The Eldest Daughter Is Beautiful and Saucy
Chapter 702: question
Chapter 702 Question
Nanny Tong bowed and walked out of the main hall with her maids and servants, standing guard at the door.
“Sir Shen, please stand up and talk.” Bai Qingyan placed one hand on the small table and supported himself by leaning towards Yinnang.
In response, Governor Shen stood up and sat down below Bai Qingyan. He slowly said to Bai Qingyan, “I expected that the Princess Zhenguo would let Bai Qingping investigate me, but it happened unexpectedly fast. I admire the Princess Zhenguo’s extraordinary insight.”
“I haven’t recovered yet. Lord Shen, please pick out the important things to say. After you’ve finished listening… I can go and rest and recuperate.” Bai Qingyan was impatient to listen to these flattering words.
Prefect Shen smiled, looked at Bai Qingyan and said, “This subordinate is the former prince of the Duke of Zhenguo Mansion, and your father, Princess Zhenguo. Bai Qishan stayed in Shuoyang… to prepare a way out for the Bai family.”
Bai Qingyan tightened his palms, tightly grasping the tassels of the hidden bag, but his face was calm and without any ripples: “I don’t understand what the prefect Shen said. My Bai family has always been loyal to the Great Jin Dynasty and has no way out. My grandfather brought all the men of my Bai family to the battlefield in southern Xinjiang, leaving no way out for the Bai family and training successor generals for the Jin Dynasty. How could my father go against my grandfather… Leaving a prefect here in Shuoyang as a way out for my Bai family? Isn’t it funny?”
“And…” Bai Qingyan smiled slowly, “Even if my father wanted to leave a way out for the Bai family, he should have looked for the Bai family clan that is of the same clan and bloodline. My grandfather and father have always trusted the clan, so how could they not seek help from the clan… but look for an outsider like you.”
“Princess Zhenguo should know better than me what kind of people the Bai family is like.” When Governor Shen said this, his eyes were full of disdain for the Bai family. “It’s true that the King of Zhenguo trusted the Bai family, but it doesn’t mean that the prince thinks the same way. Princess Zhenguo is the prince’s biological daughter, so she should understand better than anyone else.”
Bai Qingyan curled his lips and smiled: “Unfortunately, I don’t understand. What I have seen and known… is that my grandfather and father trust the people of the clan.”
Lord Shen was not surprised by Bai Qingyan’s words. He knew that Bai Qingyan had been walking on thin ice all the way. If he had not been overly cautious, how could he have led the Bai family to live to this day? He had not thought that he could gain Bai Qingyan’s trust this time.
However, time will tell, and Prefect Shen is confident that one day Bai Qingyan will believe him.
“The prince did not leave any tokens or evidence to me, so my words are not enough. It is reasonable for the princess to not believe me.” Governor Shen lowered his eyes and said slowly, “I lost the bet with the prince, so I agreed to stay in Shuoyang as a retreat for the Bai family. The prince also left me two secret guards, but unfortunately… one of them died of illness, and the other died to protect Yan. This is why I let my youngest son Yan Cong join the army to serve the princess.”
What Prefect Shen said was not false. He had stayed in Shuoyang all these years because of a bet he had made with Bai Qishan. There was even a saying in Shuoyang officialdom that “the prefect is permanent, but the county magistrate is transient”.
Shuoyang had had many county magistrates, but they were all eventually transferred to other places, or promoted, or served as prefects in other places in Jin State. Only he remained in Shuoyang for so many years.
He just did it… for a promise.
In order to keep his promise to Bai Qishan, if one day he is no longer around…if the Bai family is in trouble and the Bai family members are lucky enough to retreat back to Shuoyang, he must try to protect the Bai family members in Shuoyang.
Bai Qishan had long seen that he was not a man who was willing to be loyal to the Jin royal court, so he dared to make a bet with him, and after he lost the bet, he dared to tell him… to make him the Bai family’s retreat in Shuoyang.
To be honest, at the beginning, Governor Shen stayed only because he kept his promise. He thought that if the orphan of the Bai family did not return to Shuoyang and died in Dadu, it would have nothing to do with him. If he was smart enough, he would return to Shuoyang, and he would make arrangements then.
Of course, if the Dadu Bai family cannot deal with the Bai clan… that is not included in the bet between him and Bai Qishan. He is only responsible for the safety of the Bai family members, and he will never show up in front of the Bai family in his life.
But he really didn’t expect that Bai Qishan’s daughter was so powerful.
Ever since the deaths of the Bai family’s sons in southern Xinjiang, Governor Shen has been following the news about the Bai family in Dadu. Ever since Bai Qingyan borrowed a coffin from the world, this woman, who was originally insignificant in Governor Shen’s heart, has been doing things that horrified him. Step by step, she fought her way to the position of Princess Zhenguo, became the confidant of the current crown prince, trained troops in the name of suppressing bandits, and benefited the people of Shuoyang and many neighboring counties.
To be honest, Governor Shen looked down on the people of the Jin royal family, but he was extremely willing to be loyal to Bai Qingyan. He was completely impressed by the intelligence and courage of the little girl in front of him.
Bai Qingyan looked at the governor Shen with a scrutinizing look in his eyes, rubbing his fingers gently. He remembered that the Shen family guards who were training in Shuoyang had some of the Bai family’s army’s shadow. This… did make some sense.
Prefect Shen sat there openly and allowed Bai Qingyan to look at him, like an upright gentleman with a clear and open gaze.
“When I met the prince in Shuoyang, I was planning to resign and travel around the world to spend the rest of my life. The prince asked me to join the Bai Family Army, but I didn’t want to be inferior to others and be subject to military regulations. In comparison… I prefer to be an official in Shuoyang.”
Bai Qingyan pursed her lips and remained silent, listening quietly to what Governor Shen said.
“Later, the Princess Zhenguo took up the responsibility of the Bai family, won great victories in the wars south and north, trained soldiers in Shuoyang, and worked for the benefit of the people. I admired her very much and wanted to become her disciple several times, but she was very cautious. I could only let my son take the subordinates trained by the two secret guards that the prince had given me to enter the military camp, thinking that if the Princess Zhenguo saw any clues, she would definitely send people to investigate.”
Governor Shen explained the whole process very clearly.
But in this world where rituals and music are in ruins…if someone were to say that he would be willing to stay in Shuoyang for such a long time just because of a bet, and if he couldn’t produce any evidence, it would be hard to believe.
So when Governor Shen came to speak to Bai Qing to plead his case, he felt a little nervous and uneasy.
He could see that… this Princess Zhenguo was different from the Duke Zhenguo’s son Bai Qishan back then.
Princess Zhenguo had experienced the battle in Southern Xinjiang, where her grandfather was betrayed by his deputy general, and she had gone through many things in the treacherous and turbulent capital city. Compared with Baiqishan, Princess Zhenguo would certainly have less trust in others and more doubt in her heart, which is understandable.
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