The Eldest Daughter Is Beautiful and Saucy
Chapter 1379: be careful
Chapter 1379 Be Careful
Bai Qingyan was not opposed to mutual trade between the two countries. Mutual trade was a good thing for the people. And through Bai Jintong’s letter, she knew that Tianfeng Kingdom was superior to Da Zhou in many aspects and was worthy of learning from Da Zhou.
“Bai Qingping…” Bai Qingyan called Bai Qingping.
When Bai Qingyan received the recipe for the ink powder sent by Tianfeng Kingdom yesterday, he asked Wei Zhong to send the recipe to the Military Equipment Bureau and asked Bai Qingping to ask the master from Tianfeng Kingdom to take a look to see if the ink powder was the one used by ordinary people at home.
Bai Qingping was personally keeping an eye on this matter. He did not sleep a wink the whole night yesterday. He changed into his official uniform at the Military Equipment Bureau at dawn and hurried over. He almost arrived late.
When Bai Qingping heard Bai Qingyan calling him, he stepped forward, bowed respectfully and said, “Your Majesty asked me to inquire about the matter in detail. I have already inquired clearly. The recipe of the ink powder given by Tianfeng Country is better than the ink powder recipe used by ordinary people. I and others plan to refine new weapons as soon as possible. After that, we can test whether this ink powder is the same as the ink powder used in the elephant army’s armor.”
Bai Qingyan nodded: “Okay, thank you for your hard work, I’ll leave this matter to you!”
“Don’t worry, Your Majesty!” Bai Qingping bowed.
In fact, Bai Qingping actually hoped to work harder so that he could share Bai Qingyan’s worries. He was not as invincible on the battlefield as most of the Bai family’s men, so he wanted to share Bai Qingyan’s worries in other aspects.
Furthermore, after he returns, those people from the clan will definitely come to him to ask for help in finding a way out for their children. Bai Qingping does not want to abuse his power, so it would be better for him to hide in the Military Equipment Bureau.
Yesterday, when Pu Liu sent someone to deliver food to Bai Qingping, he also asked someone to tactfully tell Bai Qingping that Bai Qingping was now a fourth-rank official. The clan members began to have ideas, thinking that Bai Qingyan had conferred titles of nobility on the cousins of the Bai family in the capital city, and had promoted Bai Qingping, so the next step should be to promote members of the Bai clan.
There were also people sitting in the Bai Mansion praising Bai Qingping to the skies, implying that they wanted to find Bai Qingping to find a lucrative job in the Military Equipment Bureau for their children or relatives.
Although Pu Liu did not say it explicitly, he was afraid that these people would disturb Bai Qingping from doing things for Bai Qingyan, so he meant that if Bai Qingping was busy, he didn’t need to rush back. Pu Liu would send someone to deliver three meals a day and a change of clothes to Bai Qingping. He thought that if those people didn’t see Bai Qingping for a long time, they would give up thinking about him after a while.
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When Queen Mother Yan heard that her own flesh and blood, the eldest prince, was going to be held hostage in the Zhou Dynasty, she became like a madman.
“Is Murong Yan crazy? Not only do you want to leave your uncle in Da Zhou, but you also want to send your brother to Da Zhou! I don’t agree! If you want to take your elder brother away, you have to kill me with one sword!” Queen Mother Yan’s face was covered with tears and her eyes were red as she waited for Murong Li, protecting her eldest son behind her.
“Mother… I am willing to go to the Great Zhou as a hostage!” The eldest prince approached Queen Mother Yan and clasped his mother’s trembling shoulder armor with both hands. He helped Queen Mother Yan sit down beside the soft couch, knelt in front of his mother, looked up at his mother, “Now Yan State has signed a gambling agreement with the Great Zhou, and it is agreed that… my son will be a hostage in the Great Zhou, and my son must go! Otherwise, the Great Zhou will now march westward, and our Yan capital will be in danger!”
The eldest prince’s facial features were very similar to Murong Li’s, but they were rounder. He lowered his eyes and held his mother’s hands, “My son… is the most useless person in our Yan State. He is not as good as A Li in literature, and not as good as A Ping in martial arts. A Li was once held hostage in another country. Besides, A Ping and General Xie Xun are with my son in the Great Zhou. General Xie will protect my son and A Ping no matter what!”
Murong Ping, who had already changed into a prince’s attire and was ready to set off, stepped forward, knelt on the ground and kowtowed, saying to Queen Mother Yan: “Mother, even if it costs my life, Ah Ping will definitely protect my brother’s safety, please rest assured, mother!”
The eldest prince was the flesh and blood of Queen Mother Yan. Even if he was mediocre and not good at literature or martial arts, he was still her own flesh and blood! If her brother was temporarily detained by the Zhou Dynasty because he was involved in the assassination of an important official of the Zhou Dynasty, she could understand it. But the Yan Kingdom had already held the second prince and the general hostage in the Zhou Dynasty. Wasn’t that enough?
She once betrayed the Great Zhou. How could her son have a good life as a hostage in the Great Zhou?
Even if Xiao Rongyan was held hostage in the Great Zhou, it would be better than holding his own son hostage in the Great Zhou. At least Xiao Rongyan and Bai Qingyan had once had feelings for each other, and at least… they had a child together!
But Queen Mother Yan was afraid to propose to hold Xiao Rongyan hostage in Da Zhou and not let her son go. From then on… Xiao Rongyan would be disappointed. If he helped Da Zhou, Yan State… Yan State would probably be eaten alive by Da Zhou!
Queen Mother Yan knew Xiao Rongyan’s abilities.
“Ali!” The Queen Mother looked at Murong Li, who had a cold expression, and tears flowed like a broken string. “Can’t you think of other ways? Do you have to send your elder brother? Mother once betrayed the Great Zhou, and I’m afraid that if your elder brother goes, Bai Qingyan will take revenge in private and make up some assassination case to frame your elder brother. Then your elder brother won’t be able to come back…Ali!”
“Mother, if you hadn’t betrayed the Great Zhou, there wouldn’t be the main force of Yan State being detained and the Great Zhou wouldn’t have deployed troops on the border of our Yan State. If I could replace… A Li is willing to go to the Great Zhou as a hostage on behalf of my brother and confess my mistakes and repent for my mother! But now the two countries are betting on the fate of the country, A Li can only trouble my brother!”
The young Murong Li had already begun to show the aura of an emperor. He sat opposite the Queen Mother of Yan and refused to give an inch.
“You…” Queen Mother Yan was so angry that her heart ached. She bit her lower lip tightly and tears burst out.
“All right, mother!” The eldest prince said with a heavy nasal voice, “My son has enjoyed the stability and comfort given by the royal family since he was born. It is time for him to take on responsibilities. It’s only three years… After three years, my son will surely come back safely and be filial to you! Mother, please don’t blame A Li and Uncle Jiu. Our Yan State is in danger now, and my son and A Ping have no choice but to be held hostage in the Great Zhou!”
Queen Mother Yan opened her lips, but before she could speak, she saw the eldest prince kneeling back and kowtow to her, then turned to Murong Li and said to him, “Your Majesty, take good care of mother!”
“Don’t worry, brother!” Murong Li looked at his brother with tears in his eyes.
The eldest prince has always felt that he is the most useless person in the Yan royal family. Now that he is being held hostage in the Zhou on behalf of Yan State, he is actually somewhat happy in his heart. At least this proves that he is not completely useless.
“When the eldest and second brothers come back, I will be able to confer the title of king on them based on their merits!” said Murong Li.
The eldest prince nodded, and he and the second prince Murong Li bowed to Queen Mother Yan again. Then they turned and left the hall and immediately set off for Great Zhou.
Queen Mother Yan looked at her son’s leaving figure with tear-blurred eyes, and suddenly stood up: “Son! Be careful in the Great Zhou… If you have any difficulties, be sure to send someone to send a letter back! Mother will take care of it for you!”