Chapter 515 - 515 512 Bowing in Apology_1

Chapter 515: Chapter 512: Bowing in Apology_1 Chapter 515: Chapter 512: Bowing in Apology_1 Bai Qingping lowered his eyes, still sitting on the chair in his usual proper manner. However, his fists quietly clenched as he replied placidly, “I wasn’t involved when the bandits were being suppressed, so I don’t know the specifics.”

“You don’t know, but that son of the Governor, Shen Yanzong, who’s always hanging around you, surely knows!” Bai Qiyun was quite dissatisfied with Bai Qingping’s evasive attitude. “You didn’t think to ask? That’s over four hundred thousand taels of silver!”

“If we find those silver notes, the Princess of Zhen will either use the silver for training troops and suppressing bandits, or she’ll use it for repairing the clan’s ancestral hall, acquiring clan land, and other matters as mentioned earlier. Now that Uncle has been excluded from the clan, I don’t understand why you’re inquiring about this silver?”

Bai Qingping was extremely disgusted by Bai Qiyun’s behavior but couldn’t show it. His words inevitably had a sharp edge to them.

Bai Qiyun was momentarily at a loss for words. “Is this how you talk to your uncle?”

Bai Qingping’s grandfather quickly gestured for Bai Qiyun to calm down and said to Bai Qingping, “The silver belonged to the clan, but it was taken by your uncle. He’s always felt guilty about this, so he asks about it. Is there anything wrong with that? Is it worth speaking to your uncle like this?”

“Just because you’ve done a few things for Bai Qingyan while following her around, you think you’re all that now!” Bai Qiyun sneered at Bai Qingping.

Bai Qingping didn’t get angry. He stood up and made a respectful bow to his grandfather. “Our cousin risked her life on the battlefield to earn the title of Princess of Zhen. She’s magnanimous and doesn’t hold grudges against the clan for how they once pressured the Bai family in Dadu. She allows me to work for her and protect our clan members. Grandfather, you should be grateful and have a sense of shame. You shouldn’t covet things that don’t belong to you.”

“Outrageous!” Bai Qingping’s grandfather’s face turned livid with anger. “A person who lacks a sense of shame is not human. Are you saying your grandfather isn’t human?!”

“I wouldn’t dare! I just think that since grandfather is already old, and now that Uncle is excluded from the clan, but my father is still the clan leader. I hope grandfather can save face for my father and not let others think our Shuoyang clan members are all people who forget righteousness for profit!”

Having said that, Bai Qingping bowed to his grandfather and turned to walk out.

Bai Qiyun’s chest heaved with rage. “Father! Look at Bai Qingping’s attitude! He doesn’t even respect you…”

Bai Qingping stopped in his tracks as he was about to step over the threshold. He turned his head towards Bai Qiyun inside the room and said, “I advise Uncle not to harbor any undue greed. The Princess of Zhen considers my father as still being the clan leader and spares you for now. But if uncle goes too far, the Princess is not someone who shows mercy.”

After saying that, Bai Qingping strode towards the courtyard.

“Father! Look at what Bai Qingping has become!” Bai Qiyun jumped up from his chair and pointed in the direction Bai Qingping had left, shouting at his own father.

Bai Qingping’s grandfather remained silent, tightly gripping his cane. His grandson had always been the most clear-headed among the Bai Clan, even more so than himself, the former clan leader.

Bai Qiyun had originally coveted those four hundred thousand taels, thinking that since his younger brother, Bai Qihe, was now the clan leader, if the silver was recovered, it would naturally go to the clan leader. At that point, Bai Qihe might give him a share, making all his efforts to retrieve it from Dadu worthwhile.

But judging by Bai Qingping’s attitude now, even if the silver was recovered, he would likely deliver it to Bai Qingyan personally for her to use in training troops.

“Enough! Go back…” Bai Qingping’s grandfather used his cane to prop himself up and said to Bai Qiyun, “Don’t think about that silver anymore.”

“Father! Are you going to abandon your son as well?” Bai Qiyun felt a moment of panic.

After Bai Qihe became the clan leader, Bai Qiyun was worried that his father would give up on him, especially since Bai Qihe was also his father’s son.

Receiving no reply from his father, Bai Qiyun’s face turned pale as he stared at his father’s back, filled with unease.

·

On the evening of July 28th, the side gate of the Left Prime Minister’s Li Mansion was knocked upon. The gatekeeper woman opened the door to find seven neatly arranged heads on the stone steps. She screamed and fainted in terror.

Another gatekeeper who heard the commotion dashed out, falling to the ground in fright. She scrambled backwards and then ran towards the inner courtyard.

Left Prime Minister Li Mao was practicing calligraphy in his study when two of his scholars in green and white rushed to the door, requesting an audience.

Li Mao finished his last stroke, put down his purple hairbrush, and began wiping the ink off his hands with a damp cloth while admiring his calligraphy. “Please, let the two gentlemen in!”

As soon as they entered, the scholar in green said, “Left Prime Minister, there’s been an incident! The heads of those we sent to Shuoyang have been sent back!”

Li Mao was stunned. He looked up at his two scholars, his face changed, suddenly recalling the incident where his son’s legs were broken.

“Bai Qingyan must have found out.” Li Mao gritted his teeth, clenching his jaws. “Despite repeated warnings to be careful, they still got discovered! What were they doing?!”

Fortunately, Bai Qingyan had only sent the heads back as a warning and hadn’t sent a letter directly to the Crown Prince’s residence…

Thinking of this, Li Mao’s throat tightened, and he quickly said, “Quick! Send someone to watch the Crown Prince’s residence. See if there’s anything unusual!”

If Bai Qingyan were really angered this time, she might not want to leave any evidence and might directly eliminate him?!

This time, Li Mao had been reckless. He was not someone accustomed to being at the mercy of others. He preferred control. Anything beyond his grasp made him restless, pricked like thorns, and caused sleepless nights.

Thus, he had sent people to Shuoyang to have contact with the Shuoyang Clan members, trying to find or even manufacture some leverage against Bai Qingyan.

“Could it be that the excluded Bai Clan members informed the Princess of Zhen?” the white-robed scholar pondered.

“If the Bai family had such unity, the forced occupation of the ancestral home wouldn’t have happened in the first place,” the green-robed scholar shook his head.

“Send someone to Shuoyang to bow and apologize to the Princess of Zhen!” The white-robed scholar decided, recalling how Bai Qingyan had previously broken Li Mingtang’s legs, a chill running down his spine.

The white-robed scholar had a strong feeling, Bai Qingyan was no ordinary person. If provoked, even if she didn’t take the Prime Minister’s life, she would strip him of everything.

If Bai Qingyan discovered the shady dealings between their people and the Shuoyang Clan, she might directly take the Prime Minister’s life.