The Eldest Legitimate Daughter is Both Beautiful and Valiant (ELDBBV) - Chapter 89

More and more people, stirred by righteous anger, were willing to take the punishment in place of Third Miss Bai. Even children of seven or eight years old stood up and said, “The Bai family protects the people, and the people can protect the Bai family too! Though I’m young, I’ve read the teachings of the sages, I’m also willing to take the beating for Elder Sister of the Bai family!”

Seeing this, the officer was even more afraid to take action. His heart was shaken to the core. He had never seen the civilians protect a single family in such a way. Surrounded by this overwhelming tide of citizens demanding to take the punishment in place of Bai Third Miss, he stood dumbfounded, at a complete loss for what to do. Then, he turned and instructed the guards behind him, “Quickly report this to our superiors and ask how to handle it.”

A young eunuch, who had been watching from just inside the Wude Gate, rushed full speed to the emperor’s grand hall, scrambling and stumbling all the way to the entrance. He hurriedly said to Gao Demao, “Eunuch Gao, the Princess Dowager of the Zhenguo Duke’s household has brought several of the young misses from the Bai family to beat the Drum of Appeal outside Wude Gate! They are requesting that His Majesty arrest Liu Huanzhang and execute Prince Xin to uphold the laws of the land! The common folk are all outside shouting that they will take the caning punishment in place of Third Miss Bai who beat the drum.”

Even someone like Gao Demao, a person who was so close to the emperor, was startled by these words. Prince Xin… was the legitimate son of the emperor and empress! Had the Princess Dowager gone mad? She dared to ask the emperor to kill his own legitimate heir?!

Historically, even if a prince was guilty, the harshest punishment was merely imprisonment even if he had committed treason. The Bai family had probably gone mad with the death of all their men, and now no longer cared about anything.

“Eunuch Gao!” The young eunuch wiped the sweat from his brow with his sleeve. “Will you inform His Majesty?!”

Gao Demao flicked his horsetail whisk, sneering coldly, “There will naturally be someone to report this kind of unlucky news. Why should I rush forward to deliver it? Yesterday His Majesty just kicked Prince Xin and today, the Bai family came to cause trouble. You had all better watch your heads closely while working in the next few days, don’t get dragged into this.”

As soon as Gao Demao finished speaking, the city gate commander indeed came to report.

After hearing it all, the emperor hurled the porcelain tea cup with blue-and-white entwined plum blossom patterns from his hand. Enraged, he could no longer stay seated and began pacing back and forth. The pale yellow tea instantly soaked the thick carpet and made a mess.

“Outrageous! The Bai family is outrageous!”

Inside the grand hall, all the palace maids and eunuchs knelt to the ground, holding their breath in utter silence.

When the emperor was enraged, a million people would die!

Who dared speak up while the emperor was in a fury? Who was not afraid of being implicated? Even Gao Demao, who normally held great sway before the emperor, held his head lowered like a quail, wishing he could shrink himself so the emperor would not see him.

“This humble servant sent someone to investigate before daring to report to Your Majesty. It was said that earlier today in front of the mourning hall, a servant of the Bai family who had gone to deliver winter clothes returned covered in bl00d, risking his life to bring back the six bamboo scrolls. The bamboo scrolls were read aloud by a Bai family young miss in public. The commoners, stirred to fury, followed along to kneel outside the palace gate, seeking justice for the Bai family!”

Blazing with fury, the emperor nearly lost his balance. The Zhenguo Duke’s household dared to have it read aloud once at the family hall, then once more before the palace gates, as though afraid the civilians might not remember! Truly, they left not a shred of leeway!

The Bai family… was truly outrageous beyond measure!

Supporting himself against the corner of the agarwood table with one hand, the emperor clenched his teeth, turned around, and commanded, “Gao Demao, go! Bring the Grand Princess Dowager in to see me first!”

After all, she was his own paternal aunt. If he calmed the Princess Dowager first, those Bai children would be easy to deal with later.

Having made up his mind, the emperor glanced at the damp hem of his robe, stained by spilt tea, and flew into another rage, “Why has no one brought me a change of clothes?!”

Outside Wude Gate, Bai Qingyan knelt alongside the Princess Dowager before the palace gates. She saw Gao Demao, the emperor’s chief eunuch, running over.

Gao Demao ran over, saluted, then knelt beside the Princess Dowager, saying, “Princess Dowager, His Majesty sent this old servant to invite you inside…”

Seeing that the emperor’s chief eunuch had arrived, Bai Jintong finally set down the drum mallet and knelt beside Bai Qingyan.

The Princess Dowager squeezed Bai Qingyan’s hand tightly, then used her staff to rise and straighten her robes.

“Eldest Miss…” Gao Demao said with a smiling expression to Bai Qingyan, “Would you be willing to hand the military record bamboo slips to this old servant, to present them to His Majesty?”

Bai Qingyan solemnly handed the bamboo slips to Gao Demao, speaking each word clearly, “I have already read these bamboo slips, and every word pierces the heart! I hope His Majesty can deliver justice for the loyal souls who gave their lives for the country! Otherwise… the Bai family will know no peace, nor will the people.”

Almost unconsciously, Gao Demao glanced at the civilians kneeling behind the Bai family at the palace gates. If taken broadly, the meaning of Eldest Miss Bai’s words… was nothing less than a threat to His Majesty.

Carefully receiving the bloodstained bamboo slips, Gao Demao said “Eldest Miss Bai, rest assured. This old servant will be sure to deliver your words.”

Bai Qingyan straightened her back as she knelt there, watching her grandmother follow Gao Demao through Wude Gate into the palace…

“Eldest Sister, do you think Grandmother might be persuaded by the emperor?” Bai Jintong clutched the mourning garments she wore, her brows deeply furrowed.

The Princess Dowager’s attitude seemed clear, yet not entirely so. How could Bai Jin Tong not sense that?

Gazing at that vermilion palace gate and at the straight-backed figure of her grandmother, Bai Qingyan felt a trace of helplessness creep into her otherwise resolute heart.

She only said, “Circumstances press upon us. Neither Grandmother nor the emperor… can stop this!”

“Could the emperor really execute Prince Xin?!” Bai Jintong’s mind churned restlessly. In the history of Great Jin, no imperial prince had ever been sentenced to death. Even the former Second Prince had merely been imprisoned, later taking his own life.

“If the emperor does not punish Prince Xin, it won’t be enough to quell public anger and resentment! Once he acts… The crime of greedily seizing merit, of rashly advancing and leading tens of thousands of Great Jin’s soldiers to their deaths, and the crime of trying to shift the blame onto the loyal souls of the dead, these alone will be enough to leave Prince Xin forever incapable of vying for the throne. Whether he ends up confined… or demoted to a commoner!” Her voice was slow and steady, yet a murderous intent emanated silently from the depths of her eyes.

“That would be letting him off lightly!” Bai Jinxiu, rarely showing such a fierce expression, could not stop her tears from falling.

“If the emperor could be ruthless enough to kill Prince Xin, at least he can still keep a good reputation in the eyes of the people. But if he cannot bear to… Then he will be pushing all the people’s hearts towards the Bai family! Loyal heroes died tragically for the people, yet the emperor’s own son, craven and shameless, lives on. The people’s hearts will clearly know the difference between right and wrong!” She took a deep breath of the cold winter air and straightened her spine. “Women have no place in the imperial court, but the hearts of the people know no distinction between men and women. We have no power at court, so the only thing we can seize is the people’s hearts!”

“Revenge is simple! As long as one is determined… there will always be a way to kill Prince Xin! Why let the emperor kill him cheaply and gain a good name from it? Is it not better to keep this blade, sharp with the people’s anger, in our own hands?! Prince Xin is greedy for life and fears death. There are plenty who wish him dead. If one night under cover of darkness someone slits his throat, apart from the imperial family… who would shed a tear for him?!” Bai Jinzhi clenched her fists so hard that her knuckles cracked.

After this experience, Bai Jinzhi willingly thought before acting, not relying only on blind impulse. This filled her with relief.

Inside the great hall, the emperor saw the military record bamboo slips for the first time.

Item by item… everything was recorded with complete clarity!

He had only known of the disastrous defeat. The military records had never been delivered, and the casualties had never been fully counted.

He truly had not imagined that the defeat had been this catastrophic!