The Eldest Legitimate Daughter is Both Beautiful and Valiant (ELDBBV) - Chapter 66

The Bai family had now suffered a great calamity. With all its men gone, if word spread that the Princess Dowager was gravely ill, it would surely shake the Bai family’s morale. Aunty Jiang had already instructed Bai Jinzhi not to let this slip, and Bai Jinzhi, knowing the importance of the matter, naturally did not dare to reveal anything.

Bai Qingyan suddenly recalled the scene from her previous life where her grandmother coughed up bl00d and passed away upon hearing the news. Her entire body turned numb and it felt as though an invisible hand had grabbed her frantically beating heart, twisting it until the pain became unbearable.

“Eldest Sister?!” Bai Jinzhi called out when she saw Bai Qingyan’s face turn pale.

She quickly composed herself. Turning to Dong Zhangyuan, she bowed slightly, “There are many matters in the household that require attention. Since we are family, I hope Cousin will forgive us for any lack of hospitality.”

“Cousin, please take care of your matters!” Dong Changyuan quickly replied.

She nodded, grabbed Bai Jinzhi’s hand, and walked briskly toward the inner courtyard.

As they walked, Bai Jinzhi said to Bai Qingyan, “Fortunately, last night Imperial Physician Hong and Imperial Physician Huang were both watching over Fifth Aunt. Aunty Jiang has already sent someone to fetch them! She said to come and tell you!”

“What happened to make Grandmother spit bl00d?!” Bai Qingyan clenched her teeth as she asked.

“It’s all because of that deceitful mother and son in the Qingming Courtyard!” Bai Jinzhi gnashed her teeth, her red eyes full of hatred, as though she wanted to whip that woman again. “That vile woman heard that Imperial Physician Huang was at Fifth Aunt’s place and caused a scene, demanding that he go treat that illegitimate son’s injuries, saying… Saying that since her son is the only male left in the Bai family, he will be the future Zhenguo Duke! Grandmother was already grief-stricken. Aunty Jiang had repeatedly said not to bring this up, but that mother and son shouted loudly all over the place! When Grandmother heard, her face turned purple with anger, and she vomited bl00d!”

Bai Qingyan was livid. She clenched the hand warmer in her hand tightly, her chest filled with overwhelming rage. She wanted to skin that mother and son alive on the spot! As she had suspected, they were indeed a nuisance and they could not be allowed to remain.

The two of them hurried into the Changshou Courtyard. Seeing the Eldest and Fourth Misses walking swiftly, the maids quickly lifted the heavy felt curtains.

Inside the chamber, the pale-faced Princess Dowager was leaning against a large cushion embroidered with gold-threaded peonies. A fine cashmere blanket was draped over her legs. She accepted the medicinal pill and water from Aunty Jiang, tilting her head back to swallow it.

Imperial Physician Huang, having just placed the pulse pillow back into his medicine box, looked up to see Bai Qingyan and Bai Jinzhi walk in, both breathing heavily. He quickly cupped his fists and said, “Eldest Miss, Fourth Miss, do not worry. The Princess Dowager is already fine! The anger she felt forced her to expel the bl00d that had stagnated in her chest, which, in a way, is a blessing. If that contaminated bl00d had remained undetected, it would have harmed her heart and lungs over time, and even Bian Que* himself would not have been able to save her if he was alive. However… The Princess Dowager’s body is indeed in poor health and must be carefully nursed. She must rest.”

(TLN: Bian Que is a legendary doctor from 407-310 BC, famed for his medical skills, known to be the earliest known Chinese physician. https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Bian_Que)

The Princess Dowager set down the cup in her hand. Seeing her usually composed and steady eldest granddaughter looking so pale with worry, her heart softened, and tears began to fall. Despite the differences between the two, their bl00d bond was undeniable and she rushed over without hesitation upon hearing that she had vomited bl00d.

Her eyes reddened as she beckoned gently to Bai Qingyan, “Ah Bao, come here!”

Only after hearing Imperial Physician Huang say that her grandmother was no longer in danger did she finally exhale a breath of relief. She untied her cloak, handed the hand warmer to a maid, and stepped forward to stand before the Princess Dowager.

“Princess Dowager, Eldest Miss, Fourth Miss, this old servant will take his leave now!” Imperial Physician Huang said, bowing to the Princess Dowager as he carried his medicine box.

“I will see Imperial Physician Huang out!” Aunty Jiang quickly offered, smiling as she lifted the curtain and led the way for Imperial Physician Huang. Noticing that the Princess Dowager seemed to have something to say to her eldest sister, Bai Jinzhi quietly withdrew from the room.

The Princess Dowager grasped Bai Qingyan’s pale, jade-like hand. Feeling the thin layer of sweat on her palm, her eyes reddened further, “Don’t worry. Grandmother will be fine. Grandmother still has to look after you children!”

Her concern for the Princess Dowager was genuine. Beyond the fact that the Zhenguo Duke’s residence now relied on the Princess Dowager for protection, it was also a deep-seated familial bond that Bai Qingyan could not bear to lose. She could not afford to lose another loved one!

“Grandmother dozed off briefly just now when leaning on the couch for a while. In my dream, I saw so many people, I saw your grandfather… and my father, the Emperor!” The Princess Dowager’s voice broke and her eyes turned red. She reached out, pulling Bai Qingyan into her arms. Slowly and wistfully, she began to recount the past, “When Grandmother was 16, I married into the Bai family. Apart from willingly bearing children for your grandfather, I also bore an inescapable duty as a Princess of the Great Jin Kingdom! The night before my father granted the marriage… he and my mother held me in their arms just like this, telling me that the Bai family of the Zhenguo Duke’s residence… were the pillar and backbone of the Great Jin Kingdom. The imperial family both relied on and had to guard against the Bai family. My father, knowing his years were numbered, asked me to safeguard the Lin family’s imperial power and to guard against the Bai family’s ambitions. He said he would not allow me to marry your grandfather unless I swore an oath.”

These things have weighed on the Princess Dowager’s heart for many years. Now, when she told them to her granddaughter slowly, the feeling of being caught in a dilemma was still unbearable.

After deciding to marry Bai Weiting, the heir to the Zhenguo Duke, she had moved out of the Princess’ palace with unease and guilt, entering the Bai household like any other ordinary woman to serve her in-laws. It was her small attempt at making amends and finding some peace of mind.

She understood her grandmother’s difficulties…

She also understood that for someone as proud and steadfast as her grandmother, the dignified Princess Dowager, speaking of these things to her was a humble plea for understanding, an earnest hope that her granddaughter would not rebel against her.

Yet when the truth she had long avoided and refused to believe was so candidly laid out by her grandmother, she felt an unexpected calm settle over her.

“Ah Bao, your grandfather is gone. Your father, uncles, and brothers are all gone too! Our family must not be at odds with one another!” The Princess Dowager’s tears in strands.

How could she not be sad after hearing the Princess Dowager’s words? To be set on separate paths from one’s closest kin was true bitterness, as painful as a dull blade slicing through flesh, leaving one sleepless and restless.

“Grandmother, I understand Grandmother’s difficulties! Grandmother is not only our grandmother but also the Princess Dowager of the Great Jin Kingdom. The Bai family is our family, but the imperial family is also Grandmother’s family!” She looked up at the Princess Dowager, her eyes bloodshot, and spoke each word with deliberate intensity, “I dare not hide anything from Grandmother. Upon learning of the deaths of the Bai family’s men, I wanted nothing more than to rebel immediately! I wanted to bathe the imperial court of the Great Jin Kingdom in bl00d and tear apart the demons who harmed the men of our Bai family!”

The Princess Dowager’s entire body tensed, her eyes bloodshot. With all her remaining strength, her withered hands gripped Bai Qingyan’s shoulders tightly, “You…”

“But I cannot! First… is because I have no power, no influence, and my martial skills are long gone. I am merely a woman confined to the inner chambers. ” She did not resist, allowing the Princess Dowager to hold her in place, “Second, because the stability and prosperity of the Great Jin Kingdom was built on the battlefield by generations of Bai family men! It is soaked with the bl00d of our Bai family’s ancestors, of my grandfather, my father, my uncles, and my brothers! The Bai family has defended this era of peace and prosperity for the citizens of the Great Jin Kingdom! How could I, out of personal resentment, plunge the people back into chaos and suffering? How could I bear to see elders lose their sons and children lose their parents? How could I let the innocent masses endure the grief of losing their loved ones? How could I allow tens of thousands of soldiers to become unburied bones strewn across the wilderness?! What fault is it of the people? What fault is it of the soldiers? Why should they suffer and tolerate the Bai family’s personal vengeance?!”