Bai Qihe’s eyes grew increasingly slate: “If anyone refuses to show proper respect and instead pushes their luck, just wait and see where they’ll put their faces after being expelled from the clan!”

Having said this, Bai Qihe rose and swept his sleeves as he departed.

Bai Qingping also followed behind Bai Qihe as they left.

Several families whose descendants had followed Bai Qingping to train in the military camps also rose one by one and departed.

The remaining Bai family members left in the ancestral hall looked at each other with sighs. Thinking of how the former clan leader Bai Weimei had sent someone this morning to request the clan elders use filial piety to pressure clan leader Bai Qihe, who would dare mention such a thing now?

That Bai Qihe had even placed his biological father under house arrest, let alone them. If Bai Qihe truly intended to expel them from the clan, according to clan rules, the clan leader indeed possessed such authority.

In the seventeenth year of Xuanjia, on the sixteenth day of the first month, many people in the Qin Huai region of Jin contracted the plague. The common people scattered and fled, mostly toward Shouyang.

In the seventeenth year of Xuanjia, on the twentieth day of the first month, Liu Hong and Princess Gaoyi led troops to attack Great Liang’s Yaoyang City but failed to capture it after a prolonged siege. The great army was halted at Yaoyang. Meanwhile, Great Yan captured three more cities from Wei, their momentum unstoppable.

In the seventeenth year of Xuanjia, on the twenty-fifth day of the first month, Nanrong took advantage of Jin and Great Liang being embroiled in warfare to suddenly attack Northern Rong. Northern Rong sought aid from Yan, but Yan was focused entirely on attacking Wei and could not spare forces. Northern Rong’s requests for aid from Jin and Liang also returned unsuccessful, leaving them no choice but to send envoys seeking help from Western Liang.

In the seventeenth year of Xuanjia, on the twenty-ninth day of the first month, Western Liang dispatched troops against Nanrong.

When Bai Qingyan received this news, it was already late at night on the thirteenth day of the second month.

The person Dong Shi had sent to Dengzhou to deliver New Year gifts learned of Western Liang’s troop deployment. Racing day and night without daring to rest, they hurried back. Since the steward couldn’t conveniently enter the inner courtyard, fortunately, he was familiar with Lu Ping, so the message was personally delivered by Lu Ping to Boyun Courtyard.

Because Lu Ping knew that the Ghost-faced General in Nanrong was Bai Qingyu, he was anxious and fearful that Bai Qingyu would face enemies on two fronts.

After Bai Qingyan had Chun Tao light the lamp to read the letter and burn it, she pondered for a moment, then instructed Chun Tao to bring the four treasures of the study, adding: “Have Uncle Ping come in.”

Chun Tao acknowledged and prepared the four treasures of the study, then went out to call Lu Ping to step into the main room. Through the screen, Lu Ping heard Bai Qingyan’s extremely steady voice: “Uncle Ping, personally make a trip to the capital city to meet with the Crown Prince. Tell the Crown Prince… Western Liang has dispatched troops against Nanrong, but remains inactive; they intend to spy on our Jin. We must not be careless! Deploy the garrison troops from Anping Grand Camp and Dengzhou forces to guard against Western Liang, and command the Bai family army stationed at Jin’s border with Western Liang to stand ready for action.”

As long as the Crown Prince issued this order, when hostilities suddenly erupted… all troop deployments would be entirely under Uncle’s command.

“Yes!” Lu Ping responded affirmatively, turning to leave, but was called back by Bai Qingyan.

“Uncle Ping, wait a moment.” Bai Qingyan, seated under the lamp, set down her brush and folded two letters, handing them to Chun Tao: “Uncle Ping, send reliable people to personally deliver these two letters into the hands of Uncle and General Shen Kunyang.”

These two letters from Bai Qingyan contained nothing but seven characters… Prevent Western Liang from attacking Nanrong at all costs.

“Eldest Miss can rest assured, this subordinate will handle it properly!” Lu Ping bowed and received the letters before hurrying out.

Nanrong was concerned about the Young Master’s safety; Lu Ping dared not delay even a moment.

After Chun Tao saw Lu Ping off, she returned to the room and warmed herself by the brazier before lifting the bed curtains to enter. Seeing Bai Qingyan still seated beside the small table with its lit lamp, she tidied the four treasures of the study while saying: “Eldest Miss, please rest quickly!”

Having been awakened in the middle of the night, Bai Qingyan now found herself without sleepiness: “What time is it?”

“In reply to Miss, it’s the Yin hour.” Chun Tao held the brush, ink, paper, and inkstone in her arms, frowning. Ever since their Eldest Miss’s injuries had improved somewhat, she had risen every day at the mao hour to practice with her spear without missing a single day. Though Chun Tao knew it was already late in the yin hour, she couldn’t bear to state it plainly since the Eldest Miss had been awakened: “Eldest Miss, sleep a little more. Chun Tao will wake Miss again at the mao hour.”

“Forget it, I’ve lost my sleepiness. Bring my iron sand bags, I’ll go practice.” Bai Qingyan rose.

Chun Tao wanted to speak but held back, having no choice but to fetch Bai Qingyan’s iron sand bags. She helped Bai Qingyan bind the iron sandbags properly and accompanied her to practice with the spear in Boyun Courtyard’s training room.

Now, throughout Boyun Courtyard, Dong Shi had arranged for honest and loyal household-born servants to attend. Not a whisper of news about Bai Qingyan could be leaked outside.

What the people of Shouyang knew was that Bai Qingyan had been severely injured saving the Crown Prince and found it difficult to recover. Since winter began, there had been two occasions when she nearly couldn’t hold on.

Chun Tao watched as Bai Qingyan became drenched in sweat with her clothes completely soaked through, and quietly slipped out to lift the curtain and instruct the small kitchen that they could send hot water to the main room.

When Nanny Tong tested the water temperature and came to the training room to call Bai Qingyan, she saw that Bai Qingyan had already set down her silver spear and was receiving a handkerchief from Chun Tao to wipe her sweat.

Nanny Tong entered the training room carrying hot water and said with a smile, “Eldest Miss, the water is ready!”

Bai Qingyan’s breathing was labored. She took the tea water from the black lacquered square tray in Nanny Tong’s hands, took a sip, and said: “Nanny, from today onward, don’t stoke the floor heating and braziers so vigorously. My constitution improves day by day, and I always feel rather hot.”

Nanny Tong smiled and nodded: “Eldest Miss can rest assured, this old servant knows. I only thought of Eldest Miss bathing shortly, so I instructed them to stoke the braziers and floor heating more vigorously.”

Now, Bai Qingyan was taking the secret medicine that Xiao Rongyan sent every few days, plus the medicine that Physician Hong had brought back from Great Yan’s extremely cold regions. Her cold syndrome had almost completely recovered.

These past days, Bai Qingyan had also trained day and night without missing a single day. Her entire person was visibly in much better spirits. How could Nanny Tong not be happy?

After bathing, Bai Qingyan sat at the desk and spread out Great Liang’s geographical map and local gazetteers to study carefully. She also drew lines and made marks on the map, using extremely small characters to note each month’s weather and possible disasters.

Chun Tao stood behind Bai Qingyan, helping to towel her hair, her gaze falling on the map as she asked: “Eldest Miss, is this map to be sent to Fourth Miss?”

“Perhaps Xiao Si could use it!” Bai Qingyan looked down intently at the map.

When Bai Jinzhi left, Bai Qingyan had packed local gazetteers and maps for her, but if Bai Qingyan hadn’t misjudged, that little girl wouldn’t flip through them, so she could only work a bit harder herself.

Once she finished this last bit today, this map would be complete.

Bai Qingyan set down her brush and carefully went through everything once more, then said to Chun Tao: “Have Chun Zhi go call Uncle Liu. We need to send someone to deliver this map to Xiao Si.”

“Yes!” Chun Tao smiled and went out to have Chun Zhi call Steward Liu.

Bai Qingyan had just finished folding the map when she heard Nanny Tong’s cheerful voice from outside: “Eldest Miss! Eldest Miss, great joy!”

She looked up through the nanmu wood and jade screen toward the outer room, seeing Nanny Tong lift the cotton felt curtain and hurry in with her skirts raised, quickly circling the screen to bow to Bai Qingyan: “Eldest Miss! Great joy! Physician Hong has developed medicine to treat the plague. He’s currently washing and changing clothes, and specifically had little Yin Shuang come tell Eldest Miss!”

This was indeed joyful news. Bai Qingyan’s eyes were full of smiles: “This means Physician Hong’s method worked? All the patients who took the medicine previously have recovered?”