He precisely used this point… to deceive Bai Qingyan into coming, so he could have the opportunity to plead with her.

What he was betting on was the Bai family’s quality of keeping faith and honoring promises.

After a long while, Bai Qingyan spoke: “What is your son’s name?”

Upon hearing this, Wang Jianghai knew that Bai Qingyan had agreed, and hurriedly kowtowed: “In reply to Princess Zhenguo… my son is named Wang Qiulu! Qiulu… pay your respects to your master! From today forward… You belong to Princess Zhenguo and must serve Princess Zhenguo loyally for life!”

Wang Qiulu stiffened his neck, refusing to bow his head.

Seeing this, Wang Jianghai feared that Bai Qingyan would change her mind. He clenched his teeth and delivered a harsh slap to Wang Qiulu’s face, using too much force and immediately coughing violently afterward.

“Father! Father!” Wang Qiulu couldn’t care about his burning cheek and quickly supported his father, his eyes completely red.

“If you want your father’s soul to never find peace after death, if you want your mother, your grandmother… all to die with eyes wide open, then continue being stubborn! Go ahead and die together with us!” Wang Jianghai gripped his son’s arm forcefully, his tone becoming almost pleading toward the end. “My son! Dying is easy—living is what’s hardest! Liu Ruofu doesn’t have you in her heart! Could it be that for her sake… You won’t even consider your parents’ hopes! You are all the hope that your parents and the Wang family have—you must live well! Live… to continue the Wang family line! Only then can Father face your grandfather, grandmother, and mother when I’m gone!”

Bai Qingyan raised her eyebrows slightly. Liu Ruofu?

Lu Ping also heard something amiss in this and glanced toward Bai Qingyan before speaking: “Today, Left Chancellor’s son Li Mingrui orchestrated having Princess Zhenguo’s mansion and the Crown Prince’s mansion discover Liu Ruofu hiding in Nine Rivers Alley, as a gesture of sincerity in turning toward the Crown Prince. Liu Ruofu has already been captured. When we arrived… Liu Ruofu’s unborn child couldn’t be saved either. It’s estimated that Liu Ruofu will likely not escape death this time.”

Wang Jianghai and Wang Qiulu already knew the news of Liu Ruofu’s capture, and also knew that Liu Ruofu’s child couldn’t be saved and that she would likely not escape death. That’s why Wang Qiulu had originally given up hope and resigned himself to dying together with his father.

But now, Father was using such heavy words to force him.

Bai Qingyan had been standing there for quite a while, but she hadn’t come to watch the father and son perform their display of paternal kindness and filial piety.

She gripped the jade pendant tightly and said to Wang Jianghai: “In that case, I’m powerless to help.”

Having said this, she put on her hood and turned to Lu Ping: “Let’s go!”

The debt that Fourth Uncle once owed should indeed be repaid, but… when others didn’t appreciate it, she wouldn’t chase after them to repay it.

Wang Jianghai began coughing violently, crawling on his knees to follow Bai Qingyan’s figure while kowtowing: “I beg Princess Zhenguo to spare my son’s life! I beg Princess Zhenguo to spare my son’s life!”

Wang Qiulu closed his eyes. After a long while, rustling sounds came from beneath his knees as he knelt properly and tearfully kowtowed once to Bai Qingyan: “Wang Qiulu pays respects to Master! In this life… I swear to serve loyally unto death. If I violate this oath, may my parents’… souls never find peace, and may the Wang family end without descendants!”

Bai Qingyan’s steps paused, her cold, stern gaze falling on Wang Qiulu: “Since it is so, I will naturally arrange for Left Chancellor’s son Li Mingrui to save you. You can rest assured and go with him, but… You must remember who your master is! Only by remembering who your master is and whom you should serve loyally… can you stay alive. Do you understand?”

Wang Qiulu bit his teeth tightly, his expression pained, as if suffering great humiliation, and nodded: “I understand!”

Bai Qingyan looked deeply at Wang Qiulu once, hoping this Wang Qiulu truly understood.

Bai Qingyan supported herself on Lu Ping’s arm and slowly walked toward the prison exit. Hearing chaotic footsteps and overlapping calls of “Your Highness, the Crown Prince” from the prison entrance, Bai Qingyan’s steps paused. She raised her hand to cover her chest, taking one step and resting three times… hunching her back and slowly moving outward.

The Crown Prince arrived hastily and saw Bai Qingyan in her black cloak, supporting herself on Lu Ping’s arm while gasping for breath…

Bai Jinzhi couldn’t care about propriety, rushing past the Crown Prince to support Bai Qingyan: “Elder Sister! Elder Sister?!”

Bai Qingyan raised her eyes, her reddened gaze looking at Bai Jinzhi whose eyes were filled with tears, and shook her head: “Wang Jianghai said… this was something Fourth Uncle gave him years ago during the Northern Border War, in gratitude for saving his life! He deliberately only sent the jade pendant and waited until I arrived to speak, hoping… to ask me to save his son. There’s simply… simply no news of Fourth Uncle at all.”

Tears burst from Bai Jinzhi’s eyes.

What in this world could be more despairing than giving someone hope only to disappoint them?

When Bai Jinzhi heard from Chun Tao that Bai Qingyan had obtained Fourth Uncle’s jade pendant, she had thought… that Fourth Uncle had been captured by Prince Xian or that Nandu general or someone, wanting to coerce Elder Sister into trading Fourth Uncle for his life.

Bai Qingyan took a deep breath and looked toward the Crown Prince… removing the hood from her head to bow to the Crown Prince.

The Crown Prince quickly stepped forward to support Bai Qingyan, speaking like an elder scolding her: “Between you and me, such formalities are unnecessary. As soon as Jinzhi came to find me, I rushed here! I understand that suddenly receiving news of the Bai family’s Fourth Master made you unable to remain calm, but you must also consider your health!”

Having not seen her for many days, the Crown Prince hadn’t expected that Bai Qingyan would have lost so much more weight, her face so pale it had no trace of color, her breathing rapid while speaking, and her back hunched even more severely from pain, as if she were chronically ill and near death.

“Your Highness speaks truly!” Bai Qingyan held back her tears and lowered her eyes.

“I will escort you back to your mansion!” The Crown Prince instructed Bai Jinzhi, “Support your elder sister well!”

Just as the Crown Prince finished speaking, Wang Qiulu’s hysterical shouts came from the deepest part of the prison…

“Father! Father, what’s wrong with you?! Someone come… someone come!”

Wang Jianghai’s wish was fulfilled. Having received Bai Qingyan’s promise, he had nothing left to worry about. He only urged Wang Qiulu to remember Princess Zhenguo’s words, that Princess Zhenguo’s words had deeper meaning, and repeatedly warned Wang Qiulu never to underestimate Princess Zhenguo. Princess Zhenguo was merely a sheathed sword at present, concealing her dazzling edge, but one day she would certainly accomplish great things!

After urging his son to live on, Wang Jianghai let go and passed away.

The Crown Prince’s gaze only briefly looked inside before instructing Quan Yu and Bai Jinzhi to support Bai Qingyan well as they left the prison. The moldy and foul odors here were too heavy—the Crown Prince was very uncomfortable.

Upon leaving the prison, the Crown Prince personally escorted Bai Qingyan back to the Bai mansion, alarming the Grand Princess and the Bai family’s Second Madam Liu Shi.

The Grand Princess personally came out to greet them, thanking the Crown Prince, and ordered people to bring a sedan chair to carry Bai Qingyan back to Qinghui Courtyard, instructing Liu Shi to send someone to invite Physician Hong to examine Bai Qingyan.

The originally quiet and peaceful Princess Zhenguo’s mansion immediately became busy.

The Crown Prince frowned as he watched Bai Qingyan being carried away in the sedan chair, saying to the Grand Princess: “Originally, Princess Zhenguo said she would depart for Shouyang on the twenty-fifth, and I thought Princess Zhenguo had recovered considerably, but seeing Princess Zhenguo’s condition… isn’t departing on the twenty-fifth too hasty?”