Chapter 246: Chapter 244: Candid_1 Chapter 246: Chapter 244: Candid_1 The Crown Prince had just gotten off the carriage when he saw Bai Qingyan and Bai Jinzhi returning to the group after paying respects to their father. He nodded to Bai Qingyan from afar and then, with a smile, invited King Yan of Xiliang and the Princess into the posthouse.

Bai Qingyan and Bai Jinzhi handed their horses to the stableman at the posthouse and were about to enter, when they saw Liu Rushi and Zhang Duanrui making their way inside after making their salutations. Bai Qingyan raised a hand to stop Bai Jinzhi, allowing Liu Rushi to go first.

Liu Rushi, seeing this, did not even bother to thank them. Instead, he snorted coldly, flung his sleeves, and entered the posthouse with the same disdainful attitude, not wanting to associate with Bai Qingyan.

Zhang Duanrui was taken aback. He had thought that after their joint efforts in the negotiation tent, Liu Rushi would have put aside his prejudices against Bai Qingyan. He hadn’t expected Liu Rushi to still carry that air of a disgruntled scholar.

Bai Jinzhi was infuriated by Liu Rushi. “You…”

Before Bai Jinzhi could finish speaking, Bai Qingyan had already pressed down her hand pointing at Liu Rushi, signaling her to look inside the posthouse.

Inside the posthouse, the injured Li Zhijie stood upstairs, smiling broadly as he looked toward the entrance. His peach-blossom eyes shimmered with an unreadable expression.

Even if there were internal discord in Jin, they couldn’t let the outsiders from Xiliang see and laugh at them. Bai Jinzhi naturally understood this principle.

“General Bai!” Zhang Duanrui stepped forward and cupped his hands in salute to Bai Qingyan with a smile. “Minister Liu has always been famous in Dadu City for his bad temper. Please overlook it, Mr. Bai!”

“He’s just an old-school scholar. What’s there to be proud of? If it weren’t for the victories led by my eldest sister and the generals, how would he have the chance to show off here? Truly ungrateful!” Bai Jinzhi complained to Zhang Duanrui in a lowered voice, looking at Liu Rushi’s retreating figure.

“Most scholars are like that, Fourth Miss. Please forgive him!” Zhang Duanrui interrupted with a smile. “General Bai, Fourth Miss, please go ahead…”

Although Bai Jinzhi was unhappy, the thought of seeing her ninth brother in Feng County tomorrow helped her suppress her anger for the time being.

Taking the opportunity before the Crown Prince retired, Bai Qingyan went to tell him about her wish to go to Feng County early the next morning to pay respects to Bai Qingming. The Crown Prince nodded in approval, reminding Bai Qingyan to rejoin the group as soon as possible after paying respects. “I feel at ease with you around.”

As she left the Crown Prince’s room, she saw Qin Shangzhi standing not far away, looking at her with his hands behind his back.

The last time she asked Li Zhijie for the Dong family’s elite soldiers, although nothing was discovered by the Crown Prince or Elder Fang, Bai Qingyan knew… With Qin Shangzhi’s intelligence, he must have noticed something.

Although Qin Shangzhi had sent her secret messages, he was ultimately the Crown Prince’s counselor. How could he not consider the Crown Prince and only think of her?

Bai Qingyan and Qin Shangzhi stood on the slope behind the posthouse. Qin Shangzhi turned to look at her. “I cautiously sent people to investigate the fires by Jinghe. There were no burnt bones, so, Miss Bai… those elite soldiers brought by King Yan of Xiliang, Li Zhijie, are actually your people, aren’t they?”

Although Qin Shangzhi had not known Bai Qingyan long, he understood that she was a person of unparalleled wit who also valued loyalty.

Seeing Bai Qingyan remain silent, Qin Shangzhi continued, “I, once saved by Miss Bai, therefore assisted to return the favor this time! But… as the Crown Prince’s counselor, I cannot watch Miss Bai manipulate the Crown Prince.”

Having said that, Qin Shangzhi bowed deeply to Bai Qingyan before turning to leave, intending to inform the Crown Prince of the matter.

“Mr. Qin…” Bai Qingyan called out to Qin Shangzhi unhurriedly, “Those elite soldiers are indeed my people.”

Qin Shangzhi turned back, his eyes burning with anger. “Why?! Risking the lives of those elite soldiers and Huying Camp soldiers just to assassinate King Yan of Xiliang? To ruin the peace negotiations between Xiliang and Jin? To raise the army through war?! I thought you were someone loyal to the country and King Zhen. Are you truly willing to plunge the common people into the flames of war for power and profit?”

“My ninth brother is at Qiushan Pass,” Bai Qingyan’s voice was slow and steady.

Qin Shangzhi’s fiery anger seemed to touch an ice block and quickly dissipated. He paused for a moment and then asked in a subdued tone, “Your ninth brother? A son of the Bai family?”

Under the starry sky, the night wind gently blew the red ribbon tied in Bai Qingyan’s hair.

She spoke in a hushed tone, “My ninth brother is the assassin who killed the Emperor of Xiliang. He was captured alive by Li Zhijie and secretly taken to Qiushan Pass! I’ve been waiting for the negotiation with Li Zhijie to use my ninth brother as a bargaining chip. But no matter what impossible terms Jin proposes, the matter of my ninth brother was never brought to the negotiation table. Mr. Qin, should I stand by and watch my own brother suffer in the hands of the Xiliang people?”

Qin Shangzhi quietly asked, “So, the Bai family still has one son alive. Is the Ninth Young Master still alive?”

She gently nodded in confirmation.

Qin Shangzhi clenched his fist by his side. “But this matter cannot be revealed to the Emperor. The only reason the Bai family is allowed to survive is because no matter how capable you are, you’re still a woman. If the Emperor finds out that there is still a son in the Bai family who can inherit the title, then…”

“The truths you understand, I understand as well,” she said, looking at Qin Shangzhi. “So, I ask Mr. Qin to remember the kindness of the Bai family saving your life and keep this matter a secret.”

“I am the Crown Prince’s… counselor.” Qin Shangzhi spoke the last two words softly. “And, even if I don’t tell, the Crown Prince’s close aides like Elder Fang and Ren Shijie are not simple people. They haven’t figured it out yet, but it’s only a matter of time, especially Ren Shijie… I heard he stayed at Jinghe on his way to prepare gifts for the Emperor.”

“I only ask you to keep the survival of my ninth brother a secret. Mr. Qin, now that you are the Crown Prince’s counselor, you should strategize for the Crown Prince. I understand this! You can go and tell the Crown Prince now that those black-clad elite soldiers are my people, and also tell His Highness that the black-clad elite soldiers I buried by Jinghe were not burned!” She bowed deeply to Qin Shangzhi. “Thank you for delivering the message, and thank you for sparing my ninth brother’s life.”

She had thought about inviting Qin Shangzhi to join her, but she hadn’t secured a position in the high temple yet, so how could she dare to invite him rashly?

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Something flashed in Qin Shangzhi’s mind as he looked at Bai Qingyan. “If you let me tell His Highness, what do you intend to achieve?”

With her intelligence, daring him to inform the Crown Prince showed she had no fear… perhaps she had something planned behind this.

“To gain the Crown Prince’s trust!” Bai Qingyan said openly and frankly.

“If you want the Crown Prince’s trust, why not tell him yourself?” Qin Shangzhi’s words had barely left his mouth before he pressed his lips together. If he told the Crown Prince that the ninth son of the Bai family was still alive at Qiushan Pass, then the Emperor would know too.

Following the Crown Prince for these days, he had understood that this Crown Prince… greatly feared the current Emperor, making him quite a good son.