Fighting Spirit Ablaze
Poru broke out in a cold sweat, stunned by Madame Fang's outrageous logic.
"Madame, she is the Zhenguo Commandery Princess, no less! Never mind the rest — just look at her appearance. How many men in this world could even hope to match her? Set aside the question of royal and noble-born suitors entirely, and consider this: the imperial examinations reopen on the first of February next year, and she's more than qualified to place first and top the lists! And yet you want to marry her off to the least capable legitimate son our Fang family has to offer? Master is the head of the Bai clan. This is a colossal insult to him — an outright humiliation! Madame, do not forget: both Master and the Zhenguo Commandery Princess are Bai."
Whether Madame Fang finally recognized her own folly at Poru's words or not, she wrung her handkerchief and sniffled.
"Well, then, would it have been better to say it sweetly? There's an old saying, isn't there — teach your sons in public, but correct your wife behind closed doors. He never taught me a thing, just flew into a temper! When all I think about is Master's future! He may be only the acting clan head now, but once someone of standing starts putting in a good word for him with the Zhenguo Commandery Princess, his position will be secure!"
Poru let out a long, deep sigh.
"Madame, please hear your servant out. When Master returns this evening, you must apologize to him."
"Why should I!"
Madame Fang snapped her head away in a huff.
"Then this servant will have pig's trotter soup simmering in the kitchen. I'll bring it to Master myself and apologize in your stead. In a marriage, at least one of the two must own their fault if there is to be any harmony."
Madame Fang dabbed her eyes with her handkerchief and gave no reply — but neither did she refuse.
After the midday meal, Bai Qihua arrived at the Bai Manor with Bai Jingping in tow.
When Bai Jingyan heard the report from the servant, she understood that the two had come on the matter of training the soldiers.
The recruits had originally been settled and confirmed, but Bai Jinchi had received an imperial edict and departed for Mount Chunmu, with Nuo Ping following in her wake.
Bai Jingyan judged that she could simply ask the prefect to help find suitable men. And if he turned up nothing, she could gather a handful of her own subordinates and do it herself.
She had already sent word to the prefect, but before he could arrive, Bai Qihua and Bai Jingping had come calling first.
Bai Jingyan entered the main hall. At the sight of her — so upright and immaculately dressed — Bai Qihua and Bai Jingping grew all the more deferential before her formidable presence, as though seeing her in this light for the very first time.
"Please, be seated."
Only after Bai Jingyan had taken the seat of honor and a maid had served the tea did she speak.
"I know you've come about the matter of training soldiers. I've already sent word to the prefect. If he can't find the right men, I'll take it on myself — though I'll no doubt need someone's help regardless."
"Yourself?"
Bai Jingping started in surprise, and Bai Jingyan gave a small nod.
Just then the Xue steward hurried in and bowed to Bai Jingyan from the entrance of the hall.
"Young Lady, the Prefect has arrived."
"Show him in at once."
As the prefect entered, he saw Bai Qihua and Bai Jingping rise hastily and greet him with scrupulous courtesy, and he thought to himself that they were nothing like the former clan leadership. He returned their bows with a smiling nod, then turned and paid his respects to Bai Jingyan.
"Prefect, sit. No need for ceremony."
Encouraged by Bai Jingyan's brisk, forthright manner, the prefect spoke plainly, without any hedging.
"I heard the news — that the Gaoyi County Princess, who was to train the townspeople, received Her Majesty's edict and has gone on to Mount Chunmu. So you summoned me because you need someone to take over the task?"
"Have you a candidate to recommend?"
The prefect gave a nod, then rose and bowed deeply to Bai Jingyan.
"Commandery Princess — how would it be if my sons took on the task?"
Bai Qihua and Bai Jingping looked at the prefect in open puzzlement. His sons, training soldiers?
"Prefect, none of your three sons has ever served as a soldier!"
Bai Qihua said urgently.
"It's true my sons have never soldiered," the prefect replied. "But Your Highness means to raise militia, not elite troops — surely they will do well enough. If Your Highness is willing to hear them out, they are waiting outside the gate at this very moment. Would you care to have a look at their faces?"
Bai Jingping felt a flicker of unease. But the prefect seemed supremely confident in his sons. He watched Bai Jingyan once more, waiting to see what choice she would make.
Though no one could say so outright, the truth was plain: the raising of these soldiers ought to remain in the hands of the Bai family. The Bai clan was funding the enterprise, so surely the troops must pass through Bai hands. If the prefect's three sons raised the militia, every one of those soldiers would end up under the prefect's control.
So the prefect had come fully prepared. Bai Jingyan deliberated briefly, then took a sip of her tea.
"Show me the three young masters."
The Xue steward standing by the entrance answered at once and sent a servant to usher the prefect's three sons inside.
All three had heavy brows and large, striking eyes. They resembled one another closely, though not their father — they had evidently taken after their mother.
Crossing the threshold, the three dropped to one knee before Bai Jingyan and bowed. Their voices were strong and resonant — men who had trained in the martial arts, clearly.
"Your sons all look to be fine men. But as the clan head says, none of the Prefect's three sons has soldiered, so I cannot hand them full command."
Bai Jingyan turned her gaze on the prefect.
"The more I think on it, the more certain I am that I must lead this myself. Choose one of your sons to assist Bai Jingping and me. I trust I'll have cause to rely on your young master in the days ahead."
Bai Jingping rose at once and gave his assent.
The prefect pressed no further. Wariness was only natural in anyone's heart — it was entirely to be expected that the Zhenguo Commandery Princess would make such a decision.
"His Highness the Crown Prince has ordered the local officials of Suyang to give their full support to the training of these soldiers. So I must needs do my duty as well."
So the prefect answered.
Bai Jingyan gave a light nod, and the prefect continued slowly.
"And of course, I wish to aid Your Highness with a sincere heart. So command me at any hour — I stand ready to give you my liver and my gallbladder both."
"Then I'll entrust matters to your son first. There will no doubt be much need of your help in training the militia and rooting out bandits. I look forward to it."
Bai Jingyan said to the prefect.
The prefect was a quick-witted man, and her meaning was unmistakable: she would take one of his sons on trial, and only if he proved his worth would she call on the prefect himself.
Unhurried, the prefect asked with a smile:
"There is one more matter. I hear the Gaoyi County Princess has gone to Mount Chunmu. Among my household servants there are a dozen or more skilled in the martial arts. If Your Highness trusts me, I could send them to Mount Chunmu to guard the County Princess's safety. And if Your Highness feels the Princess has all the hands she needs, then put those servants to your own use — they could lend their strength to raising the militia."
"Then assign your servants to Bai Jingping and your son."
Bai Jingyan nodded to the prefect.
"Prefect, thank you for your care in this."
She could not very well test the prefect's trust and loyalty with Bai Jinchi's life as the stake.
Hearing this, the prefect understood that this was the proper moment to withdraw, and bowed his head. The road ahead was long. One day, the Zhenguo Commandery Princess would come to believe that he served her with his whole heart.
After the prefect departed, Bai Jingping spoke.
"Sister, you gave me the post alongside the Prefect's son so that I might keep watch over him, didn't you? The Bai clan is funding the training of these troops — you fear the Prefect might seize control of the soldiers."
Knowing that Bai Jingping might otherwise misread her intentions, Bai Jingyan gave him a clear answer.
Bai Qihua, watching the growing closeness between Bai Jingping and Bai Jingyan, felt quietly satisfied. The people of the Bai clan ought to be of one heart and one purpose — it was only right.
"The Prefect's son will be told to stay at your side from now on. There's no need for excessive suspicion. Just make sure he never learns anything of real importance."
Bai Jingyan cautioned.
"Sister, don't worry. I'll do you proud."
Bai Jingping said, rising to his feet.
Leaving the Bai Manor with his son, Bai Qihua ruffled the young man's hair and climbed into the carriage with a contented smile. Looking at his son, so much more level-headed than his own wife, he thought — thank the heavens for small mercies.
Early on the morning of the eleventh, just as the sky was beginning to pale, braziers stood hung high around the drill grounds, their flames swaying with the wind.
Close to two hundred of Suyang's townspeople had gathered at the grounds, milling about in clusters and chattering noisily.
Most were Bai tenant farmers freed from their rent, or Bai clansmen dragged there against their will, or ordinary folk who had come for the monthly silver. Only a scant few had come out of any true desire to hunt down bandits.
Bai Jingping stood on the platform beside Shen Anzhong, the prefect's third son, frowning at the slack, listless crowd. He doubted such people could truly be forged into soldiers.
"We should get them into formation before Her Highness arrives."
Shen Anzhong clenched his fists and turned toward the bow rack, about to act at once — then, remembering his father's parting warnings, he glanced over and asked Bai Jingping with a smile:
"Young Master Bai, might you have a clever trick up your sleeve? We can hardly let Her Highness see a spectacle like this."
A wave of helplessness washed over Bai Jingping. He knew perfectly well that in such situations, cowing them by force was the most effective method — but he lacked the ability to do any such thing.
The moment he opened his mouth to answer, the sound of hoofbeats rose from somewhere.
Every head turned toward the entrance of the drill grounds. Dressed in a crisp martial uniform, Bai Jingyan dismounted with a whip coiled in her hand. She surveyed the crowd scattered across the grounds like spilt grains of sand with an air of perfect unconcern — no trace of the urgency that gripped Bai Jingping and Shen Anzhong.
She walked slowly toward the platform. Behind her, the Bai family guards filed in in orderly ranks, swords at their hips. Their footfalls rang like rolling thunder, yet moved as one — so perfectly in step that each stride landed as a single blow against the chest.
Cowed by Bai Jingyan's killing aura and with the guards marching in at full bearing, the grounds fell silent in an instant, as though a bucket of water had been cast over the crowd. The townspeople scurried back to their places and stared up at Bai Jingyan on the platform, faces gone solemn.
Civilians who had never once drilled, spanning every age — such disorder was only to be expected, and Bai Jingyan had anticipated it all along.
The first time she had followed her grandfather to the Bai Army encampment, new recruits had happened to be training that very day. She remembered with perfect clarity how General Shen Kunyang had drilled them. With only slight adjustments, the same methods would serve these townspeople well enough.
"Bring them out!"
Bai Jingyan turned her head and gave the order to the guards standing at her side.
Presently three guards came up carrying three baskets of meat, each holding a different amount. Bai Jingyan looked out over the townspeople standing awkwardly on the grounds and spoke.
"Training begins today. Every day, until the third drum, this meat will be awarded as a prize to three of you — take it home to your families."
Even in ordinary households, meat was no everyday dish. And of those gathered here — tenant farmers released from rent and commoners come for their monthly silver — the poor were especially numerous. Most of them went the whole year without a single meal of meat, and considered themselves fortunate to taste it at festival time. To these people, meat was a powerful lure indeed.
A murmur rippled through the crowd — and then, as though every one of them had been struck awake, their fighting spirit blazed to life.
"Today, Bai Jingping and Shen Anzhong will drill you. We will finish before nightfall, and the three of you who cannot keep up with the training will be sent away from here."
Bai Jingyan's voice was calm, and cold.
Those who had planned to idle away the hours and slip off early flinched and cried out:
"Then does that mean our rent exemption is off the table?"
"That is exactly what it means."
Bai Jingyan replied with a nod.
Then she turned to Bai Jingping and Shen Anzhong.
"Let us begin."