The Eldest Legitimate Daughter is Both Beautiful and Valiant (ELDBBV) - Chapter 80

Just that one anguished cry of “I cannot hold him” was enough to tear her heart, liver, spleen, lungs, and kidneys to shreds. An unbearable, searing grief surged forth, leaving her on the verge of losing control, tears gushing uncontrollably.

She clenched her teeth and declared, “We can hold him!”

“Fourth Aunt, us sisters will hold Little Seventeenth together, we will definitely hold him steady!” She gripped the fox fur cloak with all her might, the veins on the back of her hands bulging. With her teeth clenched tightly, she shouted, “Bai Jinxiu! Bai Jintong!”

Already sobbing uncontrollably, Bai Jinxiu and Bai Jintong rushed forward and knelt beside Bai Qingyan. Even Bai Jinzhi cast off the maid who had been supporting her, and limped determinedly toward Little Seventeenth’s side.

“Today, the three of us sisters… shall hold Little Seventeenth’s body, shall hold Little Seventeenth’s head steady! We shall escort the hero of our Bai family and our kingdom, Little Seventeenth… home!”

Clad in armour, the ten-year-old boy’s body had already gone stiff. Bai Qingyan reached into Fourth Madam Wang-shi’s arms to support Little Seventeenth’s spine. Bai Jintong steadied his head, and Bai Jinxiu cradled his legs…

“And me!” Bai Jinzhi cried through gritted teeth. She lifted Little Seventeenth’s waist with trembling hands and called out loudly with tears in her eyes, “Little Seventeenth! Elder Sister will bring you home!”

“Support Fourth Madam!” Dong-shi, suppressing her own choking sobs, forced herself to call out firmly, “Let’s go home!”

Paper money flew all across the sky. The madam of the Zhenguo Duke’s residence, Dong-shi, walked at the very front, personally scattering the spirit paper money to guide the loyal souls on their way.

Dong Qingyue hoisted the coffin pole onto his shoulders and roared, “Lift the coffins!”

Except for the small coffin that was already shattered, the three other wooden coffins were raised one after another. Under the protection of the Bai family’s guards, they proceeded steadily through the southern gate of the capital city.

Bai Qingxuan, who had been howling just moments earlier, hurriedly shuffled to the side, his heart filled with anxiety.

The chief guard of the southern gate and the other soldiers stationed there saw the sorrow-stricken citizens kneeling one after another. They also bowed their heads, clenching their fists to their chests and gave a solemn military salute to the loyal remains that slowly passed into the city.

Bai Qingyan clutched her youngest brother, Little Seventeenth, tightly to her chest, while Bai Jintong steadily supported Little Seventeenth’s head and neck. They followed behind the three coffins, each step steady and firm, making their way towards the Zhenguo Duke’s residence.

Bai Jinzhi, seeing the countless citizens kneeling and weeping along the roadside, felt her heart blaze with hatred. She wished she could seize a whip that very instant and gallop off to the frontier, to slaughter every last villain who had harmed the Bai family’s men… who had harmed Little Seventeenth.

“Prince Xin’s attitude towards our Bai family is the imperial family’s attitude towards us, Little Fourth… Today, you saw with your own eyes how they treated Little Seventeenth, how they treated Grandfather, our uncles, and our younger brothers… what kind of coffins they used, and how they treat our Bai family! You must understand… The Bai family is no longer what you thought it was. Now, the Bai family is in an extremely precarious situation. There’s no time left for you to grow up slowly! Little Fourth… you must grow up now!”

Bai Qingyan kept her sore eyes fixed straight ahead as she spoke every word clearly to Bai Jinzhi, who was beside her, supporting Little Seventeenth’s waist.

Bai Jinzhi could no longer hold back her sobs. Choking with emotion, she nodded vigorously, “I understand!”

Standing with his hands behind his back, Xiao Rongyan tightly gripped the jade cicada, which had long since been nurtured into crystal-like clarity. His gaze fixed on Bai Qingyan’s pale face, and he could clearly sense the sharp edge that was no longer hidden in her eyes, threatening to burst forth at any moment.

Lu Yuanpeng, eyes brimming with tears, followed the crowd of mourners on foot all the way towards the Zhenguo Duke’s residence. However, before he could even reach the entrance, he was forcibly escorted home by the Lu Prime Minister’s household guards.

The citizens wept as they accompanied the procession all the way to the gates of the Duke’s residence. There, the Princess Dowager had already brought the Bai family’s young daughters to wait. She had heard of Prince Xin’s actions at the southern city gate, and upon seeing her four granddaughters carrying Little Seventeenth’s corpse back, the Princess Dowager’s eyes widened as she stared at her grandson’s broken body… She dared not touch him and broke out into loud, heart-wrenching sobs, her grief and rage boiling over!

“How dare Prince Xin! How dare he treat the sons of my Bai family like this! I must enter the palace to see His Majesty! I must…” The Princess Dowager cried out in anguish, her body giving way as she collapsed unconscious.

“Princess Dowager! Princess Dowager!” Aunty Jiang cried out in terror, her face deathly pale.

Chaos erupted in front of the Bai residence. Yet, Dong-shi stood firm like a pillar stabilising heaven and earth before the Zhenguo Duke’s main gates. She calmly ordered people to carry the Princess Dowager back to Changshou Courtyard and arranged for the bodies of the Duke, the Fifth Master, the Sixth Master, and Little Seventeenth to be carefully cleaned and properly placed into coffins once more. As for the other Bai family sons who could not return… Their clothing and personal items would be laid to rest in the coffins.

The Bai family’s tragedy was so severe, one could only imagine how nightmarish the situation must be at the front lines.

Within the wide-open gates of the Zhenguo Duke’s residence, in the courtyard covered by a canopy, over twenty coffins were laid out in a row. How tragic!

The weeping citizens cried not only for the Zhenguo Duke’s household but also for the entire Jin kingdom. The allied forces of Western Liang and Nanyan had invaded the Jin kingdom. Now that the men of the Duke’s household had all perished, who would be left to protect Jin’s mountains and rivers, to safeguard its tens of thousands of citizens?

Bai Qingyan stepped out of the Changshou Courtyard after seeing to the Princess Dowager. She looked up at the gloomy, overcast sky. Her eyes burned with such unbearable soreness that she could not help but close them, and tears streamed down her cheeks.

“Eldest Sister…”

Hearing the tearful voice of her seventh younger sister Bai Jinse beside her, she quickly turned her head away to wipe her tears without making a sound. Then she turned back, looking down at her younger half-sister Bai Jinse, whose small hand was tightly clutching the hem of her robe.

Suppressing her emotions, she took Bai Jinse’s icy little hand, bent down to meet her gaze, and asked in a hoarse voice, “Little Seventh, why are you here? Where is your nursemaid?”

Bai Jinse’s eyes were red and swollen. She bit her lip tightly and asked through clenched teeth, “Eldest Sister, was Grandfather, Father, and our Uncles and Brothers… were they murdered?”

Before she could respond, Bai Jinse continued, “Eldest Sister, I’m no longer a naive child who does not understand the world. I’m already nine years old! I studied the Art of War with Eldest Sister and read the sages’ classic books with my teacher! I’m not stupid! If there was no conspiracy, how could all the Bai family’s men be wiped out without a single survivor? Even Seventeenth Brother wasn’t spared. If this isn’t cutting up all weeds and digging up the roots to eliminate an entire family, then what is it?!”

Looking into Bai Jinse’s eyes, once pure and clear but now replaced with a steadiness far beyond her years, Bai Qingyan pressed her lips tightly together, overwhelmed by sorrow. She raised her hand to gently stroke Bai Jinse’s hair, but in the end, she could not utter a single word…

She ought to have been a carefree, innocent child. Yet, in the span of a single night, the sudden loss of their grandfather, fathers, and brothers had forced her to grow up. Bai Qingyan did not know whether to feel heartache or grim pride.

“Little Seventh…” Bai Qingyan bent down and gently wiped away Bai Jinse’s tears with her fingers. She spoke in a low and hoarse voice, “Mother, Grandmother, our aunts, and all your elder sisters… We’ll seek justice for the Bai family. We’ll protect Little Seventh and ensure you grow up safely! The road ahead is long and the Bai family’s future rests in the hands of us sisters. There is a saying: ‘Do not bully the youth for being poor!’ When you grow up… Eldest Sister will show you which family truly rules this Great Jin Kingdom!”

Bai Jinse looked at Bai Qingyan and nodded heavily, not quite understanding, “I understand!”

From the corner of her eye, Bai Qingyan saw Aunty Qin, who served Dong-shi, entering the Changshou Courtyard. Bai Qingyan straightened up and looked toward Aunty Qin. “Aunty…”

Aunty Qin bowed to Bai Qingyan and said, “Eldest Miss, Seventh Miss, the people from our ancestral home in Shuoyang have arrived! First Madam asked me to inform the Princess Dowager. If the Princess Dowager is feeling unwell, the First Madam will find an excuse to ask them to pay their respects to the Princess Dowager another day, and for now, Housekeeper Hao will settle them first.”