Chapter 918: Chapter 915: Pingan Returns to the Capital
âGrandmother, Kid still hasnât told you, A Yu⊠is also alive! Itâs just that A Yuâs identity is special now, so Kid was thinking⊠to wait until A Yu comes back, and then personally take him to pay respect to Grandmother!â
But now, Grandmother couldnât hold on any longer, and she wanted to tell Grandmother this news before she passedâŠ
âEldest Young Lady?!â Bai Jinxiuâs eyes widened, and she almost couldnât hold back her tears.
A YuâŠ
The rightful heir of the Bai familyâs direct line, A Yu!
Bai Jinxiu looked up at Grandmotherâs serene expression, not wanting to upset Eldest Young Lady. She knew that although Eldest Young Lady hadnât shown it, she must be filled with tears and guilt right now. She gritted her teeth, holding back her sobs, as tears kept falling.
Itâs so good, A Yu is alive!
Itâs really so good!
Grandmother hasnât seen A Yu, Ah Jue, hasnât seen A Yun yetâŠ
Eldest Young Lady has already summoned the Bai family members still alive from the Southern Front to return to Dadu City by June 20 for the enthronement ceremony, so why couldnât Grandmother wait a little longer? Maybe more members of the Bai family would return!
Why⊠be so resolute, without even seeing the last face?
Bai Qingyan noticed that Grandmotherâs fingers seemed to move slightly. Her throat swelled with emotion, choking up. She knew⊠Grandmother heard.
Her voice was gentle and light: âOn June 20, Kid hopes there will still be members of the Bai family returning. If so⊠Kid will surely bring the younger brothers to bow to Grandmother⊠and tell Grandmother that everyone is safely back in the capital.â
The Eldest Princess, serene in expression, had mist in the corners of her eyes at some point, and Bai Qingyan wiped it away for her.
Outside the tent, Doctor Hong and Shen Tianzhi stood at the doorway, not daring to make a sound or speak. The entire camp seemed to quiet down.
Everyone knew that the Empress of Zhou had personally led the campaign to rescue her grandmother⊠the Eldest Princess of the previous dynasty. But who would have thought that after being rescued, the Eldest Princess would commit suicide by poison?
Many speculated that the Eldest Princess was expressing her anger through her death, driving a nail into the heart of the Empress of Zhou.
To make the Empress of Zhou always remember, as long as she sits on that throne⊠this throne was bought with her grandmotherâs life.
At this moment, who would dare to make any noise, risking their life?
Doctor Hong, his eyebrows tightly knotted, glanced up at the towering flames from within Luohong City, feeling indescribable. The fire in Luohong City⊠wiping out the decaying Jin Dynasty thoroughly might be just as well.
Du Sanbao came rushing, handing a letter to Doctor Hong: âMessage from the direction of Dadu City, Doctor Hong⊠you must hurry and deliver it to Her Majesty!â
âGive it to me!â Doctor Hong reached for the letter, opened it quickly to take a look, âThe old clans of Daliang are dissatisfied, causing chaos after the Eldest Young Lady left, already suppressed by the Fourth Miss! In Dadu City⊠those former imperial relatives of Jin Dynasty desire to negotiate conditions with the five princes who have land and the Eldest Princess and Eldest Young Lady to preserve their titles and lands.â
âAre they dreaming?â Du Sanbao spat.
âThose princes with fiefdoms from the previous dynasty canât make any waves. Before the Eldest Young Lady left Dadu City for Luohong City, she had already ordered the Bai family army to proceed to the fiefdoms of Guangan and Baishui, commanding the Princely Heirs and the princes from those two places to travel to Dadu City. They have no choice but to comply!â Doctor Hong spoke with a steady voice, âMoreover, the Eldest Young Lady instructed to widely publicize the new policies locally and explain their benefits to the people! The local soldiers mostly come from the fiefdoms themselves, and if the policies benefit the people⊠then they benefit the soldiers too. Who would still want to work hard for the fiefdom owners, continuing to be their oxen and horses?â
Shen Tianzhi nodded, knowing that Bai Qingyan always placed great importance on the people and public sentiment, so such actions were not surprising.
Du Sanbao also felt relieved.
âThe reason the Eldest Young Lady didnât send anyone to the fiefs of Hedong, Anxi, and Shuofang is likely because she plans to personally visit them⊠After returning to Dadu City from Luohong City, detouring to these three places doesnât take much time. If the Eldest Young Lady personally leads troops there⊠they wouldnât dare defy.â
Hearing Doctor Hong say this, Shen Tianzhi raised his eyebrows, surprised that Bai Qingyan would take such measuresâŠ
If Shen Tianzhi guessed correctly, Bai Qingyan wants to seize this opportunity to completely abolish the enfeoffment system, thereby strengthening centralization.
Simply put, it mainly depends on who has more soldiers and stronger fists.
Bai Qingyan, with her many troops, could encircle your fiefdom, control your relatives and the princely mansion⊠making you unable to refuse.
Furthermore, Bai Qingyanâs intent to implement new policies inherently benefits the people in those fiefdoms⊠Those who were once the oxen and horses of the fiefdom lords, upon hearing about the new policies⊠wouldnât they be jubilant, supporting Bai Qingyan?
Since Bai Qingyan took control of Dadu City and noticed the turbulence among various forces, she had been on guard against these imperial relatives and had begun making arrangements early on⊠to prevent the previous dynastyâs princes with private soldiers from developing other intentions.
Before long, Doctor Hong saw Lin Kangle, who looked as sooty as a charcoal briquette, hurrying over. He clasped his hands to Doctor Hong and Shen Tianzhi, intending to enter the tent, but Shen Tianzhi quickly stopped him: âGeneral Lin, wait!â
Lin Kangle thought Shen Tianzhi stopped him out of concern for his disheveled appearance and pushed aside Shen Tianzhiâs hand: âWhat time is it? I have no time for formalities. I need to see Her Majesty; the deposed Crown Prince of Jin and Qin Shangzhi have come to surrender!â
âDonât go in yetâŠâ Doctor Hong spoke slowly.
Lin Kangle had been following Bai Qingyan for some time, knowing that Doctor Hongâs status around Bai Qingyan was unusual. He glanced at Shen Tianzhi, who looked serious, understanding immediately. Even the surrender of the deposed Crown Prince wasnât a big deal anymore?
But that Qin Shangzhi⊠Didnât Her Majesty always want to win him over? Now that heâs come, why the lack of urgency?
Lin Kangle clasped his hands towards Doctor Hong: âDoctor Hong, please advise?â
Doctor Hong waved his hand: âThereâs nothing to advise, the Eldest Princess is on the brink, and the Eldest Young Lady and the Second Miss are inside. Now is not the time to disturb.â
Lin Kangle suddenly realized, and gazed at the downward-hanging tent flap, stepping forward to speak to Doctor Hong: âDoctor Hong, the deposed Crown Prince suffered a stab wound, right in the chest, should you⊠go check on it?â
âWhy bother with the former Crown Prince? Itâs better to let Doctor Hong attend to a few more brothers burned in the fire!â Du Sanbao felt indignant.
Earlier, Du Sanbao had been ordered to stay in the camp, and those brothers injured by fire were brought back one after another, burned beyond recognition. The military doctors couldnât even save the Zhou soldiers, so why save a former Crown Prince?
The Jin Dynasty is no more; who still acknowledges a Jin Dynasty Crown Prince?
Doctor Hong huffed, glancing at Lin Kangle: âJust send a military doctor over. I need to stay here⊠Her Majestyâs health hasnât fully recovered, and if something happens, can the life of a deposed Crown Prince compensate?â