Chapter 410
The personal maid beside Mrs. Fang, Puliu, anxiously gave Mrs. Fang a look, signaling her to stop talking.
However, Mrs. Fang was in the midst of her excitement and completely missed Puliu’s gestures, and even more so, failed to notice Bai Qihe’s increasingly unpleasant expression.
“You know very well whether you’re doing this for me or for your family!” Bai Qihe stood up, interrupting Mrs. Fang. Without even looking at her, he said, “Mrs. Fang, you can seek benefits for your family here. But if you think about involving the Princess of Zhen, endangering the entire Bai family, then you should return to your family! Our Bai family is too small to accommodate someone as distinguished as you!”
With that, Bai Qihe swung his sleeves and left.
Mrs. Fang stood there, stunned and bewildered, unable to recover for a long time.
It wasn’t until Bai Qihe lifted the bamboo curtain and left that Mrs. Fang widened her eyes in disbelief and looked at Puliu: “What does Bai Qihe mean? Is he saying… he wants to divorce me?”
Puliu quickly stepped forward and whispered, “Madam, you have indeed overstepped today. The Princess of Zhen is the legitimate eldest daughter of the main line of the Bai Clan! Even the eldest son of the Fang family’s eldest brother may not be a match for her, let alone the second brother’s legitimate second son, who is just a playboy. By proposing to pair the second son with the Princess of Zhen, isn’t this an insult to our master? She is a princess!”
“What about her being a princess? Also, look at her age! She’s an old maid… and can hardly have children! She even wants to find a husband to live with her family, what kind of person can she expect? A royal son or a noble? Which noble family’s royal son would want to live in her family?” Mrs. Fang protested loudly in dissatisfaction.
Puliu was truly shocked into a cold sweat by Mrs. Fang’s whimsical ideas.
“Madam, just look at the Princess of Zhen. Not to mention anything else… just her appearance alone, what kind of person would be a match for her? Forget about a royal son or noble, even if a Top Scholar is fetched after the test opens next February, he would be worthy of her! And you… want our family’s least capable legitimate son to pair with the main line’s legitimate eldest daughter of the Bai family. This is an immense insult to the head of the Bai Clan! No matter what, you must remember… the head of the Bai Clan and the Princess of Zhen both bear the surname Bai!”
Upon hearing Puliu’s words, Mrs. Fang realized her mistake and, twisting the handkerchief in her hand, looked aggrieved and tearful: “But he can’t talk to me nicely! People say a wife is taught in private, but he does not teach me… he just glares at me. I’m doing this for him! He is just a temporary leader of the clan. If the Princess of Zhen had someone by her side who could speak for him, would his position as the clan leader not be secured?”
Puliu sighed, “Madam, listen to your maid. When the master returns tonight, you should apologize to him and talk nicely.”
“I won’t go!” Mrs. Fang said petulantly, turning away.
“Then I will have someone prepare pork knuckle soup tonight and deliver it to the master on behalf of the madam to apologize. Between a husband and a wife, someone has to bow their head for the days to be harmonious.”
Mrs. Fang neither agreed nor refused but took out her handkerchief to wipe her tears.
·
Just after noon, Bai Qihe, with his son Bai Qingping, entered the gates of the Bai Mansion.
When Bai Qingyan heard the report from the servants, she understood that Bai Qihe and Bai Qingping had come concerning the matter of military training.
After all, the original candidate for training the soldiers had been decided. But Bai Jinzhi received an Imperial Edict calling her to Chunmu Mountain, and Lu Ping had also left.
Bai Qingyan had thought about it and considered asking the Governor for help. If the Governor couldn’t find anyone suitable for training the soldiers temporarily, she would lead a few people herself.
She had already sent someone to invite the Governor. But before the Governor arrived, Bai Qihe and Bai Qingping arrived first.
When Bai Qingyan stepped into the main hall, Bai Qihe and Bai Qingping, seeing Bai Qingyan in such a sharp outfit for the first time, were stunned by her imposing aura and became even more respectful.
“Have a seat!” Bai Qingyan sat in the main seat. After the maid served tea, she said, “I know you’re here regarding the matter of military training. I have already sent someone to invite the Governor to see if he can find anyone suitable. If he can find someone to help… I can handle the training myself.”
Bai Qingping was taken aback, “Handle it yourself?”
She nodded.
Steward Hao hurriedly arrived, standing at the door of the main hall and bowed to Bai Qingyan, “Eldest Miss, the Governor has arrived.”
“Please, show him in!”
As the Governor entered, Bai Qihe and Bai Qingping quickly stood up to greet him. Their attitude was respectful, entirely different from the previous clan leader. After smiling lightly and nodding to them, the Governor greeted Bai Qingyan, “This official pays respects to the Commandery Princess.”
“No need for formalities, Governor, please sit…”
Seeing Bai Qingyan’s relaxed stance, the Governor did not hold back, “This official heard before coming that the Lord of Gaoyi, originally set to train the villagers into soldiers tomorrow, has been summoned to Chunmu Mountain by an imperial edict. The Commandery Princess called for this official to come… is it to find someone new for military training?”
Bai Qingyan asked, “Does the Governor have anyone to recommend?”
The Governor nodded, stood up, and bowed toward Bai Qingyan, “How does the Commandery Princess feel… about my son?”
Bai Qihe and Bai Qingping looked at the Governor in astonishment. Was the Governor’s son capable of training soldiers?
“None of the Governor’s three sons have military experience!” Bai Qihe hurriedly said.
“Although my three sons have no military experience, the Commandery Princess is not training elite soldiers but using civilians as soldiers. My sons can teach basic skills. If the Commandery Princess is willing… I have already brought my sons, and they are waiting outside. The Commandery Princess can test them.”
Bai Qingping felt a bit worried but also sensed the Governor’s confidence in his sons. He turned to Bai Qingyan, seemingly waiting for her decision.
Though Bai Qingping did not explicitly say it, he thought… since the Bai family was funding the training, the soldiers should be under the Bai family’s control. If the Governor’s sons trained the soldiers, wouldn’t the soldiers be under the Governor’s command?
The Governor seemed to have come prepared. She thought for a moment, took a sip of tea, and said, “Invite the three young masters in.”
Steward Hao, who was standing at the door, responded and ordered a servant to call the Governor’s three sons.
The three sons of the Governor, who had thick eyebrows and big eyes, looked very similar, unlike their father; they probably resembled their mother more. freёwebnoѵel.com
The three stepped over the threshold, knelt, and bowed to Bai Qingyan. Their voices were loud and powerful, indicating they were people who practiced martial arts regularly.
“The Governor’s sons are indeed outstanding. However, as our Bai Clan leader said, the Governor’s sons have no military background, so I am not reassured. After thinking it over, I believe it’s best for me to handle the training personally. I hope the Governor can select one of his sons to assist Bai Qingping. This will be a great help in the future…”
Bai Qingping immediately stood up and agreed.
The Governor did not insist. It never hurt to be cautious. It was natural for the Princess of Zhen to be wary.
“The Crown Prince commanded the local officials of Shuoyang to fully assist the Commandery Princess in training the soldiers. This official will not fail!” the Governor said.
“””