“He was just here!” Nanny Jiang said as she was about to go out, “This old servant will go summon Wei Zhong right away!”

“Nanny, wait!” Bai Jinse called out to stop Nanny Jiang, then turned to the Grand Princess and said, “Grandmother, Little Seven has sent Wei Zhong to report to elder sister! Elder sister is now far away in Great Liang, currently campaigning for the Jin Kingdom to destroy Liang, yet such events have occurred in the capital. We must let our elder sister be prepared.”

The Grand Princess looked down at her young granddaughter, her weary and aged appearance impossible to conceal despite her best efforts.

She wondered whether it was because the Lin imperial power had reached its end.

Ever since Duke Zhenguo’s mansion was no more, the capital had been in constant turmoil.

When a dynasty’s fortune was nearly exhausted, it was vastly different from when it was at its zenith.

The Wude Gate incident had already caused the people to speculate endlessly about the imperial family. If chaos erupted again now, who knew how fearful and suspicious the people would become?

Even though the capital’s prosperity remained unchanged, someone like the Grand Princess, who had experienced the Jin Kingdom’s glorious peak and witnessed its decline to the present state, could already sense that this once-brilliant dynasty had reached the end of its road.

The Grand Princess gently stroked Bai Jinse’s head and said in a low voice: “Though chaos has erupted in the capital and we are outside the city, if your elder sister receives news and leads troops to protect the emperor, there’s no guarantee Prince Liang won’t become desperate and use grandmother, you… and the Bai family members in Shouyang to threaten your elder sister. Pack your things. Grandmother will have someone escort you back to Shouyang overnight. After you return, tell your mother that if the court issues edicts sending people to fetch you all, you must not trust them easily! Fortunately, Shouyang has Shouyang troops that can resist for a while!”

Bai Jinse gripped the Grand Princess’s hand tightly: “Grandmother, let’s go together!”

The flickering candlelight illuminated the wrinkles around the Grand Princess’s eyes, making her appear even more kind and benevolent. She gently stroked Bai Jinse’s head: “Grandmother is old and can’t travel anymore! Your second sister is still in the capital, and… that imperial city within the capital is where your grandmother grew up as a child! Grandmother must stay and guard it.”

Bai Jinse’s clean, tender features remained unchanged, but she couldn’t help worrying in her heart. Elder sister’s uprising against the Lin imperial power was imminent. If grandmother knew, would she turn against elder sister?

“Little Seven will stay with grandmother! Let Nanny Jiang send someone back to Shouyang to remind Mother!” Bai Jinse made up her mind. With her grandmother’s side, she could still offer some persuasion.

“Silly child!” The Grand Princess chuckled softly, then looked up at Nanny Jiang, “Escort Seventh Miss back to Shouyang, leave immediately!”

“Grandmother!” Bai Jinse was greatly alarmed.

The Grand Princess leaned down to embrace Bai Jinse in her arms, gently patting her back: “Don’t be afraid, and don’t worry about grandmother. Grandmother is Jin Kingdom’s Grand Princess. Born into the imperial family, I have my responsibilities and duties. The more critical the imperial family’s situation becomes… the less grandmother can leave! But you’re different. You are your grandmother’s granddaughter… your grandmother must protect you! Go now…”

Bai Jinse tightly gripped the brocade-thin quilt covering the Grand Princess’s legs, her eyes red and swollen with emotion.

She only hoped grandmother truly thought this way, that she would protect her granddaughter and not turn against her elder sister in hostility.

·

On the twenty-fifth day of the third month in the eighteenth year of Xuanjia, Jin Kingdom’s former Imperial Guard Commander Xie Yuchang, holding the tiger tally, led his troops to guard the imperial palace. Striking first, he captured Prince Liang, Li Mao, Li Mingrui, Imperial Guard Commander Fan Yuhuai, and others who intended rebellion, but was powerless to control the capital’s city gates.

Fan Yuhuai and Prince Liang raised their arms and cried out that the Crown Prince had imprisoned the Emperor, holding the Son of Heaven hostage to command all of Jin Kingdom above and below, claiming Prince Liang and Fan Yuhuai intended to protect the emperor.

Led by Left Chancellor Li Mao, the Left Chancellor’s faction, including Minister of Revenue Chu Zhongxing and others, supported Fan Yuhuai, controlling the four gates of the capital and besieging the city.

Led by Chancellor Lu, the loyal ministers of the court promptly brought their families into the palace, vowing to resist to the death the treacherous Prince Liang, Fan Yuhuai, and the Left Chancellor’s faction.

Chancellor Lu, worried that Fan Yuhuai, Prince Liang, and their associates would search throughout the capital for the Crown Prince’s whereabouts or besiege the Crown Prince’s residence, publicly declared that the Crown Prince had already entered the palace.

Li Mao’s spies also reported that they had indeed seen the Crown Prince’s residence carriages enter the palace gates.

Qin Lang’s wife, Bai Jinxiu, removed her red garments and donned military attire, wearing battle armor as she stood shoulder to shoulder with Xie Yuchang, jointly defending the imperial city. Fan Yuhuai attacked repeatedly but could not break through.

When Prince Liang grew anxious, news arrived at the capital that Princess Zhenguo had taken Jiangdu on the nineteenth day of the third month. Prince Liang became even more worried and ordered Fan Yuhuai to capture Wude Gate as quickly as possible.

·

On the twenty-seventh day of the third month, just as the sun was setting, Old Fang finally reached Shouyang. He lifted the window curtain to look outside and saw Shouyang’s night market brightly lit, appearing golden yellow when viewed from afar.

The sounds of revelry throughout the streets rose and fell in endless succession, extraordinarily lively. Old Fang stepped down from the carriage and observed the passing Shouyang citizens with smiles on their faces, warmly greeting each other in animated conversation. For a moment, he was dazzled by Shouyang’s level of prosperity.

He had visited Shouyang before, but the Shouyang of that time was far from having this many people. The citizens’ clothing was more colorful than during his previous visits, and the people’s faces had never shown so many smiles before.

He walked and stopped along the brilliantly lit streets, feeling that when he had previously come to Shouyang, only Shouyang’s main street was extraordinarily lively. Now, even the slightly more remote streets were dotted with vendors like stars and lined with shops in orderly rows.

He had been walking for over an hour without seeing any dark alleys in Shouyang City. Even those secluded little lanes with few passersby were hung full of lanterns to illuminate the path for travelers, as if it were a city that never slept.

Old Fang sat in Shouyang City’s most luxurious restaurant, leaning to one side to gaze at the endless stream of bustling activity below. He couldn’t understand how a small Shouyang could have developed so rapidly in just a few short years.

Who was Shouyang’s prefect? To have such great capability!

In the distance, two patrol teams of Shouyang troops approached from far to near. The people lined up on both sides of the road, clearing a passage…

Old Fang stood up to look down below and saw a girl in military uniform and armor, appearing spirited and capable, though she looked only fourteen or fifteen years old and quite tall and thin, leading a patrol team.

Rather than behaving as Old Fang had imagined – like mice seeing cats when encountering soldiers, lining up on both sides with solemn expressions, cautious – quite a few citizens greeted the young girl.

An elderly woman with silver hair manning a tea stall actually stood by the roadside holding tea, and upon seeing the young girl approach, quickly called out: “Fifth Miss, you’ve worked hard patrolling the city! Have some tea!”

“No, thank you, Grandmother. Shouyang troops have rules – we can’t eat or drink while patrolling!” The spirited girl smiled and waved at the old grandmother, gripping the sword at her waist as she led the troops away.

Wherever she went, the people smiled and called out:

“Fifth Miss, you’ve worked hard leading troops on patrol!”

Old Fang watched those patrol soldiers with their uniform gait and excellent training, comparable even to the Imperial Guards.

Suddenly, a guard came riding from nearby, calling loudly: “Fifth Miss, the Great Madam summons you back to the residence!”

The shop attendant pouring tea for Old Fang, seeing how he craned his neck to look down below, smiled and said: “Sir… you’re from out of town, aren’t you?”