The Bai family’s shadow guard, who appeared to be two or three years older than Yue Shi, watched as Yue Shi held his teacup, using the lid to press down the tea leaves while bending his waist in an extremely awkward posture to drink tea. The guard’s brow furrowed as he set aside some peanuts, rubbing off their red skins as he asked, “Are you injured at the waist?”
Yue Shi, holding his teacup, shook his head and answered properly, “No, I’m not.”
“If you’re not injured, then why do you keep hunching over like that?” The Bai family’s shadow guard lifted his tea bowl and took a sip. “When you were leading us around in circles, your posture wasn’t this timid and shrinking.”
“Pfft…” Yue Shi spat out the mouthful of tea he had just drunk, his eyes widening as he stared at the Bai family shadow guard.
The Bai family shadow guard handed Yue Shi a handkerchief with obvious disgust, while the other Bai family shadow guards also looked at Yue Shi with disdain.
“I’m sorry!” Yue Shi hurriedly wiped his mouth with the handkerchief, saying quickly, “It was all my master’s orders. I had no choice but to comply. I didn’t intentionally lead you all around in circles. I’m sorry!”
“Look at this little pup’s guilty expression!” The Bai family’s shadow guard suddenly burst into laughter. “You don’t think your martial arts are so advanced that… you alone could lead us brothers around the city aimlessly, do you? We brothers came from the Bai family army – we’re not incompetent! If we hadn’t been ordered to allow it, would we have let you come and go freely in our Bai mansion?”
“Your lightness skill is good… but we also had to guard against any diversion tactics,” another Bai family shadow guard added.
Yue Shi had wholeheartedly believed that his martial arts were quite impressive, even reaching the level of divine perfection, which was why he could lead the Bai family shadow guards around in circles. It turned out that they had been ordered to follow him around in circles all along.
Yue Shi’s mind worked extremely quickly – did this mean that… Miss Bai also had feelings for their master?
“This was Miss Bai’s intention?” Yue Shi’s eyes couldn’t hide his joy.
“The first time, you diverted two of them, but I was still there. However, your master’s lightness skill is excellent. By the time I noticed, your master had already reached our Miss’s window. I saw that our Miss had no intention of taking action, and in the end, she had Miss Chun Tao escort him out. I recognized him as a benefactor of the Bai family, so I didn’t obstruct your master’s departure!” The shadow guard peeled another peanut, rubbing off its red skin before tossing it into his mouth. “Later, naturally, our Miss gave her instructions!”
Xiao Rongyan had shown kindness to the Bai family, and outside rumors were spreading that this world’s richest merchant had deep feelings for their Miss. Later… during the Wude Gate incident, Xiao Rongyan had even risked his life to protect the Bai family’s safety. The Bai family guards were well aware of all this.
In their hearts, Xiao Rongyan was already the son-in-law who would soon marry into their Bai family, one of their own.
“Hah…” Yue Shi set his teacup down on the table with a thud, no longer hunching his waist as he straightened up and said quietly, “If I had known earlier, I wouldn’t have gone through all that trouble to lead you in circles. Next time, how about I prepare good wine and food to treat you all to a meal as an apology?”
“No, no, our Bai family has strict rules – we absolutely cannot touch alcohol while on duty. Please understand, brother!” The Bai family guard cupped his hands toward Yue Shi.
Yue Shi immediately went along with this: “I was thoughtless. How about this… I’ll prepare good tea and fine pastries!”
“Excellent! After all, we don’t know when you’ll come, but you know in your hearts, don’t you…” The Bai family guard said with a smile.
The next morning, Bai Qingyan was to depart and return to Shouyang. Xiao Rongyan rode his horse to escort Bai Qingyan for a stretch of the journey.
In the morning light, when Xiao Rongyan dismounted to bid farewell to Bai Qingyan, who sat inside the carriage, he stood by the carriage window and said to her, “I will pacify the Wei kingdom as quickly as possible. Wait for me…”
Bai Qingyan’s ears turned red, her eyes like spring water as she gazed at Xiao Rongyan and nodded, “Good…”
This time, Bai Qingyan’s return to Shouyang was deliberately kept secret, so no one came to welcome her at Shouyang’s city gates.
However, Prefect Shen Tianzhi, who had already received his transfer orders, visited her that very evening after learning of Bai Qingyan’s return to Shouyang.
Bai Qingyan knew why Shen Tianzhi had come, so she went to the front hall to meet him.
“Yanwo is our Jin kingdom’s granary, a land of fertile soil… Now that the Crown Prince has already sent people to repair the broad river channels, I believe it won’t be long before Yanwo, under Prefect Shen’s governance, will surely surpass its former glory.” Bai Qingyan held her teacup and spoke slowly.
“I beg Princess Zhenguo to speak plainly – is it because you don’t trust me that you’re assigning me to such a distant place, or is it… for other reasons?” Shen Tianzhi’s burning gaze fixed on Bai Qingyan, neither humble nor arrogant, seeking only clarity.
“Since Lord Shen said it was a retreat route my father left for our Bai family, I believed it!” Bai Qingyan set down her teacup and stared intently at Shen Tianzhi. “I’m entrusting the kingdom’s granary to Lord Shen’s hands. The reasons behind this… Lord Shen is wise and must be able to guess my intentions.”
Shen Tianzhi’s heart trembled. He had indeed guessed… and after guessing, he felt somewhat excited and somewhat frightened.
If before it had been mere speculation, now Shen Tianzhi could be certain that Bai Qingyan was planning something.
This daughter of Bai Qishan had truly grand ambitions…
She was preparing to swallow the Jin kingdom whole and make preparations for rebellion!
Shen Tianzhi was not fundamentally a pedantic scholar who only showed loyalty to the monarch. He understood perfectly well what the current imperial family had become.
Originally, Shen Tianzhi had been unwilling to serve the Jin kingdom, let alone now!
There were some words Shen Tianzhi had never spoken to Bai Qingyan – he had once suggested to Bai Qishan… that the Duke Zhenguo’s mansion could replace the Lin imperial power, but Bai Qishan had said that the Bai family and the Bai family army… had always been this Jin kingdom’s backbone, the Jin kingdom’s bulwark. What they should be were the kingdom’s pillars of support, never treacherous rebels.
Shen Tianzhi respected Bai Qishan but also found him pedantic.
Now, Bai Qishan’s daughter was preparing for the day when she would seize the Jin kingdom’s realm with every single action. How could this not make Shen Tianzhi’s blood surge with excitement? This Jin kingdom’s magnificent territory in the hands of one who was truly capable would be far better and stronger than under the Lin family’s muddled rule!
Moreover, the current emperor was obsessed with elixirs, constructing the Nine-Tiered Platform ostensibly for prayers but actually in pursuit of immortality…
Taking history as a mirror, if a ruler began pursuing the path of immortality, then this nation’s fortune was probably nearing its end.
Shen Tianzhi rose, lifted the hem of his robes, and knelt on one knee, bowing to Bai Qingyan: “Shen Tianzhi… is willing to listen to Princess Zhenguo’s commands and will… guard this Jin kingdom’s granary well for Princess Zhenguo!”
Bai Qingyan didn’t put on airs. She rose and gave a long bow, her heroic bearing evident, with no trace of frailty.
“I entrust this to Lord Shen.”
The word “rebellion” need not be spoken aloud. As long as Bai Qingyan wasn’t intentionally concealing it, intelligent people could always glimpse a thing or two.
·
On the twenty-third day of the second month in the seventeenth year of Xuanjia, the Wei kingdom’s request for aid from Jin was refused.
On the twenty-sixth day of the second month in the seventeenth year of Xuanjia, Xiliang ignored Jin’s warnings and launched a fierce attack on Nanrong, consecutively capturing several of Nanrong’s horse ranches with growing momentum.