Seeing that Li Chang'an was unyielding, Bai Ruohan turned her attention to Feng Beichuan. She knew that she was no match for him on her own, so she straightened her expression and said, "My father is a high-ranking official in the court and is deeply trusted by the Emperor. I cannot let him suffer such injustice for no reason. If Your Highness is unwilling to stand up for me, then I will not mind reporting the matter to the Emperor truthfully."
Even now, Bai Ruohan still naively believes that the Emperor is the most influential person in the world. However, as a young lady who has lived in seclusion for a long time, she is completely unaware of the current situation.
Little did they know, the emperor was still the emperor, but the court had already undergone a complete transformation.
"Is Miss Bai threatening me?"
Feng Beichuan's tone was playful, but his dark eyes, as deep as a pool, were now frozen.
Interesting. It seems I underestimated this young lady from the Prime Minister's mansion. She actually knew how to call in reinforcements to intimidate me; she certainly has a lot of guts.
However, she seems to be a little too confident.
Bai Ruohan was indeed very confident in her statement, because she had been fortunate enough to attend several palace banquets and even played a piece of music to celebrate Emperor Xingchang's birthday.
Emperor Xingchang was so pleased that he gifted Bai Ruohan a peerless zither, which is why she was able to become a familiar face to the emperor.
Moreover, Bai Ruohan's connection with Emperor Xingchang goes far beyond that. At that time, she amazed everyone with her performance at the palace banquet, and because of her outstanding appearance, she caught the eye of that lecherous old man, Emperor Xingchang. Regardless of the fact that he was old enough to be Bai Ruohan's father, he jokingly said that he would take Bai Ruohan into the harem as a concubine.
Being able to enter the harem and become the emperor's woman is a blessing that not everyone can obtain. However, although Bai Ruohan yearned for that noble status, she still could not accept becoming a concubine of an old man. If Emperor Xingchang were twenty years younger, she might have considered it.
Bai Yuanshan, of course, would not want to send his precious daughter to the deep palace. So the father and daughter conspired to politely refuse Emperor Xingchang's absurd idea and made up an excuse to brush it off.
However, Emperor Xingchang, out of consideration for his reputation, naturally didn't say much. He only explained that he thought Bai Ruohan was a good match for him and that he was just joking. He also promised that when Bai Ruohan got married, he would definitely issue an edict to make her a princess and marry her off in a grand manner.
It was precisely because of this that Bai Ruohan was even more confident that she was a cut above the other young ladies from noble families, which gave her more confidence in her actions. She felt that if she really wanted Emperor Xingchang to help her make a decision, whether out of respect for the Prime Minister's Mansion or out of his affection for her, the emperor would certainly not stand idly by.
"This humble woman would not dare. If Your Highness is willing to lend a helping hand, there is naturally no need to alarm the Emperor."
At this moment, Bai Ruohan already had a humble yet arrogant demeanor.
"You dare to challenge me?"
Feng Beichuan scoffed at the woman in front of him, his obsidian-like eyes filled with mockery. She actually thought she could scare him with the emperor? She was giving that old, sickly man far too much credit!
"The Emperor is seriously ill, and I have already decreed that no unauthorized persons are allowed to disturb him. Miss Bai, you should focus your attention on your elderly father!"
Having said that, he no longer looked at Bai Ruohan, who was now speechless with shock, and simply turned and left.
After leaving the house, Feng Beichuan realized that Li Chang'an had already left sometime earlier. He couldn't help but feel annoyed. He should have known better than to waste his breath talking to Bai Ruohan. He wondered if Li Chang'an would be angry with him because of this.
As it turned out, Feng Beichuan was indeed overthinking things. Li Chang'an was currently on her way to the villa where Deputy General Sun and his group were staying. She hadn't listened to what Bai Ruohan said afterward, nor did she care what she would do.
In short, she, Li Chang'an, is not afraid of anything, no matter what!
When they arrived at the villa, Deputy General Sun had already applied the wound medicine. He was lying on the bed with a bitter face. When he saw Li Chang'an coming, he quickly tried to get up to greet him, but then he remembered that his buttocks were still exposed, so he hurriedly and awkwardly pulled the quilt to cover himself up.
Li Chang'an naturally noticed Sun's flustered and embarrassed appearance, so she turned away without making a sound and stopped looking at him. Although she ate and lived with everyone in the military camp, there was still a difference between men and women, and she had to avoid certain things.
This made Deputy General Sun relax a little. Although he was still a little unaccustomed to it, the two of them could not see each other's faces, so it was not so awkward.
"General, I..."
Deputy General Sun opened his mouth as if to say something, but for a moment he found himself speechless.
How is the wound?
Li Chang'an stood with his back turned, his words devoid of much emotion.
"It's nothing, I only took less than twenty lashes, it's just a minor injury, it'll be fine in a couple of days."
Turning his head to look at his buttocks, which were covered with a thick layer of ointment, Deputy General Sun could only smile bitterly. Although the injury was not serious, it was indeed quite painful, even more so than when he was slashed on the battlefield before.
Li Chang'an breathed a sigh of relief, then said calmly, "Consider it a lesson learned. You must never be so reckless again. However, you still have to accept the punishment. You will be in charge of tending the boiler for a month."
"yes!"
Deputy General Sun quickly agreed, then glanced gratefully at the woman's retreating figure, feeling a surge of respect in his heart. At the same time, a warm feeling welled up in his heart—Li Chang'an was a general worthy of his lifelong support!
Bai Yuanshan had already woken up. After Feng Beichuan and Li Chang'an left, Bai Ruohan had been serving him. Now that she saw Bai Yuanshan was awake, she was naturally at ease.
Looking at his father's still pale face, Bai Yuanshan dared not tell him what Feng Beichuan and Li Chang'an had just said. He could only swallow his anger silently, and his hatred for Li Chang'an deepened.
She'll pay for this sooner or later!
This incident has left Bai Yuanshan with a double loss. Although he is still lying in bed, he remains deeply worried.
Now I finally understand why the emperor was so wary of these two; such opponents are indeed not to be underestimated.
In the following days, Bai Yuanshan instructed people to arrange a proper burial for the steward, Lao Qin, and then sent a large sum of money to his family.
Everything at the Prime Minister's residence remained the same, as if the previous farce had never happened. Bai Yuanshan rested in bed for two days and then stayed in his study peacefully, preparing to wait a few days before making any moves.
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