The Crown Prince’s arrangement had the intention of promoting Fan Yuhuai’s son. Zhang Duanning was mature and steady enough to properly arrange matters along the way, while Fan Yugan was merely following along for the trip.
Besides this, the Crown Prince also ordered someone to bring an imperial physician… saying he wanted the imperial physician to serve exclusively at Bai Qingyan’s side to care for her health without any mishaps, telling Bai Qingyan to be extremely careful.
At the end of the letter, Bai Jinxiu wrote about the latest battle situation between Great Yan and the Wei Kingdom. Great Yan had now produced three fierce generals… Great Yan’s Ninth Prince Murong Yan, Great Yan’s Second Prince Murong Ping, and Great Yan’s general Xie Xun.
Ninth Prince Murong Yan led troops to defend Great Yan against Xiliang, while Second Prince Murong Ping and General Xie Xun divided their forces into two routes, steadily advancing toward the Wei Kingdom’s capital, Changcheng. According to Great Yan’s current marching speed, they could successfully capture the Wei Kingdom’s capital by the end of the year at the earliest.
After reading the letter, Bai Qingyan remained silent for a moment, moved the lamp shade aside, lit the letter paper, and watched as the letter burned to ash. Only then did she look up at Zhao Ran: “Go tell the messenger to relay to Second Miss… to carefully watch Fan Yuhuai, but don’t startle the snake by beating the grass. Have Fu Ruoxi make a good list of which former subordinates Fan Yuhuai has been getting close to, arranging them according to how intimately Fan Yuhuai treats these former Patrol Battalion subordinates and their official positions from high to low. When appropriate, select one person each from those in slightly higher positions who are close to Fan Yuhuai… and one from those in relatively lower positions whom Fan Yuhuai treats more distantly, then shift their positions and see if Fan Yuhuai’s attitude toward these two people changes.”
Bai Qingyan’s voice paused slightly, then she added: “Also… have Second Miss investigate exactly who recommended Fan Yuhuai’s son Fan Yugan and Zhang Duanning to escort the grain supplies.”
“Yes!” Zhao Ran clasped his fists in response, turned, and left to relay the orders.
Bai Qingyan had previously given Fan Yuhuai a list, also as a test…
At that time, Fan Yuhuai’s actions, in Bai Qingyan’s view, suggested he wanted to be a pure minister who didn’t participate in various factional struggles. Now he was beginning to associate with former Patrol Battalion subordinates, and at the same time, someone had recommended Fan Yuhuai’s son Fan Yugan, who had an extraordinary relationship with Lu Yuanpeng… and was also a fellow dandy. This was somewhat delicate.
Fan Yuhuai’s son Fan Yugan only wanted to be a wealthy and leisurely person, but as a father, he couldn’t help but plan for his son’s future, which led to Fan Yugan’s current mission of escorting grain supplies to the front lines.
So could Fan Yuhuai’s son be Fan Yuhuai’s weakness? Had someone won over Fan Yuhuai using Fan Yugan’s prospects?
Just as Fu Ruoxi worried, Fan Yuhuai had never been someone who enjoyed eating and drinking. On the contrary, the former Fan Yuhuai seemed to rarely enjoy participating in banquets of eating, drinking, and entertainment among colleagues.
Had he truly become satisfied upon reaching his current position as Imperial Guard commander, feeling he had reached the end and thus lost his caution, or had there been other changes? Bai Qingyan couldn’t be certain about this point for now.
But… Bai Qingyan could be certain that Fan Yuhuai’s heart had changed from before. Whether this change was good or bad for Bai Qingyan remained unknown.
“Elder sister, this Fan Yuhuai… was a hero who saved the emperor during the Wude Gate incident last time, and could be said to have gone through life and death together with elder sister. Can’t he be trusted either?” Bai Jinzhi was also puzzled.
Bai Qingyan turned her head and smiled at Bai Jinzhi: “In this world, whether for profit or emotion, people’s hearts are constantly changing and cannot be fully trusted. Although great-grandfather taught us that besides blood relatives, the bond of comrades-in-arms… is the deepest tie in this world, Fan Yuhuai wasn’t aligned with us from the beginning, let alone being someone who repeatedly shared life and death with us. Moreover, Fan Yuhuai had reservations about us from the very start.”
It was precisely because of Fan Yuhuai’s initial reservations that Bai Jinxiu and Fu Ruoxi kept an eye on Fan Yuhuai.
Bai Jinzhi thought for a moment and nodded: “I understand. Both Fan Yuhuai and Fu Ruoxi… were people the elder sister recommended to the Crown Prince, but Fan Yuhuai had reservations about the people the elder sister initially arranged, while Fu Ruoxi wholeheartedly followed the elder sister’s instructions. So Fu Ruoxi can be used, and Fan Yuhuai can be used… but must be used with caution.”
Bai Qingyan nodded with satisfaction, examining Bai Jinzhi’s features that had become darker and thinner than before: “Although you’ve grown taller, you’ve become much darker and thinner. When we return, Third Aunt will worry again when she sees you.”
“It’s fine. After we pacify Great Liang… I’ll recuperate when I return and become fair again!” Bai Jinzhi didn’t care at all, lowering her voice to whisper to Bai Qingyan: “I heard from the nannies around mother that the reason mother cares so much about whether I’m fair is because mother was dark when she was little! She spent many years and went through great trouble to finally become fair. Mother is afraid I’ll stay dark and won’t be able to marry, but I don’t care. I deliberately tan myself dark so mother will give up on the idea of arranging marriages for me!”
“You’re truly Third Aunt’s little devil star, just like she says!” Bai Qingyan touched Bai Jinzhi’s forehead, then said: “Master Cai, who teaches in Shouyang, I brought him along this time. In the future… let Master Cai stay by your side. If you’re uncertain about anything, you can ask Master Cai.”
“But isn’t elder sister here!” Bai Jinzhi didn’t understand. “Can’t I just ask my elder sister if I have questions?”
“After making some adjustments at Qingxi Mountain Pass and capturing Liuzhou City, I’ll suggest to General Liu Hong that you, I… and General Liu Hong divide our forces into three routes and march directly toward Great Liang’s capital, Hancheng!” Bai Qingyan placed her hand on Bai Jinzhi’s shoulder: “To become the wolf king, you must independently demonstrate the strength that will make soldiers submit to you. If you can be the first to reach Great Liang’s Hancheng, from then on… no one will ever dare look down on you, General Bai.”
Bai Jinzhi’s dark, bright eyes looked at her elder sister as she nodded vigorously: “Little Four remembers!”
She hadn’t forgotten that after she had recklessly whipped those troublemakers who came to cause trouble at the Bai mansion gates in the capital, her elder sister’s teachings… She had always remembered her elder sister’s words that she should achieve merit and establish her career on the battlefield as a woman, becoming the most brilliant female general of the Bai family and even the entire Jin Kingdom!
This was also Bai Jinzhi’s greatest goal in life.
Bai Qingyan squeezed Bai Jinzhi’s shoulder, having a firm belief in Bai Jinzhi’s ability to lead troops well.
Zhao Sheng struggled painfully in the barracks for three whole days.
During this time, some of Zhao’s army also contracted the plague and were sent to the medical facility, and some who had taken the plague treatment medicine from the beginning showed improved symptoms.
However, people entered the medical facility daily, and people also died daily. The Liang soldiers who had initially been stubborn and unwilling to drink the Jin Kingdom’s plague treatment medicine could watch helplessly each day as the corpses of their comrades were carried out of the medical facility. Their hearts had already begun to waver, and some whose bones weren’t hard enough… even began to lower their stance and beg the Jin army for medicine.
Once one person started, more people lost their pride and knelt to beg for medicine.