Chapter 1229: Chapter 1223: Safety
âThatâs only natural. Our young lady is so good and beautiful, she even helped Mr. Cui establish himself in Yanâs capital. Naturally, Mr. Cui has our young lady in his heart. Itâs just a pity that her status is somewhat lowly.â The maid shook her head, also believing Cui Fengnian was not a good choice.
âAlright, stop talking, go get ready! Tomorrow morning, as soon as the city gates open, weâll leave!â said Meng Zhaorong.
âYes!â the maid replied.
·
That night Bai Qingyan slept rather soundly, perhaps because she had written down the words weighing on her heart and sent them to Xiao Rongyan. She had also made up her mind to avoid danger for the sake of Xiao Rongyan and the child, which gave her a bit of relief.
Wei Zhong and Chun Zhi saw Bai Qingyan sleeping well, so they didnât wake her up until Wei Zhong heard slight movements inside. He softly asked through the carved flower partition, âEldest Young Lady, are you up? Shall I send someone in to assist you with washing up?â
âYesâŠâ Bai Qingyan replied.
Chun Zhi quickly went to prepare, and after Bai Qingyan was ready, Wei Zhong handed her the letter sent by Bai Jintong.
âIt was sent by the Third Young Lady, and it arrived last night while you were asleep, so I didnât disturb you,â Wei Zhong said with a smile. âThe person who delivered the letter was the Hidden Guard you sent to protect the Third Young Lady. He said he was acting under her orders and had been waiting at Tianmen Pass early for you, knowing youâd pass through it on your return from the Xiliang battlefield.â
The Bai family has always been wise.
During the meal preparations, Bai Qingyan opened the letterâŠ
In the letter, Bai Jintong mentioned that Empress Dowager Yan had secretly sent people to Xiliang through her maternal family, for unknown reasons, and later Xiliang people secretly entered the Yan capital, even meeting with Empress Dowager Yan.
Now that the Yan Kingdom has allied with Zhou, yet remains unclear with Xiliang, their intentions are uncertain. Bai Jintong advised Bai Qingyan to be cautious and remain on guard. She had already sent Hidden Guards to the front line to deliver a letter to her brother, ensuring Bai Qingyan need not worry.
Furthermore, both Yan and Zhou armies are now approaching Yunjing, signaling the inevitable destruction of Xiliang. The Yan court is preparing for the possibility of splitting Xiliang with Zhou, with heated debates among court officials.
In her letter, Bai Jintong listed officials in the Yan court who believed⊠that during the war, Zhouâs benevolence should allow most of the spoils to be given to Yan, so in the division of cities, Yan mustnât only focus on its own interests.
She also listed officials who demanded no concession, considering they could reciprocate Zhou with significant profits, but would not yield an inch of land.
She listed influential officials in Empress Dowager Yanâs favor within both factions, believing that, since Yunjing hasnât fallen yet, preparations should be made early to win over major courtiers towards Zhou, seeking Bai Qingyanâs advice on whether to start taking risks to gain more support now.
Additionally, she informed Bai Qingyan about Sima Mingdao, a descendant of the renowned hydrologist Sima Sheng from Luopan Mountainâs Sihai Pavilion, with whom she had made connections. Hearing that Zhou was repairing the Guanghe Canal, and under her persuasion and encouragement, Sima Mingdao had already set off for Yanwo in Zhou. If Bai Qingyan needed this person, she could inform those overseeing the canal construction in advance.
The Guanghe Canal was initially designed and built by Sima Mingdaoâs grandfather, and during her conversations with him, she learned that hydrologist Sima Sheng left complete diagrams for its construction, which Sima Mingdao later improved.
After leaving Sihai Pavilion, Sima Sheng became famous across the lands for the Guanghe Canal, and now Sima Mingdao wishes to fulfill his grandfatherâs legacy, realizing the true Guanghe Canal, hoping to revive the Sima familyâs fame.
Furthermore, Bai Jintong mentioned in her letter that the Empress Dowager of Yan had decided to marry off Ninth Prince Murong Yan to Meng Zhaorong, the daughter of Minister Meng and Yanâs most beautiful woman. According to Meng Zhaorong, the Empress Dowager had leverage over her father and planned to force her to marry the Ninth Prince to allure him, even forcing her to become the Empress Dowagerâs spy.
Meng Zhaorong was unwilling, and Mrs. Meng didnât want her daughter trapped by the Empress Dowagerâs schemes either, so they planned to arrange for Meng Zhaorongâs escape, giving her silver and asking Bai Jintong to discreetly transport Meng Zhaorong out of Yan via trade routes.
Feeling it unsuitable for a young woman, Bai Jintong declined the silver but helped her escape to Feng County, providing her a store to sustain her future and ensuring strict oversight.
More importantly⊠she planned to blame Ninth Prince Murong Yan for Meng Zhaorongâs disappearance, to make the Empress Dowager more wary of the Ninth Prince, hoping to further destabilize Yanâs court and benefit Zhou.
Bai Jintong rambled at the end of her letter, reminding Bai Qingyan to take care of herself, believing Bai Qingyanâs pregnancy while leading soldiers into battle was reckless, urging her to think more for her unborn child and not to worry Bai Jintong.
After Bai Qingyan finished reading and folded the letter, Wei Zhong smiled and said, âThe Third Young Lady also sent a box of little toys for the child, saying itâs for the future niece or nephew. Itâs already packed in the carriage.â
âGoodâŠâ Bai Qingyan nodded with a smile, contemplated briefly, then walked to the desk to reply to Bai Jintong.
In her letter, she instructed Bai Jintong to hold off any actions for now. She would send word for the Zhou envoy to handle the matter.
Bai Qingyan hesitated and ultimately decided not to disclose their collaboration with the Yan Emperor and Ninth Prince as a pretense, only advising Bai Jintong not to act rashly. She had reached an agreement with the Yan Emperor and Ninth Prince that regardless of who captures Yunjing, the Yan Emperor will act, and Bai Jintong must ensure her own safety and not be reckless.
Furthermore, Li Tianjiao of Xiliang had already discovered Bai Jintongâs identity, given Li Tianjiaoâs nature, he might either expose Bai Jintongâs identity as a Zhou spy to Yan or expect her to disrupt Yanâs stability, remaining silent about her identity.
No matter what, Bai Jintong should be prepared for her identity being known by Yan, keeping a backup plan and, if necessary, divesting the store beforehand, prioritizing her safety above all.
After Wei Zhong sent the letter out, Bai Qingyan took the hot towel handed by Chun Zhi and wiped her hands, then had her breakfast.
She kept pondering over Bai Jintongâs letter about Empress Dowager Yanâs plans for Xiao Rongyan and Meng Zhaorongâs marriage, recalling what the Empress Dowager had said to her before.
This time, Xiao Rongyan abandoned Yunjing to bring troops for her rescue, and if this news reached Yanâs capital, itâs likely the Empress Dowager would trouble Xiao Rongyan again.