Upon hearing the words “Prince Liang,” Bai Qingyan’s pupils suddenly contracted, and a murderous chill instantly spread through the air.
Before Bai Qingyan could ask anything, Bai Jinzhi impatiently lifted the curtain, unable to contain her explosive temper as she demanded, “What is that maid from Prince Liang’s mansion causing trouble at our residence for?”
Bai Jinzhi was quite angry. That day at the Duke’s mansion, such a huge commotion had occurred, with five households totaling thirty-nine people being sold off, all because Prince Liang had bribed the gatekeeper woman who had been colluding daily with Chun Yan, who served beside the eldest sister. Yet a maid from Prince Liang’s mansion still dared to come openly.
“The maid from Prince Liang’s mansion says she wants to see Eldest Miss to plead for mercy, begging Eldest Miss to spare her life! Steward Hao sent a matron and a steward to inquire, but the girl insists she won’t speak unless she sees Eldest Miss. She’s unwilling to enter the mansion and is just kneeling and crying in front of our Duke’s mansion gates! Now there’s a crowd of onlookers gathered at our mansion entrance.”
Bai Qingyan asked with a cold expression: “When did this happen? Has Mother been disturbed?”
“A quarter hour ago. Steward Hao hasn’t dared disturb Madam yet,” the Duke’s mansion servant hurriedly replied.
“Go back and tell Steward Hao this matter need not disturb Mother. Since this is directed at me, we’ll return properly through the main gate, and I’ll ask… how exactly does this maid from Prince Liang’s mansion require me to spare her life?”
After speaking, she lowered the curtain with a grim expression.
Bai Jintong had always been perceptive and quickly sensed something unusual: “Someone from Prince Liang’s mansion? Elder sister, Prince Liang’s mansion first bribed Chun Yan beside the elder sister to spy on the elder sister’s secrets! Now they’ve sent this maid—I suspect… they’re planning to use elder sister’s reputation as leverage! Does elder sister have this figured out?”
She smiled at Bai Jintong without speaking. Just four days ago, the Duke’s mansion had made a great show of cleaning house, and she had thought she was being overly suspicious in guarding against Prince Liang using underhanded methods. She hadn’t expected that in just four days, Prince Liang would impatiently send someone.
She had truly overestimated Prince Liang’s character.
“What’s there to fear from a mere maid?! We’ll meet soldiers with generals and floods with the earth! If she dares act recklessly… watch me not whip her to death! Elder sister, just go back to the mansion. I guarantee I’ll silence her before she can utter a word!” Bai Jinzhi gritted her teeth and gripped the whip at her waist.
“Blocking is inferior to channeling. Let’s first see what that maid says, then think of countermeasures…” She looked up and smiled at Bai Jinzhi. “Little Four, in a moment, you stand among the crowd watching the excitement. Keep your eyes sharp and don’t let that girl commit suicide in front of me.”
“Elder sister, rest assured!” Bai Jinzhi patted her chest in guarantee.
With one sentence from Bai Qingyan, Bai Jintong understood the meaning: “Right, we can’t let her create some story about Prince Liang’s loyal servant threatening her life to force elder sister to see Prince Liang. People might think our elder sister has some private affair with Prince Liang.”
Bai Jinzhi nodded, becoming increasingly serious in her heart.
“Elder sister, what about me!”
“And me! And me!”
Seeing Little Five and Little Six also eager to try and waiting for her to assign them tasks, she couldn’t help but chuckle softly, reaching out to tap both children’s foreheads, her expression filled with warmth: “You two… return to the mansion with the carriage to play with your seventh sister. You’re not allowed to watch the excitement outside, or else the two purebred foal horses’ elder sister prepared for your birthdays will be gone!”
Those filthy, sordid things—she didn’t want her two young sisters to see them. Their world should be clean, and she was willing to devote her entire life to guarding and protecting it.
Upon hearing that Bai Qingyan would give them purebred foal horses, their clear eyes immediately brightened as they cheerfully promised not to watch the excitement.
Before Bai Qingyan even got off the carriage, she saw Hong Qiao properly kneeling in front of the Duke’s mansion gates. She narrowed her eyes.
In her previous life, Bai Qingyan had seen Hong Qiao at Prince Liang’s mansion. This girl was extremely loyal to Prince Liang. Later, when Prince Liang was ordered to suppress bandits at Pingshan, Hong Qiao sacrificed herself to a brutal bandit leader, helping Prince Liang eliminate the Pingshan bandit problem in one stroke. But Hong Qiao ultimately died and was buried at Pingshan.
It was truly worth Prince Liang’s regard that he would send such a trusted confidant as Hong Qiao.
Seeing the exquisite azure-curtained carriage slowly stop in front of the main gate, Hong Qiao’s hands at her sides tightened.
Chun Tao helped Bai Qingyan down from the carriage, with Bai Jintong following closely behind.
“The Bai family’s eldest miss has arrived…” the crowd of onlookers whispered among themselves.
Seeing Bai Qingyan walking directly up the Duke’s mansion’s high steps without even glancing at Hong Qiao kneeling on the ground, Hong Qiao finally became anxious. She crawled forward a few steps on her knees and called out urgently: “Miss Bai, I am Hong Qiao, a maid from Prince Liang’s mansion! I know Miss Bai is angry with His Highness because I shamelessly served His Highness, so in your anger, you severed contact with His Highness! You wouldn’t accept His Highness’s jade pendant… Even when His Highness was so seriously injured and came personally to seek an audience, you wouldn’t see him!”
Bai Jintong’s eyes widened and she was about to speak, but was restrained by Bai Qingyan who turned around and pressed her hand.
Hong Qiao cried even more miserably: “Miss… this servant is just a lowly servant. Though I admire His Highness, I only hope to serve by His Highness’s side with no other extravagant hopes! His Highness only has Miss in his heart. How can Miss hurt your relationship with His Highness because of such a humble, lowly person as this servant? Because Miss refused to see His Highness, His Highness became so anxious that he coughed up blood when he returned. This servant truly has no other choice and begs Miss to save His Highness’s life! Today this servant will atone with her life… and will never again be an eyesore before Miss and His Highness. I only beg Miss to forgive His Highness!”
Having finished speaking, Hong Qiao pulled the hairpin from her head and thrust it toward her own heart.
Bai Jinzhi, hidden in the crowd, reacted swiftly. The sound of her whip cutting through the air rang out as she struck Hong Qiao’s wrist with precision and force. The hairpin flew far away with the impact! Hong Qiao was also subdued by Bai Jinzhi.
Anger blazed in Bai Qingyan’s heart, her gaze revealing bone-chilling coldness.
This Hong Qiao could truly sacrifice anything for Prince Liang. Not only was she so eloquent, but she even attempted to use her death to establish the fact that she and Prince Liang had a private affair.
“What vicious methods!” Bai Jintong clenched her teeth. If it weren’t for elder sister’s foresight in having Bai Jinzhi positioned among the crowd on guard, if Hong Qiao had really died in front of the Duke’s mansion gates, elder sister wouldn’t be able to explain herself even with ten thousand mouths.
“Miss, His Highness cannot be without you! This servant is stupid and doesn’t know what to do! This worthless life can only be used to let Miss vent your anger through death! Please forgive His Highness!” Hong Qiao cried out hysterically.
The onlookers discussed among themselves, all seeming to have discovered earth-shattering secrets.
This seemingly upright and incorruptible eldest miss of the Bai family had a private affair with Prince Liang.
Hong Qiao’s words made Chun Tao’s face turn iron-blue with anger. In public, this girl’s words implied that their eldest miss had a private affair with Prince Liang! Chun Tao couldn’t help but resent Chun Yan again: “If you keep spouting nonsense, believe it or not, I’ll tear your mouth apart!”
“Let her speak. If she doesn’t speak, I still wouldn’t know what this is about…” Bai Qingyan turned her head to glance at the gatekeeper woman, smiling calmly and composedly. “Bring me a chair.”