Rebirth: The Journey of an Heiress-Chapter 167 - 166: The View of the Bright Moon_1
Chapter 167 -166: The View of the Bright Moon_1
He traveled with the Crown Prince and the expeditionary army. Who would dare to investigate? Moreover, this time the expedition was a forced march. The speed of the march was extremely fast; all the city gates were wide open. Furthermore, traveling with the Crown Prince, he could walk the official road openly. The time saved along the way meant more lives could be saved in Yan.
Today, the Yan Kingdom was indeed in a difficult situation. Who would have thought that this tottering Yan Kingdom would, ten years later, destroy four countries and become a military power that struck fear into the hearts of other nations?
“Mr. Xiao, I am a native of Jin. Aren’t you afraid that I might ruin your plans by telling me so much in detail?”
Of all the nations in the world, Jin was undoubtedly the one most unwilling to see Yan become strong.
“Even the youngest of the Bai family can see that. With Miss Bai’s intelligence, she surely can as well…” Xiao Rongyan looked at her and smiled. “Frankly speaking to Miss Bai is merely to let her know that Xiao currently bears no animosity towards Jin. It is solely for the sake of saving the people of Yan.”
At the Zheliu Pavilion that day, Xiao Rongyan had already known that Bai Qingyan was not blindly loyal to Jin and had a heart of benevolence and compassion. Therefore, he came to tell her calmly, giving her peace of mind so she wouldn’t be overly defensive and act out of caution.
It wasn’t that Xiao Rongyan feared crossing paths with this exceptionally intelligent and skillful Miss Bai. But this matter concerned the survival of the people of Yan. He couldn’t gamble with their lives; Yan couldn’t afford to lose.
“The Crown Prince has an advisor named Qin Shangzhi. Does Mr. Xiao think that Qin Shangzhi won’t see through the ruse?”
Xiao Rongyan’s voice grew gentler. “Mr. Qin is highly talented. But Mr. Qin does not know the relationship between me and Yan. As a businessman, seeking profit is natural. What is wrong with leveraging the Crown Prince’s power to seek profit in Pingyang City?”
Xiao Rongyan indeed calculated very clearly. She lowered her eyes, untied the cape, and returned the thick fur cape to Xiao Rongyan. “I’m drenched in sweat and might dirty your cape! If Mr. Xiao is truly saving people, I will not meddle.”
“If you sweat, you’ll catch a cold in the wind. Keep it on!” Xiao Rongyan gently pushed the cape back to her.
Bai Jinzhi, who had been living in the same room with Bai Qingyan, suddenly woke up. Seeing that her eldest sister was not in bed, she chased after her.
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Unexpectedly, she saw her elder sister with Mr. Xiao. She even saw her elder sister return the cape to Mr. Xiao. The little girl squinted her eyes, remembering how she had commented on the suspicious nature of Xiao Rongyan’s escort of goods, and her eldest sister had defended him…
The little girl’s eyes lit up.
Dear heavens! What had she discovered?! Her elder sister actually had romantic feelings!
Oh, my! Did her elder sister have feelings for Mr. Xiao? Well, then… Mr. Xiao was indeed elegant and imposing. Even the Prince didn’t possess the poised demeanor of Mr. Xiao, nor was he as handsome as Mr. Xiao!
In terms of appearance and demeanor, he matched her elder sister!
Moreover, her elder sister was destined to marry someone into the Bai family. As the first wealthy merchant and benefactor to the Bai family, Mr. Xiao could indeed be reluctantly deemed suitable for her elder sister!
She had thought that her elder sister would never develop feelings for anyone in this lifetime. Unexpectedly, her elder sister actually liked Mr. Xiao!
Thinking of Xiao Rongyan potentially marrying into the Bai family and others calling him Bai Xiao, the little girl suddenly shrank her neck and covered her mouth, giggling secretly.
“Who?!” Xiao Rongyan’s hawk-like eyes looked towards the darkness.
Bai Jinzhi held her breath and shrank behind a tree. It couldn’t be her, could it?!
Before Bai Jinzhi could think further, she felt a cold light approaching. Xiao Rongyan’s guard, along with Xiao Ruohai’s sword, came towards her!
“Oh no, oh no! It’s me! It’s me!” Bai Jinzhi deftly evaded the longsword of Xiao Rongyan’s guard and hurriedly spoke to Xiao Ruohai.
Xiao Ruohai quickly retracted his sword. “Fourth… Fourth Young Master?!”
Bai Jinzhi glared at Xiao Rongyan’s guard and then ran towards Bai Qingyan. “Eldest Sister!”
Bai Jinzhi ran to Bai Qingyan, took the cape from her hand, and draped it over her. “Eldest Sister, Mr. Xiao is right! You’ll catch a cold in the wind! Wear it! Thank you, Mr. Xiao!”
With a smile, Xiao Rongyan bowed to Bai Qingyan and Bai Jinzhi, saying, “Take care of your health, Miss Bai.”
Watching the figure of Xiao Rongyan and his guard walk away, Bai Jinzhi foolishly grinned at Bai Qingyan. “Eldest Sister… did you arrange to meet Mr. Xiao?”
Bai Qingyan turned her head to look at Bai Jinzhi, took the cape off her shoulders, and placed it into Bai Jinzhi’s arms, instructing, “In the future, be careful when speaking outside; walls have ears. Return this fox fur cape to Mr. Xiao.”
Bai Jinzhi opened her mouth, thinking of the distance she had laughed from… just a moment ago, and immediately felt a chill down her spine.
Bai Jinzhi hurriedly hugged the fox fur cape and chased after Bai Qingyan walking towards the camp. “Did Mr. Xiao hear everything I said to you today?”
“Speaking recklessly outside. If Mr. Xiao were a spy from Wei Kingdom or intending to disrupt the southern battlefield, you would be in grave danger. Not to mention Mr. Xiao’s abilities. His guard alone is a top-tier expert. There are always those better than us. Especially when outside, every word and action must be done with the utmost caution.”
Bai Jinzhi hugged the fox fur cape tightly and nodded, realizing this when seeking help from Xiao Rongyan earlier.
“Little Four remembers!” Bai Jinzhi said earnestly.
On the eighth day, the army reached Chongluan Ridge and set up camp within Chongshan Ridge.
Bai Qingyan had Xiao Ruohai prepare some paper money and a pot of wine. After informing the Crown Prince, she took Bai Jinzhi out of the camp to pay respects to General Fang Yan, who died recording battles for the Bai family and died in service.
The silent and deep valley. The dark night wind was high. All was still.
A small flame flickered on flat ground at the valley’s entrance, illuminating the two kneeling sisters facing south.
Bai Jinzhi lit the paper money in her hand and placed it piece by piece into the fire, her eyes reddened.
Bai Qingyan poured a cup of wine, raised it high above her head. The first cup was in honor of General Fang Yan for his battles on behalf of the people.
She poured the wine around the fire. The liquid momentarily suppressed the flames. The fire then roared back more fiercely than before.
The second cup was in gratitude to General Fang Yan for sacrificing his life for the Bai family.
The third cup was to tell General Fang Yan that Liu Huanzhang was dead and that the General could rest in peace…
The bright moon slowly emerged from behind the clouds. The cold moonlight frosted the ground and illuminated the quiet valley entrance.
She looked up at the moon hanging high in the sky. Her throat choked, and her eyes stung with tears.
Clearing the clouds… finally seeing the bright moon.
“Eldest Sister, when we return from the southern border, shall we erect a monument for General Fang Yan?” Bai Jinzhi’s hoarse voice trembled.
“Alright!” She replied.
The two sisters kowtowed to the soon-to-die-out fire before mounting their horses with Xiao Ruohai and leaving the valley entrance to return to camp.
After crossing Chongluan Ridge, the road was smooth. The marching speed was even faster than expected.
