“Is First Miss… planning to save Fu Ruoxi?” Lu Ping asked.

“Not to save, but to use,” Bai Qingyan replied, her gaze turning toward the eastern direction of the city, so profound that one couldn’t discern her emotions. Outside the eastern city, twenty thousand soldiers from Anping Great Camp are stationed. Anyone who could raise their arm and have twenty thousand soldiers follow them to the death—aside from Fu Ruoxi, there’s no second person.”

“First Miss,” Lu Ping’s brow furrowed deeply, vaguely sensing what Bai Qingyan intended to do.

The capital was about to descend into chaos. Originally, Bai Qingyan had wanted to forcefully suppress and stabilize the situation, at least keep the capital stable for three years. But now Prince Xin and Prince Liang were both fighting desperately to ascend to that supreme throne, planning to stake everything in the coming days.

Rather than leaving these people to create future complications, it would be better to take advantage of this opportunity to eliminate these variables naturally and logically.

It wasn’t that Bai Qingyan hadn’t worried that if her edge was too exposed this time, she would be suspected by the Crown Prince.

However, Bai Qingyan wasn’t entirely without an escape route. Didn’t Prince Liang want to assassinate her?

Since Prince Liang already had this idea, could it be that without the assistance of Great Yan’s Ninth Prince, Prince Liang couldn’t accomplish this deed?

Oh right, there was another person who hoped for her death—that would be Li Mao… and Li Mao’s son Li Mingrui.

Li Mingrui… now he was quite a character!

The Celestial Master and the Nine Star Platform—these two matters were inseparably connected to him.

Once this affair was concluded, Princess Zhenguo Bai Qingyan would return to Shouyang severely injured to recover, bedridden and unable to rise, which should reduce the Crown Prince’s wariness somewhat.

“Uncle Ping has worked hard today. Go back and rest. The day after tomorrow… I’m afraid there won’t be time to rest,” Bai Qingyan said.

Lu Ping had always deeply trusted Bai Qingyan’s words. Previously, their First Miss had said there would be a tough battle to fight, and now it seemed the First Miss had already confirmed that the tough battle would be the day after tomorrow.

Lu Ping didn’t force himself to stay, acknowledged the order, and left. The elite forces he had brought were too few—only by resting well could he protect the First Miss’s safety the day after tomorrow.

During the Hour of the Ox.

Chun Tao, who was sitting with Bai Qingyan in the main courtyard, suddenly saw flames shooting up to the sky from the southern part of the capital.

“First Miss! The southern city is on fire!” Chun Tao said.

Bai Qingyan stood up, estimating it was probably the Grand Court of Judicial Review’s prison. It seemed the Empress and Lu Jin’s people had already begun fighting. It remained to be seen how skilled those Imperial Guards were, and whether they could safely bring Fu Ruoxi out.

Near the Hour of the Tiger, the main gate of Qinghui Courtyard was knocked upon.

Chun Tao, who had been sitting in the courtyard with Bai Qingyan, was startled and looked toward Bai Qingyan.

“Go open the door!” Bai Qingyan instructed.

It should be the guards bringing Fu Ruoxi back.

Chun Tao went forward and pulled open the door. The one who returned was the guard who had led the group earlier. He still wore the Grand Court of Judicial Review jailer’s clothes he hadn’t had time to change out of. He was single-handedly supporting the unconscious Fu Ruoxi, whose whole body reeked with an unbearable stench. He carried Fu Ruoxi through the door, placed him on the ground, then knelt and saluted: “Reporting to Master, Fu Ruoxi has been brought back. The others have already led the Grand Court of Judicial Review jailers away.”

“Are there currently any casualties?” Bai Qingyan asked.

“Reporting to Master, we disguised ourselves as jailers, so casualties were minimal. Only two brothers died,” the guard replied.

Bai Qingyan nodded: “You’ve worked hard. Go down and rest!”

“Yes!”

The guard had just bowed and left when Lu Ping, who had slept for only a short while and had just been awakened, arrived at Qinghui Courtyard. He had originally come to report to the First Miss that there was unusual activity at the Zhong residence, the Empress’s maternal family. Who would have known that upon entering, he would see Fu Ruoxi lying on the ground, disheveled and missing one arm.

Lu Ping looked completely bewildered, his eyes wide: “First Miss?”

“Chun Tao, go summon Physician Hong. Uncle Ping, help Fu Ruoxi to the side room first,” Bai Qingyan said.

Both Chun Tao and Lu Ping acknowledged the order and busied themselves.

Lu Ping lifted Fu Ruoxi and placed him on the bed in the side room. After settling him properly, he then said to Bai Qingyan: “First Miss, there’s unusual activity at the Zhong residence! The guards we sent to watch the Zhong residence and Zhong Shaozhong have separately reported back. An hour and a half ago… Zhong Shaozhong, dressed in the clothes of a Zhong family servant, left through the side gate of the Zhong residence and went to a flower house in the city. Our people guarded outside. In less than the time it takes to burn a stick of incense… Imperial Guard generals who had once served under Zhong Shaozhong arrived one after another. However, our people didn’t dare alert them because the Crown Prince’s people were also guarding outside the flower house.”

Bai Qingyan lowered her eyes, gazing at the flickering candlelight on the table. This was originally within Bai Qingyan’s expectations.

Since the Crown Prince’s people already knew that Zhong Shaozhong was secretly meeting with his former Imperial Guard subordinates, if the Crown Prince was smart enough… and would listen to Qin Shangzhi’s words, he shouldn’t let Zhong Shaozhong and his group leave the flower house safely.

Seeing Bai Qingyan’s composed expression, Lu Ping continued: “There’s also Prince Liang’s mansion. I heard that before the incident at the Grand Court of Judicial Review prison, people from Prince Liang’s mansion went to Prince Xin’s mansion…”

This was an expected development. Prince Liang’s grand wedding was on the fifteenth. If the Empress didn’t make a move, Prince Liang would certainly instigate Prince Xin to act.

Bai Qingyan nodded: “Report any news immediately. Let the Crown Prince, Prince Xin, and Prince Liang go cause their troubles!”

Soon, Chun Tao came running to Qinghui Courtyard, carrying a medicine chest for Physician Hong.

Physician Hong had also been awakened temporarily. The old gentleman didn’t mind Fu Ruoxi’s excessively foul odor. After sitting under the lamp and taking Fu Ruoxi’s pulse, he said: “Nothing serious. He should have been knocked unconscious by someone.”

As he spoke, Physician Hong took a leather pouch containing golden needles from his medicine chest, spread it open, drew out a golden needle, heated it over the candlelight placed on the small table beside the bed, found the right acupoint on Fu Ruoxi, and gently inserted it.

Fu Ruoxi suddenly opened his eyes, took a deep breath. What met his gaze wasn’t the high, black ceiling of the Grand Court of Judicial Review prison. Startled, he turned his head and saw Bai Qingyan standing beside the bed with her hands behind her back.

Fu Ruoxi propped himself up on the bed with his single hand, his gaze sweeping over Lu Ping and the maid beside Bai Qingyan, then falling on the old physician who was organizing his golden needles: “Princess Zhenguo…”

In the Grand Court of Judicial Review prison, the people sent by the Empress had intended to take his life. Could it be that it wasn’t so? Was it Princess Zhenguo?

In the side room under the flickering candlelight, Bai Qingyan’s expression was cold and indifferent. Her profound, serene eyes looked at Fu Ruoxi as she spoke deliberately: “You don’t need to guess. The Empress’s people indeed went to the Grand Court of Judicial Review prison to take your life, which gave my people the opportunity… to rescue you from the Grand Court of Judicial Review prison.”

Fu Ruoxi was greatly shocked: “But… if Princess Zhenguo rescued me, my entire Fu family… I fear they’ll be beyond forgiveness!”

Fu Ruoxi tried to get up from the bed but stumbled and fell beside it. Supporting himself against the bed’s edge, he knelt toward Bai Qingyan and kowtowed: “I beg Princess Zhenguo to send me back!”

“Not bad. You still know how to think of your entire family. Grand Dowager Dong didn’t die in vain,” Bai Qingyan said, stepping forward to Fu Ruoxi’s side. She bent down to help Fu Ruoxi up and said, “Since General Fu is concerned about your entire family, I’ll allow General Fu to atone for your crimes through meritorious service. Perhaps… this time you can not only save your entire Fu family but also save your own life.”

Fu Ruoxi’s pupils trembled. His remaining hand quietly clenched at his side as he gritted his teeth. With almost no hesitation, he said: “Princess Zhenguo, please command me!”