It wasn’t just taking one person’s word and hastily writing a book—this was exactly why Master Min was revered by scholars and people throughout the world.

“Let’s go back!”

Bai Jinzhi secretly encouraged herself. She couldn’t keep hiding from her mother forever. After all, whether she stuck her neck out or shrank back, it would still be one slash either way—better to go back!

“Qingping still needs to check on the military camp, so I won’t escort the Princess back,” Bai Qingping bowed deeply in farewell to Bai Jinzhi.

Bai Jinzhi nodded and leaped onto her horse, sighing then taking a deep breath with an expression of facing death resolutely, leading the Bai family guards home.

Just as Bai Jinzhi had expected, as soon as she entered the house, she saw her mother Li Shi holding a disciplinary ruler, tapping her palm intermittently while smiling at her.

Bai Jinzhi’s palm holding the horsewhip inexplicably began to ache. She grinned at her mother: “Mother… didn’t you go see your elder sister?”

“I just came from your elder sister’s place. Don’t worry… your elder sister has your aunt taking care of her, nothing will happen… You come here! Come over so mother can have a talk with you!” Li Shi smiled without warmth as she beckoned to Bai Jinzhi. “Come on… don’t be afraid!”

Bai Jinzhi, completely lacking backbone, immediately knelt at the doorway, respectfully raising both hands with palms up: “As long as mother isn’t angry, mother can hit me however she wants, but… mother, could you hit a bit lighter? My elder sister is injured, and I still need to help her. If my hands are hurt, riding horses won’t be convenient.”

Hearing these words, tears immediately welled up in Li Shi’s eyes.

The nanny beside Li Shi seized the opportunity to gently take the ruler from Li Shi’s hand, smiling: “Madam, look, our Fourth Miss knows she was wrong! Please don’t be angry anymore. Fourth Miss was also worried about First Miss, which is why she hurriedly left a note and ran away. Please, for the sake of Fourth Miss truly caring about First Miss, and First Miss being injured and still needing Fourth Miss’s help, forgive Fourth Miss!”

As the nanny spoke, she quickly signaled to Bai Jinzhi with her eyes. Bai Jinzhi hurriedly lifted her skirt and stood up, rushing to kneel before Li Shi, embracing her waist and looking up at her: “Mother, please don’t be angry anymore. Your daughter will never dare do this again!”

Li Shi glared at Bai Jinzhi through her tears, forcefully poking Bai Jinzhi’s forehead with her finger. She swallowed back her scolding words, bent down to help her daughter up, and leaned over to brush the dust off her skirt.

Seeing the withered leaves tangled in the silk cord tassels of Bai Jinzhi’s fragrance pouch and the dirty mud on her embroidered shoes, Li Shi couldn’t help getting angry again: “Look at yourself! Where is there even a bit of a proper young lady’s demeanor? Look at your cousin from the Dong family—when will you have even half her elegance? Then, mother could close her eyes in peace!”

“Then I must be even more mischievous, so mother can live a long life of a hundred years!” Bai Jinzhi leaned against her mother’s shoulder, her eyes and brows full of smiles, entirely the intimate dependence of a young daughter on her mother.

Li Shi glared at Bai Jinzhi, but as she glared, she couldn’t help laughing. She dabbed at her tears with a handkerchief, pushed Bai Jinzhi away, and put on a stern face: “Fine, I won’t hit you! Go copy ‘Women’s Precepts’ a thousand times! No one else is allowed to help! If you don’t finish copying… watch out for your legs! Hurry back to your courtyard to change clothes and drink your soup!”

Having said this, Li Shi poked Bai Jinzhi’s forehead once more, then swept her sleeves and headed toward Bai Jinzhi’s courtyard first.

“Fourth Miss, Madam personally made soup for First Miss and you. Quickly follow Madam back to try it!” the nanny said with a smile, reminding Bai Jinzhi. “Madam still loves you dearly in her heart!”

“I know! I know!” Bai Jinzhi nodded cheerfully. “Nanny, you must put in many good words for me with mother!”

“Fourth Miss, don’t worry!”

Bai Jinzhi patted her chest, finally having escaped disaster. It was just a thousand copies of “Women’s Precepts”! She only needed to copy a dozen or so times before crying about hand pain, and her mother would surely feel sorry for her and tell her to copy more in a few days, then forget about it…

Bai Jinzhi hurried to catch up with her mother, linking arms with Li Shi as they went to her courtyard together.

Inside Boyun Courtyard.

Third Madam Li Shi, Fourth Madam Wang Shi, and Fifth Madam Qi Shi had just sat briefly before taking Fifth Miss, Sixth Miss, and Eighth Miss out of Boyun Courtyard, leaving time for mother and daughter Dong Shi and Bai Qingyan to speak privately.

Dong Tingzhen was also tactful. Not long after the madams and misses left, she smiled and said she would go make some pastries for Bai Qingyan, then left Boyun Courtyard straight for the small kitchen.

Only after Nanny Tong and the others had all left did she approach Bai Qingyan’s side, carefully inquiring about Bai Qingyan’s injuries. Tears fell drop by drop as she felt so sorry for her that she wished she could bear that suffering for Bai Qingyan.

Why did their First Miss have such a difficult life? Even wanting to return to Shouyang required scheming to get herself injured.

After speaking with Nanny Tong for a while, Bai Qingyan smiled and told Nanny Tong about bringing Silver Frost back, asking Nanny Tong to go see Silver Frost.

As soon as Nanny Tong left, Bai Qingyan dismissed everyone else. With Nanny Qin and Chun Tao guarding at the door of the main room in Boyun Courtyard, she took out the sheepskin map hidden on her person, spread it out on the black lacquered small square table, and looked up at Dong Shi with red eyes: “Mother… look!”

Dong Shi looked at her daughter suspiciously, then her gaze fell on the sheepskin map. When Dong Shi saw the handwriting on the map, she immediately widened her eyes, grabbed the map, and stared intently at the handwriting. Her hands trembled… a layer of mist suddenly rose in her eyes, as if she wanted to see through that sheepskin map!

“A’Bao, this…” Dong Shi’s voice trembled as she turned to look at Bai Qingyan, but afraid of missing something, her gaze fell back on the sheepskin map.

“Mother…” Bai Qingyan reached out, gripping Dong Shi’s hand tightly, choking as she spoke: “A’Yu is still alive! He’s in Nanrong… this is what A’Yu had Lu Ping bring to me! Mother, A’Yu is alive!”

Dong Shi bit her lower lip hard, almost unable to control herself from crying out loud.

Ever since the incident with the Bai family in Nan Jiang, through how many days and nights, no one knew how Dong Shi had managed to endure.

Her husband… her son had not been able to return from Nan Jiang. If it weren’t for still needing to help her daughter support this entire Bai family burden, if it weren’t for A’Bao’s marriage being troubled and unsettled, she would have wanted to follow her husband and son.

She had thought that in this lifetime, only after death would she see her husband and son again. Who would have thought… Heaven had eyes—her son was still alive!

Dong Shi was extremely excited, unable to care about propriety. She blinked to squeeze out tears, carefully examining the handwriting on the map, repeatedly touching it with her fingers but not daring to use too much force for fear of smudging the writing. Forcibly suppressing her sobs, laughing and crying at the same time, she turned to ask Bai Qingyan again: “This is A’Yu’s handwriting?! Really?!”

Seeing Dong Shi like this, Bai Qingyan choked up, unable to speak, but smiled and nodded: “Mother, A’Yu is now in Nanrong, preparing for the future! The news that A’Yu is alive… must never let the imperial family know! So for now… we can’t tell the family either. Mother just needs to know in her heart.”