"Serve the meal!" Bai Jinxiu instructed Cuiyu.
Cuiyu responded and went out to serve the meal.
Today’s breakfast was all prepared by Bai Jinxiu herself. Everything was symbolic of good omens: the Osmenthus Palace Porridge and the Golden List Dumplings, both made by Bai Jinxiu early in the morning.
Qin Lang knew Bai Jinxiu was thoughtful, and he did not avoid Bai Jinxiu’s maid. He gently held Bai Jinxiu’s hand as she served him and said, "This time, I’ll make sure to do well in the exam and earn a title!"
Bai Jinxiu also held Qin Lang’s hand, her eyes brimming with warmth. "I believe in you, my husband!"
Qin Lang squeezed Bai Jinxiu’s hand before starting his breakfast.
Long ago, the Eldest Princess had hinted to Qin Lang that if he could rank in the second tier of the exam, she would seek an imperial decree from the Emperor to restore his title of Marquis of Loyalty and Courage.
The title of Marquis of Loyalty and Courage, lost by his father, was something Qin Lang was determined to reclaim this time.
Bai Qingyan sat calmly in the Qinghui Courtyard, "recuperating". Information was continuously sent to the Qinghui Courtyard, and orders were issued from there.
Steward Hao, Steward Liu, and Lu Ping busied themselves again. Bai Qingyan ordered the family stewards to buy large quantities of grain, ostensibly to be sent to the disaster victims in Yanwo, but in reality, half was for Ji Tingyu far at Huwei Ridge.
Using the excuse of sending grain to the disaster victims in Yanwo, this batch of grain could be openly transported. With the Crown Prince’s endorsement, the delivery faced no obstacles. Bai Qingyan had no worries.
Meanwhile, the Eldest Princess at the Qing Temple heard that Bai Qingyan had returned to Dadu and had sent Bai Jinse and Wei Zhong back to the Princess of Zhen’s mansion.
Wei Zhong returned just in time, as Bai Qingyan was counting on him to investigate Wang Qiulu again.
She already knew that Wang Qiulu had not revealed anything to the Crown Prince, claiming ignorance of who had saved him, but that alone was enough to trouble Li Mingrui.
She instructed Wei Zhong to investigate whether Wang Qiulu had said anything inappropriate after Lu Jin took him back to the Court of Judicial Review.
Wei Zhong asked no questions and accepted the mission.
If Wang Qiulu had not said anything inappropriate and knew who his true master was, Bai Qingyan would assist Wang Qiulu in regaining his position as a general, allowing him to lead troops at the border between the Jin Kingdom and Xiliang, to showcase his talents.
Bai Qingyan turned her head to look at Zhenming, who was pouring tea for Bai Jinse, and said, "Zhenming, go see if Miss Shen has awakened. If she has, please bring her here. I have something to instruct her."
Zhenming put the hot tea on a small table by the window and responded with a smile before going to call Shen Qingzhu.
Yesterday, after Shen Qingzhu collapsed, she slept soundly through the night. This morning, when the eldest lady was practicing with a spear in the courtyard, Shen Qingzhu had already awakened. After ensuring that Shen Qingzhu had eaten, the eldest lady insisted she rest more.
"Eldest Sister, how can I assist you this time?" Bai Jinse raised her eyes to look at Bai Qingyan.
Through the rising steam from the tea, Bai Qingyan warmed her hands over the bronze furnace and said, "What you need to do is bide your time, keeping a low profile and not letting anyone notice your intelligence. One day, you might just become our Bai family’s secret weapon."
Bai Jinse understood that Bai Qingyan meant she wouldn’t be assigning her tasks for the time being. Her fists tightened by her side, and she solemnly said to Bai Qingyan, "Jinse believes that Eldest Sister is right. Jinse will follow Eldest Sister’s words!"
Perhaps due to growing up by Bai Qingyan’s side, Bai Jinse was precocious.
When Shen Qingzhu arrived, Bai Qingyan did not ask Bai Jinse to leave. In front of Bai Jinse, she said to Shen Qingzhu, "Qingzhu, I need you to make a trip to the Court of Judicial Review’s prison. When you see Li Mingrui, tell him I give him two choices: either he stops playing tricks and lives peacefully, or the entire Li family goes down with him, making for a crowded and lively journey."
Hearing Bai Qingyan’s words, Shen Qingzhu glanced at Bai Jinse, seemingly afraid of frightening her. But Bai Jinse calmly picked up her tea cup and drank without any disturbance, making Shen Qingzhu appear to be overreacting. Shen Qingzhu accepted the order and left the Qinghui Courtyard.
In prison, Li Mingrui sat cross-legged on the straw. After a long night, he figured it out. Wang Qiulu must have long since submitted to the Princess of Zhen, which was why he betrayed him at the crucial moment.
Perhaps, from the beginning, the Princess of Zhen had placed Wang Qiulu beside him to test him.
Oh, not entirely. Perhaps also to let him test Wang Qiulu for her.
Now, it’s clear. He tested and found Wang Qiulu to be completely loyal. But fearing that the Princess of Zhen held his father’s and the second prince’s letters, he had no choice but to bow down and confess everything.
The Princess of Zhen outwitted him. Li Mingrui had overestimated his understanding of her methods, unaware that she acted without any predictable patterns.
It seemed ever since she rebuked the Marquis of Loyalty and Courage at his residence, every move she made was astonishing.
This time, Li Mingrui admitted his defeat.
Looking at Wang Qiulu in the opposite cell, who sat as steady as Mount Tai with eyes closed, leaning against the wall, Li Mingrui stood up, brushed off the straw, walked to the gate, and asked, "Wang Qiulu, did you always know I wasn’t truly loyal to the Princess, and that’s why you guarded against me?"
Wang Qiulu opened his eyes and looked at Li Mingrui. "What is Minister Li talking about? This prisoner does not understand."
Li Mingrui chuckled softly, opened his arms, and looked around. "No need to be so cautious. It’s just the two of us here."
"It’s not about being cautious. I truly don’t understand what Minister Li is saying." Wang Qiulu closed his eyes again, clearly unwilling to speak further with Li Mingrui.
"Did you tell the Crown Prince that the Princess of Nandu in the King Liang’s mansion was a fake, just to save Liu Ruofu’s life?" Li Mingrui tried to provoke Wang Qiulu.
Wang Qiulu, eyes closed and head against the moldy wall, remained silent for a long time before saying, "I have admired the Princess for many years. No matter how perfectly you mimic her, I would know immediately that this was not our proud Princess of Nandu."
"What a pity. If I had known earlier, I would have kept Liu Ruofu alive to use against you." Li Mingrui said with a smile, deliberately trying to anger Wang Qiulu.
Wang Qiulu clenched his fists but remained silent.
Li Mingrui realized that Wang Qiulu was indeed devoted to Liu Ruofu, indicating his deep affection for the Princess of Nandu.
"There’s something else you might not know..." Li Mingrui said as he paced around the cell, observing Wang Qiulu. "Liu Ruofu’s unborn child was not King Liang’s. She was tricked... taken by a Hidden Guard, and King Liang was merely the scapegoat arranged by the Crown Prince’s people at the Master Wang’s mansion in the Ministry of Rites!"
Wang Qiulu gritted his teeth but remained unmoved.