The Eldest Daughter Is Beautiful and Saucy
Chapter 82: The Loyal Soul of the National Scholars
Chapter 82 The Loyal Soul of a National Soldier
Bai Qingxuan thought about the king’s attitude towards the Bai family again and again, and finally made up his mind and nodded after a long time: “Okay! Mom, you pack your things now. The man of the Bai family has died, so they will definitely not be able to take care of us at such a big funeral! Pick up some valuable things and send them out and hide them in the next few days. When I am almost recovered, we will leave!”
Seeing that her son had made up his mind, the woman nodded repeatedly: “I will prepare it right away!”
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The usually weak Fourth Madam Wang was determined to stay with her son this time and refused to listen to anyone’s advice. She held the coffin tightly and refused to let go, wanting to stay with her son.
As a mother, how could Dong not know how Fourth Madam Wang felt? She ordered someone to bring a brazier and put a thick fox fur coat on Fourth Madam Wang to keep her warm.
It was not until the fourth wife, Mrs. Wang, fainted from exhaustion that Mrs. Dong ordered people to carry her back.
Late at night, Bai Qingyan persuaded his mother and several aunts to go to rest. The seven sisters knelt in front of the coffin all night to keep vigil. But Bai Qingxuan… Bai Qingyan sent someone to invite him, but he claimed that he had a high fever and his wounds had worsened, so he was unwilling to come.
Although the fifth, sixth and seventh girls were young, the great sorrow and pain in their hearts became the strength to support them. They knelt in front of the coffin and waited for the souls of their grandfather, father, uncles and brothers to return.
The darkness before dawn was the darkest and coldest. Even though he was wrapped in fox fur, the cold had already crept up to Bai Qingyan’s waist.
The flickering candle flame made a slight popping sound. She saw that the seventh girl Bai Jinse was about to fall, so she gently opened the fox fur cloak and gently embraced Bai Jinse, who finally couldn’t hold on and fell asleep, and wrapped her tightly in the fox fur cloak, and asked Chuntao to stir the charcoal fire in the brazier to make the fire burn more vigorously.
Bai Jinxiu also protected her fifth sister whose eyelids were fighting, and ordered someone to get a brocade quilt to cover the fifth and sixth sisters.
“Xiao Si, you are injured, go to sleep!” she said to Bai Jinzhi.
Bai Jinzhi knelt on the futon, shaking her head silently. All the men in the family were killed and even their bodies could not be found. How could she sleep?
Bai Jinzhi’s thoughts were written on her face. Her eyes were red and she felt distressed. She lowered her eyes and whispered, “As long as we haven’t seen the bodies of the other uncles and brothers, everything can still be turned around. Isn’t this… a kind of hope?”
Bai Jinzhi looked at her elder sister with tears in her eyes, wiped her tears with her sleeve, and suddenly a ray of light appeared in her heart. She cheered up and nodded with sobs: “Yes!”
At daybreak, common people came to the gate of the Duke’s Mansion to pay their respects. Some people also came to watch the excitement to see if any dignitaries would come to pay their respects today.
The morning light penetrates the white mist, reflecting the green bricks and tiles covered with snow.
A luxurious carriage made of elm wood and inlaid with copper edging stopped in front of the Duke’s Mansion.
Xiao Rongyan’s guard took the chair and helped him get out of the car.
He walked up the high steps of the Duke’s Mansion calmly, holding up the hem of his clothes, untied his cloak and handed it to the guard standing on the side. Under Bai Qingyan’s slightly surprised gaze, he respectfully bowed to the more than 20 tablets of the Bai family.
Mrs. Dong returned the greeting with her children.
The handsome and elegant young man, wearing a white robe, looks even more noble and has an extraordinary demeanor.
He looked at Bai Qingyan, and then calmly bowed to Dong, his eyes warm and deep: “My Lord, the Duke, the Prince, and all the young masters of the Bai Mansion are heroes of the Jin State. Although I am from Wei, I also admire them deeply! I hope the wife of the Prince will mourn for you. The loyal souls of the countrymen are in the hearts of the people.”
Dong finally couldn’t hold back her tears because of the words “The loyal souls of the patriots are in the hearts of the people”, and she bowed solemnly to Xiao Rongyan: “Thank you for your comfort, Mr. Xiao.”
Xiao Rongyan returned the greeting and stood up, looking at Bai Qingyan: “Miss Bai, I am sorry for your loss.”
She straightened her spine, bent slightly, half-closed her eyes, and her extremely long eyelashes were like fans. Her seemingly weak temperament concealed a sharpness that was difficult for others to see.
The steward of the Bai family invited Xiao Rongyan to the back hall and ordered someone to serve tea. As soon as Xiao Rongyan picked up the cup, he heard two great scholars of the time, Mr. Cui Shiyan and Mr. Guan Yongchong, coming to pay their respects.
Mr. Cui Shiyan and Mr. Guan Yongchong were close friends of Duke Bai Weiting. Now that Bai Weiting had suddenly passed away, how could the two close friends not come to mourn and pay their respects?
The two old men were already very old, especially Cui Shiyan who was over seventy years old… With the help of the servant and old Mr. Guan Yongchong, he trembled and stepped over the threshold, and called out “Buyu” with tears in his eyes, unable to restrain his tears: “Buyu… I am seven years older than you, and I am not gone yet, how can you leave first…”
Buyu is the name of my grandfather Bai Weiting.
My grandfather was determined to… bring peace back to the people and establish a peaceful world. He remained committed to this goal and would not stop until his death.
She clenched her fists tightly and kowtowed heavily to express her gratitude. The tears that had been suppressed in her eyes burst out, as if something was rushing straight to her throat, blocking her from making a sound.
The mourning hall, which was originally like a stagnant pool of water, was filled with wailing because of the old man Cui Shiyan’s cries of pain, and even the people outside the door began to cry out.
Xiao Rongyan stood in the corridor and saw the two literary masters and great scholars of the time paying their respects to the widow of the Bai family. What Bai Qingyan returned was… the respect of a teacher.
His eyes narrowed slightly. Could it be that the eldest daughter of the Bai family had learned from two great scholars? !
Guan Yongchong helped Bai Qingyan up, looked at him with red eyes and nodded. Guan Yongchong had heard a little about what Bai Qingyan had done during this period, and felt a lot in his heart.
That year, Bai Qingyan was four years old. The child was petite and adorable. Her best friend Bai Weiting took the little girl’s hand and went to his cottage in the woods to ask him to teach her literature.
He said: “If a woman has no talent, she is virtuous. Why should she bother herself with learning?”
The morning light filtered through the dense layers of leaves, which were rustling in the wind.
The best friend stroked the child’s head with a smile, and said slowly: “Learn to know propriety, morality, justice, and shame! I don’t ask my granddaughter to be famous in the world, but I hope that she can know propriety, morality, justice, and shame, and be an upright person who can look up to heaven and earth without shame.”
Be open and aboveboard and upright!
Bai Qingyan has done a great job in loving and protecting the people, being polite and moral, and knowing shame and righteousness.
Mr. Cui Shiyan nodded with tears in his eyes, and said with a look of comfort and regret: “Your grandfather was not wrong about you. You have indeed grown up as he expected…”
She choked up with sobs and bowed again.
“Good boy! Take good care of…your grandmother, mother and sisters!” Guan Yongchong’s voice was filled with deep sadness.
She nodded in agreement.
When the news spread that the two literary giants had come to the Bai family to pay their respects, noble families gradually came to pay their respects. The originally silent Zhenguo Mansion was filled with resounding cries, and green-rimmed carriages passed by one after another.
The elderly Marquis Dingyong came with his whole family, and the word “Brother Buyu” already brought him to tears.
Bai Qingyan kowtowed in return. As soon as she stood up, she saw Chuntao holding up her skirt and hurriedly squeezed behind her. She panted and said in a very low voice: “Miss! Guard Lupin sent a message that Ji Tingyu is back!”