“Protecting Great Jin’s clear rivers and peaceful seas, guarding the people’s prosperous peace!” The Grand Princess softly repeated this phrase, gripping her fingertips tightly. “You and your grandfather… are truly alike!”

Bai Qingyan lowered her gaze to the long road beneath her feet, her heart filled with melancholy.

No, she and her grandfather were not alike.

Her grandfather was a true gentleman, she was not.

After her rebirth, she didn’t know when she had also become someone who spoke of righteousness and morality while calculating private interests in her bones – a petty person.

Going to the southern frontier, she wasn’t entirely motivated by concern for the world and service to Kingdom and people. She indeed pitied the frontier people, but mainly she wanted to go meet her possibly surviving brother and manage and win over the Bai family’s influence in the military that was beginning to scatter.

Having once entered military service at a young age, Bai Qingyan understood too clearly what military power meant.

Once her grandfather commanded Jin’s military power, yet bowed and obeyed the current emperor.

Whether others called her grandfather pedantic or blindly loyal, she knew deeply that this was the most precious gentleman’s integrity of this generation.

But she was not a gentleman.

In chaotic times, the strong are respected.

Whether base or hypocritical, even if she had to use petty means… if she could protect the Bai family’s safety, guard the people’s peace, and ensure Great Jin’s imperial throne went to the capable, she would be that petty person.

After a while, the Grand Princess asked with a trembling voice: “Did your grandfather… truly say His Majesty has the great ambition of a Kunpeng?”

She laughed coldly in response: “Does grandmother think the current emperor… resembles that?”

It was merely that her earlier words had been too intense, so, in calming down, she borrowed one or two of her grandfather’s sayings to deliberately make the Emperor feel guilty.

If the Emperor had any sense of shame, he should reflect on whether he deserved those four words, “great ambition of a Kunpeng.”

The Grand Princess closed her eyes. Thus, she could be at ease… about this granddaughter of hers.

The student surpasses the teacher – the granddaughter she raised was more capable than herself. Assessing situations, guiding according to circumstances, mixing truth with falsehood, reality with illusion – she did very well, truly very well!

She gripped her granddaughter’s hand tightly, her lips curved in a smile, though her eyes couldn’t hide melancholy and sorrow: “A’Bao has grown up, grown even better than grandmother expected. Thus… grandmother can also feel at ease going to the temple for spiritual cultivation, observing mourning for your grandfather… for the heroic spirits of the Bai family.” She only hoped this could offset some of the guilt in her heart toward her husband, son, and grandsons.

As Great Jin’s Grand Princess, she had fulfilled her duty…

But as a wife, mother, and grandmother, she always held back just a little.

Perhaps only toward Suqiu and A’Bao, because they were women, the Grand Princess had never thought women could do anything to threaten the Lin family’s rivers and mountains, so she poured all her devoted love onto her daughter and her granddaughter.

Perhaps it was also fate’s jest – because of Suqiu’s death, Bai Weiting was determined to also bring his granddaughter to the battlefield for training, unexpectedly giving her most beloved granddaughter, the means to contend with the imperial court.

Military affairs cannot be avoided; sacrifice filial piety for loyalty.

The Grand Princess repeated in her heart the high-sounding words her granddaughter spoke in the great hall. She could vaguely guess the reason her granddaughter wanted to go to the southern frontier – because the army was the Bai family’s foundation.

She now only prayed silently in her heart that what her granddaughter wanted was merely the confidence that the Emperor wouldn’t dare move against the Bai family, and not… the power to overthrow the Lin family’s realm.

Coming out of Wude Gate, the Bai family servants were already waiting with carriages at the entrance.

Bai Qingyan thanked the common people who had come with them, informing them that the Emperor had promised to give the Bai family justice. Cheers continued outside Wude Gate.

“Thank you all, this great kindness will be remembered in my heart!” She solemnly bowed again to the people who had earlier wanted to take the beating for her.

Just as Bai Qingyan helped the Grand Princess into the carriage, she saw Qin Shangzhi standing at the back of the crowd with a travel pack, bowing deeply to her from afar before turning to leave.

“Elder sister, what are you looking at?” Bai Jintong supported Bai Qingyan and followed her gaze, quite puzzled.

“Nothing.” Bai Qingyan said as she bent down and entered the carriage.

As soon as the carriage reached the entrance of the Duke’s mansion, Chen Qingsheng placed the stepping stool, but before he could speak to Bai Qingyan, he was separated by Nanny Tong.

She looked back at Chen Qingsheng, who nodded knowingly.

Upon entering the main gate of the Duke’s mansion, she released Nanny Tong’s hand and said, “Nanny, please help me prepare new mourning clothes. I’m going to check on Ji Tingyu…”

Seeing that Bai Qingyan’s mourning clothes still bore Ji Tingyu’s blood, Nanny Tong’s eyes immediately reddened as she nodded: “Yes! This old servant will prepare them right away!”

Seeing Nanny Tong walk away, Chen Qingsheng immediately trotted forward, taking out a register that had been warmed by his chest and handing it to Bai Qingyan: “Miss, this is the list of personnel who handled the provisions sent to the southern frontier two months ago, which Marquis Zhongyong was responsible for organizing!”

She pressed her lips together and took the list, unfolding it…

Besides recording the names and official positions of personnel who handled the provisions, some entries had unfamiliar handwriting added behind them, noting the person’s life history and character. The ink was quite fresh.

“What’s this?”

“This was added by Master Qin, who is staying at our mansion. The master said it might be useful to you, Miss.” Chen Qingsheng was quite embarrassed. “When this servant was investigating those who handled the provisions, somehow Master Qin learned of it and called this servant over to complete this list. Otherwise, this servant fears it wouldn’t have been obtained so quickly! This servant has carefully verified the people on the list – this list is indeed accurate. Then Master Qin had someone call this servant over again to add these people’s life histories and characters.”

Qin Shangzhi, who could wait for an opportunity to assassinate Prince Liang, must have been monitoring Prince Liang’s activities. Since Prince Liang was connected with Marquis Zhongyong, Qin Shangzhi would certainly investigate carefully. With Qin Shangzhi’s capabilities, this list would be genuine.

The Duke’s mansion had shown him life-saving kindness, and Qin Shangzhi was a gentleman. He hadn’t left the Duke’s mansion partly to recover from injuries and partly to find an opportunity to repay the Duke’s mansion.

Now knowing she wanted this list, Qin Shangzhi helped and, having repaid the favor, could leave with peace of mind.

But it was Lu Ping who had originally rescued Qin Shangzhi – she had merely granted Qin Shangzhi a place to stay.

Closing the register in her hands, she felt grateful and, after thinking for a moment, instructed: “Go prepare one hundred taels for travel expenses, and prepare a fine horse. Come with me out of the city.”

“Yes! This servant will prepare them immediately!”

With injuries on his body, Qin Shangzhi wasn’t walking fast. He had just reached Zheliu Pavilion, one li from the city gate, when he heard Chen Qingsheng calling him.

“Master Qin, please wait! Master Qin, please wait!”

Qin Shangzhi turned around to see Chen Qingsheng approaching on horseback, reining in his horse and leaping down to bow respectfully: “Master Qin, please wait a moment. My young mistress has come to see you off!”

Qin Shangzhi’s hand gripping his bundle tightened as he looked toward the city gate.

He saw an ordinary oak carriage used by the Duke’s mansion servants speeding toward him, slowly stopping before him. Qin Shangzhi straightened his spine.

The driver was Bai Qingyan’s milk brother Xiao Ruohai, who leaped down from the carriage and bowed respectfully to Qin Shangzhi. In the interval, Chun Tao had already lifted the carriage curtain and helped Bai Qingyan down.