Chapter 677: Chapter 674: Thinking of You_1

Bai Jinxiu did not chatter with the Eldest Princess any longer. She paid her respects, then hurriedly took Cuibi and rushed to Qinghui Courtyard.

As she lifted the curtain and stepped through the door, she saw her eldest sister sitting by the window on a soft divan, sipping almond milk. Bai Jinxiu had expected her to be on her deathbed, but she was far from it.

On the small table beside her was a lamp covered by a crystal shade and an ancient book. Her eldest sister’s dark hair was casually pinned up with a wooden hairpin, free of any jewels, and she appeared calm. She used a small silver spoon to bring some almond milk to her lips. Bai Jinxiu, seeing that her sister showed no signs of severe illness, finally felt at ease.

“Big Sister…” Bai Jinxiu paid her respects before walking to Bai Qingyan’s side. She adjusted the fine woolen blanket covering Bai Qingyan’s legs and then sat down beside her, handing her a silk handkerchief after she finished drinking the almond milk. “You scared me to death, Big Sister!”

“Didn’t I send someone to tell you not to worry?” Bai Qingyan said with a smile, taking the handkerchief to dab at the corners of her mouth. She looked at Bai Jinxiu. “Why did you leave Wang Geer and come back?”

“If I hadn’t come back, I wouldn’t have known that Little Four had managed to figure everything out so quickly,” Bai Jinxiu replied, referring to the matter of the military grain for the Northern Frontier.

Chun Tao entered with hot tea, served Bai Jinxiu, and then retreated to not interfere with the sisters’ conversation. “Second Miss, have some tea!”

Bai Jinxiu nodded at Chun Tao and took the teacup, her eyes downcast. “Big Sister, there’s another piece of news. Liu Ruofu… hanged herself in prison. She was with King Liang, and we don’t know what he said to her. According to the prison guard… Liu Ruofu cried bitterly and then died by hitting her head against the wall. When Master Lu Jin arrived, King Liang was still begging to see the Emperor, claiming… Liu Ruofu confessed before her death that King Xian had planned to take the throne, intending to kill him after Liu Ruofu gave birth to a prince.”

Upon hearing this, Bai Jinxiu felt deeply troubled and very sorry for Liu Ruofu…

No matter how one looked at it, since Liu Ruofu was to marry King Liang, he should have protected his own wife. Instead, he not only failed to do so but also slandered her after her death to clear himself. He was truly despicable.

“After the Wude Gate incident, King Liang won’t die as long as the Emperor is alive. But if the Crown Prince ascends the throne, the first thing he might do is take King Liang’s life. There’s no need to rush. Don’t dirty your own hands,” Bai Qingyan said.

In Bai Qingyan’s view, King Liang’s methods were increasingly crude. After the Wude Gate incident, his chances of making a comeback were slim.

Bai Qingyan never soiled her blade for unworthy people.

Especially now, King Liang being alive would keep trying to regain the Emperor’s trust. The Crown Prince would also be wary of King Liang. As they tangled with each other, no one would notice the Bai family’s subtle maneuvers.

So, even if they detested King Liang, they still needed him to fight with the Crown Prince in Dadu City.

“Big Sister, after this bout of vomiting blood, are you planning to delay your return to Shuoyang?” Bai Jinxiu secretly hoped Bai Qingyan would stay a bit longer.

Bai Qingyan shook her head. “We should return to Shuoyang as soon as possible. There are many important matters that I haven’t settled yet. Besides, it’s inconvenient to operate here in Dadu City. Not to mention, to apologize for the Crown Princess Consort, the Crown Prince arranged many Hidden Guards around the Bai Mansion. It’s even more restrictive to do things.”

Bai Jinxiu nodded and didn’t insist on Bai Qingyan staying.

“On the day we return to Shuoyang, you don’t need to see us off. We sisters have plenty of time ahead to be together… Taking care of Wang Geer is your priority,” Bai Qingyan advised Bai Jinxiu. “Besides, if you come to see us off, Little Four and I… will undoubtedly feel sad.”

Bai Jinxiu hesitated briefly before responding, “Alright, I’ll listen to you, Big Sister.”

The next morning, Bai Qingyan woke to the sound of birds chirping. She raised her hand to lift the bed curtain and looked towards the window lattice. The morning sunlight filtered through the trees, casting mottled golden light that swayed with the breeze. She vaguely saw a birdcage hanging in the corridor beneath the eaves, where two birds chirped and fluttered their wings.

“Chun Tao…”

Hearing Bai Qingyan call her, Chun Tao responded and brought in a group of maids with grooming supplies, filing into the main room.

Chun Tao parted the heavy, embroidered curtains hanging from the sandalwood bed frame. She lifted the double-layered embroideries of oleander flowers and butterflies and hooked them onto gilt copper hooks. She then lifted the bed curtain and helped Bai Qingyan sit up with a gentle smile in her eyes. “You’re awake, Miss!”

The maids who had entered in single file bowed and presented mouthwash infused with floral honey and salt for cleaning teeth…

Bai Qingyan, looking weak, sat by the bed and was cared for by Chun Tao as she rinsed her mouth.

After she spat out the mouthwash, she heard the chirping of birds again. She took the handkerchief to wipe her lips and looked out the window. “Why are there suddenly two more birds in the corridor?”

Chun Tao placed a hot towel in a copper basin, wrung it out, and handed it to Bai Qingyan. “Mr. Xiao sent them, saying they were to cheer you up. Little Four thought their chirping was pleasant, so she had them hung outside the Qinghui Courtyard. But the birds aren’t particularly rare. Their feathers aren’t bright, and they can’t mimic human speech, though their voices are clearer. If you don’t like them, I can have them taken away.”

Upon hearing that they were a gift from Xiao Rongyan, Bai Qingyan’s lips curled into a slight smile. “Bring them in for me to see later.”

“Alright.”

After finishing her breakfast, Bai Qingyan was helped by Chun Tao to walk a bit inside the room. She then sat down by the window on the soft divan and drank a bitter medicine. After rinsing her mouth, Chun Tao told someone to bring in the two birds that were hanging in the corridor.

Bai Qingyan wiped her mouth with a handkerchief and instructed Chun Tao to place the two plain-colored birds on the small table in front of her. She examined them carefully and noticed one bird’s legs were of different thicknesses. She sent Chun Tao off to prepare tea, put some bird food in her hand, opened the cage, and lured the bird onto her palm. She carefully touched its leg and found something wrapped around it.

Bai Qingyan removed a very narrow strip of yellow silk, put the bird back in the cage, and unwrapped the silk…

On it were only two words: “Miss you.”

A smile crept onto Bai Qingyan’s lips, and her heart felt as sweet as honey.

Hearing Chun Tao’s footsteps, Bai Qingyan hid the silk in her sleeve and looked at the chirping birds in the cage. She said to Chun Tao, “Release these two birds.”

“Don’t you like them, Miss?” Chun Tao placed the tea cup in front of Bai Qingyan and lifted the birdcage.

“It’s not that I don’t like them. They should be free. Why lock them in a cage?”

Chun Tao responded and took the birdcage to the courtyard. Opening it, the two cheerful birds flew out immediately.

On a crisp autumn day with a clear blue sky, the two birds flapped their wings and disappeared above Qinghui Courtyard.