Chapter 303 - 303 301 Immeasurable_1

Chapter 303: Chapter 301: Immeasurable_1 Chapter 303: Chapter 301: Immeasurable_1 Kid saw that Mrs. Dong was truly heartbroken. She took out a handkerchief to wipe Mrs. Dong’s tears and comforted her: “But this kind of thing called fate is unpredictable. If I meet someone suitable to marry in the future, and I like him, I will definitely not hide it from mother! I’ll tell mother as soon as I find out, is that okay?”

“Really?” Mrs. Dong took the handkerchief from Kid’s hand to dab her eyes.

Kid nodded: “When have I ever lied to mother?”

Not daring to upset Mrs. Dong any further, she changed the subject: “Tomorrow is the imperial examination. Qin Lang and cousin Chang Yuan are both taking part. One is our Bai family’s son-in-law, and the other is mother’s nephew. Has mother prepared the gifts?”

“Sent them all yesterday.” Mrs. Dong sighed as she spoke. “I hope Chang Yuan won’t be distracted this time. Prime Minister Lu’s two legitimate grandsons and Minister Chen’s legitimate grandson are the favorites in this imperial examination. But as long as Chang Yuan performs steadily, getting the top of the second rank should not be a problem!”

Minister Chen himself was a Top Scholar. His son, now the Vice Minister of the Secretariat, was also the Top Scholar back then. If his grandson can also win this time, it would certainly be a celebrated story for a family of Top Scholars.

Prime Minister Lu, of course, needs no introduction. Coming from an aristocratic family, he was the most handsome third-place scholar back then. His sons are also in the second rank.

“Cousin Chang Yuan studied under the renowned scholar, Mr. Lu. I think cousin Chang Yuan can at least obtain the third-place scholar title.” Bai Qingyan held Mrs. Dong’s arm and softly reassured her. “So mother, just calmly prepare the congratulatory gifts for cousin Chang Yuan and my second brother-in-law!”

Historically, third-place scholars have always been good-looking. Dong Changyuan was not only talented but also a young man of elegant grace, albeit a bit young.

However, precisely because he was young, his future was boundless.

She believed that without the burdens from the Bai family dragging down her two maternal uncles and the Dong family, the Dong family would surely thrive.

Bai Qingyan escorted Mrs. Dong back to her courtyard. Just as she stepped out, she saw a maid from the Qinghui Courtyard hurrying over.

As soon as the maid saw Bai Qingyan, she curtsied and said, “Miss Bai, the gatekeeper has reported that the palace sent someone with an urgent military message, requesting Miss Bai to enter the palace.”

Urgent military message?

Now that Xiliang had made a peace treaty, Beirong was in chaos, and the Yan envoy was even in Dadu City.

So, it must be Daliang.

She remembered that when they returned in triumph, the Crown Prince had mentioned that Daliang was mobilizing troops near the border with the Jin Kingdom with unclear intentions. It seemed that those intentions had now become clear, and they were targeting the Jin Kingdom.

However, the Fourth Prince of Daliang was still in Dadu. Wouldn’t Daliang be afraid of Jin detaining their prince at this time?

Chun Tao looked up at the thoughtful Bai Qingyan, privately hoping she wouldn’t go. She feared that if Bai Qingyan went, she would again have to go to war.

Bai Qingyan nodded: “Understood.”

She turned to Chun Tao: “After I leave, inform mother. Don’t let her worry. I’ll try to come back as soon as possible.”

Chun Tao nodded: “Yes!”

The person sent by the palace said it was urgent military news, so Bai Qingyan hurriedly rode into the palace.

When she arrived, the Crown Prince, Zhang Duanrui, Left Prime Minister Li Mao, the elderly Prime Minister Lu, Minister of War Shen Jingzhong, Minister of Revenue Chu Zhongxing, the Vice Minister of War, and the Vice Minister of Revenue were all present.

Minister of War Shen Jingzhong and Minister of Revenue Chu Zhongxing stood before two eunuchs who were holding maps vertically, arguing fiercely.

Minister of War Shen Jingzhong, whose voice was naturally loud, roared at Minister of Revenue Chu Zhongxing, his face flushed, “Daliang has stationed troops at Hongque Mountain on the border. The scouts they sent to inspect our defensive layout at Chunmu Mountain in the Jin Kingdom have all been captured. And you say we can’t fight?!”

Minister of Revenue Chu Zhongxing, covered in spit from Shen Jingzhong, flung his sleeve and took a few steps away before saying, “In the recent southern border war, how many soldiers were killed according to your Ministry of War? Don’t their families deserve compensation? The reparations from Xiliang have yet to arrive. For the Emperor’s birthday celebration, we cannot treat the visiting princes and envoys poorly. Not to mention Emperor Yan himself is here! The Ministry of Revenue has strained every nerve to support this. Now you want rations. Where am I supposed to get them?”

“Your Majesty, Miss Bai has arrived.” Gao Demao stepped forward and whispered to the Emperor, who was clutching a memorial in frustration.

The Emperor irritably tossed the memorial onto the desk and waved his hand impatiently: “Let her in!”

Seeing Bai Qingyan enter, Minister of War Shen Jingzhong stopped arguing and stepped aside, watching her respectfully bow.

The Crown Prince glanced at the Emperor. Seeing him nod, he said quickly: “Commandery Princess, rise! Father just received a secret report. Daliang has stationed troops at Hongque Mountain and sent scouts to inspect our defense at Chunmu Mountain. The ministers couldn’t reach a consensus after several discussions. I asked Father to bring you here to help us devise a plan.”

Standing outside the hall earlier, Bai Qingyan had heard Minister of Revenue Chu Zhongxing complaining about their lack of funds.

Bai Qingyan thought for a moment…

She recalled Yan mobilizing troops to assist Beirong and wondered if these so-called captured Daliang scouts were merely a ploy by Xiao Rongyan to drag the Jin Kingdom into a conflict with Daliang, ensuring Yan could deal with Beirong without worries.

Yan aiding Beirong worried Jin and Daliang the most. If the two nations fought, neither could take advantage of the fact that Yan’s main forces were preoccupied with Beirong. It might end in mutual destruction. Even if Yan wanted to station troops in Beirong later, both Jin and Daliang would be too weakened to intervene.

Bai Qingyan’s heart raced.

Bai Qingyan did not fear war; she feared the hardship it would bring to the people.

War was fought with money, grain, and people…

If the Ministry of Revenue lacked funds, taxes would have to be raised.

If the Ministry of War lacked soldiers, conscription would be necessary.

This was not a war the Jin Kingdom had to fight.

“Hongque Mountain is indeed adjacent to our Jin Kingdom, but it is also close to Beirong. Perhaps Daliang is preparing to assist Beirong.” Bai Qingyan softly remarked from the side.

“That shouldn’t be the case. Emperor Yan has already agreed to assist Beirong in restoring their rightful rule and has informed Father about it. Yan’s main force intends to depart from Huyi, passing through our border to reach Beirong.” The Crown Prince stood with his back to his hands and glanced at the Emperor before continuing. “At first, I was worried that Emperor Yan’s aid to Beirong was a pretext for annexation, but Father, in his infinite wisdom, reminded me that Yan had sent its legitimate heir to Jin. As they are weak and impoverished, they likely just seek to restore Beirong’s legitimate rule for some minor benefits.”

Bai Qingyan closed her eyes briefly and sighed inwardly. Such infinite wisdom—was it not arrogance?

The Yan Kingdom sent its legitimate heir to Jin to allay Jin’s suspicions.

Neither Emperor Yan nor Xiao Rongyan lacked ambition or ruthlessness.