Rebirth: The Journey of an Heiress
Chapter 491 - 488: Too Cautious_1

Chapter 491: Chapter 488: Too Cautious_1

"Hmm!" Bai Qingyan raised her foot to send Dong Tingzhen back, "Grandmother misses Little Four, so Little Four should return to Dadu City."

Dong Tingzhen nodded and didn’t ask further.

That night, Dong Tingzhen, affected by Bai Qingyan’s words about the depth of familial ties, tossed and turned, unable to sleep all night. Such a simple truth... she had actually forgotten it.

Dong Tingzhen quietly wiped her tears with a floral-patterned thin quilt, feeling too ashamed to face her father, mother, and siblings again.

Night had deepened.

As usual, after finishing her practice with the silver spear and taking a bath, Bai Qingyan leaned against the hidden pouch, holding an ancient bamboo slip, reading carefully.

Chun Tao dried Bai Qingyan’s hair, then went to the small kitchen to fetch a bowl of highly digestible milk. She bypassed the screen, lifted the water-green orchid-patterned gauze curtain, and placed the fine porcelain bowl with white glaze and green designs beside Bai Qingyan. She softly advised, "Eldest Young Lady, drink the milk and rest early!"

Bai Qingyan responded but didn’t move.

Chun Tao sighed, then had to adjust the lamp on the few redwood high tables, raising the wick and covering it with the glass shade again. Instantly, the room brightened significantly.

"Chun Tao, you go rest. There’s no need to stay up tonight." Bai Qingyan took a sip of the milk.

Nanny Tong had specifically instructed the kitchen staff to sprinkle the milk with salted osmanthus without adding sugar, making it not sweet and perfectly to Bai Qingyan’s liking.

"I’ll stay with you, Eldest Young Lady!" Chun Tao took out a bamboo basket, sat by the small table, and began her embroidery work.

Bai Qingyan’s gaze fell on Chun Tao’s embroidery frame. Seeing that it was an embroidery of mandarin ducks, she chuckled, "Is this for Chen Qingsheng? Missing your cousin?"

"Miss..." Chun Tao blushed deeply, "I’m embroidering a pillow!"

Bai Qingyan didn’t expose Chun Tao, merely smiling silently.

Bai Jintong had been away for half a year, only sending a letter once. Since then, no further messages were received, leaving everyone unsure about his safety.

Chun Tao, having received no news from Chen Qingsheng for so long, naturally felt worried.

She only hoped that Bai Jintong could return safely with his loyal servant.

Bai Qingyan closed the bamboo slip in her hands and turned her head to gaze through the half-opened window lattice, staring at the towering ancient tree in the courtyard. The half-dropped Xiangfei bamboo curtain and the thin gauze drapes enclosed the veranda, keeping out the flying insects. The small bells on the golden copper hook lightly echoed.

Who knows how far Bai Jinzhi had gone, and whether she could make it back to Dadu City before the Emperor issued his decree.

On July 20th, at the end of You time, Bai Jinzhi rode into Dadu City at a gallop, rushing straight to the Crown Prince’s palace.

It was the height of summer. Even after sunset, the wind remained hot.

The Crown Prince, with his robe open, lounged in the pavilion cooled by ice blocks at the four corners, watching his concubines dance. Upon hearing Quan Yu reporting from outside the bamboo curtain that Commandery Princess Gaoyi had urgent matters to discuss with the Crown Prince, he quickly stood up, adjusted his inner robe, and called Quan Yu inside to help him change.

The previous night, the Crown Prince had received a letter from Bai Qingyan, which stated... that King Liang had colluded with the Wang family of Jiuqu Alley, sending people disguised as bandits to kidnap children for alchemy practices.

Uncle Fang had read the letter at that time and felt... if Bai Qingyan’s claims were true and King Liang truly committed such a heinous act, this move could not only prevent King Liang from marrying King Xian’s only daughter, Liu Ruofu, but also strip him of any strength to compete for the throne.

With Bai Jinzhi suddenly rushing back from Shuoyang to Dadu today, the Crown Prince guessed that Bai Qingyan must have sent Bai Jinzhi to deliver something extremely important to him and Uncle Fang, and thus didn’t dare delay.

"Send someone to have Uncle Fang welcome Commandery Princess Gaoyi into the palace first!" the Crown Prince ordered loudly.

Quan Yu responded, sending a quick-footed little eunuch to fetch Uncle Fang.

Since receiving Bai Qingyan’s letter last night, Uncle Fang had been thinking about King Liang’s alchemy. When he heard the Crown Prince ordering him to welcome Bai Jinzhi, who had rushed to the palace gates, he guessed it might be related to Bai Jinzhi’s urgent return from Shuoyang.

Uncle Fang lifted the hem of his robe and quickly walked from the winding corridor towards the main gate. Even before reaching the main hall, he saw Bai Jinzhi standing in front of the shadow wall in the main courtyard, alongside a man with bloodstains on him, being held by the Bai family’s guards.

Bai Jinzhi held a black horsewhip in her hand, standing with it behind her back. Seeing Uncle Fang hastily approaching, she waved her hand, "Uncle Fang, this way!"

Uncle Fang, sweating profusely, stepped out of the corridor, wiped his sweat with a handkerchief, straightened his robe, and then approached Bai Jinzhi, bowing deeply, "Commandery Princess..."

"No need for such formalities!" Bai Jinzhi cupped her hands to Uncle Fang, then pointed the horsewhip at the trembling man kneeling on the ground, "This is one of the fake bandits from Shuoyang who kidnapped children for King Liang’s alchemy! My eldest sister ordered me to bring him to the Crown Prince and you at top speed to see if this could assist you!"

Saying this, Bai Jinzhi pulled out a signed confession from her sleeve and handed it to Uncle Fang, "He’s a coward. It didn’t take much effort; a little torture and he confessed everything!"

Before Bai Jinzhi came, Bai Qingyan had instructed her... to be closer with Uncle Fang but not to fawn over him. Bai Jinzhi carefully maintained her demeanor, showing great trust toward Uncle Fang, acting casually and sincere without any arrogance.

Uncle Fang took one look at the signed confession, his eyes gleaming.

"This is truly annoying! Uncle Fang, tell me... he already signed the confession, yet my eldest sister still wanted me to bring him along. If it weren’t for this burden, I would have arrived earlier!" Bai Jinzhi said, hands behind her back, glaring at the bandit in exasperation.

Uncle Fang chuckled, holding the signed confession, saying, "Princess of Zhen is cautious, ensuring that King Liang has no grounds to claim defamation. Your efforts are appreciated, Commandery Princess Gaoyi!"

Bai Jinzhi, hands behind her back, rather disapprovingly said, "Speaking of caution, I think my eldest sister is overly cautious! Previously... she wanted to propose to the Crown Prince to send the new recruits to the southern border and have the Bai family army help train them. This would surely raise a batch of elite soldiers for our Jin Kingdom! Sending our troops to Xiliang would also deter Xiliang from making rash moves. But my eldest sister feared others would suspect her intentions and refused to propose it to the Crown Prince! It’s simply being overly cautious! The Crown Prince knows full well who my eldest sister is! As long as it benefits the country and people... even if someone questioned her intentions, the Crown Prince would certainly protect her!"

Hurriedly arriving, the Crown Prince overheard Bai Jinzhi’s complaints and couldn’t help but laugh, "Would you dare say this in front of the Princess of Zhen?"

Turning at the sound, Bai Jinzhi quickly bowed deeply to the Crown Prince, grinning, "My eldest sister isn’t here. I’m just venting to Uncle Fang! Please don’t tell my eldest sister, Crown Prince!"

Seeing the Crown Prince smiling silently and reaching for the signed confession from Uncle Fang, Bai Jinzhi pointed at the bandit, frustrated, and said, "Had I not brought this man and only the signed confession, I would have arrived this morning!"