Hearing his sister crying so hard she could barely catch her breath, Fang Shi’s brother could only console her with kind words: “Alright, alright! If you can’t swallow your pride… why don’t you go to the training ground to find Qingping? You are, after all, Qingping’s birth mother—children will always side with their mothers! Have Qingping put in a good word for you with Bai Qihe!”

With that, Fang Shi’s brother had the coachman turn around and head toward the training ground.

Having entered the Bai mansion, Bai Jinzhi was still angry: “What nerve! Give them a bit of face and they think they’re something special! Don’t even know how to properly ask for help—sitting in a carriage… what, was she waiting for me to go pay my respects to her?!”

“In those years, Grandfather indulged the Bai clan patriarch too much. Having seen too much of that, Fang Shi thought the current patriarch could still stand as equals with the Bai family. She can’t tell the difference… she’s just a foolish person, not worth your anger!”

Just as Bai Qingyan finished speaking, the gatekeeper hurriedly caught up to bow to her: “Eldest Miss, there’s a Master Xiao outside requesting an audience. Here is his name card…”

The gatekeeper servant presented the name card. Before Lu Ping could reach for it, Bai Jinzhi grabbed it first, smiling as she glanced at Bai Qingyan. The slight displeasure in her heart from Fang Shi’s visit vanished without a trace: “Oh my! It’s Master Xiao! If Master Xiao is calling… There must be important business! Please invite him in quickly!”

Bai Jinzhi turned back to see her elder sister’s ears crystal clear and red through, biting her lip to keep from laughing aloud.

“Elder Sister, I just made a round at the training ground and I’m all dusty. I’ll go change clothes. Elder Sister, take your time talking with Master Xiao…” After saying this, Bai Jinzhi ran off in a flash.

She certainly wouldn’t stay here to disturb her elder sister’s conversation with Master Xiao.

Bai Qingyan stood at the entrance of the main hall, watching Xiao Rongyan, dressed in a straight robe with a jade belt around his waist, step into the Bai mansion. Behind him followed Yue Shi and Wang Jiuzhou, while all his guards were left outside the mansion.

Lu Ping, standing behind Bai Qingyan, also had a smile in his eyes as he instructed someone to inform Dong Shi.

Regardless of everything else, when they were in the capital, Xiao Rongyan had helped resolve the Bai family’s troubles and saved the Fourth Madam, who nearly crashed into a coffin. The entire Bai household regarded Xiao Rongyan as a benefactor and naturally would not look down on his merchant status.

The tall and slender Bai Qingyan stood atop the high steps of the main hall, hands clasped behind her back, her posture upright and spirited, her bearing dignified and imposing—except for those ears… crystal clear and red in the sunlight.

Xiao Rongyan’s brows carried the gentle and refined smile characteristic of scholars, his every gesture displaying composed and restrained elegance.

“Eldest Miss…” Xiao Rongyan stood below the high steps, performing a composed formal bow.

Wang Jiuzhou and Yue Shi, following behind Xiao Rongyan, also quickly bowed to Bai Qingyan. The two exchanged glances, their words of greeting hesitating on their lips without being spoken—their master addressed the Princess Zhenguo as “Eldest Miss,” so should they… also address her as Eldest Miss?

Before Wang Jiuzhou and Yue Shi could communicate through their eye contact, Bai Qingyan had already returned the courtesy: “Master Xiao, please come inside…”

Lu Ping stepped aside from the doorway and greeted Xiao Rongyan: “Master Xiao!”

Xiao Rongyan nodded to Lu Ping and entered the main hall of the Bai mansion.

After taking their seats, a maid served tea to Xiao Rongyan and then properly withdrew from the main hall.

“Master Xiao has called today—is there some matter?” Bai Qingyan withdrew her gaze from outside and looked toward Xiao Rongyan with a serious expression. If her ears weren’t red, perhaps this dignified and composed manner would be more convincing.

Only Bai Qingyan and Xiao Rongyan were in the main hall, while Lu Ping, Yue Shi, and Wang Jiuzhou stood guard outside the open carved partition screens.

Xiao Rongyan rested his elbow on the small table and lowered his voice: “I’ve come today because there’s a matter I need to inform the Eldest Miss of in advance.”

Bai Qingyan looked toward Xiao Rongyan and nodded: “Please speak, Master Xiao.”

“I have received word that the Xi Liang Empress has agreed to deploy troops simultaneously with Great Wei along Great Yan’s borders, intending to seize and divide the fertile lands of southern Yan. For the sake of security, while I dispatch people to negotiate with Wei and Xi Liang, Great Yan has sent envoys to Jin bearing tribute, successfully persuading the Jin Emperor to deploy troops to the Xi Liang border as a deterrent. The Jin Emperor seems inclined to have General Liu Hong lead the army that just returned victorious from Jin’s northern frontier to the southern border.”

The reason Xiao Rongyan came to tell Bai Qingyan about this was because he knew she had deployments in the southern border region. He came specifically to inform her, giving her time to make corresponding adjustments and arrangements.

If there was any nation that didn’t want to see Xi Liang grow strong again, aside from Great Yan, it would be Jin…

In the battle at the southern border earlier this year, Bai Qingyan had eliminated Xi Liang’s elite forces. Combined with the chaos in Yun Jing, Xi Liang could be said to have suffered severe damage. If they now joined with Wei to attack Yan and gained the vast fertile lands of southern Yan, their national strength would likely gradually recover.

Jin had paid such a great price to ensure that their neighboring Kingdom, Xi Liang, could no longer rival Jin’s strength. Naturally, they needed to keep Xi Liang suppressed—otherwise, with a powerful enemy at their side… even if the Emperor had no ambitions for territorial expansion, he would constantly worry, like having a bone stuck in his throat.

Great Yan had precisely grasped this mindset of the Emperor and Crown Prince, which is why they sent envoys to Jin, offering tribute and requesting Jin to deploy troops along Xi Liang’s border to deter Xi Liang from rash actions.

Originally, Xiao Rongyan need not have come to inform Bai Qingyan of this, but since he did, Bai Qingyan appreciated the gesture: “Thank you, Master Xiao, for coming to inform me of this matter.”

Xiao Rongyan gazed at Bai Qingyan with a smile: “Eldest Miss, make early preparations!”

Just as Xiao Rongyan finished speaking, Nanny Qin arrived, supporting Dong Shi. Xiao Rongyan quickly stood and bowed.

Chun Tao, learning that Bai Qingyan had returned from the training ground, also hurried over from Boyun Courtyard. Seeing Dong Shi and Nanny Qin enter, she quietly lifted her skirt and stepped inside, circling from behind the black sandalwood pillar to stand properly behind Bai Qingyan.

“Master Xiao is a benefactor to our Bai family—no need for excessive courtesy.” Dong Shi made no effort to hide her appreciation for Xiao Rongyan. After sitting down and seeing that Xiao Rongyan was still standing, she said, “Master Xiao, please sit. I wonder if Master Xiao has some business calling today?”

Xiao Rongyan glanced toward Bai Qingyan and bowed to Dong Shi: “Recently, bandits have been rampant. I have a batch of white tea that urgently needs to be transported out of Shuo Yang, so I came specifically to ask Miss Bai whether it would be appropriate to leave the city at this time.”

Since Bai Qingyan had taken full responsibility for the bandit suppression and the Crown Prince had ordered local officials to provide full cooperation, it was perfectly normal for Xiao Rongyan to come ask Bai Qingyan about this.

Dong Shi nodded and asked Bai Qingyan with a smile: “Have you finished your discussion?”

“We have finished discussing!” Bai Qingyan nodded.

Only then did Dong Shi nod and engage in idle conversation with Xiao Rongyan, discussing his business in Shuo Yang. She learned that Xiao Rongyan had purchased several tea mountains, intending to sell Shuo Yang white tea to various countries.

Moreover, Shuo Yang white tea had already become popular among the nobility in Great Liang. She heard that Xiao Rongyan had given the white tea an extremely elegant name—Misty Cloud Tea.

Xiao Rongyan was quite frank with Dong Shi, stating that he wanted to transport the Misty Cloud Tea to Wei and Xi Liang for exclusive business.

Wei naturally went without saying—Xiao Rongyan already had extraordinary relationships with those princes, and whatever business he wanted to do always shared profits with those princes and nobles, so he could naturally monopolize the trade.