Empire Conquest
Chapter 284 - 280: Suit up and Go to War

Chapter 284: Chapter 280: Suit up and Go to War

Zhang Xiaoqing had been waiting in the teahouse next to the study.

From the wee hours to dawn, then morning, and onto the afternoon, she had sent over supper, followed by breakfast and lunch. It wasn’t until past four o’ clock in the afternoon that the door finally opened.

"Imperial Brother..."

Seeing the Holy Emperor come out first, Zhang Xiaoqing knew the meeting that lasted over a dozen hours had ended.

"Very good," the Holy Emperor nodded towards the Little Eldest Princess and said with a smile, "Your cooking skills are indeed excellent, truly following in the Empress Dowager’s footsteps."

"If Imperial Brother likes it, I can cook for you every day."

"Silly girl, even the best meal will become tiresome if eaten every day. In a few days, once you have sorted things out at home, remember to visit the Empress Dowager."

"I know, I will often return to the palace to visit the Empress Dowager."

The Holy Emperor didn’t say much more and left under the guidance of the Eunuch.

Afterward, Xue Yuanzheng and others came out one by one to bid farewell to the Little Eldest Princess.

Although she was already Bai Zhizhan’s fiancée, her status as a member of the Imperial Family hadn’t changed; she was still the Little Eldest Princess, continuing to enjoy the nobility of the Imperial Family.

After all the guests had left, Bai Zhizhan emerged from the study.

"Tired?"

Bai Zhizhan nodded. He was indeed not quite accustomed to this brand-new way of life, especially to suddenly having someone else by his side.

The old days when he could care for himself alone, with no family to feed, were surely gone forever.

However, nobody was forcing him to adapt to the new life immediately.

"How about a hot bath first, and I’ll prepare dinner while you’re soaking..."

"I’m heading to the airport soon."

"On a mission?"

Bai Zhizhan sighed deeply and said, "The frontline situation is at a standstill; I need to go there, and I’ll be boarding a plane tonight."

"Alright, I’ll go pack your luggage now. Mom and Dad haven’t left yet; go see them when you can. Once you leave, who knows when you’ll be able to come back."

"The change of address fee hasn’t been given yet, and you’re already calling them that?"

"Go on, stop your nonsense!"

Seeing Zhang Xiaoqing about to get angry, Bai Zhizhan chuckled and didn’t tease her further.

He often joked like this with his close buddies; he couldn’t change it in a short time, but fortunately, Zhang Xiaoqing was broad-minded and didn’t take it to heart.

The two were just engaged, so strictly speaking, Zhang Xiaoqing should address Bai Zhizhan’s parents as "Uncle" and "Auntie" before the marriage.

Also due to this rule, Bai Zhizhan’s parents were staying in the guest rooms of the east yard.

Bai Zhizhan went over and sat for a little while, mainly to greet his parents; there wasn’t much else to say.

Although not from a poor family, Bai Zhizhan’s parents were the epitome of ordinary citizens.

His father, Bai Zhenbang, was a shipyard worker, and his mother, Chen Xiuying, was an elementary school teacher before marriage, who turned into a full-time homemaker after having children.

Indeed, Bai Zhizhan’s ability to be admitted to the Imperial Naval Officer Academy and his choice to join the Navy were closely related to his parents.

Growing up in the shipyard’s residential area had exposed Bai Zhizhan to ships from an early age. His mother’s careful teaching was the guarantee for his admission to the Naval Academy.

However, since leaving home at the age of eighteen, Bai Zhizhan had seen his parents infrequently.

Looking back, in the past twenty-some years, the time he spent visiting home probably didn’t even amount to a hundred days.

Fortunately, Dad Bai always taught him, "loyalty and filial piety are difficult to balance; since you have chosen to be loyal to the country, it is understandable if you cannot fully fulfill your filial duties."

They talked until evening, when Zhang Xiaoqing finally brought over the meal and a small pot of rice wine.

The rice wine was delivered from the palace, a genuine tribute product.

Zhang Xiaoqing was clever, not calling Bai Zhizhan back but instead bringing the meal to the east yard. Taking this opportunity, it was like they had their reunion dinner.

It was a bit late, but the atmosphere was very pleasant.

Towards this future daughter-in-law, the old couple was completely satisfied.

Marry as soon as possible, and add a son or daughter to the mix, and that would be perfect.

But the old couple weren’t hurrying them; after all, setting a wedding date was something that the Imperial Family had to decide, and the Empress Dowager would surely choose an auspicious day.

Toward the end of the meal, Zheng Jiangming hurried over.

The slightly subdued reunion dinner thus came to an end.

He had driven over after receiving a phone call.

In his own words, he had almost become the private driver for the Prince Consort.

Liu Changxun had sent him to pick up Bai Zhizhan for two reasons: one was because he and Bai Zhizhan were close friends, with a friendship out of the ordinary. He would undoubtedly visit Bai Zhizhan’s home frequently in the future; the other was for the sake of confidentiality, as, for the time being, they couldn’t find a more suitable driver than Zheng Jiangming.

Before getting into the car, the soon-to-be newlyweds still had to exchange a few shivers.

"If you ask me, you should take the time to learn how to drive."

"What do I need to do that for?"

"So I won’t be traumatized every time I come to pick you up. I keep thinking it must be because of your ancestral tomb’s feng shui that you’ve picked up such a bargain."

Bai Zhizhan was speechless, and Zheng Jiangming started the car. After politely nodding to Zhang Xiaoqing, he drove off.

"You didn’t volunteer for this, did you?" Despite the jokes, Zheng Jiangming knew what was important.

Even if he was still a close friend, there was a difference in closeness.

"What do you think?" Bai Zhizhan said as he rolled up the window. "If there’s no hurry, drive slower so I can sleep some more. I haven’t closed my eyes since yesterday."

"Alright, rest easy, and sleep. After all, the plane won’t take off without you going."

Bai Zhizhan didn’t argue with Zheng Jiangming; after all, Zheng Jiangming was only tough in words.

Seeing Bai Zhizhan close his eyes, Zheng Jiangming couldn’t help but sigh.

The capable take on more work.

That saying was really true.

In the evening, after being called to the Navy headquarters by Liu Changxun who had just returned, Zheng Jiangming learned that they had pulled an all-nighter at Bai Zhizhan’s new home.

Zheng Jiangming had also attended the engagement ceremony yesterday but had left on his own after the banquet.

To speak frankly, in front of so many Imperial Relatives, Zheng Jiangming, attending as a friend of the groom, felt somewhat inferior.

What surprised Zheng Jiangming was that Liu Changxun had actually arranged for Bai Zhizhan to visit the front-line troops to inspect the situation.

The first stop was Jeju Island.

That seemed a bit too inconsiderate!

Even if it was just an engagement and not yet a wedding, after decades of conventional practice, many young people were already together by the time of their engagement ceremony.

Besides, Bai Zhizhan was forty-two, and Zhang Xiaoqing was thirty-two.

At their age, to delay for a few more years, well, that would really be letting the moment pass by.

At the engagement ceremony, what everyone was most concerned about was when the wedding would be.

Some of the younger folks were guessing that the Little Eldest Princess could very well have an "accidental pregnancy before marriage," otherwise they wouldn’t have announced the engagement so suddenly.

Of course, Zheng Jiangming knew that Bai Zhizhan hadn’t even held Zhang Xiaoqing’s hand, let alone "board the ship before buying the ticket."

But that’s just it!

Regardless, they should have given Bai Zhizhan a few days off for a honeymoon, letting him practice his human skills at home and strengthen the newly established, but not very firm, marital relationship.

Don’t forget, the Liu Family was lying in wait, ready to pounce.

It didn’t matter that the rice hadn’t been cooked into a cooked meal yet, even if it got burned, as long as they could cling to the Imperial Family, those unmarried young individuals from the Liu Family bearing generational names wouldn’t mind.

Who would have thought that he would be dispatched the very next day after the engagement?

Even if there were a battle to be fought, it surely wouldn’t be urgent in these few days, would it?

That’s exactly why Zheng Jiangming asked the question.

If it was Bai Zhizhan who proposed this, then there would be a problem with their relationship, and Zheng Jiangming would need to talk to Liu Changxun about it, considering she was the Little Eldest Princess.

However, from the looks of it now, it seemed to be a different situation, at least Bai Zhizhan’s reluctant demeanor didn’t seem like he had volunteered.