Chapter 1257: 1252: Duty Bound
Chapter 1257: Chapter 1252: Duty Bound
Zhou Military Camp.
Bai Jinxiu, who had been out searching for Bai Qingyu and Bai Jinse all day, just returned with a low spirit.
Bai Jinxiu knelt opposite Bai Qingqi, looking dejected, “Qingzhu hasn’t come back either. I don’t know if they found A Yu and Xiao Qi!”
Xiao Ruohai appeared shivering outside Bai Qingqi’s tent, drenched and pale from the cold.
Seeing Xiao Ruohai, Bai Jinxiu was so shocked she immediately stood up. When Bai Qingyu went to lure the Xiliang army, Xiao Ruohai went along!
“Xiao Ruohai!” Bai Jinxiu exclaimed with surprise, swiftly going forward, “Where is A Yu? Where’s Xiao Qi? Did you all come back together? Or did A Yu send you back first to report? Where have you been all this time?”
Bai Jinxiu’s questions came like rapid fire, as she was truly worried during this period.
Bai Qingqi took the cloak placed beside him and put it on the trembling Xiao Ruohai, guessing that Xiao Ruohai had come out from the city to deliver a message from Bai Qingyu, he calmly said, “Change your clothes first, have a cup of hot tea, and then talk slowly!”
Xiao Ruohai quickly changed his clothes and stepped out from behind the screen, still not fully recovered. Bai Qingjue, Bai Jinhua, and Bai Jinzhao all came over as well.
After saluting, Xiao Ruohai sat by the fire basin and recounted in detail how Xiao Rongyan initially sent Yue Shi to intercept Bai Qingyu and the events inside Yunjing City to the two young lords and the three young ladies of the Bai family, also mentioning that the time for opening the city gates was set at the second watch.
Specifically, fireworks would be the signal, and at that time, the Yan Kingdom would join forces with Zhou to attack the city.
“On my way back just now, I encountered the Hidden Guard of the Ninth Prince of the Yan Kingdom. That guard recognized my identity and showed me the token. I told him of the Fifth Young Lord’s arrangements, and he said he would report to the Ninth Prince. The guard told me… that their people have already entered the Imperial Palace, and he returned to request orders on when to rescue the Fifth Young Lord!” Xiao Ruohai said.
“The Ninth Prince of the Yan Kingdom… sent people to rescue?”
This was beyond Bai Jinxiu’s expectations.
Xiao Ruohai nodded, “The guard said that it was because a traitor emerged within their Yan Kingdom, forcing the Fifth Young Lord to play along and put himself in danger. The Yan Kingdom is duty-bound!”
“At least the Yan Kingdom still has some conscience!” Bai Jinzhao, though slightly relieved, was still filled with inner frustration.
“And Xiao Qi?” Bai Jinxiu eagerly looked at Xiao Ruohai, “You talked for so long, but I didn’t hear you mention Xiao Qi. Where is Xiao Qi?”
Xiao Ruohai was taken aback, “The Seventh Young Lady… hasn’t come back? I thought the Seventh Young Lady returned to the Zhou military camp with the guard named Yue Shi from the late great uncle’s side?”
Bai Qingqi, staring at the fire basin, raised his eyes slowly, “When the guard named Yue Shi left with Xiao Qi, they were surrounded by the Xiliang army. When he fought his way out, he looked back and found that Xiao Qi was no longer on the horse. I had always thought Xiao Qi was captured by Xiliang!”
“You always thought?!” Bai Qingjue looked at his third brother with uncontrollable anger in his words, “Third Brother, you knew that A Yu played along to enter Yunjing? Yet you still sent military reports to the Eldest Young Lady? Aren’t you afraid it will shock her? The Eldest Young Lady is pregnant now!”
“I only found out from the Ninth Prince later.” Bai Qingqi spoke in a low voice, “However, the Ninth Prince of Yan immediately sent someone to deliver a message to the Eldest Young Lady, so you don’t need to worry too much. What matters now is where Xiao Qi is!”
Bai Jinhua poured a cup of hot tea for Xiao Ruohai, who shivering, extended his hand and drank it in one gulp, then said, “The Seventh Young Lady is definitely not in Yunjing, alive or dead, if the Seventh Young Lady had entered Yunjing, I would know!”
“Then it must be outside. My third brother and I took people to the enemy’s side where A Yu was captured, but we didn’t see Xiao Qi’s figure! I think… Xiao Qi must have cleverly escaped!” Bai Jinxiu couldn’t help but stand up anxiously, “But Xiao Qi, this is her first time going a long way. If Xiao Qi is lost in such an enemy territory… she’ll definitely struggle to find her way back to our military camp!”
“I’ll go find Xiao Qi!” Bai Jinzhao rushed to his feet and ran out of the tent in haste.
Bai Qingqi did not stop him, as he too was filled with worry.
Although at the time, the Tianfeng Kingdom needed a lot of fur, Bai Jintong’s operations caused Xiliang people to nearly hunt beasts to extinction. But now it was already March; snakes, insects, rats, and ants awoken from winter sleep. If Xiao Qi were bitten by a poisonous snake, with no one around, it would be truly frightening!
“Xiao Qi has always been smart. Even if she couldn’t come back, she might have already found a farmer’s house to stay in, waiting for us to fetch her…” Bai Jinxiu’s words were filled with uncertainty.
At this time, Bai Jinse had already left Yunjing, moving towards the southern part of Xiliang for an unknown distance and time. She was surrounded by refugees fleeing, and she was tightly bound, shrinking in the corner of a ruined temple.
The ruined temple was filled with refugees from Yunjing, crowded together and sleeping while leaning around the nearly extinguished fire in the center of the temple.
Bai Jinse had fallen off a horse. After the fall, she avoided Xiliang soldiers chasing her, fleeing into the deep forest, quickly losing consciousness. When she woke up, she was tightly bound by a family of Xiliang people, carried on a wooden board.
Having been in Xiliang for so long, Bai Jinse had learned quite a bit of the Xiliang language, but she still spoke poorly, so she simply pretended not to hear or speak.
From this Xiliang family’s conversations, she gathered that they had fled hungry from Suning to Yunjing, as common people would, hoping the capital would surely save their lives amidst famine or plague!
Who knew that upon reaching Yunjing, it was besieged by Da Zhou and Yan Kingdom, so they planned to detour and continue south.
The grain on these starving people was nearly depleted, they had gnawed on tree bark… even pulled the grass clean!
During these days, they carried Bai Jinse, giving her just a bite of grass or bark to eat each day, being extremely scant with water because their own supplies were running out and also fearing Bai Jinse’s escape.
The reason they took Bai Jinse was that if they were really out of food and starving, they planned to eat Bai Jinse.
Thinking of Da Zhou, and looking at Xiliang, Bai Jinse knew that when things like people eating people happened in Xiliang, it signaled its end was near.
Bai Jinse, the youngest daughter of the Bai family, grew up in Dadu City. Although she had survived stories of starving people eating others, she never imagined it would happen to her.
She knew that, let alone currently being tied up, even if she weren’t… she was now so hungry she felt dizzy and was unable to escape.
First, she needed to eat to gain strength to escape, and the other end of the rope on her body was tied to that supposed head of the family. She also needed a sharp tool to cut the rope.