s back with a displeased expression: “This eldest miss of the Bai family doesn’t know how to appreciate favor! Your Highness offers her the position of principal consort—someone who may never bear children—and she still dares to decline! If Your Highness truly wants this, Miss Bai, you could simply ask Her Majesty the Empress to issue an edict granting her a side consort position. With your injuries so severe, why did you have to come personally today? Such favor has made her forget her place!”

Prince Liang clenched his fist and coughed a few times, pulling the brocade quilt covering him closer. He extended one hand to warm by the fire and said quietly, “What do you understand?”

Unless he reached a point of desperation, he absolutely couldn’t forcibly bring Bai Qingyan into Prince Liang’s mansion. He needed Bai Qingyan’s abilities, which meant he had to make her willingly submit to him.

Yesterday, Bai Qingyan had dealt with that illegitimate son of the Duke’s mansion, who wasn’t recorded in the family genealogy, cleanly and decisively on the main street. Now rumors spread outside that Bai Qingyan was no less capable than any man, with an unyielding spirit and iron backbone. This made him even more reluctant to slight her.

Thinking of Bai Qingyan’s recent distance toward him, Prince Liang felt something was amiss. He couldn’t rest easy without meeting Bai Qingyan face to face.

While Prince Liang waited in the carriage at the back gate, all the off-duty stewards, servants, wives, and maids in the Duke’s mansion had gathered in the front courtyard. Punishment rods were prepared in the front courtyard, and the servants were anxious and uneasy, looking at each other nervously, not knowing what major incident had occurred, sitting on pins and needles.

Some stewards approached Steward Hao to inquire, but he only stood on the high steps, keeping silent.

Regarding Prince Liang’s repeated attempts to arrange meetings with Bai Qingyan at the back gate and his gift-giving, Bai Qingyan had hidden nothing and told Dong Shi everything.

At first hearing, Dong Shi felt quite pleased, but upon careful consideration, if Prince Liang truly had feelings for her daughter, he could have come to the Duke’s mansion openly and honorably, sought the elders’ opinions, confirmed that Bai Qingyan had no engagement, and sent a matchmaker. This would have shown respect for Bai Qingyan. However, his frequent bribing of the Duke’s mansion servants to arrange private meetings was degrading her daughter. If the matter became public, Bai Qingyan’s reputation would surely be ruined. Dong Shi immediately broke into a cold sweat.

Moreover, concerning the Duke’s mansion’s household management, Dong Shi, as the mistress in charge, understood the stakes all too well. Trouble often arose from within, and though the New Year was approaching, those who deserved severe punishment still had to be severely punished.

Dong Shi made a decisive decision, immediately sending for several human traffickers, and only then came to the front courtyard with Bai Qingyan.

The servants, wives, and maids stood in crowds filling the vast front courtyard. Seeing Nanny Qin supporting the heir’s wife, Dong Shi, followed by the eldest miss Bai Qingyan, they hastily paid their respects in panic.

Dong Shi’s sharp phoenix eyes swept over the courtyard full of servants and maids. She sat down in a chair under the covered walkway and asked, “Have the human traffickers arrived?”

Steward Hao stepped forward and bowed to Dong Shi: “Reporting to Madam, they are waiting.”

Dong Shi nodded and instructed Steward Hao: “Bring them up!”

Soon, the young servant who had previously gone to report to Prince Liang’s mansion at the back gate, the wife who had delivered the jade pendant to Chun Yan, and the wife who had been knocked unconscious by Yin Shuang’s punch today—all three were brought up bound with ropes.

Seeing this scene, the young servant’s legs trembled, and he immediately fell to his knees, crying and pleading: “Madam, please show mercy! This servant was blinded by greed, but aside from passing messages between Prince Liang’s mansion and Miss Chun Yan, this servant truly did nothing to harm our Duke’s mansion!”

Hearing this, the wife who had been knocked unconscious this morning knocked her head on the floor repeatedly: “This old servant… this old servant only accepted Prince Liang’s silver to pass a message from Prince Liang’s servant to Miss Chun Yan!”

“This old servant also only called Miss Chun Yan on behalf of Prince Liang’s servant! This old servant only called Miss Chun Yan that one time!” The wife who had delivered the jade pendant to Chun Yan crawled forward on her knees two steps. “Miss Chun Yan! Miss Chun Yan, please say something!”

Standing beside Bai Qingyan, Chun Yan remembered Chun Tao’s earlier words about Mingyu. Her legs went weak, and she immediately knelt, sweating profusely: “Madam, Miss! This servant… this servant…”

Dong Shi accepted the tea that Nanny Qin handed her, her phoenix eyes glancing at Chun Yan with burning anger. If not for her daughter’s earlier plea for mercy… she would have had someone drag this wretched maid down and beat her to death with clubs today!

“Tell me exactly what messages you all passed to Chun Yan, and what messages Chun Yan asked you to relay to Prince Liang’s mansion. Speak truthfully, every detail.” Bai Qingyan showed no sign of anger, taking her seat calmly and asking in a measured tone.