Chapter 1232: 1226: Final Decision

Chapter 1232: Chapter 1226: Final Decision

The Bai family guard hadn’t answered when Yue Shi raised his voice again, shouting, “Is there something wrong with the eldest young lady? Is she going to give birth?”

Yue Shi was wildly speculating.

Xiao Rongyan thought of a premature birth and was so shocked he nearly stood up. He clenched his fists tightly, calmed himself, and asked, “What happened to the eldest young lady?”

“Thank you, Ninth Prince, for your concern. The eldest young lady and the unborn child are both safe, rest assured.” The Bai family guard replied with a steady expression, “This time, I’ve come because the eldest young lady, while on her way back to Dadu City, made a detour to Feng County to investigate the local situation and coincidentally met the daughter of the Minister of the Yan Kingdom, who is the prospective Princess to the Ninth Prince of Yan…”

Yue Shi’s eyes widened. Prospective Princess? Since when? How come he didn’t know!

The Bai family guard looked up at Xiao Rongyan’s expression, then lowered his gaze and said, “Therefore, Eunuch Wei sent me to inform the Ninth Prince of this matter, and also…”

The Bai family guard took out a storybook from his chest, motioning for Yue Shi to hand it to Xiao Rongyan.

Yue Shi hurriedly stepped forward to take the storybook. Just as he was about to look at its title, he saw the Bai family guard gesture him to pass it up, and Yue Shi promptly and respectfully handed the book to his master.

“This is a storybook sent by Meng Zhaorong, the prospective Princess in Feng County who opened a clothing shop there. Our eldest young lady happened to walk outside this shop and overheard the shop assistant inside talking about the love and enmity between the Ninth Prince of Yan and the prospective Princess, so she went in to listen…”

The Bai family guard watched as Xiao Rongyan quickly flipped through the book and narrated everything that happened after Bai Qingyan arrived in Feng County. He also informed Xiao Rongyan that after leaving the clothing shop, they were followed to outside Tianmen Pass, and the next morning Meng Zhaorong came to see the eldest young lady claiming to be the Ninth Prince’s prospective Princess.

Of course, the Bai family guard also relayed the news that Meng Zhaorong was imprisoned in Tianmen Pass as a spy.

Having listened, Xiao Rongyan also roughly glanced through the chaotic storybook. The book did not shy away from using his or Meng Zhaorong’s name, which suggested it hadn’t circulated in the Yan Kingdom.

But…

“You say this Meng Zhaorong… approached the Emperor of Zhou as the prospective Princess of the Ninth Prince of Yan?” Xiao Rongyan’s deep voice held a cold indifference.

“Exactly, when the city patrols took her away, she was shouting that she was indeed the prospective Princess of the Ninth Prince of Yan; it should be accurate.” The Bai family guard earnestly confirmed.

Xiao Rongyan casually tossed the storybook onto a nearby table and said to the Bai family guard, “Thank you for your effort to come and inform me of this matter. Yue Shi… take this guard down to have a rest and something to eat! Later, I’ll trouble you to deliver a letter back to the eldest young lady.”

“Yes!” The Bai family guard replied.

Yue Shi cast a glance at his master, who had just said he wouldn’t write to the eldest young lady, but now he was eagerly set on drafting a letter.

Xiao Rongyan glanced at the storybook, intending to throw it into the fire pit after writing the letter to Bai Qingyan, but after some thought, he set the book aside.

After finishing and sealing the letter, he placed it to one side, tapped his fingers on the envelope, and called out, “Fetch Wang Jiuzhou!”

Soon, Wang Jiuzhou arrived as instructed.

Xiao Rongyan looked up toward Wang Jiuzhou and said, “Return to the Capital and tell the Empress Dowager… that I heard from the General who delivered grain today, that the Empress Dowager is considering matching Miss Meng from the Minister Meng’s family to me. If the Empress Dowager is truly concerned about my future, after the victorious return to Yunjing… we can host a banquet under some pretext, and if I genuinely favor some lady then, my sister-in-law as a mother will naturally propose for the marriage herself. But… this first beauty of Yan, Meng Zhaorong, won’t do.”

Xiao Rongyan pushed the storybook toward Wang Jiuzhou’s direction, saying, “I don’t want to become others’ gossip over tea and meals!”

Xiao Rongyan instructed Wang Jiuzhou to report to the Empress Dowager Yan like this, to reassure his sister-in-law.

After all, since he abandoned Yunjing… to lead troops to save Bai Qingyan at Jiangzi City, the sister-in-law may suspect that he might neglect the Yan Kingdom for Bai Qingyan in the future. Only by promising his sister-in-law that he would consider familial matters upon his return could she be at ease.

Moreover, people constantly influenced his sister-in-law, who is impressionable; only by showing his stance, would she understand that he never intended to oppose her or Ah Li, and rejecting Meng Zhaorong wasn’t meant to embarrass his sister-in-law.

In a sense, Kid’s storybook arrived very timely…

He believed there must be copies in the Yan Kingdom too, albeit not as clearly named.

“Yes!” Wang Jiuzhou acknowledged, stepped forward to take the storybook, his gaze sweeping over the letter from Bai Qingyu from Zhou, and exited the tent.

Soon, Yue Shi and the Bai family guard returned, took the letter Xiao Rongyan had written for Bai Qingyan, and quickly set off to deliver it back.

Yue Shi stood with hands clasped behind, watching the Bai family guard gallop away, a smile playing on his face. He used to do all the letter-delivering, now there was finally someone else to act as a messenger for both the young lady and the master.

·

Wei Zhong and the Bai family guard escorted Bai Qingyan all the way back. As they passed through Yanwo, Bai Qingyan paused.

Having not seen each other for months, Qin Shangzhi seemed even more emaciated. Hearing of Bai Qingyan’s arrival, he rushed over, despite being ill. Though he tried hard to suppress his cough, it came out sporadically when he spoke, reddening his face.

Bai Qingyan had the accompanying official diagnose Qin Shangzhi’s pulse, prescribed medicine to be decocted, and instructed Wei Zhong to give Qin Shangzhi a thick cloak before allowing him to accompany her on the embankment to discuss canal construction.

“The construction progress falls within my planning scope, but there remains one matter needing your Majesty’s decision!” Qin Shangzhi, restraining his cough, turned around.

A subordinate following him promptly presented a sheepskin blueprint. Qin Shangzhi took the blueprint and said to Bai Qingyan, “Your Majesty, there’s a shed nearby for resting; if it pleases you to walk over, I will discuss it in detail…”

Bai Qingyan nodded and walked with Qin Shangzhi to a shed that provided some shelter from the cold wind.

Qin Shangzhi spread the blueprint on a peeling rectangular table, respectfully inviting Bai Qingyan to take a closer look: “Your Majesty, this blueprint was sent by Sima Mingdao, the grandson of the esteemed hydraulic engineer Sima Sheng. I heard it was left by Mr. Sima Sheng, and later Sima Mingdao made some additions and changes to it!”

Bai Qingyan examined Sima Mingdao’s blueprint and smiled, “It seems not very different from the one Mr. Qin showed me before.”