More and more people grew emotionally agitated, willing to take the court rod punishment for the Third Miss of the Bai family. Even seven or eight-year-old children stood up saying: “The Bai family protects all people, and all people can also protect the Bai family. Though I am young, I have also read the classics of the sages. I am willing to take the rod punishment for Sister Bai!”

Seeing this, the executioner became even more afraid to act, his heart extremely shaken. He had never seen the people so protective of a single family. He was stunned into standing aside helplessly by these vigorous people demanding to take the court rod punishment for Third Miss of the Bai family, turning to order the guards following behind him: “Quickly go report to the superiors to see how this should be handled.”

The little eunuch hiding inside Wude Gate to gather information saw this situation and ran to the Emperor’s palace hall, crawling and running to the palace gate, hurriedly saying to Gao Demao: “Eunuch Gao, the Grand Princess from Duke Zhenguo’s mansion brought several Bai family daughters to beat the Denunciation Drum outside Wude Gate, demanding His Majesty capture Liu Huanzhang and kill Prince Xin to uphold national law! All the people outside are clamoring to take the court rod punishment for the Third Miss of the Bai family who struck the drum.”

Even Gao Demao, a figure close to the Emperor, was startled hearing these words. Prince Xin… was the legitimate son of the Emperor and Empress! Had the Grand Princess gone mad to dare demand the Emperor kill his legitimate son!

Historically, when princes committed crimes, unless it was treason, the most severe punishment was only confinement. The Bai family, with all their men dead, had probably gone mad and stopped caring about consequences.

“Eunuch Gao!” The little eunuch wiped his sweat with his sleeve. “Should you tell His Majesty?”

Gao Demao flicked his fly whisk and sneered: “Such inauspicious matters will have someone else report them. Why should I rush to do it? Yesterday, His Majesty just kicked Prince Xin, and today the Bai family comes looking for trouble. Recently, you all be careful with your heads when serving, don’t get implicated.”

As soon as Gao Demao finished speaking, the gate commander came to report this matter.

After hearing it, the Emperor directly smashed the blue and white porcelain tea cup painted with twining red plum blossoms in his hand, so angry he couldn’t sit still and paced back and forth. The pale yellow tea water instantly made a mess of the fine velvet carpet.

“Outrageous! The Bai family is outrageous!”

Palace maids and eunuchs knelt all over the great hall, holding their breath and not daring to speak.

When the Son of Heaven is angry, millions of corpses lie down!

Who dared speak when the Emperor was furious? Were they not afraid of being implicated? Even Gao Demao, who had great favor before the Emperor, crouched like a quail with his head to the ground, wishing he could shrink into nothing so the Emperor couldn’t see him.

“This humble minister sent people to investigate clearly before daring to report to Your Majesty. I heard that today, before the memorial hall, a Bai family servant was ordered to deliver winter clothes returned covered in blood, desperately delivering those six volumes of bamboo slips. The bamboo slips were read aloud by the Bai family daughters, the people became emotionally agitated, and all followed to kneel outside the palace gates, seeking justice for the Bai family!”

The Emperor, burning with rage, nearly couldn’t stand. Reading it once publicly at Duke Zhenguo’s mansion, reading it again at the palace gates – were they afraid the people wouldn’t remember! They truly left no room for retreat!

The Bai family… was truly audacious!

The Emperor supported himself with one hand on the corner of the sandalwood table, gritted his teeth, turned, and ordered: “Gao Demao, you go! Personally invite the Grand Princess first!”

After all, she was his aunt. First stabilize the Grand Princess, then the Bai family children would be easier to handle.

Having made up his mind, the Emperor looked at his robe corner dampened by tea water, and became angry again: “Why aren’t you changing my clothes!”

·

Outside Wude Gate, Bai Qingyan, kneeling before the palace gates with the Grand Princess, saw the head eunuch Gao Demao beside the Emperor running over.

Gao Demao ran over, bowed, and knelt beside the Grand Princess, saying: “Grand Princess, His Majesty sent this old servant to invite the Grand Princess…”

Seeing that the head eunuch beside the Emperor had come out, only then did Bai Jintong put down the drumstick and kneel beside Bai Qingyan.

The Grand Princess squeezed Bai Qingyan’s hand forcefully, stood up, supporting herself with her walking stick, and smoothed her robe.

“Eldest Miss…” Gao Demao smiled at Bai Qingyan, “Could you give these military record bamboo slips to this old servant to present to His Majesty?”

Bai Qingyan solemnly handed the bamboo slips to Gao Demao, speaking word by word: “I have read these bamboo slips – every word pierces the heart! I hope His Majesty can return justice to the loyal souls who died for the Kingdom! Otherwise… if the Bai family is not at peace, the people will not be at peace.”

Gao Demao instinctively glanced at the people kneeling with the Bai family at the palace gates. The meaning in Miss Bai’s words, taken broadly, could be considered threatening to the current emperor.

Carefully receiving the blood-stained bamboo slips, Gao Demao said, “Miss Bai, rest assured. This old servant will certainly convey these words.”

Bai Qingyan straightened her spine and knelt there, watching her grandmother follow Gao Demao through Wude Gate…

“Elder sister, do you think Grandmother will be persuaded by the Emperor?” Bai Jintong gripped her mourning clothes tightly, her brow furrowed.

The Grand Princess’s attitude seemed clear, yet was not entirely so. How could Bai Jintong not know?

She looked at those vermilion lacquered gates, at her grandmother’s straight spine, her originally resolute heart feeling somewhat powerless.

She only said, “The situation compels it. Neither Grandmother nor the Emperor can stop it!”

“Can the Emperor kill Prince Xin?!” Bai Jintong thought repeatedly. In Great Jin’s history, there had never been an imperial prince executed. Even the previous Second Prince had been confined and then committed suicide.

“If the Emperor doesn’t deal with Prince Xin, it won’t be enough to calm popular sentiment and anger! Once he acts to deal with him… the crime of coveting glory and advancing recklessly, causing hundreds of thousands of Great Jin officers and soldiers to perish, the crime of fearing responsibility and pushing blame onto loyal souls – these are enough to ensure Prince Xin can never again compete for high position in this life. Either confinement… or demotion to commoner status!” Her voice was steady, killing intent quietly seeping from her eyes.

“Too good for him!” Bai Jinxiu rarely showed such a vicious expression, tears falling uncontrollably.

“If the Emperor can harden his heart to kill Prince Xin, at least he can maintain a good reputation in the people’s hearts. If he can’t bear to… he will push all popular support to the Bai family! Loyal martyrs die miserably for the people, while imperial sons live ignomiously yet preserve their lives – right and wrong are clear in the people’s hearts!” She took a deep breath of the cold winter air and straightened her spine. “The court does not allow women, but popular sentiment makes no distinction between men and women. We have no power in the previous court – all we can fight for is popular support!”

“Revenge is simple! As long as one has the will… Prince Xin can always be killed! Why let the Emperor benefit by acting and gaining a good reputation? Isn’t it better for such a powerful blade as popular sentiment to be in our own hands?! Prince Xin is greedy for life and fears death, abandoning the people; many want him dead. If one day he carelessly gets his throat cut on a dark, windy night, besides the imperial family… probably no one would shed tears for him!” Bai Jinzhi’s fists clenched with cracking sounds.

Having experienced this event, Bai Jinzhi was now willing to think things through before acting, not relying entirely on her impulses. She felt deeply gratified.

·

In the great hall, the Emperor was also seeing these military record bamboo slips for the first time.

Every incident… recorded clearly!

He had originally only known of this battle’s disastrous defeat. The military records had not been submitted, and casualty statistics had not been compiled clearly.

He truly had not expected the defeat to be this catastrophic!