Chapter 720
“You, what are you doing getting up! Lie down quickly!” Mrs. Liu hurriedly stepped over to support Bai Qingyan.
She wiped the deathly pale color from her lips with a handkerchief and smiled at Mrs. Liu, “It was just for show! Second Aunt, please don’t worry.”
Mrs. Liu almost cried out in fright earlier. She took the handkerchief from Bai Qingyan’s hand, rubbed the white greasy substance from it, and only then realized Bai Qingyan had applied something to her lips. “You… you nearly scared Second Aunt to death!”
Mrs. Liu scolded Bai Qingyan but understood that Bai Qingyan wouldn’t use such a method unless it was absolutely necessary.
“Why didn’t you send someone back to inform us in advance? I could have prepared! You’re always afraid of the cold. If you had sent someone back earlier, I would have made sure the Earth Dragon was burning brightly!” Mrs. Liu tucked Bai Qingyan in while speaking.
“It happened suddenly, Second Aunt, please forgive me. Next time, if Kid comes back, we will definitely send someone to inform Second Aunt in advance.” Bai Qingyan smiled at Mrs. Liu. “In front of others, I’ll need Second Aunt to cover for me!”
“Second Aunt understands! Second Aunt understands!” Mrs. Liu patted Bai Qingyan’s hand. “Just rest and recuperate here at home. All the servants in Qinghui Courtyard are loyal; this matter will not spread outside.”
“Thank you, Second Aunt!” Bai Qingyan said to Mrs. Liu.
“What are you saying? Second Aunt is just doing her part… The weight of the Bai family is all on your shoulders! You must take good care of yourself!” Mrs. Liu squeezed Bai Qingyan’s hand tightly.
·
After hearing the news, Bai Jinxiu at Qin Mansion learned that Bai Qingyan had coughed up blood at the Crown Prince’s residence. She guessed it was likely part of her elder sister’s plan, but still couldn’t stay calm. She handed Wang Geer to Qin Lang, who was studying hard for the upcoming Spring Festival examination, and ordered someone to prepare a carriage to return to the Princess of Zhen’s residence immediately.
Qin Lang was also very worried and carried Wang Geer to the door while advising, “If your elder sister’s condition is not good, it’s fine if you don’t come back tonight. I will take good care of Wang Geer!”
Wang Geer, in his mother’s arms, reached out with his small hands adorned with longevity bracelets. Seeing his mother board the carriage without him, he cried loudly with his little mouth pouting.
Bai Jinxiu lifted the curtain, looked at Wang Geer struggling and crying in Qin Lang’s arms, and her eyes became wet. “Be good, Wang Geer, Mother will be back soon…”
After speaking, Bai Jinxiu couldn’t bear to watch Wang Geer cry any longer. She let go of the curtain and urged the driver to leave quickly.
When Bai Jinxiu arrived at the Princess of Zhen’s gate, Nanny Luo, the close nanny of the second lady Mrs. Liu, welcomed her.
“The second lady knew you would come back!” Nanny Luo stepped forward and, not seeing Wang Geer, asked, “Why didn’t you bring Wang Geer back?”
Lifting her skirt hem, Bai Jinxiu walked into the Duke of Zhen residence. “Wang Geer is with Qin Lang, so it’s fine. What’s wrong with my elder sister?”
“Don’t worry, Miss. You will find out when you see her at Qinghui Courtyard.” Nanny Luo helped Bai Jinxiu through the main gate and whispered.
Bai Jinxiu hurried her steps and entered Qinghui Courtyard. She saw her elder sister sitting by the small table near the bed, having milk porridge. Bai Jinxiu sighed in relief, removed her cloak, and warmed herself by the fire basin before walking in through the curtain. “Eldest Young Lady…”
“Sit down!” Bai Qingyan dabbed her mouth with the handkerchief. “I knew you’d come back upon hearing the news. Did you bring Wang Geer?”
Seeing her elder sister’s smiling face, Bai Jinxiu understood that her sister had coughed up blood at the Crown Prince’s residence on purpose.
“I left Wang Geer with Qin Lang.” Bai Jinxiu rested her arms on the small table, leaned close to Bai Qingyan, and asked softly, “Eldest Young Lady, did you rush back to Dadu City because of the Crown Prince’s plan to slaughter the two cities infected with the plague?”
Bai Qingyan nodded. “Besides that, I wanted to let the Crown Prince know that my arrow-pierced chest to save him means my days are numbered. He doesn’t have to be overly wary.”
“Jinxiu understands!” Bai Jinxiu nodded and lowered her voice. “The people Eldest Young Lady entrusted to Fan Yuhuai, I investigated carefully. Fan Yuhuai placed two of them in critical positions, while the others were put in insignificant roles. Meanwhile, four out of the six people not on the list you gave him were promoted to important positions. So, it’s hard to say whether Fan Yuhuai is truly loyal to the Crown Prince or has other intentions.”
Bai Qingyan smiled gently. “Fan Yuhuai is indeed clever. By placing two in critical roles, even if I questioned him, he could say… it’s not easy to arrange everyone perfectly in a short time and needs to be done slowly.”
“You mean, Fan Yuhuai might not be sincerely loyal to the Crown Prince?” Bai Jinxiu reacted quickly.
“After the recent palace coup, many key positions in the imperial guard are vacant now. It’s the perfect time for various factions to plant their people. I recommended Fan Yuhuai as the head of the Imperial Guards and gave him a list of seven people. He only placed two from my list while promoting four out of six people not on my list. Isn’t the implication obvious?” Bai Qingyan leaned back against the cushion, playing with the tassels, and laughed. “If my guess is right, many high-ranking officials, like our family, would want to place their people in the imperial guard. Fan Yuhuai doesn’t want to offend anyone, so he promoted a couple from each faction. As for the six people we kept in the dark, Fan Yuhuai promoted four at once, suggesting he intends to cultivate his own power.”
“Fan Yuhuai is already the head of the Imperial Guards. It’s reasonable for him to cultivate his own men.” Bai Jinxiu looked at Bai Qingyan. “Thanks to your foresight, we only sent a list of seven people through Uncle Ping.”
“By the way, when you were shot with an arrow in the chest trying to save the Crown Prince, he swore to catch the assailant. In the end, they caught the death warriors escorting Liu Ruofu. Those warriors denied assassinating the Crown Prince, pinning the guilt on Liu Ruofu.” Bai Jinxiu added.
Bai Qingyan raised the warm tea and gently blew the steam from the cup. “King Xian allied with King Liang to rebel; their former followers wanted the Crown Prince dead the most. The Crown Prince already believes it’s the Liu family’s doing. The actual result doesn’t matter much to him. Having a scapegoat to close the case and appease the Emperor matters more.”
“The Crown Prince… ” Bai Jinxiu bit her lip, hesitant. “Since the Emperor has focused on recovering and handed the state affairs to the Crown Prince, he has been diligent. But the other day, someone saw the Crown Prince visit a brothel at night. Just yesterday… a palanquin from that brothel entered the Crown Prince’s residence, and I heard it angered the Crown Princess Consort so much that she nearly had a miscarriage.”