Chapter 680: Chapter 677: Heart-to-Heart_1

“We do not need to mention the Wei Kingdom, as it does not border the Jin Kingdom. Even if it occupies the Yan Kingdom, as long as it does not exceed the area adjacent to our Jin and Yan territories, it does not matter. But Daliang, which borders our entire northern side, when the Jin Kingdom destroyed the Shu Kingdom and took over that tiny land, it was to avoid being locked in by Daliang and to secure a port! Should Daliang take over the Yan Kingdom, though the lands do not directly connect, it would be justified to station troops there, and that would mean another constraint for our Jin Kingdom on the west side as well!”

The Crown Prince stood up and walked to the map. He glanced at it and was immediately shocked. He hurriedly said, “Go… send someone to bring the Minister of War here! Quan Yu, you go now and bring Mr. Ren… and Mr. Qin together!”

Old Fang’s fingers twitched at the mention of Mr. Qin.

As soon as Qin Shangzhi arrived, he heard about Wei and Daliang’s plans to attack the Yan Kingdom. He strongly agreed with the Crown Prince’s idea of deploying troops.

That afternoon, the Crown Prince and the Minister of War Shen Jingzhong entered the palace to meet the Emperor. By evening, the Emperor’s decree came down, sending Liu Rushi immediately to Daliang to demand land, and instructing Liu Hong to lead twenty thousand soldiers from Anping Camp to Chunmu Mountain the next morning. If Daliang refused to give up the land, Liu Rushi was to deliver the letter of challenge.

When Bai Qingyan received the news, she was quite surprised.

She lowered her gaze and stared at the chessboard in front of her, her fingers stroking the red jade piece. This time, the Emperor’s firm attitude in demanding land was unusual. He must have considered that if Daliang conquered Yan, it would compress the Jin Kingdom from the west and north, swallowing up the hard-won Shu land and locking the Jin Kingdom with no seaport.

Back then, her grandfather had insisted on destroying the Shu Kingdom, even at the cost of displeasing other nations, to prevent the Jin Kingdom from being locked away from a port.

Even if the Crown Prince asked Bai Qingyan for advice, from the Jin Kingdom’s overall perspective, she would never allow Daliang to take even an inch of Yan’s land.

“Eldest Young Lady, Eldest Young Lady!” Bai Jinzhi hurriedly ran in from outside Qinghui Courtyard, her voice arriving before she did.

Bai Qingyan turned her head to look out the bright window and saw Bai Jinzhi running up to the corridor. She lifted the curtain, came in, bypassed the screen, and quickly stepped onto the footrest, sitting on the soft couch by the window. “Mr. Xiao is here again… says he’s here to bid farewell! Looking at Second Aunt’s expression, she wouldn’t let Mr. Xiao see you. Eldest Young Lady… if you want to see him, I’ll talk to Second Aunt!”

Since the Yan Kingdom was in trouble, Xiao Rongyan had to leave naturally. Despite his busy schedule, he still found time to bid her farewell, which was rare.

Thinking of Xiao Rongyan’s note left on the bird’s leg, Bai Qingyan pressed her lips and said, “Go ask Mr. Xiao to come over, just say… I have something to ask.”

Bai Jinzhi smirked, stood up, and gave Bai Qingyan a long bow. “Rest assured, Eldest Young Lady, I will definitely bring Mr. Xiao to you!”

With that, Bai Jinzhi ran off like a gust of wind again.

Bai Qingyan’s ears turned slightly red. She cleared her throat and said to Chun Tao, “Put away the chessboard. When Mr. Xiao arrives, let him sit outside the screen.”

“Yes!” Chun Tao responded.

Bai Jinzhi successfully brought Xiao Rongyan back.

As Bai Qingyan was an unmarried woman, Bai Jinzhi, though reluctant to intrude on her Eldest Young Lady and Mr. Xiao’s private conversation, couldn’t leave entirely… worried about her Eldest Young Lady’s reputation. She had to stay by Bai Qingyan’s side with the screen between them, looking at Xiao Rongyan through the gauze screen.

Before he came, Xiao Rongyan didn’t expect to see Bai Qingyan, but he was pleasantly surprised.

“I heard that the Princess of Zhen coughed up blood yesterday. Is she feeling better?” Xiao Rongyan saw that Chun Tao had already retreated and turned his eyes towards Bai Jinzhi inside the screen.

Bai Jinzhi was sitting upright, eating snacks beside her eldest sister.

Bai Qingyan glanced at Bai Jinzhi and said, “Thank you for your concern, Mr. Xiao. It’s no longer a problem. I heard Mr. Xiao is here to bid farewell. I wonder… where is Mr. Xiao going?”

“I have some business in Daliang, and since my home country is now collaborating with Daliang to attack the Yan Kingdom, I am heading to Daliang to gather information for my homeland,” Xiao Rongyan said.

Bai Jinzhi, eating a snack, choked and quickly pounded her chest with her fist, picked up a teacup, and drank to soothe herself.

“Mr. Xiao does not hide anything from me,” Bai Qingyan said with a wry smile.

Xiao Rongyan heard the amusement in her tone. His deep, rich voice carried an underlying tenderness he himself wasn’t aware of. “I am… frank with you.”

“Pfft…” Bai Jinzhi couldn’t hold back and spurted tea out, quickly wiping her mouth with her sleeve. “I’m sorry, Eldest Young Lady! I just didn’t expect Mr. Xiao… he…”

He speaks so sweetly! And there’s someone else here!

Bai Qingyan handed Bai Jinzhi a handkerchief from her sleeve. Bai Jinzhi hastily took it to wipe her mouth, still feeling the snack stuck in her throat, and pounded her chest a few more times.

“Go out and get a drink of water!” Bai Qingyan suggested.

Bai Jinzhi nodded, clutching her eldest sister’s handkerchief, and blushing, left the room.

Seeing the curtain stop moving, Xiao Rongyan finally spoke. “I… overstepped.”

Saying this, Xiao Rongyan walked around the screen towards Bai Qingyan.

Seeing Bai Qingyan in her plain clothes, paler than usual, Xiao Rongyan noticed her tired face framed by the hairpin he had given her, with a white woolen blanket draped over her legs.

The midday golden sunlight shone through the window lattice, falling on her serene features. She was breathtakingly beautiful.

“What happened yesterday?” Xiao Rongyan, disregarding decorum, took Bai Qingyan’s hand, noticing her cold fingers. “Did you take the medicine Xiao Ali sent?”

“Rest assured, the blood vomiting was faked to return to Shuoyang smoothly! Be cautious on your trip to Daliang,” Bai Qingyan urged.

Xiao Rongyan nodded and looked down at Bai Qingyan’s hand, gently rubbing her wrist bone with worry in his eyes. “Take good care of yourself. The first batch of grain has already arrived at Shuoyang. I will continue to send food thereafter. But… can you really manage so much grain? If not, I can…”

Before Xiao Rongyan could finish, Bai Qingyan interrupted. “When the rest of the grain arrives at Shuoyang, I will settle the payment with Steward Hao. Trust me… since I dared to ask, it’s because I have confidence.”

Xiao Rongyan, always thorough with his plans, had indeed sent the grain. But to prevent the Jin Kingdom from interfering with Beirong’s attempt to attack the South of Yan, he kept his promise by delivering the grain to Shuoyang.

After the Yan soldiers reclaimed Nanyan without shedding blood, the Yan no longer lacked food.

Both Bai Qingyan and Xiao Rongyan understood each other well. They knew they had their own responsibilities and ambitions and weren’t ones to be ensnared by mere emotional entanglements.