Amidst the pattering rain, Xiao Rongyan’s rich voice slowly related the secrets of Great Yan’s past to Bai Qingyan.

“General Tang Yi was said to have died from a recurring old illness, but in truth… back then, the faction led by Yan’s Chancellor was stirring restlessly, wanting to support Tang Yi in seizing power and eliminate the foolish Yan Emperor and my elder brother to cut the grass and pull up the roots. My mother was then just a powerless pregnant concubine in the imperial harem. She could only strike at the root of the problem—General Tang Yi died from a cup of poisoned wine that my mother personally handed to him. For this, mother grieved and felt guilty for the rest of her life…”

“Great Yan’s General Ning Chu’ao was my mother’s blood brother from the same mother. At that time… when the Yan Emperor awakened from his stupor, General Tang Yi was already gone, and all of Yan’s military power was in Uncle’s hands. But to protect mother and protect us, uncle chose to surrender his military authority. Even so, the Yan Emperor still worried that Uncle’s prestige in the army was too high. The ministers who followed the Yan Emperor intended to frame Uncle with treason to solve the emperor’s worries. The subordinates loyal to Uncle wanted to help him escape from Great Yan, but… for mother’s sake, for our sake, before those ministers under the emperor could act, Uncle ordered his subordinates to present his severed head to the Yan Emperor in exchange for… our safety!”

“When uncle’s head was placed before the Yan Emperor’s desk, mother was in such agony she wanted to kill herself. But mother still persevered, using thunderous methods to completely exterminate those treacherous ministers who had intended to frame uncle, wiping out their entire clans!”

“A’Bao, in my view… You are an even stronger woman than my mother. You and my mother have similar temperaments and the same aspirations! But you accomplished what my mother should have done, but never did! Leading troops in battle… overthrowing the Jin Dynasty, ascending the throne as emperor! You became what my brother and I wanted my mother to become!”

Every word Xiao Rongyan spoke came from his heart. Bai Qingyan never allowed herself to be constrained by emotions—whatever goal she set, she would never compromise and would certainly achieve it.

He gripped Bai Qingyan’s hands tightly: “Compared to General Tang Yi who died by my mother’s hand, compared to uncle who willingly presented his head to the Yan Emperor’s desk to protect us mother and son, your grandmother… the Grand Princess of the Jin Dynasty, she already knew that the Jin Dynasty’s fall was unstoppable. She died by her own choice, dying to honor her Lin family’s Jin kingdom. You did not force your grandmother to her death! You shouldn’t torment yourself like this.”

Xiao Rongyan gazed deeply at Bai Qingyan, seeing her nod slightly: “I understand all the reasoning you speak of, I understand it all… but grandmother was my grandmother. I will never have a grandmother again… never again.”

As she spoke, her nostrils flared, and tears fell from her extremely long eyelashes.

When Murong Yu had died, Xiao Rongyan had felt the same way…

He slowly straightened up and gently drew Bai Qingyan into his embrace, softly stroking her back. It was good that she cried—crying meant releasing her emotions.

Bai Qingyan buried her head in Xiao Rongyan’s chest, trying to suppress her emotions but unable to stop her tears, her back trembling slightly.

Murong Yan tightened his arms, shielding Bai Qingyan from the cool wind entering through the unclosed windows, wanting to warm her even just a little.

He looked down at the top of Bai Qingyan’s head and saw that she had grown gray hair. His heart clenched tightly.

How young she was, yet she had already grown white hair…

Xiao Rongyan knew he couldn’t let Bai Qingyan continue exhausting herself like this. He had to find a way to let her get a good night’s sleep.

Without revealing his intentions, he took out the calming ointment that Great Yan’s imperial physicians had prepared, which he had hidden in his sleeve. He warmed it in his palm and gently massaged the temples of Bai Qingyan, who was silently weeping.

When Bai Qingyan had met with Xiao Rongyan last night, and Xiao Rongyan hadn’t left the Bai residence until nearly dawn, Bai Qingjue had ordered everyone in the Bai household who knew about it to keep their mouths tightly shut. Those who could remain in the Bai family were all loyal servants who understood that this concerned their eldest miss’s reputation, and they all swore never to reveal a single word.

Only now did Bai Qingjue realize that the relationship between Xiao Rongyan and his elder sister was probably extraordinary.

Xiao Rongyan had accompanied elder sister for most of the night, and when he left… Bai Qingjue had clearly seen tear stains on the fabric at Xiao Rongyan’s waist. Later… elder sister had emerged with reddened eyes and was helped back to Qinghui Courtyard by Chun Tao, where she had rested and still hadn’t awakened until now.

Physician Hong had checked her pulse several times and said that elder sister was simply extremely exhausted from this period, physically weary, and was just sleeping. He instructed not to disturb elder sister and to let her sleep until she naturally awakened, so she could recover some vitality.

Lu Ninghua also kept watch by Bai Qingyan’s bedside in case of emergency… being a woman, she was more convenient than Physician Hong.

Bai Qingjue speculated whether Xiao Rongyan had persuaded elder sister last night, and after she had cried and let go, the string she had kept taut for so long had finally relaxed. Once it loosened, exhaustion had rushed in like a flood, which was why elder sister had slept until now.

As long as the elder sister was sleeping and nothing else was wrong, Bai Qingjue felt this was a good thing.

Before he had returned, elder sister had single-handedly pushed the Bai family forward to where they were today. She was extremely tired, and it was time for him to share some of her burdens.

On the nineteenth day of the sixth month in the first year of Yuanhe, the funeral was held for the Great Zhou Empress’s grandmother, the Grand Princess of the Jin Dynasty.

Bai Qingyan remained unconscious in deep sleep. Bai Qingjue earnestly requested his aunts to let Bai Qingyan sleep longer. He would write the eulogy and break the mourning bowl.

Back when Duke Zhenguo and the sons of the Bai family had their funeral, very few noble families had come, yet the entire long street… was densely packed with common people kneeling to see them off, reluctant to follow along.

Today, at the funeral of the Great Zhou Empress’s grandmother, noble families crowded together in great numbers, while some common people came to watch the excitement, but there was no crying that had once shaken the entire capital city.

The people learned that the Grand Princess’s funeral was so simple and swift because before being coerced away by that scoundrel Prince Liang of the Jin Dynasty, the Grand Princess had instructed her nanny that if she died… the funeral should be kept simple, only requesting to be buried alongside Duke Zhenguo as soon as possible.

The people couldn’t help but sigh over the loving marriage between the Jin Dynasty’s Grand Princess and Duke Zhenguo, and inevitably recalled when the battle reports from Nan Jiang had arrived, and twenty-three coffins had been arranged in the main courtyard of the Bai residence.

Even today, when people remember this, their eyes are still filled with tears. Fortunately, Heaven had eyes… the seventh young master of the Bai family had returned. This could be considered good people receiving good rewards. Every man, woman, and young old in Duke Zhenguo’s household had been true gentlemen with proud integrity who protected the nation and its people. Even this time, when Princess Zhenguo raised troops in rebellion against the Jin Dynasty, it was because the emperor had built the Nine-Tiered Platform, showed no benevolence toward the people, and wanted to use a thousand boys and girls to refine elixirs.

They had all heard that the Jin Dynasty’s dog emperor had not only used children to refine elixirs, but had wanted to use the orphans of soldiers whose grandfathers, fathers, and uncles had all died on the battlefield in the Nan Jiang campaign to refine elixirs. Those soldiers had shed their blood and sacrificed their lives for the Kingdom, yet in the end, even their flesh and blood descendants wouldn’t be spared?

Later, when the Jin Dynasty emperor died in Luohong Tower, the people all applauded with delight.