Gu Zhun stared at her for quite a while.
The girl had just turned twelve, her figure starting to grow taller, and she’d beco a bit thinner, making her eyes appear even larger and rounder, still carrying a hint of innocence.
But the light in her eyes was calm.
"Qin Xiao has just taken in over a thousand bandits from Longn Village, along with sixty thousand troops from Zhenzhou. Whether he can handle that doesn’t even matter, even if he could—" Gu Zhun paused for a mont, "you need to know, he has already changed his surna to Qin."
Tang Xiaobai was taken aback, understanding his implication.
She had read many stories of betrayal, but one can’t let fear prevent action!
"He is the best choice, I trust him," said Tang Xiaobai.
She had thought it through.
The military power in Zhenzhou must be divided; otherwise, there would be no chance for Li Xingyuan and her sister.
No emperor can tolerate the union of two major military forces under his command.
Since it must be divided, why not give it to Ah Xiao?
Right now, the young master is still suppressing bandits, and Li Xingyuan is still in mourning; theoretically, they cannot do anything.
The emperor issues a decree, asking Li Xingyuan to lend troops to Ah Xiao to suppress bandits, and after that, lend them to Hedong to guard against the Eastern Turks.
After making these arrangents, the troops belong to the young master.
Gu Zhun patted her shoulder: "I understand."
...
While Tang Xiaobai was still waiting for news, what she anticipated happened.
In the fourteenth year of Taixing, in mid-February, the Eastern Turks breached Yunzhou, and Yann Pass was in crisis.
The emperor was consulting with the pri minister and senior officials when an urgent report from the Zhenzhou Changshan Prince Mansion arrived at the imperial court.
The report was written by Li Xingyuan, the heir of Prince Changshan.
"Hearing that the Turkic people, led by Ashina Duoli, are harassing Hedong, this subject is deeply distressed. However, due to the recent loss of parents, it is inappropriate to lead troops... there is Miss Qin, whose civil and military abilities are not inferior to mine, and I am willing for her to serve as military supervisor..."
Sixty thousand troops given to a beauty shocked the court and nation as the folly of the heir of Prince Changshan.
...
"This is a letter to you from Prince Li." Tang Xiaobai held two letters in her hand and handed one to Tang Jiaojiao.
The other was, of course, written to her by the young master.
Both letters arrived on the sa day as Li Xingyuan’s urgent report, albeit half a day late, just after Li Xingyuan’s foolishness spread throughout the Capital City.
Upon hearing about "sixty thousand troops given to a beauty," the young lady did not react with the expected fury, instead handling the situation calmly.
Even when receiving Li Xingyuan’s letter, she remained composed, showing no inclination to open it.
"Why not take a look?" Tang Xiaobai was curious.
She also imagined that Li Xingyuan would redistribute power, but she didn’t expect Li Xingyuan to appoint Qin Rong instead of Qin Xiao.
There should be an explanation for this.
Tang Jiaojiao glanced at the letter in her hand but tossed it back to Tang Xiaobai: "If you want to read it, read it yourself!"
"This... feels a bit awkward..." Tang Xiaobai smiled sheepishly, opening the letter.
As she unfolded it, she clicked her tongue several tis and began to read: "Jiaojiao, should you et, our parting has been long—" before it was snatched away.
Tang Jiaojiao grabbed the letter, her pretty face flushed, her eyes scanning quickly, letting out a dismissive snort.
"What did it say?" Tang Xiaobai was extrely curious.
"Qin Rong saved him and his sister, so he offered half of Zhenzhou’s military power to repay the favor," Tang Jiaojiao said with a cold laugh.
This...
Tang Xiaobai also didn’t know what to say.
"Besides being rigid, what other issues does Pei Xuan have?"
The topic shifted too abruptly, making Tang Xiaobai take a mont to respond: "He... might have soone he likes."
"And what about Wang Jian?"
Wang Jian was also one of Tang Jiaojiao’s potential suitors, being the grandson of Pri Minister Wang Maozhao, equally from a prestigious family and a talented young man, although he did not appear in the original book.
"Hmm?"
"Does he have soone he likes?"
"I think... I haven’t heard of one..."
"Oh... have you t him?"
"A few tis."
"What do you think about him becoming your brother-in-law?"
Tang Xiaobai choked, sighing: "Sister, don’t be like this."
"Then what should I do?" Tang Jiaojiao retorted, eyes full of sarcasm, "Father never rushes Brother’s marriage, but suddenly he wants to arrange ours, do you know why?"
Tang Xiaobai definitely knew, better than anyone.
"If there’s not sothing wrong with the Duke Yan Mansion, why would Father be in such a hurry to arrange our marriages?"
"I am the eldest daughter of the Duke Yan Mansion, my father and brother fought in the Northwest, protecting for over ten years, and now they choose reputable, young gentlen of talent and appearance for to marry—why shouldn’t I?" She smiled disdainfully, "Li Xingyuan, what is he worth?"
Tang Xiaobai was speechless.
Her sister thought there was trouble at the Duke Yan Mansion, necessitating alliances through marriage. As the eldest daughter, she was determined to proceed without hesitation.
But in reality, the situation was even more compelling and hard to refuse.
Such an arrangent is reminiscent of a final wish, which is profoundly saddening to contemplate.
"You too," Tang Jiaojiao scolded with a stern look, "since you enjoy the glory of the Duke Yan Mansion, you must bear the responsibility!"
Tang Xiaobai nodded obediently: "I’ve already told Mother, Senior Brother Pei’s cousin is quite suitable."
Pei Xuan’s cousin was nad Pei Kuan, whom she considered the most appropriate choice after careful consideration.
First, Pei Kuan was fifteen this year and she twelve. Even if things were a bit rushed, she could marry at fifteen, and Pei Kuan would be eighteen, which in her mind counted as mature;
Secondly, she had never t Pei Kuan, so she had no preconceived image of him as a half-grown boy, and waiting to develop feelings in a few years would be unburdened;
Moreover, Pei Kuan was Pei Xuan’s cousin, and Pei Xuan had half the ntor relationship with her, so marrying into the Pei family wouldn’t feel entirely unfamiliar.
As for threats from the young master...
Sigh, he wouldn’t understand the adult world; explanations could wait till later.
For now, the most important task was to solve the imdiate problem.
After sending her sister off, Tang Xiaobai organized today’s notes and sketches and went out to the West Market.
The sixty thousand troops Li Xingyuan surrendered were eventually handed over to the Qin siblings together, not just Qin Rong alone.
The emperor had already decreed an exceptional promotion for Qin Rong as general, allowing her and Qin Xiao to command Zhenzhou’s troops, under Jin Prince Li Shu, to aid Yann Pass.
Li Shu, Qin Rong, and the young master, none had experience fighting the Turkic people, and the emperor refused to let Li Xingyuan break mourning to lead troops, which worried Tang Xiaobai greatly.
Worrying alone was useless; she wanted to contribute sothing.
After studying the section about Yann Pass in "Hedong Geography," Tang Xiaobai planned to find a geography enthusiast, Wenren Jia of Hedong, for a chat.
"I’ve indeed been to Yann Pass..." Wenren Jia flipped through her sketches, occasionally pointing out mistakes.
Tang Xiaobai took a new piece of paper and redrew according to his corrections.
Wenren Jia watched her draw a new map, his brow gradually furrowing.
When Tang Xiaobai finished drawing and looked up, she quickly asked, "So? Is there sothing wrong?"
Wenren Jia glanced at her, his expression unusually serious and solemn.
"Stop drawing," he said, picking up the inkstone beside him and pouring it over the new map.
Ink spread over the paper, rendering the original image unrecognizable.
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