Dong Qingyue looked at Bai Qingyan: “I wouldn’t dare keep the Great Yan and Rong Di people in Dengzhou! We cannot underestimate the Yan people and Rong Di people… especially Yan. These past years they’ve been quietly building their strength, producing talented individuals, and they even dared to send a hostage prince to Jin—they’re definitely not ordinary.”

Dong Qingyue could see clearly that Yan was no longer the Yan of yesterday. Though Yan now kept their true capabilities hidden, they had safely weathered every national crisis. If one claimed this was simply due to Yan’s good luck, Dong Qingyue wouldn’t believe it.

“Clear out an inn, ask the Rong Di people to leave the city and return, but keep the Yan people and have them stay at the inn. During Princess Mingcheng’s treatment period, they must be accompanied by Dengzhou troops whenever they goes out and cannot move about freely. This can also serve as one of the conditions for temporarily allowing Princess Mingcheng to remain for treatment. Tell them that if they agree to the conditions, Uncle will submit a memorial to petition the Emperor. If they don’t agree, the Yan and Rong Di people must immediately take Princess Mingcheng and leave the city! If the Yan and Rong Di people truly want to save Princess Mingcheng, they’ll certainly agree! If they don’t agree… Uncle can explain clearly to the Emperor when he reports.” Bai Qingyan said.

“Exactly! If they don’t agree to our conditions, it means they intend to spy on our Jin. It would be perfectly reasonable for Father not to keep Princess Mingcheng!” Dong Changlan’s eyes were somber. “Father, the Emperor is currently incompetent… to avoid implicating ourselves, we can only do this!”

Those who could sit in this study were trustworthy people. The words “the Emperor is incompetent” were not the first time they had been spoken in this study.

The two advisors also nodded in agreement. With the situation urgent, they couldn’t find a more suitable method than what Bai Qingyan had proposed.

After all, if they used delay tactics and Princess Mingcheng died in Dengzhou at this critical moment, the Emperor would inevitably still blame Dong Qingyue.

After brief consideration, Dong Qingyue made his decision.

Subsequently, the Rong Di people left the city, while General Pei of Great Yan’s soldiers removed their armor and weapons and moved into the inn arranged by Dong Changlan, with all their words and actions monitored by Dengzhou troops.

Seeing that Great Yan agreed to this without batting an eye, Dong Qingyue was deeply moved. He hadn’t expected… that Great Yan would truly be so willing to sacrifice for a marriage alliance princess.

With Great Yan being so cooperative, Dong Qingyue also sent people to gather all the physicians in the city and famous doctors from neighboring counties, striving to save Princess Mingcheng’s life.

Upon receiving this news, Xiao Rongyan breathed a sigh of relief, his heart filled with gratitude toward Bai Qingyan.

Meanwhile, Lu Ping and his men had also successfully entered the heart of Nanrong territory.

The Nanrong imperial city was established at the former palace of the Rong Di King. Around the palace were uniformly styled tents of Nanrong generals and commanders, with the tents of ordinary Nanrong civilians on the outermost perimeter.

Lu Ping’s group, dressed in Rong Di clothing and inspired by Xiao Rongyan’s idea, disguised themselves as a merchant caravan carrying goods to trade with the Nanrong people for furs. They were briefly questioned by the Rong Di people, who, hearing that Lu Ping had brought grain to trade for furs, let them pass.

Among Lu Ping’s men was someone who spoke the Rong Di language. While trading grain, they made casual inquiries and learned that the Nanrong Ghost-Faced General’s tent was the largest one closest to the palace. But not only were there soldier patrols here, making it impossible to approach the Ghost-Faced General’s tent, even approaching the tents of ordinary Nanrong generals was heavily guarded.

During the day, the noisy bone whistle sound might not carry through. Lu Ping traded grain with local civilians for lodging near the Nanrong generals’ tents, waiting for nightfall to use the bone whistle to send a message and investigate whether this Nanrong Ghost-Faced General… was their young master.

Gradually, darkness fell. Once the sun set, the Nanrong people all returned to their tents and didn’t come out again, unlike the Rong Di that Lu Ping had encountered before.

Back then… even after dark, the Rong Di people would light bonfires on the grasslands, dancing, drinking, and eating meat heartily around the fires. Men and women would gather around the bonfires, and if someone caught their eye, they’d approach to ask for a dance. If they hit it off, they might become husband and wife that very night, with quite bold customs.

Lu Ping heard from the Nanrong person who rented them the yurt that there was a nighttime curfew—a new order from the Nanrong King for the Nanrong people to rest early and wake early the next day, gathering their energy to prepare for collecting winter provisions.

Lu Ping was quite surprised. He hadn’t expected the Rong Di people to know about making preparations. Before… the Rong Di people lived day to day, drinking today’s wine today, and when they had nothing, they’d mount their horses and raid the Jin borders or Great Liang’s borders. When had they learned to plan?

With the nighttime curfew, they couldn’t leave their tents. Lu Ping sat inside the tent, looking at the glowing red brazier heating water before him. He lowered his eyes and thought carefully, then said: “You all wait in the tent. I’ll quietly go out for a look and be back soon.”

The six men nodded: “Be careful, my lord!”

Lu Ping carefully emerged from the tent, avoiding the patrolling Rong Di soldiers, and hid behind another tent, looking toward the Ghost-Faced General’s heavily guarded tent.

He had just taken out the bone whistle from around his neck when he saw patrolling Nanrong soldiers with sabers approaching, carrying torches. He quickly crouched down and circled the tent in a half-squat, waiting until he saw the flickering torchlight from the patrol guards’ hands move away before taking out the bone whistle and blowing it.

The Ghost-Faced General was sitting before a low table. He wasn’t wearing his mask, sitting formally in his robes, holding a brush, revealing half of his face that was hideously disfigured by fire burns. The burn scars wound down to his neck.

The flickering candlelight outlined the intact features on the other side of the Ghost-Faced General’s face—deep eyes with long lashes, a straight nose, and thin lips. One could see what a remarkably handsome and striking figure this Ghost-Faced General had once been.

The Ghost-Faced General, who was drawing a map on sheepskin, suddenly looked up upon hearing the bone whistle.

“The Bai family guard army requests an audience with Young Master.”

The lame attendant beside the Ghost-Faced General nearly spilled the tea he was serving upon hearing the bone whistle. He barely managed to steady himself, eyes wide as he knelt beside the Ghost-Faced General, looking at him: “General…”

The Ghost-Faced General thought of that day at the Jin border when he had briefly met his elder sister, and his eyes immediately became moist and red.

Even though he had become this ghostly appearance, his sister had still recognized him, hadn’t she!

That was his sister—how could she not recognize him?

So, the sister had sent people to find him.

His hand holding the brush trembled slightly, his moist, red but resolute eyes looking toward the tent entrance. But with this ghostly appearance of his… how could he dare let his sister know? If sister knew… he didn’t know how heartbroken she would be!

When they learned of his death, his sister and mother must have already been heartbroken once. If they knew what he looked like now…

Bai Qingyu’s trembling hand gently covered his fire-damaged half face, his eyes burning painfully.

“Young Master!” The lame attendant beside Bai Qingyu looked at him with a nervous expression. “Young Master, should this subordinate go out…”

“No!” Bai Qingyu interrupted the attendant’s words, gripping his brush and concentrating on drawing the map. His hoarse, unpleasant voice spoke: “No need! Tomorrow morning, send someone to investigate whether there are any outsiders. If there are, arrest them all, and say that I heard whistle sounds at night and want to interrogate the outsiders.”