The Eldest Daughter Is Beautiful and Saucy
Chapter 163: bittersweet
Chapter 163 Bitter and Sweet
The white mist blurred her fevered eyes as she breathed, and the only sound in her ears was the orderly and uniform footsteps of the army.
She adjusted her breathing, looked straight ahead, clenched her fists tightly, and felt her chest feel like it was on fire.
Grandfather and father, who had never been seriously injured, who was as delicate as her? !
Did they teach her all these skills just to make her feel sorry for herself? She had gone through so much hardship in learning martial arts when she was young, and now she wants to pick up martial arts again after so many years of neglect. Can she do it just by thinking about it?
Heaven is fair, life is half bitter and half sweet.
All these sufferings were caused by her over the years, and she has to make up for them before she can get back the martial arts that originally belonged to her. It is all right.
When Xiao Ruohai caught up with the marching team, he saw Bai Qingyan didn’t get on the carriage, so he jumped off the horse, walked quickly to Bai Qingyan’s side and said, “Sir, I failed to bring back the Fourth Young Master. The Fourth Young Master refused to leave with me, saying that he didn’t know me. That Mr. Xiao said… he was also going south this time, and the Fourth Young Master is your younger brother, so he will take good care of him. If you are really worried, you can go and pick him up in person. Only when he sees you… will he believe that we are your people, and then he will return the Fourth Young Master.”
Bai Qingyan’s feet slipped on the stones and he almost fell down. Fortunately, Xiao Ruohai caught him and said, “Sir!”
If she paused, the pace of the troops behind her would certainly be disrupted. She was not a girl without marching experience, so she immediately straightened her waist with the help of Xiao Ruohai and walked forward quickly: “Got it!”
She regained her breath and pace, and pondered Xiao Rongyan’s intentions.
Let her go pick someone up in person?
Bai Qingyan sneered in her heart. She wanted to leave the marching team to pick someone up, and she had to explain the reason to the prince.
Xiao Rongyan was afraid that he had some plans to go with the prince but was afraid that it was deliberate, so he wanted to use her mouth to pass the message… Let the prince go and invite him.
After all, as a prince, the prince is used to enjoying himself in the bustling and lively capital city. The journey in the carriage is boring, and it would not be so unbearable if he had a confidant to chat with him.
Xiao Rongyan was very familiar with the habits and behavior of the sons of royal families.
She couldn’t help but recall the two days when she had a fever and was drowsy, during which time the Crown Prince had a secret conversation with her grandmother for half an hour. She also thought of how her grandmother had almost explicitly told her before she left that everything she said and did must be under the Crown Prince’s nose and she must not leave his side.
She thought that the prince must have promised her grandmother that as long as she did not have any bad intentions and did not leave his sight and do anything that would harm the royal family, he would spare her life.
Xiao Ruohai did not persuade Bai Qingyan to go back to the carriage to rest. He knew Bai Qingyan’s character very well and it was useless to persuade him. So he simply led the horse and stayed beside Bai Qingyan all the way.
When it was completely dark, the army finally arrived at Qufeng.
Bai Qingyan was almost exhausted. She sat in the barracks, untying the iron sandbags wrapped around her body with trembling hands. Water was already dripping from the sandbags.
When sitting quietly, I sweat more than when marching.
Xiao Ruohai ordered someone to bring water to Bai Qingyan and personally stood guard at the door so that Bai Qingyan could have a good bath to relieve his fatigue.
The prince looked at the eunuch applying medicine to his feet under the lamp, frowned and asked, “Ms. Bai, did you really walk all day?”
Today, he only walked a few miles, but his feet were already blistered and he couldn’t go any further. How could Bai Qingyan, a girl, walk with the army for a whole day? !
The prince’s personal eunuch Quan Yu put on the stockings for the prince and said with a smile, “This is not surprising. The eldest daughter of the Bai family has been going to war with the Duke since she was a child. She must be used to it. She really doesn’t know how to enjoy her blessings and has to torture herself!”
“You can’t say that. She has been ill for so many years, and her health is not as good as before…” The prince looked at the flickering candlelight, feeling quite unwilling. How could he not even be able to compare to a woman?
“Your Highness, you are as precious as gold and jade, so you must not lower yourself to compare yourself with those hardworking people.” Quan Yu washed his hands and handed the prince a bowl of bird’s nest at just the right temperature. “Your Highness, eat the bird’s nest and go to bed early! You still have to travel tomorrow!”
While the prince was enjoying his bird’s nest porridge, Quan Yu had already ordered his men to light some sleep-inducing incense and make the bed.
After the prince rinsed his mouth, he helped him onto the bed, his eyes full of respect: “Your Highness has worked so hard for the country and the people. The people will surely remember your kindness. When the southern border returns with a great victory, your Highness will surely be more popular.”
“Stop flattering me!” The prince said this, but there was a smile in his eyes.
The army will set out at the end of the Mao hour.
Bai Qingyan came back from the martial arts field after finishing his daily training. After changing his clothes and washing up, he went to see the prince at 11:00 a.m. and told him about Bai Jinzhi’s matter.
“Little Four is young and reckless, and afraid of being sent back to the capital, she lied and said she didn’t know the guards around me. Mr. Xiao didn’t dare to take Little Four away rashly, so I would like to ask the eunuch beside Your Highness to take Little Four from Mr. Xiao.”
As he spoke, Bai Qingyan nodded in the direction of Quan Yu, without any of the condescending attitude of a noble family who looked down on eunuchs.
Quan Yu was flattered and quickly returned the greeting.
Bai Qingyan was dressed in men’s clothes, with a thin but tall figure, a heroic and valiant demeanor, and no girlish tone in his words, making it hard to tell whether he was a man or a woman. One would only feel that he was a young man who was prettier than a girl.
“Yes, Rong Yan has something to do and needs to go to Pingyang City first before returning home. He will be traveling with us!” The prince suddenly smiled and turned to look at Quan Yu, “Go to the inn to pick up the fourth girl, and then ask Rong Yan… if he is willing to go with the army. Go and come back quickly so as not to delay the departure time.”
Bai Qingyan lowered his eyes and said nothing. His Royal Highness the Crown Prince must have been quite bored sitting in the car, and he was so happy to hear that Xiao Rongyan was going the same way.
“Your Highness, don’t worry, Mr. Bai… Young Master, don’t worry, I will not delay the time!” Quan Yu obeyed the order, bowed to His Royal Highness the Crown Prince and Bai Qingyan, and hurried out.
The people around Bai Qingyan went there twice but failed to bring anyone back. The servants around His Royal Highness the Crown Prince were gone for only more than half an hour. Before the army was ready to set off, Xiao Rongyan and his party, including Bai Jinzhi, arrived.
Bai Qingyan stood behind the prince and saw Xiao Rongyan, wearing a fox fur cloak, riding a horse towards him in the dawn light. Behind him followed a team of more than 20 guards with swords, making for a very grand scene.
The extremely elegant and gentle man calmly dismounted from his horse, and the rising morning light behind him cast a layer of glittering golden light all over his body.
He saluted the prince from a distance, a faint smile on his face, and his every move was full of the elegance and grace of a man well-read.
Bai Jinzhi, who was following Xiao Rongyan in men’s clothes, also followed Xiao Rongyan to pay her respects to the prince, and then quickly ran towards Bai Qingyan. She ran in front of Bai Qingyan and looked at her elder sister timidly, then stood obediently beside Bai Qingyan, lowered her head and kept pulling the hem of her clothes with her fingers.
“Rong Yan, don’t ride a horse! If you ride in the carriage with me, I will have someone to talk to!” The prince called him with a smile.
Xiao Rongyan: Wife, I’m here to find you! We’re going the same way…