The Eldest Legitimate Daughter is Both Beautiful and Valiant (ELDBBV) - Chapter 76

“Eldest Miss…” Aunty Qin stepped forward. The moment she saw Bai Qingyan’s reddened eyes and hearing her instructions to take good care of her mother, Aunty Qin burst into tears. “Eldest Miss, rest assured. First Madam is strong. Just this morning, she told this old servant that she is the mistress of the Duke’s residence and Eldest Miss’ mother, so she must hold on… If she could not even support the Bai family, how could she protect her own daughter?”

Hearing these words, Bai Qingyan clenched her fists tightly, a sour ache flooding her heart.

She thought of her father.

She recalled that bl00d-soaked battle during which they crushed the Shu Kingdom. For three days, she relentlessly pursued and cornered the enemy, ultimately beheading Shu’s great general, Pang Pingguo, shattering his army’s will to fight in one fell swoop.

After the victory, she had been elated. Yet her father, rather than praising her, had told her she had violated military orders by acting without command to chase Pang Pingguo, and had ordered her to receive fifty lashes!

She had been unconvinced, raising her chin in defiance as she argued with her father, “I slew the enemy’s great general and secured merit, why is Father punishing me?”

Her father’s eyes had turned red. He had flung his riding whip to the ground with anger and kicked the silver spear from her grasp, shouting at her with a glare, “Because I am your father! No matter how intelligent and courageous you are in the eyes of others, to me, you are simply my daughter who I would never give up, even at the cost of my life!”

A parent’s love for their child… No matter what, they were willing to sacrifice their lives to bravely protect their children at any time.

But from now on, she no longer had a father! Nor younger brothers…

Her father had died in Fengcheng.

Her younger brothers had perished in Nanjiang.

She nodded and with a hoarse voice, said to Aunty Qin, “Nanny, don’t tell my mother I’ve been here.”

Aunty Qin tucked Bai Qingyan’s cloak snugly around her shoulders, nodding as she struggled to suppress her tears. “Eldest Miss, you must take care and rest well in the coming days. When Master and First Young Master… When they return, Eldest Miss will be busy.”

She nodded, then took Chuntao’s hand and walked slowly out of the courtyard, bracing against the biting wind.

She gazed at the white lanterns swaying wildly beneath the eaves, buffeted by the cold wind, and clenched Chuntao’s hand tightly.

The winds were surging and the capital city’s landscape was going to change.

It was the 16th year of Xuanjia. On the fifth day of the first lunar month, it snowed heavily.

At 3:15am, the gatekeeper of the southern gates of the capital, stepped out of the barracks with a lantern in hand and ordered the gates to be opened.

As he turned back, peering through the vast expanse of falling snow, he saw a group of figures emerging from the dazzling glow of lanterns at the far end of the long street. The closer they came, the clearer it became that they were not just a few individuals. Instantly alert, the gatekeeper pressed his hand to the hilt of the sword at his waist.

The steward of Zhenguo Duke’s residence ran ahead and greeted the gatekeeper with a respectful bow before explaining their purpose, “Today, Prince Xin returns with the coffin. Our Madam has brought the ladies of the household to the city gate to welcome them.”

Seeing that the arriving people were indeed wearing mourning garments, the gatekeeper nodded and stepped aside.

As a fellow soldier, though he had not fought on the battlefield, his heart still burned with a sense of duty to the empire and its citizens.

That day, outside the gates of the Duke’s residence, there had been those who had been blinded by greed, taking bribes to cause a disturbance. Eldest Miss Bai’s words had ignited a surge of righteous fury in the hearts of men. Tears had welled in their eyes, and they had wished more than anything to follow the Duke into battle and die in service to their country.

Now, the Duke and the men of the Bai family had perished on the battlefield, their bodies returning wrapped in horsehide. It was only right that the Bai family widows should come to the city gate to welcome them home.

First Madam, Dong-shi, stood at the gate, accompanied by Second Madam, Liu-shi, Third Madam, Li-shi, Fourth Madam, Wang-shi, and the pregnant Fifth Madam, Qi-shi. Alongside them were Eldest Miss, Bai Qingyan, Second Miss, Bai Jinxiu, Third Miss, Bai Jintong, the Fourth Miss, Bai Jinzhi, who had only just been punished by family discipline yesterday and was barely holding herself upright. They stood together with their second uncle, Qin Lang, all accompanied by the Bai family’s guards and servants, waiting for the Bai family heroes to return.

The servants sobbed faintly in the crowd and did not appear as strong as their masters.

The heavy snowfall obscured vision and beyond the swirling white, Bai Qingyan could see nothing but darkness.

The Bai family’s men had all perished. Within this resplendent capital, those who feared and resented the Bai family were likely rejoicing, too happy to sleep!

But the road ahead was long. Who could say what the future held?

A glacial gleam flashed in Bai Qingyan’s eyes.

The venomous serpent lies dormant in winter, waiting for spring to hunt.

No need to hurry, no need to hurry…

Dong-shi’s reddened eyes lowered and she turned slightly to adjust Bai Qingyan’s cloak, her fingers trembling despite her efforts to steady them. “I told you children to stay at the residence, to accompany your grandmother and take care of your younger sisters, but you just wouldn’t listen…”

She gently grasped her mother’s cold hand, her own eyes reddening as she clenched it tightly. “As the younger generation, we can already share Mothers’ and Aunts’ burdens. We are no longer children.”

In her past life, she had fallen ill and left her mother to bear the weight of the Bai family alone. In this life, she would not allow her mother to stand alone.

Second Madam, Liu-shi, held her daughter, Bai Jinxiu, in her arms and her tears fell immediately. If it were not for her daughter, she would have wished to bash her head in and follow her husband and sons into death. However, her daughter had already lost her grandfather, father, elder brothers, and younger brothers. How could she bear to let her child lose her mother as well?

Within the capital, someone’s household lit up. Hearing whispers from the back window about how the widows of the Duke’s residence had all gone to the southern gate early in the morning to welcome back the fallen, the occupant hastily rose, dressed, and came out with a lantern. By coincidence, they encountered their neighbour, who was also stepping out into the snow with a lantern in hand.

“You heard it too? The Bai family widows have all gone to the southern gate!”

“Yes! The heroes of the Duke’s residence are returning today. We’ve been protected by the Duke’s residence for generations, so we should also go and welcome them home!”

Before they could exchange more words, the creaking of a wooden door sounded from next door. A man, stepping out with his elderly father, spotted the neighbours and asked, “You‘re going to the southern gate as well?”

Upon the city walls, the gatekeeper saw the lanterns emerging one after another from the depths of the capital. The warm glow of the lanterns, softened by their coverings, formed a dense and steady stream converging from all directions. As he looked closer, he saw citizens gathered in groups, holding umbrellas and lanterns, their numbers surpassing even those of the crown on New Year’s Eve.

It was snowing heavily in the middle of winter, and dawn had yet to break.

A surge of emotion swelled within the gatekeeper’s chest. He raised his voice and shouted loudly, “Raise the big lanterns at the city gate higher! Light the way for the loyal souls of the Great Jin Kingdom!”

At these words, the Bai family’s women could not hold back their tears. Yet, they straightened their backs and stood firm in the wind and snow, waiting for their loved ones to return.

The officials of the imperial court sought to seek benefits and avoid harm as always. Since news of the events in Nanjiang had reached the capital, the Emperor’s stance had turned ambiguous, showing no clear inclination to grant the Bai family leniency. Even after receiving the news, they did not dare to act rashly, unlike on New Year’s Eve, when they had gathered at the southern gate without hesitation.

Only a few of the noble families came. Upon hearing that Dong-shi had taken the Bai family widows to the southern gate, Dong Qingping and Dong Qingyue immediately wiped their faces with handkerchiefs and rode over on horseback.

Tears shimmered in Dong-shi’s eyes, her heart deeply moved, yet she could not help but urge them, “Elder Brother, Qingyue, you needn’t have come!”

Dong Qingping raised a hand and patted her shoulder, smiling as he said, “It’s nothing.”

To Bai Qingyan’s surprise, Xiao Rongyan had also come, accompanied by Lu Yuanpeng and the other playboys.

Lu Yuanpeng greeted the Bai family ladies with utmost respect, bowing deeply. Xiao Rongyan, too, offered a slight nod before lifting his gaze towards Bai Qingyan, who was returning their salutations with downcast eyes.

Clad in mourning attire, with a mourning band tied around her head, Bai Qingyan’s peerless beauty was veiled in a quiet, solemn clarity.