Chapter 548 - 548 545 Elegant and Courteous_1

Chapter 548: Chapter 545: Elegant and Courteous_1 Chapter 548: Chapter 545: Elegant and Courteous_1 “Is there any inconvenience staying at your grandmother’s house? If it’s inconvenient, I’ll have your aunt fix up a courtyard for you,” Dong Qingyue said after hearing from Lu Ping that Bai Qingyan had a habit of morning exercise. During her stay in Dengzhou, Bai Qingyan had refrained from her exercises to avoid disturbing Madam Dong’s rest, so she hadn’t practiced for several days.

“No… living with Grandmother allows me to show more filial piety for Mother. Kid is very happy.” Bai Qingyan sat beside Dong Qingyue and noticed a small tuft of silver hair at his temples. “Now that Changlan is reliable, you shouldn’t have to handle everything yourself. You should rest more.”

Dong Qingyue shook his head. “Changlan is still a bit green. He needs a few more years of experience by my side. Let’s not talk about this. Today, I have a rare moment of leisure, and there’s something I want to ask you. What do you think of Mr. Xiao?”

Bai Qingyan looked at Dong Qingyue, her hand tightening slowly within her sleeve. “What do I think?”

“Just like Changlan said, it’s too coincidental that Mr. Xiao appeared during the ambush on the Yan Kingdom’s bridal escort by Nanrong. If he was there to rescue the Princess of Yan for some benefit, wouldn’t it be too far-fetched with the few guards he had?” Dong Qingyue pondered Xiao Rongyan’s explanation to Dong Changlan.

To date, Xiao Rongyan was supposedly recuperating at the Dong Mansion. In reality, he was confined to a small courtyard and couldn’t leave. However, Xiao Rongyan might have realized the abruptness of his appearance and remained compliant, seriously recuperating without trying to forge connections or demand a meeting with Dong Qingyue.

According to reports, Xiao Rongyan behaved appropriately at the Dong Mansion and treated the servants politely and elegantly.

“If you want to get to the bottom of this, the best way would be to meet Mr. Xiao in person,” Bai Qingyan didn’t defend Xiao Rongyan blindly.

“After all, he is a benefactor of the Bai family. It wouldn’t be right to keep him confined for too long…” Dong Qingyue mused. “How about this noon, we will host a banquet to meet Mr. Xiao?”

When Bai Qingyan stepped out of Dong Qingyue’s study, she couldn’t find Chun Tao at the courtyard gate, causing her heart to tighten. “Where is Chun Tao?”

“Nanny Wang sent Qiu Huan to fetch Miss Chun Tao. Xia Yu and Dongmei accompanied Miss Chun Tao back to the Madam’s courtyard,” a maid at the gate replied with a bow.

Hearing that there were companions, Bai Qingyan felt slightly relieved, and then she saw Chun Tao hurrying back.

“Did you go to Madam’s place?” Bai Qingyan asked.

Chun Tao held Bai Qingyan’s arm and shook her head. “It was Qiu Huan… She used Nanny Wang’s name to call me aside to apologize, wanting to serve the eldest miss again. I refused!”

Chun Tao didn’t tell Bai Qingyan that Qiu Huan’s knees were worthless, as she knelt and begged in a remote place, making Chun Tao unsure of what to do. After a while of pulling, Qiu Huan wouldn’t get up, so fearing she would be called to serve Bai Qingyan, Chun Tao hurried back.

“Didn’t you say two maids accompanied you? Where are they?” Bai Qingyan asked with a frown.

“Qiu Huan sent them away. As soon as they left, Qiu Huan knelt and scared me!” Chun Tao blushed. “If not for Qiu Huan being Nanny Wang’s niece, I wouldn’t have come back. That sudden kneeling left me clueless about what to do.”

Bai Qingyan smiled faintly. “I’ll mention it to Nanny Wang. While we’re at the Dong family, we’ll send Qiu Huan elsewhere.”

At noon, Dong Qingyue held the banquet at Fengya Hall to meet Xiao Rongyan.

Xiao Rongyan remained composed and respectful, giving Dong Qingyue a detailed account of his journey.

Having prepared his thoughts, Xiao Rongyan spoke unhurriedly, clarifying that he had no intention of getting involved and had to rescue the Princess of Yan reluctantly. Xiao Rongyan also inquired about the Princess of Yan’s condition.

Upon learning that the Yan army stationed in Rong and the North Rong royal court had sent people to fetch the Princess of Yan, Xiao Rongyan revealed something to Dong Qingyue. “When I was in Beirong, I heard that the Yan army stationed there caught typhus, affecting many soldiers. Is it appropriate to send the Princess of Yan into such a situation?”

“Typhus?” Dong Qingyue was quite surprised.

“It’s just a rumor. I didn’t visit the Yan army camp, so the information is unreliable,” Xiao Rongyan spoke sincerely.

“After all, she is the Princess of Yan. Jin has no reason to detain her in Dengzhou. If she dies in Jin, it would cause a rift between Jin, Yan, and Beirong,” Dong Qingyue mused. “However, we can send a doctor with her, and whether the Yan and Beirong accept them would be up to them.”

Dong Qingyue thought it didn’t hold much significance. Most doctors said the Princess of Yan was hanging by a thread, just waiting to hand her over alive to Yan and Beirong.

Xiao Rongyan’s hand tightened on his lap as he smiled subtly. “Lord Dong’s kindness will surely be appreciated by Yan and Beirong.”

Now that Xie Xun had caught typhus, it was unlikely that he would come to fetch Princess Mingcheng. If Princess Mingcheng were indeed fatally ill, who knew if she could see Xie Xun one last time?

Dong Qingyue found the accounts of the guards and Xiao Rongyan consistent, although slightly messy, not enough to rouse suspicion. If all had spoken uniformly, Dong Qingyue might suspect a coordinated story.

Thus, that afternoon, Dong Qingyue released all of Xiao Rongyan’s guards.

With Yue Shi’s wounds treated, he rushed to the Dong Mansion to guard Xiao Rongyan.

On August 22, just past noon, the sister and brother-in-law of the King of Beirong brought the Beirong army, along with General Pei from the Yan army stationed in Rong, to Dengzhou City.

Following orders, Dong Changlan welcomed them outside the city, requesting the Beirong and Yan armies to stay outside, allowing only twenty people from each side to enter to fetch Princess Mingcheng.

As Princess Mingcheng’s safety concerned the alliances between Rong and Yan, neither wanted any mishap.

When Xiao Rongyan heard that the sister of the King and General Pei from Yan were coming to fetch Princess Mingcheng, he pursed his lips and called Yue Shi aside, giving low instructions. “Find a way to get a message to General Pei. Ensure Princess Mingcheng stays in Dengzhou for treatment. Moving her could be fatal.”

Yue Shi clasped his fists. “Rest assured, Master, I will handle it!”

“Be cautious. This is the Dong Mansion. Don’t expose anything that could be used against us,” Xiao Rongyan warned.