Rebirth: The Journey of an Heiress-Chapter 843 - 840: Ruthless and Merciless

Bai Qihe noticed the elders of the clan murmuring amongst themselves and couldn’t gauge Mrs. Dong’s emotions. Feeling unsure, he fanned the flames by saying, "Madam, please speak freely. All of our clan will do whatever it takes without hesitation!"

The Bai Clan members saw their clan leader’s stance and nodded in agreement.

Mrs. Dong nodded, "Although Shuoyang has its own army, it is no match for a regular army. Therefore... with King Liang rebelling in Dadu City, we can only focus on our self-preservation!"

"The world is in chaos, and we can only do our best to take care of the people of Shuoyang. Now, with Princess of Zhen and Commandery Princess Gaoyi campaigning in Daliang with significant forces, should King Liang seize the throne, he will surely come to Shuoyang to control our Bai Clan to threaten Princess of Zhen and Commandery Princess Gaoyi!"

Seeing the members of the clan seemed to have their own plans, Mrs. Dong sneered internally, guessing they were thinking of surrendering the Dadu City’s widows and orphans of the Bai family when King Liang arrived.

She then spoke, "To be honest with everyone, King Liang harbors deep resentment towards our Bai Clan due to the earlier conspiracy involving the Second Prince. He is not the coward he appears to be, but rather ruthless! He once said... he wouldn’t be content until the Bai Clan is completely eradicated. If you have other thoughts, consider how tough your necks really are."

Mrs. Dong’s words shocked the Bai Clan members into immediately bowing deeply towards her, "The Bai Clan shares in one another’s glories and misfortunes. We dare not harbor any other thoughts!"

Not to mention, with Princess of Zhen and Commandery Princess Gaoyi holding significant military power, if they found out they had surrendered the Bai family’s widows and orphans to appease King Liang, their Nine Clans wouldn’t survive!

They had all seen the ruthlessness of Princess of Zhen.

"That’s good! Keep that in mind. If we do not unite now, once King Liang enters the city, no one will survive!" Mrs. Dong’s tone carried a threat.

As soon as Mrs. Dong finished speaking, the Fifth Madam, Mrs. Qi, said, "Our Bai family’s properties in Dadu City were all sold to raise money due to the pressure from the clan. Fortunately... we still have our dowries. Before everyone’s arrival, the eldest sister-in-law already discussed with us that we will keep only the portion of our dowry needed to raise the children, and donate the rest. The clan should contribute as much as possible... everyone should do their best!"

"Indeed..." Mrs. Dong leisurely began, "If Shuoyang faces difficulty this time and everyone contributes, Princess of Zhen will definitely repay you when she returns. As for how... that will depend on who contributes the most."

Hearing Mrs. Dong’s words, the elders’ fingers twitched slightly.

The smarter ones stood up first and said, "Madam, rest assured, we are all members of the Bai Clan. If Shuoyang is in trouble, we will not stand idly by. Even if it means bankrupting ourselves, we will help Shuoyang through this crisis!"

Seeing some already offering, the other elders, fearing they would fall behind, followed suit saying, "All the madams are the wives of the Bai family. How could we touch your dowries?! This matter should be handled by the Bai Clan. If it proves insufficient, then we can consider using the madams’ dowries."

Bai Qihe, who had been silent until now, addressed the ladies with a bow, "The elders have a point! Please allow the clan an opportunity to contribute, so our people can show their worth!"

Mrs. Dong hesitated for a moment before nodding, "Very well! Let’s go with the clan leader and the elders’ suggestion."

Before they could change out of her armor, the Fifth Young Lady Bai Jinzhao stepped forward, bowed and said, "Eldest Aunt, now that Second Sister is in Dadu City, we must find a way to rescue her!" fɾeewebnoveℓ.co๓

Fourth Madam Mrs. Wang, seeing her daughter taking the lead and worrying it might cause trouble for Mrs. Dong, quickly said, "Little Five, step back! Just listen to your Eldest Aunt’s instructions!"

By now a grown young lady, Bai Jinzhao knelt on one knee and saluted Mrs. Dong and Mrs. Wang, "Eldest Aunt, Mother, Second Sister is in great danger in Dadu City. I am willing to lead the troops to the city outskirts to aid Second Sister!"

Bai Qingping quickly intervened, "Fifth Young Lady, please don’t rush. I think we still can’t lead troops to Shuoyang right now. First of all... if this is a trap set by King Liang, then leading troops would be deemed a rebellion! But if King Liang has truly rebelled... then he will most fear Princess of Zhen, who is battle-hardened with significant forces!"

"Therefore, even if King Liang captures Second Young Lady, she won’t be in danger at least before Princess of Zhen returns. He will surely use Second Young Lady to threaten Princess of Zhen! Or... come to Shuoyang to capture the Bai family and the Bai Clan, using them to control Princess of Zhen." Bai Qingping’s speech was measured. Having received the news, he had been contemplating the feasibility of sending the Shuoyang army to rescue Bai Jinxiu in Dadu City, "Fifth Young Lady lacks battle experience. If you lead troops and face defeat at the hands of the imperial guard in Dadu City, you would simply present another bargaining chip to King Liang to threaten Princess of Zhen!"

Bai Jinhua, a spitting image of Bai Jinzhao, looked towards Bai Qingping, "Our Bai family, on the battlefield... would rather die than be used as someone else’s bargaining chip! Just like Eldest Uncle who shot my five brothers to prevent the Jin Army from using them to threaten our soldiers! To prevent the Xiliang army from humiliating Bai family sons and disrupting our formation!"

This was the very reason Bai Jinzhao was so anxious to go to Dadu City to rescue Bai Jinxiu. Every Bai family member who had ever been on the battlefield knew that if captured alive, one must prioritize the bigger picture.

Bai Qingping quickly saluted Bai Jinzhao, "Fifth Young Lady and Sixth Young Lady, I apologize for any offense!"

"My father once told me..." Bai Qingping looked at Bai Qihe, "Second Young Lady went to battle with the King of Zhen years ago, her mind is sharp and insightful. I believe she would not be easily caught by King Liang! And... since she managed to send the Second Madam and children out of the city, it means she could have left too. Perhaps, for some reason, she chose not to! Therefore, I believe what we must and should do now is guard Shuoyang and not let the entire Bai Clan burden Princess of Zhen."

"Fifth Sister, Bai Qingping is right!" Bai Jinhua came to Bai Jinzhao’s side, helping her up, "I know you’re worried about Second Sister, but we each have our roles, Eldest Young Lady has hers, and Second Sister has hers... our responsibility is to protect Shuoyang City, protect our aunts and the Bai Clan!"

Bai Jinzhao bit her lip and nodded, "Jinzhao... will follow Eldest Aunt’s instructions!"

·

On March 27, the eighteenth year of Xuanjia, the Eldest Princess, who had been in retreat for blessings, returned to Dadu. Officials and their families sought her protection, while King Liang surrounded the Princess of Zhen’s residence with heavy troops, requesting the Eldest Princess’s aid in restoring order.

The sourc𝗲 of this content is free(w)𝒆bnov(𝒆)l