I Will Do It
Word reached the Zhenguo Commandery Princess's estate at midday: the caravan that had set out for Suyang on the twenty-sixth had been plundered by bandits. The news spread like hot oil poured over water, setting off an uproar throughout the city.
"Good heavens! They say everything the Commandery Princess's estate sent to Suyang was the dowry trousseaus for the young ladies of the family!"
"There've been whispers for ages that bandits were swarming around Suyang, but who knew it would come to this! The caravan left in such high style — and every one of the guards escorting it looked hale and capable!"
"Exactly what I've been saying! Why, not long ago they say those bandits made off with the goods of the Wei merchant known as the finest trader under heaven — and they still haven't been recovered!"
"These are troubled times, troubled times indeed!"
"It must have been because the caravan was too conspicuous. The bandits must have known exactly what precious cargo it carried and thrown themselves at it with their lives on the line!"
"To think they'd rob even the Commandery Princess's caravan! Surely the court will send troops to bring them to heel?"
"Fat chance of that!"
One man pursed his lips as though he knew exactly how things stood, then shook his head.
"Word has it the Liang kingdom has stationed cannons along both our borders. The court won't have the strength to spare for driving off bandits. Besides, no bandit is going to march all the way to the capital, so I'd say we can put those useless worries to rest."
"Oh dear, with the bandits running this wild, do you suppose the Commandery Princess will even try to return to Suyang?"
"She won't be able to!"
Zhenguo Commandery Princess's estate.
"We fought with everything we had, and thankfully most of the goods were protected. Only a small portion fell into the bandits' hands. By Master Nuo's orders, we moved half of it swiftly to the Bai ancestral manor in Suyang under cover of night. He plans to move the remaining half by daylight."
The guard who had come bearing the news delivered his report to Lady Dong exactly as Nuo Ping had instructed.
"Master Nuo says we should let it be known that most of the goods were stolen, and spread word that whatever remains after the daylight move is all that the bandits left behind. He says we must take precautions in advance, in case the clan relatives shamelessly come trailing after us again demanding silver…"
Only after hearing the guard out did Lady Dong finally relax.
"Nuo Ping is being overly cautious. The whole world knows the Bai clan's assets were sold off and handed over to the relatives, and that what's left is our dowry. However shameless the Bai clan relatives may be, would they really lay hands on a woman's trousseau? Besides, the clan headship has changed hands now — there's no need for quite such careful measures."
"All the same, it's better to be careful, isn't it?"
Second Madam Yu pressed her handkerchief to her chest and lifted her teacup with a steadying breath.
"Those relatives would hardly turn up their noses at silver that rolls right into their laps, would they?"
"You've been through a great deal! Go and rest at once!"
Lady Dong told the guard, and he bowed and withdrew. Then she turned to Second Madam Yu.
"Have all the people to be sent to Suyang been decided? What do you intend to do about Nanny Dong's family?"
"I thought it best to keep Nanny Dong by Jinxiu's side, for my own peace of mind."
Second Madam Yu let out a sigh.
"The rest of us are all going to Suyang, and Jinxiu will be left here alone — and pregnant, no less. I simply cannot put my mind at ease."
"That has weighed on me as well."
Lady Dong, a mother herself, understood Second Madam Yu's heart all too well.
"Then stay until after Jinxiu has given birth, and come down to Suyang then. If you went ahead now, you'd only spend every day twisting your hands with worry."
Second Madam Yu's eyes lit up as she looked at Lady Dong.
"May I really?"
"Of course."
Lady Dong smiled at her.
"There are no elders left at the main estate now, and someone must look after Jinxiu when her time comes."
At last, color returned to Second Madam Yu's face. The whole time she had known Bai Jinxiu would have to return to Suyang during her pregnancy, worry had gnawed at her until she could scarcely sleep at night or eat her meals, and she had grown thin and haggard. Childbirth, people said, was like walking through the gates of hell — no mother could help but be beside herself with dread.
Thanks to Lady Dong's thoughtfulness, the weight on Second Madam Yu's heart lifted considerably.
"Then I'll return to Suyang the moment Jinxiu has finished her lying-in."
Second Madam Yu broke into a wide smile, but Lady Dong shook her head.
"There's no need to rush. When the child is a month old, someone from the Bai family will have to come to the capital anyway. You can return together then."
"Yes, Elder Sister — I'll do exactly as you say!"
Second Madam Yu smiled even more brightly.
At that moment, Bai Jingyan was meeting with Zeng Xianyu, Nanny Dong's son, in the pavilion.
Years of grueling labor had left him broad-shouldered and sturdy, his skin dark and weathered by the sun. Perhaps it was precisely these qualities that made him look so dependable.
Zeng Xianyu performed a full formal bow before Bai Jingyan, then remained standing with his head lowered, not daring even to look at her.
"I'm sorry to have dragged you to my side without so much as a by-your-leave."
Bai Jingyan's voice was gentle.
"It is this humble man's duty to follow the Commandery Princess's orders."
Zeng Xianyu replied in a voice that rang steady and trustworthy. Bai Jingyan nodded.
"The Bai family has a great deal that must be done, and we are in urgent need of capable hands. The trouble is, I have very few people I can truly put to use."
Zeng Xianyu raised his fists in salute.
"Commandery Princess, give the word and I will spare no effort."
"When you return to Suyang after staying at Nanny Dong's side, go and learn the work beside Steward Yu. He is an elder I trust deeply, but he is getting on in years, and the time has come when we need someone to succeed him in that post. Do you understand what I'm telling you?"
Zeng Xianyu's heart surged. To say that someone was needed to fill that post was to say that the Eldest Young Lady did not consider him an outsider.
Zeng Xianyu swept back the hem of his robe and dropped to his knees, bowing once more.
"Commandery Princess, since you do not regard me as an outsider, I will never disappoint you. I will devote my loyalty to you alone for the rest of my life, and that devotion will never waver. Should I ever betray you, may heaven's punishment strike me down."
He was a man of clear understanding. Bai Jingyan nodded.
"Rise. And call me Eldest Young Lady from now on — I find that more comfortable."
"Yes, Eldest Young Lady!"
Zeng Xianyu accepted her words without a moment's hesitation.
Bai Jingyan had heard a little about Zeng Xianyu from Xiao Ruohai. Xiao Ruohai and Xiao Ruogang had crossed paths with him while tending to wounded men in a village, and they'd described him as a man of few words who nevertheless handled his work with unfailing reliability.
Whether Zeng Xianyu could truly take over Steward Yu's post and maintain smooth communications with Xiao Rongyan's side, and whether he could shoulder the management of the mines and the forging of weapons, would have to be judged after he had worked alongside Steward Yu for a time.
He was Nanny Dong's son, but this matter touched on the very survival of the Bai clan — and Bai Jingyan could not yet place her full trust in him.
Beneath the rockery beside the pavilion, Chun Tao had been keeping watch. She exchanged a few words with a maid from Qinghui Courtyard who had come bearing a message, waited until she saw the maid safely on her way, and only then lifted the hem of her skirt and hurried over, bowing in salute.
"Eldest Young Lady, they say Young Lady Lu has returned. She is waiting for you in Qinghui Courtyard now."
"Very well."
Bai Jingyan answered, then turned her gaze to Zeng Xianyu.
"I've already spoken to Steward Yu. Go and find him."
"Understood."
With Chun Tao supporting her by the arm, Bai Jingyan walked to Qinghui Courtyard.
Lu Nyinghua had been sitting in the outer chamber drinking tea in a state of barely concealed agitation. The moment Bai Jingyan entered, she composed herself and rose in greeting.
"Eldest Young Lady."
"Aunt."
Bai Jingyan returned the greeting.
"I heard you only just arrived. Have you seen Grandmother?"
Lu Nyinghua sat down across from Bai Jingyan and shook her head.
"The Grand Princess instructed me to discuss the matter with you, Eldest Young Lady."
It sounded as though her grandmother intended to attach Lu Nyinghua to her own household.
Chun Tao rolled up the bamboo blinds and stepped inside. After serving tea to Bai Jingyan, she withdrew respectfully and took up her post outside to await orders.
"His Majesty asked about that elixir — the one said to bring the dead back to life, wasn't he?"
Bai Jingyan lifted her teacup and asked. At her words, Lu Nyinghua went rigid all over again and nodded. Before she could even answer, Bai Jingyan continued.
"He also asked what Physician Ji said in our household, and what she did there, didn't he?"
Lu Nyinghua watched Bai Jingyan slowly blowing on the hot tea. Her long lashes curved in a natural arc, and her placid expression carried an air of complete composure, as though she held everything in the palm of her hand.
"So… you knew all along."
Lu Nyinghua clenched her fists tightly in her lap.
It was easy enough to guess this much — Bai Jingyan knew, at the very least, what sort of man the current Emperor was, the man who now held imperial power in his grasp.
Everyone fears death. Physician Ji had precisely grasped the psychology of a death-fearing Emperor, and had used the Commandery Princess's estate — the most closely watched household in all the capital — to deliver that message straight to him.
Lu Nyinghua bowed her head deeply. The hands gripping her skirt were trembling faintly.
"The Grand Princess let me know long ago, through Nanny Zhang, what manner of man the Emperor is. He pressed me relentlessly about that elixir. I was afraid that if I denied it too forcefully he would grow suspicious, so I only said it was groundless rumor — but he still seems interested in it. And if that is the case, then the moment Lanhua steps out of this estate… she may be dragged straight to the palace."
Suddenly Lu Nyinghua dropped to her knees, her voice choking with tears.
"Eldest Young Lady, I beg you — save Lanhua. I will enter the palace myself! That child has lived a life of nothing but hardship. I cannot let her be dragged into this. Lanhua must be allowed to live out her days in peace, starting now."
Bai Jingyan could fully understand Lu Nyinghua's desperation — begging for help even as she fought to hold back her tears. The desire to shield a younger sibling was the same in every heart.
"Aunt."
Bai Jingyan set down her teacup and helped Lu Nyinghua to her feet.
"The Bai estate today has no strength to fight the Emperor head-on. One careless move, and the entire Bai family could be torn up by the roots. But you…"
Bai Jingyan pressed her lips together briefly, then continued in a low voice.
"Even if you stood before the Emperor yourself, Aunt, he is not a man who would renounce immortality for your sake. The Emperor of today is a selfish creature who acts for himself alone and knows nothing beyond himself."
Before Lu Nyinghua had appeared, the Emperor had doted so thoroughly on Noble Consort Chu that he had obeyed her every word — but even that had rested on the unspoken condition that his own interests remain untouched.
Lu Nyinghua ground her teeth.
"Is there truly no way?"
"There is. But it depends on Physician Ji."
Bai Jingyan looked at Lu Nyinghua with grave eyes.
"She need only say that she did not create that elixir herself — that she spent her entire fortune to buy it. Even if the Emperor learns the elixir is worthless, so long as he believes Physician Ji was herself deceived into believing it worked, she will be safe! But if Physician Ji has truly made up her mind to stay at the Emperor's side, then no one on this earth can stop her."
If Physician Ji claimed the elixir as her own creation, the Emperor would certainly drink it. And once he discovered it had no effect, she would bear the full weight of the crime of deceiving the Emperor — and death would be waiting for her at the end of it.
But if the Emperor took the elixir and it somehow worked, he would come to treasure Physician Ji above all else. And in that case, she would be locked inside the palace for the rest of her life — with no way out until the Emperor himself drew his last breath.
Or she might simply die beside him.
"Eldest Young Lady, what if I claimed the elixir was mine — what if I said I gave it to him? I…"
"Aunt, reckless words can invite disaster of their own."
Bai Jingyan cut her off calmly.
"Rather than sitting here talking ourselves in circles, it would be better to go and persuade Physician Ji — to talk her out of staying at the Emperor's side."
Tears threatened to spill from Lu Nyinghua's eyes. She clutched the collar of her robe and bit down hard to keep them from falling. It was because her persuasion had failed that she had come to the Eldest Young Lady in the first place.
Bai Jingyan knew all too well how much Lu Nyinghua was suffering — aching to protect Physician Ji, yet powerless to do so.