Chapter 1158: 1152: Kindheartedness

Chapter 1158: Chapter 1152: Kindheartedness

“Thank you, sir! Thank you, sir!” The Governor bowed deeply in gratitude.

Xiao Ruohai nodded, feeling a little admiration for the ungreedy Governor, and continued, “By the way, I also need to trouble you, sir, to go to the side room first, and write down in detail what the Governor’s wife and your daughter usually like, as well as your wife’s daily habits!”

“Yes, I will write it down and have someone send it to you, sir!” The Governor quickly bowed to Xiao Ruohai.

When Xiao Ruohai returned, Chun Zhi had already prepared the copper pot according to Wei Zhong’s instructions.

The dinner was arranged in the flower hall, with steam rising from the mutton soup in the copper pot, accompanied by the aroma of the soup.

Upon Xiao Ruohai’s arrival, Bai Jinzhao smiled and said, “Xiao Ruohai, you’re here! We can finally eat! I’ve been craving it!”

“Thank you, senior brother, let’s eat and talk…” Bai Qingyan smiled and said to Xiao Ruohai, “Qingzhu doesn’t like mutton, and there are many matters in the city, so he has left first!”

Xiao Ruohai’s ears turned red as he hurriedly acknowledged, then greeted the Bai family members individually, and sat next to General Wei Zhaonian. Being all military people and all family, when traveling, they didn’t adhere to the separation of men and women at tables.

Xiao Ruohai handed the Jade Pendant to Wei Zhong and requested him to give it to Bai Qingyan, then slowly spoke, “This Jade Pendant was given to the Governor’s wife by the personal attendant of General Ye Shouguan back then. The Governor’s wife said… as long as her daughter wears the Jade Pendant to find the personal attendant of General Ye Shouguan, she would be able to steal the token! Because her daughter looks very much like her when she was young, but later the Governor said something different to his subordinates, implying… his daughter doesn’t resemble the Governor’s wife when she was young, and her daughter is scheming, which might cause trouble if she develops other thoughts midway, jeopardizing the entire family’s lives.”

“How old is his daughter? Perhaps I could disguise myself as the Governor’s wife’s daughter and infiltrate Yecheng Pass to find someone?” Bai Jinzhao quickly turned to his eldest sister to request, “Eldest sister, let me try it!”

“Fifth lady, I fear it might not be suitable. The Governor’s daughter was raised in the boudoir, unlike the fifth lady who is so valiantly battle-ready, with a warrior’s aura, she might be exposed.” Xiao Ruohai spoke quite tactfully. With this valiant training and the sun-darkened skin from battles, no delicately raised noble lady would be suntanned like this.

Only the Bai family wouldn’t treat their noble daughters as such; whether male or female, everyone must experience the battlefield.

Xiao Ruohai still felt sorry for their eldest miss… and the other several young misses of the Bai family.

“Then shall I go?” Bai Jinhua felt a bit uncomfortable, “But I’m not very good at acting!”

“Is this trip dangerous?” Bai Jinse frowned and asked Xiao Ruohai, “If there’s no danger, I have a person in mind!”

Bai Qingqi looked up at his seventh sister, as he also had someone in mind, presumably the same person his seventh sister was thinking of. This person’s acting was superb; ever since being found by Aunt Lu, they began pretending to have amnesia, even successfully deceiving his siblings.

Lu Ninghuan, hearing Bai Jinse’s words, knew she was referring to Lu Liaochen and felt worried, “But… but Liaochen’s identity is still unclear, it’s my fault. I thought this little girl was all alone and had forgotten everything, so…”

“Aunt Lu, don’t be so hard on yourself! Kindness is a virtue!” Bai Qingyan smiled and said to Lu Ninghuan.

“Lu Liaochen, she should be called Sima Ruodan…” Bai Qingqi slowly spoke, “She’s from the Sima family in Dadu City, and is a cousin of Sima Ping who joined the Bai family army.”

“So Third Brother knew all along!” Bai Jinzhao widened her eyes.

“Otherwise, do you think Third Brother would have kept her in our Bai family army?” Bai Qingyun said with a smile.

“Indeed…” Bai Jinzhao smiled and scratched her head.

“The Sima family, is it under Minister Sima, the Imperial Censor?” Lu Ninghuan, having served by the Eldest Princess in Dadu, was familiar with the city officials, especially this cunning Imperial Censor, Minister Sima, who had cleverly taken leave just before King Liang caused trouble and thus avoided the turmoil.

Later, due to connections with Qin Lang’s family, he was not dismissed during the establishment of the new dynasty and still held the position of Imperial Censor.

“Could she be from the Sima clan?”

Just as Lu Ninghuan finished speaking, someone reported that Lu Liaochen requested an audience.

Bai Qingyan smiled, wiped her hands with a warm towel, and placed it back on the black lacquer tray held by Chun Zhi: “Seems like she’s thought it through, let her in, and prepare a bowl and chopsticks for Miss Liaochen.”

“It seems the eldest sister really likes Liaochen… Miss Sima!” Bai Jinzhao said with a smile.

Chun Zhi invited Sima Ruodan in. At this moment, Sima Ruodan had changed into the tea-colored, cream-accented, powder-blue orchid floral silk jacket she wore when she was rescued by Aunt Lu Ninghuan. The overlapping collars and frost-colored skirt, with only a white jade hairpin in her hair, presented a very serene image, although her dark, bright eyes were red.

It was with firm resolve that she came to find Bai Qingyan. She hadn’t expected that Bai Qingyan, as the Monarch of a country, would be so amiable, not only sparing her from punishment for deceiving the monarch but also explaining to her master that she certainly had her own difficulties.

Sima Ruodan’s eyes were wet and red. Not wanting to hide any longer from Bai Qingyan, she steeled herself, changed into fresh clothes, packed her belongings, and prepared to reveal the truth before leaving.

Entering the room, she first directed her gaze towards Bai Qingqi, seeing his expression was still calm and indifferent. She then solemnly knelt to Bai Qingyan: “Your Majesty, this humble girl feigned amnesia and accompanied my master to the frontier because I fled from that home and had nowhere to go.”

Lu Ninghuan’s heart tightened; so it was another story of a runaway noble daughter, and this silly girl must have read too many storybooks!

“I do not dare to deceive Your Majesty, in truth, Liaochen is a girl of the Sima family, and Imperial Censor Sima Yan is Liaochen’s second uncle. My real name is Sima Ruodan…” Sima Ruodan bowed her head, not daring to look up, and her voice choked as she spoke.

Imperial Censor Sima Yan was indeed Sima Ping’s father, and Sima Yan and Qin Lang’s father were true cousins. If that’s the case… Sima Ruodan is Sima Ping’s cousin and Qin Lang’s cousin. Yet Bai Qingyan remembered that Sima Yan… was the only son of the Sima family, how could he be the second uncle?

According to clan hierarchy, Sima Ruodan wouldn’t specially mention Sima Yan, especially since there were several others besides Sima Yan in the Sima family who were still alive and influential.

While changing Bai Qingyan’s tea, Wei Zhong, upon hearing this, whispered in Bai Qingyan’s ear, “Speaking of Imperial Censor Minister Sima’s family, this old servant knows something. Despite being the only son, Minister Sima had a son adopted into the family previously.”