Even when her father was alive, the Wenxin Marquis's mansion was already somewhat declining. The title, passed to her useless younger brother, only worsened its decline. Now, it seemed even the title was slipping away, and she feared that once her brother left for the capital, the Wenxin Marquis's mansion would cease to exist. For over a decade, she had used the Bai family's money to support her maternal family, hoping her brother could rebuild the mansion. Now that such a situation had arisen, the Wenxin Marquis's mansion should have offered its assistance. However, upon her return, her sister-in-law not only refused to help but also vehemently denied ever having taken any money from the mansion. This infuriated her. She believed that without her brother's authorization, she wouldn't have dared to say such things. Thus, she was completely disillusioned with the Wenxin Marquis's mansion.
Bai Chuwan gently comforted her, "It's alright, Mother. I've known for a while that Uncle is unreliable. Just don't associate with him anymore. Focus on raising Haoyun properly. As for the money, I have some here, Mother, please take it all."
Madam Xie was touched; her daughter was so thoughtful. "Wan'er, you are the most important person in my heart, even more important than your brother. Don't worry, I will find a way to make sure you have a grand wedding and that that wretched girl doesn't outdo you..."
As night fell, Bai Chuxiao sat quietly in her study, still pondering. She had a rough idea of the training method; all she needed now was the right environment… However, Chu Tianze had said he would come that evening, so he shouldn't break his promise.
Just then, a commotion arose in the Prime Minister's residence. Bai Chuxiao had a bad feeling and went out of her room to see what was happening. She saw Qing Shuang rushing back from outside the courtyard.
What happened?
"Miss, the master has just been summoned to the palace; I fear something serious has happened."
Bai Chuxiao frowned. She figured Chu Tianze must have gone to the palace too. His Majesty's sudden summons in the middle of the night... Could it be that war has broken out?
However, now is not the time for speculation. "Alright, calm everyone down. Don't let anything serious cause panic."
"yes"
Bai Linan didn't return all night, which worried Xie and the others greatly. However, Bai Chuxiao wasn't in a hurry and slept soundly. She just woke up a little early, and as soon as she got up, a tired-looking Chu Tianze landed in the courtyard.
Bai Chuxiao rushed forward, "What happened? Is there going to be a war?"
Chu Tianze nodded. "The Northern Yan suddenly attacked and has already breached Yangmen Pass. The Provincial Governor of Bingzhou has already defected to the enemy. The Northern Yan has captured Anqing and Pingliang in quick succession. Only now did that good-for-nothing Wei Junyan realize what was happening. Father has already ordered me to lead an army of 200,000 to provide support. The Crown Prince will be the military supervisor, and I will also take your second brother with me."
Then he took out a token, "If anything happens, go to Cui Hao. All the Flying Cloud Cavalry will be at your command. Xiao Xiao, please take good care of yourself while I'm away from the capital."
Taking the token, Bai Chuxiao's face showed a hint of worry. "What could possibly happen to me in the capital? You, on the other hand, must be very careful this time. You might as well bring Cui Hao and the Flying Cloud Cavalry with you."
She was naturally confident in Chu Tianze's abilities if he brought the Xuanjia Army along, but the north was ultimately Wei Junyan's territory, and those troops might not necessarily listen to anyone. Plus, she'd have to bring along that fool, the Crown Prince; who knew what kind of trouble might arise?
Chu Tianze shook his head and chuckled, "Bringing him along won't make a difference. Yu Fengyang will be with me anyway, so don't worry."
Time was short, and there wasn't much more to say. After Chu Tianze left, Bai Chuxiao stared blankly at the token engraved with the character "Yan" in her hand, hoping that nothing bad had happened...
"Miss, the master summons you," Lanxiang said, breaking the silence as she approached.
The front hall was already full of people; even Bai Chuwan had gotten out of bed.
Seeing her enter, Bai Linan cleared his voice and said, "War has broken out in the north. The Prince of Yan is leading troops to provide support, and the Crown Prince is accompanying him to supervise the army. During this time, everyone should behave themselves and not go out to cause trouble, understand?"
Bai Chuwan's expression turned somewhat unpleasant upon hearing this. "How could Your Highness go... It's too dangerous!"
"Shut up! As the Crown Prince, you should naturally make a difference. How can you hide in the capital and enjoy peace?" Bai Linan reprimanded sharply. He only now realized how short-sighted his daughter was, with no sense of the political situation at all. How could she possibly compete with the Liu family in the future? He feared that even if she went to the Eastern Palace, her life would be in danger.
Looking at his eldest daughter, who remained calm, he felt a little relieved. He then turned to Bai Chuwan and said, "You should learn more from your eldest sister. The Prince of Yan is the commander-in-chief, but he doesn't act like you."
Madam Xie quickly said, "How can that be the same? His Highness the Crown Prince has never been to the battlefield. Bei Yan is powerful, what if…?" The marriage was finally arranged; what would Wan'er do if something happened to the Crown Prince?
Bai Linan snorted coldly, "Womanly sentimentality. Don't say such things out loud, it's utterly shameful..."
He then looked at Bai Chuxiao and asked, "What do you think?"
Bai Chuxiao remained calm. "The Crown Prince is weak and naturally needs some military merit to secure his position. Isn't this war a perfect opportunity for His Highness?"
The Crown Prince's supervisory role sounds nice, but in reality, he doesn't need to do anything. With heavy protection within the camp, there's no danger at all. If they win, he can naturally gain some military merit and build a reputation. His Majesty is wholeheartedly planning for the Crown Prince's benefit, but the real problem is that if the Crown Prince goes there and tries to interfere, it might backfire...
Bai Linan nodded, then said in a deep voice, "You don't need to worry, nothing serious will happen. It's just that your wedding will have to be postponed."
Then he waved everyone away, leaving only Bai Chuxiao. "Is there anything else, Father?"
"Both the Prince of Xiang and the Prince of Qi requested permission to fight, but His Majesty refused them both and even reprimanded them. Do you know why?"
“The Crown Prince’s assassination attempt was undoubtedly related to these two. His Majesty’s current stance is clear; he will naturally not allow them to continue growing unchecked. A mere reprimand is already considered merciful,” Bai Chuxiao said calmly.
Bai Linan sized her up for a moment, then said, "You're very smart."
Raising an eyebrow, he asked, "So you're very happy now, aren't you? Don't you have a grudge against Prince Qi? The Duke of Zhenguo suffered a defeat, and His Majesty is now very dissatisfied with the Wei family and Prince Qi..."
Last night, His Majesty berated Wei Junyan as a useless piece of trash in front of his senior officials, showing no mercy whatsoever. The faces of those who were loyal to Prince Qi and the Wei family turned green with rage... It's good that we won this battle, but if the north really falls, Wei Junyan will be in deep trouble...
Bai Chuxiao looked at him coldly, "You're overthinking it, Father."
Bai Linan snorted coldly, "It's good that you know the answer. I'm just reminding you that even a starving camel is bigger than a horse."
Would this person really be so kind as to remind her? Bai Chuxiao wondered to herself.
Seeing her suspicious look, Bai Linan said sternly, "What kind of look is that? We, the Bai family, are one family. Would your father harm you?"
Bai Chuxiao sneered, "Who knows?"
Bai Linan stormed off, because if they continued talking, he would be driven mad with anger. His daughter was intelligent, and he rarely showed her any concern, yet he still didn't get a kind look in return...
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