Tang Shigong was only slightly surprised at her words, then smiled, "Have you memorized all the military books?"

Tang Xiaobai was taken aback, then remembered her father had said that once she memorized those six military books, he would take her to Liangzhou.

"If I memorize them, will you take me, Dad?" Tang Xiaobai asked while calculating whether a quick method was feasible.

Oh, if only she had a photographic memory...

But Tang Shigong did not answer her question and collected his smile, looking at her as he asked, "Why do you want to go?"

Tang Xiaobai hesitated.

Tang Shigong smiled as he took her hand and said, "Think carefully, I’ll first enter the palace to see the Emperor—"

...

"When I was nine, I had a dream—"

By the time Tang Shigong returned from the palace, Tang Xiaobai had already figured it out.

It was about her father and brother’s lives and the survival of the Duke Yan Mansion. She had to give a warning no matter what.

"I dreamt that Zhao Jing was hiding a woman in Jinchang Village—"

"Wasn’t it a Chief of Evil with the surname Yao who led you to Jinchang Village?" Tang Shigong leisurely interrupted her.

Tang Xiaobai froze, then quickly said, "I dreamt it before I followed him!"

Tang Shigong smiled but said nothing more.

Tang Xiaobai squeezed her hand in cold sweat.

She just wanted to add some credibility to her words but almost did more harm than good.

For someone as honest as her, lying was too difficult!

Better to get straight to the point without laying the groundwork!

"Forget it, let’s not mention the past!" Tang Xiaobai said solemnly, "Dad, in my dream, there was this Turkic invasion of Liangzhou!"

"Oh?" Tang Shigong showed some interest in his eyes, encouraging her to continue.

The indulgent attitude of the other party in treating it as child’s play made it hard for her to maintain a somber mood. Tang Xiaobai sighed deeply and said, "In my dream, you and my brother would both go—" Deliberated for a long time, she still felt she couldn’t soften it any further and could only say directly, "And you never returned."

Tang Shigong made another "oh" sound without expressing any opinion.

"You died in battle against the Turks, and before your bodies were even cold, you were accused—"

"Accused of what?"

Tang Xiaobai tried hard to remember, then shook her head: "I don’t remember... anyway, it was to strip titles, confiscate the family, and exile."

Tang Shigong chuckled and said, "That indeed sounds like something our Emperor would do."

"There’s more," Tang Xiaobai continued, "In my dream, the Young Crown Prince had already died of illness, Prince Jin became the Crown Prince, the Emperor and Consort Zheng chose Sister as the Crown Princess Consort, but Prince Jin didn’t like Sister, and after the Duke Yan Mansion’s title was stripped, Sister—" She suddenly choked up.

Even though Jia San had died, Tang Jiaojiao’s ending in the original story was so cruel, she couldn’t bring herself to say it.

"Prince Jin deposed Jiaojiao?" Tang Shigong asked calmly.

Tang Xiaobai nodded, whispering, "With dad and brother gone, everyone bullied us... Sister, Sister was killed by them..."

Tang Shigong’s hand, casually resting on the desk, suddenly clenched, then slowly relaxed, saying, "It’s just an unfounded dream, nothing more."

Tang Xiaobai looked at his hand and said, "But dad knows such things are entirely possible, right?"

Tang Shigong raised his eyes to look at her, asking, "Why did Ziqian and I lose and die in battle?"

Tang Xiaobai, ashamed, shook her head.

If she could do it over, she would read carefully and not miss any detail.

But who would expect to transmigrate into a web novel they were reading?

"I understand now."

Tang Shigong stood up, gazed at the horizon in deep thought for a long time, then said, "Tomorrow morning, I’ll return to Liangzhou, and I’ll prevent Ziqian from going there—"

"How can that be?" Tang Xiaobai’s expression changed, "Since there’s an unknown danger there, wouldn’t it be more difficult for Dad to go alone?"

Tang Shigong chuckled, "The mere Turks are not worth our attention. If there’s danger, it’s lurking nearby. Whether Ziqian is there makes no difference, but if I can’t detect it—" He paused, "With or without Ziqian, it’s the same."

"But maybe Brother can discover something!" Tang Xiaobai disagreed, "Isn’t it better to have an extra pair of eyes?" She thought for a moment, then quickly added, "Dad, take me along, too — another pair of eyes!"

Tang Shigong laughed heartily, ruffled her hair, and his tone suddenly turned gentle, "No parent would send their child into danger when the future is uncertain."

Tang Xiaobai felt her eyes heat up and held his arm, earnestly saying, "No child would stand by and watch their parent go into danger when the future is uncertain!"

Tang Shigong stared at her for a moment, then bent down and touched her face, "With Xiaobai’s warning, Dad will certainly be careful—"

Tang Xiaobai was eager to speak, but she was interrupted again, "After I leave the Capital City, you must practice riding and archery every day. You can’t go to Liangzhou and still sit in a carriage like a delicate girl."

Tang Xiaobai was taken aback for a moment, then delighted, "Dad, are you saying—you agree? Then when will I go?"

Tang Shigong straightened up, patted her head, "Practice well, then we’ll talk."

Tang Xiaobai vaguely felt he was being perfunctory, but upon thinking it over carefully, she realized he had a point.

At the very least, she needed to improve her riding skills so she wouldn’t hold back during an escape.

After saying this, Tang Shigong was about to head inside, but suddenly, something occurred to him, and he turned around, looking at her thoughtfully.

"Dad?" Tang Xiaobai showed an inquiring expression.

"In your dream, after the decline of the Duke Yan Mansion, which families remained prominent and did not align with Prince Jin?"

Tang Shigong asked a very profound question.

Tang Xiaobai naturally assumed he must have considered something deep.

For example, finding hidden enemies or potential allies.

However, three days after Tang Shigong left, she discovered she was wrong.

That morning, after breakfast in the main room, Tang Xiaobai was about to practice archery, but Gu Ning called her.

Gu Ning kept both daughters behind, then instructed a maid to bring in a pile of papers.

Tang Xiaobai sneaked a peek and was stunned.

"Pei Xuan?" Tang Jiaojiao also glimpsed the name on the first page, frowning in confusion, "What is this?"

Gu Ning simply handed the sheet with "Pei Xuan" to Tang Jiaojiao, softly saying, "Pei The Ninth Son, how many times have Jiaojiao seen him?"

"Quite a few times..." Tang Jiaojiao answered casually.

They were all prominent figures in the Capital City; it was rare not to have seen them, not to mention he was her sister’s senior brother.

"What do you think of his character?" Gu Ning asked.

Tang Jiaojiao was a little surprised, "I’ve just seen him, you should ask Xiaobai!"

Tang Xiaobai didn’t dare answer directly but cautiously raised her question, "Mother, what do you intend to do?"

While asking, she peered at the second page with "Xue Shaojian" written on it, feeling a bizarre association in her mind.

Compiling information on prominent families’ offspring in the Capital City, could it be that—

"Your dad instructed before he left that both your marriages can be arranged."

Tang Xiaobai was taken aback.

What? That includes me?!